New GALEX UV Data Products At MAST For Stellar Astrophysics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shiao, Bernie; Fleming, S. W.; Million, C.; Seibert, M.; Bianchi, L.; Thompson, R.; Tseng, S.; Adler, W. J.; Hubbard, M.; Levay, K.; Madore, B. F.; Martin, C. D.; Nieto-Santisteban, M. A.; Sahai, R.; Schiminovich, D.; White, R. L.; Wyder, T. K.

2014-01-01

The Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) mission ended in June 2013 after ten years in orbit. Its FUV and NUV microchannel plate detectors were used to conduct a variety of direct imaging and spectroscopic astronomical surveys with various depths and sky coverage, recording individual photon events with a time resolution of five thousandths of a second. Although the mission has ended, MAST is continuing to provide new data products as the mission transitions to a legacy archive. One product is the GCAT (Seibert et al., in prep), a catalog of GALEX sources across the entire GR6 data release that removes duplicate objects found in the GALEX MCAT. The GCAT defines "primary" NUV and FUV fluxes within the AIS and MIS surveys 40 million and 22 million sources, respectively), accounting for tile overlaps, and with visual inspection of every tile to flag artifacts and conduct other quality control checks. Another catalog of unique sources is that of Bianchi et al. (2013). Similar to the GCAT, their catalog produces a list of distinct GALEX sources in both the FUV and NUV from the AIS and MIS surveys, and includes data from GR7 (through the end of 2012). They have also cross-matched their sources with SDSS DR9, GSC-II, PanSTARRS, and 2MASS. We review access options for these catalogs, including updated matches between the GCAT and SDSS / Kepler available at MAST. In addition to these unique GALEX source catalogs, MAST will provide a database and software package that archives each of the ~1.5 trillion photon events detected over the lifetime of the mission. For the first time, users will be able to create calibrated lightcurves, intensity maps, and animated movies from any set of photons selected across any tile, and with specified aperture sizes, coordinates, and time steps. Users can access the data using either a python-based command-line software package, through a web interface at MAST, or (eventually) through CasJobs using direct SQL queries. We present some example

Portal to the GALEX Data Archive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, M. A.; Conti, A.; Shiao, B.; Volpicelli, C. A.

2004-05-01

In early February MAST began its hosting of the GALEX public "Early Release Observations" images (40,000 objects) and spectra (1000 objects). MAST will host a much larger "first release," the GALEX DR1, in October, 2004. In this poster we describe features of our on-line website at http://galex.stsci.edu for researchers interested in downloading and browsing GALEX UV image and spectral data. The site, is based on MS .NET technology and user queries are entered for classes of objects or sky regions on a "MAST-like" query forms or with detailed queries written in SQL. In the latter case examples are provided to tailor a query to a user's specifications. The site provides novel features, such as tooltips that return keyword definitions, "active images" that return object classification and coordinate information in a 2.5 arcmin radius around the selected object, self-documentation of terms and tables, and of course a tutorial for new navigators. The GALEX database employs a Hierarchial Triangular Mesh system for rapid data discovery, neighbor searches, and cross correlations with other catalogs. Our "GMAX" tool allows a coplotting of object positions for objects observed by GALEX and other US-NVO compliant mission websites such as Sloan, 2MASS, FIRST.... As a member of the new Skynode network, GALEX has reported its web services to the US-NVO registry. This permits users to generate queries from other sites to cross-correlate, compare, and plot GALEX data using US-NVO protocols. Future plans for limited on-line data analysis and footprint services are described.

A Search for Low Surface Brightness Galaxies in the Ultraviolet with GALEX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wyder, Ted K.; GALEX Science Team

2006-12-01

Low surface brightness (LSB) galaxies have traditionally been difficult to detect at visible wavelengths due to their low contrast with the night sky and their low numbers per deg2. We describe a new search for LSB galaxies using UV images from the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) satellite. The images are from the GALEX Medium Imaging Survey targeting mainly areas of the sky within the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) footprint. Due to the UV sky background at high Galactic latitudes reaching levels of only approximately 28 mag arcsec-2 as well as the relatively large sky coverage from GALEX, we can potentially search for LSB galaxies that would be difficult to detect optically.After first convolving the images with a suitable kernel, we select a diameter limited set of objects which we then inspect manually in order to remove image artifacts and other spurious detections. Red galaxies that have high optical surface brightness can be identified using either the ratio of far-UV to near-UV flux or via comparison to SDSS images. We quantify our selection limits using a set of artificial galaxy tests. Our goal is to find blue, ultra-LSB galaxies that would be virtually undetectable in large optical imaging surveys. GALEX is a NASA Small Explorer, launched in April 2003. We gratefully acknowledge NASA's support for construction, operation, and science analysis for the GALEX mission.

SOUTHERN COSMOLOGY SURVEY. III. QSOs FROM COMBINED GALEX AND OPTICAL PHOTOMETRY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jimenez, Raul; Verde, Licia; Spergel, David N.

2009-04-15

We present catalogs of QSO candidates selected using photometry from Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) combined with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) in the Stripe 82 region and Blanco Cosmology Survey (BCS) near declination -55 deg. The SDSS region contains {approx_equal}700 objects with magnitude i < 20 and {approx_equal}3600 objects with i < 21.5 in a {approx_equal}60 deg{sup 2} sky region, while the BCS region contains {approx_equal}280 objects with magnitude i < 20 and {approx}2000 objects with i < 21.5 for a 11 deg{sup 2} sky region that is being observed by three current microwave Sunyaev-Zeldovich surveys. Our QSO catalogmore » is the first one in the BCS region. Deep GALEX exposures ({approx}>2000 s in F {sub UV} and N {sub UV}, except in three fields) provide high signal-to-noise photometry in the GALEX bands (F {sub UV}, N {sub UV} < 24.5 mag). From this data, we select QSO candidates using only GALEX and optical r-band photometry, using the method given by Atlee and Gould. In the Stripe 82 field, 60% (30%) of the GALEX-selected QSOs with optical magnitude i < 20 (i < 21.5) also appear in the Richards et al. QSO catalog constructed using five-band optical SDSS photometry. Comparison with the same catalog by Richards et al. shows that the completeness of the sample is approximately 40% (25%). However, for regions of the sky with very low dust extinction, like the BCS 23-hr field and the Stripe 82 between 0{sup 0} and 10{sup 0} in R.A., our completeness is close to 95%, demonstrating that deep GALEX observations are almost as efficient as multiwavelength observations at finding QSOs. GALEX observations thus provide a viable alternate route to QSO catalogs in sky regions where u-band optical photometry is not available. The full catalog is available at http://www.ice.csic.es/personal/jimenez/PHOTOZ.« less

Lyman Limit Absorbers in GALEX Spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williger, Gerard M.; Haberzettl, Lutz G.; Ribaudo, Joseph; Kuchner, Marc J.; Burchett, Joseph; Clowes, Roger G.; Lauroesch, James T.; Mills, Brianna; Borden, Jeremy

2018-01-01

We describe the method and early results for crowdsourcing a search for low-redshift partial and complete Lyman Limit Systems (pLLSs and LLSs) in the GALEX spectral archive. LLSs have been found in large numbers at z>3 and traced to lower redshift through a relatively small number of QSO spectra from spaced-based telescopes. From a sample of 44 pLLSs and 11 LLSs at 0.1UV, there is an indication that the metallicity distribution of partial LLSs is bimodal at z<1, with the high-metallicity portion centered at <[X/H]> = -0.32 +/- 0.07 and the low-metallicity portion centered at <[X/H]> = -1.87 +/- 0.11.The GALEX spectral archive offers a vast dataset potentially containing hundreds of LLSs, which may be leveraged to search for such a bimodality and track its evolution within the unconstrained near-UV gap at 1GALEX data coverage and signal-to-noise ratio are highly variable, which hampers an automated search. We have therefore begun crowdsourcing a subset of the GALEX archive for LLSs and pLLSs via a Zooniverse project. Initially, undergraduate physics majors are performing a pilot project before releasing to citizen scientists in the public at large. We will then vet candidate systems and estimate column densities in a follow-up analysis. Upon assessing the accuracy of the physics majors’ identifications, the results will be used to devise a larger program with the help of the general public. The resulting data set would then provide the best available link between the HST-selected far-UV and ground-based pLLS+LLS samples and provide an ideal sample for consequent metallicity determinations.

The GALEX/S4G UV-IR Color-Color Diagram: Catching Spiral Galaxies Away from the Blue Sequence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouquin, Alexandre Y. K.; Gil de Paz, Armando; Boissier, Samuel; Muñoz-Mateos, Juan-Carlos; Sheth, Kartik; Zaritsky, Dennis; Laine, Jarkko; Gallego, Jesús; Peletier, Reynier F.; Röck, Benjamin R.; Knapen, Johan H.

2015-02-01

We obtained GALEX FUV, NUV, and Spitzer/IRAC 3.6 μm photometry for \\gt 2000 galaxies, available for 90% of the S4G sample. We find a very tight GALEX blue sequence (GBS) in the (FUV-NUV) versus (NUV-[3.6]) color-color diagram, which is populated by irregular and spiral galaxies, and is mainly driven by changes in the formation timescale (τ) and a degeneracy between τ and dust reddening. The tightness of the GBS provides an unprecedented way of identifying star-forming galaxies and objects that are just evolving to (or from) what we call the GALEX green valley (GGV). At the red end of the GBS, at (NUV-[3.6]) \\gt 5, we find a wider GALEX red sequence (GRS) mostly populated by E/S0 galaxies that has a perpendicular slope to that of the GBS and of the optical red sequence. We find no such dichotomy in terms of stellar mass (measured by {{M}[3.6]}) since both massive ({{M}\\star }\\gt {{10}11}{{M}⊙ }) blue- and red-sequence galaxies are identified. The type that is proportionally more often found in the GGV is the S0-Sa’s, and most of these are located in high-density environments. We discuss evolutionary models of galaxies that show a rapid transition from the blue to the red sequence on a timescale of 108 yr.

Deep Galex Observations of the Coma Cluster: Source Catalog and Galaxy Counts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hammer, D.; Hornschemeier, A. E.; Mobasher, B.; Miller, N.; Smith, R.; Arnouts, S.; Milliard, B.; Jenkins, L.

2010-01-01

We present a source catalog from deep 26 ks GALEX observations of the Coma cluster in the far-UV (FUV; 1530 Angstroms) and near-UV (NUV; 2310 Angstroms) wavebands. The observed field is centered 0.9 deg. (1.6 Mpc) south-west of the Coma core, and has full optical photometric coverage by SDSS and spectroscopic coverage to r-21. The catalog consists of 9700 galaxies with GALEX and SDSS photometry, including 242 spectroscopically-confirmed Coma member galaxies that range from giant spirals and elliptical galaxies to dwarf irregular and early-type galaxies. The full multi-wavelength catalog (cluster plus background galaxies) is 80% complete to NUV=23 and FUV=23.5, and has a limiting depth at NUV=24.5 and FUV=25.0 which corresponds to a star formation rate of 10(exp -3) solar mass yr(sup -1) at the distance of Coma. The GALEX images presented here are very deep and include detections of many resolved cluster members superposed on a dense field of unresolved background galaxies. This required a two-fold approach to generating a source catalog: we used a Bayesian deblending algorithm to measure faint and compact sources (using SDSS coordinates as a position prior), and used the GALEX pipeline catalog for bright and/or extended objects. We performed simulations to assess the importance of systematic effects (e.g. object blends, source confusion, Eddington Bias) that influence source detection and photometry when using both methods. The Bayesian deblending method roughly doubles the number of source detections and provides reliable photometry to a few magnitudes deeper than the GALEX pipeline catalog. This method is also free from source confusion over the UV magnitude range studied here: conversely, we estimate that the GALEX pipeline catalogs are confusion limited at NUV approximately 23 and FUV approximately 24. We have measured the total UV galaxy counts using our catalog and report a 50% excess of counts across FUV=22-23.5 and NUV=21.5-23 relative to previous GALEX

The GALEX Ultraviolet Virgo Cluster Survey (GUViCS). VII. Brightest cluster galaxy UV upturn and the FUV-NUV color up to redshift 0.35

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boissier, S.; Cucciati, O.; Boselli, A.; Mei, S.; Ferrarese, L.

2018-03-01

Context. At low redshift, early-type galaxies often exhibit a rising flux with decreasing wavelength in the 1000-2500 Å range, called "UV upturn". The origin of this phenomenon is debated, and its evolution with redshift is poorly constrained. The observed GALEX FUV-NUV color can be used to probe the UV upturn approximately to redshift 0.5. Aim. We provide constraints on the existence of the UV upturn up to redshift 0.4 in the brightest cluster galaxies (BCG) located behind the Virgo cluster, using data from the GUViCS survey. Methods: We estimate the GALEX far-UV (FUV) and near-UV (NUV) observed magnitudes for BCGs from the maxBCG catalog in the GUViCS fields. We increase the number of nonlocal galaxies identified as BCGs with GALEX photometry from a few tens of galaxies to 166 (64 when restricting this sample to relatively small error bars). We also estimate a central color within a 20 arcsec aperture. By using the r-band luminosity from the maxBCG catalog, we can separate blue FUV-NUV due to recent star formation and candidate upturn cases. We use Lick indices to verify their similarity to redshift 0 upturn cases. Results: We clearly detect a population of blue FUV-NUV BCGs in the redshift range 0.10-0.35, vastly improving the existing constraints at these epochs by increasing the number of galaxies studied, and by exploring a redshift range with no previous data (beyond 0.2), spanning one more Gyr in the past. These galaxies bring new constraints that can help distinguish between assumptions concerning the stellar populations causing the UV upturn phenomenon. The existence of a large number of UV upturns around redshift 0.25 favors the existence of a binary channel among the sources proposed in the literature. Tables 2-5 are available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/611/A42

HAZMAT. II. Ultraviolet Variability of Low-mass Stars in the GALEX Archive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miles, Brittany E.; Shkolnik, Evgenya L.

2017-08-01

The ultraviolet (UV) light from a host star influences a planet’s atmospheric photochemistry and will affect interpretations of exoplanetary spectra from future missions like the James Webb Space Telescope. These effects will be particularly critical in the study of planetary atmospheres around M dwarfs, including Earth-sized planets in the habitable zone. Given the higher activity levels of M dwarfs compared to Sun-like stars, time-resolved UV data are needed for more accurate input conditions for exoplanet atmospheric modeling. The Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) provides multi-epoch photometric observations in two UV bands: near-ultraviolet (NUV; 1771-2831 Å) and far-ultraviolet (FUV; 1344-1786 Å). Within 30 pc of Earth, there are 357 and 303 M dwarfs in the NUV and FUV bands, respectively, with multiple GALEX observations. Simultaneous NUV and FUV detections exist for 145 stars in both GALEX bands. Our analyses of these data show that low-mass stars are typically more variable in the FUV than the NUV. Median variability increases with later spectral types in the NUV with no clear trend in the FUV. We find evidence that flares increase the FUV flux density far more than the NUV flux density, leading to variable FUV to NUV flux density ratios in the GALEX bandpasses.The ratio of FUV to NUV flux is important for interpreting the presence of atmospheric molecules in planetary atmospheres such as oxygen and methane as a high FUV to NUV ratio may cause false-positive biosignature detections. This ratio of flux density in the GALEX bands spans three orders of magnitude in our sample, from 0.008 to 4.6, and is 1 to 2 orders of magnitude higher than for G dwarfs like the Sun. These results characterize the UV behavior for the largest set of low-mass stars to date.

HAZMAT. II. Ultraviolet Variability of Low-mass Stars in the GALEX Archive

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Miles, Brittany E.; Shkolnik, Evgenya L., E-mail: bmiles@ucsc.edu

The ultraviolet (UV) light from a host star influences a planet’s atmospheric photochemistry and will affect interpretations of exoplanetary spectra from future missions like the James Webb Space Telescope . These effects will be particularly critical in the study of planetary atmospheres around M dwarfs, including Earth-sized planets in the habitable zone. Given the higher activity levels of M dwarfs compared to Sun-like stars, time-resolved UV data are needed for more accurate input conditions for exoplanet atmospheric modeling. The Galaxy Evolution Explorer ( GALEX ) provides multi-epoch photometric observations in two UV bands: near-ultraviolet (NUV; 1771–2831 Å) and far-ultraviolet (FUV;more » 1344–1786 Å). Within 30 pc of Earth, there are 357 and 303 M dwarfs in the NUV and FUV bands, respectively, with multiple GALEX observations. Simultaneous NUV and FUV detections exist for 145 stars in both GALEX bands. Our analyses of these data show that low-mass stars are typically more variable in the FUV than the NUV. Median variability increases with later spectral types in the NUV with no clear trend in the FUV. We find evidence that flares increase the FUV flux density far more than the NUV flux density, leading to variable FUV to NUV flux density ratios in the GALEX bandpasses.The ratio of FUV to NUV flux is important for interpreting the presence of atmospheric molecules in planetary atmospheres such as oxygen and methane as a high FUV to NUV ratio may cause false-positive biosignature detections. This ratio of flux density in the GALEX bands spans three orders of magnitude in our sample, from 0.008 to 4.6, and is 1 to 2 orders of magnitude higher than for G dwarfs like the Sun. These results characterize the UV behavior for the largest set of low-mass stars to date.« less

The Ultraviolet Sky: final catalogs of unique UV sources from GALEX, and characterization of the UV-emitting sources across the sky, and of the Milky Way extinction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bianchi, Luciana; Conti, A.; Shiao, B.; Keller, G. R.; Thilker, D. A.

2014-01-01

The legacy of the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX), which imaged the sky at Ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths for about 9 years, is its unprecedented database with more than 200 million source measurements in far-UV (FUV) and near-UV (NUV), as well as wide-field imaging of extended objects. GALEX's data, the first substantial sky surveys at UV wavelengths, offer an unprecedented view of the sky and a unique opportunity for an unbiased characterization of several classes of astrophysical objects, such as hot stars, QSOs at red-shift about 1, UV-peculiar QSOs, star-forming galaxies, among others. Bianchi et al. (2013, J. Adv. Space Res. (2013), DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2013.07.045) have constructed final catalogs of UV sources, with homogeneous quality, eliminating duplicate measurements of the same source ('unique' source catalogs), and excluding rim artifacts and bad photometry. The catalogs are constructed improving on the recipe of Bianchi et al. 2011 (MNRAS, 411, 2770, which presented the earlier version of these catalogs) and include all data for the major surveys, AIS and MIS. Considering the fields where both FUV and NUV detectors were exposed, the catalogs contain about 71 and 16.6 million unique sources respectively. We show several maps illustrating the content of UV sources across the sky, globally, and separately for bright/faint, hot, stellar/extragalactic objects. We matched the UV-source catalogs with optical-IR data from the SDSS, GSC2, 2MASS surveys. We are also in the process of matching the catalogs with preliminary PanSTARRS1 (PS1) 3pi survey photometry which already provides twice the sky coverage of SDSS, at slightly fainter magnitude limits. The sources' SED from FUV to optical wavelengths enables classification, derivation of the object physical parameters, and ultimately also a map of the Milky Way extinction. The catalogs will be available on MAST, Vizier (where the previous version already is), and in reduced form (for agile

The Galex Time Domain Survey. I. Selection And Classification of Over a Thousand Ultraviolet Variable Sources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gezari, S.; Martin, D. C.; Forster, K.; Neill, J. D.; Huber, M.; Heckman, T.; Bianchi, L.; Morrissey, P.; Neff, S. G.; Seibert, M.;

The GALEX Time Domain Survey. I. Selection and Classification of Over a Thousand Ultraviolet Variable Sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gezari, S.; Martin, D. C.; Forster, K.; Neill, J. D.; Huber, M.; Heckman, T.; Bianchi, L.; Morrissey, P.; Neff, S. G.; Seibert, M.; Schiminovich, D.; Wyder, T. K.; Burgett, W. S.; Chambers, K. C.; Kaiser, N.; Magnier, E. A.; Price, P. A.; Tonry, J. L.

2013-03-01

We present the selection and classification of over a thousand ultraviolet (UV) variable sources discovered in ~40 deg2 of GALEX Time Domain Survey (TDS) NUV images observed with a cadence of 2 days and a baseline of observations of ~3 years. The GALEX TDS fields were designed to be in spatial and temporal coordination with the Pan-STARRS1 Medium Deep Survey, which provides deep optical imaging and simultaneous optical transient detections via image differencing. We characterize the GALEX photometric errors empirically as a function of mean magnitude, and select sources that vary at the 5σ level in at least one epoch. We measure the statistical properties of the UV variability, including the structure function on timescales of days and years. We report classifications for the GALEX TDS sample using a combination of optical host colors and morphology, UV light curve characteristics, and matches to archival X-ray, and spectroscopy catalogs. We classify 62% of the sources as active galaxies (358 quasars and 305 active galactic nuclei), and 10% as variable stars (including 37 RR Lyrae, 53 M dwarf flare stars, and 2 cataclysmic variables). We detect a large-amplitude tail in the UV variability distribution for M-dwarf flare stars and RR Lyrae, reaching up to |Δm| = 4.6 mag and 2.9 mag, respectively. The mean amplitude of the structure function for quasars on year timescales is five times larger than observed at optical wavelengths. The remaining unclassified sources include UV-bright extragalactic transients, two of which have been spectroscopically confirmed to be a young core-collapse supernova and a flare from the tidal disruption of a star by dormant supermassive black hole. We calculate a surface density for variable sources in the UV with NUV < 23 mag and |Δm| > 0.2 mag of ~8.0, 7.7, and 1.8 deg-2 for quasars, active galactic nuclei, and RR Lyrae stars, respectively. We also calculate a surface density rate in the UV for transient sources, using the effective

VizieR Online Data Catalog: AGB stars with GALEX observations (Montez+, 2017)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montez, R.; Ramstedt, S.; Kastner, J. H.; Vlemmings, W.; Sanchez, E.

2018-01-01

Our sample of AGB stars is derived from numerous AGB samples found in the literature and was originally compiled by Ramstedt+ (2012A&A...543A.147R) to search for X-ray detections associated with AGB stars. The GALEX mission performed a two-band survey of the UV sky. Using a dichromatic beam splitter, GALEX simultaneously observed far-UV (FUV; λeff~1528Å; 1344-1786Å) and near-UV (NUV; λeff~2310Å; 1771-2831Å) in surveys with different depths. The spatial resolution is 4.3" in FUV and 5.3" in NUV. As described in further detail in Morrissey+ (2007ApJS..173..682M), spectroscopic observations place a grism into the converging beam of the telescope to simultaneously disperse all sources onto the detector plane. According to Morrissey+ (2007), the usable ranges of the grism spectra are 1300-1820Å and 1820-3000Å in the FUV and NUV, with average resolutions of 8Å and 20Å, respectively. To supplement our study of the GALEX observations of AGB stars, we collected photometric data from across the electromagnetic spectrum for all the AGB stars considered using SIMBAD and VizieR tools. We aslo collected AAVSO light curves that span the GALEX mission lifetime (2003 May 28 to 2013 June 28) from the AAVSO International Database. (3 data files).

GALEX Wide-field Ultraviolet Imaging of NGC 5128 (Centaurus-A)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Neff, S. G.; Shiminovich, D.; Martin, C. D.

2004-01-01

We present new wide-field ultraviolet (UV) observations of the nearby active galaxy NGC 5128 (Centaurus A). The GALEX images provide 3.5 sec - 5.5 sec resolution over a 1.2 degree field, in two broad bands (1350- 1800A and 1800-3000A, centered at 1550A and 2200A). We detect ultraviolet emission associated with the radio and X-ray jets in both bands, extending out to a distance of approx. 40kpc from the galaxy nucleus. We compare the radio, X-ray, and UV jets, and discuss the feasibility of jet-induced star formation. We show how the UV emission relates to the optical filaments: HI and CO clouds, stellar shells, X-ray arcs, and young star chains previously reported by other authors. In the central region of NGC 5128, we detect UV emission from young super-star-clusters and associated ionized gas located along the near edge and on the upper surface of the dusty warped disk. All of the UV emission in the galaxy appears to result from intense star formation in the disk; none appears to be associated with the old stellar population of the main galaxy body, and no UV emission from the AGN is detected. We estimate the numbers and ages of the massive young stars present, and the associated ionized gas masses. Finally, we compare Cen-A to high redshift radio galaxies which were much more numerous in the earlier universe. The GALEX satellite is a NASA Small Explorer, launched in April 2003. We gratefully acknowledge NASA's support for construction, operation, and science analysis for the GALEX mission.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: M33 GALEX catalogue of UV point sources (Mudd+, 2015)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mudd, D.; Stanek, K. Z.

2015-11-01

This catalogue was made using the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT), an instrument aboard the Astro-1 Mission. UIT used photographic plates with the B1 and A1 filters roughly corresponding to the FUV and NUV filters of GALEX, having central wavelengths of ~1500 and 2400Å, respectively. It should be noted, however, that the A1 filter is significantly broader than the NUV filter on GALEX, reaching several hundred angstroms to the red end of its GALEX counterpart. The field of view of UIT is also circular but has a smaller radius of 18 arcmin The FWHM of UIT is comparable to that of GALEX, at 4 and 5.2 arcsec in the NUV and FUV filters, respectively. (3 data files).

A Search for Rapidly Pulsating Hot Subdwarf Stars in the GALEX Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boudreaux, Thomas M.; Barlow, Brad N.; Fleming, Scott W.; Vasquez Soto, Alan; Million, Chase; Reichart, Dan E.; Haislip, Josh B.; Linder, Tyler R.; Moore, Justin P.

2017-08-01

NASA’s Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) provided near- and far-UV observations for approximately 77% of the sky over a 10-year period; however, the data reduction pipeline initially only released single NUV and FUV images to the community. The recently released Python module gPhoton changes this, allowing calibrated time-series aperture photometry to be extracted easily from the raw GALEX data set. Here we use gPhoton to generate light curves for all hot subdwarf B (sdB) stars that were observed by GALEX, with the intention of identifying short-period, p-mode pulsations. We find that the spacecraft’s short visit durations, uneven gaps between visits, and dither pattern make the detection of hot subdwarf pulsations difficult. Nonetheless, we detect UV variations in four previously known pulsating targets and report their UV pulsation amplitudes and frequencies. Additionally, we find that several other sdB targets not previously known to vary show promising signals in their periodograms. Using optical follow-up photometry with the Skynet Robotic Telescope Network, we confirm p-mode pulsations in one of these targets, LAMOST J082517.99+113106.3, and report it as the most recent addition to the sdBV r class of variable stars.

A Search for Rapidly Pulsating Hot Subdwarf Stars in the GALEX Survey

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boudreaux, Thomas M.; Barlow, Brad N.; Soto, Alan Vasquez

NASA’s Galaxy Evolution Explorer ( GALEX ) provided near- and far-UV observations for approximately 77% of the sky over a 10-year period; however, the data reduction pipeline initially only released single NUV and FUV images to the community. The recently released Python module gPhoton changes this, allowing calibrated time-series aperture photometry to be extracted easily from the raw GALEX data set. Here we use gPhoton to generate light curves for all hot subdwarf B (sdB) stars that were observed by GALEX , with the intention of identifying short-period, p-mode pulsations. We find that the spacecraft’s short visit durations, uneven gapsmore » between visits, and dither pattern make the detection of hot subdwarf pulsations difficult. Nonetheless, we detect UV variations in four previously known pulsating targets and report their UV pulsation amplitudes and frequencies. Additionally, we find that several other sdB targets not previously known to vary show promising signals in their periodograms. Using optical follow-up photometry with the Skynet Robotic Telescope Network, we confirm p-mode pulsations in one of these targets, LAMOST J082517.99+113106.3, and report it as the most recent addition to the sdBV{sub r} class of variable stars.« less

The Timescale-dependent Color Variability of Quasars Viewed with /GALEX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Fei-Fan; Wang, Jun-Xian; Cai, Zhen-Yi; Sun, Yu-Han

2016-11-01

In a recent work by Sun et al., the color variation of quasars, namely the bluer-when-brighter trend, was found to be timescale dependent using the SDSS g/r band light curves in Stripe 82. Such timescale dependence, I.e., bluer variation at shorter timescales, supports the thermal fluctuation origin of the UV/optical variation in quasars, and can be modeled well with the inhomogeneous accretion disk model. In this paper, we extend the study to much shorter wavelengths in the rest frame (down to extreme UV) using GALaxy Evolution eXplorer (GALEX) photometric data of quasars collected in two ultraviolet bands (near-UV and far-UV). We develop Monte Carlo simulations to correct for possible biases due to the considerably larger photometric uncertainties in the GALEX light curves (particularly in the far-UV, compared with the SDSS g/r bands), which otherwise could produce artificial results. We securely confirm the previously discovered timescale dependence of the color variability with independent data sets and at shorter wavelengths. We further find that the slope of the correlation between the amplitude of the color variation and timescale appears even steeper than predicted by the inhomogeneous disk model, which assumes that disk fluctuations follow a damped random walk (DRW) process. The much flatter structure function observed in the far-UV compared with that at longer wavelengths implies deviation from the DRW process in the inner disk, where rest-frame extreme UV radiation is produced.

Uv-bright Nearby Early-type Galaxies Observed in the Mid-infrared: Eidence for a Multi-stage Formation History by Way of WISE and GALEX Imaging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Petty, S. M.; Neill, J. D.; Jarrett, T. H.; Blain, A. W.; Farrah, D. G.; Rich, R. M.; Tsai, C.-W.; Benford, D. J.; Bridge, C. R.; Lake, S. E.;

UV-BRIGHT NEARBY EARLY-TYPE GALAXIES OBSERVED IN THE MID-INFRARED: EVIDENCE FOR A MULTI-STAGE FORMATION HISTORY BY WAY OF WISE AND GALEX IMAGING

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Petty, S. M.; Farrah, D. G.; Neill, J. D.

2013-10-01

In the local universe, 10% of massive elliptical galaxies are observed to exhibit a peculiar property: a substantial excess of ultraviolet emission than what is expected from their old, red stellar populations. Several origins for this ultraviolet excess (UVX) have been proposed including a population of hot young stars and a population of old, blue horizontal branch or extended horizontal branch (BHB or EHB) stars that have undergone substantial mass loss from their outer atmospheres. We explore the radial distribution of UVX in a selection of 49 nearby E/S0-type galaxies by measuring their extended photometry in the UV through mid-infraredmore » (mid-IR) with the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX), the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). We compare UV/optical and UV/mid-IR colors with the Flexible Stellar Population Synthesis models, which allow for the inclusion of EHB stars. We find that combined WISE mid-IR and GALEX UV colors are more effective in distinguishing models than optical colors, and that the UV/mid-IR combination is sensitive to the EHB fraction. There are strong color gradients, with the outer radii bluer than the inner half-light radii by {approx}1 mag. This color difference is easily accounted for with an increase in the BHB fraction of 0.25 with radius. We estimated that the average ages for the inner and outer radii are 7.0 {+-} 0.3 Gyr, and 6.2 {+-} 0.2 Gyr, respectively, with the implication that the outer regions are likely to have formed {approx}1 Gyr after the inner regions. Additionally, we find that metallicity gradients are likely not a significant factor in the color difference. The separation of color between the inner and outer regions, which agrees with a specific stellar population difference (e.g., higher EHB populations), and the {approx}0.5-2 Gyr age difference suggests multi-stage formation. Our results are best explained by inside-out formation: rapid star formation within the core

Catalogue of UV sources in the Galaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beitia-Antero, L.; Gómez de Castro, A. I.

2017-03-01

The Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) ultraviolet (UV) database contains the largest photometric catalogue in the ultraviolet range; as a result GALEX photometric bands, Near UV band (NUV) and the Far UV band (FUV), have become standards. Nevertheless, the GALEX catalogue does not include bright UV sources due to the high sensitivity of its detectors, neither sources in the Galactic plane. In order to extend the GALEX database for future UV missions, we have obtained synthetic FUV and NUV photometry using the database of UV spectra generated by the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE). This database contains 63,755 spectra in the low dispersion mode (λ / δ λ ˜ 300) obtained during its 18-year lifetime. For stellar sources in the IUE database, we have selected spectra with high Signal-To-NoiseRatio (SNR) and computed FUV and NUV magnitudes using the GALEX transmission curves along with the conversion equations between flux and magnitudes provided by the mission. Besides, we have performed variability tests to determine whether the sources were variable (during the IUE observations). As a result, we have generated two different catalogues: one for non-variable stars and another one for variable sources. The former contains FUV and NUV magnitudes, while the latter gives the basic information and the FUV magnitude for each observation. The consistency of the magnitudes has been tested using White Dwarfs contained in both GALEX and IUE samples. The catalogues are available through the Centre des Donées Stellaires. The sources are distributed throughout the whole sky, with a special coverage of the Galactic plane.

Searching for Young M Dwarfs with GALEX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shkolnik, Evgenya L.; Liu, Michael C.; Reid, I. Neill; Dupuy, Trent; Weinberger, Alycia J.

2011-01-01

The census of young moving groups in the solar neighborhood is significantly incomplete in the low-mass regime. We have developed a new selection process to find these missing members based on the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) All-Sky Imaging Survey (AIS). For stars with spectral types gsimK5 (R - J >~ 1.5) and younger than ≈300 Myr, we show that near-UV (NUV) and far-UV (FUV) emission is greatly enhanced above the quiescent photosphere, analogous to the enhanced X-ray emission of young low-mass stars seen by ROSAT but detectable to much larger distances with GALEX. By combining GALEX data with optical (HST Guide Star Catalog) and near-IR (2MASS) photometry, we identified an initial sample of 34 young M dwarf candidates in a 1000 deg2 region around the ≈10 Myr TW Hydra Association (TWA). Low-resolution spectroscopy of 30 of these found 16 which had Hα in emission, which were then followed up at high resolution to search for spectroscopic evidence of youth and to measure their radial velocities. Four objects have low surface gravities, photometric distances and space motions consistent with TWA, but the non-detection of Li indicates that they may be too old to belong to this moving group. One object (M3.5, 93 ± 19 pc) appears to be the first known accreting low-mass member of the ≈15 Myr Lower Centaurus Crux OB association. Two objects exhibit all the characteristics of the known TWA members, and thus we designate them as TWA 31 (M4.2, 110 ± 11 pc) and TWA 32 (M6.3, 53 ± 5 pc). TWA 31 shows extremely broad (447 km s-1) Hα emission, making it the sixth member of TWA found to have ongoing accretion. TWA 32 is resolved into a 0farcs6 binary in Keck laser guide star adaptive optics imaging. Our search should be sensitive down to spectral types of at least M4-M5 in TWA and thus the small numbers of new member is puzzling. This might indicate TWA has an atypical mass function or that the presence of lithium absorption may be too restrictive a criteria for

The ultraviolet view of the Magellanic Clouds from GALEX: A first look at the LMC source catalog

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simons, Raymond; Thilker, David; Bianchi, Luciana; Wyder, Ted

2014-03-01

The Galaxy Evolution Exporer (GALEX) has performed unprecedented imaging surveys of the Magellanic Clouds (MC) and their surrounding areas including the Magellanic Bridge (MB) in near-UV (NUV, 1771-2831 Å) and far-UV (FUV, 1344-1786 Å) bands at 5″ resolution. Substantially more area was covered in the NUV than FUV, particularly in the bright central regions, because of the GALEX FUV detector failure. The 5σ depth of the NUV imaging varies between 20.8 and 22.7 (ABmag). Such imaging provides the first sensitive view of the entire content of hot stars in the Magellanic System, revealing the presence of young populations even in sites with extremely low star-formation rate surface density like the MB, owing to high sensitivity of the UV data to hot stars and the dark sky at these wavelengths. The density of UV sources is quite high in many areas of the LMC and SMC. Crowding limits the quality of source detection and photometry from the standard mission pipeline processing. We performed custom-photometry of the GALEX data in the MC survey region (<15° from the LMC, <10° from the SMC). After merging multiple detections of sources in overlapping images, the resulting catalog we have produced for the LMC contains nearly six million unique NUV point sources within 15° and is briefly presented herein. This paper provides a first look at the GALEX MC survey and highlights some of the science investigations that the entire catalog and imaging dataset will make possible.

Deep UV Luminosity Functions at the Infall Region of the Coma Cluster

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hammer, D. M.; Hornschemeier, A. E.; Salim, S.; Smith, R.; Jenkins, L.; Mobasher, B.; Miller, N.; Ferguson, H.

2011-01-01

We have used deep GALEX observations at the infall region of the Coma cluster to measure the faintest UV luminosity functions (LFs) presented for a rich galaxy cluster thus far. The Coma UV LFs are measured to M(sub uv) = -10.5 in the GALEX FUV and NUV bands, or 3.5 mag fainter than previous studies, and reach the dwarf early-type galaxy population in Coma for the first time. The Schechter faint-end slopes (alpha approximately equal to -1.39 in both GALEX bands) are shallower than reported in previous Coma UV LF studies owing to a flatter LF at faint magnitudes. A Gaussian-plus-Schechter model provides a slightly better parametrization of the UV LFs resulting in a faint-end slope of alpha approximately equal to -1.15 in both GALEX bands. The two-component model gives faint-end slopes shallower than alpha = -1 (a turnover) for the LFs constructed separately for passive and star forming galaxies. The UV LFs for star forming galaxies show a turnover at M(sub UV) approximately equal to -14 owing to a deficit of dwarf star forming galaxies in Coma with stellar masses below M(sub *) = 10(sup 8) solar mass. A similar turnover is identified in recent UV LFs measured for the Virgo cluster suggesting this may be a common feature of local galaxy clusters, whereas the field UV LFs continue to rise at faint magnitudes. We did not identify an excess of passive galaxies as would be expected if the missing dwarf star forming galaxies were quenched inside the cluster. In fact, the LFs for both dwarf passive and star forming galaxies show the same turnover at faint magnitudes. We discuss the possible origin of the missing dwarf star forming galaxies in Coma and their expected properties based on comparisons to local field galaxies.

UV SEDs of early-type cluster galaxies: a new look at the UV upturn

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ali, S. S.; Bremer, M. N.; Phillipps, S.; De Propris, R.

2018-05-01

Using GALEX, Ultraviolet Optical Telescope (UVOT), and optical photometry, we explore the prevalence and strength of the Ultraviolet (UV) upturn in the spectra of quiescent early-type galaxies in several nearby clusters. Even for galaxies with completely passive optical colours, there is a large spread in vacuum UV colour consistent with almost all having some UV upturn component. Combining GALEX and UVOT data below 3000 Å, we generate for the first time comparatively detailed UV spectral energy distributions for Coma cluster galaxies. Fitting the UV upturn component with a blackbody, 26 of these show a range of characteristic temperatures (10 000-21 000K) for the UV upturn population. Assuming a single temperature to explain GALEX-optical colours could underestimate the fraction of galaxies with UV upturns and mis-classify some as systems with residual star formation. The UV upturn phenomenon is not an exclusive feature found only in giant galaxies; we identify galaxies with similar (or even bluer) FUV - V colours to the giants with upturns over a range of fainter luminosities. The temperature and strength of the UV upturn are correlated with galaxy mass. Under the plausible hypothesis that the sources of the UV upturn are blue horizontal branch stars, the most likely mechanism for this is the presence of a substantial (between 4 per cent and 20 per cent) Helium-rich (Y > 0.3) population of stars in these galaxies, potentially formed at z ˜ 4 and certainly at z > 2; this plausibly sets a lower limit of {˜ } {0.3- 0.8} × 10^{10} M⊙ to the in situ stellar mass of ˜L* galaxies at this redshift.

GALEX Grism Spectroscopy of the Globular Cluster Omega Centauri

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sweigart, Allen

We propose to obtain GALEX FUV-only grism spectroscopy of the hot stars in omega Centauri, the most massive globular cluster in our Galaxy. Previous UIT imagery of omega Cen showed that it contains about 2000 hot horizontal branch (HB) stars, and we estimate that GALEX spectra can be obtained for about 500 of these stars in the outer regions of the cluster, including about 50 of the hot ``blue hook'' stars discovered with UIT. The blue hook stars appear to be both hotter (35,000 K) and less luminous in the UIT color-magnitude diagram than predicted by canonical HB models and, indeed, are unexplained by standard evolutionary theory. Brown et al. (2001) have suggested that the blue hook stars are the progeny of stars which mixed their surface hydrogen into their hot He-burning interior during a delayed helium flash subsequent to leaving the red giant branch. This ``flash-mixing'' results in a hot hydrogen-deficient star with a typical surface abundance of 96% He and 4% C by mass. The GALEX spectral region includes the strong lines of C III 1426, 1578 A, C IV 1550 A, and He II 1640 A which will allow this predicted carbon and helium enrichment to be detected. These observations will therefore provide a crucial test of the Brown et al. flash-mixing hypothesis and will determine if flash mixing represents a new evolutionary channel for populating the hot HB. The GALEX spectra will also address other questions concerning the hot HB in omega Cen including (1) the metallicity distribution of HB stars with 9,000 K < Teff < 11,000 K, (2) the effect of radiative levitation on the UV spectra of stars with Teff > 11,000 K, and (3) the origin of the subluminous HB stars found in the UIT photometry with 15,000K < Teff < 30,000 K.

New science catalogs of UV sources from the GALEX sky surveys, matched to optical-IR surveys. Related science tools, models, and first results on the characterization of evolved Galactic stellar populations.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bianchi, Luciana; Shiao, Bernie; Thilker, David; Barr, Robert; Girardi, Leo

2018-01-01

GUVcat is a new, expanded and improved catalog of Ultraviolet (UV) sources from the GALEX surveys (Bianchi et al. 2017, ApJ Suppl, 230, 24; arXiv:1704.05903). It contains 83million unique sources measured in FUV and NUV (duplicate measurements and rim artifacts removed) at AIS depth (about FUV < 20, NUV<20.8 ABmag). It covers an area of 24,790 sq.deg., larger than that of previous versions (e.g., Bianchi et al. 2011 MNRAS 411, 2770; Bianchi et al.2014 J. ASR. 53, 900). In GUVcat we cured 640 fields improperly coadded by the GALEX pipeline, and implemented other improvements and new tags, e.g. to mark sources in the footprint of nearby extended galaxies or crowded clusters.The UV unique-source catalog facilitates studies of density of sources, and matching with catalogs at other wavelegths. We matched GUVcat with SDSS and Pan-STARRS surveys, which provide five optical bands each, and used the UV-to-optical colors to classify sources by astrophysical class, and to characterize classes of stellar sources to which UV data are uniquely sensitive, such as hot white dwarfs (WD), including elusive types of binaries. We compared the content of Galactic sources with Milky Way models, computed with different prescriptions. We also matched GUVcat with the first Gaia source and Gaia TGAS releases, which add precise position and G-band photometry for the bright sources, and direct distance measurements for a few very bright sources. GALEX spectra are also available and included in the analysis. Follow-up observations with HST are ongoing for an exploratory subsample.The source catalogs and related tools are available from the uvsky web site http://dolomiti.pha.jhu.edu/uvsky/#GUVcat . GUVcat_AIS is also available from MAST casjobs and soon from Vizier. A useful tool for calculating the effective area coverage of GUVcat, and of the matched catalogs, in user-chosen regions of the sky, is also available at the above url.Acknowledgements: Partial support for this work was provided by

SEARCHING FOR YOUNG M DWARFS WITH GALEX

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shkolnik, Evgenya L.; Weinberger, Alycia J.; Liu, Michael C.

2011-01-20

The census of young moving groups in the solar neighborhood is significantly incomplete in the low-mass regime. We have developed a new selection process to find these missing members based on the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) All-Sky Imaging Survey (AIS). For stars with spectral types {approx}>K5 (R - J {approx}> 1.5) and younger than {approx}300 Myr, we show that near-UV (NUV) and far-UV (FUV) emission is greatly enhanced above the quiescent photosphere, analogous to the enhanced X-ray emission of young low-mass stars seen by ROSAT but detectable to much larger distances with GALEX. By combining GALEX data with optical (HSTmore » Guide Star Catalog) and near-IR (2MASS) photometry, we identified an initial sample of 34 young M dwarf candidates in a 1000 deg{sup 2} region around the {approx}10 Myr TW Hydra Association (TWA). Low-resolution spectroscopy of 30 of these found 16 which had H{alpha} in emission, which were then followed up at high resolution to search for spectroscopic evidence of youth and to measure their radial velocities. Four objects have low surface gravities, photometric distances and space motions consistent with TWA, but the non-detection of Li indicates that they may be too old to belong to this moving group. One object (M3.5, 93 {+-} 19 pc) appears to be the first known accreting low-mass member of the {approx}15 Myr Lower Centaurus Crux OB association. Two objects exhibit all the characteristics of the known TWA members, and thus we designate them as TWA 31 (M4.2, 110 {+-} 11 pc) and TWA 32 (M6.3, 53 {+-} 5 pc). TWA 31 shows extremely broad (447 km s{sup -1}) H{alpha} emission, making it the sixth member of TWA found to have ongoing accretion. TWA 32 is resolved into a 0.''6 binary in Keck laser guide star adaptive optics imaging. Our search should be sensitive down to spectral types of at least M4-M5 in TWA and thus the small numbers of new member is puzzling. This might indicate TWA has an atypical mass function or that the presence

Measures of star formation rates from infrared (Herschel) and UV (GALEX) emissions of galaxies in the HerMES fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buat, V.; Giovannoli, E.; Burgarella, D.; Altieri, B.; Amblard, A.; Arumugam, V.; Aussel, H.; Babbedge, T.; Blain, A.; Bock, J.; Boselli, A.; Castro-Rodríguez, N.; Cava, A.; Chanial, P.; Clements, D. L.; Conley, A.; Conversi, L.; Cooray, A.; Dowell, C. D.; Dwek, E.; Eales, S.; Elbaz, D.; Fox, M.; Franceschini, A.; Gear, W.; Glenn, J.; Griffin, M.; Halpern, M.; Hatziminaoglou, E.; Heinis, S.; Ibar, E.; Isaak, K.; Ivison, R. J.; Lagache, G.; Levenson, L.; Lonsdale, C. J.; Lu, N.; Madden, S.; Maffei, B.; Magdis, G.; Mainetti, G.; Marchetti, L.; Morrison, G. E.; Nguyen, H. T.; O'Halloran, B.; Oliver, S. J.; Omont, A.; Owen, F. N.; Page, M. J.; Pannella, M.; Panuzzo, P.; Papageorgiou, A.; Pearson, C. P.; Pérez-Fournon, I.; Pohlen, M.; Rigopoulou, D.; Rizzo, D.; Roseboom, I. G.; Rowan-Robinson, M.; Sánchez Portal, M.; Schulz, B.; Seymour, N.; Shupe, D. L.; Smith, A. J.; Stevens, J. A.; Strazzullo, V.; Symeonidis, M.; Trichas, M.; Tugwell, K. E.; Vaccari, M.; Valiante, E.; Valtchanov, I.; Vigroux, L.; Wang, L.; Ward, R.; Wright, G.; Xu, C. K.; Zemcov, M.

2010-11-01

The reliability of infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) emissions to measure star formation rates (SFRs) in galaxies is investigated for a large sample of galaxies observed with the Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIRE) and the Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer (PACS) instruments on Herschel as part of the Herschel Multi-Tiered Extragalactic Survey (HerMES) project. We build flux-limited 250-μm samples of sources at redshift z < 1, cross-matched with the Spitzer/MIPS and GALEX catalogues. About 60 per cent of the Herschel sources are detected in UV. The total IR luminosities, LIR, of the sources are estimated using a spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting code that fits to fluxes between 24 and 500 μm. Dust attenuation is discussed on the basis of commonly used diagnostics: the LIR/LUV ratio and the slope, β, of the UV continuum. A mean dust attenuation AUV of mag is measured in the samples. LIR/LUV is found to correlate with LIR. Galaxies with and 0.5 < z < 1 exhibit a mean dust attenuation AUV of about 0.7 mag lower than that found for their local counterparts, although with a large dispersion. Our galaxy samples span a large range of β and LIR/LUV values which, for the most part, are distributed between the ranges defined by the relations found locally for starburst and normal star-forming galaxies. As a consequence the recipe commonly applied to local starbursts is found to overestimate the dust attenuation correction in our galaxy sample by a factor of ~2-3. The SFRs deduced from LIR are found to account for about 90 per cent of the total SFR; this percentage drops to 71 per cent for galaxies with (or ). For these faint objects, one needs to combine UV and IR emissions to obtain an accurate measure of the SFR.

Pegasus XL GALEX

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-03-13

In the Multi-Payload Processing Facility, the Pegasus XL launch vehicle is in position for mating of the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) satellite. The GALEX, set to launch April 2 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, will carry into space an orbiting telescope that will observe a million galaxies across 10 billion years of cosmic history to help astronomers determine when the stars and elements we see today had their origins. The spacecraft will sweep the skies for 28 months using state-of-the-art ultraviolet detectors to single out galaxies dominated by young, hot, short-lived stars that give off a great deal of energy at that wavelength. These galaxies are actively creating stars, and therefore provide a window into the history and causes of star formation in galaxies.

Pegasus XL GALEX

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-03-13

In the Multi-Payload Processing Facility, the Pegasus XL launch vehicle waits for mating of the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) satellite. The GALEX, set to launch April 2 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, will carry into space an orbiting telescope that will observe a million galaxies across 10 billion years of cosmic history to help astronomers determine when the stars and elements we see today had their origins. The spacecraft will sweep the skies for 28 months using state-of-the-art ultraviolet detectors to single out galaxies dominated by young, hot, short-lived stars that give off a great deal of energy at that wavelength. These galaxies are actively creating stars, and therefore provide a window into the history and causes of star formation in galaxies.

Panchromatic properties of 99000 galaxies detected by SDSS, and (some by) ROSAT, GALEX, 2MASS, IRAS, GB6, FIRST, NVSS and WENSS surveys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Obrić, M.; Ivezić, Ž.; Best, P. N.; Lupton, R. H.; Tremonti, C.; Brinchmann, J.; Agüeros, M. A.; Knapp, G. R.; Gunn, J. E.; Rockosi, C. M.; Schlegel, D.; Finkbeiner, D.; Gaćeša, M.; Smolčić, V.; Anderson, S. F.; Voges, W.; Jurić, M.; Siverd, R. J.; Steinhardt, W.; Jagoda, A. S.; Blanton, M. R.; Schneider, D. P.

2006-08-01

We discuss the panchromatic properties of 99088 galaxies selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 1 `main' spectroscopic sample (a flux-limited sample for 1360deg2). These galaxies are positionally matched to sources detected by ROSAT, Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX), two-Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS), Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS), Green Bank GB6 survey (GB6), Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-centimetres (FIRST), NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS) and Westerbork Northern Sky Survey (WENSS). The matching fraction varies from <1 per cent for ROSAT and GB6 to ~40 per cent for GALEX and 2MASS. In addition to its size, the advantages of this sample are well-controlled selection effects, faint flux limits and the wealth of measured parameters, including accurate X-ray to radio photometry, angular sizes and optical spectra. We find strong correlations between the detection fraction at other wavelengths and optical properties such as flux, colours and emission-line strengths. For example, ~2/3 of SDSS `main' galaxies classified as active galactic nucleus (AGN) using emission-line strengths are detected by 2MASS, while the corresponding fraction for star-forming galaxies (SFs) is only ~1/10. Similarly, over 90 per cent of galaxies detected by IRAS display strong emission lines in their optical spectra, compared to ~50 per cent for the whole SDSS sample. Using GALEX, SDSS and 2MASS data, we construct the ultraviolet-infrared (UV-IR) broad-band spectral energy distributions for various types of galaxies, and find that they form a nearly one-parameter family. For example, the SDSS u- and r-band data, supplemented with redshift, can be used to `predict' K-band magnitudes measured by 2MASS with an rms scatter of only 0.2mag. When a dust content estimate determined from SDSS spectra with the aid of models is also utilized, this scatter decreases to 0.1mag and can be fully accounted for by measurement uncertainties. We demonstrate that this

VizieR Online Data Catalog: GALEX/S4G surface brightness profiles. I. (Bouquin+, 2018)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouquin, A. Y. K.; Gil de, Paz A.; Munoz-Mateos, J. C.; Boissier, S.; Sheth, K.; Zaritsky, D.; Peletier, R. F.; Knapen, J. H.; Gallego, J.

2018-03-01

The Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S4GALEX FUV and NUV images and related data products for 1931 S4G galaxies that had been observed in at least one of these two UV bands. We collected imaging data from all kinds of surveys, such as the All-sky Imaging Survey, Medium Imaging Survey, Deep Imaging Survey, and Nearby Galaxy Survey, as well as from Guest Investigator (GIs/GIIs) Programs. (5 data files).

