Different Wavelengths (different + wavelength)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Photoepilation Results of Axillary Hair in Dark-Skinned Patients by IPL: A Comparison Between Different Wavelength and Pulse Width

DERMATOLOGIC SURGERY, Issue 2 2006
JONG HEE LEE MD
BACKGROUND Recently, intense pulsed light (IPL) sources have been shown to provide long-term hair removal. OBJECTIVE This study examined the photoepilatory effects of different wavelengths and pulse width application in the same device and compared their efficiencies in Asian skin. METHODS Twenty-eight Korean women were treated using HR (600,950 nm filter) and 27 using HR-D (645,950 nm filter) in the axillar area. Four treatments were carried out at intervals of 4 to 6 weeks; follow-ups were conducted 8 months after the last treatment. Mean energy settings were 14.9±2.0 J/cm2 for HR and 17.1±0.6 J/cm2 for HR-D. Longer pulse widths were applied in case of HR-D treatment. Hair counts and photographic evaluation of skin sites were made at baseline and at the last follow-up. Final overall evaluations were performed by patients and clinicians. RESULTS Average clearances of 52.8% and 83.4% were achieved by HR and HR-D, respectively. No significant adverse effects were reported after HR-D treatment. One case each of hypopigmentation and hyperpigmentation was reported for HR. CONCLUSION An IPL source by removing 45 nm of the emitted spectra and applying longer pulse width was found to provide a safer and more effective means of photoepilation in Asian patients. [source]


High-throughput powder diffraction.

JOURNAL OF APPLIED CRYSTALLOGRAPHY, Issue 4 2004

Powder pattern matching techniques, using all the experimentally measured data points, coupled with cluster analysis, fuzzy clustering and multivariate statistical methods are used, with appropriate visualization tools, to analyse a set of 27 powder diffraction patterns of alumina collected at seven different laboratories on different instruments as part of an International Center for Diffraction Data Grant-in-Aid program. In their original form, the data factor into six distinct clusters. However, when a non-linear shift of the form (where a0 and a1 are refinable constants) is applied to optimize the correlations between patterns, clustering produces a large 25-pattern set with two outliers. The first outlier is a synchrotron data set at a different wavelength from the other data, and the second is distinguished by the absence of K,2 lines, i.e. it uses Ge-monochromated incident X-rays. Fuzzy clustering, in which samples may belong to more than one cluster, is introduced as a complementary method of pinpointing problematic diffraction patterns. In contrast to the usual methodology associated with the analysis of round-robin data, this process is carried out in a routine way, with minimal user interaction or supervision, using the PolySNAP software. [source]


Modulation of calcium signalling by intracellular organelles seen with targeted aequorins

ACTA PHYSIOLOGICA, Issue 1 2009
M. T. Alonso
Abstract The cytosolic Ca2+ signals that trigger cell responses occur either as localized domains of high Ca2+ concentration or as propagating Ca2+ waves. Cytoplasmic organelles, taking up or releasing Ca2+ to the cytosol, shape the cytosolic signals. On the other hand, Ca2+ concentration inside organelles is also important in physiology and pathophysiology. Comprehensive study of these matters requires to measure [Ca2+] inside organelles and at the relevant cytosolic domains. Aequorins, the best-known chemiluminescent Ca2+ probes, are excellent for this end as they do not require stressing illumination, have a large dynamic range and a sharp Ca2+ -dependence, can be targeted to the appropriate location and engineered to have the proper Ca2+ affinity. Using this methodology, we have evidenced the existence in chromaffin cells of functional units composed by three closely interrelated elements: (1) plasma membrane Ca2+ channels, (2) subplasmalemmal endoplasmic reticulum and (3) mitochondria. These Ca2+ -signalling triads optimize Ca2+ microdomains for secretion and prevent propagation of the Ca2+ wave towards the cell core. Oscillatory cytosolic Ca2+ signals originate also oscillations of mitochondrial Ca2+ in several cell types. The nuclear envelope slows down the propagation of the Ca2+ wave to the nucleus and filters high frequencies. On the other hand, inositol-trisphosphate may produce direct release of Ca2+ to the nucleoplasm in GH3 pituitary cells, thus providing mechanisms for selective nuclear signalling. Aequorins emitting at different wavelengths, prepared by fusion either with green or red fluorescent protein, permit simultaneous and independent monitorization of the Ca2+ signals in different subcellular domains within the same cell. [source]


