Infrared luminescence of erbium-doped sodium lead germanate glass

The infrared optical properties of Er³⁺ ions are reported for 60GeO₂–20PbO–20Na₂O glass for two Er₂O₃ concentrations. From the optical absorption spectra, the Judd–Ofelt (J–O) parameters have been obtained and have been used to calculate radiative lifetimes and stimulated emission cross sections. A narrow emission band peaked at 1536 nm with exponential decay for both Er concentrations is observed. The measured lifetime decreases for increasing Er concentration, its value being very close, in the case of the lowest doping level, to the radiative lifetime calculated from J–O analysis. This, together with the relatively high emission cross section makes this glass suitable for laser applications.     

Optimization of Verapamil Drug Analysis by Excitation-Emission Fluorescence in Combination with Second-order Multivariate Calibration

Excitation emission fluorescence matrices (EEMs) of Verapamil drug were obtained by direct and by derivatization fluorescence spectroscopy. The fluorescence excitation and emission wavelengths were displaced to longer wavelengths and the fluorescence intensity was enhanced upon derivation with respect to the native fluorescence of the drug. The complete EEM of the native fluorescence of the drug and of the derivatization product were rapidly acquired by using a charged-coupled device detector (CCD), which is advantageous in terms of speed in the analysis, with respect to the use of a conventional photomultiplier detector. The EEMs were analyzed by several second-order multivariate calibration methods exploiting the second order advantage. The three-dimensional decomposition methods used, based in different assumptions about the trilinearity of the three way data structure under analysis, were parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC), bilinear least squares (BLLS), parallel factor analysis 2 (PARAFAC2) and multivariate curve resolution—alternating least squares (MCR-ALS). The determination was performed by using the standard addition approach. The figures of merit of the PARAFAC and BLLS methods were calculated, obtaining a lower limit of detection with the derivatization procedure, when compared with the direct measurement of the fluorescence of the drug. In Verapamil drug the best estimations were found with the BLLS and the MCR-ALS models. In the quantification of Verapamil in a pharmaceutical formulation the best estimation, when compared with the result obtained by the US Pharmacopeia high performance liquid chromatography approach, was obtained by direct fluorescence spectroscopy with MCR-ALS and by derivatization fluorescence spectroscopy with the PARAFAC2 model.     

先进焦平面与光谱成像技术现状

深入分析先进的焦平面技术和光谱成像技术的发展趋势,为探测器及光谱成像仪的研究提供参考。对光谱成像技术的现状和发展趋势、焦平面技术、先进焦平面技术对光谱成像系统技术的推动作用三个方面进行详细的分析总结,认为焦平面技术向着高性能、大规模面阵规格、高灵敏度、宽谱响应的方向发展;并推动光谱成像系统向着高分辨率、宽幅、多波段、更短重访周期和简化系统方向发展。成像光谱仪的发展趋势和需求指明焦平面技术的发展方向,同时焦平面技术的发展也会引领成像光谱仪系统进步和革新。     

Are women better mindreaders? Sex differences in neural correlates of mentalizing detected with functional MRI

Background

Oxidative stress plays a key role in the neuropathogenesis of Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 (HIV-1) infection causing apoptosis of astroglia cells and neurons. Recent data have shown that oxidative stress is also responsible for the acceleration of human fibroblast telomere shortening in vitro. In the present study we analyzed the potential relations occurring between free radicals formation and telomere length during HIV-1 mediated astroglial death.

Results

To this end, U373 human astrocytoma cells have been directly exposed to X4-using HIV-1IIIB strain, for 1, 3 or 5 days and treated (where requested) with N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a cysteine donor involved in the synthesis of glutathione (GSH, a cellular antioxidant) and apoptosis has been evaluated by FACS analysis. Quantitative-FISH (Q-FISH) has been employed for studying the telomere length while intracellular reduced/oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG) ratio has been determined by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Incubation of U373 with HIV-1IIIB led to significant induction of cellular apoptosis that was reduced in the presence of 1 mM NAC. Moreover, NAC improved the GSH/GSSG, a sensitive indicator of oxidative stress, that significantly decreased after HIV-1IIIB exposure in U373. Analysis of telomere length in HIV-1 exposed U373 showed a statistically significant telomere shortening, that was completely reverted in NAC-treated U373.

Conclusion

Our results support the role of HIV-1-mediated oxidative stress in astrocytic death and the importance of antioxidant compounds in preventing these cellular damages. Moreover, these data indicate that the telomere structure, target for oxidative damage, could be the key sensor of cell apoptosis induced by oxidative stress after HIV infection.     