Galex and Pan-STARRS1 Discovery of SN IIP 2010aq: The First Few Days After Shock Breakout in a Red Supergiant Star

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-09-01

compare the late- time (φ > 3 d) UV/optical light curve of SN 2010aq with two nearby Type IIP SNe well studied in the UV and optical with the Swift satellite ...following SN shock breakout in a red supergiant star. SN 2010aq was discovered in joint monitoring between the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) Time ...simultaneous UV and optical photometry allows us to fit for a progenitor star radius of 700± 200R, the size of a red supergiant star. An excess in UV emission

The Galaxy Color-Magnitude Diagram in the Local Universe from GALEX and SDSS Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wyder, T. K.; GALEX Science Team

2005-12-01

We present the relative density of galaxies in the local universe as a function of their r-band absolute magnitudes and ultraviolet minus r-band colors. The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) main galaxy sample selected in the r-band was matched with a sample of galaxies from the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) Medium Imaging Survey in both the far-UV (FUV) and near-UV (NUV) bands. Simlar to previous optical studies, the distribution of galaxies in (FUV-r) and (NUV-r) is bimodal with well-defined blue and red sequences. We compare the distribution of galaxies in these colors with both the D4000 index measured from the SDSS spectra as well as the SDSS (u-r) color.

Accretion and Diffusion in the DAZ White Dwarf GALEX J1931+0117

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vennes, Stéphane; Kawka, Adéla; Németh, Péter

2011-03-01

We present an analysis of high-dispersion and high signal-to-noise ratio spectra of the DAZ white dwarf GALEX J1931+0117. The spectra obtained with the VLT-Kueyen/UV-Visual Echelle Spectrograph show several well-resolved Si II spectral lines enabling a study of pressure effects on line profiles. We observed large Stark shifts in silicon lines in agreement with laboratory measurements. A model atmosphere analysis shows that the magnesium, silicon and iron abundances exceed solar abundances, while the oxygen and calcium abundances are below solar. Also, we compared the observed line profiles to synthetic spectra computed with variable accretion rates and vertical abundance distributions assuming diffusion steady-state. The inferred accretion rates vary from Ṁ = 2×106 for calcium to 2×109 g s-1 for oxygen and indicate that the accretion flow is dominated by oxygen, silicon and iron while being deficient in carbon, magnesium and calcium. The lack of radial velocity variations between two measurement epochs suggests that GALEX J1931+0117 is probably not in a close binary and that the source of the accreted material resides in a debris disc.

GALEX Distributes Local Galactic Treasures at AAS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2006-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] GALEX Poster

From sparkling blue rings to dazzling golden disks, Galaxy Evolution Explorer (Galex) scientists are handing out a collection of their finest galactic treasures at the January 2006 American Astronomical Society meeting in Washington, D.C.

Mined from the mission's Survey of Nearby Galaxies data, these cosmic gems were collected with the telescope's sensitive ultraviolet instruments. The gallery of galaxies has been made into a poster for meeting attendees visiting the mission's booth. Organized from far-ultraviolet to near-ultraviolet bright galaxies, this poster encapsulates the heart of the mission to study how galaxies and star formation rates have changed over the past 10 billion years.

Events in space take millions or billions of years to unfold, which means that astronomers can't watch individual galaxies and stars age over time. Luckily, because the physics of light travel dictates that the farther away an object is from Earth, the longer it takes for its light to travel to us, the universe can be thought of as a time machine. By building telescopes sensitive enough to capture objects that are 10 billion light-years away, astronomers can essentially see an object the way it looked 10 billion years ago. Galex astronomers are using this phenomenon to their advantage by taking snapshots of different galaxies at various distances in space. By comparing portraits of numerous objects at various times in the universe's history, the team can begin to piece together the life cycle of stars and galaxies.

For the poster, Galex scientists organized 196 different nearby galaxies in bins of increasing ultraviolet color. By placing the various snapshots side by side, astronomers can see how galaxies age differently. When viewed in ultraviolet, active star-forming regions in galaxies can be seen as glittering blue structures, while a soft, golden glow indicates the presence of older stars

A GALEX-BASED SEARCH FOR THE SPARSE YOUNG STELLAR POPULATION IN THE TAURUS-AURIGAE STAR FORMING REGION

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gómez de Castro, Ana I.; Lopez-Santiago, Javier; López-Martínez, Fatima

2015-02-01

In this work, we identify 63 bona fide new candidates to T Tauri stars (TTSs) in the Taurus-Auriga region, using its ultraviolet excess as our baseline. The initial data set was defined from the GALEX all sky survey (AIS). The GALEX satellite obtained images in the near-ultraviolet (NUV) and far-ultraviolet (FUV) bands where TTSs show a prominent excess compared with main-sequence or giants stars. GALEX AIS surveyed the Taurus-Auriga molecular complex, as well as a fraction of the California Nebula and the Perseus complex; bright sources and dark clouds were avoided. The properties of TTSs in the ultraviolet (GALEX), opticalmore » (UCAC4), and infrared (2MASS) have been defined using the TTSs observed with the International Ultraviolet Explorer reference sample. The candidates were identified by means of a mixed ultraviolet-optical-infrared excess set of colors; we found that the FUV-NUV versus J–K color-color diagram is ideally suited for this purpose. From an initial sample of 163,313 bona fide NUV sources, a final list of 63 new candidates to TTSs in the region was produced. The search procedure has been validated by its ability to detect all known TTSs in the area surveyed: 31 TTSs. Also, we show that the weak-lined TTSs are located in a well-defined stripe in the FUV-NUV versus J–K diagram. Moreover, in this work, we provide a list of TTSs photometric standards for future GALEX-based studies of the young stellar population in star forming regions.« less

Colors of Ellipticals from GALEX to Spitzer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schombert, James M.

2016-12-01

Multi-color photometry is presented for a large sample of local ellipticals selected by morphology and isolation. The sample uses data from the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX), Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), Two Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS), and Spitzer to cover the filters NUV, ugri, JHK and 3.6 μm. Various two-color diagrams, using the half-light aperture defined in the 2MASS J filter, are very coherent from color to color, meaning that galaxies defined to be red in one color are always red in other colors. Comparison to globular cluster colors demonstrates that ellipticals are not composed of a single age, single metallicity (e.g., [Fe/H]) stellar population, but require a multi-metallicity model using a chemical enrichment scenario. Such a model is sufficient to explain two-color diagrams and the color-magnitude relations for all colors using only metallicity as a variable on a solely 12 Gyr stellar population with no evidence of stars younger than 10 Gyr. The [Fe/H] values that match galaxy colors range from -0.5 to +0.4, much higher (and older) than population characteristics deduced from Lick/IDS line-strength system studies, indicating an inconsistency between galaxy colors and line indices values for reasons unknown. The NUV colors have unusual behavior, signaling the rise and fall of the UV upturn with elliptical luminosity. Models with blue horizontal branch tracks can reproduce this behavior, indicating the UV upturn is strictly a metallicity effect.

Overview of GX launch services by GALEX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sato, Koji; Kondou, Yoshirou

2006-07-01

Galaxy Express Corporation (GALEX) is a launch service company in Japan to develop a medium size rocket, GX rocket and to provide commercial launch services for medium/small low Earth orbit (LEO) and Sun synchronous orbit (SSO) payloads with a future potential for small geo-stationary transfer orbit (GTO). It is GALEX's view that small/medium LEO/SSO payloads compose of medium scaled but stable launch market due to the nature of the missions. GX rocket is a two-stage rocket of well flight proven liquid oxygen (LOX)/kerosene booster and LOX/liquid natural gas (LNG) upper stage. This LOX/LNG propulsion under development by Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), is robust with comparable performance as other propulsions and have future potential for wider application such as exploration programs. GX rocket is being developed through a joint work between the industries and GX rocket is applying a business oriented approach in order to realize competitive launch services for which well flight proven hardware and necessary new technology are to be introduced as much as possible. It is GALEX's goal to offer “Easy Access to Space”, a highly reliable and user-friendly launch services with a competitive price. GX commercial launch will start in Japanese fiscal year (JFY) 2007 2008.

COLORS OF ELLIPTICALS FROM GALEX TO SPITZER

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schombert, James M., E-mail: jschombe@uoregon.edu

2016-12-01

Multi-color photometry is presented for a large sample of local ellipticals selected by morphology and isolation. The sample uses data from the Galaxy Evolution Explorer ( GALEX ), Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), Two Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS), and Spitzer to cover the filters NUV , ugri , JHK and 3.6 μ m. Various two-color diagrams, using the half-light aperture defined in the 2MASS J filter, are very coherent from color to color, meaning that galaxies defined to be red in one color are always red in other colors. Comparison to globular cluster colors demonstrates that ellipticals are not composedmore » of a single age, single metallicity (e.g., [Fe/H]) stellar population, but require a multi-metallicity model using a chemical enrichment scenario. Such a model is sufficient to explain two-color diagrams and the color–magnitude relations for all colors using only metallicity as a variable on a solely 12 Gyr stellar population with no evidence of stars younger than 10 Gyr. The [Fe/H] values that match galaxy colors range from −0.5 to +0.4, much higher (and older) than population characteristics deduced from Lick/IDS line-strength system studies, indicating an inconsistency between galaxy colors and line indices values for reasons unknown. The NUV colors have unusual behavior, signaling the rise and fall of the UV upturn with elliptical luminosity. Models with blue horizontal branch tracks can reproduce this behavior, indicating the UV upturn is strictly a metallicity effect.« less

The Lives and Deaths of Planets and Stars in the Value-Added UV Photon Catalog

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hogg, David

predicted a "shock breakout" flash or prompt emission at ignition. The first shock- breakout detection in the UV was discovered a few years ago, in GALEX data with poor time resolution. Models of the prompt emission during shock-breakout predict that a photonlimited search will detect new events in the calibrated photon time stream. Using the same data set as that produced for exoplanet discovery, these predictions will be tested. Once again, each such event is individually interesting, but another outcome is an estimate of the frequency as a function of flash and host-galaxy properties, especially fluence and redshift. This study will employ generative modeling of the photon time stream--explicit approximation of the probability of the data given the model--using the latest models for exoplanet transits and supernovae prompt flares. Essential for obtaining high purity is to compete these models with models of more mundane or alternative phenomena that are confusing, including stellar variability of various kinds and hardware artifacts. Early results indicate that candidate lists can be produced with high completeness and purity. In addition to the exoplanet and supernova deliverables, the project will produce a publicly available, curated photon time stream (coordinates and time of arrival for every GALEX photon) along with the spacecraft field-of-view and sensitivity information that make it useful. It will also produce improved spacecraft calibration information, including especially improved flat-field modeling in the focal plane, and a time- and position-dependent sky background rate estimate. The proposed scientific investigations and deliverable data products will permit new kinds of timedomain astrophysics projects (including many ex-post-facto studies), and improve dramatically the legacy value of all GALEX data

gPhoton: Time-tagged GALEX photon events analysis tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Million, Chase C.; Fleming, S. W.; Shiao, B.; Loyd, P.; Seibert, M.; Smith, M.

2016-03-01

Written in Python, gPhoton calibrates and sky-projects the ~1.1 trillion ultraviolet photon events detected by the microchannel plates on the Galaxy Evolution Explorer Spacecraft (GALEX), archives these events in a publicly accessible database at the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST), and provides tools for working with the database to extract scientific results, particularly over short time domains. The software includes a re-implementation of core functionality of the GALEX mission calibration pipeline to produce photon list files from raw spacecraft data as well as a suite of command line tools to generate calibrated light curves, images, and movies from the MAST database.

Short duration flares in GALEX data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brasseur, Clara; Osten, Rachel A.

2018-06-01

Flares on cool stars indicate short time-scale magnetic reconnection processes that provide temporary increases in the stellar radiative output. While recent work has focused on long-duration flares from solar-like stars and those of lower mass, the existence of short-duration flares in the ultraviolet has not been systematically probed before. We will present an interesting population of short duration flares we discovered in a sample of ~37,000 light curves observed from 2009-2012 by the GALEX and Kepler missions. These flares range in duration from under a minute to a few minutes and are almost entirely distinct from a previous flare survey of Kepler data. We were able to detect this unique population of flares because the time resolution of the GALEX data allowed us to construct light curves with a 10 second cadence and thus detect shorter duration flares than could be detected within Kepler data. We applied algorithmic flare detection to a sample of ~37,000 stars, and identified a final count of 2,065 flares on 1,121 stars. We discuss the implication of these events for the flare frequency distributions of solar-like stars.

Searching for flares in GALEX data with gPhoton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Million, Chase; Fleming, Scott W.; Brasseur, Clara; Osten, Rachel A.; Bianchi, Luciana; Shiao, Bernie

2017-06-01

The Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) spacecraft observed a large fraction of the sky in two ultraviolet bands using micro-channel plate detectors with time resolutions of less than ten milliseconds. The gPhoton database of calibrated GALEX photon events at MAST has recently enabled a thorough search of this legacy data set for astrophysical variability at cadences shorter than the orbital period of the spacecraft. (https://archive.stsci.edu/prepds/gphoton/) We explore techniques for mining photon-level data for variability on timescales of seconds to minutes with an emphasis on dwarf star flares, which can be probed at lower energies and shorter durations with gPhoton than prior surveys. We present the early results of a systematic search for such events.

Dwarf galaxies in the coma cluster: Star formation properties and evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hammer, Derek M.

The infall regions of galaxy clusters are unique laboratories for studying the impact of environment on galaxy evolution. This intermediate region links the low-density field environment and the dense core of the cluster, and is thought to host recently accreted galaxies whose star formation is being quenched by external processes associated with the cluster. In this dissertation, we measure the star formation properties of galaxies at the infall region of the nearby rich cluster of galaxies, Coma. We rely primarily on Ultraviolet (UV) data owing to its sensitivity to recent star formation and we place more emphasis on the properties of dwarf galaxies. Dwarf galaxies are good tracers of external processes in clusters but their evolution is poorly constrained as they are intrinsically faint and hence more challenging to detect. We make use of deep GALEX far-UV and near-UV observations at the infall region of the Coma cluster. This area of the cluster has supporting photometric coverage at optical and IR wavelengths in addition to optical spectroscopic data that includes deep redshift coverage of dwarf galaxies in Coma. Our GALEX observations were the deepest exposures taken for a local galaxy cluster. The depth of these images required alternative data analysis techniques to overcome systematic effects that limit the default GALEX pipeline analysis. Specifically, we used a deblending method that improved detection efficiency by a factor of ˜2 and allowed reliable photometry a few magnitudes deeper than the pipeline catalog. We performed deep measurements of the total UV galaxy counts in our field that were used to measure the source confusion limit for crowded GALEX fields. The star formation properties of Coma members were studied for galaxies that span from starbursts to passive galaxies. Star-forming galaxies in Coma tend to have lower specific star formation rates, on average, as compared to field galaxies. We show that the majority of these galaxies are likely

The effects of the WISE/ GALEX photometry for the SED-fitting with M31 star clusters and candidates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Zhou; Wang, Song

2017-10-01

Spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting of stellar population synthesis models is an important and popular way to constrain the physical parameters—e.g., the ages, metallicities, masses for stellar population analysis. The previous works suggest that both blue-bands and red-bands photometry works for the SED-fitting. Either blue-domained or red-domained SED-fitting usually lead to the unreliable or biased results. Meanwhile, it seems that extending the wavelength coverage could be helpful. Since the Galaxy Evolution Explorer ( GALEX) and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) provide the FUV/NUV and mid-infrared W1/W2 band data, we extend the SED-fitting to a wider wavelength coverage. In our work, we analyzed the effect of adding the FUV/NUV and W1/W2 band to the optical and near-infrared UBVRIJHK bands for the fitting with the (Bruzual and Charlot in Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 344, 1000, 2003) (BC03) models and galev models. It is found that the FUV/NUV bands data affect the fitting results of both ages and metallicities much more significantly than that of the WISE W1/W2 band with the BC03 models. While for the galev models, the effect of the WISE W1/W2 band for the metallicity fitting seems comparable to that of GALEX FUV/NUV bands, but for age the effect of the W1/W2 band seems less crucial than that of the FUV/NUV bands. Thus we conclude that the GALEX FUV/NUV bands are more crucial for the SED-fitting of ages and metallicities, than the other bands, and the high-quality UV data (with high photometry precision) are required.

Colors of Dwarf Ellipticals from GALEX to WISE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schombert, James M.

2018-02-01

Multicolor photometry is presented for a sample of 60 dwarf ellipticals (dE’s) selected by morphology. The sample uses data from GALEX, SDSS, and WISE to investigate the colors in the NUV, ugri, and W1 (3.4 μm) filters. We confirm the blueward shift in the color–magnitude relation (CMR) for dE’s, compared to the CMR for bright ellipticals, as seen in previous studies. However, we find that the deviation in color across the UV to near-IR for dE’s is a strong signal of a younger age for dE’s, one that indicates decreasing mean age with lower stellar mass. Lower mass dE’s are found to have mean ages of 4 Gyr and mean [Fe/H] values of ‑1.2. Age and metallicity increase tothe most massive dE’s, with mean ages similar to normal ellipticals (12 Gyr) and their lowest metallicities ([Fe/H] = ‑0.3). Deduced initial star formation rates for dE’s, combined with their current metallicities and central stellar densities, suggest a connection between field low surface brightness (LSB) dwarfs and cluster dE’s, where the cluster environment halts star formation for dE’s, triggering a separate evolutionary path.

THE UV-BRIGHT QUASAR SURVEY (UVQS): DR1

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Monroe, TalaWanda R.; Tumlinson, Jason; Prochaska, J. Xavier

2016-07-01

We present the first data release (DR1) from our UV-bright Quasar Survey for new z  ∼ 1 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) across the sky. Using simple GALEX UV and WISE near-IR color selection criteria, we generated a list of 1450 primary candidates with FUV < 18.5 mag. We obtained discovery spectra, primarily on 3 m-class telescopes, for 1040 of these candidates and confirmed 86% as AGNs, with redshifts generally at z  > 0.5. Including a small set of observed secondary candidates, we report the discovery of 217 AGNs with FUV < 18 mag that previously had no reported spectroscopic redshift. These are excellent potential targets formore » UV spectroscopy before the end of the Hubble Space Telescope mission. The main data products are publicly available through the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes.« less

VizieR Online Data Catalog: Palomar/MSU and SDSS-DR7 M dwarfs with GALEX obs. (Jones+, 2016)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, D. O.; West, A. A.

2016-03-01

To compare magnetic activity in the optical with UV activity, we matched the SDSS Data Release 7 (DR7; Abazajian et al. 2009, II/294) M dwarf spectroscopic catalog (West et al. 2011, J/AJ/141/97; R~2000) to GALEX data from Data Releases 6 and 7 (NUV: ~1750-2750Å and FUV: ~1350-1750Å; see II/312). The DR7 M dwarf catalog consists of 70841 SDSS M dwarfs with spectral types verified by eye. We supplemented the SDSS sample with the Palomar/MSU Nearby-Star Spectroscopic Survey (PMSU; Reid et al. 1995, III/198), which contains 1684 nearby low-mass stars (1415 M dwarfs) as part of the northern sample (δ>-30°) and 282 nearby low-mass stars (228 M dwarfs) as part of the southern sample. (2 data files).

VizieR Online Data Catalog: UV and IR properties for galaxies (Mao+, 2014)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mao, Y.-W.; Kong, X.; Lin, L.

2017-03-01

Broadband FUV and NUV imaging data were obtained from GALEX observations and downloaded from the Multimission Archive at Space Telescope Science Institute (MAST) Web site (http://galex.stsci.edu/); 8um (dust-only) and 24um images were observed by the Spitzer Space Telescope (Spitzer) and retrieved from the SINGS data distribution service (http://irsa.ipac.caltech.edu/data/SPITZER/SINGS/). Hα narrowband imaging data are also employed in this work. The Hα narrowband image for NGC 3031 was observed by the 60/90 cm Schmidt telescope at Xing-Long station of the National Astronomical Observatories of China with the filter of transmission profile FWHM~120Å. (2 data files).

HAZMAT. I. The evolution of far-UV and near-UV emission from early M stars

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shkolnik, Evgenya L.; Barman, Travis S., E-mail: shkolnik@lowell.edu, E-mail: barman@lpl.arizona.edu

2014-10-01

The spectral energy distribution, variability, and evolution of the high-energy radiation from an M dwarf planet host is crucial in understanding the planet's atmospheric evolution and habitability and in interpreting the planet's spectrum. The star's extreme-UV (EUV), far-UV (FUV), and near-UV (NUV) emission can chemically modify, ionize, and erode the atmosphere over time. This makes determining the lifetime exposure of such planets to stellar UV radiation critical for both the evolution of a planet's atmosphere and our potential to characterize it. Using the early M star members of nearby young moving groups, which sample critical ages in planet formation andmore » evolution, we measure the evolution of the GALEX NUV and FUV flux as a function of age. The median UV flux remains at a 'saturated' level for a few hundred million years, analogous to that observed for X-ray emission. By the age of the Hyades Cluster (650 Myr), we measure a drop in UV flux by a factor of 2-3 followed by a steep drop from old (several Gyrs) field stars. This decline in activity beyond 300 Myr follows roughly t {sup –1}. Despite this clear evolution, there remains a wide range, of 1-2 orders of magnitude, in observed emission levels at every age. These UV data supply the much-needed constraints to M dwarf upper-atmosphere models, which will provide empirically motivated EUV predictions and more accurate age-dependent UV spectra as inputs to planetary photochemical models.« less

New binaries among UV-selected, hot subdwarf stars and population properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawka, A.; Vennes, S.; O'Toole, S.; Németh, P.; Burton, D.; Kotze, E.; Buckley, D. A. H.

2015-07-01

We have measured the orbital parameters of seven close binaries, including six new objects, in a radial velocity survey of 38 objects comprising a hot subdwarf star with orbital periods ranging from ˜0.17 to 3 d. One new system, GALEX J2205-3141, shows reflection on an M dwarf companion. Three other objects show significant short-period variations, but their orbital parameters could not be constrained. Two systems comprising a hot subdwarf paired with a bright main-sequence/giant companion display short-period photometric variations possibly due to irradiation or stellar activity and are also short-period candidates. All except two candidates were drawn from a selection of subluminous stars in the Galaxy Evolution Explorer ultraviolet sky survey. Our new identifications also include a low-mass subdwarf B star and likely progenitor of a low-mass white dwarf (GALEX J0805-1058) paired with an unseen, possibly substellar, companion. The mass functions of the newly identified binaries imply minimum secondary masses ranging from 0.03 to 0.39 M⊙. Photometric time series suggest that, apart from GALEX J0805-1058 and J2205-3141, the companions are most likely white dwarfs. We update the binary population statistics: close to 40 per cent of hot subdwarfs have a companion. Also, we found that the secondary mass distribution shows a low-mass peak attributed to late-type dwarfs, and a higher mass peak and tail distribution attributed to white dwarfs and a few spectroscopic composites. Also, we found that the population kinematics imply an old age and include a few likely halo population members.

Using XMM-OM UV Data to Study Cluster Galaxy Evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, Neal A.; O'Steen, R.

2010-01-01

The XMM-Newton satellite includes an Optical Monitor (XMM-OM) for the simultaneous observation of its X-ray targets at UV and optical wavelengths. On account of XMM's excellent characteristics for the observation of the hot intracluster medium, a large number of galaxy clusters have been observed by XMM and there is consequently a large and virtually unused database of XMM-OM UV data for galaxies in the cores of these clusters. We have begun a program to capitalize on such data, and describe here our efforts on a subsample of ten nearby clusters having XMM-OM, GALEX, and SDSS data. We present our methods for photometry and calibration of the XMM-OM UV data, and briefly present some applications including galaxy color magnitude diagrams (and identification of the red sequence, blue cloud, and green valley) and SED fitting (and galaxy stellar masses and star formation histories). Support for this work is provided by NASA Award Number NNX09AC76G.

DEEP ULTRAVIOLET LUMINOSITY FUNCTIONS AT THE INFALL REGION OF THE COMA CLUSTER

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hammer, D. M.; Hornschemeier, A. E.; Jenkins, L.

2012-02-01

We have used deep GALEX observations at the infall region of the Coma cluster to measure the faintest ultraviolet (UV) luminosity functions (LFs) presented for a rich galaxy cluster thus far. The Coma UV LFs are measured to M{sub UV} = -10.5 in the GALEX FUV and NUV bands, or 3.5 mag fainter than previous studies, and reach the dwarf early-type galaxy population in Coma for the first time. The Schechter faint-end slopes ({alpha} Almost-Equal-To -1.39 in both GALEX bands) are shallower than reported in previous Coma UV LF studies owing to a flatter LF at faint magnitudes. A Gaussian-plus-Schechtermore » model provides a slightly better parameterization of the UV LFs resulting in a faint-end slope of {alpha} Almost-Equal-To -1.15 in both GALEX bands. The two-component model gives faint-end slopes shallower than {alpha} = -1 (a turnover) for the LFs constructed separately for passive and star-forming galaxies. The UV LFs for star-forming galaxies show a turnover at M{sub UV} Almost-Equal-To -14 owing to a deficit of dwarf star-forming galaxies in Coma with stellar masses below M{sub *} = 10{sup 8} M{sub Sun }. A similar turnover is identified in recent UV LFs measured for the Virgo cluster suggesting this may be a common feature of local galaxy clusters, whereas the field UV LFs continue to rise at faint magnitudes. We did not identify an excess of passive galaxies as would be expected if the missing dwarf star-forming galaxies were quenched inside the cluster. In fact, the LFs for both dwarf passive and star-forming galaxies show the same turnover at faint magnitudes. We discuss the possible origin of the missing dwarf star-forming galaxies in Coma and their expected properties based on comparisons to local field galaxies.« less

Pressure shifts and abundance gradients in the atmosphere of the DAZ white dwarf GALEX J193156.8+011745

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vennes, S.; Kawka, A.; Németh, P.

2011-06-01

We present a detailed model atmosphere analysis of high-dispersion and high signal-to-noise ratio spectra of the heavily polluted DAZ white dwarf GALEX J1931+0117. The spectra obtained with the Very Large Telescope (VLT)-Kueyen/UV-Visual Echelle Spectrograph show several well-resolved Si II spectral lines enabling a study of pressure effects on line profiles. We observed large Stark shifts in silicon lines in agreement with theoretical predictions and laboratory measurements. Taking into account Stark shifts in the calculation of synthetic spectra, we reduced the scatter in individual line radial velocity measurements from ˜3 to ≲1 km s-1. We present revised abundances of O, Mg, Si, Ca and Fe based on a critical review of line-broadening parameters and oscillator strengths. The new measurements are generally in agreement with our previous analysis with the exception of magnesium with a revised abundance of a factor of 2 lower than previously estimated. The magnesium, silicon and iron abundances exceed solar abundances, but the oxygen and calcium abundances are below solar. Also, we compared the observed line profiles to synthetic spectra computed with variable accretion rates and vertical abundance distributions assuming diffusive steady state. The inferred accretion rates vary from ? for calcium to 2 × 109 g s-1 for oxygen. We find that the accretion flow must be oxygen rich while being deficient in calcium relative to solar abundances. The lack of radial velocity variations between two measurement epochs suggests that GALEX J1931+0117 is probably not in a close binary and that the source of the accreted material resides in a debris disc. Based on observations made with European Southern Observatory (ESO) telescopes at the La Silla Paranal Observatory under programme 283.D-5060.

The GALEX/S4G Surface Brightness and Color Profiles Catalog. I. Surface Photometry and Color Gradients of Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouquin, Alexandre Y. K.; Gil de Paz, Armando; Muñoz-Mateos, Juan Carlos; Boissier, Samuel; Sheth, Kartik; Zaritsky, Dennis; Peletier, Reynier F.; Knapen, Johan H.; Gallego, Jesús

2018-02-01

We present new spatially resolved surface photometry in the far-ultraviolet (FUV) and near-ultraviolet (NUV) from images obtained by the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) and IRAC1 (3.6 μm) photometry from the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies (S4G). We analyze the radial surface brightness profiles μ FUV, μ NUV, and μ [3.6], as well as the radial profiles of (FUV ‑ NUV), (NUV ‑ [3.6]), and (FUV ‑ [3.6]) colors in 1931 nearby galaxies (z < 0.01). The analysis of the 3.6 μm surface brightness profiles also allows us to separate the bulge and disk components in a quasi-automatic way and to compare their light and color distribution with those predicted by the chemo-spectrophotometric models for the evolution of galaxy disks of Boissier & Prantzos. The exponential disk component is best isolated by setting an inner radial cutoff and an upper surface brightness limit in stellar mass surface density. The best-fitting models to the measured scale length and central surface brightness values yield distributions of spin and circular velocity within a factor of two of those obtained via direct kinematic measurements. We find that at a surface brightness fainter than μ [3.6] = 20.89 mag arcsec‑2, or below 3 × 108 M ⊙ kpc‑2 in stellar mass surface density, the average specific star formation rate (sSFR) for star-forming and quiescent galaxies remains relatively flat with radius. However, a large fraction of GALEX Green Valley galaxies show a radial decrease in sSFR. This behavior suggests that an outside-in damping mechanism, possibly related to environmental effects, could be testimony of an early evolution of galaxies from the blue sequence of star-forming galaxies toward the red sequence of quiescent galaxies.

THE GALEX/S{sup 4}G UV–IR COLOR–COLOR DIAGRAM: CATCHING SPIRAL GALAXIES AWAY FROM THE BLUE SEQUENCE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bouquin, Alexandre Y. K.; Gil de Paz, Armando; Gallego, Jesús

We obtained GALEX FUV, NUV, and Spitzer/IRAC 3.6 μm photometry for >2000 galaxies, available for 90% of the S{sup 4}G sample. We find a very tight GALEX blue sequence (GBS) in the (FUV–NUV) versus (NUV–[3.6]) color–color diagram, which is populated by irregular and spiral galaxies, and is mainly driven by changes in the formation timescale (τ) and a degeneracy between τ and dust reddening. The tightness of the GBS provides an unprecedented way of identifying star-forming galaxies and objects that are just evolving to (or from) what we call the GALEX green valley (GGV). At the red end of the GBS, atmore » (NUV–[3.6]) > 5, we find a wider GALEX red sequence (GRS) mostly populated by E/S0 galaxies that has a perpendicular slope to that of the GBS and of the optical red sequence. We find no such dichotomy in terms of stellar mass (measured by M{sub [3.6]}) since both massive (M{sub ⋆}>10{sup 11}M{sub ⊙}) blue- and red-sequence galaxies are identified. The type that is proportionally more often found in the GGV is the S0-Sa’s, and most of these are located in high-density environments. We discuss evolutionary models of galaxies that show a rapid transition from the blue to the red sequence on a timescale of 10{sup 8} yr.« less

A simple way to an ultra-robust superhydrophobic fabric with mechanical stability, UV durability, and UV shielding property.

PubMed

Ren, Guina; Song, Yuanming; Li, Xiangming; Wang, Bo; Zhou, Yanli; Wang, Yuyan; Ge, Bo; Zhu, Xiaotao

2018-07-15

Development of an ultra-robust superhydrophobic fabric with mechanical stability, UV durability, and UV shielding by a simple method is highly desirable, yet it remains a challenge that current technologies have been unable to fully address. Herein, the original fabric is immersed into the solution containing ZnO nanoparticle and PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane), and the fiber surfaces are uniformly covered by a ZnO-PDMS layer after thermal treatment at 110 °C for 30 min. Droplets of water and corrosive liquids including strong acid, strong alkali, and saturated salt solution display sphere shape on the ZnO-PDMS coated fabric surface. The stable binding of ZnO-PDMS layer onto the fibers allows for the fabric coating with robust superhydrophobicity, and the coated fabric still displays superhydrophobicity after hand twisting, knife scratching, finger touching, and even cycles of sandpaper abrasion. The ZnO-PDMS coated fabric can also keep its superhydrophobic property when exposed to long term UV illumination, demonstrating its UV resistance. Moreover, the uniformly distribution of ZnO nanoparticles on fibers allows the ZnO-PDMS coated fabric to display UV shielding property. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

White Dwarfs in the GALEX Survey

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kawka, Adela; Vennes, Stephane

2007-01-01

We have cross-correlated the 2dF QSO Redshift Survey (2QZ) white dwarf catalog with the GALEX 2nd Data Release and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) data release 5 to obtain ultraviolet photometry (FUV, NUV) for approximately 700 objects and optical photometry (ugriz) for approximately 800 objects. We have compared the optical-ultraviolet colors to synthetic white dwarf colors to obtain temperature estimates for approximately 250 of these objects. These white dwarfs have effective temperatures ranging from 10 000 K (cooling age of about 1Gyr) up to about 40000 K (cooling age of about 3 Myrs), with a few that have even higher temperatures. We found that to distinguish white dwarfs from other stellar luminosity classes both optical and ultraviolet colors are necessary, in particular for the hotter objects where there is contamination from B and 0 main-sequence stars. Using this sample we build a luminosity function for the DA white dwarfs with Mv < 12 mag.

UV-shielding property, photocatalytic activity and photocytotoxicity of ceria colloid solutions.

PubMed

Zholobak, N M; Ivanov, V K; Shcherbakov, A B; Shaporev, A S; Polezhaeva, O S; Baranchikov, A Ye; Spivak, N Ya; Tretyakov, Yu D

2011-01-10

UV-shielding property, photocatalytic activity and cytotoxicity (including photocytotoxicity) of citrate-stabilized ceria colloid solutions were studied. It was established that UV-shielding property (namely, the sun protection factor, the critical absorption wavelength and the UVA/UVB-ratio) of ceria nanoparticles are as good as those of titanium dioxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles. It was further demonstrated that ceria nanoparticles possesses substantially lower photocatalytic activity, which additionally decreases upon decrease in ceria particle size. It was found that colloid ceria solutions are non-toxic to mouse fibroblasts (L929) and fibroblast-like cells of African Green monkey (VERO). Moreover, ceria nanoparticles are capable to protect these cells from UV-irradiation-induced damage. It was proposed that nanocrystalline ceria could be used not only as UV-blocking material, but also as prophylactic and even therapeutic compound for sunburns treatment. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

GALEX Imaging Study of the HI Filaments in M81 Group

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yun, Min

We propose to obtain sensitive, wide-field GALEX NUV and FUV images of the area surrounding the central four main members of the M81 group (M81, M82, NGC~2976, NGC~3077) as an integral part of our multi-wavelength observational program to explore the star formation activity, associated radiation field, and details of galaxy evolution/transformation within the group. We will add two pointings adjacent to the Cy-1 program pointing of the M81-M82 field by Huchra et al. (GI1-071) to the same depth (sufficient to detect star formation activity expected for a mean HI column density of a few times 10^18 per cm^2 with S/N>5) to cover most of the 3 degree diameter region we have imaged in 21cm HI line using the VLA, DRAO, and GBT. By combining with our imaging data from IR (Spitzer Cy-2), optical/IR (SDSS, 2MASS), and CO (FCRAO) surveys, we will conduct an extensive quantitative analysis on the distribution of cold gas and dust and star formation activity traced in UV and IR associated with the extensive array of HI tidal streamers. Because of its proximity, M81 group is one of the few extragalactic systems where such analysis can be made at spatial resolution of 100 pc or better. The high quality HI, CO, and dust maps (plus the dyanmical models for the group interactions) make this group an exceptional laboratory for determining the star formation and tidal dwarf formation process.

Cerium oxide nanoparticles, combining antioxidant and UV shielding properties, prevent UV-induced cell damage and mutagenesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caputo, Fanny; de Nicola, Milena; Sienkiewicz, Andrzej; Giovanetti, Anna; Bejarano, Ignacio; Licoccia, Silvia; Traversa, Enrico; Ghibelli, Lina

2015-09-01

Efficient inorganic UV shields, mostly based on refracting TiO2 particles, have dramatically changed the sun exposure habits. Unfortunately, health concerns have emerged from the pro-oxidant photocatalytic effect of UV-irradiated TiO2, which mediates toxic effects on cells. Therefore, improvements in cosmetic solar shield technology are a strong priority. CeO2 nanoparticles are not only UV refractors but also potent biological antioxidants due to the surface 3+/4+ valency switch, which confers anti-inflammatory, anti-ageing and therapeutic properties. Herein, UV irradiation protocols were set up, allowing selective study of the extra-shielding effects of CeO2vs. TiO2 nanoparticles on reporter cells. TiO2 irradiated with UV (especially UVA) exerted strong photocatalytic effects, superimposing their pro-oxidant, cell-damaging and mutagenic action when induced by UV, thereby worsening the UV toxicity. On the contrary, irradiated CeO2 nanoparticles, via their Ce3+/Ce4+ redox couple, exerted impressive protection on UV-treated cells, by buffering oxidation, preserving viability and proliferation, reducing DNA damage and accelerating repair; strikingly, they almost eliminated mutagenesis, thus acting as an important tool to prevent skin cancer. Interestingly, CeO2 nanoparticles also protect cells from the damage induced by irradiated TiO2, suggesting that these two particles may also complement their effects in solar lotions. CeO2 nanoparticles, which intrinsically couple UV shielding with biological and genetic protection, appear to be ideal candidates for next-generation sun shields.

Ten More New Sightlines for the Study of Intergalactic Helium, and Hundreds of Far-Ultraviolet-Bright Quasars, from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, Galaxy Evolution Explorer, and Hubble Space Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Syphers, David; Anderson, Scott F.; Zheng, Wei; Haggard, Daryl; Meiksin, Avery; Schneider, Donald P.; York, Donald G.

2009-11-01

Absorption along quasar sightlines remains among the most sensitive direct measures of He II reionization in much of the intergalactic medium (IGM). Until recently, fewer than a half-dozen unobscured quasar sightlines suitable for the He II Gunn-Peterson test were known; although these handful demonstrated great promise, the small sample size limited confidence in cosmological inferences. We have recently added nine more such clean He II quasars, exploiting Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) quasar samples, broadband ultraviolet (UV) imaging from Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX), and high-yield UV spectroscopic confirmations from Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Here we markedly expand this approach by cross-correlating SDSS DR7 and GALEX GR4+5 to catalog 428 SDSS and 165 other quasars with z > 2.78 having likely (~70%) GALEX detections, suggesting they are bright into the far-UV. Reconnaissance HST Cycle 16 Supplemental prism data for 29 of these new quasar-GALEX matches spectroscopically confirm 17 as indeed far-UV bright. At least 10 of these confirmations have clean sightlines all the way down to He II Lyα, substantially expanding the number of known clean He II quasars, and reaffirming the order of magnitude enhanced efficiency of our selection technique. Combined confirmations from this and our past programs yield more than 20 He II quasars, quintupling the sample. These provide substantial progress toward a sample of He II quasar sightlines large enough, and spanning a sufficient redshift range, to enable statistical IGM studies that may avoid individual object peculiarity and sightline variance. Our expanded catalog of hundreds of high-likelihood far-UV-bright QSOs additionally will be useful for understanding the extreme-UV properties of the quasars themselves. Based on observations with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc

KSWAGS: A Swift X-Ray and UV Survey of the Kepler Field 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Krista Lynne; Boyd, Patricia T.; Mushotzky, Richard F.; Gehrels, Neil; Edelson, Rick; Howell, Steve B.; Gelino, Dawn M.; Brown, Alexander; Young, Steve

2015-01-01

We introduce the first phase of the Kepler-Swift Active Galaxies and Stars survey (KSwAGS), a simultaneous X-ray and UV survey of approximately 6 square degrees of the Kepler field using the Swift XRT and UVOT. We detect 93 unique X-ray sources with S/N greater or equal to 3 with the XRT, of which 60 have UV counterparts. We use the Kepler Input Catalog (KIC) to obtain the optical counterparts of these sources, and construct the fX / fV ratio as a first approximation of the classification of the source. The survey produces a mixture of stellar sources, extragalactic sources, and sources which we are not able to classify with certainty. We have obtained optical spectra for thirty of these targets, and are conducting an ongoing observing campaign to fully identify the sample. For sources classified as stellar or AGN with certainty, we construct SEDs using the 2MASS, UBV and GALEX data supplied for their optical counterparts by the KIC, and show that the SEDs differ qualitatively between the source types, and so can offer a method of classification in absence of a spectrum. Future papers in this series will analyze the timing properties of the stars and AGN in our sample separately. Our survey provides the first X-ray and UV data for a number of known variable stellar sources, as well as a large number of new X-ray detections in this well-studied portion of the sky. The KSwAGS survey is currently ongoing in the K2 ecliptic plane fields.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Waszczak, Adam; Kulkarni, Shrinivas R.; Ofek, Eran O., E-mail: waszczak@caltech.edu

We present ultraviolet (UV) photometry (near-UV (NUV) band, 180–280 nm) of 405 asteroids observed serendipitously by GALEX from 2003 to 2012. All asteroids in this sample were detected by GALEX at least twice. Unambiguous visible-color-based taxonomic labels (C type versus S type) exist for 315 of these asteroids; of these, thermal-infrared-based diameters are available for 245. We derive NUV − V color using two independent models to predict the visual magnitude V at each NUV-detection epoch. Both V models produce NUV − V distributions in which the S types are redder than C types with more than 8σ confidence. Thismore » confirms that the S types’ redder spectral slopes in the visible remain redder than the C types’ into the NUV, this redness being consistent with absorption by silica-containing rocks. The GALEX asteroid data confirm earlier results from the International Ultraviolet Explorer, which two decades ago produced the only other sizeable set of UV asteroid photometry. The GALEX-derived NUV − V data also agree with previously published Hubble Space Telescope (HST) UV observations of asteroids 21 Lutetia and 1 Ceres. Both the HST and GALEX data indicate that NUV band is less useful than u band for distinguishing subgroups within the greater population of visible-color-defined C types (notably, M types and G types)« less

The Effects of UV Light on the Chemical and Mechanical Properties of a Transparent Epoxy-Diamine System in the Presence of an Organic UV Absorber

PubMed Central

Nikafshar, Saeid; Zabihi, Omid; Ahmadi, Mojtaba; Mirmohseni, Abdolreza; Taseidifar, Mojtaba; Naebe, Minoo

2017-01-01

Despite several excellent properties including low shrinkage, good chemical resistance, curable at low temperatures and the absence of byproducts or volatiles, epoxy resins are susceptible to ultra violet (UV) damage and their durability is reduced substantially when exposed to outdoor environments. To overcome this drawback, UV absorbers have been usually used to decrease the rate of UV degradation. In this present study, the effects of UV light on the chemical, mechanical and physical properties of cured epoxy structure, as well as the effect of an organic UV absorber, Tinuvin 1130, on the epoxy properties were investigated. Chemical changes in a cured epoxy system as a result of the presence and absence of Tinuvin 1130 were determined using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analyses. The effect of Tinuvin 1130 on the surface morphology of the epoxy systems was also investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging. Additionally, the glass transition temperatures (Tg) before and during UV radiation were measured. After an 800 h UV radiation, mechanical test results revealed that the lack of the UV absorber can lead to a ~30% reduction in tensile strength. However, in the presence of Tinuvin 1130, the tensile strength was reduced only by ~11%. It was hypothesized that the use of Tinuvin 1130, as an organic UV absorber in the epoxy-amine system, could decrease the undesirable effects, arising from exposure to UV light. PMID:28772538

From the Milky Way to differing galaxy environments: filling critical gaps in our knowledge of star formation and its interplay with dust, and in stellar and galaxy evolution.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bianchi, Luciana

2018-01-01

Rest-frame UV, uniquely sensitive to luminous, short-lived hot massive stars, trace and age-date star formation across galaxies, and is very sensitive to dust, whose properties and presence are closely connected to star formation.With wide f-o-v and deep sensitivity in two broad filters,FUV and NUV,GALEX delivered the first comprehensive UV view of large nearby galaxies, and of the universe to z~2 (e.g.,Bianchi 2014 ApSS 354,103), detected star formation at the lowest rates, in environments where it was not seen before and not expected (e.g. Bianchi 2011 ApSS 335,51; Thilker+2009 Nature 457,990;2007 ApJS 173,538), triggering a new era of investigations with HST and large ground-based telescopes. New instrument technology and modeling capabilities make it now possible and compelling to solve standing issues. The scant UV filters available (esp. FUV) and the wide gap in resolution and f-o-v between GALEX and HST leaves old and new questions open. A chief limitation is degeneracies between physical parameters of stellar populations (age/SFR) and hot stars, and dust (e.g. Bianchi+ 2014 JASR 53,928).We show sample model simulations for filter optimization to provide critical measurements for the science objectives. We also demonstrate how adequate FUV+NUV filters, and resolution, allow us to move from speculative interpretation of UV data to unbiased physical characterization of young stellar populations and dust, using new data from UVIT, which, though smaller than CETUS, has better resolution and filter coverage than GALEX.Also, our understanding of galaxy chemical enrichment is limited by critical gaps in stellar evolution; GALEX surveys enabled the first unbiased census of the Milky Way hot-WD population (Bianchi+2011 MNRAS, 411,2770), which we complement with SDSS, Pan-STARRS, and Gaia data to fill such gaps (Bianchi et al.2018, ApSS). Such objects in CETUS fields (deeper exposures, more filters, and the first UV MOS) will be much better characterized, enabling

A Novel Method for Age Estimation in Solar-Type Stars Through GALEX FUV Magnitudes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ho, Kelly; Subramonian, Arjun; Smith, Graeme; Shouru Shieh

2018-01-01

Utilizing an inverse association known to exist between Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) far ultraviolet (FUV) magnitudes and the chromospheric activity of F, G, and K dwarfs, we explored a method of age estimation in solar-type stars through GALEX FUV magnitudes. Sample solar-type star data were collected from refereed publications and filtered by B-V and absolute visual magnitude to ensure similarities in temperature and luminosity to the Sun. We determined FUV-B and calculated a residual index Q for all the stars, using the temperature-induced upper bound on FUV-B as the fiducial. Plotting current age estimates for the stars against Q, we discovered a strong and significant association between the variables. By applying a log-linear transformation to the data to produce a strong correlation between Q and loge Age, we confirmed the association between Q and age to be exponential. Thus, least-squares regression was used to generate an exponential model relating Q to age in solar-type stars, which can be used by astronomers. The Q-method of stellar age estimation is simple and more efficient than existing spectroscopic methods and has applications to galactic archaeology and stellar chemical composition analysis.

Effect of heat-setting on UV protection and antibacterial properties of cotton/spandex fabric

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pervez, M. N.; Talukder, M. E.; Shafiq, F.; Hasan, K. M. F.; Taher, M. A.; Meraz, M. M.; Cai, Y.; Lin, Lina

2018-01-01

An unexampled approach for simultaneous heat setting process with optimized condition at C3 (140°C, 45 s) and functional finishing, i.e. UV protection and antibacterial properties of cotton/spandex fabric were studied in this research. Experimental results disclosed that, ameliorative antibacterial efficacy and perdurable UV protection of heat-treated cotton/spandex fabrics with best sample A3 among all samples was achieved and mechanical properties also improved as the temperature rose from 120 to 140°C. In addition, Ultraviolet (UV) radiation protection and antibacterial properties are becoming increasingly necessary for human health, and textiles play an important role and this report will be appurtenant to meet regular demand.

Transparent cellulose/polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane nanocomposites with enhanced UV-shielding properties.

PubMed

Feng, Ye; Zhang, Jinming; He, Jiasong; Zhang, Jun

2016-08-20

The solubility of eight types of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) derivatives in an ionic liquid 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (AmimCl) and the dispersion of POSS in cellulose matrix were examined. Only a special POSS containing both aminophenyl and nitrophenyl groups (POSS-AN, NH2:NO2=2:6) was selected to prepare nanocomposites, because of its good solubility in AmimCl and high stability during the preparation process. POSS-AN nanoparticles were uniformly dispersed in a cellulose matrix with a size of 30-40nm, and so the resultant cellulose/POSS-AN nanocomposite films were transparent. The mechanical properties of the films achieved a maximum tensile strength of 190MPa after addition of 2wt% POSS-AN. Interestingly, all of the cellulose/POSS-AN films exhibited high UV-absorbing capability. For the 15wt% cellulose/POSS-AN film, the transmittance of UVA (315-400nm) and UVB (280-315nm) was only 9.1% and nearly 0, respectively. The UV aging and shielding experiments showed that the transparent cellulose/POSS-AN nanocomposite films possessed anti-UV aging and UV shielding properties. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Optical properties of the uropygial gland secretion: no evidence for UV cosmetics in birds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delhey, Kaspar; Peters, Anne; Biedermann, Peter H. W.; Kempenaers, Bart

2008-10-01

Ultraviolet (UV) reflectance of the plumage is common in birds and plays an important role in sexual signalling. Recently, it has been proposed that birds are able to modify plumage UV reflectance by the application of uropygial gland secretion. Based on a survey of the optical properties of this secretion from 51 species belonging to 12 avian orders, we show that two main types of uropygial secretions exist, one predominantly found in passerines and one in non-passerines, both reducing relative UV reflectance of a white background (Teflon™ tape). We quantified how each type of secretion (exemplified by blue tit and mallard) affected feather UV reflectance. Both secretions reduced overall brightness and relative UV reflectance of white mallard feathers but hardly affected the reflectance of UV/blue blue tit crown feathers. According to models of avian colour vision, changes in reflectance due to application of the secretion were at or below the discrimination threshold of most birds. We conclude that the uropygial secretion is unlikely to play a major role in modifying plumage UV reflectance. However, the optical properties of the uropygial secretion may have been selected to interfere as little as possible with visual signaling through plumage reflectance.

UV response on dielectric properties of nano nematic liquid crystal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pandey, Kamal Kumar; Tripathi, Pankaj Kumar; Misra, Abhishek Kumar; Manohar, Rajiv

2018-03-01

In this work, we investigate the effect of UV light irradiation on the dielectric parameters of nematic liquid crystal (5CB) and ZnO nanoparticles dispersed liquid crystal. With addition of nanoparticles in nematic LC are promising new materials for a variety of application in energy harvesting, displays and photonics including the liquid crystal laser. To realize many applications, however we optimize the properties of liquid crystal and understand how the UV light irradiation interact the nanoparticles and LC molecules in dispersed/doped LC. The dielectric permittivity and loss factor have discussed the pure nematic LC and dispersed/doped system after, during and before UV light exposure. The dielectric relaxation spectroscopy was carried out in the frequency range 100 Hz-10 MHz in the nematic mesophase range.

A Correction for IUE UV Flux Distributions from Comparisons with CALSPEC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bohlin, Ralph C.; Bianchi, Luciana

2018-04-01

A collection of spectral energy distributions (SEDs) is available in the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) CALSPEC database that is based on calculated model atmospheres for pure hydrogen white dwarfs (WDs). A much larger set (∼100,000) of UV SEDs covering the range (1150–3350 Å) with somewhat lower quality are available in the IUE database. IUE low-dispersion flux distributions are compared with CALSPEC to provide a correction that places IUE fluxes on the CALSPEC scale. While IUE observations are repeatable to only 4%–10% in regions of good sensitivity, the average flux corrections have a precision of 2%–3%. Our re-calibration places the IUE flux scale on the current UV reference standard and is relevant for any project based on IUE archival data, including our planned comparison of GALEX to the corrected IUE fluxes. IUE SEDs may be used to plan observations and cross-calibrate data from future missions, so the IUE flux calibration must be consistent with HST instrumental calibrations to the best possible precision.

LEAF UV OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF 'RUMEX PATIENTIA' L. AND 'RUMEX OBTUSIFOLIUS L. IN REGARD TO A PROTECTIVE MECHANISM AGAINST SOLAR UV-B RADIATION INJURY

EPA Science Inventory

Effective UV attenuation in the outer leaf layers may represent an important protective mechanism against potentially damaging solar UV-B radiation. Epidermal optical properties for Rumex patientia and Rumex obtusifolius were examined on field collected and greenhouse grown plant...

Hot Subdwarf Stars Among the Objects Rejected from the PG Catalog: a First Assessment Using GALEX Photometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wade, Richard A.; Stark, M. A.; Green, Richard F.; Durrell, Patrick R.

2009-01-01

The hot subdwarf (sd) stars in the Palomar Green (PG) catalog of ultraviolet excess (UVX) objects play a key role in investigations of the frequency and types of binary companions and the distribution of orbital periods. These are important for establishing whether and by which channels the sd stars arise from interactions in close binary systems. It has been suggested that the list of PG sd stars is biased by the exclusion of many stars in binaries, whose spectra show the Ca I1 K line in absorption. A total of 1125 objects that were photometrically selected as candidates were ultimately rejected from the final PG catalog using this K-line criterion. We study 88 of these 'PG-Rejects' (PGRs), to assess whether there are significant numbers of unrecognized sd stars in binaries among the PGR objects. The presence of a sd should cause a large UVX, compared with the cool K-line star. We assemble GALEX, Johnson V, and 2MASS photometry and compare the colors of these PGR objects with those of known sd stars, cool single stars, and hot+cool binaries. Sixteen PGRs were detected in both the far- and near-ultraviolet GALEX passbands. Eleven of these, plus the 72 cases with only an upper limit in the far-ultraviolet band, are interpreted as single cool stars, appropriately rejected by the PG spectroscopy. Of the remaining five stars, three are consistent with being sd stars paired with a cool main sequence companion, while two may be single stars or composite systems of another type. We discuss the implications of these findings for the 1125 PGR objects as a whole. An enlarged study is desirable to increase confidence in these first results and to identify individual sd+cool binaries or other composites for follow-up study. The GALEX AIS data have sufficient sensitivity to carry out this larger study.