Laser-induced damage of DKDP crystal under different wavelengths

CRYSTAL RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 7 2010
Mingxia Xu
Abstract In this paper, DKDP crystals were grown from 80% deuterated solution by traditional temperature-reduction method. The crystal samples were selected to test laser damage threshold (LDT) and laser conditioning of 1,, 2, and 3,. We found that the laser conditioning of 3, has much more effect on improving the LDT. The damage site was observed by microscope and its effects on micro-structure and optical properties were also studied. (© 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


Refractive index dispersion of relaxor ferroelectric 0.9Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3 -0.1PbTiO3 single crystal

CRYSTAL RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 2 2009
Chongjun He
Abstract The refractive indices of 0.9Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3 -0.1PbTiO3 single crystal at different wavelengths have been measured by the minimum deviation method at room temperature, and their dispersion equations are obtained. The parameters connected to the energy band structure are obtained by fitting single-oscillator dispersion equation. Despersion energies are found to take on covalent crystal values. (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


Photoepilation Results of Axillary Hair in Dark-Skinned Patients by IPL: A Comparison Between Different Wavelength and Pulse Width

DERMATOLOGIC SURGERY, Issue 2 2006
JONG HEE LEE MD
BACKGROUND Recently, intense pulsed light (IPL) sources have been shown to provide long-term hair removal. OBJECTIVE This study examined the photoepilatory effects of different wavelengths and pulse width application in the same device and compared their efficiencies in Asian skin. METHODS Twenty-eight Korean women were treated using HR (600,950 nm filter) and 27 using HR-D (645,950 nm filter) in the axillar area. Four treatments were carried out at intervals of 4 to 6 weeks; follow-ups were conducted 8 months after the last treatment. Mean energy settings were 14.9±2.0 J/cm2 for HR and 17.1±0.6 J/cm2 for HR-D. Longer pulse widths were applied in case of HR-D treatment. Hair counts and photographic evaluation of skin sites were made at baseline and at the last follow-up. Final overall evaluations were performed by patients and clinicians. RESULTS Average clearances of 52.8% and 83.4% were achieved by HR and HR-D, respectively. No significant adverse effects were reported after HR-D treatment. One case each of hypopigmentation and hyperpigmentation was reported for HR. CONCLUSION An IPL source by removing 45 nm of the emitted spectra and applying longer pulse width was found to provide a safer and more effective means of photoepilation in Asian patients. [source]


A microfabricated capillary electrophoresis chip with multiple buried optical fibers and microfocusing lens for multiwavelength detection

ELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 6 2005
Suz-Kai Hsiung
Abstract We present a new microfluidic device utilizing multiwavelength detection for high-throughput capillary electrophoresis (CE). In general, different fluorescent dyes are only excited by light sources with appropriate wavelengths. When excited by an appropriate light source, a fluorescent dye emits specific fluorescence signals of a longer wavelength. This study designs and fabricates plastic micro-CE chips capable of performing multiple-wavelength fluorescence detection by means of multimode optic fiber pairs embedded downstream of the separation channel. For detection purposes, the fluorescence signals are enhanced by positioning microfocusing lens structures at the outlets of the excitation fibers and the inlets of the detection fibers, respectively. The proposed device is capable of detecting multiple samples labeled with different kinds of fluorescent dyes in the same channel in a single run. The experimental results demonstrate that various proteins, including bovine serum albumin and ,-casein, can be successfully injected and detected by coupling two light sources of different wavelengths to the two excitation optic fibers. Furthermore, the proposed device also provides the ability to measure the speed of the samples traveling in the microchannel. The developed multiwavelength micro-CE chip could have significant potential for the analysis of DNA and protein samples. [source]


Simple On-Line Scheduling Algorithms for All-Optical Broadcast-and-Select Networks

EUROPEAN TRANSACTIONS ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS, Issue 1 2000
Marco Ajmone Marsan
This paper considers all-optical broadcast networks providing a number of slotted WDM channels for packet communications. Each network user is equipped with one tunable transmitter and one fixed receiver, so that full connectivity can be achieved by tuning transmitters to the different wavelengths. Tuning times are not negligible with respect to the slot time. A centralized network controller allocates slots in a TDWDM frame according to (long-term) bandwidth requests issued by users. Simple on-line transparent scheduling strategies are proposed, which accommodate bandwidth requests when they are received (on-line approach), with the constraint of not affecting existing allocations when a new request is served (transparency). Strategies that attempt to allocate in contiguous slots all the transmissions of each source on one wavelength reduce overheads, are simple, and provide good performance. Even better performance can be achieved, at the cost of a modest complexity increase, when the transparency constraint is not strictly imposed, i.e., when a full re-allocation of existing connections is performed once in a while. [source]


