Generation of femtosecond pulses at 1350 nm by Cerenkov radiation in higher-order-mode fiber

We demonstrate a method of generating short pulses at 1350 nm by exciting Cerenkov radiation in a higher-order-mode fiber with a 1064 nm femtosecond fiber laser. We measure a 106 fs, 0.66 nJ output pulse. Cerenkov radiation in fibers allows for energy transfer between a soliton and a dispersive wave, providing an effective and engineerable platform to shift the wavelength of a femtosecond source. With appropriate design of the higher-order-mode fiber, this method of generating short pulses at 1350 nm can be extended to other wavelengths and to higher pulse energies.     

Thermal properties of 15-mol% gadolinia doped ceria thin films prepared by pulsed laser ablation

Thermal properties of 15-mol% gadolinia doped ceria thin films (Ce_0.85Gd_0.15 O_1.925) prepared by pulsed laser ablation on silicon substrates in the temperature range 473–973 K are presented. Thermal diffusivities and thermal conductivities were evaluated using photoacoustic spectroscopy. The influence of grain size on thermal properties of the films as a function of deposition temperature is studied. It is observed that the thermal diffusivity and the conductivity of these films decreases up to 873 K and then increases with substrate temperatures. The thermal properties obtained in these films are discussed on the basis of influence of grain size on phonon scattering.     

Angular momentum and cross sections for fusion with weakly bound nuclei: breakup,a coherent effect

Results for the cross section and average angular momentum for complete fusion at energies around the Coulomb barrier are presented for 7Li with 165Ho. Comparison of the cross sections with a one-dimensional barrier penetration model, using a potential consistent with the measured elastic scattering, showed a reduction above the barrier and an enhancement below it. An increase in the measured average angular momentum, , above the barrier and its consistency with that obtained from the fusion excitation function for weakly bound nuclei, is reported. These results together with a reanalysis of existing data conclusively demonstrate that the effect of breakup on fusion is coherent, like coupling to any nonelastic channel.     

X-ray attenuation around <Emphasis Type="Italic">K</Emphasis>-edge of Zr,Nb, Mo and Pd: A comparative study using proton-induced X-ray emission and <Superscript>241</Superscript>Am gamma rays

Mass attenuation coefficients (μ/ρ) for Zr, Nb, Mo and Pd elements around their K-edges are measured at 14 energies in the range 15.744–28.564 keV using secondary excitation from thin Zr, Nb, Mo, Rh, Pd, Cd and Sn foils. The measurements were carried out at the K _α and K _β energy values of the target elements by two techniques: (1) Proton-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) and (2) ²⁴¹Am (300 mCi) source. In PIXE, 2 MeV proton-excited X-rays were detected by a Si(Li) detector. In the second case, X-rays excited by 59.54 keV photons from the targets were counted by an HPGe detector under a narrow beam good geometry set-up with sufficient shielding. The results are consistent with theoretical values derived from the XCOM package and indicate that the PIXE data have better statistical accuracy.     

Range‐independent background subtraction algorithm for recovery of Raman spectra of biological tissue

An important requirement for the use of Raman spectroscopy for tissue diagnostic applications is an appropriate algorithm that can faithfully retrieve weak tissue Raman signals from the measured raw Raman spectra. Although iterative modified polynomial‐fitting‐based automated algorithms are widely used, these are sensitive to the choice of the fitting range, thereby leading to significantly different Raman spectra for different start and stop wavenumber selection. We report here an algorithm for automated recovery of the weak Raman signal, which is range independent. Given a raw Raman spectrum and the choice of the start and the stop wavenumbers, the algorithm first truncates the spectrum to include the raw data within this wavenumber range, linearly extrapolates the truncated raw spectrum beyond the points of truncation on the two sides by using coefficients of linear least‐square fit, adds two Gaussian peaks of appropriate height and width on the extrapolated linear wings on either side and then iteratively smoothens the data with all these add‐ons such that the smaller of the ordinate values of the smoothed and the starting raw data serve as the input to each successive round of iterative smoothing until the added Gaussian peaks are fully recovered. The algorithm was compared with the modified polynomial‐based algorithms using mathematically simulated Raman spectrum as well as experimentally measured Raman spectra from various biological samples and was found to yield consistently range‐independent and artifact‐free Raman signal with zero baseline. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of barium titanate nanoparticles of different particle sizes on electro-optic and dielectric properties of ferroelectric liquid crystal

A comparative study of two different particle sizes of ferroelectric barium titanate (BaTiO₃) nanoparticles as a dopant on the molecular structure, spontaneous polarization and dielectric behavior of a pure ferroelectric liquid crystal 6F₆T have been studied. It has been found that there is a remarkable decrease in isotropic temperature of both doped samples as compared to the pure 6F₆T sample. The spontaneous polarization also decreases for both the doped samples and the reduction is more pronounced in case of the dopant with large particle size. The dielectric spectroscopy confirms the presence of soft mode as well as Goldstone mode and also shows the decrease in the value of dielectric permittivity ?' as a function of frequency for both doped samples. The improvised properties of liquid crystal host doped with BaTiO₃ nanoparticles mainly depend upon the synthesis method of nanoparticles and also upon the particle size of dopant.     