A First Investigation of the UV Extinction Properties of Interstellar Dust in M33

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clayton, Geoffrey

2017-08-01

It is well known that the standard Milky Way UV extinction curve does not hold even in the most nearby galaxies, the LMC and the SMC. But, it is not even known whether the standard curve holds throughout our own galaxy because our position in the disk of the Milky Way, where extinction is high, prevents us from seeing most of our galaxy at UV wavelengths. We have a unique opportunity, while we still have the capability to obtain UV spectra, to investigate the UV extinction properties across another spiral galaxy in the Local Group, M33. The small aperture and high sensitivity of HST/STIS are ideal for obtaining UV spectra of stars in the crowded fields of M33. We propose to observe 8 stars in M33 which will provide good spatial coverage. We are choosing sightlines that lie in the footprint of the M33 Legacy Survey which extends the Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury (PHAT) survey. Focusing our study on the detailed properties of M33 dust grains via UV spectroscopy with HST/STIS will mean that we can directly connect the variations seen in the UV extinction curves with their environments. By selecting our sightlines in the M33 PHAT survey region, we will be able to probe a variety of potential correlations between dust grains and their environment. This proposal is part of a long-term program to investigate the extinction properties of interstellar dust across a sample of Local Group galaxies, also including M31, with different global characteristics such as metallicity and star formation activity. There is a metallicity gradient across M33 from solar to sub-solar that will be sampled with our proposed sightlines.

UV-Enhanced Ethanol Sensing Properties of RF Magnetron-Sputtered ZnO Film.

PubMed

Huang, Jinyu; Du, Yu; Wang, Quan; Zhang, Hao; Geng, Youfu; Li, Xuejin; Tian, Xiaoqing

2017-12-26

ZnO film was deposited by the magnetron sputtering method. The thickness of ZnO film is approximately 2 μm. The influence of UV light illumination on C₂H₅OH sensing properties of ZnO film was investigated. Gas sensing results revealed that the UV-illuminated ZnO film displays excellent C₂H₅OH characteristics in terms of high sensitivity, excellent selectivity, rapid response/recovery, and low detection limit down to 0.1 ppm. The excellent sensing performance of the sensor with UV activation could be attributed to the photocatalytic oxidation of ethanol on the surface of the ZnO film, the planar film structure with high utilizing efficiency of UV light, high electron mobility, and a good surface/volume ratio of of ZnO film with a relatively rough and porous surface.

Light stabilizers added to the shell of co-extruded wood/high-density polyethylene composites to improve mechanical and anti-UV ageing properties

PubMed Central

Mei, Changtong; Xu, Bing; Chen, Weimin; Yong, Cheng; Wang, Ke; Wu, Qinglin

2018-01-01

Weathering of wood--plastic composites (WPCs) leads to discoloration and cracks, which greatly limits their outdoor application. In this study, light stabilizers (including UV-327, HS-944 and nano-SiO2) were added to the shell of a co-extruded high-density polyethylene-based WPC to improve its anti-ultraviolet (UV) ageing properties and simultaneously to maintain its good mechanical properties. The results showed that UV-327 was the most effective light stabilizer for improving the mechanical and anti-UV ageing properties of the composites among the three stabilizers used. WPC samples combined with 2% UV-327 had the highest retention rates in flexural strength and also had the smoothest surface after 2500 h of UV ageing. The samples with 2% UV-327 added had the best protection for discoloration, showing the lowest values of ΔE* (colour difference) and ΔL* (luminescence) in all samples after 2500 h of UV ageing. WPC samples with 2% UV-327 were also oxidized the least after 2500 h of UV ageing. The results reported herein serve to enhance our understanding of the efficiency of light stabilizers in preventing UV degradation of WPCs, with a view to developing co-extruded WPCs with low cost, high anti-UV ageing properties and good mechanical properties for outdoor applications. PMID:29892445

UV-screening, transparency and water barrier properties of semi refined iota carrageenan packaging film incorporated with ZnO nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khoirunnisa, Assifa Rahma; Joni, I. Made; Panatarani, Camellia; Rochima, Emma; Praseptiangga, Danar

2018-02-01

This study aims to develop film for food packaging application with high UV-screening, transparency and water barrier properties. Semi refined iota carrageenan (SRiC) nanocomposite films prepared by addition of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles as nanofiller using solution casting method. The effect of nanofiller with different concentration (0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5% w/w carrageenan) on UV-screening, transparency and water barrier properties of films were tested. The water barrier properties of the films were studied by measuring water vapor permeability (WVP) and the optical properties of the films were studied by using UV-Vis spectrophotometer at 280 nm for UV-screening test and at 660 nm for transparency test. WVP value of carrageenan films with addition of ZnO is low compared to a control carrageenan film and the lowest WVP value was found for the film with addition of 1.5% of ZnO. These result indicate that the addition of ZnO had a positive effect on the water barrier properties of the carrageenan matrix. Increase in the concentration of nanofiller leads to an increase in the UV-screening properties. Among all the films, carrageenan film with 1.5% ZnO has the highest UV-screening. The result showed that adding 0.5% and 1.0% of ZnO was insignificantly affect transparency of the films, however the transparency decreased sligthly when 1.5% ZnO was added. In conclusion, incorporating no more than 1.0% of ZnO to the films can obtain films with high UV-screening, transparency and water barrier properties and suitable for food packaging application.

Photophysical properties of hexyl diethylaminohydroxybenzoylbenzoate (Uvinul A Plus), a UV-A absorber.

PubMed

Shamoto, Yuta; Yagi, Mikio; Oguchi-Fujiyama, Nozomi; Miyazawa, Kazuyuki; Kikuchi, Azusa

2017-09-13

Hexyl diethylaminohydroxybenzoylbenzoate (DHHB, Uvinul A Plus) is a photostable UV-A absorber. The photophysical properties of DHHB have been studied by obtaining the transient absorption, total emission, phosphorescence and electron paramagnetic resonance spectra. DHHB exhibits an intense phosphorescence in a hydrogen-bonding solvent (e.g., ethanol) at 77 K, whereas it is weakly phosphorescent in a non-hydrogen-bonding solvent (e.g., 3-methylpentane). The triplet-triplet absorption and EPR spectra for the lowest excited triplet state of DHHB were observed in ethanol, while they were not observed in 3-methylpentane. These results are explained by the proposal that in the benzophenone derivatives possessing an intramolecular hydrogen bond, intramolecular proton transfer is an efficient mechanism of the very fast radiationless decay from the excited singlet state. The energy level of the lowest excited triplet state of DHHB is higher than those of the most widely used UV-B absorbers, octyl methoxycinnamate (OMC) and octocrylene (OCR). DHHB may act as a triplet energy donor for OMC and OCR in the mixtures of UV-A and UV-B absorbers. The bimolecular rate constant for the quenching of singlet oxygen by DHHB was determined by measuring the near-IR phosphorescence of singlet oxygen. The photophysical properties of diethylaminohydroxybenzoylbenzoic acid (DHBA) have been studied for comparison. It is a closely related building block to assist in interpreting the observed data.

Near-UV Sources in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field: The Catalog

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gardner, Jonathan P.; Voyrer, Elysse; de Mello, Duilia F.; Siana, Brian; Quirk, Cori; Teplitz, Harry I.

2009-01-01

The catalog from the first high resolution U-band image of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, taken with Hubble s Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 through the F300W filter, is presented. We detect 96 U-band objects and compare and combine this catalog with a Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS) B-selected catalog that provides B, V, i, and z photometry, spectral types, and photometric redshifts. We have also obtained Far-Ultraviolet (FUV, 1614 Angstroms) data with Hubble s Advanced Camera for Surveys Solar Blind Channel (ACS/SBC) and with Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX). We detected 31 sources with ACS/SBC, 28 with GALEX/FUV, and 45 with GALEX/NUV. The methods of observations, image processing, object identification, catalog preparation, and catalog matching are presented.

Protective properties of ginsenoside Rb1 against UV-B radiation-induced oxidative stress in human dermal keratinocytes.

PubMed

Oh, Sun-Joo; Kim, Kyunghoon; Lim, Chang-Jin

2015-06-01

Ginsenosides, also known as ginseng saponins, are responsible for most pharmacological effect of ginseng. Ginsenoside Rb1 (Rb1) exerts a variety of pharmacological properties, including anti-inflammatory, antistress, anti-aging and anti-neurodegenerative activities. The aim of the present work was to assess the skin anti-photoaging properties of Rb1 in human dermal keratinocyte HaCaT cells. The anti-photoaging activity was evaluated by analyzing the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) as well as cell viability for HaCaT cells under UV-B irradiation. Rb1 was able to suppress the ROS levels which were elevated under UV-B irradiation, and unable to influence cellular survival in UV-B-irradiated HaCaT cells. Rb1 diminished the enhancement of MMP-2 gelatinolytic activity in conditioned medium, which corresponded with the decreased MMP-2 protein levels in both conditioned medium and cellular lysate prepared from UV-B-irradiated HaCaT cultures. Rb1 could restore the total glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity diminished in UV-B-irradiated HaCaT cells. Ginsenoside Rb1 possesses skin anti-photoaging properties through scavenging ROS and decreasing MMP-2 levels possibly by enhancing antioxidant activity in keratinocytes under UV-B irradiation.

UV reflection properties of plumage and skin of domesticated turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo f. dom.) as revealed by UV photography.

PubMed

Bartels, T; Lütgeharm, J-H; Wähner, M; Berk, J

2017-12-01

Reflection and fluorescence properties of feathered and non-feathered body regions of white- and bronze-colored fattening turkeys of various ages were examined by ultraviolet (UV) photography. The examinations were carried out on 20 white-feathered fattening turkeys (B.U.T. 6; 10 males, 10 females) and 20 bronze-feathered fattening turkeys (Grelier 708; 10 males, 10 females) over a period of 21 weeks. The turkeys were photographed once a wk under long-wave UV (UVA) radiation illumination (λ = 344-407 nm) using a digital camera. A bandpass filter was used for UV reflectography to filter out the visible components of the used light source. A longpass filter was used for UV fluorescence photography to avoid blurring in the image due to chromatic aberration as a result of UV illumination. We found that natal down feathers of white-feathered turkeys showed an intense yellowish-green fluorescence under UVA light. UVA fluorescence also was shown by the natal downs of the slightly melanized plumage areas of bronze turkeys. Vaned feathers of white fattening turkeys reflected UVA radiation. Freshly molted feathers were optically distinguishable from the previous feather generation due to their more intense UVA reflection. In bronze turkeys, both the bright end seams of the dark pennaceous feathers and rectrices and the bright banding of primary and secondary remiges reflected UVA radiation. Intense UVA fluorescence was recognizable in day-old chicks of both color variants on the scutellate scales of the legs and toes. In male turkeys of both color variants, UVA-reflecting parts were recognizable with increasing age on the featherless head region. The UVA-fluorescent and UVA-reflective characteristics of the plumage of fattening turkeys were closely related to the plumage color, the feather type, the molting state, and the age of the birds. Further research is needed regarding the UVA-reflecting properties of the turkey plumage and the effects of full-spectrum illumination

Multi-wavelength Morphological Study Of Star Forming Regions In Nearby Cluster-rich Lirgs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vavilkin, Tatjana; Evans, A.; Mazzarella, J.; Surace, J.; Kim, D.; Howell, J.; Armus, L.; GOALS Team

2009-05-01

Luminous Infrared Galaxies (LIRGs) are believed to play an important role in star formation history of the universe. Many LIRGs undergo intense bursts of star formation as a result of interaction/merger process. Given the dusty nature of LIRGs, it is necessary to probe Luminous Infrared Galaxies at multiple wavelengths. The Great Observatories All-sky LIRG Survey (GOALS) combines data from NASA's Spitzer, Hubble, Chandra and GALEX observatories and offers a unique opportunity to gain insights into the physical processes in these highly dust enshrouded systems. We examine a sample of 11 nearby (z < 0.03) cluster-rich (> 200 clusters as seen in HST ACS images) LIRG systems at various interaction stages. The combined HST ACS optical imaging, Spitzer IRAC 8 micron channel and GALEX near-UV imaging allows us to access the properties of visible and obscured star forming regions. We study the spatial distribution of star forming regions at these wavelengths, correlate locations of young stellar clusters with PAH and UV emission regions and trace changes with merger stage.

Biochemical composition and antioxidant properties of Lavandula angustifolia Miller essential oil are shielded by propolis against UV radiations.

PubMed

Gismondi, Angelo; Angelo, Gismondi; Canuti, Lorena; Lorena, Canuti; Grispo, Marta; Marta, Grispo; Canini, Antonella; Antonella, Canini

2014-01-01

UV radiations are principal causes of skin cancer and aging. Suntan creams were developed to protect epidermis and derma layers against photodegradation and photooxidation. The addition of antioxidant plant extracts (i.e. essential oil) to sunscreens is habitually performed, to increase their UV protective effects and to contrast pro-radical and cytotoxic compounds present in these solutions. According to these observations, in the present work, the alteration of chemical composition and bioactive properties of Lavandula angustifolia Miller essential oil, exposed to UV light, was investigated. UV induced a significant deterioration of lavender oil biochemical profile. Moreover, the antioxidant activity of this solution, in in vitro tests and directly on B16-F10 melanoma cells, greatly decreased after UV treatment. Our results also showed that essential oil was shielded from UV stress by propolis addition. Even after UV treatment, bee glue highly protected lavender oil secondary metabolites from degradation and also preserved their antiradical properties, both in in vitro antioxidant assays and in cell oxidative damage evaluations. This research proposed propolis as highly efficient UV protective and antiradical additive for sunscreens, cosmetics and alimentary or pharmaceutical products containing plant extracts. © 2013 The American Society of Photobiology.

CUVE - Cubesat UV Experiment: Unveil Venus' UV Absorber with Cubesat UV Mapping Spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cottini, V.; Aslam, S.; D'Aversa, E.; Glaze, L.; Gorius, N.; Hewagama, T.; Ignatiev, N.; Piccioni, G.

2017-09-01

Our Venus mission concept Cubesat UV Experiment (CUVE) is one of ten proposals selected for funding by the NASA PSDS3 Program - Planetary Science Deep Space SmallSat Studies. CUVE concept is to insert a CubeSat spacecraft into a Venusian orbit and perform remote sensing of the UV spectral region using a high spectral resolution point spectrometer to resolve UV molecular bands, observe nightglow, and characterize the unidentified main UV absorber. The UV spectrometer is complemented by an imaging UV camera with multiple bands in the UV absorber main band range for contextual imaging. CUVE Science Objectives are: the nature of the "Unknown" UV-absorber; the abundances and distributions of SO2 and SO at and above Venus's cloud tops and their correlation with the UV absorber; the atmospheric dynamics at the cloud tops, structure of upper clouds and wind measurements from cloud-tracking; the nightglow emissions: NO, CO, O2. This mission will therefore be an excellent platform to study Venus' cloud top atmospheric properties where the UV absorption drives the planet's energy balance. CUVE would complement past, current and future Venus missions with conventional spacecraft, and address critical science questions cost effectively.

Binarity and Accretion in AGB Stars: HST/STIS Observations of UV Flickering in Y Gem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sahai, R.; Sánchez Contreras, C.; Mangan, A. S.; Sanz-Forcada, J.; Muthumariappan, C.; Claussen, M. J.

2018-06-01

Binarity is believed to dramatically affect the history and geometry of mass loss in AGB and post-AGB stars, but observational evidence of binarity is sorely lacking. As part of a project to search for hot binary companions to cool AGB stars using the GALEX archive, we discovered a late-M star, Y Gem, to be a source of strong and variable UV and X-ray emission. Here we report UV spectroscopic observations of Y Gem obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope that show strong flickering in the UV continuum on timescales of ≲20 s, characteristic of an active accretion disk. Several UV lines with P-Cygni-type profiles from species such as Si IV and C IV are also observed, with emission and absorption features that are red- and blueshifted by velocities of ∼500 {km} {{{s}}}-1 from the systemic velocity. Our model for these (and previous) observations is that material from the primary star is gravitationally captured by a companion, producing a hot accretion disk. The latter powers a fast outflow that produces blueshifted features due to the absorption of UV continuum emitted by the disk, whereas the redshifted emission features arise in heated infalling material from the primary. The outflow velocities support a previous inference by Sahai et al. that Y Gem’s companion is a low-mass main-sequence star. Blackbody fitting of the UV continuum implies an accretion luminosity of about 13 L ⊙, and thus a mass-accretion rate >5 × 10‑7 M ⊙ yr‑1 we infer that Roche-lobe overflow is the most likely binary accretion mode for Y Gem.

The Effect of UV Aging on Antimicrobial and Mechanical Properties of PLA Films with Incorporated Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles

PubMed Central

Mizielińska, Małgorzata; Kowalska, Urszula; Jarosz, Michał; Sumińska, Patrycja; Landercy, Nicolas; Duquesne, Emmanuel

2018-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of accelerated UV-aging on the activity against chosen microorganisms and the mechanical properties of poly-lactic acid (PLA) films enhanced with ZnO nanoparticles. The pure PLA films and tri-layered PLAZnO1%/PLA/PLAZnO1% films of 150 µm thickness were extruded. The samples were treated with UV-A and Q-SUN irradiation. After irradiation the antimicrobial activity and mechanical properties of the films were analyzed. The results of the study demonstrated that PLA films did not inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus atrophaeus, and Candida albicans cells. PLA films with incorporated zinc oxide nanoparticles decreased the number of analyzed microorganisms. Accelerated UV aging had no negative effect on the activity of the film containing nano-ZnO against Gram-positive bacteria, but it influenced the activity against Gram-negative cells and C. albicans. Q-SUN irradiation decreased the antimicrobial effect of films with incorporated nanoparticles against B. cereus. UV-A and Q-UV irradiation did not influence the mechanical properties of PLA films containing incorporated ZnO nanoparticles. PMID:29670066

The Effect of UV Aging on Antimicrobial and Mechanical Properties of PLA Films with Incorporated Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles.

PubMed

Mizielińska, Małgorzata; Kowalska, Urszula; Jarosz, Michał; Sumińska, Patrycja; Landercy, Nicolas; Duquesne, Emmanuel

2018-04-18

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of accelerated UV-aging on the activity against chosen microorganisms and the mechanical properties of poly-lactic acid (PLA) films enhanced with ZnO nanoparticles. The pure PLA films and tri-layered PLAZnO1%/PLA/PLAZnO1% films of 150 µm thickness were extruded. The samples were treated with UV-A and Q-SUN irradiation. After irradiation the antimicrobial activity and mechanical properties of the films were analyzed. The results of the study demonstrated that PLA films did not inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus , Bacillus cereus , Escherichia coli , Bacillus atrophaeus , and Candida albicans cells. PLA films with incorporated zinc oxide nanoparticles decreased the number of analyzed microorganisms. Accelerated UV aging had no negative effect on the activity of the film containing nano-ZnO against Gram-positive bacteria, but it influenced the activity against Gram-negative cells and C. albicans . Q-SUN irradiation decreased the antimicrobial effect of films with incorporated nanoparticles against B. cereus . UV-A and Q-UV irradiation did not influence the mechanical properties of PLA films containing incorporated ZnO nanoparticles.

Release of the gPhoton Database of GALEX Photon Events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fleming, Scott W.; Million, Chase; Shiao, Bernie; Tucker, Michael; Loyd, R. O. Parke

2016-01-01

The GALEX spacecraft surveyed much of the sky in two ultraviolet bands between 2003 and 2013 with non-integrating microchannel plate detectors. The Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST) has made more than one trillion photon events observed by the spacecraft available, stored as a 130 TB database, along with an open-source, python-based software package to query this database and create calibrated lightcurves or images from these data at user-defined spatial and temporal scales. In particular, MAST users can now conduct photometry at the intra-visit level (timescales of seconds and minutes). The software, along with the fully populated database, was officially released in Aug. 2015, and improvements to both software functionality and data calibration are ongoing. We summarize the current calibration status of the gPhoton software, along with examples of early science enabled by gPhoton that include stellar flares, AGN, white dwarfs, exoplanet hosts, novae, and nearby galaxies.

Legacy ExtraGalactic UV Survey (LEGUS): The HST View of Star Formation in Nearby Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Calzetti, Daniela; Lee, J. C.; Adamo, A.; Aloisi, A.; Andrews, J. E.; Brown, T. M.; Chandar, R.; Christian, C. A.; Cignoni, M.; Clayton, G. C.; Da Silva, R. L.; de Mink, S. E.; Dobbs, C.; Elmegreen, B.; Elmegreen, D. M.; Evans, A. S.; Fumagalli, M.; Gallagher, J. S.; Gouliermis, D.; Grebel, E.; Herrero-Davo`, A.; Hilbert, B.; Hunter, D. A.; Johnson, K. E.; Kennicutt, R.; Kim, H.; Krumholz, M. R.; Lennon, D. J.; Martin, C. D.; Nair, P.; Nota, A.; Pellerin, A.; Prieto, J.; Regan, M. W.; Sabbi, E.; Schaerer, D.; Schiminovich, D.; Smith, L. J.; Thilker, D. A.; Tosi, M.; Van Dyk, S. D.; Walterbos, R. A.; Whitmore, B. C.; Wofford, A.

2014-01-01

The Treasury program LEGUS (HST/GO-13364) is the first HST UV Atlas of nearby galaxies, and is aimed at the thorough investigation of star formation and its relation with galaxy environment, from the scales of individual stars to those of ~kpc clustered structures. The 154-orbits program is obtaining NUV,U,B,V,I images of 50 star-forming galaxies in the distance range 4-12 Mpc, covering the full range of morphology, star formation rate (SFR), mass, metallicity, internal structure, and interaction state found in the local Universe. The imaging survey will yield accurate recent (<50 Myr) star formation histories (SFHs) from resolved massive stars, and the extinction-corrected ages and masses of star clusters and associations. These extensive inventories of massive stars, clustered systems, and SFHs will be used to: (1) quantify how the clustering of star formation evolves both in space and in time; (2) discriminate among models of star cluster evolution; (3) investigate the effects of SFH on the UV SFR calibrations; (4) explore the impact of environment on star formation and cluster evolution across the full range of galactic and ISM properties. LEGUS observations will inform theories of star formation and galaxy evolution, and improve the understanding of the physical underpinning of the gas-star formation relation and the nature of the clumpy star formation at high redshift. LEGUS will generate the most homogeneous high-resolution, wide-field UV dataset to date, building and expanding on the GALEX legacy. Data products that will be delivered to the community include: catalogs of massive stars and star clusters, catalogs of star cluster properties (ages, masses, extinction), and a one-stop shop for all the ancillary data available for this well-studied galaxy sample. LEGUS will provide the reference survey and the foundation for future observations with JWST and with ALMA. This abstract accompanies another one from the same project, and presents the status of the

UV properties of hot stars in NGC 6752

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Altner, Bruce

1990-01-01

The UV properties of hot stars found in the center of NGC 6752 are compared with those outside the core. Few, if any, faint sdB stars are found in the central region, whereas they occur in significant numbers far from the core. A statistically complete photographic survey is used to demonstrate that the faint blue stars in NGC 6752 occur in greater numbers with increasing distance form the center, and the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) findings extend this result all the way to the center of the cluster. A similar phenomenon has been observed optically in other clusters, such as M15.

Effect of preparation and processing conditions on UV absorbing properties of hydroxyapatite-Fe2O3 sunscreen.

PubMed

C Teixeira, M A; Piccirillo, C; Tobaldi, D M; Pullar, R C; Labrincha, J A; Ferreira, M O; L Castro, P M; E Pintado, M M

2017-02-01

The development of innovative, safe and non-photocatalytic sunscreens is urgently needed, as it is essential to have sunscreen filters offering appropriate UV protection without damaging the environment and/or generating free radicals when in contact with the skin. Hydroxyapatite (Ca 10 (PO 4 ) 6 (OH) 2 , HAp) when substituted with iron has UV protection properties and is not photocatalytic; HAp was used to make a sunscreen filter by treating cod fish bones in an iron-containing solution, and then calcining them at 700°C. Here we present a systematic and advanced study on this material, to obtain a sunscreen with improved UV absorbing properties. Bones were treated with three different iron salts - Fe(II) chloride, Fe(II) lactate and Fe(III) nitrate - under various pH conditions. Results showed that Fe(II) chloride in basic pH led to the most effective iron inclusion. High energy ball milling or ultrasound were investigated to increase surface area and corresponding UV absorption; high energy ball milling treatment led to the best optical properties. The optimum powders were used to formulate UV protection creams, which showed Sun Protection Factor (SPF) values significantly superior to the control cream (up to 4.1). Moreover the critical wavelength (λ crit ) was >370nm (388-389nm) and UVA/UVB ratios were very close to 1. With these properties these sunscreens can be classified as broad UV protectors. Results also showed that combining these powders with other sunscreens (i.e. titanium dioxide), a synergic effect between the different components was also observed. This investigation showed that HAp-based sunscreens of marine origin are a valid alternative to commercial products, safe for the health of the customers and, being non-photocatalytic, do not pose a threat to the environment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Imbalanced Learning for RR Lyrae Stars Based on SDSS and GALEX Databases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jingyi; Zhang, Yanxia; Zhao, Yongheng

2018-03-01

We apply machine learning and Convex-Hull algorithms to separate RR Lyrae stars from other stars like main-sequence stars, white dwarf stars, carbon stars, CVs, and carbon-lines stars, based on the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX). In low-dimensional spaces, the Convex-Hull algorithm is applied to select RR Lyrae stars. Given different input patterns of (u ‑ g, g ‑ r), (g ‑ r, r ‑ i), (r ‑ i, i ‑ z), (u ‑ g, g ‑ r, r ‑ i), (g ‑ r, r ‑ i, i ‑ z), (u ‑ g, g ‑ r, i ‑ z), and (u ‑ g, r ‑ i, i ‑ z), different convex hulls can be built for RR Lyrae stars. Comparing the performance of different input patterns, u ‑ g, g ‑ r, i ‑ z is the best input pattern. For this input pattern, the efficiency (the fraction of true RR Lyrae stars in the predicted RR Lyrae sample) is 4.2% with a completeness (the fraction of recovered RR Lyrae stars in the whole RR Lyrae sample) of 100%, increases to 9.9% with 97% completeness and to 16.1% with 53% completeness by removing some outliers. In high-dimensional spaces, machine learning algorithms are used with input patterns (u ‑ g, g ‑ r, r ‑ i, i ‑ z), (u ‑ g, g ‑ r, r ‑ i, i ‑ z, r), (NUV ‑ u, u ‑ g, g ‑ r, r ‑ i, i ‑ z), and (NUV ‑ u, u ‑ g, g ‑ r, r ‑ i, i ‑ z, r). RR Lyrae stars, which belong to the class of interest in our paper, are rare compared to other stars. For the highly imbalanced data, cost-sensitive Support Vector Machine, cost-sensitive Random Forest, and Fast Boxes is used. The results show that information from GALEX is helpful for identifying RR Lyrae stars, and Fast Boxes is the best performer on the skewed data in our case.

The Effect of UV-C Pasteurization on Bacteriostatic Properties and Immunological Proteins of Donor Human Milk

PubMed Central

Christen, Lukas; Lai, Ching Tat; Hartmann, Ben; Hartmann, Peter E.; Geddes, Donna T.

2013-01-01

Background Human milk possesses bacteriostatic properties, largely due to the presence of immunological proteins. Heat treatments such as Holder pasteurization reduce the concentration of immunological proteins in human milk and consequently increase the bacterial growth rate. This study investigated the bacterial growth rate and the immunological protein concentration of ultraviolet (UV-C) irradiated, Holder pasteurized and untreated human milk. Methods Samples (n=10) of untreated, Holder pasteurized and UV-C irradiated human milk were inoculated with E. coli and S. aureus and the growth rate over 2 hours incubation time at 37°C was observed. Additionally, the concentration of sIgA, lactoferrin and lysozyme of untreated and treated human milk was analyzed. Results The bacterial growth rate of untreated and UV-C irradiated human milk was not significantly different. The bacterial growth rate of Holder pasteurized human milk was double compared to untreated human milk (p<0.001). The retention of sIgA, lactoferrin and lysozyme after UV-C irradiation was 89%, 87%, and 75% respectively, which were higher than Holder treated with 49%, 9%, and 41% respectively. Conclusion UV-C irradiation of human milk preserves significantly higher levels of immunological proteins than Holder pasteurization, resulting in bacteriostatic properties similar to those of untreated human milk. PMID:24376898

The effect of UV-C pasteurization on bacteriostatic properties and immunological proteins of donor human milk.

PubMed

Christen, Lukas; Lai, Ching Tat; Hartmann, Ben; Hartmann, Peter E; Geddes, Donna T

2013-01-01

Human milk possesses bacteriostatic properties, largely due to the presence of immunological proteins. Heat treatments such as Holder pasteurization reduce the concentration of immunological proteins in human milk and consequently increase the bacterial growth rate. This study investigated the bacterial growth rate and the immunological protein concentration of ultraviolet (UV-C) irradiated, Holder pasteurized and untreated human milk. Samples (n=10) of untreated, Holder pasteurized and UV-C irradiated human milk were inoculated with E. coli and S. aureus and the growth rate over 2 hours incubation time at 37°C was observed. Additionally, the concentration of sIgA, lactoferrin and lysozyme of untreated and treated human milk was analyzed. The bacterial growth rate of untreated and UV-C irradiated human milk was not significantly different. The bacterial growth rate of Holder pasteurized human milk was double compared to untreated human milk (p<0.001). The retention of sIgA, lactoferrin and lysozyme after UV-C irradiation was 89%, 87%, and 75% respectively, which were higher than Holder treated with 49%, 9%, and 41% respectively. UV-C irradiation of human milk preserves significantly higher levels of immunological proteins than Holder pasteurization, resulting in bacteriostatic properties similar to those of untreated human milk.

Dust in Extragalactic Reflection Nebulae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Chris H.; Hodges-Kluck, Edmund J.

2017-08-01

Observational evidence for extragalactic dust has been recently found in the form of UV extragalactic reflection nebulae around edge-on spiral galaxies, but the nature of the dust is largely unknown. To derive dust parameters, UV fluxes from the spacecrafts GALEX and Swift have been compared with model UV halo SEDs, which have been created from galaxy template spectra and a silicate-graphite dust model. The model contains two free parameters, which are fractional composition and maximum grain size. These analyses have been done for a sample of 8 nearby edge-on spiral galaxies with bright UV halos, where the dust properties can be spatially resolved, such as inside and outside of galactic winds or as a function of height from the galactic disc. The dust properties give insight into how dust is expelled from the galactic disc, which can also be applied to understanding gaseous outflows from the galaxies as well.

UV shielding with visible transparency based properties of poly (styrene-co-acrylonitrile)/Ag doped ZnO nanocomposite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Rajender; Verma, Karan; Singh, Tejbir; Barman, P. B.; Sharma, Dheeraj

2018-02-01

Development of ultraviolet (UV) shielding with visible transparency based thermoplastic polymer nanocomposite (PNs) presents an important requisite in terms of their efficiency and cost. Present study contributed for the same approach by dispersion of Ag doped ZnO nanoparticles upto 10 wt% in poly (styrene-co-acrylonitrile) matrix by insitu emulsion polymerization method. The crystal and chemical structure of PNs has been analyzed by x-ray diffraction (XRD) and fourier infrared spectrometer (FTIR) techniques. The morphological and elemental information of synthesized nanomaterial has been studied by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) technique. The optical properties of PNs has been studied by UV-visible spectroscopy technique. The incorporation of nanoparticles in polymer matrix absorb the complete UV light with visible transparency. The present reported polymer nanocomposite (PNs) have tuned refractive index with UV blocking and visible transparency based properties which can serve as a viable alternative as compared to related conventional materials.

Preparation of UV-protective kefiran/nano-ZnO nanocomposites: physical and mechanical properties.

PubMed

Shahabi-Ghahfarrokhi, Iman; Khodaiyan, Faramarz; Mousavi, Mohammad; Yousefi, Hossein

2015-01-01

In this study, we investigated the effect of ZnO nanoparticles (ZN) as a UV-protective agent of kefiran biopolymers. Our results showed that with increasing ZN content, the tensile strength, elongation at break, and tensile energy to break the kefiran film and nanocomposites also increased. Kefiran nanocomposites with a ZN content higher than 2% produced a UV-protective film with good visual properties, low sensibility to water, and low water-vapor permeability. The thermal properties of all specimens, analyzed by DSC, showed that the ZN content had a negative effect on Tg and a positive effect on nanocomposites' melting point. TEM, SEM micrography and XRD spectrum analysis confirmed the hypothesis that ZNs act like a ball bearing, making movement of kefiran chains easier and increasing elongation at break, while simultaneously decreasing the Tg of kefiran nanocomposites. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparison of UV Protection Properties of Cotton Fabrics Treated with Aqueous and Methanolic Extracts of Achyranthes aspera and Alhagi maurorum Plants.

PubMed

Nazir, Ahsan; Saleem, Muhammad Asad; Nazir, Faiza; Hussain, Tanveer; Faizan, Muhammad Qasim; Usman, Muhammad

2016-03-01

UV radiations are high-energy radiations present in sunlight that can damage human skin. Protection against these radiations becomes vital especially in those areas of the globe where UV index is quite high that makes the inhabitants more prone to dangerous effects of UV radiations. Clothing materials are good blockers of UV radiations, particularly when the fabric cover factor is high and/or the fabrics contain suitable UV-blocking finishes. In this study, effect of application of aqueous and methanolic extracts of two different plants, i.e., Achyranthes aspera and Alhagi maurorum on UV protection properties of cotton fabric was investigated. The results showed that the fabric samples treated with extracts of both the plants have excellent UV protection properties as indicated by their ultraviolet protection factor. It was concluded that both the aqueous and methanolic plant extracts are very effective in blocking UVA and UVB radiations, when applied on cotton fabrics. The UV protection performance of Achyranthes aspera extracts was much better as compared to that of Alhagi maurorum, and methanolic extracts of both the plants outperformed the aqueous extracts in terms of UV protection. © 2016 The American Society of Photobiology.

UV observations of local interstellar medium.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurt, V.; Mironova, E.; Fadeev, E.

2008-12-01

The methods of the interstellar matter study are described. The brief information of space missions aimed at observations in the unreachable for ground based telescopes UV spectral range (IUE, As- tron, HST and GALEX.) is presented. The history of discovery of H and He atoms entering the Solar System from the local interstellar medium (LISM) is given in brief. The results of observations performed by the group from Stern- berg Astronomical Institute (SAI MSU) and Space Research Institute (IKI RAS) performed with the help of the missions Prognoz-5, Prognoz-6 and the stations Zond-1, Venera and Mars and aimed at estimation of all basic LISM parameters (the velocity of the Sun in relation to LISM, directions of movement, densities of H and He atoms, LISM temperature) are presented. We also describe the present-day investigations of LISM performed with SOHO and ULYSSES mis- sions including the direct registration of He atoms entering the Solar System. The problem of interaction between the incoming flow of the ISM atoms ("in- terstellar wind") and the area of two shocks at the heliopause border (100-200 AU) is discussed. The LISM parameters obtained using the available data are presented in two tables.

GOODS-Herschel: dust attenuation properties of UV selected high redshift galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buat, V.; Noll, S.; Burgarella, D.; Giovannoli, E.; Charmandaris, V.; Pannella, M.; Hwang, H. S.; Elbaz, D.; Dickinson, M.; Magdis, G.; Reddy, N.; Murphy, E. J.

2012-09-01

Context. Dust attenuation in galaxies is poorly known, especially at high redshift. And yet the amount of dust attenuation is a key parameter to deduce accurate star formation rates from ultraviolet (UV) rest-frame measurements. The wavelength dependence of the dust attenuation is also of fundamental importance to interpret the observed spectral energy distributions (SEDs) and to derive photometric redshifts or physical properties of galaxies. Aims: We want to study dust attenuation at UV wavelengths at high redshift, where the UV is redshifted to the observed visible light wavelength range. In particular, we search for a UV bump and related implications for dust attenuation determinations. Methods: We use photometric data in the Chandra Deep Field South (CDFS), obtained in intermediate and broad band filters by the MUSYC project, to sample the UV rest-frame of 751 galaxies with 0.95 < z < 2.2. When available, infrared (IR) Herschel/PACS data from the GOODS-Herschel project, coupled with Spitzer/MIPS measurements, are used to estimate the dust emission and to constrain dust attenuation. The SED of each source is fit using the CIGALE code. The amount of dust attenuation and the characteristics of the dust attenuation curve are obtained as outputs of the SED fitting process, together with other physical parameters linked to the star formation history. Results: The global amount of dust attenuation at UV wavelengths is found to increase with stellar mass and to decrease as UV luminosity increases. A UV bump at 2175 Å is securely detected in 20% of the galaxies, and the mean amplitude of the bump for the sample is similar to that observed in the extinction curve of the LMC supershell region. This amplitude is found to be lower in galaxies with very high specific star formation rates, and 90% of the galaxies exhibiting a secure bump are at z < 1.5. The attenuation curve is confirmed to be steeper than that of local starburst galaxies for 20% of the galaxies. The large

VizieR Online Data Catalog: Rapidly pulsating sdB stars search with GALEX (Boudreaux+, 2017)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boudreaux, T. M.; Barlow, B. N.; Fleming, S. W.; Soto, A. V.; Million, C.; Reichart, D. E.; Haislip, J. B.; Linder, T. R.; Moore, J. P.

2018-04-01

Here we present a search for short-period hot subdwarf B (sdB) pulsations in the archived GALEX data set using gPhoton (Million+ 2016ApJ...833..292M). An initial sample of 5613 hot subdwarfs (Geier+ 2017, J/A+A/600/A50), which represents a good approximation of all cataloged hot subdwarf stars, was down-selected based on magnitudes, coordinates, and total exposure time available in the gPhoton database, described fully in Section 2. These selection criteria yielded 1881 targets upon which we focused our investigation. Calibrated light curves with time bins of 30s were generated for each target using gPhoton. (4 data files).

Natural organic UV-absorbent coatings based on cellulose and lignin: designed effects on spectroscopic properties.

PubMed

Hambardzumyan, Arayik; Foulon, Laurence; Chabbert, Brigitte; Aguié-Béghin, Véronique

2012-12-10

Novel nanocomposite coatings composed of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and lignin (either synthetic or fractionated from spruce and corn stalks) were prepared without chemical modification or functionalization (via covalent attachment) of one of the two biopolymers. The spectroscopic properties of these coatings were investigated by UV-visible spectrophotometry and spectroscopic ellipsometry. When using the appropriate weight ratio of CNC/lignin (R), these nanocomposite systems exhibited high-performance optical properties, high transmittance in the visible spectrum, and high blocking in the UV spectrum. Atomic force microscopy analysis demonstrated that these coatings were smooth and homogeneous, with visible dispersed lignin nodules in a cellulosic matrix. It was also demonstrated that the introduction of nanoparticles into the medium increases the weight ratio and the CNC-specific surface area, which allows better dispersion of the lignin molecules throughout the solid film. Consequently, the larger molecular expansion of these aromatic polymers on the surface of the cellulosic nanoparticles dislocates the π-π aromatic aggregates, which increases the extinction coefficient and decreases the transmittance in the UV region. These nanocomposite coatings were optically transparent at visible wavelengths.

Biophysical mechanisms of modification of skin optical properties in the UV wavelength range with nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popov, A. P.; Priezzhev, A. V.; Lademann, J.; Myllylä, R.

2009-05-01

In this paper, by means of the Mie theory and Monte Carlo simulations we investigate modification of optical properties of the superficial layer of human skin (stratum corneum) for 310- and 400-nm ultraviolet (UV) radiation by embedding of 35-200-nm-sized particles of titanium dioxide (TiO2) and silicon (Si). Problem of skin protection against UV light is of major importance due to increased frequency of skin cancer provoked by excessive doses of accepted UV radiation. For 310-nm light, the optimal sizes of the TiO2 and Si particles are found to be 62 and 55 nm, respectively, and for 400-nm radiation, 122 and 70 nm, respectively.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Smith, Myron A.; Shiao, Bernard; Bianchi, Luciana, E-mail: myronmeister@gmail.com, E-mail: shiao@stsci.edu, E-mail: bianchi@pha.jhu.edu

We report on intriguing photometric properties of Galactic stars observed in the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) satellite's far-UV (FUV) and near-UV (NUV) bandpasses, as well as from the ground-based Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and the Kepler Input Catalog. The first property is that the (FUV – NUV) color distribution of stars in the Kepler field consists of two well-separated peaks. A second and more perplexing property is that for stars with spectral types G or later the mean (FUV – NUV) color becomes much bluer, contrary to expectation. Investigating this tendency further, we found in two samples of mid-Fmore » through K type stars that 17%-22% of them exhibit FUV excesses relative to their NUV fluxes and spectral types. A correction for FUV incompleteness of the FUV magnitude-limited star sample brings this ratio to 14%-18%. Nearly the same fractions are also discovered among members of the Kepler Eclipsing Binary Catalog and in the published list of Kepler Objects of Interest. These UV-excess ('UVe') colors are confirmed by the negative UV continuum slopes in GALEX spectra of members of the population. The SDSS spectra of some UVe stars exhibit metallic line weakening, especially in the blue. This suggests an enhanced contribution of UV flux relative to photospheric flux of a solar-type single star. We consider the possibility that the UV excesses originate from various types of hot stars, including white dwarf DA and sdB stars, binaries, and strong chromosphere stars that are young or in active binaries. The space density of compact stars is too low to explain the observed frequency of the UVe stars. Our model atmosphere-derived simulations of colors for binaries with main-sequence pairs with a hot secondary demonstrate that the color loci conflict with the observed sequence. As a preferred alternative we are left with the active chromospheres explanation, whether in active close binaries or young single stars, despite the expected paucity of

gPhoton: The GALEX Photon Data Archive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Million, Chase; Fleming, Scott W.; Shiao, Bernie; Seibert, Mark; Loyd, Parke; Tucker, Michael; Smith, Myron; Thompson, Randy; White, Richard L.

2016-12-01

gPhoton is a new database product and software package that enables analysis of GALEX ultraviolet data at the photon level. The project’s stand-alone, pure-Python calibration pipeline reproduces the functionality of the original mission pipeline to reduce raw spacecraft data to lists of time-tagged, sky-projected photons, which are then hosted in a publicly available database by the Mikulski Archive at Space Telescope. This database contains approximately 130 terabytes of data describing approximately 1.1 trillion sky-projected events with a timestamp resolution of five milliseconds. A handful of Python and command-line modules serve as a front end to interact with the database and to generate calibrated light curves and images from the photon-level data at user-defined temporal and spatial scales. The gPhoton software and source code are in active development and publicly available under a permissive license. We describe the motivation, design, and implementation of the calibration pipeline, database, and tools, with emphasis on divergence from prior work, as well as challenges created by the large data volume. We summarize the astrometric and photometric performance of gPhoton relative to the original mission pipeline. For a brief example of short time-domain science capabilities enabled by gPhoton, we show new flares from the known M-dwarf flare star CR Draconis. The gPhoton software has permanent object identifiers with the ASCL (ascl:1603.004) and DOI (doi:10.17909/T9CC7G). This paper describes the software as of version v1.27.2.

gPhoton: THE GALEX PHOTON DATA ARCHIVE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Million, Chase; Fleming, Scott W.; Shiao, Bernie

gPhoton is a new database product and software package that enables analysis of GALEX ultraviolet data at the photon level. The project’s stand-alone, pure-Python calibration pipeline reproduces the functionality of the original mission pipeline to reduce raw spacecraft data to lists of time-tagged, sky-projected photons, which are then hosted in a publicly available database by the Mikulski Archive at Space Telescope. This database contains approximately 130 terabytes of data describing approximately 1.1 trillion sky-projected events with a timestamp resolution of five milliseconds. A handful of Python and command-line modules serve as a front end to interact with the database andmore » to generate calibrated light curves and images from the photon-level data at user-defined temporal and spatial scales. The gPhoton software and source code are in active development and publicly available under a permissive license. We describe the motivation, design, and implementation of the calibration pipeline, database, and tools, with emphasis on divergence from prior work, as well as challenges created by the large data volume. We summarize the astrometric and photometric performance of gPhoton relative to the original mission pipeline. For a brief example of short time-domain science capabilities enabled by gPhoton, we show new flares from the known M-dwarf flare star CR Draconis. The gPhoton software has permanent object identifiers with the ASCL (ascl:1603.004) and DOI (doi:10.17909/T9CC7G). This paper describes the software as of version v1.27.2.« less

UV-Vis spectroscopy of tyrosine side-groups in studies of protein structure. Part 1: basic principles and properties of tyrosine chromophore.

PubMed

Antosiewicz, Jan M; Shugar, David

Spectroscopic properties of tyrosine residues may be employed in structural studies of proteins. Here we discuss several different types of UV-Vis spectroscopy, like normal, difference and second-derivative UV absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, linear and circular dichroism spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy, and corresponding optical properties of the tyrosine chromophore, phenol, which are used to study protein structure.

UV-Vis spectroscopy of tyrosine side-groups in studies of protein structure. Part 1: basic principles and properties of tyrosine chromophore.

PubMed

Antosiewicz, Jan M; Shugar, David

2016-06-01

Spectroscopic properties of tyrosine residues may be employed in structural studies of proteins. Here we discuss several different types of UV-Vis spectroscopy, like normal, difference and second-derivative UV absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, linear and circular dichroism spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy, and corresponding optical properties of the tyrosine chromophore, phenol, which are used to study protein structure.

Ultraviolet protective properties of branded and unbranded sunglasses available in the Indian market in UV phototherapy chambers.

PubMed

Dongre, Atul M; Pai, Gitanjali G; Khopkar, Uday S

2007-01-01

Patients receiving phototherapy for various dermatoses are at increased risk of eye damage due to ultraviolet (UV) rays. They are prescribed UV protective sunglasses by dermatologists but their exact protecting effects are not known. To study the ultraviolet protective properties of branded and unbranded UV protective sunglasses available in the Indian market, in UV phototherapy chambers. Sixteen different branded and unbranded UV protective sunglasses were collected from two opticians in Mumbai. Baseline irradiance of the UV chamber was calculated by exposing the photosensitive probe of UV photometer in the chamber. Then, the photosensitive probe of the UV photometer was covered with the UV protective glass to be studied and irradiance was noted. Such readings were taken for each of the UV protective sunglasses. The percentage reduction in the UV rays' penetration of different UV protective sunglasses was calculated. Thirteen sunglasses provided > 80% reduction in UVA rays penetration, of which four were branded (out of the four branded studied) and nine were unbranded (out of the 12 unbranded studied). More than 70% reduction in UVB penetration was provided by 12 sunglasses, which included 10 unbranded and two branded sunglasses. All branded sunglasses provided good protection against UVA penetration, but UVB protection provided by both branded and unbranded sunglasses was not satisfactory. A few unbranded sunglasses had poor efficacy for UVA and UVB spectra; one branded glass had poor efficacy for protection against the UVB spectrum. The efficacy of sunglasses used for phototherapy should be assessed before use.

Photochemical tuning of ultrathin TiO2/ p-Si p-n junction properties via UV-induced H doping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Sang Yeon; Kim, Jinseo; Ahn, Byungmin; Cho, In Sun; Yu, Hak Ki; Seo, Hyungtak

2017-03-01

We report a modified TiO2/ p-Si electronic structure that uses ultraviolet exposure for the incorporation of H. This structure was characterized using various photoelectron spectroscopic techniques. The ultraviolet (UV) exposure of the TiO2 surface allowed the Fermi energy level to be tuned by the insertion of H radicals, which induced changes in the heterojunction TiO2/ p-Si diode properties. The UV exposure of the TiO2 surface was performed in air. On UVexposure, a photochemical reaction involving the incorporation of UV-induced H radicals led to the creation of a surface Ti-O-OH group and caused interstitial H doping (Ti-H-O) in the bulk, which modified the electronic structures in different ways, depending on the location of the H. On the basis of the band alignment determined using a combined spectroscopic analysis, it is suggested that the UV-induced H incorporation into the TiO2 could be utilized for the systematic tuning of the heterojunction property for solar cells, photocatalytic applications, and capacitors.

Preliminary results of aerosols' optical properties studied with EPF measurements from the SPICAM/UV instrument

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willame, Y.; Vandaele, A.-C.; Depiesse, C.; Gillotay, D.; Kochenova, S.; Montmessin, F.

2011-10-01

Aerosols on Mars have an important impact on the radiative transfer properties of its atmosphere. Today their spectral properties and therefore their interaction with UV radiation are only poorly known. Improving the radiative transfer modeling requires a better knowledge of their characteristics, in particular of their phase function, single scattering albedo and opacity. We will show that such information can be accessed by using EPF observations.

Defined UV protection by apparel textiles.

PubMed

Hoffmann, K; Laperre, J; Avermaete, A; Altmeyer, P; Gambichler, T

2001-08-01

This article was written to update information on test methods and standards for determining the UV protection of apparel textiles and on factors affecting UV protective properties of fabrics, from dermatological and textile technological viewpoints. Articles from dermatological and textile technological journals published from 1990 to 2001 were identified from MEDLINE, Excerpta Medica/EMBASE, World Textiles, and Textile Technology Digest. Peer-reviewed dermatological articles, textile technological research articles, and normative publications were selected. Independent data extraction was performed by several observers. Spectrophotometry is the preferred method for determining UV protection factor of textile materials. Various textile qualities affect the UV protection factor of a finished garment; important elements are the fabric porosity, type, color, weight, and thickness. The application of UV absorbers in the yarns significantly improves the UV protection factor of a garment. With wear and use, several factors can alter the UV protective properties of a textile, including stretch, wetness, and degradation due to laundering. Standards in the field exist in Australia and Great Britain, and organizations such as the European Standardization Commission in Europe and the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists and the American Society for Testing and Materials in the United States are also establishing standards for the determination and labeling of sun protective clothing. Various textile qualities and conditions of wear and use affect UV protective properties of apparel textiles. The use of UV blocking fabrics can provide excellent protection against the hazards of sunlight; this is especially true for garments manufactured as UV protective clothing.

Facile synthesis of Ag/ZnO heterostructures assisted by UV irradiation: Highly photocatalytic property and enhanced photostability

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yang, Zhongmei, E-mail: kalimodor@163.com; Zhang, Ping; Ding, Yanhuai

2011-10-15

Highlights: {yields} Fabrication of Ag/ZnO heterostructure between the two incompatible phases is realized under UV irradiation in the absence of surfactant. {yields} The synthetic method is facile, low cost, and low carbon, which depends on the photogenerated electrons produced by ZnO under UV light. {yields} Photocatalytic property of the as-synthesized samples is 3.0 times as good as the pure ZnO synthesized under the same condition or the commercial TiO{sub 2} (Degussa, P-25). {yields} The heterostructures exhibit good durability without significant change in the activity even after the third cycle compared to the pure ZnO. -- Abstract: We report a newmore » method to synthesize Ag/ZnO heterostructures assisted by UV irradiation. The formation of Ag/ZnO heterostructures depends on photogenerated electrons produced by ZnO under UV light to reduce high valence silver. Functional property of the Ag/ZnO heterostructures is evaluated by photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) under UV illumination. Results of photodegradation tests reveal that the optimal photocatalytic activity of as-syntheszied samples is about 1.5 times higher than the pure ZnO synthesized in the same condition or commercial TiO{sub 2} (P-25), showing the advantage of the unique structure in the Ag/ZnO heterostructure. Besides, due to the reduced activation of surface oxygen atom, photocatalytic activity of the photocatalysts has no evident decrease even after three recycles.« less

LED-based UV source for monitoring spectroradiometer properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sildoja, Meelis-Mait; Nevas, Saulius; Kouremeti, Natalia; Gröbner, Julian; Pape, Sven; Pendsa, Stefan; Sperfeld, Peter; Kemus, Fabian

2018-06-01

A compact and stable UV monitoring source based on state-of-the-art commercially available ultraviolet light emitting diodes (UV-LEDs) has been developed. It is designed to trace the radiometric stability—both responsivity and wavelength scale—of array spectroradiometers measuring direct solar irradiance in the wavelength range between 300 nm and 400 nm. The spectral irradiance stability of the UV-LED-based light source observed in the laboratory after seasoning (burning-in) the individual LEDs was better than 0.3% over a 12 h period of continuous operation. The integral irradiance measurements of the source over a period of several months, where the UV-LED source was not operated continuously between the measurements, showed stability within 0.3%. In-field measurements of the source with an array spectroradiometer indicated the stability of the source to be within the standard uncertainty of the spectroradiometer calibration, which was within 1% to 2%.

Cytoprotective effect against UV-induced DNA damage and oxidative stress: role of new biological UV filter.