New Optical Amplifier Placement Schemes for Broadcast Networks

EUROPEAN TRANSACTIONS ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS, Issue 1 2000
Jason Iness
WDM optical broadcast networks (based on the passive-star coupler) may encounter large splitting and attenuation losses that need to be compensated for using optical amplifiers, such as EDFAs. However, optical amplifiers are costly, so their total count in the network should be minimized. This study will examine three different such amplifier-placement schemes. The first approach utilize fewer amplifiers than previous schemes that do not add special hardware to avoid the near-far effect. The second study considers a bidirectionai-link network and it can use fewer amplifiers than a comparable unidirectional-link network. The third study minimizes the number of amplifiers when the amplifiers are equipped with special hardware to avoid the near-far effect, i.e., amplifiers are equipped with attenuators/filters to equalize amplifier input power on different wavelengths. [source]


Formation of Hierarchically Structured Thin Films

ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 14 2009
Ming Wang
Abstract Here, we report the preparation of hierarchically structured polymer brushes with well-defined geometries via multiple step microcontact printing (MS-µCP) of inks containing different ratios of initiator-terminated thiols and non-reactive alkylthiols. Thick (and dense), polymer brushes grew from self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) with high concentration of initiator-terminated thiols, and these brushes exhibited high chemical etch-resistance, compared to thin (and less dense), brushes grown from more dilute initiator-terminated SAMs. Upon etching, patterned crosslinking polymer brush films decorated with thin layers of Au, could be lifted off the surface to form geometrically well-defined free-standing hierarchical films. These polymer brush films showed interesting buckling instabilities when compressed. Areas with different brush thicknesses and Au backing showed markedly different buckling behavior, leading to unusual patterns of wrinkles with different wavelengths and orientations toward the force field. [source]


Detecting microdamage in bone

JOURNAL OF ANATOMY, Issue 2 2003
T. C. Lee
Abstract Fatigue-induced microdamage in bone contributes to stress and fragility fractures and acts as a stimulus for bone remodelling. Detecting such microdamage is difficult as pre-existing microdamage sustained in vivo must be differentiated from artefactual damage incurred during specimen preparation. This was addressed by bulk staining specimens in alcohol-soluble basic fuchsin dye, but cutting and grinding them in an aqueous medium. Nonetheless, some artefactual cracks are partially stained and careful observation under transmitted light, or epifluorescence microscopy, is required. Fuchsin lodges in cracks, but is not site-specific. Cracks are discontinuities in the calcium-rich bone matrix and chelating agents, which bind calcium, can selectively label them. Oxytetracycline, alizarin complexone, calcein, calcein blue and xylenol orange all selectively bind microcracks and, as they fluoresce at different wavelengths and colours, can be used in sequence to label microcrack growth. New agents that only fluoresce when involved in a chelate are currently being developed , fluorescent photoinduced electron transfer (PET) sensors. Such agents enable microdamage to be quantified and crack growth to be measured and are useful histological tools in providing data for modelling the material behaviour of bone. However, a non-invasive method is needed to measure microdamage in patients. Micro-CT is being studied and initial work with iodine dyes linked to a chelating group has shown some promise. In the long term, it is hoped that repeated measurements can be made at critical sites and microdamage accumulation monitored. Quantification of microdamage, together with bone mass measurements, will help in predicting and preventing bone fracture failure in patients with osteoporosis. [source]


Phasing possibilities using different wavelengths with a xenon derivative

JOURNAL OF APPLIED CRYSTALLOGRAPHY, Issue 2 2002
Santosh Panjikar
Xenon derivatives are generally expected to be isomorphous with the native; however, the K - and L -absorption edges are not easily accessible on most synchrotron beamlines, which might limit their usefulness in phase determination. Various phasing procedures for xenon-derivatized porcine pancreatic elastase have been investigated using data sets measured at three generally accessible wavelengths. The importance of highly redundant data in measuring precise anomalous differences is highlighted and it is shown that, after such measurements, a single isomorphous replacement anomalous scattering (SIRAS) procedure yields a better phase set than those generated by single anomalous scattering (SAS) or multiwavelength anomalous diffraction (MAD) procedures. [source]


Recent developments in Fourier Domain Mode Locked lasers for optical coherence tomography: Imaging at 1310 nm vs.