Single‐Cell Investigations of Silver Nanoparticle–Bacteria Interactions

Interaction of bacteria with citrate‐reduced silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) of size 25 nm ± 8.5 nm is studied using Raman spectroscopy in conjunction with plasmon resonance imaging of single bacterial cells. Distribution of isolated nanoparticles (NPs) inside Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922; E. coli) is observed by hyperspectral imaging (HSI) as a function of incubation time. Time‐dependent degradation of bacterial DNA upon incubation of AgNPs with E. coli is proven by Raman spectroscopic studies. While attachment of NPs is evident in HSI, molecular changes are evident from the surface‐enhanced Raman spectra of adsorbed DNA and its fragments. Distinct enhancement of DNA features is observed upon interaction of AgNPs and the number of such distinct features increases with incubation time, reaches a maximum, and decreases afterwards. This systematic interaction of DNA with the NPs system and its gradual chemical evolution is proven by investigating isolated plasmid DNA. A comparative Raman study with silver ions has shown that DNA features are observable only when bacteria are incubated with AgNPs. Energetics of interaction examined with microcalorimetry suggests the exothermicity of ?1.547 × 10¹⁰ cal mol^?1 for the NP–bacteria system. Specific interaction of AgNPs with exocyclic nitrogen present in the bases, adenine, guanine, and cytosine, leads to the changes in DNA.     

A CRITICAL STUDY ON THE INTERACTIONS OF HESPERITIN WITH HUMAN HEMOGLOBIN: FLUORESCENCE SPECTROSCOPIC AND MOLECULAR MODELING APPROACH

Hesperitin, a ubiquitous bioactive flavonoid abundant in citrus fruits is known to possess antioxidant, anti-carcinogenic, hypolipidemic, vasoprotective and other important therapeutic properties. Here we have explored the interactions of hesperitin with normal human hemoglobin (HbA), using steady state and time resolved fluorescence spectroscopy, far UV circular dicroism (CD) spectroscopy, combined with molecular modeling computations. Specific interaction of the flavonoid with HbA is confirmed from flavonoid-induced static quenching which is evident from steady state fluorescence as well as lifetime data. Both temperature dependent fluorescence measurements and molecular docking studies reveal that apart from hydrogen bonding and van der Waals interactions, electrostatic interactions also play crucial role in hesperitin-HbA interactions. Furthermore, electrostatic surface potential calculations indicate that the hesperitin binding site in HbA is intensely positive due to the presence of several lysine and histidine residues.     

Investigation of the role of NaBH<Subscript>4</Subscript> in the chemical synthesis of gold nanorods

An improvement in the previously reported seed-mediated chemical synthesis of gold nanorods (GNRs) is reported. Monodisperse GNRs have been synthesized in a one-step protocol. The addition of controlled quantity of sodium borohydride (NaBH₄) directly into the growth solution produced uniform GNRs, formed by in situ nucleation and growth. In order to arrive at the conclusion, we studied the formation of GNRs with various seeds, of metals of widely differing crystal structures, and there were no variations in the properties of the GNRs formed. The role of NaBH₄ in the growth of GNR, which has not been covered in previous reports, is discussed in detail. The dependence of longitudinal plasmon peak on the concentration of NaBH₄ is compared with the dependence of residual concentration of NaBH₄ in the seed solution, which is added to the growth solution in seed-mediated synthesis. The study shows that NaBH₄ plays an important role in the formation of GNRs. This proposed protocol offers a number of advantages: one-step preparation of GNRs, significant reduction in the preparation time to 10 min, high monodispersity of GNRs, and tailorability of the aspect ratio depending on NaBH₄ concentration. It is suggested that NaBH₄ added to the growth solution leads to in situ formation of the seed particles of the size of 3–5 nm which enables the growth of GNRs. The growth of GNRs suggested here is likely to have an impact on the preparation of other anisotropic structures. Our single-pot methodology makes the procedure directly adaptable for commercial-scale production of GNRs and for their synthesis even in undergraduate laboratories.     

Electrostatic discharge sensitivity and electrical conductivity of composite energetic materials

Composite energetic material response to electrical stimuli was investigated and a correlation between electrical conductivity and ignition sensitivity was examined. The composites consisted of micrometer particle aluminum combined with another metal, metal oxide, or fluoropolymer. Of the nine tested mixtures, aluminum (Al) with copper oxide (CuO) was the only mixture to ignite by electrostatic discharge. Under the loose powder conditions of these experiments, the Al–CuO minimum ignition energy (MIE) is 25 mJ and exhibited an electrical conductivity two orders of magnitude higher than the next composite. This study showed a similar trend in MIE for ignition triggered by a discharged spark compared with a thermal hot wire source.