PubMed

Said, T; Dutot, M; Martin, C; Beaudeux, J-L; Boucher, C; Enee, E; Baudouin, C; Warnet, J-M; Rat, P

2007-03-01

The majority of chemical solar filters are cytotoxic, particularly on sensitive ocular cells (corneal and conjunctival cells). Consequently, a non-cytotoxic UV filter would be interesting in dermatology, but more especially in ophthalmology. In fact, light damage to the eye can be avoided thanks to a very efficient ocular antioxidant system; indeed, the chromophores absorb light and dissipate its energy. After middle age, a decrease in the production of antioxidants and antioxidative enzymes appears with accumulation of endogenous molecules that are phototoxic. UV radiations can induce reactive oxygen species formation, leading to various ocular diseases. Because most UV filters are cytotoxic for the eye, we investigated the anti-UV properties of Calophyllum inophyllum oil in order to propose it as a potential vehicle, free of toxicity, with a natural UV filter action in ophthalmic formulation. Calophyllum inophyllum oil, even at low concentration (1/10,000, v/v), exhibited significant UV absorption properties (maximum at 300nm) and was associated with an important sun protection factor (18-22). Oil concentrations up to 1% were not cytotoxic on human conjunctival epithelial cells, and Calophyllum inophyllum oil appeared to act as a cytoprotective agent against oxidative stress and DNA damage (85% of the DNA damage induced by UV radiations were inhibited with 1% Calophyllum oil) and did not induce in vivo ocular irritation (Draize test on New Zealand rabbits). Calophyllum inophyllum oil thus exhibited antioxidant and cytoprotective properties, and therefore might serve, for the first time, as a natural UV filter in ophthalmic preparations.

Photo and biocatalytic activities along with UV protection properties on polyester fabric through green in-situ synthesis of cauliflower-like CuO nanoparticles.

PubMed

Rezaie, Ali Bashiri; Montazer, Majid; Rad, Mahnaz Mahmoudi

2017-11-01

In this paper, a facile environmentally friendly method is introduced for in-situ synthesis and fabrication of cauliflower-like CuO nanoparticles on the polyester fabric to produce photo and biocatalytic activities with UV protection properties on polyester fabric. The ash of burnt leaves and stems of Seidlitzia rosmarinus plant called Keliab was used as a natural and nontoxic alkaline source for simultaneous synthesis of CuO nanoparticles and surface modification of polyester without using any other compounds. The images of field-emission scanning electron microscopy, patterns of energy-dispersive spectroscopy, UV-visible spectrum and X-ray diffraction confirmed successful synthesis and loading of CuO nanoparticles on the polyester fabric. The treated fabrics showed very good antibacterial activities toward two pathogen bacteria including Staphylococcus aureus as a Gram-positive and Escherichia coli as a Gram-negative bacteria with no adverse effects on human dermal fibroblasts based on MTT test. The treated fabrics confirmed significant photocatalytic activity for degradation of methylene blue under sunlight, self-cleaning properties under UV light and also UV protection properties. Further a colorant effect along with an improvement in the wettability and mechanical properties of the treated fabrics were indicated. Overall, this method can be applied as a clean route for producing photo and bio active textiles protecting against UV irradiation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

FUV Emission from AGB Stars: Modeling Accretion Activity Associated with a Binary Companion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stevens, Alyx Catherine; Sahai, Raghvendra

2012-01-01

It is widely believed that the late stages of evolution for Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars are influenced by the presence of binary companions. Unfortunately, there is a lack of direct observational evidence of binarity. However, more recently, strong indirect evidence comes from the discovery of UV emission in a subsample of these objects (fuvAGB stars). AGB stars are comparatively cool objects (< or =3000 K), thus their fluxes falls off drastically for wavelengths 3000 Angstroms and shorter. Therefore, ultraviolet observations offer an important, new technique for detecting the binary companions and/or associated accretion activity. We develop new models of UV emission from fuvAGB stars constrained by GALEX photometry and spectroscopy of these objects. We compare the GALEX UV grism spectra of the AGB M7 star EY Hya to predictions using the spectral synthesis code Cloudy, specifically investigating the ultraviolet wavelength range (1344-2831 Angstroms). We investigate models composed of contributions from a photoionized "hot spot" due to accretion activity around the companion, and "chromospheric" emission from collisionally ionized plasma, to fit the UV observations.

Effects of Regolith Properties on UV/VIS Spectra and Implications for Lunar Remote Sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coman, Ecaterina Oana

Lunar regolith chemistry, mineralogy, various maturation factors, and grain size dominate the reflectance of the lunar surface at ultraviolet (UV) to visible (VIS) wavelengths. These regolith properties leave unique fingerprints on reflectance spectra in the form of varied spectral shapes, reflectance intensity values, and absorption bands. With the addition of returned lunar soils from the Apollo and Luna missions as ground truth, these spectral fingerprints can be used to derive maps of global lunar chemistry or mineralogy to analyze the range of basalt types on the Moon, their spatial distribution, and source regions for clues to lunar formation history and evolution. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) Wide Angle Camera (WAC) is the first lunar imager to detect bands at UV wavelengths (321 and 360 nm) in addition to visible bands (415, 566, 604, 643, and 689 nm). This dissertation uses a combination of laboratory and remote sensing studies to examine the relation between TiO2 concentration and WAC UV/VIS spectral ratios and to test the effects of variations in lunar chemistry, mineralogy, and soil maturity on ultraviolet and visible wavelength reflectance. Chapter 1 presents an introduction to the dissertation that includes some background in lunar mineralogy and remote sensing. Chapter 2 covers coordinated analyses of returned lunar soils using UV-VIS spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and micro X-ray fluorescence. Chapter 3 contains comparisons of local and global remote sensing observations of the Moon using LROC WAC and Clementine UVVIS TiO2 detection algorithms and Lunar Prospector (LP) Gamma Ray Spectrometer (GRS)-derived FeO and TiO2 concentrations. While the data shows effects from maturity and FeO on the UV/VIS detection algorithm, a UV/VIS relationship remains a simple yet accurate method for TiO2 detection on the Moon.

Effect of plasma pretreatment on adhesion and mechanical properties of UV-curable coatings on plastics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gururaj, T.; Subasri, R.; Raju, K. R. C. Soma; Padmanabham, G.

2011-02-01

An attempt was made to study the effect of plasma surface activation on the adhesion of UV-curable sol-gel coatings on polycarbonate (PC) and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) substrates. The sol was synthesized by the hydrolysis and condensation of a UV-curable silane in combination with Zr-n-propoxide. Coatings deposited by dip coating were cured using UV-radiation followed by thermal curing between 80 °C and 130 °C. The effect of plasma surface treatment on the wettability of the polymer surface prior to coating deposition was followed up by measuring the water contact angle. The water contact angle on the surface of as-cleaned substrates was 80° ± 2° and that after plasma treatment was 43° ± 1° and 50° ± 2° for PC and PMMA respectively. Adhesion as well as mechanical properties like scratch resistance and taber abrasion resistance were evaluated for coatings deposited over plasma treated and untreated surfaces.

The UV and X-ray activity of the M dwarfs within 10 pc of the Sun

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stelzer, B.; Marino, A.; Micela, G.; López-Santiago, J.; Liefke, C.

2013-05-01

M dwarfs are the most numerous stars in the Galaxy. They are characterized by strong magnetic activity. The ensuing high-energy emission is crucial for the evolution of their planets and the eventual presence of life on them. We systematically study the X-ray and ultraviolet emission of a subsample of M dwarfs from a recent proper-motion survey, selecting all M dwarfs within 10 pc to obtain a nearly volume-limited sample (˜90 per cent completeness). Archival ROSAT, XMM-Newton and GALEX data are combined with published spectroscopic studies of Hα emission and rotation to obtain a broad picture of stellar activity on M dwarfs. We make use of synthetic model spectra to determine the relative contributions of photospheric and chromospheric emission to the ultraviolet flux. We also analyse the same diagnostics for a comparison sample of young M dwarfs in the TW Hya association (˜10 Myr). We find that generally the emission in the GALEX bands is dominated by the chromosphere but the photospheric component is not negligible in early-M field dwarfs. The surface fluxes for the Hα, near-ultraviolet, far-ultraviolet and X-ray emission are connected via a power-law dependence. We present here for the first time such flux-flux relations involving broad-band ultraviolet emission for M dwarfs. Activity indices are defined as flux ratio between the activity diagnostic and the bolometric flux of the star in analogy to the Ca IIR'HK index. For given spectral type, these indices display a spread of 2-3 dex which is largest for M4 stars. Strikingly, at mid-M spectral types, the spread of rotation rates is also at its highest level. The mean activity index for fast rotators, likely representing the saturation level, decreases from X-rays over the FUV to the NUV band and Hα, i.e. the fractional radiation output increases with atmospheric height. The comparison to the ultraviolet and X-ray properties of TW Hya members shows a drop of nearly three orders of magnitude for the

An Ultraviolet Investigation of Activity on Exoplanet Host Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shkolnik, Evgenya L.

2013-03-01

Using the far-UV (FUV) and near-UV (NUV) photometry from the NASA Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX), we searched for evidence of increased stellar activity due to tidal and/or magnetic star-planet interactions (SPI) in the 272 known FGK planetary hosts observed by GALEX. With the increased sensitivity of GALEX, we are able probe systems with lower activity levels and at larger distances than what has been done to date with X-ray satellites. We compared samples of stars with close-in planets (a < 0.1 AU) to those with far-out planets (a > 0.5 AU) and looked for correlations of excess activity with other system parameters. This statistical investigation found no clear correlations with a, Mp , or Mp /a, in contrast to some X-ray and Ca II studies. However, there is tentative evidence (at a level of 1.8σ) that stars with radial-velocity-(RV)-detected close-in planets are more FUV-active than stars with far-out planets, in agreement with several published X-ray and Ca II results. The case is strengthened to a level of significance to 2.3σ when transit-detected close-in planets are included. This is most likely because the RV-selected sample of stars is significantly less active than the field population of comparable stars, while the transit-selected sample is similarly active. Given the factor of 2-3 scatter in fractional FUV luminosity for a given stellar effective temperature, it is necessary to conduct a time-resolved study of the planet hosts in order to better characterize their UV variability and generate a firmer statistical result. Based on observations made with the NASA Galaxy Evolution Explorer. GALEX is operated for NASA by the California Institute of Technology under NASA contract NAS5-98034.

Improvement of polyphenol properties upon glucosylation in a UV-induced skin cell ageing model.

PubMed

Nadim, M; Auriol, D; Lamerant-FayeL, N; Lefèvre, F; Dubanet, L; Redziniak, G; Kieda, C; Grillon, C

2014-12-01

Polyphenols are strong antioxidant molecules allowing prevention of skin photo-ageing damages, but their use is limited due to low solubility and toxicity towards skin cells. We postulated that enzymatic glucosylation could improve their solubility, stability and, consequently, their efficacy. The aim of this work was to study changes induced by addition of a glucose moiety on two polyphenols displaying very different chemical structures [caffeic acid (CA), epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and there glucosylated form, Glc-CA and Glc-EGCG] by assessing their cytotoxic properties and their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Their antioxidant effect was assessed first by the classical DPPH radical-scavenging method. Then, a panel of human skin cells (keratinocytes, melanocytes, fibroblasts and endothelial cells) was used to evaluate their effect on cell toxicity and their antioxidant activities. With this aim, a photo-ageing model based on UV irradiation of skin cells was established. Molecule activity was assessed on reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, on superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase activities and, finally, on inflammatory factor production IL-6, IL-8 and IL-1β. In an acellular model, antioxidant activity assessed by DPPH method was strongly reduced for Glc-CA compared to CA, whereas it remained the same for Glc-EGCG compared to EGCG. Glucosylated derivatives did not display more toxic effect on various skin cells. Moreover, toxicity was even strongly reduced for caffeic acid upon glucosylation. The efficacy of glucosyl-compounds against UV-induced ROS production was preserved, both with pre- and post-UV treatments. Particularly, a better antioxidant efficacy was shown by Glc-EGCG, vs. EGCG, on keratinocytes. In addition, an induction of SOD and catalase activity was clearly observed for Glc-CA. Both glucosyl-polyphenols display the same activity as their parent molecule in decreasing inflammatory factor production. Our results

Mid-UV studies of the transitional millisecond pulsars XSS J12270-4859 and PSR J1023+0038 during their radio pulsar states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rivera Sandoval, L. E.; Hernández Santisteban, J. V.; Degenaar, N.; Wijnands, R.; Knigge, C.; Miller, J. M.; Reynolds, M.; Altamirano, D.; van den Berg, M.; Hill, A.

2018-05-01

We report mid-UV (MUV) observations taken with Hubble Space Telescope (HST)/WFC3, Swift/UVOT, and GALEX/NUV of the transitional millisecond pulsars XSS J12270-4859 and PSR J1023+0038 during their radio pulsar states. Both systems were detected in our images and showed MUV variability. At similar orbital phases, the MUV luminosities of both pulsars are comparable. This suggests that the emission processes involved in both objects are similar. We estimated limits on the mass ratio, companion's temperature, inclination, and distance to XSS J12270-4859 by using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm to fit published folded optical light curves. Using the resulting parameters, we modelled MUV light curves in our HST filters. The resulting models failed to fit our MUV observations. Fixing the mass ratio of XSS J12270-4859 to the value reported in other studies, we obtained a distance of ˜3.2 kpc. This is larger than the one derived from dispersion measure (˜1.4 kpc). Assuming a uniform prior for the mass ratio, the distance is similar to that from radio measurements. However, it requires an undermassive companion (˜0.01M⊙). We conclude that a direct heating model alone cannot fully explain the observations in optical and MUV. Therefore, an additional radiation source is needed. The source could be an intrabinary shock which contributes to the MUV flux and likely to the optical one as well. During the radio pulsar state, the MUV orbital variations of PSR J1023+0038 detected with GALEX, suggest the presence of an asymmetric intrabinary shock.

Maleate/vinyl ether UV-cured coatings: Effects of composition on curing and properties

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Noren, G.K.

1996-10-01

The effect of the composition of the maleate polyester and the vinyl ether terminated compound on their UV-curing and properties has been investigated. Linear unsaturated polyester resins based on maleic anhydride and 1,5-pentane diol were synthesized. The molecular weight of the unsaturated polyesters was varied by changing the ratio of maleic anhydride to 1,5-pentane diol and the double bond equivalent weight was varied by replacing maleic anhydride with succinic anhydride. Coating formulations containing these unsaturated polyesters, triethylene glycol divinyl ether and a free radical photoinitiator were crosslinked in the presence of UV light. The coatings were very brittle, exhibiting tensilemore » strengths in the range of 1.5-4.0 MPa and elongations of only 3-7%. Diethyl maleate and isobutyl vinyl ether were effective diluents for reducing viscosity but reduced the cure speed. A vinyl ether urethane oligomer was synthesized and enhanced the flexibility and toughness of the coatings when substituted for triethylene glycol divinyl ether.« less

Fabrication of ZnO Thin Films by Sol-Gel Spin Coating and Their UV and White-Light Emission Properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Mirgender; Dubey, Sarvesh; Rajendar, Vanga; Park, Si-Hyun

2017-10-01

ZnO thin films have been fabricated by the sol-gel spin-coating technique and annealed under different conditions, and their ultraviolet (UV) and white-light emission properties investigated. Different ambient conditions including oxygen, nitrogen, zinc-rich nitrogen, and vacuum were used to tune the main properties of the ZnO thin films. The resistivity varied from the conductive to semi-insulating regime, and the luminescence emission from fairly intense UV to polychromatic. The emission intensity was also found to be a function of the annealing conditions. Possible routes to compensate the loss of emission characteristics are discussed. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis was carried out to detect the chemical states of the zinc/oxygen species. The changes in the electrical and emission properties are explained based on annihilation/formation of inherent donor/acceptor-type defects. Such ZnO thin films could have potential applications in solid-state lighting.

UV Radiation and the Skin

PubMed Central

D’Orazio, John; Jarrett, Stuart; Amaro-Ortiz, Alexandra; Scott, Timothy

2013-01-01

UV radiation (UV) is classified as a “complete carcinogen” because it is both a mutagen and a non-specific damaging agent and has properties of both a tumor initiator and a tumor promoter. In environmental abundance, UV is the most important modifiable risk factor for skin cancer and many other environmentally-influenced skin disorders. However, UV also benefits human health by mediating natural synthesis of vitamin D and endorphins in the skin, therefore UV has complex and mixed effects on human health. Nonetheless, excessive exposure to UV carries profound health risks, including atrophy, pigmentary changes, wrinkling and malignancy. UV is epidemiologically and molecularly linked to the three most common types of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma, which together affect more than a million Americans annually. Genetic factors also influence risk of UV-mediated skin disease. Polymorphisms of the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) gene, in particular, correlate with fairness of skin, UV sensitivity, and enhanced cancer risk. We are interested in developing UV-protective approaches based on a detailed understanding of molecular events that occur after UV exposure, focusing particularly on epidermal melanization and the role of the MC1R in genome maintenance. PMID:23749111

UV radiation and the skin.

PubMed

D'Orazio, John; Jarrett, Stuart; Amaro-Ortiz, Alexandra; Scott, Timothy

2013-06-07

UV radiation (UV) is classified as a "complete carcinogen" because it is both a mutagen and a non-specific damaging agent and has properties of both a tumor initiator and a tumor promoter. In environmental abundance, UV is the most important modifiable risk factor for skin cancer and many other environmentally-influenced skin disorders. However, UV also benefits human health by mediating natural synthesis of vitamin D and endorphins in the skin, therefore UV has complex and mixed effects on human health. Nonetheless, excessive exposure to UV carries profound health risks, including atrophy, pigmentary changes, wrinkling and malignancy. UV is epidemiologically and molecularly linked to the three most common types of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma, which together affect more than a million Americans annually. Genetic factors also influence risk of UV-mediated skin disease. Polymorphisms of the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) gene, in particular, correlate with fairness of skin, UV sensitivity, and enhanced cancer risk. We are interested in developing UV-protective approaches based on a detailed understanding of molecular events that occur after UV exposure, focusing particularly on epidermal melanization and the role of the MC1R in genome maintenance.

Effects of rutin on the physicochemical properties of skin fibroblasts membrane disruption following UV radiation.

PubMed

Dobrzyńska, Izabela; Gęgotek, Agnieszka; Gajko, Ewelina; Skrzydlewska, Elżbieta; Figaszewski, Zbigniew A

2018-02-25

Human skin provides the body's first line of defense against physical and environmental assaults. This study sought to determine how rutin affects the membrane electrical properties, sialic acid content, and lipid peroxidation levels of fibroblast membranes after disruption by ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Changes in cell function may affect the basal electrical surface properties of cell membranes, and changes can be detected by electrokinetic measurements. The charge density of the fibroblast membrane surface was measured as a function of pH. A four-component equilibrium model was used to describe the interaction between ions in solution and ions on the membrane surface. Agreement was found between experimental and theoretical charge variation curves of fibroblast cells between pH 2.5 and 8. Sialic acid content was determined by Svennerholm's resorcinol method, and lipid peroxidation was estimated by measuring the malondialdehyde level. Compared to untreated cells, ultraviolet A (UVA)- or ultraviolet B (UVB)-treated skin cell membranes exhibited higher concentrations of acidic functional groups and higher average association constants with hydroxyl ions, but lower average association constants with hydrogen ions. Moreover, our results showed that UVA and UVB radiation is associated with increased levels of sialic acid and lipid peroxidation products in fibroblasts. Rutin protected cells from some deleterious UV-associated membrane changes, including changes in electrical properties, oxidative state, and biological functions. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Stellar Activity in the Broadband Ultraviolet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Findeisen, K.; Hillenbrand, L.; Soderblom, D.

2011-07-01

The completion of the GALEX All-Sky Survey in the ultraviolet allows activity measurements to be acquired for many more stars than is possible with the limited sensitivity of ROSAT or the limited sky coverage of Chandra, XMM, or spectroscopic surveys for line emission in the optical or ultraviolet. We have explored the use of GALEX photometry as an activity indicator, using stars within 50 pc as a calibration sample representing the field and in selected nearby associations representing the youngest stages of stellar evolution. We present preliminary relations between UV flux and the optical activity indicator R'HK and between UV flux and age. We demonstrate that far-UV (FUV, 1350-1780 Å) excess flux is roughly proportional to R'HK. We also detect a correlation between near-UV (NUV, 1780-2830 Å) flux and activity or age, but the effect is much more subtle, particularly for stars older than ~0.5-1 Gyr. Both the FUV and NUV relations show large scatter, ~0.2 mag when predicting UV flux, ~0.18 dex when predicting R'HK, and ~0.4 dex when predicting age. This scatter appears to be evenly split between observational errors in current state-of-the-art data and long-term activity variability in the sample stars.

Mapping UV properties throughout the Cosmic Horseshoe: lessons from VLT-MUSE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

James, Bethan L.; Auger, Matt; Pettini, Max; Stark, Daniel P.; Belokurov, V.; Carniani, Stefano

2018-05-01

We present the first spatially resolved rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) study of the gravitationally lensed galaxy, the `Cosmic Horseshoe' (J1148+1930) at z = 2.38. Our gravitational lens model shows that the system is made up of four star-forming regions, each ˜4-8 kpc2 in size, from which we extract four spatially exclusive regional spectra. We study the interstellar and wind absorption lines, along with C III] doublet emission lines, in each region to investigate any variation in emission/absorption line properties. The mapped C III] emission shows distinct kinematical structure, with velocity offsets of ˜±50 km s-1 between regions suggestive of a merging system, and a variation in equivalent width that indicates a change in ionization parameter and/or metallicity between the regions. Absorption line velocities reveal a range of outflow strengths, with gas outflowing in the range -200 ≲ v (km s-1) ≲ -50 relative to the systemic velocity of that region. Interestingly, the strongest gas outflow appears to emanate from the most diffuse star-forming region. The star formation rates remain relatively constant (˜8-16 M⊙ yr-1), mostly due to large uncertainties in reddening estimates. As such, the outflows appear to be `global' rather than `locally' sourced. We measure electron densities with a range of log (Ne) = 3.92-4.36 cm-3, and point out that such high densities may be common when measured using the C III] doublet due to its large critical density. Overall, our observations demonstrate that while it is possible to trace variations in large-scale gas kinematics, detecting inhomogeneities in physical gas properties and their effects on the outflowing gas may be more difficult. This study provides important lessons for the spatially resolved rest-frame UV studies expected with future observatories, such as James Webb Space Telescope.

In-Vitro Analysis of the Effect of Constructional Parameters and Dye Class on the UV Protection Property of Cotton Knitted Fabrics.

PubMed

Kan, Chi-Wai; Au, Chui-Ha

2015-01-01

Cotton knitted fabrics were manufactured with different yarn types (conventional ring spun yarn and torque-free ring spun yarn) with different fibre types (combed cotton and combed Supima cotton) and yarn fineness (Ne30 and Ne40). These fabrics were then dyed with three types of dye (reactive, direct and sulphur dye) with three dye concentrations (0.1%, 1.0% and 5.0% on-weight of fabric (owf)) in three colours (red, yellow and blue). This study examined the impact of constructional parameters and dyeing on ultraviolet (UV) protection properties of cotton knitted fabric. In-vitro test with spectrophotometer was used for evaluating the UV protection property of dyed cotton knitted fabrics. Among the six parameters investigated, fineness of yarn and dye concentration were the most significant factors affecting UPF while the color effect is the least significant. Experimental results revealed that the UPF value of dyed fabrics made from combed cotton is generally higher than the combed Supima cotton since combed cotton is composed of shorter fibres which facilitate the blocking or absorption of UV radiation. Second, fabrics made with twist yarn (i.e. ring spun yarn) have higher UPF value than the corresponding ESTex one (i.e. torque-free yarn) in general since fabrics made with ring spun yarn tend to shrink during wet processing and so it is more compact. Third, the UPF value of fabrics made with 30Ne yarn was higher than the 40Ne one since it is thicker and has lower fabric porosity. Fourth, fabrics dyed with lower concentration of dye gave the lowest UPF. Fifth, the sulphur dyed samples performed worse than the reactive and direct dyed samples in terms of UV protection property. Sixth, there is no significant difference in UPF for red, yellow and blue coloured fabrics. Seventh, this study also demonstrated that lightness of fabric is negatively related to UV protection property.

In-Vitro Analysis of the Effect of Constructional Parameters and Dye Class on the UV Protection Property of Cotton Knitted Fabrics

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Cotton knitted fabrics were manufactured with different yarn types (conventional ring spun yarn and torque-free ring spun yarn) with different fibre types (combed cotton and combed Supima cotton) and yarn fineness (Ne30 and Ne40). These fabrics were then dyed with three types of dye (reactive, direct and sulphur dye) with three dye concentrations (0.1%, 1.0% and 5.0% on-weight of fabric (owf)) in three colours (red, yellow and blue). This study examined the impact of constructional parameters and dyeing on ultraviolet (UV) protection properties of cotton knitted fabric. In-vitro test with spectrophotometer was used for evaluating the UV protection property of dyed cotton knitted fabrics. Among the six parameters investigated, fineness of yarn and dye concentration were the most significant factors affecting UPF while the color effect is the least significant. Experimental results revealed that the UPF value of dyed fabrics made from combed cotton is generally higher than the combed Supima cotton since combed cotton is composed of shorter fibres which facilitate the blocking or absorption of UV radiation. Second, fabrics made with twist yarn (i.e. ring spun yarn) have higher UPF value than the corresponding ESTex one (i.e. torque-free yarn) in general since fabrics made with ring spun yarn tend to shrink during wet processing and so it is more compact. Third, the UPF value of fabrics made with 30Ne yarn was higher than the 40Ne one since it is thicker and has lower fabric porosity. Fourth, fabrics dyed with lower concentration of dye gave the lowest UPF. Fifth, the sulphur dyed samples performed worse than the reactive and direct dyed samples in terms of UV protection property. Sixth, there is no significant difference in UPF for red, yellow and blue coloured fabrics. Seventh, this study also demonstrated that lightness of fabric is negatively related to UV protection property. PMID:26222792

On the Interpretation of the Influence of Substituents on the UV-Spectroscopic Properties of Benzimidazole and Indazole Derivatives (In German)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fabian, Walter

1983-12-01

On the interpretation of the influence of substituents on the UV-spectroscopic properties of benzimidazole and indazole derivatives. The UV spectra of a series of substituted benzimidazoles and indazoles were calculated by means of semiempirical quantum chemical methods (PPP, CNDO/S-CI). The results of the PPP calculations were subjected to a configuration analysis. Using this method, the influence of the nature and position of substituents on the absorption characteristics could be rationalized.

Fiber optic systems in the UV region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huebner, Michael; Meyer, H.; Klein, Karl-Friedrich; Hillrichs, G.; Ruetting, Martin; Veidemanis, M.; Spangenberg, Bernd; Clarkin, James P.; Nelson, Gary W.

2000-05-01

Mainly due to the unexpected progress in manufacturing of solarization-reduced all-silica fibers, new fiber-optic applications in the UV-region are feasible. However, the other components like the UV-sources and the detector- systems have to be improved, too. Especially, the miniaturization is very important fitting to the small-sized fiber-optic assemblies leading to compact and mobile UV- analytical systems. Based on independent improvements in the preform and fiber processing, UV-improved fibers with different properties have been developed. The best UV-fiber for the prosed applications is selectable by its short and long-term spectral behavior, especially in the region from 190 to 350 nm. The spectrum of the UV-source and the power density in the fiber have an influence on the nonlinear transmission and the damaging level; however, hydrogen can reduce the UV-defect concentration. After determining the diffusion processes in the fiber, the UV-lifetime in commercially available all-silica fibers can be predicted. Newest results with light from deuterium-lamps, excimer- lasers and 5th harmonics of Nd:YAG laser will be shown. Many activities are in the field of UV-sources. In addition to new UV-lasers like the Nd:YAG laser at 213 nm, a new low- power deuterium-lamp with smaller dimensions has been introduced last year. Properties of this lamp will be discussed, taking into account some of the application requirements. Finally, some new applications with UV-fiber optics will be shown; especially the TLC-method can be improved significantly, combining a 2-row fiber-array with a diode-array spectrometer optimized for fiber-optics.

Altered UV absorbance and cytotoxicity of chlorinated sunscreen agents.

PubMed

Sherwood, Vaughn F; Kennedy, Steven; Zhang, Hualin; Purser, Gordon H; Sheaff, Robert J

2012-12-01

Sunscreens are widely utilized due to the adverse effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on human health. The safety of their active ingredients as well as that of any modified versions generated during use is thus of concern. Chlorine is used as a chemical disinfectant in swimming pools. Its reactivity suggests sunscreen components might be chlorinated, altering their absorptive and/or cytotoxic properties. To test this hypothesis, the UV-filters oxybenzone, dioxybenzone, and sulisobenzone were reacted with chlorinating agents and their UV spectra analyzed. In all cases, a decrease in UV absorbance was observed. Given that chlorinated compounds can be cytotoxic, the effect of modified UV-filters on cell viability was examined. Chlorinated oxybenzone and dioxybenzone caused significantly more cell death than unchlorinated controls. In contrast, chlorination of sulisobenzone actually reduced cytotoxicity of the parent compound. Exposing a commercially available sunscreen product to chlorine also resulted in decreased UV absorbance, loss of UV protection, and enhanced cytotoxicity. These observations show chlorination of sunscreen active ingredients can dramatically decrease UV absorption and generate derivatives with altered biological properties.

How Extreme is TRAPPIST-1? A look into the planetary system’s extreme-UV radiation environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peacock, Sarah; Barman, Travis; Shkolnik, Evgenya L.

2018-01-01

The ultracool dwarf star TRAPPIST-1 hosts three earth-sized planets at orbital distances where water has the potential to exist in liquid form on the planets’ surface. Close-in exoplanets, such as these, become vulnerable to water loss as stellar XUV radiation heats and expands their upper atmospheres. Currently, little is known about the high-energy radiation environment around TRAPPIST-1. Recent efforts to quantify the XUV radiation rely on empirical relationships based on X-ray or Lyman alpha line observations and yield very different results. The scaling relations used between the X-ray and EUV emission result in high-energy irradiation of the planets 10-1000x greater than present day Earth, stripping atmospheres and oceans in 1 Gyr, while EUV estimated from Lyman alpha flux is much lower. Here we present upper-atmosphere PHOENIX models representing the minimum and maximum potential EUV stellar flux from TRAPPIST-1. We use GALEX FUV and NUV photometry for similar aged M stars to determine the UV flux extrema in an effort to better constrain the high-energy radiation environment around TRAPPIST-1.

The Helix Nebula: Unraveling at the Seams

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-10-03

This image from NASA Spitzer and GALEX shows the Helix nebula, a dying star throwing a cosmic tantrum. In death, the star dusty outer layers are unraveling into space, glowing from the intense UV radiation being pumped out by the hot stellar core.

Effects of heat treatments and UV exposures on mechanical properties of 3D printed acrylonitrile butadiene styrene specimens

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hughes, Shawn M.; Alamir, Mohammed; Neas, Brian; Alzahrani, Naif; Asmatulu, Ramazan

2017-04-01

Over the last few years, tremendous amount of research efforts has been conducted on 3D printing materials, methods and systems. Various 3D printer materials in different size, shape and geometry can be used for advanced designs, modeling, and manufacturing for different industrial applications. In the present study, dog bone shape specimen was designed via a CATIA CAD model, and then printed by a 3D printer using a polymeric filament (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene - ABS). Some of the prepared samples were heat treated at 40 °C, 60 °C, and 80 °C for 30 minutes, while the others were exposed to the UV light in a chamber for 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 days. The surface and mechanical properties of the conditioned samples were determined using water contact angle and tensile test units, respectively. The test results indicated that the heat treatment process increased the mechanical properties; however, the UV exposure tests significantly reduced the water contact angle and properties of the samples. During these studies, undergraduate engineering students were involved in the tests, and gained a lot of hands-on research experiences.

UV-luminescent MgZnO semiconductor alloys: nanostructure and optical properties

DOE PAGES

Thapa, Dinesh; Huso, Jesse; Miklos, Kevin; ...

2016-10-24

MgZnO is emerging as a vital semiconductor-alloy system with desirable optical properties that can span a large range of the UV spectrum. Due to its benign chemical character, MgZnO is considered to be an environmentally friendly material. This paper presents studies on annealing as a useful and straightforward approach for the enhancement of the optical and crystal quality of Mg 0.17Zn 0.83O nanocrystalline films grown via DC sputtering. The alloys were studied via several imaging and optical techniques. It was found that high-temperature annealing, ~900 °C, in Argon atmosphere, significantly improves the solubility of the alloy. This temperature range ismore » consistent with the thermal diffusion temperature of Mg needed for the creation of a soluble alloy. Moreover, the annealing process was found to minimize the undesirable visible luminescence, attributed to Mg and Zn interstitials, while significantly enhancing the bandgap sharpness and the efficiency of the UV-luminescence at ~3.5 eV. The analysis indicated that these optical attributes were achieved due to the combined effects of good solubility, an improved morphology, and a reduction of native defects. The annealing was also proven to be beneficial for the reduction of the compressive stress in the alloy: a relaxation ~1.8 GPa was calculated via Raman scattering. The inherent stress was inferred to originate mainly from the granular morphology of the alloys.« less

Color tuning of photonic gel films by UV irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shin, Sung Eui; Kim, Su Young; Shin, Dong Myung

2010-02-01

Block copolymers have drawn increasing attention for fabricating functional nanomaterials due to their properties of self-assembly. In particular, photonic crystals hold promise for multiple optical applications. We prepared 1D photonic crystals with polystyrene-b-poly(2-vinyl pyridine) (PS-b-P2VP) lamellar films which is hydrophobic block-hydrophilic polyelectrolyte block polymer of 57 kg /mol-b-57 kg/mol. The lamellar stacks, which are alternating layers of hydrophilic and hydrophobic moiety of PS-b-P2VP, are obtained by exposing the spin coated film under chloroform vapor. The band gaps of the lamellar films interestingly varied after immersion into the quaternizing solvents containing 5wt% of iodomethane solubilized in n-hexane. We demonstrate about the influence of UV light on those photonic gel films. To study of different properties of films, UV-visible absorption spectra were measured as a different UV irradiation time at swollen films with distilled water. The UV-visible maximum absorption spectra shifted by UV irradiation time. Dependent on the time of UV irradiations, we can change the photonic band gap.

Effect of surface treatments on physicomechanical, stain-resist, and UV protection properties of wool fabrics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassan, Mohammad M.; Leighs, Samuel J.

2017-10-01

The surface of wool fabrics is frequently modified to make them shrink-resistant, water repellent and also to improve their handle properties. In this work, we investigated the effect of common surface modification treatments on fabric stain-resistance, hydrophilicity and UV absorption performance. The surface of wool fabrics was modified by chlorination and also by reacting the chlorinated wool fabrics with a polyamide, a fibre-reactive amino-functional siloxane and a fluorocarbon polymer. The surface of the various treated fabrics was characterised by ATR-FTIR, contact angle measurement and scanning electron microscopy. The effect of surface modification on the tensile strength, surface hydrophilicity, stain-resistance, and UV absorption capacity of the fabric was investigated. It was found that all the treatments except the treatment with the amino-functional siloxane polymer slightly improved the tensile strength of the fabric. The chlorination treatment and the treatment with the polyamide resin made the fabric hydrophilic, and fluorocarbon and silicone resin treatment made the fabric hydrophobic.

Analysis of satellite data to deduce stratospheric constituents and UV spectroscopic properties of the atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcpeters, Richard D.

1990-01-01

The objective is to better understand the stratosphere, its constituents, and its ultraviolet optical properties, through detailed analysis of data from the SBUV instrument on Nimbus 7 and comparison with data from other instruments, including the NOAA 9 SBUV 2, SAGE, SME, and SMM. One conclusion to be drawn from the Ozone Trends Panel report is that there are unresolved differences in the ozone profiles measured by different instruments. While the purpose of the work is more to understand the details of the UV radiation field in the stratosphere than it is to assess the accuracy of the SBUV ozone measurement itself, improved understanding of specific problems in the UV will lead to more accurate ozone retrievals. Areas of study include the effect of aerosols on the backscattered albedo, the shape of the ozone profile near the stratopause, the effect of possible polar mesospheric clouds, and the measureability of nitric oxide and sulfur dioxide.

Unveiling the X-ray/UV properties of AGN winds using Broad and mini-Broad Absorption Line Quasars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giustini, M.

2015-07-01

BAL/mini-BALs are observed in the UV spectra of ˜ 20-30% of optically selected AGN as broad absorption troughs blueshifted by several thousands km/s, indicative of powerful nuclear winds. They could be representative of the average AGN if their winds cover only 20-30% of the continuum source, and/or represent an evolutionary state analogous to the high-soft state of BHB, when the jet emission is quenched and strong X-ray absorbing equatorial disk winds are virtually ubiquitous. High-quality, possibly time-resolved X-ray/UV studies are crucial to assess the global amount and 'character' of absorption in BAL/mini-BAL QSOs and to constrain the physical mechanism responsible for the launch and acceleration of their winds, therefore placing them in the broader context of AGN geometry and evolution. I will review here the known X-ray properties of BAL/mini-BAL QSOs, and present new results from a comprehensive X-ray spectral analysis of all the Palomar-Green BAL/mini-BAL QSOs with available XMM-Newton observations, for a total of 51 pointings of 14 different sources. These will include the most recent results from a high-quality simultaneous XMM/HST observational campaign on the mini-BAL QSO PG 1126-041, that unveiled with stunning details the X-ray/UV connection in action in an AGN disk wind through correlated X-ray/UV absorption variability.

Ultraviolet /UV/ sensitive phosphors for silicon imaging detectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Viehmann, W.; Cowens, M. W.; Butner, C. L.

1981-01-01

The fluorescence properties of UV sensitive organic phosphors and the radiometric properties of phosphor coated silicon detectors in the VUV, UV, and visible wavelengths are described. With evaporated films of coronene and liumogen, effective quantum efficiencies of up to 20% have been achieved on silicon photodiodes in the vacuum UV. With thin films of methylmethacrylate (acrylic), which are doped with organic laser dyes and deposited from solution, detector quantum efficiencies of the order of 15% for wavelengths of 120-165 nm and of 40% for wavelengths above 190 nm have been obtained. The phosphor coatings also act as antireflection coatings and thereby enhance the response of coated devices throughout the visible and near IR.

Design of UV-absorbing PVDF membrane via surface-initiated AGET ATRP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Li; Liu, Xiangdong; Xiong, Zhengrong; Sheng, Dekun; Zhou, Yan; Lin, Changhong; Yang, Yuming

2018-03-01

Herein, PVDF membranes with excellent UV-absorbing property were first synthesized through grafting the polymerizable low-molecular-weight organic UV-absorber 2-hydroxy-4-(3-methacryloxy-2-hydroxylpropoxy) benzophenone (BPMA) onto α-bromoester-functionalized PVDF membranes via the surface-initiated activator generated by electron transfer atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-AGET ATRP). The surface initiators were immobilized by the reaction between 2-bromoisobutyryl bromide (BIBB) and the hydroxylated PVDF membranes. PVDF-g-PBPMA membranes with different grafting densities were obtained by tuning the polymerization time and the modified membranes were characterized by 1H-NMR, FT-IR, XPS, SEM, UV-vis Spectrophotometer, TGA and DSC. The experimental results indicated that PBPMA chains were successfully introduced onto PVDF membranes. Most importantly, the PVDF-g-PBPMA membranes exhibited outstanding UV-shielding property. UV-vis transmittance spectra showed that most UV light below 360 nm could be absorbed by PVDF-g-PBPMA membranes and the whole UV light region (200-400 nm) can be blocked with the reaction time increased.

Evaporation of Sunscreen Films: How the UV Protection Properties Change.

PubMed

Binks, Bernard P; Brown, Jonathan; Fletcher, Paul D I; Johnson, Andrew J; Marinopoulos, Ioannis; Crowther, Jonathan M; Thompson, Michael A

2016-06-01

We have investigated the evaporation of thin sunscreen films and how the light absorption and the derived sun protection factor (SPF) change. For films consisting of solutions of common UV filters in propylene glycol (PG) as solvent, we show how evaporation generally causes three effects. First, the film area can decrease by dewetting leading to a transient increase in the average film thickness. Second, the film thins by evaporative loss of the solvent. Third, precipitation of the UV filter occurs when solvent loss causes the solubility limit to be reached. These evaporation-induced changes cause the UV absorbance of the film to decrease with resultant loss of SPF over the time scale of the evaporation. We derive an approximate model which accounts semiquantitatively for the variation of SPF with evaporation. Experimental results for solutions of different UV filters on quartz, different skin mimicking substrates, films with added nanoparticles, films with an added polymer and films with fast-evaporating decane as solvent (instead of slow evaporating PG) are discussed and compared with model calculations. Addition of either nanoparticles or polymer suppress film dewetting. Overall, it is hoped that the understanding gained about the mechanisms whereby film evaporation affects the SPF will provide useful guidance for the formulation of more effective sunscreens.

Effect of Ag doping on the properties of ZnO thin films for UV stimulated emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Razeen, Ahmed S.; Gadallah, A.-S.; El-Nahass, M. M.

2018-06-01

Ag doped ZnO thin films have been prepared using sol-gel spin coating method, with different doping concentrations. Structural and morphological properties of the films have been investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. Thin films have been optically pumped and stimulated emission has been observed with strong peaks in the UV region. The UV stimulated emission is found to be due to exciton-exciton scattering, and Ag doping promoted this process by increasing the excitons concentrations in the ZnO lattice. Output-input intensity relation and peak emission, FWHM, and quantum efficiency relations with pump intensity have been reported. The threshold for which stimulated emission started has been evaluated to be about 18 MW/cm2 with quantum efficiency of about 58.7%. Mechanisms explaining the role of Ag in enhancement of stimulated emission from ZnO thin films have been proposed.

Improved analysis of Monascus pigments based on their pH-sensitive UV-Vis absorption and reactivity properties.

PubMed

Shi, Kan; Chen, Gong; Pistolozzi, Marco; Xia, Fenggeng; Wu, Zhenqiang

2016-09-01

Monascus pigments, a mixture of azaphilones mainly composed of red, orange and yellow pigments, are usually prepared in aqueous ethanol and analysed by ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. The pH of aqueous ethanol used during sample preparation and analysis has never been considered a key parameter to control; however, this study shows that the UV-Vis spectra and colour characteristics of the six major pigments are strongly influenced by the pH of the solvent employed. In addition, the increase of solvent pH results in a remarkable increase of the amination reaction of orange pigments with amino compounds, and at higher pH (≥ 6.0) a significant amount of orange pigment derivatives rapidly form. The consequent impact of these pH-sensitive properties on pigment analysis is further discussed. Based on the presented results, we propose that the sample preparation and analysis of Monascus pigments should be uniformly performed at low pH (≤ 2.5) to avoid variations of UV-Vis spectra and the creation of artefacts due to the occurrence of amination reactions, and ensure an accurate analysis that truly reflects pigment characteristics in the samples.

UV filters for lighting of plants

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Doehring, T.; Koefferlein, M.; Thiel, S.

1994-12-31

Different filter glasses are available which provide absorption properties suitable for gradual changes of the spectral UV-B illumination of artificial lighting. Using a distinct set of lamps and filter glasses an acceptable simulation of the UV-B part of natural global radiation can be achieved. The ageing of these and other filter materials under the extreme UV radiation in the lamphouse of a solar simulator is presently unavoidable. This instability can be dealt with only by a precise spectral monitoring and by replacing the filters accordingly. For this reason attempts would be useful to develop real ozone filters which can replacemore » glass filters. In any case chamber experiments require a careful selection of the filter material used and must be accompanied by a continuous UV-B monitoring.« less

Mapping the Spatial Distribution of Dust Extinction in NGC 959 Using Broadband Visible and Mid-Infrared Filters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tamura, K.; Jansen, R. A.; Windhorst, R. A.

2009-12-01

We present a method to estimate and map the two-dimensional distribution of dust extinction in the late-type spiral galaxy NGC 959 from the theoretical and observed flux ratio of optical V and mid-IR (MIR) 3.6 μm images. Our method is applicable to both young and old stellar populations for a range of metallicities, and is not restricted to lines of sight toward star-formation (SF) regions. We explore this method using a pixel-based analysis on images of NGC 959 obtained in the V band at the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope and at 3.6 μm (L band) with Spitzer/Infrared Array Camera. We present the original and extinction corrected Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) far-UV (FUV) and near-UV (NUV) images, as well as optical UBVR images of NGC 959. While the dust lanes are not clearly evident at GALEX resolution, our dust map clearly traces the dust that can be seen silhouetted against the galaxy's disk in the high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images of NGC 959. The advantages of our method are (1) it only depends on two relatively common broadband images in the optical V band and in the MIR at 3.6 μm (but adding a near-UV band improves its fidelity); and (2) it is able to map the two-dimensional spatial distribution of dust within a galaxy. This powerful tool could be used to measure the detailed distribution of dust extinction within higher redshift galaxies to be observed with, e.g., the Hubble Space Telescope (HST)/WFC3 (optical near-IR) and James Webb Space Telescope (mid-IR), and to distinguish properties of dust within galaxy bulges, spiral arms, and inter-arm regions.

Probing the Initial Mass Function in Extended Ultraviolet (XUV) Disks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koda, Jin

2012-01-01

"The GALEX UV satellite discovered tantalizing evidence of star formation (SF) far beyond the optical edge of galactic disks (i.e. extended UV disk, or XUV disk). This discovery provides a new opportunity for studying SF in the exceedingly low-density environment (˜1/10 of typical SF density), spurring intense debate on the universality of the initial mass function (IMF) in such exceptional environments. Our pilot S-Cam study of M83’s XUV disk led to support for the universal IMF at least in M83 (Koda et al. 2012). We propose an expansion of the pilot study, observing 6 XUV disks in NA656(Hα), B, I, and R-band with S-Cam. In conjunction with GALEX UV bands, these images will reveal the presence of O stars (Hα; NA656-R) and O&B stars (UV) in stellar clusters -thus, constraining the high-mass end of the IMF. The multi-broadband images will enable us to determine the masses of the clusters with much improved accuracy (previously, relied only on R). The proposed observations will not only increase the statistical significance of our previous result, but also enable us to analyze the stochastic effect of IMF sampling in very low-mass clusters (10^{2+3} M_sun) - the regime about which there is much ongoing debate."

Are We Correctly Measuring Star-Formation Rates?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McQuinn, Kristen B.; Skillman, Evan D.; Dolphin, Andrew E.; Mitchell, Noah P.

2017-01-01

Integrating our knowledge of star formation (SF) traced by observations at different wavelengths is essential for correctly interpreting and comparing SF activity in a variety of systems and environments. This study compares extinction-corrected, integrated ultraviolet (UV) emission from resolved galaxies with color-magnitude diagram (CMD) based star-formation rates (SFRs) derived from resolved stellar populations and CMD fitting techniques in 19 nearby starburst and post-starburst dwarf galaxies. The data sets are from the panchromatic Starburst Irregular Dwarf Survey (STARBIRDS) and include deep legacy GALEX UV imaging, Hubble Space Telescope optical imaging, and Spitzer MIPS imaging. For the majority of the sample, the integrated near-UV fluxes predicted from the CMD-based SFRs—using four different models—agree with the measured, extinction corrected, integrated near-UV fluxes from GALEX images, but the far-UV (FUV) predicted fluxes do not. Furthermore, we find a systematic deviation between the SFRs based on integrated FUV luminosities and existing scaling relations, and the SFRs based on the resolved stellar populations. This offset is not driven by different SF timescales, variations in SFRs, UV attenuation, nor stochastic effects. This first comparison between CMD-based SFRs and an integrated FUV emission SFR indicator suggests that the most likely cause of the discrepancy is the theoretical FUV-SFR calibration from stellar evolutionary libraries and/or stellar atmospheric models. We present an empirical calibration of the FUV-based SFR relation for dwarf galaxies, with uncertainties, which is ˜53% larger than previous relations. These results have signficant implications for measuring FUV-based SFRs of high-redshift galaxies.

Challenges of UV light processing of low UVT foods and beverages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koutchma, Tatiana

2010-08-01

Ultraviolet (UV) technology holds promise as a low cost non-thermal alternative to heat pasteurization of liquid foods and beverages. However, its application for foods is still limited due to low UV transmittance (LUVT). LUVT foods have a diverse range of chemical (pH, Brix, Aw), physical (density and viscosity) and optical properties (absorbance and scattering) that are critical for systems and process designs. The commercially available UV sources tested for foods include low and medium pressure mercury lamps (LPM and MPM), excimer and pulsed lamps (PUV). The LPM and excimer lamps are monochromatic sources whereas emission of MPM and PUV is polychromatic. The optimized design of UV-systems and UV-sources with parameters that match to specific product spectra have a potential to make UV treatments of LUVT foods more effective and will serve its further commercialization. In order to select UV source for specific food application, processing effects on nutritional, quality, sensorial and safety markers have to be evaluated. This paper will review current status of UV technology for food processing along with regulatory requirements. Discussion of approaches and results of measurements of chemico-physical and optical properties of various foods (fresh juices, milk, liquid whey proteins and sweeteners) that are critical for UV process and systems design will follow. Available UV sources did not prove totally effective either resulting in low microbial reduction or UV over-dosing of the product thereby leading to sensory changes. Beam shaping of UV light presents new opportunities to improve dosage uniformity and delivery of UV photons in LUVT foods.

Far-UV properties of the nuclear region of M31

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

King, Ivan R.; Stanford, S. Adam; Crane, Philippe

1995-01-01

Comparison of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) far-UV and visible images of the nucleus of M31 deepens the mystery of the two brightness peaks recently discovered by Lauer et al. At 175 mm the brightest point is the optically fainter peak (P2) that is close to the dynamical center. The very center of P2 has a UV upturn that is much greater than that of the bulge light, while the UV upturn of the optically brighter but off-center P1 is very similar to that of its surroundings. The excess FUV radiation form P2 is closely confined to its center and has a total flux density of 3 micro-joules, a level that is less likely to come from stellar radiation than from a high-frequency extension of the radio source at the center of M31. A surrounding region of 1.8 pc radius has a somewhat smaller Uv upturn than the rest of the bulge, but there is some lingering possibility that this depression might be an artifact of our correction of the spherical aberration. Our improvement decomposition of the V image removes the need to postulate a dust lane near the center. We confirm that P1 is very compact, and we derive a luminosity for it similar to that found by Lauer et al. The implications of all of this are briefly discussed.

The Redshift Evolution of Rest-UV Spectroscopic Properties in Lyman-break Galaxies at z ∼ 2–4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Xinnan; Shapley, Alice E.; Reddy, Naveen A.; Jones, Tucker; Stark, Daniel P.; Steidel, Charles C.; Strom, Allison L.; Rudie, Gwen C.; Erb, Dawn K.; Ellis, Richard S.; Pettini, Max

2018-06-01

We present the first comprehensive evolutionary analysis of the rest-frame UV spectroscopic properties of star-forming galaxies at z ∼ 2–4. We match samples at different redshifts in UV luminosity and stellar mass, and perform systematic measurements of spectral features and stellar population modeling. By creating composite spectra grouped according to Lyα equivalent width (EW) and various galaxy properties, we study the evolutionary trends among Lyα, low- and high-ionization interstellar (LIS and HIS) absorption features, and integrated galaxy properties. We also examine the redshift evolution of Lyα and LIS absorption kinematics, and fine-structure emission EWs. The connections among the strengths of Lyα, LIS lines, and dust extinction are redshift independent, as is the decoupling of the Lyα and HIS line strengths, and the bulk outflow kinematics as traced by the LIS lines. Stronger Lyα emission is observed at higher redshift at fixed UV luminosity, stellar mass, SFR, and age. Much of this variation in the average Lyα strength with redshift, and the variation in Lyα strength at fixed redshift, can be explained in terms of variations in the neutral gas covering fraction and/or dust content in the ISM and CGM. However, based on the connection between Lyα and C III] emission strengths, we additionally find evidence for variations in the intrinsic production rate of Lyα photons at the highest Lyα EWs. The challenge now is to understand the observed evolution of the neutral gas covering fraction and dust extinction within a coherent model for galaxy formation, and make robust predictions for the escape of ionizing radiation at z > 6.

Preparation of pectin/silver nanoparticles composite films with UV-light barrier and properties.

PubMed

Shankar, Shiv; Tanomrod, Nattareya; Rawdkuen, Saroat; Rhim, Jong-Whan

2016-11-01

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was synthesized by a green method using an aqueous extract of Caesalpinia mimosoides Lamk (CMLE) as reducing and stabilizing agents, and they were used for the preparation of pectin-based antimicrobial composite films. The AgNPs were spherical in shape with the size in the range of 20-80nm and showed the absorption peak around 500nm. The pectin/AgNPs composite film exhibited characteristic absorption peak of AgNPs at 480nm. The surface color and light transmittance of the pectin films were greatly influenced by the addition of AgNPs. The lightness of the films decreased, however, redness and yellowness of the films increased after incorporation of AgNPs. UV-light barrier property of the pectin film increased significantly with a little decrease in the transparency. Though there were no structural changes in the pectin film by the incorporation of CMLE and AgNPs as indicated by the FTIR results, the film properties such as thermal stability, mechanical strength, and water vapor barrier properties of the pectin films increased. The pectin/AgNPs nanocomposite films exhibited strong antibacterial activity against food-borne pathogenic bacteria, Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Utilizing Intrinsic Properties of Polyaniline to Detect Nucleic Acid Hybridization through UV-Enhanced Electrostatic Interaction.