JOURNAL OF BIOPHOTONICS, Issue 6-7 2009
1550 nm wavelength
Abstract We report on recent progress in Fourier domain mode-locking (FDML) technology. The paper focuses on developments beyond pushing the speed of these laser sources. After an overview of improvements to FDML over the last three years, a brief analysis of OCT imaging using FDML lasers with different wavelengths is presented. For the first time, high speed, high quality FDML imaging at 1550 nm is presented and compared to a system at 1310 nm. The imaging results of human skin for both wavelengths are compared and analyzed. Sample arm optics, power on the sample, heterodyne gain, detection bandwidth, colour cut levels and sample location have been identical to identify the influence of difference in scattering and water absorption. The imaging performance at 1310 nm in human skin is only slightly better and the results suggest that water absorption only marginally affects the penetration depth in human skin at 1550 nm. For several applications this wavelength may be preferred. (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


A compact O-plus C-band switchable quad-wavelength fiber laser using arrayed waveguide grating

LASER PHYSICS LETTERS, Issue 8 2010
A.A. Latif
Abstract In this paper, a design of a quad-wavelength fiber laser (QWFL) operating in two different regions namely the O-band covering from 1302 nm to1317.4 nm and C-band from 1530.5 nm to 1548.0 nm is presented. Two different ASE sources from semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) are used, one at 1310 nm and the other at1550 nm. By using a 1×24 channels arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) with 100 GHz interchannel spacing, the system is capable of generating 24 different wavelengths in more than 24 ways of quad-wavelength fiber laser with 0.6 nm and 0.8 nm of interval channel for O-band and C-band regions, respectively. (© 2010 by Astro Ltd., Published exclusively by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA) [source]


Cultured epithelial cells response to phototherapy with low intensity laser,

LASERS IN SURGERY AND MEDICINE, Issue 4 2007
Fernanda P. Eduardo PhD
Abstract Background and Objectives Little is known about the intracellular response of epithelial cells to phototherapy. The aim of this in vitro study was to analyze the effect of phototherapy with low-energy lasers with different wavelengths and powers on cultured epithelial cell growth under different nutritional conditions. Study Design/Materials and Methods Epithelial cell cultures (Vero cell line) grown in nutritional deficit in culture medium supplemented with 2% fetal bovine serum (FBS) were irradiated with low-energy laser from one to three times with a GaAlAs laser (660 nm) and InGaAlP (780 nm), 40 and 70 mW, respectively, with 3 or 5 J/cm2. Cell growth was indirectly assessed by measuring the cell mitochondrial activity. Results Nonirradiated cell cultures grown in nutritional regular medium supplemented with 10% FBS produced higher cell growth than all cultures grown in nutritional deficit irradiated or not. The overall cell growth of cultures grown under nutritionally deficit conditions was significantly improved especially when irradiated with 780 nm for three times. Conclusions Phototherapy with the laser parameters tested increases epithelial cell growth rate for cells stressed by growth under nutritionally deficient states. This cell growth improvement is directly proportional to the number of irradiations; however, was not enough to reach the full cell growth potential rate of Vero epithelial cell line observed when growing under nutritional regular condition. Lasers Surg. Med. 39: 365,372, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Analysis of fluorescence from algae fossils of the Neoproterozoic Doushantuo formation of China by confocal laser scanning microscope

MICROSCOPY RESEARCH AND TECHNIQUE, Issue 4 2006
Huimei Chi
Abstract Chinese algae fossils can provide unique information about the evolution of the early life. Thin sections of Neoproterozoic algae fossils, from Guizhou, China, were studied by confocal laser scanning microscopy, and algae fossils were fluorescenced at different wavelengths when excited by laser light of 488 nm, 476 nm, and 568 nm wavelength. When illuminated by 488 nm laser light, images of the algae fossils were sharper and better defined than when illuminated by 476 nm and 568 nm laser light. The algae fossils fluoresce at a wide range of emission wavelengths. The three-dimensional images of the fluorescent algae fossils were compared with the transmission images taken by light microscope. We found that the fluorescence image of the confocal laser scanning microscope in a single optical section could pass for the transmission image taken by a light microscope. We collected images at different sample depths and made a three-dimensional reconstruction of the algae fossils. And on the basis of the reconstruction of the three-dimensional fluorescent images, we conclude that the two algae fossils in our present study are red algae. Microsc. Res. Tech. 69:253,259, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