Molecular beam surface ionization detection: II. Field reversal and surface ionization study of Na on Re with adsorbed oxygen

The desorption and surface ionization of Na on a polycrystalline Re surface with various amounts of adsorbed oxygen have been studied by field reversal, surface ionization and thermoelectronic emission methods. In this work the unique properties of the field reversal method are taken advantage of, i.e. that both neutral and ionic desorption rate constants can be determined simultaneously. Absolute ionization coefficients have been measured by field reversal and have been compared with values found by the “oxygen coverage” method and by static surface ionization. The application to beam flux density determinations is discussed. The simultaneous variation of the neutral and ionic desorption rate constants during oxygen adsorption and the temperature dependence of them have been studied. The Re surface in 2 × 10^?8 Torr of oxygen and at 1300–1500 K is shown to be very stable and to behave differently than in studies at higher temperatures. The very rapid change in both desorption rate constants at an effective work function Φ^e = 5.35 V is here correlated with the results of LEED experiments (Gorodetskii and Knysh) and is proposed to indicate a change from a stable Re oxide surface at low Φ^e (and oxygen coverage) to a different surface structure at higher Φ^e. Desorption energies have been determined at various values of Φ^e. The neutral desorption energy at low oxygen pressure is 2.70 ± 0.06 eV, which agress well with earlier, here corrected modulated beam results. The energy (Schottky) cycle for surface ionization is shown to be closed at low Φ^e, which has been difficult to show with other methods in any other case.     

Deployable cryogenic cross-dispersing unit for simultaneous zJHK spectroscopy

Optical Review - A modular cryogenic cross-disperser MOBIUS for the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) is being developed to produce a simultaneous zJHK spectrum with a single LUCI, the LBT Utility...     

线形天线阵的单位圆上零点分布的一个普遍函数

在本文中,作者提出了与线形天线阵辐射图形中零点相对应的复量多项式的根在复数面中单位圆上的一个分布函数,它比作者在前一篇论文中所提出的分布函数有更普遍的意义。这个普遍函数是:ψ_K=ψ₀{1+ξK^{((ln(ψ_m/ψ₀-1)-lnξ)/(ln m))}}.当ψ₀和ξ被适当地选择时,这个普遍函数所代表的天线阵将包括以下各式天线阵作为特例:(1)均匀横射式天线阵;(2)均匀端射式天线阵;(3)谢昆诺夫天线阵;(4)道尔夫-捷比谢夫天线阵当阵中单元数不超过7时。但是,应用所提出的分布函数并当合理地选择ψ₀和ξ时,却可以改善以上各式天线阵,尤其在压小主瓣附近的旁瓣方面。这一情况是具有重大实用意义的。此外,因为天线阵中各单元的场强或其方向图中的旁瓣一般都随着离开主瓣的角距的增加而下降的,所以为了使天线阵的总方向图有均等或接近均等的小的旁瓣(这是具有实用意义的),就必须设计一个由均匀辐射器所组成的天线阵,它有随着离开主瓣的角距的增加而上升的小的旁瓣。利用谢昆诺夫的分布或道尔夫-捷比谢夫的分布都不能达到此目的,但是应用所提出的分布函数却可以办到。计算结果证实了上述各点。在本文中,作者还将代表各式天线阵的多项式的乘积形式加以展开,从而将其中的系数化为显式以便于阵中各单元上相对电流的计算。     

Lensless diffractive imaging using tabletop coherent high-harmonic soft-X-ray beams

We present the first experimental demonstration of lensless diffractive imaging using coherent soft x rays generated by a tabletop soft-x-ray source. A 29 nm high harmonic beam illuminates an object, and the subsequent diffraction is collected on an x-ray CCD camera. High dynamic range diffraction patterns are obtained by taking multiple exposures while blocking small-angle diffraction using beam blocks of varying size. These patterns reconstruct to images with 214 nm resolution. This work demonstrates a practical tabletop lensless microscope that promises to find applications in materials science, nanoscience, and biology.     

Drug-dendrimer supramolecular complexation studied from molecular dynamics simulations and NMR spectroscopy

Fully atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and NMR spectroscopy were employed to get insights about the molecular details of drug-dendrimer supramolecular association phenomena, using piroxicam (PRX) and the third generation poly(amido amine) (PAMAM-G3) dendrimer as model systems. Theoretical results concerning the complex stoichiometry suggest that PRX forms drug-dendrimer complexes of the type 24:1 at pH 7.0. This result was validated with the experimental quantities obtained from aqueous solubility profiles, which led to an empiric stoichiometry of 23:1 for the PRX:PAMAM-G3 system. The predicted binding mode between PRX and PAMAM-G3 accounts for the preferred encapsulation of the drug inside dendrimer cavities, which is mainly driven by van der Waals and hydrogen bonding interactions, and to a lesser extent, for the external association of the guest through electrostatic contacts with the positively charged amino groups of PAMAM periphery. The binding mode obtained from MD simulations was confirmed with 2D-NOESY experiments, which evidence the preferred internal complexation of PRX with PAMAM-G3. The predominance of internal encapsulation over external contacts in the PRX:PAMAM-G3 system differs from the general behaviour expected for acidic anionic guests, for which external electrostatic interactions with the positively charged PAMAM surface have been postulated as the most relevant factor for drug association.