PubMed

Sengupta, Partha Pratim; Gloria, Jared N; Amato, Dahlia N; Amato, Douglas V; Patton, Derek L; Murali, Beddhu; Flynt, Alex S

2015-10-12

Detection of specific RNA or DNA molecules by hybridization to "probe" nucleic acids via complementary base-pairing is a powerful method for analysis of biological systems. Here we describe a strategy for transducing hybridization events through modulating intrinsic properties of the electroconductive polymer polyaniline (PANI). When DNA-based probes electrostatically interact with PANI, its fluorescence properties are increased, a phenomenon that can be enhanced by UV irradiation. Hybridization of target nucleic acids results in dissociation of probes causing PANI fluorescence to return to basal levels. By monitoring restoration of base PANI fluorescence as little as 10(-11) M (10 pM) of target oligonucleotides could be detected within 15 min of hybridization. Detection of complementary oligos was specific, with introduction of a single mismatch failing to form a target-probe duplex that would dissociate from PANI. Furthermore, this approach is robust and is capable of detecting specific RNAs in extracts from animals. This sensor system improves on previously reported strategies by transducing highly specific probe dissociation events through intrinsic properties of a conducting polymer without the need for additional labels.

Multilayer Coatings for UV Spectral Range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miloushev, Ilko; Tenev, Tihomir; Peyeva, Rumiana; Panajotov, Krassimir

2010-01-01

Optical coatings for the UV spectral range play currently a significant role in the modern optical devices. For reducing of manufacturing cost the reliable design is essential. Therefore, better understanding of the optical properties of the used materials is indispensable for the proper design and manufacturing of the multilayer UV coatings. In this work we present some results on the preparation of reflective UV coatings. The implemented materials are magnesium fluoride and lanthanum fluoride. Their optical constants are determined from spectral characteristics of single layers in the 200-800 nm spectral range, obtained by thermal boat evaporation in high vacuum conditions. These results are subsequently used for the analysis of high reflection (HR) stack made of 40 layers deposited by the same deposition process.

Silicon-Induced UV Transparency in Phosphate Glasses and Its Application to the Enhancement of the UV Type B Emission of Gd3.

PubMed

Jiménez, José A

2017-05-10

The silicon route to improve the ultraviolet (UV) transparency in phosphate glasses is investigated and further exploited to enhance the UV type B (280-320 nm) emission of gadolinium(III) relevant for biomedical applications. The glasses were synthesized with a barium phosphate composition by melt-quenching in ambient atmosphere and the optical properties investigated by optical absorption and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy including emission decay kinetics. An improvement in the UV transparency was gradually developed for the glasses melted merely with increasing amounts of Si powder. A particular PL in the visible was also exhibited for such glasses under excitation at 275 nm, consistent with the presence of Si-induced defects. For Si-Gd codoped glasses, the UV transparency was likewise manifested, while the UV emission from Gd 3+ around 312 nm was enhanced with the increase in Si concentration (up to ∼6.7 times). Moreover, along with the Gd 3+ PL intensity enhancement, a linear correlation was revealed between the increase in decay times for the Gd 3+6 P 7/2 -emitting state and the amount of silicon. It is then suggested that the improved PL properties of gadolinium(III) originate from the increased UV transparency of the host and the consequent precluding of a nonradiative energy transfer from Gd 3+ to the matrix. Accordingly, a role of Si as PL quenching inhibitor is supported. The demonstrated efficacy of the Si-Gd codoping concept realized by a facile glass synthesis procedure may appeal to the application of the UV-emitting glasses for phototherapy lamps.

UV filters for lighting of plants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doehring, T.; Koefferlein, M.; Thiel, S.; Seidlitz, H. K.; Payer, H. D.

1994-03-01

The wavelength dependent interaction of biological systems with radiation is commonly described by appropriate action spectra. Particularly effective plant responses are obtained for ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Excess shortwave UV-B radiation will induce genetic defects and plant damage. Besides the ecological discussion of the deleterious effects of the excess UV radiation there is increasing interest in horticultural applications of this spectral region. Several metabolic pathways leading to valuable secondary plant products like colors, odors, taste, or resulting in mechanical strength and vitality are triggered by UV radiation. Thus, in ecologically as well as in economically oriented experiments the exact generation and knowledge of the spectral irradiance, particularly near the UV absorption edge, is essential. The ideal filter 'material' to control the UV absorption edge would be ozone itself. However, due to problems in controlling the toxic and chemically aggressive, instable gas, only rather 'small ozone filters' have been realized so far. In artificial plant lighting conventional solid filter materials such as glass sheets and plastic foils (celluloseacetate or cellulosetriacetate) which can be easily handled have been used to absorb the UV-C and the excess shortwave UV-B radiation of the lamp emissions. Different filter glasses are available which provide absorption properties suitable for gradual changes of the spectral UV-B illumination of artificial lighting. Using a distinct set of lamps and filter glasses an acceptable simulation of the UV-B part of natural global radiation can be achieved. The aging of these and other filter materials under the extreme UV radiation in the lamphouse of a solar simulator is presently unavoidable. This instability can be dealt with only by a precise spectral monitoring and by replacing the filters accordingly. For this reason attempts would be useful to develop real ozone filters which can replace glass filters. In

UV filters for lighting of plants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Doehring, T.; Koefferlein, M.; Thiel, S.; Seidlitz, H. K.; Payer, H. D.

1994-01-01

The wavelength dependent interaction of biological systems with radiation is commonly described by appropriate action spectra. Particularly effective plant responses are obtained for ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Excess shortwave UV-B radiation will induce genetic defects and plant damage. Besides the ecological discussion of the deleterious effects of the excess UV radiation there is increasing interest in horticultural applications of this spectral region. Several metabolic pathways leading to valuable secondary plant products like colors, odors, taste, or resulting in mechanical strength and vitality are triggered by UV radiation. Thus, in ecologically as well as in economically oriented experiments the exact generation and knowledge of the spectral irradiance, particularly near the UV absorption edge, is essential. The ideal filter 'material' to control the UV absorption edge would be ozone itself. However, due to problems in controlling the toxic and chemically aggressive, instable gas, only rather 'small ozone filters' have been realized so far. In artificial plant lighting conventional solid filter materials such as glass sheets and plastic foils (celluloseacetate or cellulosetriacetate) which can be easily handled have been used to absorb the UV-C and the excess shortwave UV-B radiation of the lamp emissions. Different filter glasses are available which provide absorption properties suitable for gradual changes of the spectral UV-B illumination of artificial lighting. Using a distinct set of lamps and filter glasses an acceptable simulation of the UV-B part of natural global radiation can be achieved. The aging of these and other filter materials under the extreme UV radiation in the lamphouse of a solar simulator is presently unavoidable. This instability can be dealt with only by a precise spectral monitoring and by replacing the filters accordingly. For this reason attempts would be useful to develop real ozone filters which can replace glass filters. In

Influence of UV irradiation on hydroxypropyl methylcellulose polymer films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rao, B. Lakshmeesha; Shivananda, C. S.; Shetty, G. Rajesha; Harish, K. V.; Madhukumar, R.; Sangappa, Y.

2018-05-01

Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose (HPMC) biopolymer films were prepared by solution casting technique and effects of UV irradiation on the structural and optical properties of the polymer films were analysed using X-ray Diffraction and UV-Visible studies. From XRD data, the microcrystalline parameters (crystallite size (LXRD) and crystallinity (Xc)) were calculated and found to be decreasing with UV irradiation due to photo-degradation process. From the UV-Vis absorption data, the optical bandgap (Eg), average numbers of carbon atoms per conjugation length (N) of the polymer chain and the refractive index (n) at 550 nm (average wavelength of visible light) of virgin and UV irradiated HPMC films were calculated. With increase in UV exposure time, the optical bandgap energy (Eg) increases, and hence average number of carbon atoms per conjugation length (N) decreases, supports the photo-degradation of HPMC polymer films. The refractive index of the HPMC films decreases after UV irradiation, due to photo-degradation induced chain rearrangements.

Effect of UV-light on the uniaxial tensile properties and structure of uncoated and TiO2 coated Bombyx mori silk fibers.

PubMed

Aksakal, Baki; Koç, Kenan; Yargı, Önder; Tsobkallo, Katherina

2016-01-05

The effect of UV-light on the uniaxial tensile properties and the structure of uncoated and TiO2 coated silk fibers in the bave form by using sol-gel method was investigated with tensile testing and FT-IR/ATR spectroscopy methods after the silk filaments were exposed to UV-light with high intensity of 760W/m(2) for different times from 0.5h to 1day. It was clearly observed that TiO2 coating considerably increased the Young's modulus of the uncoated silk single filament by around 17% before the UV-irradiation. The yield point and the post yield region disappeared on the stress-strain curves of both uncoated and TiO2 coated silk filaments after UV-irradiation time higher than 1h. Except for the Young's modulus, most of the tensile characteristics of both uncoated and TiO2 coated silk filaments decreased remarkably with increasing UV-irradiation time, e.g., after 1h irradiation, although the Young's modulus slightly changed and ultimate tensile strength decreased by only around 18% and 23%, for the uncoated and TiO2 coated silk filaments, respectively; breaking extension decreased dramatically by 67% and 72%, respectively, for uncoated and TiO2 coated silk filaments. Only the Young's modulus of TiO2 coated silk filaments which can be considered as a more stable tensile characteristic became significantly higher than that of the uncoated silk filaments with increasing UV-irradiation time. After 1day irradiation, even though the uncoated silk filaments could not be tested and completely lost of their fiber properties, the TiO2 coated silk filaments showed a stress-strain curve in initial elastic region with Young's modulus of ∼13GPa which indicates considerable protective effect of TiO2 on the silk fiber structure, especially on the β-sheet microcrystals against UV-radiation. The FT-IR/ATR spectral results showed that significant photodegradation took place in not only crystalline but also amorphous regions which were deduced from the decrease in the absorbance

Effect of UV-light on the uniaxial tensile properties and structure of uncoated and TiO2 coated Bombyx mori silk fibers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aksakal, Baki; Koç, Kenan; Yargı, Önder; Tsobkallo, Katherina

2016-01-01

The effect of UV-light on the uniaxial tensile properties and the structure of uncoated and TiO2 coated silk fibers in the bave form by using sol-gel method was investigated with tensile testing and FT-IR/ATR spectroscopy methods after the silk filaments were exposed to UV-light with high intensity of 760 W/m2 for different times from 0.5 h to 1 day. It was clearly observed that TiO2 coating considerably increased the Young's modulus of the uncoated silk single filament by around 17% before the UV-irradiation. The yield point and the post yield region disappeared on the stress-strain curves of both uncoated and TiO2 coated silk filaments after UV-irradiation time higher than 1 h. Except for the Young's modulus, most of the tensile characteristics of both uncoated and TiO2 coated silk filaments decreased remarkably with increasing UV-irradiation time, e.g., after 1 h irradiation, although the Young's modulus slightly changed and ultimate tensile strength decreased by only around 18% and 23%, for the uncoated and TiO2 coated silk filaments, respectively; breaking extension decreased dramatically by 67% and 72%, respectively, for uncoated and TiO2 coated silk filaments. Only the Young's modulus of TiO2 coated silk filaments which can be considered as a more stable tensile characteristic became significantly higher than that of the uncoated silk filaments with increasing UV-irradiation time. After 1 day irradiation, even though the uncoated silk filaments could not be tested and completely lost of their fiber properties, the TiO2 coated silk filaments showed a stress-strain curve in initial elastic region with Young's modulus of ∼13 GPa which indicates considerable protective effect of TiO2 on the silk fiber structure, especially on the β-sheet microcrystals against UV-radiation. The FT-IR/ATR spectral results showed that significant photodegradation took place in not only crystalline but also amorphous regions which were deduced from the decrease in the absorbance

Study of Wrinkle Resistant, Breathable, Anti-Uv Nanocoated Woven Polyester Fabric

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Memon, Hafeezullah; Yasin, Sohail; Khoso, Nazakat Ali; Memon, Samiulah

2016-02-01

The multifunctional textiles are interesting areas to be researched on. In this paper, the effect of the fiber nanocoating on the wrinkle recovery, air permeability and anti-Ultraviolet (UV) property of different woven fabrics using sol-gel method has been studied. The sol-gel method has various advantages over other methods. Along with these properties, no change in visual appearance has also been discussed in this paper. The dispersion of nanoparticles of titanium was obtained into silica sol. The characterization of nanocoating was done using Field emission scanning electron micrograph (FESEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) studies. The fabric wrinkle recovery properties, air permeability and anti-UV performance were analyzed using three different immersion timings into the nanosol. The results revealed that both wrinkle recovery properties and anti-UV performance have increased with respect to immersing time of the nanocoating although a slight decrease in air permeability and whiteness index of the fabric was also observed.

UV-cured adhesives for carbon fiber composite applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Hsiao-Chun

Carbon fiber composite materials are increasingly used in automobile, marine, and aerospace industries due to their unique properties, including high strength, high stiffness and low weight. However, due to their brittle characteristic, these structures are prone to physical damage, such as a bird strike or impact damage. Once the structure is damaged, it is important to have fast and reliable temporary repair until the permanent repair or replacement can take place. In this dissertation, UV-based adhesives were used to provide a bonding strength for temporary repair. Adhesively bonded patch repair is an efficient and effective method for temporary repair. In this study, precured patches (hard patches) and dry fabric patches with laminating resins (soft patches) were performed. UV-based epoxy adhesives were applied to both patch repair systems. For precured patch repair, the bonding strengths were investigated under different surface treatments for bonding area and different adhesives thicknesses. The shear stresses of different UV exposure times and curing times were tested. Besides, the large patch repair was investigated as well. For soft patch repair, the hand wet lay-up was applied due to high viscosity of UV resins. A modified single lap shear testing (ASTM D5868) was applied to determine the shear stress. The large patches used fiber glass instead of carbon fiber to prove the possibility of repair with UV epoxy resin by hand wet lay-up process. The hand lay-up procedure was applied and assisted by vacuum pressure to eliminate the air bubbles and consolidate the patches. To enhance the bonding strength and effective soft patch repair, vacuum assisted resin transferring molding (VaRTM) is the better option. However, only low viscosity resins can be operated by VaRTM. Hence, new UV-based adhesives were formulated. The new UV-based adhesives included photoinitiator (PI), epoxy and different solvents. Solvents were used to compound the photoinitiator into epoxy

Effect of adjustable molecular chain structure and pure silica zeolite nanoparticles on thermal, mechanical, dielectric, UV-shielding and hydrophobic properties of fluorinated copolyimide composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Qing; Liao, Guangfu; Zhang, Shulai; Pang, Long; Tong, Hao; Zhao, Wenzhe; Xu, Zushun

2018-01-01

A series of polyimide (PI) films, polyimide/pure silica zeolite nanoparticles (PSZN) blend films and polyimide/amine-functionalized pure silica zeolite nanoparticles (APSZN) composite films were successfully prepared by random copolycondensation. Thereinto, PSZN were synthesized by hydrothermal method. The polyimides were derived from 4,4‧-diaminodiphenyl ether (ODA), and three adjustable molar ratios (3:1, 1:1, 1:3) of 2,2-bis[4-(3,4-dicarboxyphenoxy)phenyl] propane dianhydride (BPADA) and 4,4‧-(hexafluoroisopropylidene) diphthalic anhydride (6FDA). The effects of PSZN, APSZN and different chain structure on PI films were specifically evaluated in terms of morphology, thermal, mechanical, dielectric and UV-shielding properties, etc. Comparison was given among pure PI flims, PI/PSZN blend films and PI/APSZN composite flims. The results showed that the thermal and mechanical properties of PI films were drastically impaired after adding PSZN. On the contrary, the strength, toughness and thermal stability were improved after adding APSZN. Moreover, the dielectric constants of the PI/APSZN composite flims were lowered but UV-shielding properties were enhanced. Interestingly, we found that the greatest effects were obtained through introducing APSZN in PI derived by the 1:1 ratio of BPADA:6FDA. The corresponding PI/APSZN composite flim exhibited the most reinforced and toughened properties, the largest decrement of dielectric constant and the best UV-shielding efficiency, which made the composite flim be used as ultraviolet shielding material in outer space filled with high temperature and intensive ultraviolet light. Meanwhile, this work also provided a facile way to synthesize composite materials with adjustable performance.

In vitro photostability and photoprotection studies of a novel 'multi-active' UV-absorber.

PubMed

Venditti, E; Spadoni, T; Tiano, L; Astolfi, P; Greci, L; Littarru, G P; Damiani, E

2008-08-01

This paper reports on the synthesis and properties of a new UV-absorber (OC-NO) based on the most popular UV filter worldwide, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate (OMC) in which the methoxy group has been replaced with a pyrrolidine nitroxide bearing antioxidant activity. This sunscreen active has therefore both UV-absorbing and antioxidant properties which could ideally address both the UV-B and UV-A skin photo-damage. For broad-spectrum coverage, the combinations of OC-NO with two commonly used UV-A absorbers (BMDBM and DHHB) were also studied. The results obtained reveal that OC-NO: (a) is as photostable as OMC after UV-A exposure; (b) acts as free radical scavenger as demonstrated by EPR and chemical studies; (c) reduces UV-A and UV-A+BMDBM induced lipid peroxidation in liposomes and cells, measured as reduced TBARS levels and increased C11-BODIPY red fluorescence, respectively; (d) has comparable antioxidant activity to that of vitamin E and BHT commonly used in skin care formulations; (e) is non-cytotoxic to human skin fibroblasts as assessed with the MTT assay when exposed to increasing doses of UV-A; and (f) OC-NO+DHHB is a promising, photostable broad spectrum UV-filter combination that concomitantly reduces UV-induced free radical damage. These results suggest that nitroxide/antioxidant-based UV-absorbers may pave the way for the utilization of 'multi-active' ingredients in sunscreens thereby reducing the number of ingredients in these formulations.

UV absorbers for cellulosic apparels: A computational and experimental study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sahar, Anum; Ali, Shaukat; Hussain, Tanveer; Irfan, Muhammad; Eliasson, Bertil; Iqbal, Javed

2018-01-01

Two triazine based Ultra Violet (UV) absorbers Sulfuric acid mono-(2-{4-[4-chloro-6-(4-{4-chloro-6-[4-(2-sulfooxy-ethanesulfonyl)-phenylamino]-[1,3,5] triazin-2-ylamino-phenylamino)-[1,3,5]triazin-2-ylamino]-benzenesulfonyl}-ethyl) ester (1a) and 4-{4-chloro-6-[4-(2-sulfooxy-ethanesulfonyl)-phenylamino]-[1,3,5] triazin-2-ylamino}-2-[4-chloro-6-(2-sulfooxy-ethanesulfonyl)-[1,3,5]triazin-2-ylamino]-benzenesulfonic acid (2a) with different substituents were designed computationally. The influence of different substituents on the electrochemical properties and UV spectra of the absorbers was investigated. The presence of electron deficient unit in 1a to the molecular core significantly reduces the LUMO levels and energy gap. The designed absorbers were synthesized via condensation reaction and characterized by UV-Vis, FT-IR, MS studies. The performance of synthesized compounds as UV absorbers and their fastness properties were assessed by finishing the cotton fabric through exhaust method at different concentration and results appeared in good range.

Distribution and nature of UV absorbers on Triton's surface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stern, S. Alan

1995-01-01

Substantial evidence suggests that a UV spectrally Absorbing Material (UV-SAM) exists on Triton's surface. This evidence is found in the positive slope in Triton's spectrum from the UV to the near-IR, and the increasing contrast in Triton's light curve in the blue and UV. Although it is now widely-thought that UV-SAMs exist on Triton, little is known about their distribution and spectral properties. The goal of this NDAP Project is to determine the spatial distribution and geological context of the UV-SaM material. We hope to determine if UV-SAMs on Triton are correlated with geologic wind streaks, craters, calderas, geomorphic/topographic units, regions containing (or lacking) volatile frosts, or some other process (e.g., magnetospheric interactions). Once the location and distribution of UV-SAMs has been determined, further constraints on their composition cable made by analyzing the spectrographic data set. To accomplish these goals, various data sets will be used, including Voyager 2 UV and visible images of Triton's surface, IUE and HST spectra of Triton, and a geologic map of the surface based on voyager 2 and spectrophotometric data. The results of this research will be published in the planetary science literature.

Distribution and nature of UV absorbers on Triton's surface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stern, S. Alan

1994-01-01

Substantial evidence suggests that a UV Spectrally Absorbing Material (UV-SAM) exists on Triton's surface. This evidence is found in the positive slope in Triton's spectrum from the UV to the near-IR, and the increasing contrast in Triton's light curve in the blue and UV. Although it is now widely-thought that UV-SAM's exist on Triton, little is known about their distribution and spectral properties. The goal of this NDAP Project is to determine the spatial distribution and geological context of the UV-SAM material. We hope to determine if UV-SAM's on Triton are correlated with geologic wind streaks, craters, calderas, geomorphic/topographic units, regions containing (or lacking) volatile frosts, or some other process (e.g., magnetospheric interactions). Once the location and distribution of UV-SAM's has been determined, further constraints on their composition can be made by analyzing the spectrographic data set. To accomplish these goals, various data sets will be used, including Voyager 2 UV and visible images of Triton's surface, IUE and HST spectra of Triton, and a geologic map of the surface based on Voyager 2 and spectrophotometric data. The results of this research will be published in the planetary science literature.

Investigating early-type galaxy evolution with a multiwavelength approach. II. The UV structure of 11 galaxies with Swift-UVOT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rampazzo, R.; Mazzei, P.; Marino, A.; Uslenghi, M.; Trinchieri, G.; Wolter, A.

2017-06-01

Context. GALEX detected a significant fraction of early-type galaxies, in particular S0s, showing far-UV bright structures, sometimes involving an entire galaxy out to its outskirts. These features suggest the presence of either recent ongoing and/or prolonged star formation episodes, shedding new light on the evolution of these systems. Aims: We aim at understanding the evolutionary path[s] of these early-type galaxies and the mechanisms at the origin of their UV-bright structures. We investigate with a multiwavelength approach the link between the inner and outer galaxy regions of a set of 11 early-type galaxies that were selected because of their nearly passive stage of evolution in the nuclear region. Methods: This paper, second of a series, focuses on the information coming from the comparison between UV features detected by Swift-UVOT, which trace recent star formation, and the galaxy optical structure, which maps older stellar populations. We performed a surface photometric study of these early-type galaxies, observed with the Swift-UVOT UV filters W2 2030 Å λ0, M2 2231 Å λ0, W1 2634 Å λ0 and the UBV bands. BVRI photometry from other sources in the literature was also used. Our integrated magnitude measurements were analyzed and compared with corresponding values in the literature. We characterize the overall galaxy structure that best fits the UV and optical luminosity profiles using a single Sérsic law. Results: The galaxies NGC 1366, NGC 1426, NGC 3818, NGC 3962, and NGC 7192 show featureless luminosity profiles. Excluding NGC 1366, which has a clear edge-on disk (n ≈ 1-2), and NGC 3818, the remaining three galaxies have Sérsic's indices n ≈ 3-4 in the optical and a lower index in the UV. Bright ring- or arm-like structures are revealed by UV images and luminosity profiles of NGC 1415, NGC 1533, NGC 1543, NGC 2685, NGC 2974, and IC 2006. The ring- or arm-like structures differ from galaxy to galaxy. Sérsic indices of UV profiles for these

Synthesis, Structure, and Film Properties of Novel low-k UV-active Polycarbosilanes with Embedded Disilacyclobutanes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LeFevre, Scott W.

The phenylene-bridged cyclolinear polycarbosilane (PBCLPCS) was synthesized via Grignard coupling from 1,4-bis(bromomagnesio)benzene with 1,3-dichloro-, and 1,3-diethoxy-1,3-disilacyclobutanes (DCDSCB, and DEDSCB respectively). Investigation of the resulting chemical structures by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) revealed a wide array of possible end groups and thus termination mechanisms. Temperature-gradient interaction chromatography (TGIC) was employed as an effective separation tool to achieve a predominantly monomer-by-monomer separation of the low molecular weight reaction products. Further analysis of the TGIC fractions by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry with time of flight detection (MALDI-ToF) allowed for a much more detailed study of chemical structure, revealing very different primary modes of termination for the two synthesis schemes. While the slightly more reactive Si-Cl groups from DCDSCB are more sensitive to multiple side reactions including hydrolysis, it was shown that the primary end groups were phenyl rings, indicating a possible imbalance in stoichiometry favoring the aryl-Grignard reagent. The DEDSCB-based synthesis has fewer side reactions, as indicated by few groupings of MALDI peaks at regular intervals equal to the repeat unit molecular weight; however the primary end groups were unreacted ethoxy moieties, and a bromine terminated phenyl ring. This indicates that the primary modes of termination were either limited chain growth from the less reactive ethoxy groups, or incomplete formation of the di-Grignard. The optical, UV-curing and thin film characteristics of PBCLPCS were investigated to gain an understanding of the unique film properties of this new class of material. Upon UV-curing PBCLPCS, the chromophore blue shifts 11nm but still absorbs appreciably at 254nm, leading to UV attenuation at greater depths within a film. The thickness dependent UV-curing characteristics were investigated

Light-emitting Ga-oxide nanocrystals in glass: a new paradigm for low-cost and robust UV-to-visible solar-blind converters and UV emitters.

PubMed

Sigaev, Vladimir N; Golubev, Nikita V; Ignat'eva, Elena S; Paleari, Alberto; Lorenzi, Roberto

2014-01-01

Wide-bandgap nanocrystals are an inexhaustible source of tuneable functions potentially addressing most of the demand for new light emitting systems. However, the implementation of nanocrystal properties in real devices is not straightforward if a robust and stable optical component is required as a final result. The achievement of efficient light emission from dense dispersions of Ga-oxide nanocrystals in UV-grade glass can be a breakthrough in this regard. Such a result would permit the fabrication of low cost UV-to-visible converters for monitoring UV-emitting events on a large-scale - from invisible hydrogen flames to corona dispersions. From this perspective, γ-Ga₂O₃ nanocrystals are developed by phase separation in Ga-alkali-germanosilicate glasses, obtaining optical materials based on a UV transparent matrix. Band-to-band UV-excitation of light emission from donor-acceptor pair (DAP) recombination is investigated for the first time in embedded γ-Ga₂O₃. The analysis of the decay kinetics gives unprecedented evidence that nanosized confinement of DAP recombination can force a nanophase to the efficient response of exactly balanced DAPs. The results, including a proof of concept of UV-to-visible viewer, definitely demonstrate the feasibility of workable glass-based fully inorganic nanostructured materials with emission properties borrowed from Ga₂O₃ single-crystals and tailored by the nanocrystal size.

Probing the Initial Mass Function in Extended Ultraviolet (XUV) Disks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koda, Jin

2013-01-01

"The GALEX UV satellite discovered tantalizing evidence of star formation (SF) far beyond the optical edge of galactic disks (i.e. extended UV disk, or XUV disk). This discovery provides a new opportunity for studying SF in the exceedingly low-density environment (˜1/10 of typical SF density), spurring intense debate on the universality of the initial mass function (IMF) in such exceptional environments. Our pilot S-Cam study of M83’s XUV disk led to support for the universal IMF at least in M83 (Koda et al. 2012). We propose an expansion of the pilot study by an order of magnitude, by observing additional 6 XUV disks in NA656(Hα), B, I, and R-band with S-Cam in S13A. In conjunction with GALEX UV bands, these images will reveal the presence of O stars (Hα; NA656-R) and O&B stars (UV) in stellar clusters -thus, constraining the high-mass end of the IMF. These multi-broadband images will enable us to determine the masses of the clusters with much improved accuracy (previously, relied only on R). The proposed observations will not only increase the statistical significance of our previous result, but also enable us to analyze the stochastic effect of IMF sampling in very low-mass - clusters (10^(2+3) M_sun) - the regime about which there is much ongoing debate."

Probing the Initial Mass Function in Extended Ultraviolet (XUV) Disks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koda, Jin

2013-01-01

"The GALEX UV satellite discovered tantalizing evidence of star formation (SF) far beyond the optical edge of galactic disks (i.e. extended UV disk, or XUV disk). This discovery provides a new opportunity for studying SF in the exceedingly low-density environment (˜1/10 of typical SF density), spurring intense debate on the universality of the initial mass function (IMF) in such exceptional environments. Our pilot S-Cam study of M83’s XUV disk led to support for the universal IMF at least in M83 (Koda et al. 2012). We propose an expansion of the pilot study by about an order of magnitude, by observing 6 XUV disks in NA656(Hα), B, I, and R-band with S-Cam in S13B. In conjunction with GALEX UV bands, these images will reveal the presence of O stars (Hα) and O&B stars (UV) in stellar clusters -thus, constraining the high-mass end of the IMF. These multi-broadband images will enable us to determine the masses of the clusters with much improved accuracy (previously, relied only on R). The proposed observations will not only increase the statistical significance of our previous result, but also enable us to analyze the stochastic effect of IMF sampling in very low-mass - clusters (10^{2+3} M_sun) - the regime of ongoing debate. Previously allocated 1+2 nights were cancelled (telescope failures)."

Influence of UV filters on the texture profile and efficacy of a cosmetic formulation.

PubMed

Fossa Shirata, M M; Campos, P M B G Maia

2017-12-01

Considering that many cosmetic products contain UV filters in their composition and that few studies have evaluated the role of UV filters in the physical properties and clinical efficacy of these products, the aim of this study was to assess the influence of UV filters on the properties and immediate effects of a cosmetic formulation. Four cosmetic formulations, vehicle (V), vehicle containing UV filters (F), vehicle containing cassava polysaccharides and alfalfa (A) oligosaccharides and vehicle containing UV filters plus cassava polysaccharides and alfalfa oligosaccharides (multifunctional formulation, M) were developed. The texture profile of the formulations was analysed with a TA.XT plus Texturometer ® . Twenty female volunteers aged 39-45 years were then selected for the assessment of immediate clinical efficacy of the formulations under study and of transepidermal water loss (TEWL), stratum corneum water content and microrelief of the skin obtained with their use. The presence of UV filters resulted in an improvement of the physical properties of the multifunctional cosmetic formulation (M) and of skin microrelief. However, the presence of UV filters also caused a significant decrease in hydration. The presence of sunscreens had a negative influence on immediate skin hydration and TEWL. On the other hand, it positively influenced parameters related to the physical properties of the multifunctional formulation and skin microrelief. Thus, we conclude that the influence of UV filters on the development of cosmetic formulations is an important factor to be considered because it can have either positive or negative effect on the efficacy of the product. © 2017 Society of Cosmetic Scientists and the Société Française de Cosmétologie.

Post-print UV curing method for improving the mechanical properties of prototypes derived from two-photon lithography [A post-print UV curing method for improving the mechanical properties of prototypes derived from two-photon polymerization

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Oakdale, James S.; Ye, Jianchao; Smith, William L.

Here, two photon polymerization (TPP) is a precise, reliable, and increasingly popular technique for rapid prototyping of micro-scale parts with sub-micron resolution. The materials of choice underlying this process are predominately acrylic resins cross-linked via free-radical polymerization. Due to the nature of the printing process, the derived parts are only partially cured and the corresponding mechanical properties, i.e. modulus and ultimate strength, are lower than if the material were cross-linked to the maximum extent. Herein, post-print curing via UV-driven radical generation, is demonstrated to increase the overall degree of cross-linking of low density, TPP-derived structures.

Post-print UV curing method for improving the mechanical properties of prototypes derived from two-photon lithography [A post-print UV curing method for improving the mechanical properties of prototypes derived from two-photon polymerization

DOE PAGES

Oakdale, James S.; Ye, Jianchao; Smith, William L.; ...

2016-11-28

Here, two photon polymerization (TPP) is a precise, reliable, and increasingly popular technique for rapid prototyping of micro-scale parts with sub-micron resolution. The materials of choice underlying this process are predominately acrylic resins cross-linked via free-radical polymerization. Due to the nature of the printing process, the derived parts are only partially cured and the corresponding mechanical properties, i.e. modulus and ultimate strength, are lower than if the material were cross-linked to the maximum extent. Herein, post-print curing via UV-driven radical generation, is demonstrated to increase the overall degree of cross-linking of low density, TPP-derived structures.

Improving UV protection by clothing--recent developments.

PubMed

Osterwalder, Uli; Rohwer, Hauke

2002-01-01

The assessment of UV transmittance of clothing and the determination of the UV protection factor (UPF) are now well established and the influencing factors such as type of fiber, color, and fabric construction are known. Quick and reliable instruments to measure UV transmittance are crucial. Besides expensive scientific laboratory instruments, a low-cost UV meter is now available for this purpose. The questions arise as to what can be done about a given garment and whether there are ways to improve textiles by the consumer. The many opportunities to improve UV protection of clothing along the textile chain of manufacturing are discussed. The latest possibility for improving the UV-protective properties of clothing is now available at the fabric care stage in every household. A UV absorber can be brought into contact with a fabric during the wash or rinse cycle of a laundry operation. The high UV transmittance of 30% of a thin, bleached cotton swatch in the dry state (UPF 3), can be reduced tenfold to about 3% (UPF >30) in ten washes cycles. This is more than the effect achieved by dyestuffs. The detergent should contain about 0.1-0.3% of the special UV absorber. The same effect can be achieved as early as after one wash cycle with a higher concentration provided by a special laundry additive. Yet another form of application is via rinse cycle fabric conditioner. To make these new types of improvement of fabrics visible the Skin Cancer Foundation now provides the possibility for laundry products to qualify for the "Seal of Recommendation".

Fabrication of tough epoxy with shape memory effects by UV-assisted direct-ink write printing.

PubMed

Chen, Kaijuan; Kuang, Xiao; Li, Vincent; Kang, Guozheng; Qi, H Jerry

2018-03-07

3D printing of epoxy-based shape memory polymers with high mechanical strength, excellent thermal stability and chemical resistance is highly desirable for practical applications. However, thermally cured epoxy in general is difficult to print directly. There have been limited numbers of successes in printing epoxy but they suffer from relatively poor mechanical properties. Here, we present an ultraviolet (UV)-assisted 3D printing of thermally cured epoxy composites with high tensile toughness via a two-stage curing approach. The ink containing UV curable resin and epoxy oligomer is used for UV-assisted direct-ink write (DIW)-based 3D printing followed by thermal curing of the part containing the epoxy oligomer. The UV curable resin forms a network by photo polymerization after the 1st stage of UV curing, which can maintain the printed architecture at an elevated temperature. The 2nd stage thermal curing of the epoxy oligomer yields an interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) composite with highly enhanced mechanical properties. It is found that the printed IPN epoxy composites enabled by the two-stage curing show isotropic mechanical properties and high tensile toughness. We demonstrated that the 3D-printed high-toughness epoxy composites show good shape memory properties. This UV-assisted DIW 3D printing via a two-stage curing method can broaden the application of 3D printing to fabricate thermoset materials with enhanced tensile toughness and tunable properties for high-performance and functional applications.

Aerosol column absorption measurements using co-located UV-MFRSR and AERONET CIMEL instruments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krotkov, N.; Labow, G.; Herman, J.; Slusser, J.; Tree, R.; Janson, G.; Durham, B.; Eck, T.; Holben, B.

2009-08-01

Column aerosol absorption properties in the visible wavelengths are measured routinely in worldwide locations by NASA AERONET network (http://aeronet.gsfc.nasa.gov), while similar optical properties in UV can be derived from diffuse and global irradiance measurements measured with Multifilter Rotating Shadowband Radiometer (MFRSR) instruments of the USDA UV-MFRSR network (http://uvb.nrel.colostate.edu). To enable direct comparisons between the two techniques, we have modified our UV-MFRSR by replacing standard 300nm filter with 440nm filter used in AERONET network. The modified UV/VIS-MFRSR has been mostly deployed at AERONET calibration site at NASA GSFC in Greenbelt, MD, but also at number of field campaigns. While the UV-MSFRSR instrument is highly susceptible to calibration drifts, these drifts can be accurately assessed using co-located AERONET direct-sun AOT data. In 2006 quartz dome has been installed atop the MFRSR diffuser, which stabilized calibration drifts in 2007-2009. After correcting for remaining calibration changes, the AOT and single scattering albedo (SSA) at the UV wavelengths can be accurately inferred by fitting the measurements of global and diffuse atmospheric transmittances with the forward RT model at each UV-MFRSR spectral channel. Derived AOT and SSA at common wavelength 440nm by two different techniques are generally in good agreement. We also found that SSA becomes smaller in the UV wavelengths and has strong wavelength dependence across blue and near-UV spectral range. The measured enhanced UV absorption might suggest the presence of selectively UV absorbing aerosols. High spectral resolution SSA measurements in UV-VIS wavelengths are called for.

Distribution and nature of UV absorbers on Trition's surface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stern, S. Alan

1995-01-01

Substantial evidence suggests that a UV (ultraviolet) Spectrally Absorbing Material (UV-SAM) exists on Triton's surface. This evidence is found in the positive slope in Triton's spectrum from the UV to the near-IR, and the increasing contrast in Triton's light curve in the blue and UV. Although it is now widely-thought that UV-SAM's exist on Triton, little is known about their distribution and spectral properties. The goal of this NDAP Project is to determine the spatial distribution and geological context of the UV-SAM material. We hope to determine if UV-SAM's on Triton are correlated with geologic wind streaks, craters, calderas, geomorphic/topographic units, regions containing (or lacking) volatile frosts, or some other process (e.g., magnetospheric interactions). Once the location and distribution of UV-SAM's has been determined, further constraints on their composition can be made by analyzing the spectrographic data set. To accomplish these goals, various data sets will be used, including Voyager 2 UV and visible images of Triton's surface, IUE and HST spectra of Triton, and a geologic map of the surface based on Voyager 2 and spectrophotometric data. The results of this research will be published in the planetary science literature.

The Diffuse Radiation Field at High Galactic Latitudes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akshaya, M. S.; Murthy, Jayant; Ravichandran, S.; Henry, R. C.; Overduin, James

2018-05-01

We have used GALEX observations of the north and south Galactic poles to study the diffuse ultraviolet background at locations where the Galactic light is expected to be at a minimum. We find offsets of 230–290 photon units in the far-UV (1531 Å) and 480–580 photon units in the near-UV (2361 Å). Of this, approximately 120 photon units can be ascribed to dust-scattered light and another 110 photon units (190 in the near-UV) to extragalactic radiation. The remaining radiation is, as yet, unidentified and amounts to 120–180 photon units in the far-UV and 300–400 photon units in the near-UV. We find that molecular hydrogen fluorescence contributes to the far-UV when the 100 μm surface brightness is greater than 1.08 MJy sr‑1.

Responses of photosynthetic properties and chloroplast ultrastructure of two moss crusts from a desert biological soil crust to supplementary UV-B radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hui, Rong; Li, Xinrong; Zhao, Yang; Pan, Yanxia

2016-04-01

Our understanding of plant responses to supplementary ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation due to stratospheric ozone depletion has improved over recent decades. However, research on biological soil crusts (BSCs) is scarce and it remains controversial. Laboratory studies were conducted to investigate the influence of UV-B radiation on the Bryum argenteum and Didymodon vinealis isolated from BSCs, which are both dominant species in moss crusts found within patches of shrubs and herbs in the Tengger Desert of northern China. The aim of the current work was to evaluate whether supplementary UV-B radiation affected photosynthetic properties and chloroplast ultrastructure of two moss crusts and whether response differences were observed between the crusts. Four levels of UV-B radiation of 2.75 (control), 3.08, 3.25, and 3.41 W m-2 was achieved using fluorescence tube systems for 10 days, simulating 0, 6, 9, and 12% of stratospheric ozone at the latitude of Shapotou, respectively. We measured photosynthetic apparatus as assessed by chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters, photosynthetic pigment contents, and observations of chloroplast ultrastructure. Additionally, soluble proteins and UV-B absorbing compounds were simultaneously investigated. The results of this study showed that chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters (i.e., the maximal quantum yield of PSII photochemistry, the effective quantum yield of PSII photochemistry, and photochemical quenching coefficient), photosynthetic pigment contents, soluble protein contents, total flavonoid contents and the ultrastructure were negatively influenced by elevated UV-B radiation and the degree of detrimental effects significantly increased with the intensity of UV-B radiation. Moreover, results demonstrated that the negative effects on photosynthesis and chloroplast ultrastructure were more serious in B. argenteum than that in D. vinealis. These results may not only provide a potential mechanism for supplemental UV-B effects on

Soil burial biodegradation studies of palm oil-based UV-curable films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tajau, Rida; Salleh, Mek Zah; Salleh, Nik Ghazali Nik; Abdurahman, Mohamad Norahiman; Salih, Ashraf Mohammed; Fathy, Siti Farhana; Azman, Anis Asmi; Hamidi, Nur Amira

2016-01-01

The palm oil-based ultraviolet (uv)-curable films were subjected to an outdoor soil burial test to investigate the biodegradation under natural environment. The films were burial in the soil experiment plot at the Nuclear Malaysia's Dengkil complex. The uv-curable films were synthesized from the epoxidized palm oil acrylated (EPOLA) resin and the polyurethane palm oil (POBUA) resin, respectively. Biodegradation tests are more specific to burial film in soil experiments for 12 months under natural conditions. The biodegradability of palm oil resin based uv-curable films were investigated and compared with the petrochemical resin based film. The films properties were compared with respect to properties of the thermal characteristic, the crystallinity, the morphology and the weight loss which are analyzed using the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), the scanning electron microscope (SEM), an optical microscope and the weight loss of film calculation. These findings suggested that the palm oil-based uv-curable films show quite satisfactory biodegradation levels.

Probing the Initial Mass Function in Extended Ultraviolet (XUV) Disks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koda, Jin

2014-01-01

The GALEX UV satellite discovered tantalizing evidence of star formation (SF) far beyond the optical edge of galactic disks (i.e. XUV disk). This discovery provides a new opportunity for studying SF in the exceedingly low-density environment (~1/10 of typical SF density), spurring intense debate on the universality of the initial mass function (IMF) in such exceptional environments. Our pilot study led to support for the universal IMF at least in M83’s XUV disk (Koda et al. 2012). We propose an expansion of the pilot study by about an order of magnitude, by observing total ~ 10 XUV disks (6 disks in S14A) in NA656(Halpha), B, I, and R-band with S-Cam. In conjunction with GALEX UV bands, these images will reveal the presence of O stars (Halpha) and O&B stars (UV) in stellar clusters -thus, constraining the high-mass end of the IMF. These multi-broadband images will enable us to determine the masses of the clusters with much improved accuracy (previously, relied only on R). This project will not only increase the statistical significance of our previous result, but also enable us to analyze the stochastic effect of IMF sampling in very low-mass clusters (102-3 Msun) - the regime of ongoing debate. This proposal will complete this on-going project with S-Cam.

Inclusion complexes of β-cyclodextrin-dinitrocompounds as UV absorber for ballpoint pen ink.

PubMed

Srinivasan, Krishnan; Radhakrishnan, S; Stalin, Thambusamy

2014-08-14

2,4-Dinitrophenol (2,4-DNP), 2,4-dinitroaniline (2,4-DNA), 2,6-dinitroaniline (2,6-DNA) and 2,6-dinitrobenzoic acid (2,6-DNB) has appeared for the UV absorption bands in different wavelength region below 400 nm, a combination of these dinitro aromatic compounds gave the broad absorption spectra within the UV region. The absorption intensities have been increased by preparation of the inclusion complex of dinitro compounds with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD). Prepared inclusion complexes are used to improve the UV protection properties of the ball point pen ink against photo degradation. The formation of solid inclusion complexes was characterized by FT-IR, and (1)H NMR spectroscopy. The UV protecting properties of these inclusion complexes were calculated their sun protection factor (SPF) is also discussed. The stability of the ballpoint pen ink has been confirmed by UV-Visible spectroscopic method. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Facile Dry Surface Cleaning of Graphene by UV Treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jin Hong; Haidari, Mohd Musaib; Choi, Jin Sik; Kim, Hakseong; Yu, Young-Jun; Park, Jonghyurk

2018-05-01

Graphene has been considered an ideal material for application in transparent lightweight wearable electronics due to its extraordinary mechanical, optical, and electrical properties originating from its ordered hexagonal carbon atomic lattice in a layer. Precise surface control is critical in maximizing its performance in electronic applications. Graphene grown by chemical vapor deposition is widely used but it produces polymeric residue following wet/chemical transfer process, which strongly affects its intrinsic electrical properties and limits the doping efficiency by adsorption. Here, we introduce a facile dry-cleaning method based on UV irradiation to eliminate the organic residues even after device fabrication. Through surface topography, Raman analysis, and electrical transport measurement characteristics, we confirm that the optimized UV treatment can recover the clean graphene surface and improve graphene-FET performance more effectively than thermal treatment. We propose our UV irradiation method as a systematically controllable and damage-free post process for application in large-area devices.

Responses of Crepis japonica induced by supplemental blue light and UV-A radiation.

PubMed

Constantino, L F da S; Nascimento, L B Dos S; Casanova, L M; Moreira, N Dos S; Menezes, E A; Esteves, R L; Costa, S S; Tavares, E S

2017-02-15

Crepis japonica (L.) D.C. (Asteraceae), a weed with antioxidant, antiallergenic, antiviral and antitumor properties displays both medicinal properties and nutritional value. This study aims to assess the effects of a supplementation of blue light and UV-A radiation on the growth, leaf anatomical structure and phenolic profile of the aerial parts of Crepis japonica. Plants were grown under two light treatments: W (control - white light), W + B (white light supplemented with blue light) and W + UV-A (white light supplemented with UV-A radiation). We recorded the length, width, and weight of fresh and dry leaves, the thickness of the epidermis and mesophyll, and stomata density. The phenolic profiles of the aqueous extracts of the aerial parts were analyzed by HPLC-DAD. There was an increase in the leaf size, stomatal density, and phenolic production, and a thickening of the mesophyll and epidermis. UV-A radiation increased the phenolic production more than blue light. Blue light and UV-A radiation both improved the production of caffeic acid by about 6 and 3 times, respectively, in comparison to control. This compound was first reported as a constituent of the extract from the aerial parts together with caftaric acid. UV-A also promoted the production of chlorogenic acid (about 1.5 times in comparison to the control). We observed that the morphological and chemical parameters of C. japonica are modified in response to blue light and UV-A radiation, which can be used as tools in the cultivation of this species in order to improve its medicinal properties and nutritional value.

Multiple UV reflectance peaks in the iridescent neck feathers of pigeons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McGraw, Kevin J.

Recent studies of colorful plumage signals in birds have been aided by the finding that birds can see ultraviolet (UV) light and thus may communicate using colors invisible to humans. Some of the pioneering and more pivotal work on avian color vision was performed with domestic pigeons (Columba livia), yet surprisingly there have been few detailed reports of the UV-reflecting properties of pigeon feathers. Here, I use UV-VIS fiber-optic spectrometry to document the full-spectrum reflectance characteristics of iridescent purple and green neck plumage in pigeons. Neck feathers that appear purple to the human eye exhibit four reflectance peaks-two in the UV and one in the blue and red regions-and thus exhibit a UV-purple hue. Neck feathers that appear green to the human eye are characterized by five spectral peaks: two in the UV (UVA and UVB), a predominant green peak, and secondary violet and red peaks, conferring a UV-purple-green color. Such elaborate UV coloration suggests that birds may use an even more complex and `hidden' UV signaling system than previously thought.

The near-UV absorber OSSO and its isomers.

PubMed

Wu, Zhuang; Wan, Huabin; Xu, Jian; Lu, Bo; Lu, Yan; Eckhardt, André K; Schreiner, Peter R; Xie, Changjian; Guo, Hua; Zeng, Xiaoqing

2018-05-01

Disulfur dioxide, OSSO, has been proposed as the enigmatic "near-UV absorber" in the yellowish atmosphere of Venus. However, the fundamentally important spectroscopic properties and photochemistry of OSSO are scarcely documented. By either condensing gaseous SO or 266 laser photolysis of an S2O2 complex in Ar or N2 at 15 K, syn-OSSO, anti-OSSO, and cyclic OS([double bond, length as m-dash]O)S were identified by IR and UV/Vis spectroscopy for the first time. The observed absorptions (λmax) for OSSO at 517 and 390 nm coincide with the near-UV absorption (320-400 nm) found in the Venus clouds by photometric measurements with the Pioneer Venus orbiter. Subsequent UV light irradiation (365 nm) depletes syn-OSSO and anti-OSSO and yields a fourth isomer, syn-OSOS, with concomitant dissociation into SO2 and elemental sulfur.

Synthesis and Study of Optical Properties of Graphene/TiO2 Composites Using UV-VIS Spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rathod, P. B.; Waghuley, S. A.

2016-09-01

Graphene and TiO2 were synthesized using electrochemical exfoliation and co-precipitation methods, respectively. An ex situ approach was adopted for the graphene/TiO2 composites. The conformation of graphene in the TiO2 samples was examined through X-ray diffraction. Optical properties of the as-synthesised composites such as optical absorption, extinction coefficient, refractive index, real dielectric constant, imaginary dielectric constant, dissipation factor, and optical conductivity were measured using UV-Vis spectroscopy. The varying concentration of graphene in TiO2 affects the optical properties which appear different for 10 wt.% as compared to 5 wt.% graphene/ TiO2 composite. The composites exhibit an absorption peak at 300 nm with a decrease in band gap for 10 wt.% as compared to 5 wt.% graphene/TiO2 composite. The maximum optical conductivity for the graphene/TiO2 composite of 10 wt.% was found to be 1.86·10-2 Ω-1·m-1 at 300 nm.

In vitro evaluation of UV opacity potential of Aloe vera L. gel from different germplasms.

PubMed

Kumar, M Shyam; Datta, P K; Dutta Gupta, S

2009-04-01

In this study, lyophilized crude and methanolic extracts of aloe gel from different germplasms (S24, RM, TN, OR, and RJN) of Aloe vera L. were tested for their ultraviolet (UV) opacity potential. UV absorption profiles, sun protection factor (SPF), and percentage blocking of UVA and UVB were considered to test UV opacity potential. Both the extracts showed UV absorption and followed the same path in the wavelength range of 250-400 nm in all the germplasms. Methanolic extract showed a stronger absorptivity than the crude lyophilized extract. Among the tested germplasms, maximum UV opacity property with a SPF of 9.97% and 79.12% UVB blocking was obtained with RJN, whereas a poor response was evident in TN with a SPF of 1.37% and 28.5% UVB blocking at 4 mg/ml methanolic extract. To our knowledge the present work for the first time documents UV opacity properties of A. vera L. gel and opens up new vistas in Aloe gel characterization.

Preliminary results of aerosols' properties studied with EPF measurements from the SPICAM/UV instrument

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willame, Yannick; Carine Vandaele, Ann; Depiesse, Cedric; Gillotay, Didier; Kochenova, Svetlana; Montmessin, Franck

2013-04-01

Aerosols on Mars have an important impact on the radiative transfer properties of its atmosphere. Today their spectral properties and therefore their interaction with UV radiation are only poorly known. Improving the radiative transfer modeling requires a better knowledge of their characteristics, in particular of their opacity, phase function and single scattering albedo. Part of such information can be accessed by using EPF observations. The SPICAM instrument on board of the Mars-Express satellite is a 2 channel spectrometer. One channel operates in the ultraviolet (118-320 nm) and the second one in the infrared (1.0-1.7μm). SPICAM has been orbiting around the red planet since 2003 and has thus provided a large set of data. The instrument is capable of measuring under different geometries (nadir, limb, occultation) and one of them, called EPF (Emission Phase Function), can be a tool to study aerosols' properties. We have developed a new retrieval algorithm for nadir measurements based on the radiative transfer model LIDORT. This new code performs simulations of spectra taking into account gas absorption, surface reflection and scattering by aerosols and gases. The retrieval method, based on the optimal estimation, allows us up to now to deduce the ozone column density, the aerosols' optical depth and the surface albedo (with fixed wavelength dependencies). We are developing our model further in order to better study the aerosols' characteristics using EPF observations, which consist in looking at the same point on the planet while the satellite moves along the orbit. As the attempt to study all the aerosols' properties simultaneously was not convincing, we started studying their opacity and the influence of its altitude distribution with the other characteristics fixed. We will present preliminary results of our study on aerosols' properties using EPF data from SPICAM.