On the atmospheric limitations of ground-based submillimetre astronomy using array receivers

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 1 2002
E. N. Archibald
Abstract The calibration of ground-based submillimetre observations has always been a difficult process. We discuss how to overcome the limitations imposed by the submillimetre atmosphere. Novel ways to improve line-of-sight opacity estimates are presented, resulting in tight relations between opacities at different wavelengths. The submillimetre camera SCUBA, mounted on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT), is the first large-scale submillimetre array, and as such is ideal for combating the effects of the atmosphere. For example, we find that the off-source pixels are crucial for removing sky noise. Benefiting from several years of SCUBA operation, a data base of deep SCUBA observations has been constructed to help us understand better the nature of sky noise and the effects of the atmosphere on instrument sensitivity. This has revealed several results. First, there is evidence for positive correlations between sky noise and seeing and sky noise and sky opacity. Furthermore, 850-,m and 450-,m sky noise are clearly correlated, suggesting that 450-,m data may be used to correct 850-,m observations for sky noise. Perhaps most important of all: if off-source bolometers are used for sky noise removal, there is no correlation between instrument sensitivity and chop throw, for chop throws out to 180 arcsec. Understanding the effects of submillimetre seeing is also important, and we find that the JCMT beam is not significantly broadened by seeing, nor is there an obvious correlation between seeing and pointing excursions. [source]


Approximation algorithms for constructing wavelength routing networks

NETWORKS: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 1 2002
Refael Hassin
Abstract Consider a requirement graph whose vertices represent customers and an edge represents the need to route a unit of flow between its end vertices along a single path. All these flows are to be routed simultaneously. A solution network consists of a (multi)graph on the same set of vertices, such that it is possible to route simultaneously all of the required flows in such a way that no edge is used more than K times. The SYNTHESIS OF WAVELENGTH ROUTING NETWORK (SWRN) problem is to compute a solution network of a minimum number of edges. This problem has significant importance in the world of fiber-optic networks where a link can carry a limited amount of different wavelengths and one is interested in finding a minimum-cost network such that all the requirements can be carried in the network without changing the wavelength of a path at any of its internal vertices. In this paper, we prove that the SWRN problem is NP-hard for any constant K (K , 2). Then, we assume that GR is a clique with n vertices and we find an "almost" optimal solution network for all values of K (K = o(n)) and present a Min{(K + 1)/2, 2 + 2/(K , 1)}-approximation algorithm for the general case and a 2-approximation algorithm for d -regular graphs. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]


Synthesis and Comparative Study of Nano-TiO2 Over Degussa P-25 in Disinfection of Water

PHOTOCHEMISTRY & PHOTOBIOLOGY, Issue 3 2010
S. Swetha
Nanostructured TiO2 crystals were synthesized by gel to crystalline conversion. The crystals obtained were anatase form of titania averaging in 30 nm particles with an intrinsic band gap of 3.1 eV. The photocatalytic behavior was evaluated for the bactericidal effect in water, contaminated with the indicator organism Escherichia coli. The 100% photoinactivation of E. coli was achieved within 60 min with suspended nano-TiO2. The catalytic activity of synthesized nanosample was observed to be 2.6 times more than that of commercial TiO2 sample referred to as Degussa P-25. The photoinactivation of E. coli was tested with irradiation source of different wavelengths to substantiate the influence of particle size and nano crystallinity on electronic band structure. The photoactivity of nano titania enhanced to 1.625 times when the source of irradiation shifted from 360 to 400 nm while Degussa P-25 showed no change. [source]


Structural Effects on the Electronic Absorption Properties of 5,6-Dihydroxyindole Oligomers: The Potential of an Integrated Experimental and DFT Approach to Model Eumelanin Optical Properties,

