Optical characteristics of semiconductor saturable absorber mirrors investigated by the reflection Z-scan technique

Recently, the semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) has become a key component of passive mode-locked solid-state lasers. Here we present a simple method based on the reflection Z-scan technique to measure the key optical parameters of SESAM such as saturation fluence and modulation depth. The experimental results demonstrate that our method is able to perform with a high accuracy of 10⁻⁴ and a dynamic range of over four orders of magnitude.     

Multifunctional carbon-coated magnetic sensing graphene oxide-cyclodextrin nanohybrid for potential cancer theranosis

Journal of Nanoparticle Research - Over the last years, an environmentally friendly and economically efficient way of nanoparticle production has been found in the biosynthesis of metal...     

Variation of gamma radiation shielding properties with incident photon energy and penetration depth for WC/Al composites

In this work, we examined the usefulness of the WC_x/Al_100?x composites (x?=?10, 20, 50, 80 wt. %) for gamma-ray shielding materials. The mass attenuation coefficient (μ/ρ), effective atomic number (Z_eff), electron density (N_e) and energy absorption buildup factor (EABF) and exposure buildup factor (EBF) for WC_x/Al_100?x composites have been calculated by theoretical approach using XCOM program within the energy range 1?keV–100?GeV, 10 keV–1?GeV, 10 keV–1?GeV and 0.015?MeV–15?MeV, respectively. The results showed that both the values of mass attenuation coefficient and Z_eff of the WC_x/Al_100?x composites tend to increase with the increase of the WC concentration. For the energy region below 3?MeV, the WC₈₀/Al₂₀ composite was found to possess superior gamma-ray shielding effectiveness due to its higher values of both mass attenuation coefficient and effective atomic number, and lower values of both EABF and EBF values. However, for the energy region above 3?MeV, the EBF and EABF values of the WC/Al composites are directly proportional to their Z_eff values, leading to the lowest EBF and EABF values of the WC₁₀/Al₉₀ composites.     

Complex-wave retrieval based on blind signal separation

In the process of the reconstruction of digital holography, the traditional methods of diffraction and filtration are commonly adopted to recover the original complex-wave signal. Influenced by twin-image and zero-order terms, the above-mentioned methods, however, either limit the field of vision or result in the loss of the amplitude and phase. A new method for complex-wave retrieval is presented, which is based on blind signal separation. Three frames of holograms are captured by a charge coupled device (CCD)camera to form an observation signal. The term containing only amplitude and phase of complex-wave is separated, by means of independent component analysis, from the observation signal, which effectively eliminates the zero-order term. Finally, the complex-wave retrieval of pure phase wavefront is achieved.Experimental results show that this method can better recover the amplitude and phase of the original complex-wave even when there is a frequency spectrum mixture in the hologram.     

Femtosecond laser ablation of Au film around single pulse threshold

Ablation process of 1-kHz femtosecond lasers (pulse duration of 148 fs, wavelength of 775 nm) of Au film on silica substrates is studied. The thresholds for single and multi pulses can be obtained directly from the relation between the squared diameter D2 of the ablated craters and the laser fluence φo. From the plot of the accumulated laser fluence Nφth(N) and the number of laser pulses N, incubation coefficient of Au film is obtained to be 0.765. Some experimental data obtained around the single pulse threshold are in good agreement with the theoretical calculation.     

三价羰基硫离子(OCS3+)二体解离过程模拟研究

基于Gaussian量子化学模拟软件采用不同基组(6-31G^**和TZVP)下的B3LYP方法对基态三价羰基硫离子(OCS³⁺)的势能曲线进行分析,得到了三价羰基硫离子可能的解离通道.当固定C—O键长为OCS分子的构型键长时(2.1a.u.),通过模拟基态OCS³⁺离子沿着C—S键断裂的势能曲线,发现沿着C—S键的势能曲线是一个具有小势垒的排斥态;相反,当固定C—S键长为OCS分子的构型键长时(2.9a.u.),基态OCS³⁺离子沿着C—O键的势能曲线是一个势垒较大的排斥态,根据弗兰克-康登原理可知,基态OCS³⁺离子倾向于以断裂C—S键的方式进行解离.通过搜索基态OCS³⁺离子过渡态、IRC路径分析进一步确定了基态OCS³⁺离子具体的解离通道：OCS³⁺→CO⁺+S²⁺.最后通过对反应物和产物的Mulliken电荷分布和键长的分析,得到与前面一致的结论.     

A cytotoxic dimeric furanoheliangolide from Piptocoma rufescens

A new sesquiterpene lactone, rufescenolide C (1), the first furanoheliangolide dimer, was isolated from the leaves of Piptocoma rufescens, collected in the Dominican Republic. Its structure was determined by interpretation of its spectroscopic data, with the absolute configuration being established by analysis of the CD spectrum. A plausible biogenesis of this dimer is proposed. This compound showed potent cytotoxicity with an IC₅₀ value of 150 nM, when tested against HT-29 human colon cancer cells.     

The effect of cation size (H+, Li+, Na+, and K+) on McLafferty-type rearrangement of even-electron ions in mass spectrometry

Protonation and alkali-metal cation adduction are the most important ionization processes in soft-ionization mass spectrometry.Studies on the fragmentation mechanism of protonated and alkali-metal-cationized compounds in tandem mass spectrometry are essential and helpful for structural analysis.In some cases,it was often observed that a compound attached by different alkali-metal cations(or proton)exhibits similar fragmentation patterns but the relative abundances of product ions are different.This difference was considered to derive from the different electrostatic interactions of alkali-metal cations(or the bonded effect of proton)with the analyte.The alkali-metal cation with a smaller ionic radius shows stronger electrostatic interaction with the molecule because of its higher charge density.In addition,the bonded effect of the proton is stronger than the electrostatic interaction of the alkali-metal cation.In the present study,which used McLafferty-type rearrangements of even-electron ions([M+Cat]+,Cat=H,Li,Na,K)as model reactions,the effect of cation size in mass spectrometric fragmentation reactions is highlighted.These considerations were also successfully applied to interpret the similar but distinct fragmentation behavior of proton and alkali-metal cation adducts of a synthetic compound(2-(acetamido(phenyl)methyl)-3-oxobutanoate)and a drug(entecavir).     

A novel imaging tool for hepatic portal system using phase contrast technique with hydrogen peroxide‐generated O2 gas

The objective of this study was to investigate the potential of hydrogen peroxide‐generated oxygen gas‐based phase contrast imaging (PCI) for visualizing mouse hepatic portal veins. The O₂ gas was made from the reaction between H₂O₂ and catalase. The gas production was imaged by PCI in real time. The H₂O₂ was injected into the enteric cavity of the lower sigmoid colon to produce O₂ in the submucosal venous plexus. The generated O₂ gas could be finally drained into hepatic portal veins. Absorption contrast imaging (ACI) and PCI of O₂‐filled portal veins were performed and compared. PCI offers high resolution and real‐time visualization of the O₂ gas production. Compared with O₂‐based ACI, O₂‐based PCI significantly enhanced the revealing of the portal vein in vivo. It is concluded that O₂‐based PCI is a novel and promising imaging modality for future studies of portal venous disorders in mice models.     

Nonlinear vibration isolation via an innovative active bionic variable stiffness adapter (ABVSA)

Nonlinear Dynamics - During the process of spacecraft launch, the extreme vibration environment is the major influence factor that induces the failure of the mission. Inspired by the smooth motions...