Optical properties of graphene, silicene, germanene, and stanene from IR to far UV - A first principles study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

John, Rita; Merlin, Benita

2017-11-01

This study offers an analysis of optical properties of Graphene and its 2D analogues: Silicene, Germanene, and Stanene with the help of band structures based on Density Functional Theory. The complex dielectric function and complex refractive index are calculated in both parallel (||) and perpendicular (⊥) polarization directions of the electromagnetic field. From these calculated values, optical observables like absorption, reflection, optical conductivity, and electron loss function have been studied. The optical response of all materials is shifted from ultraviolet (UV) to infrared (IR) from graphene to stanene; Graphene is more into UV region and other materials in the IR and visible regions. The intensity of absorption is maximum for stanene. The real part of dielectric function reveals the existence of plasma frequency in the || polarization direction indicating the metal to dielectric transition except for graphene. Study on refractive index clearly displays the birefringence characteristics of all materials. Reflectivity is enhanced in the mid IR and visible regions when light is polarized in the || direction. The in-depth investigations arrive at fine results which would enable the prediction of their potential applications in the optical and optoelectronic industries.

Soil burial biodegradation studies of palm oil-based UV-curable films

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tajau, Rida, E-mail: rida@nuclearmalaysia.gov.my; Salleh, Mek Zah, E-mail: mekzah@nuclearmalaysia.gov.my; Salleh, Nik Ghazali Nik, E-mail: nik-ghazali@nuclearmalaysia.gov.my

The palm oil-based ultraviolet (uv)-curable films were subjected to an outdoor soil burial test to investigate the biodegradation under natural environment. The films were burial in the soil experiment plot at the Nuclear Malaysia’s Dengkil complex. The uv-curable films were synthesized from the epoxidized palm oil acrylated (EPOLA) resin and the polyurethane palm oil (POBUA) resin, respectively. Biodegradation tests are more specific to burial film in soil experiments for 12 months under natural conditions. The biodegradability of palm oil resin based uv-curable films were investigated and compared with the petrochemical resin based film. The films properties were compared with respectmore » to properties of the thermal characteristic, the crystallinity, the morphology and the weight loss which are analyzed using the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), the scanning electron microscope (SEM), an optical microscope and the weight loss of film calculation. These findings suggested that the palm oil-based uv-curable films show quite satisfactory biodegradation levels.« less

UV treatments on the physicochemical properties of tilapia skin and pig skin gelatin.

PubMed

Wu, C K; Tsai, J S; Chen, Z Y; Sung, W C

2015-06-01

Tilapia skin gelatin, pig skin gelatin, and their mousse premixes were exposed to UV irradiation for 103, 206, and 309 kJ/cm(2). All samples after 309 kJ/cm(2) exposure exhibited a significant increase in gel strength, gel forming ability as well as viscosity of solutions. It was shown that UV treatment could also improve the pig skin gelatin foam stability and foam formation ability compared to those of tilapia skin gelatin. Nevertheless, the panelists gave the lowest scores to mousse made with 309 kJ/cm(2) UV-irradiated premix mousse pig skin gelatin. Tilapia skin gelatin could be used as a substitute ingredient for premix mousse made from pig skin gelatin. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

The UV to Near-IR Optical Properties of PAHs: A Semi-Empirical Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mattioda, A. L.; Allamandola, L. J.; Hudgins, D. M.

2005-01-01

Interstellar Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) infrared emission features represent an important and unique diagnostic tool of the chemical and physical conditions throughout the universe. However, one challenge facing the widely accepted PAH emission model has been the detection of infrared features in regions of low UV flux. Utilizing recently published laboratory Near Infrared VIR) PAH ion absorption data measured in our laboratory, we build upon previous models for PAH ion absorption in the UV-Vis to extrapolate a new model which incorporates PAH ion absorption in the NIR. This model provides a basis for comparing the relative energy absorption of PAH ions in the UV-Vis and NIR regions for a wide variety of stellar types. This model demonstrates that the radiation from late-type stars can pump the mid-IR PAH features.

A UV-B-specific signaling component orchestrates plant UV protection

PubMed Central

Brown, Bobby A.; Cloix, Catherine; Jiang, Guang Huai; Kaiserli, Eirini; Herzyk, Pawel; Kliebenstein, Daniel J.; Jenkins, Gareth I.

2005-01-01

UV-B radiation in sunlight has diverse effects on humans, animals, plants, and microorganisms. UV-B can cause damage to molecules and cells, and consequently organisms need to protect against and repair UV damage to survive in sunlight. In plants, low nondamaging levels of UV-B stimulate transcription of genes involved in UV-protective responses. However, remarkably little is known about the underlying mechanisms of UV-B perception and signal transduction. Here we report that Arabidopsis UV RESISTANCE LOCUS 8 (UVR8) is a UV-B-specific signaling component that orchestrates expression of a range of genes with vital UV-protective functions. Moreover, we show that UVR8 regulates expression of the transcription factor HY5 specifically when the plant is exposed to UV-B. We demonstrate that HY5 is a key effector of the UVR8 pathway, and that it is required for survival under UV-B radiation. UVR8 has sequence similarity to the eukaryotic guanine nucleotide exchange factor RCC1, but we found that it has little exchange activity. However, UVR8, like RCC1, is located principally in the nucleus and associates with chromatin via histones. Chromatin immunoprecipitation showed that UVR8 associates with chromatin in the HY5 promoter region, providing a mechanistic basis for its involvement in regulating transcription. We conclude that UVR8 defines a UV-B-specific signaling pathway in plants that orchestrates the protective gene expression responses to UV-B required for plant survival in sunlight. PMID:16330762

High efficiency and enhanced ESD properties of UV LEDs by inserting p-GaN/p-AlGaN superlattice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Yong; Li, PeiXian; Yang, Zhuo; Hao, Yue; Wang, XiaoBo

2014-05-01

Significantly improved electrostatic discharge (ESD) properties of InGaN/GaN-based UV light-emitting diode (LED) with inserting p-GaN/p-AlGaN superlattice (p-SLs) layers (instead of p-AlGaN single layer) between multiple quantum wells and Mg-doped GaN layer are reported. The pass yield of the LEDs increased from 73.53% to 93.81% under negative 2000 V ESD pulses. In addition, the light output power (LOP) and efficiency droop at high injection current were also improved. The mechanism of the enhanced ESD properties was then investigated. After excluding the effect of capacitance modulation, high-resolution X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscope (AFM) measurements demonstrated that the dominant mechanism of the enhanced ESD properties is the material quality improved by p-SLs, which indicated less leakage paths, rather than the current spreading improved by p-SLs.

Effect of UV lamp irradiation during oxidation of Zr/Pt/Si structure on electrical properties of Pt/ZrO 2/Pt/Si structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bae, Joon Woo; Lim, Jae-Won; Mimura, Kouji; Uchikoshi, Masahito; Miyazaki, Takamichi; Isshiki, Minoru

2010-03-01

Metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors were fabricated using ZrO 2 films and the effects of structural and native defects of the ZrO 2 films on the electrical and dielectric properties were investigated. For preparing ZrO 2 films, Zr films were deposited on Pt/Si substrates by ion beam deposition (IBD) system with/without substrate bias voltages and oxidized at 200 °C for 60 min under 0.1 MPa O 2 atmosphere with/without UV light irradiation ( λ = 193 nm, Deep UV lamp). The ZrO 2(˜12 nm) films on Pt(˜100 nm)/Si were characterized by X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), capacitance-voltage ( C- V) and current-voltage ( I- V) measurements were carried out on MIM structures. ZrO 2 films, fabricated by oxidizing the Zr film deposited with substrate bias voltage under UV light irradiation, show the highest capacitance (784 pF) and the lowest leakage current density. The active oxygen species formed by UV irradiation are considered to play an important role in the reduction of the leakage current density, because they can reduce the density of oxygen vacancies.

Enabling High Performance Instruments for UV Astronomy and Space Exploration with ALD

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greer, F.; Hoenk, M. E.; Jones, T. J.; Jacquot, B. C.; Monacos, S.; Nikzad, S.; Hamden, E.; Schiminovich, D.

2011-01-01

Benefits of Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) for UV instruments and application are: (1) Ultrathin, highly conformal, and uniform films over arbitrarily large surface area (2) High quality films (density, roughness, conductivity, etc.) (3) Angstrom level control of stoichiometry, interfaces, and surface properties (3a) Multilayer nanolaminates/nanocomposites (3b) Low temperature surface engineering UV flight applications enabled by ALD. (1) Anti -reflective coatings/Mirrors/Filters/Optics for UV/Vis/NIR Detectors (2) Surface Passivation for III -N detectors

Radiation damage of all-silica fibers in the UV region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gombert, Joerg; Ziegler, M.; Assmus, J.; Klein, Karl-Friedrich; Nelson, Gary W.; Clarkin, James P.; Pross, H.; Kiefer, J.

1999-04-01

Since several years, UVI-fibers having higher solarization- resistance are well known stimulating new fiber-optic applications in the UV-region below 250 nm. Besides the description of the improved transmission properties of UV- light from different UV-sources, the mechanisms of improvement have been discussed in detail. The UV-defects, mainly the E'- center with the UV-absorption band around 215 nm, were passivated by using hydrogen-doping. Besides DUV-light, ionizing radiation like Gamma-radiation or X-rays can create similar defects in the UV-region. In the past, the radiation- damage in the UV-region was studied on silica bulk samples: again, E'-centers were generated. Up to now, no UV- transmission through a 1 m long fiber during or after Gamma- radiation had been observed. However, the hydrogen in the UVI- fibers behaves the same for Gamma-irradiation, leading to a passivation of the radiation-induced defects and an improved transmission in the UV-C region below 250 nm. On this report, the influence of total dose and fiber diameter on the UV- damage after irradiation will be described and discussed. In addition, we will include annealing studies, with and without UV-light. Based on our results, the standard process of Gamma- sterilization with a total dose of approx. 2 Mrad can be used for UVI-fibers resulting in a good UV-transmission below 320 nm. Excimer-laser light at 308 nm (XeCl) and 248 nm (KrF) and deuterium-lamp light with the full spectrum starting at 200 nm can also be transmitted.

UV and γ-ray resistance of poly(N-methylmaleimide-alt-isobutene) and poly(diisopropyl fumarate) as transparent polymer films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Imaizumi, Ryota; Furuta, Masakazu; Okamura, Haruyuki; Matsumoto, Akikazu

2017-09-01

UV and γ-ray resistance of transparent polymers obtained by radical polymerization of maleic and fumaric acid derivatives, i.e., an alternating copolymer of N-methylmaleimide and isobutene (PMI) and poly(diisopropyl fumarate) (PDiPF), was investigated. Transmittance in UV and visible regions of these polymers were examined after UV irradiation and compared with the results for poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polycarbonate (PC) as conventional transparent polymers. The order of stability toward UV irradiation was PMMA≈PDiPF>PMI>>PC, deduced from changes in the transmittance of 380 nm light. Tensile mechanical properties, such as elastic modulus, maximum strength, and elongation values of PMI, PDiPF, and PMMA were also investigated after UV and γ-radiation. UV irradiation induced the side chain scission of PMI and PDiPF via Norrish I type reaction as well as crosslinking by combination between formed polymer radicals, leading to deterioration in their optical and mechanical properties. γ-radiation induced significant changes in molecular weight and mechanical properties of the polymers. In conclusion, PMI exhibited unchanged mechanical properties and PDiPF maintained its high transparency under various irradiation conditions.

Photodegradation of 4-tert-butylphenol in aqueous solution by UV-C, UV/H2O2 and UV/S2O8(2-) system.

PubMed

Wu, Yanlin; Zhu, Xiufen; Chen, Hongche; Dong, Wenbo; Zhao, Jianfu

2016-01-01

The photolytic degradation of 4-tert-butylphenol (4-t-BP) in aqueous solution was investigated using three kinds of systems: UV-C directly photodegradation system, UV/H2O2 and UV/S2O8(2-) system. Under experimental conditions, the degradation rate of 4-t-BP was in the order: UV/S2O8(2-) > UV/H2O2 > UV-C. The reaction kinetics of UV/S2O8(2-) system were thoroughly investigated. The increase of S2O8(2-) concentration enhanced the 4-t-BP degradation rate, which was inhibited when the concentration of S2O8(2-) exceeded 4.0 mM. The highest efficacy in 4-t-BP degradation was obtained at pH 6.5. The oxidation rate of 4-t-BP could be accelerated by increasing the reaction temperature and irradiation intensity. The highest rate constant (kobs = 8.4 × 10(-2) min(-1)) was acquired when the reaction temperature was 45 °C. The irradiation intensity was measured by irradiation distance, and the optimum irradiation distance was 10 cm. Moreover, the preliminary mechanism of 4-t-BP degradation was studied. The bond scission of the 4-t-BP molecule occurred by the oxidation of SO4(•-), which dimerized and formed two main primary products. Under the conditions of room temperature (25 °C ± 1 °C) and low concentration of K2S2O8 (0.5 mM), 35.4% of total organic carbon (TOC) was removed after 8.5-h irradiation. The results showed that UV/S2O8(2-) system was effective for the degradation of 4-t-BP.

Effect of UV curing time on physical and electrical properties and reliability of low dielectric constant materials

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kao, Kai-Chieh; Cheng, Yi-Lung, E-mail: yjcheng@ncnu.edu.tw; Chang, Wei-Yuan

2014-11-01

This study comprehensively investigates the effect of ultraviolet (UV) curing time on the physical, electrical, and reliability characteristics of porous low-k materials. Following UV irradiation for various periods, the depth profiles of the chemical composition in the low-k dielectrics were homogeneous. Initially, the UV curing process preferentially removed porogen-related CH{sub x} groups and then modified Si-CH{sub 3} and cage Si-O bonds to form network Si-O bonds. The lowest dielectric constant (k value) was thus obtained at a UV curing time of 300 s. Additionally, UV irradiation made porogen-based low-k materials hydrophobic and to an extent that increased with UV curing time.more » With a short curing time (<300 s), porogen was not completely removed and the residues degraded reliability performance. A long curing time (>300 s) was associated with improved mechanical strength, electrical performance, and reliability of the low-k materials, but none of these increased linearly with UV curing time. Therefore, UV curing is necessary, but the process time must be optimized for porous low-k materials on back-end of line integration in 45 nm or below technology nodes.« less

Comparation between different tracers of SFR in the CALIFA sample

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Catalán-Torrecilla, C.; Armando Gil de Paz, A.; África Castillo-Morales, A.; Jorge Iglesias-Páramo, J.; Almudena Alonso-Herrero, A.; Califa Team

2013-05-01

The Calar Alto Legacy Integral Field Area survey (CALIFA survey) has been designed to be the first survey to provide Integral Field Spectroscopy (IFS) data for a statistical sample of all galaxy types (˜ 600 galaxies) in the Local Universe (0.005UV range obtained by GALEX (GALaxy Evolution eXplorer) satellite at both far-UV (FUV) and near-UV (NUV) wavelengths and imaging data in the near-infrared (22 μm) from WISE. The main objective of our work will be to provide a robust determination of the star formation rate (SFR) in galaxies as a crucial element to understand galaxy evolution. We will focus on the analysis of this property using different tracers/calibrators: dust-extinction-corrected Hα-line emission (from CALIFA), FUV continuum (from GALEX), and infrared luminosities (from WISE). Besides a global comparison of the total SFR in the sample we will also identify those galaxies where these estimates clearly depart suggesting the presence of significant amounts of hidden star formation or variations in the IMF. Once these objects are identified we will study the spatial distribution of the different SFR tracers to know whether the discrepancies are ubiquitous in each galaxy or they are associated to specific, individual regions. The SFR are derived using both simple and hybrid recipes (see Calzetti 2012 for a recent compilation). In the case of the recipes based on a single photometric band (simple) we have used the extinction-corrected UV and Hα and the observed mid- or far-infrared luminosities. The hydrid ones combine luminosities measured directly (observed UV or Hα) with that of the light emitted by dust after being heated by young massive stars (in our case the WISE 22 μm luminosity). We have discovered that the results obtained depend in what calibrators we are using, in particular the SFR_{FUV} correlate well with SFR_{H_{α}} once both have been properly

UV extinction properties of carina nebular dust

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Massa, Derck

1993-01-01

I have performed an analysis of the UV extinction by dust along the line of sight to the young open cluster Tr 16. The observed curves are parameterized in order to extract quantitative information about the structure of the curves. Furthermore, by constructing differential extinction curves, obtained by differencing curves for stars which lie within a few arc seconds of each other on the sky, I was able to obtain a curve which is free of the effects of foreground extinction, and represents the extinction by the dust in the Tr 16 molecular cloud. I then show that this curve is nearly identical to one due to dust in the Orion molecular cloud. This result shows that dust in the Carina arm exhibits the same behavior as that in the local arm.

Physical Properties of Known Exoplanet and Host Stars Within Ten Parsecs: X-ray/UV Fluxes, Rotation, Ages, and Potential of Habitability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kullberg, Evan; Guinan, E. F.; Engle, S. G.

2014-01-01

We have compiled a catalogue of all exoplanets and their host stars within ten parsecs (32.6 ly) from the Sun. In addition to the physical properties of the exoplanets: estimated mass, orbital period, etc; we have compiled the properties of the host stars. These include: spectral class, effective temperature, luminosity, metallicity, period of rotation, etc. For the stars that have X-Ray observations and UV spectrophotometry, we have measured the X-UV irradiances at the distance of the exoplanets orbiting them. In addition, we estimated the ages of the stellar systems using our Rotation-Age-Activity relationship developed at Villanova over the last ten years. These results were used to evaluate the potential habitability of the exoplanets with particular attention is paid to stars with Super-Earth planets orbiting within the habitable zones of their host stars. These include GJ 581, GJ 876, Tau Ceti, and HD 20794. We focus on the GJ 581 system, since it contains at least two Super-Earth exoplanets on the inner and outer boundaries of the habitable zone (GJ 581c and GJ 581d respectively), and because the host star has recently been observed with the SWIFT satellite and detected to be an X-Ray source with a log(LX 26.1 erg/s (Vitale and France A&A 2013). We also utilized the recently secured FUV-UV HIST/COS spectrophotometry (France et al. ApJ 2013) to compute X-Ray to UV irradiances at GJ 581c and GJ 581d. In addition to the XUV irradiance studies, we have estimated the age of the GJ 581 system from the: rotational period, Lyman Alpha Emission, Mg-II emission, Ca-II emission; using our Rotation-Age-Activity relationship from our Living with a Red Dwarf program. We calculate an average age determination of 7.5±2 Gyr. We discuss how these results affect the relevance of these stars as potential destinations of interstellar travel in the future. We acknowledge the support for this study from NSF/RUI grant AST-1009903, and NASA/CHANDRA GO1-12024X, GO2-13020X and HST

Spectral transmittance of UV-blocking soft contact lenses: a comparative study.

PubMed

Rahmani, Saeed; Mohammadi Nia, Mohadeseh; Akbarzadeh Baghban, Alireza; Nazari, Mohammad Reza; Ghassemi-Broumand, Mohammad

2014-12-01

Three major parts of sunlight consist of visible, ultraviolet and infrared radiation. Exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) can result in a spectrum of skin and ocular diseases. UV-blocking contact lenses help provide protection against harmful UV radiation. We studied the ultraviolet and visible light rays transmission in some soft UV-blocking contact lenses. Four available tinted soft lenses (Acuvue Moist, Zeiss CONTACT Day 30 Air spheric, Pretty Eyes and Sauflon 56 UV) have been evaluated for UV and visible transmission. One-way ANOVA testing was performed to establish is there a statistically significant difference between the UV regions and visible spectra means for the contact lenses (α=0.05). Pretty Eyes, Zeiss CONTACT, Acuvue Moist and Sauflon 56 UV showed UV-B transmittance value of 0.65%, 10.69%, 1.22%, and 5.78%, respectively. Pretty Eyes and Acuvue Moist had UV-A transmittance values of 32% and 34%, Sauflon 56 UV and Zeiss CONTACT had transmittance values of 48% and 43%, respectively. All of the studied lenses transmitted at least 94.6% on the visible spectrum. The results of the one-way ANOVA statistical analysis show that a statistically significant difference exists within the group of contact lenses tested for the visible (p<0.001), UV-B (p<0.001) and UV-A (p<0.001) portions of the spectrum (α=0.05). Acuvue Moist has the best UV-blocking property and also visible transmission between other tested contact lenses in this study. Copyright © 2014 British Contact Lens Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Demonstrating Basic Properties of Spectroscopy Using a Self-Constructed Combined Fluorimeter and UV-Photometer

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kvittingen, Eivind V.; Kvittingen, Lise; Melø, Thor Bernt; Sjursnes, Birte Johanne; Verley, Richard

2017-01-01

This article describes a combined UV-photometer and fluorimeter constructed from 3 LEDs and a few wires, all held in place with Lego bricks. The instrument has a flexible design. In its simplest version, two UV-LEDs (355 nm) are used as light source and to detect absorption, and a third LED, in the visible spectrum (e.g., 525 nm), is used to…

Optical properties of ZnO/BaCO3 nanocomposites in UV and visible regions.

PubMed

Zak, Ali Khorsand; Hashim, Abdul Manaf; Darroudi, Majid

2014-01-01

Pure zinc oxide and zinc oxide/barium carbonate nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs and ZB-NPs) were synthesized by the sol-gel method. The prepared powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis), Auger spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The XRD result showed that the ZnO and BaCO3 nanocrystals grow independently. The Auger spectroscopy proved the existence of carbon in the composites besides the Zn, Ba, and O elements. The UV-Vis spectroscopy results showed that the absorption edge of ZnO nanoparticles is redshifted by adding barium carbonate. In addition, the optical parameters including the refractive index and permittivity of the prepared samples were calculated using the UV-Vis spectra. 81.05.Dz; 78.40.Tv; 42.70.-a.

Long-term variations of the UV-B radiation over Central Europe since early 1960s, as revealed from the UV observations and reconstructed data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krzyscin, J. W.

2003-04-01

A method of reconstruction of the UV variations for periods when UV-B measurements were not carried out is proposed. The reconstruction is based on observations of total (Sun+sky) radiation by a pyranometer, Dobson total ozone, sunshine duriation from the Campbel Stokes heliograph, and atmospheric column water content taken from NCEP/NOAA reanalysis. Modeled all-sky erythemaly weighted daily dose is calculated as a product of the cloud reduction factor (CRF) over UV range and clear-sky dose from a radiative transfer model. CRF over UV range is estimated from measured CRF for total solar radiation and the statistical dependence relating CRF over UV with that over whole solar spectrum. The measured daily UV doses and daily sum of total radiation taken at Belsk, Poland (52N, 21E) for the period 1976-2001 have been used to construct the regressions for various solar zenith angles. The time series of monthly means from the modeled daily UV doses follows the observed monthly means supporting the possibility of reconstruction of the UV time series for other periods. An inspection of the long-term stability of total radiation measurements is necessary to discuss trends in the reconstructed time series. We examine the data homogeneity analyzing the ratio of the observed to modeled total radiation for fully clear sky days that are selected from the daily values of sunshine duration measured by the Campbel-Stokes heliograph. Combining reconstructed and observed monthly means of the UV doses we found a positive trend in the UV radiation in the period 1980-1995 and almost constant UV level for other periods (early 60s up to 1980, and 1995-2001). The trend pattern suggests dominating role of the long-term total ozone forcing on the UV level with a small impact of the long-term changes in the cloud/aerosol properties.

Towards multifunctional cellulosic fabric: UV photo-reduction and in-situ synthesis of silver nanoparticles into cellulose fabrics.

PubMed

Rehan, Mohamed; Barhoum, Ahmed; Van Assche, Guy; Dufresne, Alain; Gätjen, Linda; Wilken, Ralph

2017-05-01

Herein, the highly multifunctional cotton fabric surfaces were designed with excellent coloration, UV-protection function, and antimicrobial activity. These multifunctional functions were developed by in-situ synthesis of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) into the cotton fabric surface using a simple green one-pot "UV-reduction" method. Cotton fabrics were pretreated with non-anionic detergent, immersed into alcoholic silver nitrate solution (concentration ranging from 100 to 500ppm), squeezed to remove excess solution and then exposed to UV-irradiation (range 320-400nm) for 1h. The influence UV-irradiation on the thermal, chemical, optical and biological properties of the cotton fabric surface was discussed in details. The UV-irradiation promotes reducing of Ag + ions and the cotton fabrics act as seed medium for Ag NPs formation by "heterogeneous nucleation". Increasing Ag + concentration (from 100 to 500ppm) results in Ag NPs of particle size (distribution) of 50-100nm. Interestingly, the Ag NPs exhibited different localized surface Plasmon resonance properties causing a coloration of the cotton fabrics with different color shades ranging from bright to dark brown with excellent color fastness properties. The treated cotton fabrics also show high protecting functions against UV-transmission (reduction of 65%) and Escherichia coli growth (99%). The side-effects of the UV-reduction process are further investigated. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Depth profiling of mechanical degradation of PV backsheets after UV exposure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, Xiaohong; Krommenhoek, Peter J.; Lin, Chiao-Chi; Yu, Li-Chieh; Nguyen, Tinh; Watson, Stephanie S.

2015-09-01

Polymeric multilayer backsheets protect the photovoltaic modules from damage of moisture and ultraviolet (UV) while providing electrical insulation. Due to the multilayer structures, the properties of the inner layers of the backsheets, including their interfaces, during weathering are not well known. In this study, a commercial type of PPE (polyethylene terephthalate (PET)/PET/ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA)) backsheet films was selected as a model system for a depth profiling study of mechanical properties of a backsheet film during UV exposure. The NIST SPHERE (Simulated Photodegradation via High Energy Radiant Exposure) was used for the accelerated laboratory exposure of the materials with UV at 85°C and two relative humidities (RH) of 5 % (dry) and 60 % (humid). Cryomicrotomy was used to obtain cross-sectional PPE samples. Mechanical depth profiling of the cross-sections of aged and unaged samples was conducted by nanoindentation, and a peak-force based quantitative nanomechanical atomic force microscopy (QNM-AFM) mapping techniquewas used to investigate the microstructure and adhesion properties of the adhesive tie layers. The nanoindentation results show the stiffening of the elastic modulus in the PET outer and pigmented EVA layers. From QNM-AFM, the microstructures and adhesion properties of the adhesive layers between PET outer and core layers and between PET core and EVA inner layers are revealed and found to degrade significantly after aging under humidity environment. The results from mechanical depth profiling of the PPE backsheet are further related to the previous chemical depth profiling of the same material, providing new insights into the effects of accelerated UV and humidity on the degradation of multilayer backsheet.

Reduction of patulin in apple cider by UV radiation.

PubMed

Dong, Qingfang; Manns, David C; Feng, Guoping; Yue, Tianli; Churey, John J; Worobo, Randy W

2010-01-01

The presence of the mycotoxin patulin in processed apple juice and cider presents a continual challenge to the food industry as both consumer health and product quality issues. Although several methods for control and/or elimination of patulin have been proposed, no unifying method has been commercially successful for reducing patulin burdens while maintaining product quality. In the present study, exposure to germicidal UV radiation was evaluated as a possible commercially viable alternative for the reduction and possible elimination of the patulin mycotoxin in fresh apple cider. UV exposure of 14.2 to 99.4 mJ/cm(2) resulted in a significant and nearly linear decrease in patulin levels while producing no quantifiable changes in the chemical composition (i.e., pH, Brix, and total acids) or organoleptic properties of the cider. For the range of UV doses tested, patulin levels decreased by 9.4 to 43.4%; the greatest reduction was achieved after less than 15 s of UV exposure. The method of UV radiation (the CiderSure 3500 system) is an easily implemented, high-throughput, and cost-effective method that offers simultaneous UV pasteurization of cider and juice products and reduction and/or elimination of patulin without unwanted alterations in the final product.

Diurnal changes in epidermal UV transmittance of plants in naturally high UV environments.

PubMed

Barnes, Paul W; Flint, Stephan D; Slusser, James R; Gao, Wei; Ryel, Ronald J

2008-06-01

Studies were conducted on three herbaceous plant species growing in naturally high solar UV environments in the subalpine of Mauna Kea, Hawaii, USA, to determine if diurnal changes in epidermal UV transmittance (T(UV)) occur in these species, and to test whether manipulation of the solar radiation regime could alter these diurnal patterns. Additional field studies were conducted at Logan, Utah, USA, to determine if solar UV was causing diurnal T(UV) changes and to evaluate the relationship between diurnal changes in T(UV) and UV-absorbing pigments. Under clear skies, T(UV), as measured with a UV-A-pulse amplitude modulation fluorometer for leaves of Verbascum thapsus and Oenothera stricta growing in native soils and Vicia faba growing in pots, was highest at predawn and sunset and lowest at midday. These patterns in T(UV) closely tracked diurnal changes in solar radiation and were the result of correlated changes in fluorescence induced by UV-A and blue radiation but not photochemical efficiency (F(v)/F(m)) or initial fluorescence yield (F(o)). The magnitude of the midday reduction in T(UV) was greater for young leaves than for older leaves of Verbascum. Imposition of artificial shade eliminated the diurnal changes in T(UV) in Verbascum, but reduction in solar UV had no effect on diurnal T(UV) changes in Vicia. In Vicia, the diurnal changes in T(UV) occurred without detectable changes in the concentration of whole-leaf UV-absorbing compounds. Results suggest that plants actively control diurnal changes in UV shielding, and these changes occur in response to signals other than solar UV; however, the underlying mechanisms responsible for rapid changes in T(UV) remain unclear.

Effects of drying temperature on tomato-based thin film as self-powered UV photodetector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thu, Myo Myo; Mastuda, Atsunori; Cheong, Kuan Yew

2018-07-01

In this work, tomato thin-film is used as an active natural organic layer for UV photodetector. The effects of drying temperature (60-140 °C) on structural, chemical, electrical and UV sensing properties of tomato thin-film have been investigated. The photodetector consists of a glass substrate/tomato thin-film active layer/interdigitated aluminium electrode structure. As the drying temperature increases, surface and density of tomato thin-film is smoother and denser with thinner physical thickness. Chemical functional groups as a function of drying temperature is evaluated and correlated with the electrical property of thin film. A comparison between dark and UV (B and C) illumination with respect to the electrical property has been revealed and the observation has been linked to the active chemical compounds that controlling antioxidant activity in the tomato. By drying the tomato thin-film at 120°C, a self-powered (V = 0 V) photodetector that is able to selectively detecting UV-C can be obtained with external quantum efficiency (η) of 2.53 × 10-7%. While drying it at 140 °C, the detector is better in detecting UV-B when operating at either 5 or -5 V with η of 7.7384 × 10-6% and 8.87 × 10-6%, respectively. The typical response time for raising and falling for all samples are less than 0.3 s.

Properties of the Visible Light Phototaxis and UV Avoidance Behaviors in the Larval Zebrafish.

PubMed

Guggiana-Nilo, Drago A; Engert, Florian

2016-01-01

For many organisms, color is an essential source of information from visual scenes. The larval zebrafish has the potential to be a model for the study of this topic, given its tetrachromatic retina and high dependence on vision. In this study we took a step toward understanding how the larval zebrafish might use color sensing. To this end, we used a projector-based paradigm to force a choice of a color stimulus at every turn of the larva. The stimuli used spanned most of the larval spectral range, including activation of its Ultraviolet (UV) cone, which has not been described behaviorally before. We found that zebrafish larvae swim toward visible wavelengths (>400 nm) when choosing between them and darkness, as has been reported with white light. However, when presented with UV light and darkness zebrafish show an intensity dependent avoidance behavior. This UV avoidance does not interact cooperatively with phototaxis toward longer wavelengths, but can compete against it in an intensity dependent manner. Finally, we show that the avoidance behavior depends on the presence of eyes with functional UV cones. These findings open future avenues for studying the neural circuits that underlie color sensing in the larval zebrafish.

Highly improved Uv resistance and composite interfacial properties of aramid fiber via iron (III) coordination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Zheng; Hong, Dawei; Dai, Yu; Jiang, Chan; Meng, Chenbo; Luo, Longbo; Liu, Xiangyang

2018-03-01

The poor Uv stability and weak interfacial adhesion are considered as the bottleneck problems for further application of aramid fiber. Herein, a new strategy, Fe3+ coordination, was reported for aramid fiber to simultaneous improve its Uv resistance and composite interfacial shear strength. Fe3+ was introduced onto aramid fiber by coordinating with benzimidazole unit of fiber structure. It can reach a doping capacity of as high as 1516ug/g fiber, and the fiber surface is saturatedly covered with Fe3+. The chemical structure of Fe3+-benzimidazole brings about strong metal-enhanced fluorescence emission effect, which, in turn, greatly raises its Uv stability. Owing to the Fe3+ coordination, the tensile strength of Fe-coordinated fiber could preserve as high as 96% after Uv irradiation, compared with 73% of untreated fiber. Meanwhile, the introduction of Fe3+ improves the surface polarity of aramid fiber and consequently leads to the increase of the composite interfacial shear strength by 39%. It is believed that the Fe-coordinated fiber integrates the advantages of easy production, cost-effective and increased Uv stability, as well as high composite interfacial adhesion, and can be used as promising enhancement for the advanced composite material in harsh environment.

UV-visible light photocatalytic properties of NaYF4:(Gd, Si)/TiO2 composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mavengere, Shielah; Kim, Jung-Sik

2018-06-01

In this study, a new novel composite photocatalyst of NaYF4:(Gd, Si)/TiO2 phosphor has been synthesized by two step method of solution combustion and sol-gel. The photocatalyst powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-vis spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Raman spectroscopy confirmed the anatase TiO2 phase which remarkably increased with existence of yttrium silicate compounds between 800 cm-1 and 900 cm-1. Double-addition of Gd3+-Si4+ ions in NaYF4 host introduced sub-energy band levels with intense absorption in the ultraviolet (UV) light region. Photocatalytic activity was examined by exposing methylene blue (MB) solutions mixed with photocatalyst powders to 254 nm UV-C fluorescent lamp and 200 W visible lights. The UV and visible photocatalytic reactivity of the NaYF4:(Gd, 1% Si)/TiO2 phosphor composites showed enhanced MB degradation efficiency. The coating of NaYF4:(Gd, 1% Si) phosphor with TiO2 nanoparticles creates energy band bending at the phosphor/TiO2 interfaces. Thus, these composites exhibited enhanced absorption of UV/visible light and the separation of electron and hole pairs for efficient photocatalysis.

PVP capped CdS nanoparticles for UV-LED applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sivaram, H.; Selvakumar, D.; Jayavel, R., E-mail: rjvel@annauniv.edu

Polyvinlypyrrolidone (PVP) capped cadmium sulphide (CdS) nanoparticles are synthesized by wet chemical method. The powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) result indicates that the nanoparticles are crystallized in cubic phase. The optical properties are characterized by UV-Vis absorption. The morphology of CdS nanoparticles are studied using Scanning electron microscope (SEM). The thermal behavior of the as prepared nanoparticles has been examined by Thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA). The optical absorption study of pvp capped CdS reveal a red shift confirms the UV-LED applications.

Preliminary results of aerosols' properties studied with EPF measurements from the SPICAM/UV instrument

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willame, Y.; Vandaele, A.-C.; Depiesse, C.; Gillotay, D.; Kochenova, S.; Montmessin, F.

2012-04-01

Aerosols on Mars have an important impact on the radiative transfer properties of its atmosphere. Today their spectral properties and therefore their interaction with UV radiation are only poorly known. Improving the radiative transfer modeling requires a better knowledge of their characteristics, in particular of their opacity, phase function and single scattering albedo. We will show that such information can be accessed by using EPF observations. The SPICAM instrument on board of the Mars-Express satellite is a 2 channel spectrometer. One channel operates in the ultraviolet (118-320 nm) and the second one in the infrared (1.0-1.7μm). SPICAM has been orbiting around the red planet since 2003 and has thus provided a large set of data. The instrument is capable of measuring under different geometries (nadir, limb, occultation) and one of them, called EPF (Emission Phase Function), is a practical tool to study aerosols' properties. We have developed a new retrieval algorithm for nadir measurements based on the radiative transfer model LIDORT. This new code performs simulations of spectra taking into account gas absorption, surface reflection and scattering by aerosols and gases. The retrieval method, based on the optimal estimation, allows us up to now to deduce the ozone column density, the aerosols' optical depth and the surface albedo (with fixed wavelength dependencies). We are developing our model further in order to better study the aerosols' characteristics using EPF observations, which consist in looking at the same point on the planet while the satellite moves along the orbit. As the attempt to study all the aerosols' properties simultaneously was not convincing, we will start with studying their opacity and its altitude distribution with the other characteristics fixed. We will present preliminary results of our study on aerosols' properties and their wavelength dependencies, using EPF data. The method will be illustrated by investigating SPICAM

Improving UV Resistance of High Performance Fibers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassanin, Ahmed

High performance fibers are characterized by their superior properties compared to the traditional textile fibers. High strength fibers have high modules, high strength to weight ratio, high chemical resistance, and usually high temperature resistance. It is used in application where superior properties are needed such as bulletproof vests, ropes and cables, cut resistant products, load tendons for giant scientific balloons, fishing rods, tennis racket strings, parachute cords, adhesives and sealants, protective apparel and tire cords. Unfortunately, Ultraviolet (UV) radiation causes serious degradation to the most of high performance fibers. UV lights, either natural or artificial, cause organic compounds to decompose and degrade, because the energy of the photons of UV light is high enough to break chemical bonds causing chain scission. This work is aiming at achieving maximum protection of high performance fibers using sheathing approaches. The sheaths proposed are of lightweight to maintain the advantage of the high performance fiber that is the high strength to weight ratio. This study involves developing three different types of sheathing. The product of interest that need be protected from UV is braid from PBO. First approach is extruding a sheath from Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) loaded with different rutile TiO2 % nanoparticles around the braid from the PBO. The results of this approach showed that LDPE sheath loaded with 10% TiO2 by weight achieved the highest protection compare to 0% and 5% TiO2. The protection here is judged by strength loss of PBO. This trend noticed in different weathering environments, where the sheathed samples were exposed to UV-VIS radiations in different weatheromter equipments as well as exposure to high altitude environment using NASA BRDL balloon. The second approach is focusing in developing a protective porous membrane from polyurethane loaded with rutile TiO2 nanoparticles. Membrane from polyurethane loaded with 4

Molecular Engineering of UV/Vis Light-Emitting Diode (LED)-Sensitive Donor-π-Acceptor-Type Sulfonium Salt Photoacid Generators: Design, Synthesis, and Study of Photochemical and Photophysical Properties.

PubMed

Wu, Xingyu; Jin, Ming; Xie, Jianchao; Malval, Jean-Pierre; Wan, Decheng

2017-11-07

A series of donor-π-acceptor-type sulfonium salt photoacid generators (PAGs) were designed and synthesized by systematically changing electron-donating groups, π-conjugated systems, electron-withdrawing groups, and the number of branches through molecular engineering. These PAGs can effectively decompose under UV/Vis irradiation from a light-emitting diode (LED) light source because of the matching absorption and emitting spectra of the LEDs. The absorption and acid-generation properties of these sulfonium salts were elucidated by UV/Vis spectroscopy and so forth. Results indicated that the PAG performance benefited from the introduction of strong electron-donating groups, specific π-conjugated structures, certain electron-withdrawing groups, or two-branched structures. Most sulfonium salts showed potential as photoinitiators under irradiation by a wide variety of UV and visible LEDs. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Preparation and Characterization of UV Emitting Fluoride Phosphors for Phototherapy Lamps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belsare, P. D.; Moharil, S. V.; Joshi, C. P.; Omanwar, S. K.

2011-10-01

The use of ultraviolet radiation for the treatment of various skin diseases is well known for long time. Phototherapy employs ultraviolet-blue radiation to cure skin diseases. The basis of phototherapy is believed to be the direct interaction of light of certain frequencies with tissue to cause a change in immune response. Currently dermatologists use UV lamps having specific emissions in UV region for treating various skin diseases. The treatment of skin diseases using artificial sources of UV radiation is now well established and more than 50 types of skin diseases are treated by phototherapy. This is an effective treatment for many skin disorders, such as psoriasis, vitiligo, ofujis disease, morphea , scleroderma, cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, lupus erythematosus, hyperbilirubinemia commonly known as infant jaundice, acne vulgaris, This paper reports photoluminescence properties of UV emitting fluoride phosphors prepared by wet chemical method. Emission characteristics of these phosphors are found similar to those of commercial UV lamp phosphors with comparable intensities. The usefulness of UV emitting fluoride phosphor is discussed in the paper.

Uv Spectral Dating of Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heap, Sara

1997-07-01

With the advent of very large telescopes like Keck, it has become possible to observe high-z galaxies in the restframe UV and derive ages from line features in their spectra. In the first such study, Dunlop et al. {1996, Nature 381, 481} came to an astonishing conclusion: the restframe UV spectrum of the z=1.55 radio galaxy, 53W091, suggests a population of stars at least 3.5 Gyr old. If their age estimate is correct, the authors say they can rule out an Einstein-de Sitter cosmology with Ho>50. This ERO program seeks to make the method of UV spectral dating more robust by using STIS spectra to refine and verify the model stellar atmospheres, which form the basis of the technique. Specifically, STIS will be used to obtain a high-quality medium-resolution {E230M} spectrum of a star near the main sequence turnoff {such stars contribute the bulk of the mid-UV flux}. Since non-LTE effects have been detected in these stars, we will use the non-LTE modelling program, TLUSTY, developed by Ivan Hubeny {STIS research associate} to analyze the spectrum. We will derive the basic surface properties of the star, Teff, log g, and the abundance ratios, [Fe/H], [Mg/H]. The effective temperature is a critical parameter, since an error in Teff of only 100 degrees translates to a 1 Gyr error in the derived age of a galaxy. We will compare our results with those from optical studies by Edvardsson et al. {1993 A&A 274, 101}.

Hazardous Early Days In (and Beyond) the Habitable Zones Around Ultra-Low-Mass Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kastner, Joel

Although a majority of stars in the solar neighborhood are of mid- to late-M type, the magnetically-induced coronal (X-ray) and chromospheric (UV, H-alpha) activity of such stars remain essentially unexplored for the important age range 10-100 Myr. Such information on high-energy processes associated with young M stars would provide much-needed constraints on models of the effects of stellar irradiation on the physics and chemistry of planet-forming disks and newborn planets. In addition, X-ray and UV observations of ultra-low-mass young stars can serve to probe the (presently ill-defined) spectral type boundary that determines which very low-mass objects will eventually become M stars -- as opposed to brown dwarfs (BDs) -- following their pre-main sequence evolutionary stages. Via ADAP support, we have developed the GALEX Nearby Young Star Search (GALNYSS), a search method that combines GALEX, 2MASS, WISE and proper motion catalog information to identify nearby, young, lowmass stars. We have applied this method to identify ~2000 candidate young (10-100 Myr), low-mass (M-type) stars within 150 pc. These GALNYSS-identified young star candidates are distributed over the entire GALEX-covered sky, and their spectral types peak in the M3-4 range; followup optical spectroscopic work is ongoing (Rodriguez et al. 2013, ApJ, 774, 101). We now propose an ADA program to determine the X-ray properties of representative stars among these GALNYSS candidates, so as to confirm their youth and investigate the early evolution of coronal activity near the low-mass star/BD boundary and the effects of such activity on planet formation. Specifically, we will exploit the presence in the HEASARC archives of XMM-Newton and (to a lesser extent) Chandra X-ray Observatory data for a few dozen GALNYSS candidates that have been observed serendipitously by one or both of these space observatories. The proposed ADA program will yield the full reduction and analysis of these as-yet unexplored data

Quasar Spectral Energy Distributions As A Function Of Physical Property

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Townsend, Shonda; Ganguly, R.; Stark, M. A.; Derseweh, J. A.; Richmond, J. M.

2012-05-01

Galaxy evolution models have shown that quasars are a crucial ingredient in the evolution of massive galaxies. Outflows play a key role in the story of quasars and their host galaxies, by helping regulate the accretion process, the star-formation rate and mass of the host galaxy (i.e., feedback). The prescription for modeling outflows as a contributor to feedback requires knowledge of the outflow velocity, geometry, and column density. In particular, we need to understand how these depend on physical parameters and how much is determined stochastically (and with what distribution). In turn, models of outflows have shown particular sensitivity to the shape of the spectral energy distribution (SED), depending on the UV luminosity to transfer momentum to the gas, the X-ray luminosity to regulate how efficiently that transfer can be, etc. To investigate how SED changes with physical properties, we follow up on Richards et al. (2006), who constructed SEDs with varying luminosity. Here, we construct SEDs as a function of redshift, and physical property (black hole mass, bolometric luminosity, Eddington ratio) for volume limited samples drawn from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, with photometry supplemented from 2MASS, WISE, GALEX, ROSAT, and Chandra. To estimate black hole masses, we adopt the scaling relations from Greene & Ho (2005) based on the H-alpha emission line FWHM. This requires redshifts less than 0.4. To construct volume-limited subsamples, we begin by adopting g=19.8 as a nominal limiting magnitude over which we are guaranteed to detect z<0.4 quasars. At redshift 0.4, we are complete down to Mg=-21.8, which yields 3300 objects from Data Release 7. At z=0.1, we are complete down to Mg=-18.5. This material is based upon work supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under Grant No. 09-ADP09-0016 issued through the Astrophysics Data Analysis Program.

Characterising and testing deep UV LEDs for use in space applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hollington, D.; Baird, J. T.; Sumner, T. J.; Wass, P. J.

2015-12-01

Deep ultraviolet (DUV) light sources are used to neutralise isolated test masses in highly sensitive space-based gravitational experiments. An example is the LISA Pathfinder charge management system, which uses low-pressure mercury lamps. A future gravitational-wave observatory such as eLISA will use UV light-emitting diodes (UV LEDs), which offer numerous advantages over traditional discharge lamps. Such devices have limited space heritage but are now available from a number of commercial suppliers. Here we report on a test campaign that was carried out to quantify the general properties of three types of commercially available UV LEDs and demonstrate their suitability for use in space. Testing included general electrical and UV output power measurements, spectral stability, pulsed performance and temperature dependence, as well as thermal vacuum, radiation and vibration survivability.

Properties of the Visible Light Phototaxis and UV Avoidance Behaviors in the Larval Zebrafish

PubMed Central

Guggiana-Nilo, Drago A.; Engert, Florian

2016-01-01

For many organisms, color is an essential source of information from visual scenes. The larval zebrafish has the potential to be a model for the study of this topic, given its tetrachromatic retina and high dependence on vision. In this study we took a step toward understanding how the larval zebrafish might use color sensing. To this end, we used a projector-based paradigm to force a choice of a color stimulus at every turn of the larva. The stimuli used spanned most of the larval spectral range, including activation of its Ultraviolet (UV) cone, which has not been described behaviorally before. We found that zebrafish larvae swim toward visible wavelengths (>400 nm) when choosing between them and darkness, as has been reported with white light. However, when presented with UV light and darkness zebrafish show an intensity dependent avoidance behavior. This UV avoidance does not interact cooperatively with phototaxis toward longer wavelengths, but can compete against it in an intensity dependent manner. Finally, we show that the avoidance behavior depends on the presence of eyes with functional UV cones. These findings open future avenues for studying the neural circuits that underlie color sensing in the larval zebrafish. PMID:27594828

Microbial UV fluence-response assessment using a novel UV-LED collimated beam system.

PubMed

Bowker, Colleen; Sain, Amanda; Shatalov, Max; Ducoste, Joel

2011-02-01

A research study has been performed to determine the ultraviolet (UV) fluence-response of several target non-pathogenic microorganisms to UV light emitting diodes (UV-LEDs) by performing collimated beam tests. UV-LEDs do not contain toxic mercury, offer design flexibility due to their small size, and have a longer operational life than mercury lamps. Comsol Multiphysics was utilized to create an optimal UV-LED collimated beam design based on number and spacing of UV-LEDs and distance of the sample from the light source while minimizing the overall cost. The optimized UV-LED collimated beam apparatus and a low-pressure mercury lamp collimated beam apparatus were used to determine the UV fluence-response of three surrogate microorganisms (Escherichia coli, MS-2, T7) to 255 nm UV-LEDs, 275 nm UV-LEDs, and 254 nm low-pressure mercury lamps. Irradiation by low-pressure mercury lamps produced greater E. coli and MS-2 inactivation than 255 nm and 275 nm UV-LEDs and similar T7 inactivation to irradiation by 275 nm UV-LEDs. The 275 nm UV-LEDs produced more efficient T7 and E. coli inactivation than 255 nm UV-LEDs while both 255 nm and 275 nm UV-LEDs produced comparable microbial inactivation for MS-2. Differences may have been caused by a departure from the time-dose reciprocity law due to microbial repair mechanisms. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

THE ARECIBO LEGACY FAST ALFA SURVEY: THE GALAXY POPULATION DETECTED BY ALFALFA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Huang, Shan; Haynes, Martha P.; Giovanelli, Riccardo

Making use of H I 21 cm line measurements from the ALFALFA survey ({alpha}.40) and photometry from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX), we investigate the global scaling relations and fundamental planes linking stars and gas for a sample of 9417 common galaxies: the {alpha}.40-SDSS-GALEX sample. In addition to their H I properties derived from the ALFALFA data set, stellar masses (M{sub *}) and star formation rates (SFRs) are derived from fitting the UV-optical spectral energy distributions. 96% of the {alpha}.40-SDSS-GALEX galaxies belong to the blue cloud, with the average gas fraction f{sub HI} {identical_to}more » M{sub HI}/M{sub *} {approx} 1.5. A transition in star formation (SF) properties is found whereby below M{sub *} {approx} 10{sup 9.5} M{sub Sun }, the slope of the star-forming sequence changes, the dispersion in the specific star formation rate (SSFR) distribution increases, and the star formation efficiency (SFE) mildly increases with M{sub *}. The evolutionary track in the SSFR-M{sub *} diagram, as well as that in the color-magnitude diagram, is linked to the H I content; below this transition mass, the SF is regulated strongly by the H I. Comparison of H I and optically selected samples over the same restricted volume shows that the H I-selected population is less evolved and has overall higher SFR and SSFR at a given stellar mass, but lower SFE and extinction, suggesting either that a bottleneck exists in the H I-to-H{sub 2} conversion or that the process of SF in the very H I-dominated galaxies obeys an unusual, low-efficiency SF law. A trend is found that, for a given stellar mass, high gas fraction galaxies reside preferentially in dark matter halos with high spin parameters. Because it represents a full census of H I-bearing galaxies at z {approx} 0, the scaling relations and fundamental planes derived for the ALFALFA population can be used to assess the H I detection rate by future blind H I surveys and

The Shortest Period sdB Plus White Dwarf Binary CD-30 11223 (GALEX J1411-3053)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vennes, S.; Kawka, A.; O'Toole, S. J.; Németh, P.; Burton, D.

2012-11-01

We report on the discovery of the shortest period binary comprising a hot subdwarf star (CD-30 11223, GALEX J1411-3053) and a massive unseen companion. Photometric data from the All Sky Automated Survey show ellipsoidal variations of the hot subdwarf primary and spectroscopic series revealed an orbital period of 70.5 minutes. The large velocity amplitude suggests the presence of a massive white dwarf in the system (M 2/M ⊙ >~ 0.77) assuming a canonical mass for the hot subdwarf (0.48 M ⊙), although a white dwarf mass as low as 0.75 M ⊙ is allowable by postulating a subdwarf mass as low as 0.44 M ⊙. The amplitude of ellipsoidal variations and a high rotation velocity imposed a high-inclination to the system (i >~ 68°) and, possibly, observable secondary transits (i >~ 74°). At the lowest permissible inclination and assuming a subdwarf mass of ~0.48 M ⊙, the total mass of the system reaches the Chandrasekhar mass limit at 1.35 M ⊙ and would exceed it for a subdwarf mass above 0.48 M ⊙. The system should be considered, like its sibling KPD 1930+2752, a candidate progenitor for a Type Ia supernova. The system should become semi-detached and initiate mass transfer within ≈30 Myr. Based on observations made with ESO telescopes at the La Silla Paranal Observatory under program IDs 83.D-0540, 85.D-0866, and 089.D-0864.

The Arecibo Pisces-Perseus Supercluster Survey: Declination strip 23

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luna, Omar; Craig, David; Jones, Michael G.; Koopmann, Rebecca A.; Haynes, Martha P.; APPS Team, Undergraduate ALFALFA Team, ALFALFA Team

2018-01-01

We report on results of the Arecibo Pisces-Perseus Supercluster Survey (APPSS) along and near declination 23 degrees. APPSS is a targeted HI survey using the L-band wide receiever at the NAIC Arecibo observatory. It is designed to detect infall onto the Pisces-Perseus Supercluster (PPS) using a statistical comparison to models of the peculiar velocity flow field. We have investigated a subset of 67 galaxies in the PPS sky region along declination 23 degrees. For detected galaxies we have determined their systemic velocity, line width, integrated flux density, and HI mass. We will illustrate HI spectral properties of interesting detections in our region and will compare them with available optical and UV data from SDSS and the GALEX archives. We will also describe the data reduction process and the ongoing collaboration among faculty and undergraduate students of the Undergraduate ALFALFA Team.

PLANT PROTECTIVE RESPONSE TO ENHANCED UV-B RADIATION UNDER FIELD CONDITIONS: LEAF OPTICAL PROPERTIES AND PHOTOSYNTHESIS

EPA Science Inventory

Plants of Vicia faba were grown in the field during early to midsummer while receiving two levels of supplemental UV-B radiation. Light-saturated photosynthesis and stomatal diffusive conductance of intact leaves did not show any indications of UV-radiation damage. Supplemental U...