PHOTOCHEMISTRY & PHOTOBIOLOGY, Issue 3 2008
Marco D'Ischia
Elucidation of the relationships between structural features and UV,visible absorption properties of 5,6-dihydroxyindole oligomers is an essential step towards an understanding of the unique optical properties of eumelanins. Herein, we report the first combined experimental and density functional theory (DFT) investigation of the 5,6-dihydroxyindole oligomers so far isolated. 2,2,-Biindolyl 2 and the 2,4,-biindolyl 3 absorb at longer wavelengths relative to 2,7,-biindolyl 4 and their spectra were well predicted by DFT analysis. The absorption bands of 2,4,:2,,4,,- and 2,4,:2,,7,,-triindolyls 5 and 6 also fall at different wavelengths and can be interpreted by DFT simulations as being due to a combination of two main separate transitions. Tetramer 7, in which two 2,4,-biindolyl units are linked through a 2,3,-connection, exhibits a broad chromophore extending over the entire UV range without well defined absorption maxima. Within the dimer,tetramer range examined, three key points emerge: (1) an increase in oligomer chain length does not result in any regular and predictable bathochromic shift; (2) a marked broadening of the absorption bands occurs when going from the monomer to the tetramer structure; and (3) the mode of coupling of the indole units is a crucial, hitherto unrecognized, structural parameter affecting the electronic absorption properties of 5,6-dihydroxyindole oligomers. It is concluded that use of experimentally characterized oligomeric scaffolds as a basis for DFT calculations is a most promising approach to building reliable structural models for studies of eumelanins optical properties. [source]


Total body exposure to ultraviolet radiation does not influence plasma levels of immunoreactive ,-endorphin in man

PHOTODERMATOLOGY, PHOTOIMMUNOLOGY & PHOTOMEDICINE, Issue 6 2001
Marjolein Wintzen
Background/Aims: A growing number of reports support evidence of proopiomelanocortin (POMC)-derived peptides in human skin cells, although not consistently. Also the effect of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) on cutaneous and plasma levels of these POMC peptides has not been established unequivocally. We hypothesized that production of ,-endorphin (,E) may explain the sense of well-being many people experience when sun-bathing. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether exposure of the skin to UVR elevates plasma ,E. Method: Healthy volunteers (n=26) received a single, weighted dose of 15 J/cm2 of UVA. Several times during the hour following irradiation, plasma ,E- immunoreactivity (,E-IR) was determined by radioimmunoassay. The effect of repeated exposure wasassessed in 35 patients treated with UVB, UVA, or UVA-1. Plasma ACTH-IR was monitored in parallel. Results: Overall, plasma levels of ,E-IR and ACTH-IR showed no significant changes during the experiment, indicating that these peptides are not influenced by single or repeated exposures to UVR of different wavelengths. Conclusion: On the basis of these results, the skin does not appear to contribute significantly to the levels of circulating ,E or ACTH. These data offer no support for the hypothesis that exposure to UVR leads to an increased concentration of circulating ,E, which could contribute to the feeling of well-being that often accompanies sun-bathing. [source]


Modeling of ZnO nanorods for evanescent field optical sensors

PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (A) APPLICATIONS AND MATERIALS SCIENCE, Issue 10 2007
Sandra Börner
Abstract The optical wave guiding properties of ZnO nanorods are simulated and studied in detail using a block-iterative frequency-domain method and the results of a finite difference method as reference data. The simulations are performed for different wavelengths in the infrared spectral region that are related to specific gas absorption lines. Here both single ZnO nanorods and nanorod arrays with varying period lengths are investigated. The evanescent field distributions and penetration depths into the surrounding media are analyzed and compared as a function of wavelength and rod diameter. Our results give a general overview on the size range where ZnO nanorods may be used for evanescent field interaction based sensors for the detection of gas molecules like CO, CO2 or O2. (© 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


AFM and SNOM characterization of ordinary chondrites: A contribution to solving the problem of asteroid reddening

PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (B) BASIC SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 8 2010
Giuliano Pompeo
Abstract Space weathering (SW) is an ensemble of processes that act on a body exposed to the space environment. Typically, the exposure to SW results in the accumulation, at the surface, of nanoparticles, that are thought to be produced through a vaporization and subsequent cooling of the metallo-silicaceous components exposed to the space environment. The presence of such nanoparticles is responsible for the so-called reddening of the asteroids' reflectance spectra (i.e., the increase in Vis,NIR reflectance with increase in wavelength) observed by remote-sensing measurements. To investigate the mechanism of formation of these nanoparticles, we have employed atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) to morphologically and optically characterize ordinary chondrites (OC), the most abundant class of meteorites collected on Earth and whose parent bodies are the S-type asteroids. The AFM study reveals the occurrence of a diffuse nanophase (martensite) in the meteorite's metal inclusions. Since the same areas show a reddening of the reflectivity spectra, this suggests that such spectral modification is based on a shock-induced phase transformation of the metal components of the extraterrestrial body. To gain more insight into this nanophase and on its role in the SW of the asteroids, an optical characterization by SNOM has been performed on OCs. In this work we exploited the peculiarity of this technique to search for a correlation between the topography on the nanoscale and the spectral characteristics, at different wavelengths in the red-NIR range, of the observed nanophase. Indeed, a high-resolution mapping of the optical properties of the meteorite provides an interesting method to discriminate between martensite-based and Fe-silicaceous nanoparticles. [source]


