Near-infrared emissions with widely different widths in two kinds of Er-doped oxide glasses with high refractive indices and low phonon energies

Er³⁺-doped alkali-barium-bismuth-tellurite (LKBBT) and alkali-barium-bismuth-gallate (LKBBG) glasses with high refractive indices and low phonon energies have been designed, fabricated, characterized and compared. Intense 1.53 μm emissions with widely different widths in the two kinds of glasses were observed and recorded under 980 nm diode laser excitation. The full-widths at half-maximum of the 1.53 μm emission bands in LKBBT and LKBBG glasses are 58 and 40 nm, and the lifetimes of them were measured to be 3.21 and 3.97 ms, respectively. The quantum efficiencies for the ⁴I_13/2 level in both glasses are almost 100%. The 1.53 μm broad and narrow emissions with high spontaneous emission probabilities and large emission cross-sections indicate that Er³⁺-doped LKBBT and LKBBG glasses are suitable materials in developing broadband optical amplifier and infrared laser, respectively.     

Investigation of individual micrometer-size Kosa particle with on-site combination of electron microscope and synchrotron X-ray microscope.

The Kosa (yellow sand) aerosol affects the global environment as well as human health because it migrates from the interior of China to other areas, absorbing various atmospheric elements. Investigation into individual Kosa aerosol particles, which are submicroscopic to several tens of micrometers in diameter, is required to resolving the issue. We installed a scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX) on a synchrotron radiation (SR) beam line and introduced the SR beam into the SEM chamber for combinatorial application of SEM-EDX and SR X-ray fluorescence (SR-XRF) spectrometry to individual particles. It should be noted that detailed topographic observation by SEM and sensitive elemental analysis by SR-XRF, both crucial for individual particle measurement but which previously had to be carried out separately, were jointly performed inside the SEM chamber in this setup. Here, we show that SR-XRF results, in conjunction with SEM images, contributed toward resolving individual particle dispositions. Atmospheric sulfur primarily adheres to calcium in the aerosol particles and the particle surface roughens as a consequence of the chemical reaction between the two elements.     

Highly durable Pd metal catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction in fuel cells; coverage of Pd metal with silica

Pd cathode catalysts for polymer electrolyte fuel cells have been covered with silica layers a few nanometres thick. The silica-coated Pd catalysts showed high activity and excellent durability for the oxygen reduction under the severe cathode conditions of PEFCs, while Pd catalysts without silica-coating were seriously deactivated under the same conditions. The coverage of Pd metal with silica prevents the diffusion of Pd species out of the silica layers.     

Determination of rat hepatocellular glutathione by reversed-phase liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection and cytotoxicity evaluation of environmental pollutants based on the concentration change.

Three methods for the determination of rat hepatocellular thiols by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence (FL) detection have been developed. The thiols in the cells were tagged with three fluorogenic reagents, SBD-F, ABD-F and DBD-F. These reagents could permeate into cells and effectively reacted with thiols to produce highly fluorescent derivatives. These derivatives fluoresced in the long wavelength region at around 530 nm (excitation at around 380 nm). The five biological thiols tagged were perfectly separated by reversed-phase liquid chromatography and were sensitively and selectively detected without any interference from endogenous substanaces. The main thiol in the cells was reduced GSH and the concentration was at the mM level. The proposed procedures were applied to the determination of hepatocellular GSH after treatment of environmental pollutants such as volatile organic compounds (VOC) and endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC). From the comparison of intracellular GSH concentration, the test compounds were classified into four groups: compounds of strong depletion (eg triphenyltin chloride, hexachlorocyclohexene, nonylphenol, bromoacetic acid, 4-chlorobenzyl chloride and 1,3-dichloropropene), slight decrease (eg bisphenol A, benzo[a]pylene, carbon tetrachloride and benzene), slight increase (eg bromoform and toluene), and no effect (eg 1,1,1-trichloroethane, 1,1,2-trichloroethane and 1,2-dichloroethane). Although the decrease of GSH concentration does not reflect the cytotoxicity of chemicals, the proposed procedure utilizing isolated rat hepatpcytes seems to be useful for investigating the bioactivation of VOC, and EDC, etc.     

Observation of B Meson decays to b1pi and b1K

We present the results of searches for decays of B mesons to final states with a b1 meson and a charged pion or kaon. The data, collected with the BABAR detector at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, represent 382x10(6) BB[over ] pairs produced in e+e- annihilation. The results for the branching fractions are, in units of 10(-6), B(B+-->b1(0)pi+)=6.7+/-1.7+/-1.0, B(B+-->b1(0)K+)=9.1+/-1.7+/-1.0, B(B0-->b1(-/+)pi(+/-))=10.9+/-1.2+/-0.9, and B(B0-->b1(-)K+)=7.4+/-1.0+/-1.0, with the assumption that B(b1-->omega pi)=1. We also measure charge and flavor asymmetries A(ch)(B+-->b1(0)pi+)=0.05+/-0.16+/-0.02, Ach(B+-->b1(0)K+)=-0.46+/-0.20+/-0.02, A(ch)(B0-->b1(-/+)pi(+/-))=-0.05+/-0.10+/-0.02, C(B0-->b1(-/+)pi(+/-))=-0.22+/-0.23+/-0.05, DeltaC(B0-->b1(-/+)pi(+/-))=-1.04+/-0.23+/-0.08, and A(ch)(B0-->b1(-)K+)=-0.07+/-0.12+/-0.02. The first error quoted is statistical, and the second systematic.     

Phosphorescent Ruthenium Complexes with a Nitroimidazole Unit that Image Oxygen Fluctuation in Tumor Tissue

Understanding oxygen fluctuation in a cancerous tumor is important for effective treatment, especially during radiotherapy. In this paper, ruthenium complexes bearing a nitroimidazole group are shown to report the oxygen status in tumor tissue directly. The nitroimidazole group was known to be accumulated in hypoxic tumor tissues. On the other hand, the ruthenium complex showed strong phosphorescence around 600 nm. The emission of ruthenium is quenched instantaneously by molecular oxygen due to energy transfer between triplet states of oxygen and ruthenium complex, but the emission is then recovered by the removal of oxygen. Thus, we could observe oxygen fluctuation in tumor tissue in a real‐time manner by monitoring the phosphorescence of the ruthenium complex. The versatility of the probe is demonstrated by monitoring oxygen fluctuation in living cells and tumor tissue planted in mice. The ruthenium complex promptly penetrated plasma membrane and accumulated in cells to emit its oxygen‐dependent phosphorescence. In vivo experiments revealed that the oxygen level in tumor tissue seems to fluctuate at the sub‐minute timescale.