Problems in Assessment of the UV Penetration into Natural Waters from Space-based Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vasilkov, Alexander P.; Herman, Jay; Krotkov, Nickolay A.; Kahru, Mati; Mitchell, B. Greg; Hsu, Christina; Bhartia, P. K. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Satellite instruments currently provide global maps of surface UV (ultraviolet) irradiance by combining backscattered radiance data with radiative transfer models. The models are often limited by uncertainties in physical input parameters of the atmosphere and surface. Global mapping of the underwater UV irradiance creates further challenges for the models. The uncertainties in physical input parameters become more serious because of the presence of absorbing and scattering quantities caused by biological processes within the oceans. In this paper we summarize the problems encountered in the assessment of the underwater UV irradiance from space-based measurements, and propose approaches to resolve the problems. We have developed a radiative transfer scheme for computation of the UV irradiance in the atmosphere-ocean system. The scheme makes use of input parameters derived from satellite instruments such as TOMS (Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer) and SeaWiFS (Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor). The major problem in assessment of the surface UV irradiance is to accurately quantify the effects of clouds. Unlike the standard TOMS UV algorithm, we use the cloud fraction products available from SeaWiFS and MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer) to calculate instantaneous surface flux at the ocean surface. Daily UV doses can be calculated by assuming a model of constant cloudiness throughout the day. Both SeaWiFS and MODIS provide some estimates of seawater optical properties in the visible. To calculate the underwater UV flux the seawater optical properties must be extrapolated down to shorter wavelengths. Currently, the problem of accurate extrapolation of visible data down to the UV spectral range is not solved completely, and there are few available measurements. The major difficulty is insufficient correlation between photosynthetic and photoprotective pigments of phytoplankton absorbing in the visible and UV respectively. We propose to empirically

An extended sequence specificity for UV-induced DNA damage.

PubMed

Chung, Long H; Murray, Vincent

2018-01-01

The sequence specificity of UV-induced DNA damage was determined with a higher precision and accuracy than previously reported. UV light induces two major damage adducts: cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) and pyrimidine(6-4)pyrimidone photoproducts (6-4PPs). Employing capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence and taking advantages of the distinct properties of the CPDs and 6-4PPs, we studied the sequence specificity of UV-induced DNA damage in a purified DNA sequence using two approaches: end-labelling and a polymerase stop/linear amplification assay. A mitochondrial DNA sequence that contained a random nucleotide composition was employed as the target DNA sequence. With previous methodology, the UV sequence specificity was determined at a dinucleotide or trinucleotide level; however, in this paper, we have extended the UV sequence specificity to a hexanucleotide level. With the end-labelling technique (for 6-4PPs), the consensus sequence was found to be 5'-GCTC*AC (where C* is the breakage site); while with the linear amplification procedure, it was 5'-TCTT*AC. With end-labelling, the dinucleotide frequency of occurrence was highest for 5'-TC*, 5'-TT* and 5'-CC*; whereas it was 5'-TT* for linear amplification. The influence of neighbouring nucleotides on the degree of UV-induced DNA damage was also examined. The core sequences consisted of pyrimidine nucleotides 5'-CTC* and 5'-CTT* while an A at position "1" and C at position "2" enhanced UV-induced DNA damage. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Properties of Al- and Ga-doped thin zinc oxide films treated with UV laser radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Asedy, Hayder J.; Al-Khafaji, Shuruq A.; Bakhtiar, Hazri; Bidin, Noriah

2018-03-01

This paper reports the Nd:YAG laser irradiation treated modified properties of aluminum (Al) and gallium (Ga) co-doped zinc oxide (ZnO) (AGZO) films prepared on Si-substrate via combined sol-gel and spin-coating method. The impact of varying laser energy (150-200 mJ) on the structure, morphology, electrical and optical properties of such AGZO films were determined. Laser-treated samples were characterized using various analytical tools. Present techniques could achieve a high-quality polycrystalline films compared with those produced via conventional high temperature processing. AGZO films irradiated with third harmonics UV radiation (355 nm) from Nd:YAG laser source revealed very low resistivity of 4.02 × 10- 3 Ω cm. The structural properties grain size was calculated firm the X-ray diffraction spectra using the Scherrer equation that increased from 12.7 to 22.5 nm as the annealing laser energy increased from (150-200) mJ. The differences in crystallinity and orientation are explained in terms of the thermal effect caused by laser irradiation. (FESEM) images have been demonstrated that Nd:YAG laser annealing can significantly improve the crystallinity level, densification, and surface flatness of sol-gel derived AGZO thin films that occurred as a result of laser processing. Synthesized AGZO films displayed favorable growth orientation along (101) lattice direction. AGZO films with energy band gap of 3.37-3.41 eV were obtained. Results on the crystallinity, surface morphology, roughness, bonding vibration, absorption, photoluminescence, and resistivity of the laser-irradiated films were analyzed and discussed.

Cotton fabrics with UV blocking properties through metal salts deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Emam, Hossam E.; Bechtold, Thomas

2015-12-01

Exposure to sunlight is important for human health as this increases the resistance to diverse pathogens, but the higher doses cause skin problems and diseases. Hence, wearing of sunlight protective fabrics displays a good solution for people working in open atmosphere. The current study offered quite simple and technically feasible ways to prepare good UV protection fabrics based on cotton. Metal salts including Zn, Cu and Ti were immobilized into cotton and oxidized cotton fabrics by using pad-dry-cure technique. Metal contents on fabrics were determined by AAS; the highest metal content was recorded for Cu-fabric and it was 360.6 mmol/kg after treatment of oxidized cotton with 0.5 M of copper nitrate. Ti contents on fabrics were ranged between 168.0 and 200.8 mmol/kg and it showed the lowest release as only 38.1-46.4% leached out fabrics after five laundry washings. Metal containing deposits were specified by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. UV-transmission radiation over treated fabrics was measured and ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) was calculated. UPF was enhanced after treatment with Cu and Ti salts to be 11.6 and 14, respectively. After five washings, the amount of metal (Cu or Ti) retained indicates acceptable laundering durability.

Scutellaria radix Extract as a Natural UV Protectant for Human Skin.

PubMed

Seok, Jin Kyung; Kwak, Jun Yup; Choi, Go Woon; An, Sang Mi; Kwak, Jae-Hoon; Seo, Hyeong-Ho; Suh, Hwa-Jin; Boo, Yong Chool

2016-03-01

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation induces oxidative injury and inflammation in human skin. Scutellaria radix (SR, the root of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi) contains flavonoids with high UV absorptivity and antioxidant properties. The purpose of this study was to examine the potential use of SR extract as an additive in cosmetic products for UV protection. SR extract and its butanol (BuOH) fraction strongly absorbed UV radiation and displayed free radical scavenging activity against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radials and 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radicals. They also attenuated the UV-induced death of HaCaT cells. Sunscreen creams, with or without supplementation of SR extract BuOH fraction, were tested in vivo in human trials to evaluate potential skin irritation and determine the sun protection factor (SPF). Both sunscreen creams induced no skin irritation. A sunscreen cream containing 24% ZnO showed an SPF value of 17.8, and it increased to 22.7 when supplemented with 5% SR extract BuOH fraction. This study suggests that SR-derived materials are useful as safe cosmetic additives that provide UV protection. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Quasar probabilities and redshifts from WISE mid-IR through GALEX UV photometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DiPompeo, M. A.; Bovy, J.; Myers, A. D.; Lang, D.

2015-09-01

Extreme deconvolution (XD) of broad-band photometric data can both separate stars from quasars and generate probability density functions for quasar redshifts, while incorporating flux uncertainties and missing data. Mid-infrared photometric colours are now widely used to identify hot dust intrinsic to quasars, and the release of all-sky WISE data has led to a dramatic increase in the number of IR-selected quasars. Using forced photometry on public WISE data at the locations of Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) point sources, we incorporate this all-sky data into the training of the XDQSOz models originally developed to select quasars from optical photometry. The combination of WISE and SDSS information is far more powerful than SDSS alone, particularly at z > 2. The use of SDSS+WISE photometry is comparable to the use of SDSS+ultraviolet+near-IR data. We release a new public catalogue of 5537 436 (total; 3874 639 weighted by probability) potential quasars with probability PQSO > 0.2. The catalogue includes redshift probabilities for all objects. We also release an updated version of the publicly available set of codes to calculate quasar and redshift probabilities for various combinations of data. Finally, we demonstrate that this method of selecting quasars using WISE data is both more complete and efficient than simple WISE colour-cuts, especially at high redshift. Our fits verify that above z ˜ 3 WISE colours become bluer than the standard cuts applied to select quasars. Currently, the analysis is limited to quasars with optical counterparts, and thus cannot be used to find highly obscured quasars that WISE colour-cuts identify in significant numbers.

Towards standardization of UV eye protection: what can be learned from photodermatology?

PubMed

Krutmann, Jean; Béhar-Cohen, Francine; Baillet, Gilles; de Ayguavives, Tito; Ortega Garcia, Paula; Peña-García, Pablo; Remé, Charlotte; Wolffsohn, James

2014-01-01

While knowledge about standardization of skin protection against ultraviolet radiation (UVR) has progressed over the past few decades, there is no uniform and generally accepted standardized measurement for UV eye protection. The literature provides solid evidence that UV can induce considerable damage to structures of the eye. As well as damaging the eyelids and periorbital skin, chronic UV exposure may also affect the conjunctiva and lens. Clinically, this damage can manifest as skin cancer and premature skin ageing as well as the development of pterygia and premature cortical cataracts. Modern eye protection, used daily, offers the opportunity to prevent these adverse sequelae of lifelong UV exposure. A standardized, reliable and comprehensive label for consumers and professionals is currently lacking. In this review we (i) summarize the existing literature about UV radiation-induced damage to the eye and surrounding skin; (ii) review the recent technological advances in UV protection by means of lenses; (iii) review the definition of the Eye-Sun Protection Factor (E-SPF®), which describes the intrinsic UV protection properties of lenses and lens coating materials based on their capacity to absorb or reflect UV radiation; and (iv) propose a strategy for establishing the biological relevance of the E-SPF. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Novel antioxidant capability of titanium induced by UV light treatment.

PubMed

Ueno, Takeshi; Ikeda, Takayuki; Tsukimura, Naoki; Ishijima, Manabu; Minamikawa, Hajime; Sugita, Yoshihiko; Yamada, Masahiro; Wakabayashi, Noriyuki; Ogawa, Takahiro

2016-11-01

The intracellular production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a representative form of cellular oxidative stress and plays an important role in triggering adverse cellular events, such as the inflammatory reaction and delayed or compromised differentiation. Osteoblastic reaction to titanium with particular focus on ROS production remains unknown. Ultraviolet (UV) light treatment improves the physicochemical properties of titanium, specifically the induction of super hydrophilicity and removal of hydrocarbon, and eventually enhances its osteoconductivity. We hypothesized that there is a favorable regulatory change of ROS production within osteoblasts in contact with UV-treated titanium. Osteoblasts were cultured on titanium disks with or without UV-pretreatment. The intracellular production of ROS was higher on acid-etch-created rough titanium surfaces than on machine-prepared smooth ones. The ROS production was reduced by 40-50% by UV pretreatment of titanium regardless of the surface roughness. Oxidative DNA damage, as detected by 8-OHdG expression, was alleviated by 50% on UV-treated titanium surfaces. The expression of inflammatory cytokines was consistently lower in osteoblasts cultured on UV-treated titanium. ROS scavenger, glutathione, remained more without being depleted in osteoblasts on UV-treated titanium. Bio-burden test further showed that culturing osteoblasts on UV-treated titanium can significantly reduce the ROS production even with the presence of hydrogen peroxide, an oxidative stress inducer. These data suggest that the intracellular production of ROS and relevant inflammatory reaction, which unavoidably occurs in osteoblasts in contact with titanium, can be significantly reduced by UV pretreatment of titanium, implying a novel antioxidant capability of the particular titanium. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

UV-blocking properties of Zn/ZnO coatings on wood deposited by cold plasma spraying at atmospheric pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wallenhorst, L.; Gurău, L.; Gellerich, A.; Militz, H.; Ohms, G.; Viöl, W.

2018-03-01

In this study, artificial ageing of beech wood coated with Zn/ZnO particles by means of a cold plasma spraying process as well as coating systems including a Zn/ZnO layer and additional conventional sealings were examined. As ascertained by colour measurements, the particle coatings significantly decreased UV light-induced discolouration. Even though no significant colour changes were observed for particle-coated and alkyd-sealed samples, ATR-FTIR measurements revealed photocatalytic degradation of the alkyd matrix. In contrast, the polyurethane sealing appeared to be stabilised by the Zn/ZnO coating. Furthermore, morphologic properties of the pure particle coatings were studied by SEM and roughness measurements. SEM measurements confirmed a melting and solidifying process during deposition.

Índice UV

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Información general sobre el Índice UV que proporciona un pronóstico del riesgo esperado de sobreexposición a la radiación ultravioleta (UV) del sol. El índice UV va acompañado de recomendaciones para protegerse del sol.

Direct-to-diffuse UV Solar Irradiance Ratio for a UV rotating Shadowband Spectroradiometer and a UV Multi-filter Rotating Shadowband Radiometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lantz, K.; Kiedron, P.; Petropavlovskikh, I.; Michalsky, J.; Slusser, J.

2008-12-01

. Two spectroradiometers reside that measure direct and diffuse UV solar irradiance are located at the Table Mountain Test Facility, 8 km north of Boulder, CO. The UV- Rotating Shadowband Spectrograph (UV-RSS) measures diffuse and direct solar irradiance from 290 - 400 nm. The UV Multi-Filter Rotating Shadowband Radiometer (UV-MFRSR) measures diffuse and direct solar irradiance in seven 2-nm wide bands, i.e. 300, 305, 311, 317, 325, and 368 nm. The purpose of the work is to compare radiative transfer model calculations (TUV) with the results from the UV-Rotating Shadowband Spectroradiometer (UV-RSS) and the UV-MFRSR to estimate direct-to-diffuse solar irradiance ratios (DDR) that are used to evaluate the possibility of retrieving aerosol single scattering albedo (SSA) under a variety of atmospheric conditions: large and small aerosol loading, large and small surface albedo. For the radiative transfer calculations, total ozone measurements are obtained from a collocated Brewer spectrophotometer.

Spatial and directional control of self-assembled wrinkle patterns by UV light absorption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kortz, C.; Oesterschulze, E.

2017-12-01

Wrinkle formation on surfaces is a phenomenon that is observed in layered systems with a compressed elastic thin capping layer residing on a viscoelastic film. So far, the properties of the viscoelastic material could only be changed replacing it by another material. Here, we propose to use a photosensitive material whose viscoelastic properties, Young's modulus, and glass transition temperature can easily be adjusted by the absorption of UV light. Employing UV lithography masks during the exposure, we gain additionally spatial and directional control of the self-assembled wrinkle pattern formation that relies on a spinodal decomposition process. Inspired by the results on surface wrinkling and its dependence on the intrinsic stress, we also derive a method to avoid wrinkling locally by tailoring the mechanical stress distribution in the layered system choosing UV masks with convex patterns. This is of particular interest in technical applications where the buckling of surfaces is undesirable.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: The UV-bright Quasar Survey (UVQS) DR1 (Monroe+, 2016)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monroe, T. R.; Prochaska, J. X.; Tejos, N.; Worseck, G.; Hennawi, J. F.; Schmidt, T.; Tumlinson, J.; Shen, Y.

2016-09-01

We have performed an all-sky survey for z~1, FUV-bright quasars selected from GALEX and WISE photometry. We generated a list of 1450 primary candidates (Table1). In several of the observing runs, conditions were unexpectedly favorable and we exhausted the primary candidates at certain right ascension ranges. To fill the remaining observing time, we generated a secondary candidate list. This secondary set of candidates is provided in Table2. We proceeded to obtain discovery-quality longslit spectra (i.e., low-dispersion, large wavelength coverage, modest signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of our UV-bright Quasar Survey (UVQS) candidates in one calendar year. Our principal facilities were: (i) the dual Kast spectrometer on the 3m Shane telescope at the Lick Observatory; (ii) the Boller & Chivens (BCS) spectrometer on the Irenee du Pont 100'' telescope at the Las Campanas Observatory; and (iii) the Calar Alto Faint Object Spectrograph on the CAHA 2.2m telescope at the Calar Alto Observatory (CAHA). We acquired an additional ~20 spectra on larger aperture telescopes (Keck/ESI, MMT/MBC, Magellan/MagE) during twilight or under poor observing conditions. Typical exposure times were limited to <~200s, with adjustments for fainter sources or sub-optimal observing conditions. Table3 provides a list of the observed candidates. There are 93 sources with a good quality spectrum for which we cannot recover a secure redshift. The majority of these have been previously cataloged as blazars (or BL Lac objects). Table6 lists the sample of these unknowns. (6 data files).

Milk phospholipid's protective effects against UV damage in skin equivalent models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dargitz, Carl; Russell, Ashley; Bingham, Michael; Achay, Zyra; Jimenez-Flores, Rafael; Laiho, Lily H.

2012-03-01

Exposure of skin tissue to UV radiation has been shown to cause DNA photodamage. If this damaged DNA is allowed to replicate, carcinogenesis may occur. DNA damage is prevented from being passed on to daughter cells by upregulation of the protein p21. p21 halts the cells cycle allowing the cell to undergo apoptosis, or repair its DNA before replication. Previous work suggested that milk phospholipids may possess protective properties against UV damage. In this study, we observed cell morphology, cell apoptosis, and p21 expression in tissue engineered epidermis through the use of Hematoxylin and Eosin staining, confocal microscopy, and western blot respectively. Tissues were divided into four treatment groups including: a control group with no UV and no milk phospholipid treatment, a group exposed to UV alone, a group incubated with milk phospholipids alone, and a group treated with milk phospholipids and UV. All groups were incubated for twenty-four hours after treatment. Tissues were then fixed, processed, and embedded in paraffin. Performing western blots resulted in visible p21 bands for the UV group only, implying that in every other group, p21 expression was lesser. Numbers of apoptotic cells were determined by observing the tissues treated with Hoechst dye under a confocal microscope, and counting the number of apoptotic and total cells to obtain a percentage of apoptotic cells. We found a decrease in apoptotic cells in tissues treated with milk phospholipids and UV compared to tissues exposed to UV alone. Collectively, these results suggest that milk phospholipids protect cell DNA from damage incurred from UV light.

Long-term effects of UV light on contractility of rat arteries in vivo.

PubMed

Morimoto, Yuji; Kohyama, Shinya; Nakai, Kanji; Matsuo, Hirotaka; Karasawa, Fujio; Kikuchi, Makoto

2003-10-01

Several studies have shown that UV irradiation may be effective for preventing vascular restenosis or vasopasm. However, the long-term effects of UV light on the physiological properties of vessels such as arterial tension have not been elucidated. We therefore studied the long-term effects of UV using rat carotid arteries treated with UV-B light (wavelength = 313 nm, total energy = 14 mJ/mm2). The animals were sacrificed at 1, 7 and 14 days after UV light exposure, and the carotid arteries were studied by light microscopy and the contractile responses of isolated arterial rings were recorded under isometric tension. UV treatment had induced a substantial loss of smooth muscle cells (SMC) along the entire circumference of the media on days 7 and 14, whereas loss of SMC on day 1 was negligible. Contractile responses of arteries that had been exposed to UV light were significantly reduced on days, 1, 7 and 14. The susceptibility of UV-treated arteries to phenylephrine and prostaglandin F2 alpha was significantly decreased on days 1 and 7, but decreased susceptibility was not seen on day 14. Acetylcholine-induced relaxations were not altered by UV treatment. These results suggest that the long-term effect of UV light is an attenuation of smooth muscle contractility without impairment of endothelial function.

Simulation comparison of aircraft landing performance in foggy conditions aided by different UV sensors.

PubMed

Lavigne, Claire; Durand, Gérard; Roblin, Antoine

2009-04-20

In the atmosphere pointlike sources are surrounded by an aureole due to molecular and aerosol scattering. UV phase functions of haze droplets have a very important forward peak that limits signal angular spreading in relation to the clear atmosphere case where Rayleigh scattering predominates. This specific property can be exploited using solar blind UV source detection as an aircraft landing aid under foggy conditions. Two methods have been used to compute UV light propagation, based on the Monte Carlo technique and a semi-empirical approach. Results obtained after addition of three types of sensor and UV runway light models show that an important improvement in landing conditions during foggy weather could be achieved by use of a solar blind UV intensified CCD camera with two stages of microchannel plates.

Comets in UV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shustov, B.; Sachkov, M.; Gómez de Castro, A. I.; Vallejo, J. C.; Kanev, E.; Dorofeeva, V.

2018-04-01

Comets are important "eyewitnesses" of Solar System formation and evolution. Important tests to determine the chemical composition and to study the physical processes in cometary nuclei and coma need data in the UV range of the electromagnetic spectrum. Comprehensive and complete studies require additional ground-based observations and in situ experiments. We briefly review observations of comets in the ultraviolet (UV) and discuss the prospects of UV observations of comets and exocomets with space-borne instruments. A special reference is made to the World Space Observatory-Ultraviolet (WSO-UV) project.

Impact of UV-B exposure on amphibian embryos: linking species physiology and oviposition behaviour

PubMed Central

Palen, Wendy J; Williamson, Craig E; Clauser, Aaron A; Schindler, Daniel E

2005-01-01

Increasing ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B) has recently captured the attention of ecologists as a key environmental stressor. Certain species may be particularly vulnerable as a result of either high natural exposure to UV-B or limited physiological capacity to withstand it. UV-B sensitivity has been examined at the cellular and individual level for a wide variety of taxa, but estimates of exposure to UV-B in natural systems are lacking and predictions of large-scale impacts are therefore limited. Here, we combine data on the physiological sensitivity to UV-B and patterns of field exposure across sites for embryos of several well-studied US Pacific Northwest amphibian species. We find substantial differences among species' physiological abilities to withstand UV-B and in the level of UV-B exposure of embryos in the field. More specifically, we find that species with the highest physiological sensitivity to UV-B are those with the lowest field exposures as a function of the location of embryos and the UV-B attenuation properties of water at each site. These results also suggest that conclusions made about species' vulnerability to UV-B in the absence of information on field exposures may often be misleading. PMID:16024386

Physical Properties of Spectroscopically Confirmed Galaxies at z >= 6. I. Basic Characteristics of the Rest-frame UV Continuum and Lyα Emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Linhua; Egami, Eiichi; Mechtley, Matthew; Fan, Xiaohui; Cohen, Seth H.; Windhorst, Rogier A.; Davé, Romeel; Finlator, Kristian; Kashikawa, Nobunari; Ouchi, Masami; Shimasaku, Kazuhiro

2013-08-01

We present deep Hubble Space Telescope near-IR and Spitzer mid-IR observations of a large sample of spectroscopically confirmed galaxies at z >= 6. The sample consists of 51 Lyα emitters (LAEs) at z ~= 5.7, 6.5, and 7.0, and 16 Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) at 5.9 <= z <= 6.5. The near-IR images were mostly obtained with WFC3 in the F125W and F160W bands, and the mid-IR images were obtained with IRAC in the 3.6 μm and 4.5 μm bands. Our galaxies also have deep optical imaging data from Subaru Suprime-Cam. We utilize the multi-band data and secure redshifts to derive their rest-frame UV properties. These galaxies have steep UV-continuum slopes roughly between β ~= -1.5 and -3.5, with an average value of β ~= -2.3, slightly steeper than the slopes of LBGs in previous studies. The slope shows little dependence on UV-continuum luminosity except for a few of the brightest galaxies. We find a statistically significant excess of galaxies with slopes around β ~= -3, suggesting the existence of very young stellar populations with extremely low metallicity and dust content. Our galaxies have moderately strong rest-frame Lyα equivalent width (EW) in a range of ~10 to ~200 Å. The star formation rates are also moderate, from a few to a few tens of solar masses per year. The LAEs and LBGs in this sample share many common properties, implying that LAEs represent a subset of LBGs with strong Lyα emission. Finally, the comparison of the UV luminosity functions between LAEs and LBGs suggests that there exists a substantial population of faint galaxies with weak Lyα emission (EW < 20 Å) that could be the dominant contribution to the total ionizing flux at z >= 6. Based in part on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained from the data archive at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. Based in part on observations made with the

THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE UV AND OPTICAL Fe ii EMISSION LINES IN TYPE 1 AGNs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kovacević-Dojcinović, Jelena; Popović, Luka Č., E-mail: jkovacevic@aob.bg.ac.rs, E-mail: lpopovic@aob.bg.ac.rs

We investigate the spectral properties of the UV (λλ2650–3050 Å) and optical (λλ4000–5500 Å) Fe ii emission features in a sample of 293 Type 1 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey database. We explore different correlations between their emission line properties, as well as the correlations with other emission lines from the spectral range. We find several interesting correlations and outline the most interesting results as follows. (i) There is a kinematical connection between the UV and optical Fe ii lines, indicating that the UV and optical Fe ii lines originate from the outer part ofmore » the broad line region, the so-called intermediate line region. (ii) The unexplained anticorrelations of the optical Fe ii equivalent width (EW Fe ii{sub opt}) versus EW [O iii] 5007 Å and EW Fe ii{sub opt} versus FWHM Hβ have not been detected for the UV Fe ii lines. (iii) The significant averaged redshift in the UV Fe ii lines, which is not present in optical Fe ii, indicates an inflow in the UV Fe ii emitting clouds, and probably their asymmetric distribution. (iv) Also, we confirm the anticorrelation between the intensity ratio of the optical and UV Fe ii lines and the FWHM of Hβ, and we find the anticorrelations of this ratio with the widths of Mg ii 2800 Å, optical Fe ii, and UV Fe ii. This indicates a very important role for the column density and microturbulence in the emitting gas. We discuss the starburst activity in high-density regions of young AGNs as a possible explanation of the detected optical Fe ii correlations and intensity line ratios of the UV and optical Fe ii lines.« less

Low-Temperature UV-Assisted Fabrication of Metal Oxide Thin Film Transistor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Shuanglin

Solution processed metal oxide semiconductors have attracted intensive attention in the last several decades and have emerged as a promising candidate for the application of thin film transistor (TFT) due to their nature of transparency, flexibility, high mobility, simple processing technique and potential low manufacturing cost. However, metal oxide thin film fabricated by solution process usually requires a high temperature (over 300 °C), which is above the glass transition temperature of some conventional polymer substrates. In order to fabricate the flexible electronic device on polymer substrates, it is necessary to find a facile approach to lower the fabrication temperature and minimize defects in metal oxide thin film. In this thesis, the electrical properties dependency on temperature is discussed and an UV-assisted annealing method incorporating Deep ultraviolet (DUV)-decomposable additives is demonstrated, which can effectively improve electrical properties solution processed metal oxide semiconductors processed at temperature as low as 220 °C. By studying a widely used indium oxide (In2O3) TFT as a model system, it is worth noted that compared with the sample without UV treatment, the linear mobility and saturation mobility of UV-annealing sample are improved by 56% and 40% respectively. Meanwhile, the subthreshold swing is decreased by 32%, indicating UV-treated device could turn on and off more efficiently. In addition to pure In2O3 film, the similar phenomena have also been observed in indium oxide based Indium-Gallium-Zinc Oxide (IGZO) system. These finding presented in this thesis suggest that the UV assisted annealing process open a new route to fabricate high performance metal oxide semiconductors under low temperatures.

The strong UV source in the active E Galaxy NGC 4552

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oconnell, R. W.; Thuan, T. X.; Puschell, J. J.

1986-01-01

1200-3200 A IUE spectra of the nucleus of NGC 4552 (M89) were obtained in order to investigate the nature of the strong 10 micron source in this Galaxy. There is a strong, extended UV source in NGC 4552 which has a spatial distribution nearly identical with that at optical wavelengths and is undoubedly stellar in origin. Its properties are consistent with the correlation between UV source strength and metallicity pointed out by Faber (1983). There is no evidence for a nonthermal point source in the UV. It appears unlikely that the 10 micron emission is from heated dust grains. Instead, it is believed the 10 micron radiation is nonthermal in origin, implying a remarkably small size of only 0.1 AU for this source.

Development of Cotton Fabrics with Durable UV Protective and Self-cleaning Property by Deposition of Low TiO2 Levels through Sol-gel Process.

PubMed

Mishra, Anu; Butola, Bhupendra Singh

2018-01-19

In this article, the deposition of TiO 2 on cotton fabric using sol-gel technique has been described. Various process routes (pad-dry-cure, pad-dry-hydrothermal and pad-dry-solvothermal) were examined to impart a stable coating of TiO 2 on fabric. The role of precursor concentration, process temperature and time of treatment were studied to aim at a wash durable, UV protective and self-cleaning property in the treated fabric. EDX and ICP-MS techniques were used to examine the add-on percentage of TiO 2 on cotton fabrics treated via different routes. It has been found that the TiO 2 remains largely amorphous and nondurable if it is given a short thermal treatment. To convert the deposited TiO 2 to its anatase crystal form, a prolonged hydrothermal treatment for at least 3 h needs to be given. TiO 2 deposition levels of less than 0.1% were found to be effective in imparting reasonable degree of UV protection and self-cleaning property to the cotton fabric. The self-cleaning ability of the treated fabric against coffee stain was also studied and was found to be related to the process route and the deposition levels of TiO 2 . © 2018 The American Society of Photobiology.

Experimental Evaluation of Turbidity Impact on the Fluence Rate Distribution in a UV Reactor Using a Microfluorescent Silica Detector.

PubMed

Li, Mengkai; Li, Wentao; Wen, Dong; Qiang, Zhimin; Blatchley, Ernest R

2017-11-21

Turbidity is a common parameter used to assess particle concentration in water using visible light. However, the fact that particles play multiple roles (e.g., scattering, refraction, and reflection) in influencing the optical properties of aqueous suspensions complicates examinations of their effects on ultraviolet (UV) photoreactor performance. To address this issue, UV fluence rate (FR) distributions in a photoreactor containing various particle suspensions (SiO 2 , MgO, and TiO 2 ) were measured using a microfluorescent silica detector (MFSD). Reflectance of solid particles, as well as transmittance and scattering properties of the suspensions were characterized at UV, visible, and infrared (IR) wavelengths. The results of these measurements indicated that the optical properties of all three particle types were similar at visible and IR wavelengths, but obvious differences were evident in the UV range. The FR results indicated that for turbidity associated with SiO 2 and MgO suspensions, the weighted average FR (WAFR) increased relative to deionized water. These increases were attributed to low particle photon absorption and strong scattering. In contrast, the WAFR values decreased with increasing turbidity for TiO 2 suspensions because of their high particle photon absorption and low scattering potential. The findings also indicate that measurements of scattering and transmittance at UV wavelengths can be used to quantify the effects of turbidity on UV FR distributions.

UV exposure in cars.

PubMed

Moehrle, Matthias; Soballa, Martin; Korn, Manfred

2003-08-01

There is increasing knowledge about the hazards of solar and ultraviolet (UV) radiation to humans. Although people spend a significant time in cars, data on UV exposure during traveling are lacking. The aim of this study was to obtain basic information on personal UV exposure in cars. UV transmission of car glass samples, windscreen, side and back windows and sunroof, was determined. UV exposure of passengers was evaluated in seven German middle-class cars, fitted with three different types of car windows. UV doses were measured with open or closed windows/sunroof of Mercedes-Benz E 220 T, E 320, and S 500, and in an open convertible car (Mercedes-Benz CLK). Bacillus subtilis spore film dosimeters (Viospor) were attached to the front, vertex, cheeks, upper arms, forearms and thighs of 'adult' and 'child' dummies. UV wavelengths longer than >335 nm were transmitted through car windows, and UV irradiation >380 nm was transmitted through compound glass windscreens. There was some variation in the spectral transmission of side windows according to the type of glass. On the arms, UV exposure was 3-4% of ambient radiation when the car windows were shut, and 25-31% of ambient radiation when the windows were open. In the open convertible car, the relative personal doses reached 62% of ambient radiation. The car glass types examined offer substantial protection against short-wave UV radiation. Professional drivers should keep car windows closed on sunny days to reduce occupational UV exposure. In individuals with polymorphic light eruption, produced by long-wave UVA, additional protection by plastic films, clothes or sunscreens appears necessary.

UV missile-plume signature model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roblin, Antoine; Baudoux, Pierre E.; Chervet, Patrick

2002-08-01

A new 3D radiative code is used to solve the radiative transfer equation in the UV spectral domain for a nonequilibrium and axisymmetric media such as a rocket plume composed of hot reactive gases and metallic oxide particles like alumina. Calculations take into account the dominant chemiluminescence radiation mechanism and multiple scattering effects produced by alumina particles. Plume radiative properties are studied by using a simple cylindrical media of finite length, deduced from different aerothermochemical real rocket plume afterburning zones. Assumed a log-normal size distribution of alumina particles, optical properties are calculated by using Mie theory. Due to large uncertainties of particles properties, systematic tests have been performed in order to evaluate the influence of the different input data (refractive index, particle mean geometric radius) upon the radiance field. These computations will help us to define the set of parameters which need to be known accurately in order to compare computations with radiance measurements obtained during field experiments.

[Effects of silicon supply on diurnal variations of physiological properties at rice heading stage under elevated UV-B radiation].

PubMed

Wu, Lei; Lou, Yun-sheng; Meng, Yan; Wang, Wei-qing; Cui, He-yang

2015-01-01

A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of silicon (Si) supply on diurnal variations of photosynthesis and transpiration-related physiological parameters at rice heading stage under elevated UV-B radiation. The experiment was designed with two UV-B radiation levels, i.e. ambient UV-B. (ambient, A) and elevated UV-B (elevated by 20%, E), and four Si supply levels, i.e. Sio (control, 0 kg SiO2 . hm-2), Si, (sodium silicate, 100 kg SiO2 . hm-2), Si2 (sodium silicate, 200 kg SiO2 . hm2), Si3 (slag fertilizer, 200 kg SiO2 . hm-2). The results showed that, compared with ambient UV-B radiation, elevated UV-B radiation decreased the net photosynthesis rate (Pn) , intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci), transpiration rate (Tr), stomatal conductivity (gs) and water use efficiency (WUE) by 11.3%, 5.5%, 10.4%, 20.3% and 6.3%, respectively, in the treatment without Si supply (Si, level), and decreased the above parameters by 3.8%-5.5%, 0.7%-4.8%, 4.0%-8.7%, 7.4%-20.2% and 0.7%-5.9% in the treatments with Si supply (Si1, Si2 and Si3 levels) , respectively. Namely, elevated UV-B radiation decreased the photosynthesis and transpiration-related physiological parameters, but silicon supply could obviously mitigate the depressive effects of elevated UV-B radiation. Under elevated UV-B radiation, compared with control (Si0 level), silicon supply increased Pn, Ci, gs and WUE by 16.9%-28.0%, 3.5%-14.3%, 16.8% - 38.7% and 29.0% - 51.2%, respectively, but decreased Tr by 1.9% - 10.8% in the treatments with Si supply (Si1 , Si2 and Si3 levels). That is, silicon supply could mitigate the depressive effects of elevated UV-B radiation through significantly increasingnP., CigsgK and WUE, but decreasing T,. However, the difference existed in ameliorating the depressive effects of elevated UV-B radiation on diurnal variations of physiological parameters among the treatments of silicon supply, with the sequence of Si3>Si2>1i >Si0. This study suggested that fertilizing slag was

FIREBall-2: Trailblazing observations of the space UV circumgalactic medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, Christopher

The Faint Intergalactic-medium Redshifted Emission Balloon (FIREBall-2) is designed to discover and map faint emission from the circumgalactic medium of low redshift galaxies (0.3UV optimized CCD detector is under final dark current and noise testing and will improve instrument performance by more than an order of magnitude. CNES is providing the spectrograph, gondola, and gondola flight support team, with construction of all components complete and final alignment and testing ongoing. We propose three additional years of funding to support the FIREBall-2 team in one additional flight in 2018 to fully utilize the upgraded spectrograph. This second flight, along with the funded 2016 flight, will conduct an initial blind CGM survey of dense fields at z 0.7, conduct a targeted search of circumquasar (CQM) media for selected targets, and conduct follow up on likely tar-gets selected via GALEX and a pilot survey conducted by our group. We will also conduct a statistical search for the faint IGM via statistical stacking of our data. The FIREBall-2 team includes two female graduate students in key roles (both of whom are finishing their PhDs in 2016) and is overseen by a female Postdoctoral scholar (supported by NSF AAPF and Caltech Millikan Fellowships, in addition to a recent Roman Technology Fellowship award). Additional funding is necessary to keep this

UV Light Illumination Can Improve the Sensing Properties of LaFeO₃ to Acetone Vapor.

PubMed

Zhang, Heng; Qin, Hongwei; Gao, Chengyong; Zhou, Guangjun; Chen, Yanping; Hu, Jifan

2018-06-21

The synthesized LaFeO₃ nanocrystalline sensor powders show positive response to sensing acetone vapor at 200 °C. The responses to acetone vapor (at 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10 ppm) are 1.18, 1.22, 1.89, 3.2 and 7.83. To make the sensor operate at a lower optimum temperature, UV light illumination 365 nm is performed. Response of the sensor has a larger improvement under 365 nm UV light illumination than without it. The responses to acetone vapor (at 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10 ppm) are 1.37, 1.85, 3.16, 8.32 and 14.1. Furthermore, the optimum operating temperature is reduced to 170 °C. As the relative humidity increases, the resistance and sensitivity of sensor are reduced. The sensor shows good selectivity toward acetone when compared with other gases. Since the detection of ultralow concentrations of acetone vapor is possible, the sensor can be used to preliminarily judge diabetes in the general public, as a high concentration of acetone is exhaled in breath of diabetic patients. The sensor shows a good stability, which is further enhanced under UV light illumination. The sensor shows better stability when under 365 nm UV light illumination. Whether under light illumination or not. The LaFeO₃ material shows good performance as a sensor when exposed to acetone vapor.

Modeling the natural UV irradiation and comparative UV measurements at Moussala BEO (BG)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tyutyundzhiev, N.; Angelov, Ch; Lovchinov, K.; Nitchev, Hr; Petrov, M.; Arsov, T.

2018-03-01

Studies of and modeling the impact of natural UV irradiation on the human population are of significant importance for human activity and economics. The sharp increase of environmental problems – extraordinary temperature changes, solar irradiation abnormalities, icy rains – raises the question of developing novel means of assessing and predicting potential UV effects. In this paper, we discuss new UV irradiation modeling based on recent real-time measurements at Moussala Basic Environmental Observatory (BEO) on Moussala Peak (2925 m ASL) in Rila Mountain, Bulgaria, and highlight the development and initial validation of portable embedded devices for UV-A, UV-B monitoring using open-source software architecture, narrow bandpass UV sensors, and the popular Arduino controllers. Despite the high temporal resolution of the VIS and UV irradiation measurements, the results obtained reveal the need of new assumptions in order to minimize the discrepancy with available databases.

NIR-Vis-UV Light-Responsive Actuator Films of Polymer-Dispersed Liquid Crystal/Graphene Oxide Nanocomposites.

PubMed

Cheng, Zhangxiang; Wang, Tianjie; Li, Xiao; Zhang, Yihe; Yu, Haifeng

2015-12-16

To take full advantage of sunlight for photomechanical materials, NIR-vis-UV light-responsive actuator films of polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC)/graphene oxide (GO) nanocomposites were fabricated. The strategy is based on phase transition of LCs from nematic to isotropic phase induced by combination of photochemical and photothermal processes in the PDLC/GO nanocomposites. Upon mechanical stretching of the film, both topological shape change and mesogenic alignment occurred in the separated LC domains, enabling the film to respond to NIR-vis-UV light. The homodispersed GO flakes act as photoabsorbent and nanoscale heat source to transfer NIR or VIS light into thermal energy, heating the film and photothermally inducing phase transition of LC microdomains. By utilizing photochemical phase transition of LCs upon UV-light irradiation, one azobenzene dye was incorporated into the LC domains, endowing the nanocomposite films with UV-responsive property. Moreover, the light-responsive behaviors can be well-controlled by adjusting the elongation ratio upon mechanical treatment. The NIR-vis-UV light-responsive PDLC/GO nanocomposite films exhibit excellent properties of easy fabrication, low-cost, and good film-forming and mechanical features, promising their numerous applications in the field of soft actuators and optomechanical systems driven directly by sunlight.

FT-IR, FT-Raman, UV-visible, and NMR spectroscopy and vibrational properties of the labdane-type diterpene 13-epi-sclareol.

PubMed

Chain, Fernando E; Leyton, Patricio; Paipa, Carolina; Fortuna, Mario; Brandán, Silvia A

2015-03-05

In this work, FT-IR, FT-Raman, UV-Visible and NMR spectroscopies and density functional theory (DFT) calculations were employed to study the structural and vibrational properties of the labdane-type diterpene 13-epi-sclareol using the hybrid B3LYP method together with the 6-31G(∗) basis set. Three stable structures with minimum energy found on the potential energy curves (PES) were optimized, and the corresponding molecular electrostatic potentials, atomic charges, bond orders, stabilization energies and topological properties were computed at the same approximation level. The complete assignment of the bands observed in the vibrational spectrum of 13-epi-sclareol was performed taking into account the internal symmetry coordinates for the three structures using the scaled quantum mechanical force field (SQMFF) methodology at the same level of theory. In addition, the force constants were calculated and compared with those reported in the literature for similar compounds. The predicted vibrational spectrum and the calculated (1)H NMR and (13)C NMR chemical shifts are in good agreement with the corresponding experimental results. The theoretical UV-Vis spectra for the most stable structure of 13-epi-sclareol demonstrate a better correlation with the corresponding experimental spectrum. The study of the three conformers by means of the theory of atoms in molecules (AIM) revealed different H bond interactions and a strong dependence of the interactions on the distance between the involved atoms. Furthermore, the natural bond orbital (NBO) calculations showed the characteristics of the electronic delocalization for the two six-membered rings with chair conformations. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Transcriptional and cellular effects of benzotriazole UV stabilizers UV-234 and UV-328 in the freshwater invertebrates Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Daphnia magna.

PubMed

Giraudo, Maeva; Cottin, Guillaume; Esperanza, Marta; Gagnon, Pierre; Silva, Amila O De; Houde, Magali

2017-12-01

Benzotriazole ultra violet stabilizers (BZT-UVs) are compounds used in many applications and products to prevent photochemical degradation. Despite their widespread presence in aquatic ecosystems and persistence in the environment, there are very limited data on their effects and toxicity, and their modes of action remain largely unknown. The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the chronic effects of 2 BZT-UVs, 2-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-4,6-bis(1-methyl-1-phenylethyl)phenol (UV-234) and 2-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-4,6-di-tert-pentylphenol (UV-328), on the freshwater green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and the freshwater crustacean Daphnia magna. Organisms were exposed to 0.01 and 10 μg/L of UV-234, UV-328, as well as a mixture of the 2 compounds. Life-history endpoints (viability, reproduction, and growth) and oxidative stress-related biomarkers (gene transcription, reactive oxygen species [ROS] production, and lipid peroxidation) were measured. Daphnia magna growth, reproduction, and gene transcription were not impacted by 21-d individual or mixed exposure. After 96-h of exposure, no differences were observed on the cellular viability of C. reinhardtii for either of the 2 BZT-UVs. In the algae, results showed increased ROS production in response to UV-328 and lipid peroxidation following exposure to UV-234. Synergistic effects of the 2 BZT-UVs were evident at the transcriptional level with 2 to 6 times up-regulation of glutathione peroxidase (gp x ) in response to the mixture for all treatment conditions. The transcription of superoxide dismutase (sod), catalase (cat), and ascorbic peroxidase (apx) was also regulated by UV-234 and UV-328 in the green algae, most likely as a result of ROS production and lipid peroxidation. Results from the present study suggest potential impacts of UV-234 and UV-328 exposure on the antioxidant defense system in C. reinhardtii. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:3333-3342. © 2017 Crown in the Right of Canada. Published by

Bio-inspired metal-coordinate hydrogels with programmable viscoelastic material functions controlled by longwave UV light.

PubMed

Grindy, Scott C; Holten-Andersen, Niels

2017-06-07

Control over the viscoelastic mechanical properties of hydrogels intended for use as biomedical materials has long been a goal of soft matter scientists. Recent research has shown that materials made from polymers with reversibly associating transient crosslinks are a promising strategy for controlling viscoelasticity in hydrogels, for example leading to systems with precisely tunable mechanical energy-dissipation. We and others have shown that bio-inspired histidine:transition metal ion complexes allow highly precise and tunable control over the viscoelastic properties of transient network hydrogels. In this paper, we extend the design of these hydrogels such that their viscoelastic properties respond to longwave UV radiation. We show that careful selection of the histidine:transition metal ion crosslink mixtures allows unique control over pre- and post-UV viscoelastic properties. We anticipate that our strategy for controlling stimuli-responsive viscoelastic properties will aid biomedical materials scientists in the development of soft materials with specific stress-relaxing or energy-dissipating properties.

Response of biological uv dosimeters to the simulated extraterrestrial uv radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bérces, A.; Rontó, G.; Kerékgyártó, T.; Kovács, G.; Lammer, H.

In the Laboratory polycrystalline uracil thin layer and bacteriophage T7 detectors have been developed for UV dosimetry on the EarthSs surface. Exponential response of the uracil polycrystal has been detected both by absorption spectroscopy and measurements of the refractive index under the influence of terrestrial solar radiation or using UV-C sources. In UV biological dosimetry the UV dose scale is additive starting at a value of zero according to the definition of CIE (Technical Report TC-6-18). The biological dose can be defined by a measured end-effect. In our dosimeters (phage T7 and uracil dosimeter) exposed to natural (terrestrial) UV radiation the proportion of pyrimidin photoproducts among the total photoproducts is smaller than 0.1 and the linear correlation between the biological and physical dose is higher than 0.9. According to the experimental data this linear relationship is often not valid. We observed that UV radiation did not only induce dimerisation but shorter wavelengths caused monomerisation of pyrimidin dimers. Performing the irradiation in oxygen free environment and using a Deuterium lamp as UV source, we could increase monomerisation against dimerisation thus the DNA-based dosimetrySs additivity rule is not fulfilled in these conditions. In this study we will demonstrate those non-linear experiments which constitute the basis of our biological experiments on the International Space Station.

Preparation and properties studies of UV-curable silicone modified epoxy resin composite system.

PubMed

Yu, Zhouhui; Cui, Aiyong; Zhao, Peizhong; Wei, Huakai; Hu, Fangyou

2018-01-01

Modified epoxy suitable for ultraviolet (UV) curing is prepared by using organic silicon toughening. The curing kinetics of the composite are studied by dielectric analysis (DEA), and the two-phase compatibility of the composite is studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The tensile properties, heat resistance, and humidity resistance of the cured product are explored by changing the composition ratio of the silicone and the epoxy resin. SEM of silicone/epoxy resin shows that the degree of cross-linking of the composites decreases with an increase of silicone resin content. Differential thermal analysis indicates that the glass transition temperature and the thermal stability of the composites decrease gradually with an increase of silicone resin content. The thermal degradation rate in the high temperature region, however, first decreases and then increases. In general, after adding just 10%-15% of the silicone resin and exposing to light for 15 min, the composite can still achieve a better curing effect. Under such conditions, the heat resistance of the cured product decreases a little. The tensile strength is kept constant so that elongation at breakage is apparently improved. The change rate after immersion in distilled water at 60°C for seven days is small, which shows excellent humidity resistance.

Multifunctional AgNPs@Wool: colored, UV-protective and antioxidant functional textiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shabbir, Mohd; Mohammad, Faqeer

2018-02-01

Nanomaterials have great impact on textile industry for multifunctional and smart clothing as per the need of present, and further, green nanotechnology is the current hotspot of research and industrial developments. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are synthesized (in situ) by using natural compounds of plant extracts (naphthoquinones, phenolics/flavonoids, polyphenols) as reducing or stabilizing agents, and simultaneously deposited on wool fabric for coloration, UV protection and antioxidant properties. UV-visible spectroscopy is used to monitor the route of biosynthesis of nanoparticles and transmission electron microscopy for morphological characteristics of synthesized AgNPs. Spherical and almost oval-shaped AgNPs were synthesized by naphthoquinones, polyphenols and flavonoids, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were used for the AgNPs@Wool fabrics characterization. SEM-EDX analysis and XRD patterns confirmed the successful deposition of silver nanoparticles on wool. Coloration characteristics in terms of color strength (K/S) and CIEL*a*b*c*h° values, UV protection abilities in terms of UV transmittance and UV protection factor, and % antioxidant activity of AgNPs@Wool are suggestive of good-to-excellent results.

Degradation and mineralization of organic UV absorber compound 2-phenylbenzimidazole-5-sulfonic acid (PBSA) using UV-254nm/H2O2.

PubMed

Abdelraheem, Wael H M; He, Xuexiang; Duan, Xiaodi; Dionysiou, Dionysios D

2015-01-23

Various studies have revealed the non-biodegradable and endocrine disrupting properties of sulfonated organic UV absorbers, directing people's attention toward their risks on ecological and human health and hence their removal from water. In this study, UV-254nm/H2O2 advanced oxidation process (AOP) was investigated for degrading a model UV absorber compound 2-phenylbenzimidazole-5-sulfonic acid (PBSA) and a structurally similar compound 1H-benzimidazole-2-sulfonic acid (BSA), with a specific focus on their mineralization. At 4.0mM [H2O2]0, a complete removal of 40.0μM parent PBSA and 25% decrease in TOC were achieved with 190min of UV irradiation; SO4(2-) was formed and reached its maximum level while the release of nitrogen as NH4(+) was much lower (around 50%) at 190min. Sulfate removal was strongly enhanced by increasing [H2O2]0 in the range of 0-4.0mM, with slight inhibition in 4.0-12.0mM. Faster and earlier ammonia formation was observed at higher [H2O2]0. The presence of Br(-) slowed down the degradation and mineralization of both compounds while a negligible effect on the degradation was observed in the presence of Cl(-). Our study provides important technical and fundamental results on the HO based degradation and mineralization of SO3H and N-containing UV absorber compounds. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Construction of Nontoxic Polymeric UV-Absorber with Great Resistance to UV-Photoaging

PubMed Central

Huang, Zhong; Ding, Aishun; Guo, Hao; Lu, Guolin; Huang, Xiaoyu

2016-01-01

In this article, we developed a series of new nontoxic polymeric UV-absorbers through covalently attaching a benzophenone derivative onto the main chain of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) via mild and quantitative click chemistry. Azide groups were firstly introduced into the backbone of PVC via a nucleophilic reaction without affecting polymeric skeleton. Copper-catalyzed Husigen-Click cycloaddition reaction was performed between the pendant azide groups of PVC and alkynyl of (2-hydroxy-4-(prop-2-ynyloxy)phenyl)(phenyl)methanone at ambient temperature for affording the desired PVC-based UV-absorbers (PVC-UV) with different amounts of benzophenone moieties, which displayed great resistance to photoaging without degradation while exposed to UV irradiation. These polymeric UV-absorbers also showed good solubilities in common organic solvents and no cytotoxicity vs. HaCat cell. Small amounts of PVC-UV were homogeneously mixed with PVC as additive for stabilizing PVC against UV-photoaging without degradation and releasing small molecule even after 200 h while keeping thermal stability. This route of polymeric additive clearly paved an efficient way for solving the puzzle of separation of small molecule additive. PMID:27138547

Temporal variation of optimal UV exposure time over Korea: risks and benefits of surface UV radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Y. G.; Koo, J. H.

2015-12-01

Solar UV radiation in a wavelength range between 280 to 400 nm has both positive and negative influences on human body. Surface UV radiation is the main natural source of vitamin D, providing the promotion of bone and musculoskeletal health and reducing the risk of a number of cancers and other medical conditions. However, overexposure to surface UV radiation is significantly related with the majority of skin cancer, in addition other negative health effects such as sunburn, skin aging, and some forms of eye cataracts. Therefore, it is important to estimate the optimal UV exposure time, representing a balance between reducing negative health effects and maximizing sufficient vitamin D production. Previous studies calculated erythemal UV and vitamin-D UV from the measured and modelled spectral irradiances, respectively, by weighting CIE Erythema and Vitamin D3 generation functions (Kazantzidis et al., 2009; Fioletov et al., 2010). In particular, McKenzie et al. (2009) suggested the algorithm to estimate vitamin-D production UV from erythemal UV (or UV index) and determined the optimum conditions of UV exposure based on skin type Ⅱ according to the Fitzpatrick (1988). Recently, there are various demands for risks and benefits of surface UV radiation on public health over Korea, thus it is necessary to estimate optimal UV exposure time suitable to skin type of East Asians. This study examined the relationship between erythemally weighted UV (UVEry) and vitamin D weighted UV (UVVitD) over Korea during 2004-2012. The temporal variations of the ratio (UVVitD/UVEry) were also analyzed and the ratio as a function of UV index was applied in estimating the optimal UV exposure time. In summer with high surface UV radiation, short exposure time leaded to sufficient vitamin D and erythema and vice versa in winter. Thus, the balancing time in winter was enough to maximize UV benefits and minimize UV risks.