Exciton dynamics probed in carbon nanotube suspensions with narrow diameter distribution

PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (B) BASIC SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 13 2006
Tobias Hertel
Abstract We report on a pump,probe study of CoMoCAT nanotube suspensions with narrow chirality distribution. Visible pump pulses and a white light continuum are used for resonant excitation of the strongest dipole allowed E22 subband exciton in the semiconducting (6, 5) tube and for broadband probe of the resulting spectral transients between 1300 nm and 480 nm, respectively. Transient spectra show signatures of both photobleaching (PB) and photoabsorption (PA) with practically identical decay- but slightly different rise-times. The experiments reveal that apparent variations of decay rates at different wavelengths do not reflect dynamics of different relaxation processes but are a consequence of the superposition of PB and blue-shifted PA response. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


Optical, morphological and spectro- scopic characterization of graphene on SiO2

PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (C) - CURRENT TOPICS IN SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 3-4 2010
F. Giannazzo
Abstract This work addresses the issue of determining the number of layers in few layers of graphene (FLG) flakes by cross-comparison of several techniques: optical microscopy (OM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and micro-Raman (,R) spectroscopy. SL were preliminarily identified by ,R spectroscopy, which allows an unambiguous distinction between monolayers, bilayers and multilayers from the shape and relative intensity of the G and 2D peaks. It is demonstrated that the thickness of a SL measured by tapping mode AFM with respect to the SiO2 substrate is affected by an "offset" ,0.3 nm. This offset is explained in terms of the different adhesion forces between tip and SiO2 and tip and graphene measured by force spectroscopy curves. A calibration curve relating the height of a flake measured by AFM with the number of graphene layer was obtained. Finally, the optical contrast (OC) variations with FLG thickness was measured for different wavelengths in the visible range and for different oxide thicknesses (from 100 to 300 nm). OC was correlated with the number of layers (independently measured by AFM). (© 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


New preparation of gold,silver complexes and optical fibre environmental sensors based on vapochromic [Au2Ag2(C6F5)4(phen)2]n

APPLIED ORGANOMETALLIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 12 2005
Asunción Luquin
Abstract Complexes [Au2Ag2(C6F5)4L2]n, where L = 1,10-phenanthroline (phen), 2,2,-bipyridine (bipy) or tetrahydrothiophene (tht), have been synthesized by reaction of NBu4[Au(C6F5)2] with Ag(SO3CF3), and the addition of phen or bipy thereafter, or with [Ag(SO3CF3)(tht)]. The organometallic vapochromic material [Au2Ag2(C6F5)4(phen)2]n is isolated as a powder that is able to detect volatile organic compounds such as acetone even in an aqueous solution. The colour of this vapochromic material changes from bright yellow to white in the presence of different donor solvents such as acetone, methanol or ethanol. For the practical construction of an optical fibre sensor, a sol-gel doped with the vapochromic complex was deposited onto one end of a monomode fibre connected to a coupler. The behaviour of the material was studied at different wavelengths and concentrations of acetone vapours and acetone,water solutions. Changes were detected up to 4 dB in the reflected optical power. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Near-IR spectroscopic imaging for skin hydration: The long and the short of it

BIOPOLYMERS, Issue 2 2002
E. Michael Attas
Abstract Near-IR spectroscopic methods have been developed to determine the degree of hydration of human skin in vivo. Noncontact reflectance spectroscopic imaging was used to investigate the distribution of skin moisture as a function of location. A human study in a clinical setting has generated quantitative data showing the effects of a drying agent and a moisturizer on delineated regions of the forearms of eight volunteers. Two digital imaging systems equipped with liquid-crystal tunable filters were used to collect stacks of monochromatic images at 10-nm intervals over the 650,1050 and 960,1700 nm wavelength bands. Synthetic images generated from measurements of water absorption band areas at three different near-IR wavelengths (970, 1200, and 1450 nm) showed obvious differences in the apparent distribution of water in the skin. Changes resulting from the skin treatments were much more evident in the long-wavelength images than in the short-wavelength ones. The variable sensitivity of the method at different wavelengths has been interpreted as being the result of different penetration depths of the IR light used in the reflectance studies. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biopolymers (Biospectroscopy) 67: 96,106, 2002 [source]


The bactericidal effect of ultraviolet and visible light on Escherichia coli

BIOTECHNOLOGY & BIOENGINEERING, Issue 3 2008
Natasha Vermeulen
Abstract The bactericidal radiation dosages at specific wavelengths in the ultraviolet (UV),visible spectrum are not well documented. Such information is important for the development of new monochromatic bactericidal devices to be operated at different wavelengths. In this study, radiation dosages required to cause mortality of an Escherichia coli strain, ATCC 25922, at various wavelengths between 250 and 532 nm in the UV and visible spectrum were determined. Radiation at 265 nm in the UV region was most efficient in killing the E. coli cells and 100% mortality was achieved at a dose of 1.17 log mJ/cm2. In the visible spectrum, the radiation dosages required for a one-log reduction of the E. coli cell density at 458 and 488 nm were 5.5 and 6.9 log mJ/cm2, respectively. However, at 515 and 532 nm, significant killing was not observed at radiation dosage up to 7 log mJ/cm2. Based on the cell survival data at various radiation dosages between 250 and 488 nm, a predictive equation for the survival of E. coli cells is derived, namely log(S/S0),=, ,(1.089,×,107 e,0.0633,)D. The symbols, S0, S, ,, and D, represent initial cell density, cell density after irradiation, wavelength of the radiation and radiation dosage, respectively. The proportion of the surviving E. coli cells decreases exponentially with the increase in radiation dosage at a given wavelength. In addition, the radiation dose required for killing a certain fraction of the E. coli cells increases exponentially as the wavelength of radiation increases. Bioeng. 2008;99: 550,556. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]


Effect of ultraviolet (UV) A, UVB or ionizing radiation on the cell cycle of human melanoma cells

BRITISH JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 5 2007
M. Placzek
Summary Background, One important component of the cellular response to irradiation is the activation of cell cycle checkpoints. It is known that both ultraviolet (UV) radiation and ionizing radiation (IR) can activate checkpoints at transitions from G1 to S phase, from G2 phase to mitosis and during DNA replication. Objectives, To evaluate the effects of irradiation with different wavelengths on cell cycle alterations. Methods, p53-deficient IPC-298 melanoma cells were irradiated with 10 J cm,2 UVA, 40 mJ cm,2 UVB, or with 7·5 Gy IR. Cell cycle effects were then determined by DNA/5-bromodeoxyuridine dual-parameter flow cytometry. Results, IPC-298 cells irradiated in G1 with UVA were not arrested at the G1/S transition, but at the G2/M transition. Despite p53 deficiency, the cells showed a G1 arrest after UVB exposure. Furthermore, IR did not affect G1 or S phase, but induced G2 phase arrest. Hence, the effects of UVA, but not of UVB, on the cell cycle in p53-deficient melanoma cells are comparable with those of IR. Conclusions, UVA and IR induce radical-mediated strand breaks and DNA lesions, and UVB essentially induces thymine dimers that lead to excision repair-related strand breaks. Different cell cycle effects may be a consequence of different types of DNA damage. The results showed that UVB-irradiated p53-deficient cells are arrested in G1. Irradiation with the solar radiation component UVB can therefore result in a beneficial retardation of tumour promotion in human skin carrying p53-mutated cell clones. [source]


An All-Photonic Molecular Keypad Lock

CHEMISTRY - A EUROPEAN JOURNAL, Issue 16 2009
Joakim Andréasson Prof. Dr.
Abstract Off and on: A molecular triad, consisting of a porphyrin linked to two different, independently addressable photochromic moieties, functions as a molecular keypad lock with all-photonic inputs and output. The porphyrin correlates the responses of the two inputs to light of different wavelengths and provides an appropriate output as fluorescence, which results only when one of eight possible input combinations has been applied (see figure). [source]