Impact of Room Location on UV-C Irradiance and UV-C Dosage and Antimicrobial Effect Delivered by a Mobile UV-C Light Device.

PubMed

Boyce, John M; Farrel, Patricia A; Towle, Dana; Fekieta, Renee; Aniskiewicz, Michael

2016-06-01

OBJECTIVE To evaluate ultraviolet C (UV-C) irradiance, UV-C dosage, and antimicrobial effect achieved by a mobile continuous UV-C device. DESIGN Prospective observational study. METHODS We used 6 UV light sensors to determine UV-C irradiance (W/cm2) and UV-C dosage (µWsec/cm2) at various distances from and orientations relative to the UV-C device during 5-minute and 15-minute cycles in an ICU room and a surgical ward room. In both rooms, stainless-steel disks inoculated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), and Clostridium difficile spores were placed next to sensors, and UV-C dosages and log10 reductions of target organisms achieved during 5-minute and 15-minute cycles were determined. Mean irradiance and dosage readings were compared using ANOVA. RESULTS Mean UV-C irradiance was nearly 1.0E-03 W/cm2 in direct sight at a distance of 1.3 m (4 ft) from the device but was 1.12E-05 W/cm2 on a horizontal surface in a shaded area 3.3 m (10 ft) from the device (P4 to 1-3 for MRSA, >4 to 1-2 for VRE and >4 to 0 log10 for C. difficile spores, depending on the distance from, and orientation relative to, the device with 5-minute and 15-minute cycles. CONCLUSION UV-C irradiance, dosage, and antimicrobial effect received from a mobile UV-C device varied substantially based on location in a room relative to the UV-C device. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2016;37:667-672.

Pigmentation after single and multiple UV-exposures depending on UV-spectrum.

PubMed

Ravnbak, M H; Wulf, H C

2007-04-01

Minimal pigmentation dose (MMD) after a single UV-exposure is well investigated. Whereas only few studies have established MMD after multiple UV-exposures and mainly in fair-skinned persons. The purpose of this study was to establish MMD 1 week after, respectively, one and five UV-exposures in volunteers with a large variation in constitutive pigmentation. A total of 52 volunteers (skin Types II-V) had skin pigmentation quantified by reflectance spectroscopy. They were UV-exposed on the back for 1 and 5 days using a Solar Simulator, narrowband UVB, broadband UVA and UVA1. For all sources a higher dose was needed the more pigmented the skin, except for UVA1. After one UV-exposure, we found a significant positive linear correlation between UV-dose to one MMD, skin type and pre-exposure skin pigmentation. After five UV-exposures the positive linear correlation between UV-dose and MMD and skin type was only significant for narrow band UVB, pre-exposure skin pigmentation was significant also for Solar Simulator. For UVA and particularly UVA1 the MMD was independent of pre-exposure pigmentation. The number of SED to MMD is therefore almost the same for very fair-skinned and dark-skinned persons. Pre-exposure pigmentation was clearly more predictive of MMD than skin type. 50% of MMD equals a pigmentation increase of 1%. The shorter the wavelengths the higher the SED to produce MMD. Solar was the least melanogenic and UVA1 the most melanogenic. For the UVB-sources a higher dose was needed the more pigmented the skin. For UVA the MMD was independent of pre-exposure pigmentation.

Design of tunable ultraviolet (UV) absorbance by controlling the Agsbnd Al co-sputtering deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xin-Yuan; Chen, Lei; Wang, Yaxin; Zhang, Yongjun; Yang, Jinghai; Choi, Hyun Chul; Jung, Young Mee

2018-05-01

Changing the structure and composition of a material can alter its properties; hence, the controlled fabrication of metal nanostructures plays a key role in a wide range of applications. In this study, the structure of Agsbnd Al ordered arrays fabricated by co-sputtering deposition onto a monolayer colloidal crystal significantly increased its ultraviolet (UV) absorbance owing to a tunable localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect. By increasing the spacing between two nanospheres and the content of aluminum, absorbance in the UV region could be changed from UVA (320-400 nm) to UVC (200-275 nm), and the LSPR peak in the visible region gradually shifted to the UV region. This provides the potential for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) in both the UV and visible regions.

The TROPOMI surface UV algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindfors, Anders V.; Kujanpää, Jukka; Kalakoski, Niilo; Heikkilä, Anu; Lakkala, Kaisa; Mielonen, Tero; Sneep, Maarten; Krotkov, Nickolay A.; Arola, Antti; Tamminen, Johanna

2018-02-01

The TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) is the only payload of the Sentinel-5 Precursor (S5P), which is a polar-orbiting satellite mission of the European Space Agency (ESA). TROPOMI is a nadir-viewing spectrometer measuring in the ultraviolet, visible, near-infrared, and the shortwave infrared that provides near-global daily coverage. Among other things, TROPOMI measurements will be used for calculating the UV radiation reaching the Earth's surface. Thus, the TROPOMI surface UV product will contribute to the monitoring of UV radiation by providing daily information on the prevailing UV conditions over the globe. The TROPOMI UV algorithm builds on the heritage of the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and the Satellite Application Facility for Atmospheric Composition and UV Radiation (AC SAF) algorithms. This paper provides a description of the algorithm that will be used for estimating surface UV radiation from TROPOMI observations. The TROPOMI surface UV product includes the following UV quantities: the UV irradiance at 305, 310, 324, and 380 nm; the erythemally weighted UV; and the vitamin-D weighted UV. Each of these are available as (i) daily dose or daily accumulated irradiance, (ii) overpass dose rate or irradiance, and (iii) local noon dose rate or irradiance. In addition, all quantities are available corresponding to actual cloud conditions and as clear-sky values, which otherwise correspond to the same conditions but assume a cloud-free atmosphere. This yields 36 UV parameters altogether. The TROPOMI UV algorithm has been tested using input based on OMI and the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment-2 (GOME-2) satellite measurements. These preliminary results indicate that the algorithm is functioning according to expectations.

Galex and Optical Observations of GW Librae during the Long Decline from Superoutburst

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bullock, Eric; Szkody, Paula; Mukadam, Anjum S.; Borges, Bernardo W.; Fraga, Luciano; Gansicke, Boris T.; Harrison, Thomas E.; Henden, Arne; Holtzman, Jon; Howell, Steve B.;

Dual UV irradiation-based metal oxide nanoparticles for enhanced antimicrobial activity in Escherichia coli and M13 bacteriophage

PubMed Central

Jin, Su-Eon; Hwang, Woochul; Lee, Hyo Jung; Jin, Hyo-Eon

2017-01-01

Metal oxide (MO) nanoparticles have been studied as nano-antibiotics due to their antimicrobial activities even in antibiotic-resistant microorganisms. We hypothesized that a hybrid system of dual UV irradiation and MO nanoparticles would have enhanced antimicrobial activities compared with UV or MO nanoparticles alone. In this study, nanoparticles of ZnO, ZnTiO3, MgO, and CuO were selected as model nanoparticles. A dual UV collimated beam device of UV-A and UV-C was developed depending upon the lamp divided by coating. Physicochemical properties of MO nanoparticles were determined using powder X-ray diffractometry (PXRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis, and field emission-scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Atomic force microscopy with an electrostatic force microscopy mode was used to confirm the surface topology and electrostatic characteristics after dual UV irradiation. For antimicrobial activity test, MO nanoparticles under dual UV irradiation were applied to Escherichia coli and M13 bacteriophage (phage). The UV-A and UV-C showed differential intensities in the coated and uncoated areas (UV-A, coated = uncoated; UV-C, coated ≪ uncoated). MO nanoparticles showed sharp peaks in PXRD patterns, matched to pure materials. Their primary particle sizes were less than 100 nm with irregular shapes, which had an 8.6~25.6 m2/g of specific surface area with mesopores of 22~262 nm. The electrostatic properties of MO nanoparticles were modulated after UV irradiation. ZnO, MgO, and CuO nanoparticles, except ZnTiO3 nanoparticles, showed antibacterial effects on E. coli. Antimicrobial effects on E. coli and phages were also enhanced after cyclic exposure of dual UV and MO nanoparticle treatment using the uncoated area, except ZnO nanoparticles. Our results demonstrate that dual UV-MO nanoparticle hybrid system has a potential for disinfection. We anticipate that it can be developed as a next-generation disinfection system in

Dual UV irradiation-based metal oxide nanoparticles for enhanced antimicrobial activity in Escherichia coli and M13 bacteriophage.

PubMed

Jin, Su-Eon; Hwang, Woochul; Lee, Hyo Jung; Jin, Hyo-Eon

2017-01-01

Metal oxide (MO) nanoparticles have been studied as nano-antibiotics due to their antimicrobial activities even in antibiotic-resistant microorganisms. We hypothesized that a hybrid system of dual UV irradiation and MO nanoparticles would have enhanced antimicrobial activities compared with UV or MO nanoparticles alone. In this study, nanoparticles of ZnO, ZnTiO 3 , MgO, and CuO were selected as model nanoparticles. A dual UV collimated beam device of UV-A and UV-C was developed depending upon the lamp divided by coating. Physicochemical properties of MO nanoparticles were determined using powder X-ray diffractometry (PXRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis, and field emission-scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Atomic force microscopy with an electrostatic force microscopy mode was used to confirm the surface topology and electrostatic characteristics after dual UV irradiation. For antimicrobial activity test, MO nanoparticles under dual UV irradiation were applied to Escherichia coli and M13 bacteriophage (phage). The UV-A and UV-C showed differential intensities in the coated and uncoated areas (UV-A, coated = uncoated; UV-C, coated ≪ uncoated). MO nanoparticles showed sharp peaks in PXRD patterns, matched to pure materials. Their primary particle sizes were less than 100 nm with irregular shapes, which had an 8.6~25.6 m 2 /g of specific surface area with mesopores of 22~262 nm. The electrostatic properties of MO nanoparticles were modulated after UV irradiation. ZnO, MgO, and CuO nanoparticles, except ZnTiO 3 nanoparticles, showed antibacterial effects on E. coli . Antimicrobial effects on E. coli and phages were also enhanced after cyclic exposure of dual UV and MO nanoparticle treatment using the uncoated area, except ZnO nanoparticles. Our results demonstrate that dual UV-MO nanoparticle hybrid system has a potential for disinfection. We anticipate that it can be developed as a next-generation disinfection system in

Preparation of high toughness nanocomposite hydrogel with UV protection performance and self-healing property

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Xiaoyan; Wang, Meng; Zhang, Caiyun; Liu, Liqin

2017-07-01

An ultraviolet shielding hydrogel of P(NaSS-co-MPTC)/TiO2 was prepared by introducing TiO2 nanoparticles (TiO2 NPS) into polyampholyte matrix through photo-initiated radical copolymerization of cationic monomer of 3-(methacrylamide) propyltrimethylammonium chloride (MPTC) and anionic monomer of sodium 4-vinylbenzenesulfonate (NaSS) in the aqueous solution of sodium chloride (NaCl). FTIR, XPS, TEM, XRD, and SEM were used to characterize the morphology and structure of hydrogel of P(NaSS-co-MPTC)/TiO2. The result showed that anatase TiO2 NPS with the size about 15 20 nm were not just acted as ultraviolet shielding agent and general photo-initiator, they also could be crosslinked in polyampholyte matrix by hydrogen bonding between hydroxyl groups on the surface of TiO2 NPS and sulfonate groups on the polymer chains. Based on two kinds of reversible weak bonds of hydrogen bond and ionic bond, the P(NaSS-co-MPTC)/TiO2 hydrogel exhibited excellent mechanical properties and self-healing ability at ambient conditions, which will greatly increase its service life being a UV inhibitor.

Theoretical study on Curcumin: A comparison of calculated spectroscopic properties with NMR, UV vis and IR experimental data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benassi, Rois; Ferrari, Erika; Lazzari, Sandra; Spagnolo, Ferdinando; Saladini, Monica

2008-12-01

The main target of this study is a high-level computational analysis of Curcumin, employing DFT approach with two different sets of basis functions (B3LYP/6-31G ∗ and B3LYP/6-311G ∗∗). Accurate quantum mechanical studies, both in vacuum and in methanol medium, are carried out with the aim to analyze the conformational equilibria, to find the most stable equilibrium structure and to define the nature of the molecular orbitals, fundamental to explain Curcumin binding characteristic. Our theoretical calculations, performed at B3LYP/6-31G ∗ and B3LYP/6-311G ∗∗ levels both in vacuum and in methanol medium, confirm that the keto-enolic forms are more stable than the di-keto one, whose extremely low population suggests that this structure should not influence Curcumin properties. Keto-enolic form C results the most stable, independently on calculation level and solvent (methanol) effect. HOMO and LUMO molecular orbitals are calculated for all the structures with the two sets of basis with very similar results. MEPs show that the negative charge is localized on the oxygen atoms, which, in the keto-enolic forms, point in the same direction enabling metal coordination. NMR, UV-vis and FT-IR experimental data are employed in the comparison with electronic and conformational properties of Curcumin resulting from theoretical calculations. The two different calculation levels (B3LYP/6-31G ∗ and B3LYP/6-311G ∗∗) give very similar results. Good linear correlations between the experimental 1H and 13C NMR chemical shifts ( δexp), in methanol- d4 (MeOD) and DMSO- d6 (DMSO), and calculated magnetic isotropic shielding tensors ( σcalc) are found ( δexp = a · σcalc + b). A good prediction of UV-vis experimental maximum absorption ( λmax) on the basis of conformer populations is obtained. A linear relation with a good correlation coefficient is observed plotting the FT-IR experimental wavenumbers vs . the calculated ones, allowing to predict FT-IR spectra.

Aerosol Absorption Effects in the TOMS UV Algorithm

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Torres, O.; Krotkov, N.; Bhartia, P. K.

2004-01-01

The availability of global long-term estimates of surface UV radiation is very important, not only for preventive medicine considerations, but also as an important tool to monitor the effects of the stratospheric ozone recovery expected to occur in the next few decades as a result of the decline of the stratospheric chlorine levels. In addition to the modulating effects of ozone and clouds, aerosols also affect the levels of UV-A and W-B radiation reaching the surface. Oscillations in surface W associated with the effects of aerosol absorption may be comparable in magnitude to variations associated with the stratospheric ozone recovery. Thus, the accurate calculation of surface W radiation requires that both the scattering and absorption effects of tropospheric aerosols be taken into account. Although absorption effects of dust and elevated carbonaceous aerosols are already accounted for using Aerosol Index technique, this approach does not work for urban/industrial aerosols in the planetary boundary layer. The use of the new TOMS long-term global data record on UV aerosol absorption optical depth, can improve the accuracy of TOMS spectral UV products, by properly including the spectral attenuation effects of carbonaceous, urban/industrial and mineral aerosols. The TOMS data set on aerosol properties will be discussed, and results of its use in the TOMS surface W algorithm will be presented.

The Protective Role of Melanin Against UV Damage in Human Skin

PubMed Central

Brenner, Michaela; Hearing, Vincent J.

2009-01-01

Human skin is repeatedly exposed to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) that influences the function and survival of many cell types and is regarded as the main causative factor in the induction of skin cancer. It has been traditionally believed that skin pigmentation is the most important photoprotective factor, since melanin, besides functioning as a broadband UV absorbent, has antioxidant and radical scavenging properties. Besides, many epidemiological studies have shown a lower incidence for skin cancer in individuals with darker skin compared to those with fair skin. Skin pigmentation is of great cultural and cosmetic importance, yet the role of melanin in photoprotection is still controversial. This article outlines the major acute and chronic effects of UV radiation on human skin, the properties of melanin, the regulation of pigmentation and its effect on skin cancer prevention. PMID:18435612

Photodegradation of pharmaceuticals and personal care products during UV and UV/H2O2 treatments.

PubMed

Kim, Ilho; Yamashita, Naoyuki; Tanaka, Hiroaki

2009-10-01

Photodegradation characteristics of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) and the effectiveness of H(2)O(2) addition for PPCPs photodegradation during UV treatment were examined in this study. Average k (1st order rate constant) value for all the PPCPs investigated increased by a factor of 1.3 by H(2)O(2) addition during UV treatment using biologically treated water (TW) spiked with the 30 PPCPs. Therefore, the effectiveness of H(2)O(2) addition for PPCPs removal during UV treatment in real wastewater treatment process was expected. It could be also known that H(2)O(2) addition would improve photodegradation rates of PPCPs highly resistant for UV treatment such as DEET, ethenzamide and theophylline. UV dose required for 90% degradation of each PPCP was calculated from k values obtained in UV and UV/H(2)O(2) treatment experiments using TW spiked with 30 PPCPs. For UV treatment, UV dose required for degrading each PPCP by 90% of initial concentration ranged from 38 mJ cm(-2) to 5644 mJ cm(-2), indicating that most of PPCPs will not be removed sufficiently in UV disinfection process in wastewater treatment plant. For UV/H(2)O(2) treatment, all the PPCPs except seven PPCPs including cyclophosphamide and 2-QCA were degraded by more than 90% by UV irradiation for 30 min (UV dose: 691 mJ cm(-2)), indicating that H(2)O(2) addition during UV treatment will be highly effective for improving the degradation of PPCPs by UV, even though much higher UV dose is still necessary comparing to for UV disinfection.

Liposomogenic UV Absorbers are Water-Resistant on Pig Skin-A Model Study With Relevance for Sunscreens.

PubMed

Herzog, Bernd; Hüglin, Dietmar; Luther, Helmut

2017-02-01

An important property of sunscreens is their water resistance after the application on human skin. In this work, the hypothesis that UV absorber molecules which are able to form liposomes, so-called liposomogenic UV absorbers, show better water resistance on a pig skin model than UV-absorbing molecules lacking this ability was tested. The assumption behind is that molecules which can form liposomes are able to integrate into the stratum corneum lipids of the skin. Three different liposomogenic UV absorbers were synthesized and their behavior investigated, leading to the confirmation of the hypothesis. With one of the liposomogenic UV absorbers, it was possible to show the integration of the UV absorber molecules into the bilayers of another liposome consisting of phosphatidylcholine, supporting the assumption that liposomogenic UV absorbers exhibit improved water resistance because they integrate into the skin lipids. Copyright © 2017 American Pharmacists Association®. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Standardization of UV LED measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eppeldauer, G. P.; Larason, T. C.; Yoon, H. W.

2015-09-01

Traditionally used source spectral-distribution or detector spectral-response based standards cannot be applied for accurate UV LED measurements. Since the CIE standardized rectangular-shape spectral response function for UV measurements cannot be realized with small spectral mismatch when using filtered detectors, the UV measurement errors can be several times ten percent or larger. The UV LEDs produce broadband radiation and both their peaks or spectral bandwidths can change significantly. The detectors used for the measurement of these LEDs also have different spectral bandwidths. In the discussed example, where LEDs with 365 nm peak are applied for fluorescent crack-recognition using liquid penetrant (non-destructive) inspection, the broadband radiometric LED (signal) measurement procedure is standardized. A UV LED irradiance-source was calibrated against an FEL lamp standard to determine its spectral irradiance. The spectral irradiance responsivity of a reference UV meter was also calibrated. The output signal of the reference UV meter was calculated from the spectral irradiance of the UV source and the spectral irradiance responsivity of the reference UV meter. From the output signal, both the integrated irradiance (in the reference plane of the reference meter) and the integrated responsivity of the reference meter were determined. Test UV meters calibrated for integrated responsivity against the reference UV meter, can be used to determine the integrated irradiance from a field UV source. The obtained 5 % (k=2) measurement uncertainty can be decreased when meters with spectral response close to a constant value are selected.

Germicidal Efficacy and Mammalian Skin Safety of 222-nm UV Light

PubMed Central

Buonanno, Manuela; Ponnaiya, Brian; Welch, David; Stanislauskas, Milda; Randers-Pehrson, Gerhard; Smilenov, Lubomir; Lowy, Franklin D.; Owens, David M.; Brenner, David J.

2017-01-01

We have previously shown that 207-nm ultraviolet (UV) light has similar antimicrobial properties as typical germicidal UV light (254 nm), but without inducing mammalian skin damage. The biophysical rationale is based on the limited penetration distance of 207-nm light in biological samples (e.g. stratum corneum) compared with that of 254-nm light. Here we extended our previous studies to 222-nm light and tested the hypothesis that there exists a narrow wavelength window in the far-UVC region, from around 200–222 nm, which is significantly harmful to bacteria, but without damaging cells in tissues. We used a krypton-chlorine (Kr-Cl) excimer lamp that produces 222-nm UV light with a bandpass filter to remove the lower- and higher-wavelength components. Relative to respective controls, we measured: 1. in vitro killing of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) as a function of UV fluence; 2. yields of the main UV-associated premutagenic DNA lesions (cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers and 6-4 photoproducts) in a 3D human skin tissue model in vitro; 3. eight cellular and molecular skin damage endpoints in exposed hairless mice in vivo. Comparisons were made with results from a conventional 254-nm UV germicidal lamp used as positive control. We found that 222-nm light kills MRSA efficiently but, unlike conventional germicidal UV lamps (254 nm), it produces almost no premutagenic UV-associated DNA lesions in a 3D human skin model and it is not cytotoxic to exposed mammalian skin. As predicted by biophysical considerations and in agreement with our previous findings, far-UVC light in the range of 200–222 nm kills bacteria efficiently regardless of their drug-resistant proficiency, but without the skin damaging effects associated with conventional germicidal UV exposure. PMID:28225654

Germicidal Efficacy and Mammalian Skin Safety of 222-nm UV Light.

PubMed

Buonanno, Manuela; Ponnaiya, Brian; Welch, David; Stanislauskas, Milda; Randers-Pehrson, Gerhard; Smilenov, Lubomir; Lowy, Franklin D; Owens, David M; Brenner, David J

2017-04-01

We have previously shown that 207-nm ultraviolet (UV) light has similar antimicrobial properties as typical germicidal UV light (254 nm), but without inducing mammalian skin damage. The biophysical rationale is based on the limited penetration distance of 207-nm light in biological samples (e.g. stratum corneum) compared with that of 254-nm light. Here we extended our previous studies to 222-nm light and tested the hypothesis that there exists a narrow wavelength window in the far-UVC region, from around 200-222 nm, which is significantly harmful to bacteria, but without damaging cells in tissues. We used a krypton-chlorine (Kr-Cl) excimer lamp that produces 222-nm UV light with a bandpass filter to remove the lower- and higher-wavelength components. Relative to respective controls, we measured: 1. in vitro killing of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) as a function of UV fluence; 2. yields of the main UV-associated premutagenic DNA lesions (cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers and 6-4 photoproducts) in a 3D human skin tissue model in vitro; 3. eight cellular and molecular skin damage endpoints in exposed hairless mice in vivo. Comparisons were made with results from a conventional 254-nm UV germicidal lamp used as positive control. We found that 222-nm light kills MRSA efficiently but, unlike conventional germicidal UV lamps (254 nm), it produces almost no premutagenic UV-associated DNA lesions in a 3D human skin model and it is not cytotoxic to exposed mammalian skin. As predicted by biophysical considerations and in agreement with our previous findings, far-UVC light in the range of 200-222 nm kills bacteria efficiently regardless of their drug-resistant proficiency, but without the skin damaging effects associated with conventional germicidal UV exposure.

A combinaison of UV curing technology with ATL process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balbzioui, I.; Hasiaoui, B.; Barbier, G.; L'hostis, G.; Laurent, F.; Ibrahim, A.; Durand, B.

2017-10-01

In order to reduce the time and the cost of manufacturing composite, UV curing technology combined with automated tape placement process (ATL) based on reverse approach by working with a fixed head was studied in this article. First, a brief description of the developed head placement is presented. Mechanical properties are then evaluated by varying process parameters, including compaction force and tape placement speed. Finally, a parametric study is carried out to identify suitable materials and process parameters to manufacture a photo composite material with high mechanical performances. The obtained results show that UV curing is a very good alternative for thermal polymerization because of its fast cure speed due to less dependency on temperature.

Solar UV-A and UV-B radiation fluxes at two Alpine stations at different altitudes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blumthaler, M.; Ambach, W.; Rehwald, W.

1992-03-01

Daily totals of UV-A and UV-B radiation fluxes and global radiation were measured since 1981 at Jungfraujoch (3576 m) a.s.l.) and in Innsbruck (577 m a.s.l.) in their seasonal course. The altitude effect of annual totals yields 19%/1000 m (UV-B), 11%/1000 m (UV-A) and 9%/1000 m (global radiation) with reference to Innsbruck station. The ratio of the daily totals of UV-B/global radiation shows a significant seasonal course with the maximum in summer, whereas the ratio of the daily totals of UV-A/global radiation shows no significant seasonal variation. The biological effective doses of erythema reaction, delayed tanning and immediate tanning by UV-A and UV-B radiant exposure are reported in the seasonal course at Jungfraujoch and in Innsbruck.

Comparison of classical fenton, nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA)-Fenton, UV-Fenton, UV photolysis of Fe-NTA, UV-NTA-Fenton, and UV-H2O2 for the degradation of cyclohexanoic acid.

PubMed

Zhang, Ying; Klamerth, Nikolaus; Chelme-Ayala, Pamela; Gamal El-Din, Mohamed

2017-05-01

The treatment of a naphthenic acid model compound, cyclohexanoic acid, with classical Fenton, UV-H 2 O 2 , UV-Fenton, nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA)-Fenton, UV-NTA-Fenton, and UV photolysis of Fe-NTA processes at pHs 3 and 8 was investigated. At 1.47 mM H 2 O 2 , 0.089 mM Fe, and 0.18 mM NTA, the UV-NTA-Fenton process at pH 3 exhibited the highest H 2 O 2 decomposition (100% in 25 min), CHA removal (100% in 12 min) with a rate constant of 0.27 ± 0.025 min -1 , and NTA degradation (100% in 6 min). Due to the formation of H 2 O 2 -Fe(III)NTA adduct, the total Fe concentration in the UV-NTA-Fenton system (0.063 mM at the end of the reaction) at pH 8 was much higher than that in the UV photolysis of Fe(III)NTA process (0.024 mM). The co-complexing effect of borate buffer helped to keep iron soluble; however, it imposed a negative influence on the CHA degradation in the UV-NTA-Fenton process (68% CHA removal in 60 min in the borate buffer compared to 92% in MilliQ water). The results demonstrated that the most efficient process for the CHA degradation under the experimental conditions was the UV-NTA-Fenton process at pH 3. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

2D/0D graphene hybrids for visible-blind flexible UV photodetectors.

PubMed

Tetsuka, Hiroyuki

2017-07-17

Nitrogen-functionalized graphene quantum dots (NGQDs) are attractive building blocks for optoelectronic devices because of their exceptional tunable optical absorption and fluorescence properties. Here, we developed a high-performance flexible NGQD/graphene field-effect transistor (NGQD@GFET) hybrid ultraviolet (UV) photodetector, using dimethylamine-functionalized GQDs (NMe 2 -GQDs) with a large bandgap of ca. 3.3 eV. The NMe 2 -GQD@GFET photodetector exhibits high photoresponsivity and detectivity of ca. 1.5 × 10 4  A W -1 and ca. 5.5 × 10 11 Jones, respectively, in the deep-UV region as short as 255 nm without application of a backgate voltage. The feasibility of these flexible UV photodetectors for practical application in flame alarms is also demonstrated.

Kinetic removal of haloacetonitrile precursors by photo-based advanced oxidation processes (UV/H2O2, UV/O3, and UV/H2O2/O3).

PubMed

Srithep, Sirinthip; Phattarapattamawong, Songkeart

2017-06-01

The objective of the study is to evaluate the performance of conventional treatment process (i.e., coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation and sand filtration) on the removals of haloacetonitrile (HAN) precursors. In addition, the removals of HAN precursors by photo-based advanced oxidation processes (Photo-AOPs) (i.e., UV/H 2 O 2 , UV/O 3 , and UV/H 2 O 2 /O 3 ) are investigated. The conventional treatment process was ineffective to remove HAN precursors. Among Photo-AOPs, the UV/H 2 O 2 /O 3 was the most effective process for removing HAN precursors, followed by UV/H 2 O 2 , and UV/O 3 , respectively. For 20min contact time, the UV/H 2 O 2 /O 3 , UV/H 2 O 2 , and UV/O 3 suppressed the HAN formations by 54, 42, and 27% reduction. Increasing ozone doses from 1 to 5 mgL -1 in UV/O 3 systems slightly improved the removals of HAN precursors. Changes in pH (6-8) were unaffected most of processes (i.e., UV, UV/H 2 O 2 , and UV/H 2 O 2 /O 3 ), except for the UV/O 3 system that its efficiency was low in the weak acid condition. The pseudo first-order kinetic constant for removals of dichloroacetonitrile precursors (k' DCANFP ) by the UV/H 2 O 2 /O 3 , UV/H 2 O 2 and standalone UV systems were 1.4-2.8 orders magnitude higher than the UV/O 3 process. The kinetic degradation of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) tended to be higher than the k' DCANFP value. This study firstly differentiates the kinetic degradation between DON and HAN precursors. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Solar UV variability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Donnelly, Richard F.

1989-01-01

Measurements from the Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SBUV) provide solar UV flux in the 160 to 400 nm wavelength range, backed up by independent measurement in the 115 to 305 nm range from the Solar Mesosphere Explorer (SME). The full disc UV flux from spatially resolved measurements of solar activity was modeled, which provides a better understanding of why the UV variations have their observed temporal and wavelength dependencies. Long term, intermediate term, and short term variations are briefly examined.

Effect of UV irradiation on Echinaceae purpureae interactions with free radicals examined by an X-band (9.3 GHz) EPR spectroscopy.

PubMed

Ramos, Paweł; Pilawa, Barbara

The effect of UVA (315-400 nm) irradiation on Echinaceae purpureae interactions with free radicals was examined by the use of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The changes of antioxidant properties of E. purpureae with time of UV irradiation from 10 to 110 min (10 min steps) were determined. DPPH as the paramagnetic reference was used in this study. Changes of EPR signals of the reference after interactions with nonirradiated and UV-irradiated E. purpureae were detected. Interactions of the tested E. purpureae samples caused decrease of the EPR signal of DPPH as the result of its antioxidant properties. The decrease of the amplitude of EPR line of DPPH was lower for interactions with UV-irradiated E. purpureae . EPR examination confirmed antioxidant properties of E. purpureae . The weaker antioxidant properties of E. purpureae after UV irradiation were pointed out. E. purpureae should be storage in the dark. The tests bring to light usefulness of electron paramagnetic resonance with microwave frequency of 9.3 GHz (an X-band) in examination of storage conditions of pharmacological herbs.

Global Mapping of Underwater UV Irradiances and DNA-Weighted Exposures using TOMS and SeaWiFS Data Products

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vasilkov, Alexander; Krotkov, Nickolay; Herman, Jay; McClain, Charles; Arrigo, Kevin; Robinson, Wayne

1999-01-01

The global stratospheric ozone-layer depletion results In an increase in biologically harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation reaching the surface and penetrating to ecologically significant depths in natural waters. Such an increase can be estimated on a global scale by combining satellite estimates of UV irradiance at the ocean surface from the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) satellite instrument with the SeaWIFS satellite ocean-color measurements in the visible spectral region. In this paper we propose a model of seawater optical properties in the UV spectral region based on the Case I water model in the visible range. The inputs to the model are standard monthly SeaWiFS products: chlorophyll concentration and the diffuse attenuation coefficient at 490nm. Penetration of solar UV radiation to different depths in open ocean waters is calculated using the RT (radiative transfer) quasi-single scattering approximation (QSSA). The accuracy of the QSSA approximation in the water is tested using more accurate codes. The sensitivity study of the underwater UV irradiance to atmospheric and oceanic optical properties have shown that the main environmental parameters controlling the absolute levels of the UVB (280-320nm) and DNA-weighted irradiance underwater are: solar-zenith angle, cloud transmittance, water optical properties, and total ozone. Weekly maps of underwater UV irradiance and DNA-weighted exposure are calculated using monthly-mean SeaWiFS chlorophyll and diffuse attenuation coefficient products, daily SeaWiFS cloud fraction data, and the TOMS-derived surface UV irradiance daily maps. The final products include global maps of weekly-average UVB irradiance and DNA-weighted daily exposures at 3m and 10m, and depths where the UVB irradiance and DNA-weighted dose rate at local noon are equal to 10% of their surface values.

Preparation of ecofriendly UV-protective food packaging material by starch/TiO2 bio-nanocomposite: Characterization.

PubMed

Goudarzi, Vahid; Shahabi-Ghahfarrokhi, Iman; Babaei-Ghazvini, Amin

2017-02-01

In this study, ecofriendly starch/TiO 2 bio-nanocomposites were produced using with different nano-TiO 2 (TiO 2 ) content (1, 3, and 5 (wt%)). Physical, mechanical, thermal, water-vapor permeability (WVP) properties and UV transmittance were investigated. Our results showed that the increasing TiO 2 content increased the hydrophobicity of starch/TiO 2 films. WVP of the bio-nanocomposites was reduced, simultaneously. With increasing TiO 2 content, tensile strength and Young's modulus of the film specimens were reduced while elongation at break and tensile energy to break were increased. The thermal properties of specimens showed that glass transition temperature of the films increased but melting point of the specimen films was decreased by increasing TiO 2 content. Scanning electron microscopy observations demonstrated, the most of films' physical properties were in relation to their microstructures. The starch/TiO 2 nanocomposites effectively protect goods against UV light, and could potentially be applied as UV-shielding packaging materials. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Improvements to the OMI Near-uv Aerosol Algorithm Using A-train CALIOP and AIRS Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Torres, O.; Ahn, C.; Zhong, C.

2014-01-01

The height of desert dust and carbonaceous aerosols layers and, to a lesser extent, the difficulty in assessing the predominant size mode of these absorbing aerosol types, are sources of uncertainty in the retrieval of aerosol properties from near UV satellite observations. The availability of independent, near-simultaneous measurements of aerosol layer height, and aerosol-type related parameters derived from observations by other A-train sensors, makes possible the direct use of these parameters as input to the OMI (Ozone Monitoring Instrument) near UV retrieval algorithm. A monthly climatology of aerosol layer height derived from observations by the CALIOP (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization) sensor, and real-time AIRS (Atmospheric Infrared Sounder) CO observations are used in an upgraded version of the OMI near UV aerosol algorithm. AIRS CO measurements are used as a reliable tracer of carbonaceous aerosols, which allows the identification of smoke layers in areas and times of the year where the dust-smoke differentiation is difficult in the near-UV. The use of CO measurements also enables the identification of elevated levels of boundary layer pollution undetectable by near UV observations alone. In this paper we discuss the combined use of OMI, CALIOP and AIRS observations for the characterization of aerosol properties, and show a significant improvement in OMI aerosol retrieval capabilities.

Effect of UV irradiation on the apoptosis and necrosis of Jurkat cells using UV LEDs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inada, Shunko A.; Amano, Hiroshi; Akasaki, Isamu; Morita, Akimichi; Kobayashi, Keiko

2009-02-01

Phototherapy is a very effective method for treating most of the incurable skin diseases. A fluorescent light bulb is used as a conventional UV light source for this type of therapy. However, infrared radiation from the light source sometimes causes serious problems on patient's health. In addition, the normal part of the skin is irradiated when a large fluorescent light bulb is used. Moreover, a conventional UV irradiation system is heavy and has a short lifetime and a high electrical power consumption. Therefore, a new UV light source for solving the problems of phototherapy is required. To realize low-power-consumption, lightweight and long-lifetime systems, group III nitride-based UV-A1 light-emitting diodes (LEDs) were investigated. We examined the UV LED irradiation of Jurkat cell, which is a tumor cell and more sensitive to UV light than a healthy cell. The numbers of apoptotic and necrotic cells were confirmed to be the same using a UV LED and a conventional lamp system. The UV LED showed the possibility of realizing a new UV light source for phototherapy.

UV-Assisted 3D Printing of Glass and Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Dual-Cure Polymer Composites

PubMed Central

Invernizzi, Marta; Natale, Gabriele; Levi, Marinella; Turri, Stefano; Griffini, Gianmarco

2016-01-01

Glass (GFR) and carbon fiber-reinforced (CFR) dual-cure polymer composites fabricated by UV-assisted three-dimensional (UV-3D) printing are presented. The resin material combines an acrylic-based photocurable resin with a low temperature (140 °C) thermally-curable resin system based on bisphenol A diglycidyl ether as base component, an aliphatic anhydride (hexahydro-4-methylphthalic anhydride) as hardener and (2,4,6,-tris(dimethylaminomethyl)phenol) as catalyst. A thorough rheological characterization of these formulations allowed us to define their 3D printability window. UV-3D printed macrostructures were successfully demonstrated, giving a clear indication of their potential use in real-life structural applications. Differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical analysis highlighted the good thermal stability and mechanical properties of the printed parts. In addition, uniaxial tensile tests were used to assess the fiber reinforcing effect on the UV-3D printed objects. Finally, an initial study was conducted on the use of a sizing treatment on carbon fibers to improve the fiber/matrix interfacial adhesion, giving preliminary indications on the potential of this approach to improve the mechanical properties of the 3D printed CFR components. PMID:28773704

UV-Assisted 3D Printing of Glass and Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Dual-Cure Polymer Composites.

PubMed

Invernizzi, Marta; Natale, Gabriele; Levi, Marinella; Turri, Stefano; Griffini, Gianmarco

2016-07-16

Glass (GFR) and carbon fiber-reinforced (CFR) dual-cure polymer composites fabricated by UV-assisted three-dimensional (UV-3D) printing are presented. The resin material combines an acrylic-based photocurable resin with a low temperature (140 °C) thermally-curable resin system based on bisphenol A diglycidyl ether as base component, an aliphatic anhydride (hexahydro-4-methylphthalic anhydride) as hardener and (2,4,6,-tris(dimethylaminomethyl)phenol) as catalyst. A thorough rheological characterization of these formulations allowed us to define their 3D printability window. UV-3D printed macrostructures were successfully demonstrated, giving a clear indication of their potential use in real-life structural applications. Differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical analysis highlighted the good thermal stability and mechanical properties of the printed parts. In addition, uniaxial tensile tests were used to assess the fiber reinforcing effect on the UV-3D printed objects. Finally, an initial study was conducted on the use of a sizing treatment on carbon fibers to improve the fiber/matrix interfacial adhesion, giving preliminary indications on the potential of this approach to improve the mechanical properties of the 3D printed CFR components.

Development of UV-B screening compounds in response to variation in ambient levels of UV-B radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sullivan, Joe H.; Xu, Chenping; Gao, Wei; Slusser, James R.

2005-08-01

The induction of UV-B screening compounds in response to exposure to UV-B radiation is a commonly reported response and is generally considered to be an adaptive response of plants for protection from UVinduced damage. However, a number of questions remain to be answered including the importance of qualitative and localization differences among species in providing protection, indirect consequences of changes in leaf secondary chemistry on ecological processes and the dose response of metabolite accumulation. In this study we utilized UV monitoring data provided on site by the USDA UV-B Monitoring and Research Program to monitor the changes in UV-screening compounds in soybeans under a range of UV-B levels due to natural variation in ambient UV-B radiation. Soybean cultivars Essex, Clark and Clark-magenta, an isoline of Clark that produces minimal levels of flavonols, were grown beneath shelters covered either with polyester to block most UV-B radiation or teflon which is nearly transparent in the UV range and harvested at regular intervals for pigment and protein analysis. Daily levels of weighted UV-B varied from <1 to >7 kJ m-2. Increases in UV-screening compounds showed a positive dose response to UV-B radiation in all cultivars with Essex showing the steepest dose response. UV-A also induced screening compounds in all species The hydroxycinnimates of the magenta isoline showed a steep dose response to UV-A and a rather constant (non dose specific) but small additional increment in response to UV-B. The Clark isoline, which produced primarily the flavonol quercetin, showed a dose response to UV-B intermediate between that of Clark-magenta and Essex. All three cultivars show similar tolerance to UV-B in field conditions indicating that UV-induced pigment production is adequate to protect them from excessive UV-B damage.

Comparative investigation of X-ray contrast medium degradation by UV/chlorine and UV/H2O2.

PubMed

Kong, Xiujuan; Jiang, Jin; Ma, Jun; Yang, Yi; Pang, Suyan

2018-02-01

The degradation of iopamidol and diatrizoate sodium (DTZ) by UV/chlorine was carried out according to efficiency, mechanism, and oxidation products, and compared to that by UV/H 2 O 2 . The pseudo-first order rate (k') of iopamidol and DTZ was accelerated by UV/chlorine compared to that by UV and chlorine alone. k' of iopamidol and DTZ by UV/chlorine increased with increasing chlorine dosage. Both of iopamidol and DTZ could not be effectively removed by UV/H 2 O 2 compared to that by UV/chlorine. Secondary radicals (Cl 2 - and ClO) rather than primary radicals (HO and Cl) were demonstrated to be mainly responsible for the enhanced removal of iopamidol and DTZ by UV/chlorine. The oxidation products of iopamidol and DTZ resulting from UV/chlorine and UV/H 2 O 2 process were identified, and differences existed in the two systems. IO 3 - (the desired sink of I - ) was the major inorganic product in the UV/chlorine process whereas I - was the predominant inorganic product in the UV/H 2 O 2 process. The formation of chlorine-containing products during the degradation of iopamidol and DTZ by UV/chlorine was also observed. H-abstraction, additions, de-iodination were shared during the degradation of iopamidol by UV/chlorine and UV/H 2 O 2 . Neutral pH condition was preferred for the removal of iopamidol and DTZ by UV/chlorine. UV/chlorine could also be applied in real waters for the removal of iopamidol and DTZ. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Roles of Salmonella typhimurium umuDC and samAB in UV mutagenesis and UV sensitivity.

PubMed Central

Nohmi, T; Yamada, M; Watanabe, M; Murayama, S Y; Sofuni, T

1992-01-01

Expression of the umuDC operon is required for UV mutagenesis and most chemical mutagenesis in Escherichia coli. The closely related species Salmonella typhimurium has two sets of umuDC-like operons; the samAB operon is located in a 60-MDa cryptic plasmid, while the S. typhimurium umuDC (umuDCST) operon resides in a chromosome. The roles of these two umuDC-like operons in UV mutagenesis and UV sensitivity of S. typhimurium were investigated. A pBR322-derived plasmid carrying the samAB operon more efficiently restored UV mutability to a umuD44 strain and a umuC122::Tn5 strain of E. coli than a plasmid carrying the umuDCST operon did. When the umuDCST operon was specifically deleted from the chromosome of S. typhimurium TA2659, the resulting strain was not UV mutable and was more sensitive to the killing effect of UV irradiation than the parent strain was. Curing of the 60-MDa cryptic plasmid carrying the samAB operon did not influence the UV mutability of strain TA2659 but did increase its resistance to UV killing. A pSC101-derived plasmid carrying the samAB operon did not restore UV mutability to a umuD44 strain of E. coli, whereas pBR322- or pBluescript-derived plasmids carrying the samAB operon efficiently did restore UV mutability. We concluded that the umuDCST operon plays a major role in UV mutagenesis in S. typhimurium and that the ability of the samAB operon to promote UV mutagenesis is strongly affected by gene dosage. Possible reasons for the poor ability of samAB to promote UV mutagenesis when it is present on low-copy-number plasmids are discussed. Images PMID:1400244

TiO2 Nanorod Arrays Based Self-Powered UV Photodetector: Heterojunction with NiO Nanoflakes and Enhanced UV Photoresponse.

PubMed

Gao, Yanyan; Xu, Jianping; Shi, Shaobo; Dong, Hong; Cheng, Yahui; Wei, Chengtai; Zhang, Xiaosong; Yin, Shougen; Li, Lan

2018-04-04

The self-powered ultraviolet photodetectors (UV PDs) have attracted increasing attention due to their potential applications without consuming any external power. It is important to obtain the high-performance self-powered UV PDs by a simple method for the practical application. Herein, TiO 2 nanorod arrays (NRs) were synthesized by hydrothermal method, which were integrated with p-type NiO nanoflakes to realize a high performance pn heterojunction for the efficient UV photodetection. TiO x thin film can improve the morphological and carrier transport properties of TiO 2 NRs and decrease the surface and defect states, resulting in the enhanced photocurrent of the devices. NiO/TiO 2 nanostructural heterojunctions show excellent rectifying characteristics (rectification ratio of 2.52 × 10 4 and 1.45 × 10 5 for NiO/TiO 2 NRs and NiO/TiO 2 NRs/TiO x , respectively) with a very low reverse saturation current. The PDs based on the heterojunctions exhibit good spectral selectivity, high photoresponsivity, and fast response and recovery speeds without external applied bias under the weak light radiation. The devices demonstrate good stability and repeatability under UV light radiation. The self-powered performance could be attributed to the proper built-in electric field of the heterojunction. TiO 2 NRs and NiO nanoflakes construct the well-aligned energy-band structure. The enhanced responsivity and detectivity for the devices with TiO x thin films is related to the increased interfacial charge separation efficiency, reduced carrier recombination, and relatively good electron transport of TiO 2 NRs.

UV water disinfector

DOEpatents

Gadgil, Ashok; Garud, Vikas

1998-07-14

A UV disinfector with a gravity driven feed water delivery system, and an air-suspended bare UV lamp. The disinfector is hydrodynamically optimized with a laminerizing, perforated baffle wall, beveled treatment chamber, and outlet weir.

Past, present, and future of exoplanet research at UV wavelengths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fossati, Luca

2016-07-01

The study of extra-solar planets (exoplanets) is arguably the most exciting and fastest-growing field in Astrophysics. We are only now beginning to see and understand the large variety of exoplanets, starting to classify them on the basis of their properties. Observations of transiting close-in planets at ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths revealed that such planets are subject to powerful mass-loss that shapes planetary structure, composition, and evolution. Thanks mostly to the Hubble Space Telescope, the past decade has seen great advances in the study of planet evaporation, but there are still many open questions and the the observations obtained so far were not able to provide enough constraints to the many models that have been developed in the meantime. I will review the past observations and advances in exoplanet science obtained on the basis of UV observations and discuss the prospects of further discoveries on the basis of the currently available and planned UV space telescopes.

Alteration of the aPA ELISA by UV exposure of polystyrene microtiter plates.

PubMed

Goldberg, J S; Wagenknecht, D R; McIntyre, J A

1996-01-01

Interlaboratory inconsistencies in antiphospholipid antibody (aPA) solid phase assays have prompted controversy in clinical laboratory testing for aPA. We found that the aPA ELISA can be influenced by the type of microtiter plate utilized and by the conditions in which the plates are stored. By exposing 96-well, flat-bottom polystyrene microtiter plates to short wave UV light (254 nm), the aPA ELISA signal decreased in a UV dose-dependent manner. No effect was seen with long wave UV light (366 nm). These results were independent of the antibody isotype under study or the phospholipid (PL) antigen used: anionic phosphatidylserine (PS) and cardiolipin (CL), or zwitterionic phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). Purified human beta 2-glycoprotein I (beta 2 GPI), a known cofactor for anionic PL, and rabbit anti-beta 2 GPI antisera were used to demonstrate that beta 2 GPI bound equally to UV treated and untreated microtiter plates. In contrast, recognition of beta 2 GPI on an anionic PL surface was decreased on UV treated plates, suggesting that UV exposure alters the lipid binding properties of the microliter plate. To determine whether UV exposure inhibited PL binding directly or caused a change in the way the PL was bound, the amount of PL bound to UV treated and untreated plates was measured by using fluorescent labeled PS and a fluorimeter. PS binding was decreased by 53% in UV treated wells as compared to untreated wells. These data show that short wave UV exposure reduces PL binding to polystyrene microtiter plates, thereby reducing the amount of beta 2 GPI bound to PL coated ELISA plates. Thus by using UV exposed microtiter plates, decreased or false-negative a PA ELISA results may be obtained for aPA positive plasmas.

Study of UV surface plasmons on metallic nanostructures and its applications to nanophotonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Liangcheng

Modern nanotechnology requires the characterization ability in the order of 100 nm or smaller. This resolution requirement cannot be met by using conventional optical microscopy. Nowadays, the mainstream technique that is universally adopted to characterize optical properties on this length scale is Near-field Scanning Optical Microscopy (NSOM). In the effort to improve the resolution and efficiency of NSOM techniques, both nanoscopic fabrication and imaging techniques are critical because the light field strongly intereacts with the metallic NSOM probe or other surfaces to form surface plasmons (SPs). However, much is still unknown about the behavior of light interacting with metallic nanostructures. This calls for research that develops the tool set, methodology and that includes both experimental characterization, and numerical simulations, for the investigation of SPs. The short wavelength of UV light makes it particularly desirable for many industrial processes. So far, little research has been carried out to understand surface plasmon in the UV spectral region. Like conventional optics, UV SPs have unique properties and optical behavior. For this purpose, we modified our existing NSOM into a Photon Scanning Tunneling Microscope (PTSM) and demonstrate its power for the imaging of UV SPs. We present what we believe to be the first direct mapping of the UV SPs on an Al2O3/Al surface. UV SP modes launched by one-dimensional slits or two-dimensional groove arrays and corresponding interference phenomenon were both observed. We then use the same methodology in the engineering of optimized nano aperture such as UV bowtie nanoantenna. For the latter, we find a strong UV intensity profile which is localized to less than 50nm caused by a localized surface plasmon resonance. The relationship of optical field enhancement and antenna geometric shape is studied using numerical simulations and NSOM experiments. In another project, we examine the propagation of light from

Influence of uvA on the erythematogenic and therapeutic effects of uvB irradiation in psoriasis; photoaugmentation effects

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boer, J.; Schothorst, A.A.; Suurmond, D.

1981-01-01

The effect of repeated exposure to an additive dose of long ultraviolet (uvA) radiation on the erythemogenic and therapeutic effects of middle ultraviolet (uvB) irradiation was investigated in 8 patients with psoriasis. The surface of the backs of these patients was divided into 2 parts, 1 of which received only uvB irradiation 4 times a week and the other uvA + uvB. uvB was provided by Philips TL-12 lamps and uvA by glass-filtered Philips TL-09 lamps. uvA was held constantly at 10 J/cm2, whereas uvB alone were evaluated by 4 tests during the treatment to determine the minimal erythema dosemore » (MED). Test I (at the start of the therapy) showed a photoaugmentative effect which was no longer apparent in Test III (third week). Test III showed a reversal of the ratios of the MEDs of the sites irradiated with the uvA + uvB and uvB (MED A + B/MED B). This is ascribed to the marked pigmentation which appeared after repeated irradiation with the uvA + uvB combination. Comparison showed for the improvement of the psoriasis no distinct differences between uvA + uvB irradiation and uvB alone, but the former had the cosmetic advantage of giving pleasing tan.« less

UV holographic filters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalyashova, Zoya N.

2017-11-01

A new approach to UV holographic filter's manufacturing, when the filters are the volume reflection holograms, working in UV region in the second Bragg diffraction order, is offered. The method is experimentally realized for wavelength of 266 nm.

Low Dark-Current, High Current-Gain of PVK/ZnO Nanoparticles Composite-Based UV Photodetector by PN-Heterojunction Control.

PubMed

Lee, Sang-Won; Cha, Seung-Hwan; Choi, Kyung-Jae; Kang, Byoung-Ho; Lee, Jae-Sung; Kim, Sae-Wan; Kim, Ju-Seong; Jeong, Hyun-Min; Gopalan, Sai-Anand; Kwon, Dae-Hyuk; Kang, Shin-Won

2016-01-07

We propose a solution-processable ultraviolet (UV) photodetector with a pn-heterojunction hybrid photoactive layer (HPL) that is composed of poly-n-vinylcarbazole (PVK) as a p-type polymer and ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) as an n-type metal oxide. To observe the effective photo-inducing ability of the UV photodetector, we analyzed the optical and electrical properties of HPL which is controlled by the doping concentration of n-type ZnO NPs in PVK matrix. Additionally, we confirmed that the optical properties of HPL dominantly depend on the ZnO NPs from the UV-vis absorption and the photoluminescence (PL) spectral measurements. This HPL can induce efficient charge transfer in the localized narrow pn-heterojunction domain and increases the photocurrent gain. It is essential that proper doping concentration of n-type ZnO NPs in polymer matrix is obtained to improve the performance of the UV photodetector. When the ZnO NPs are doped with the optimized concentration of 3.4 wt.%, the electrical properties of the photocurrent are significantly increased. The ratio of the photocurrent was approximately 10³ higher than that of the dark current.

Low Dark-Current, High Current-Gain of PVK/ZnO Nanoparticles Composite-Based UV Photodetector by PN-Heterojunction Control

PubMed Central

Lee, Sang-Won; Cha, Seung-Hwan; Choi, Kyung-Jae; Kang, Byoung-Ho; Lee, Jae-Sung; Kim, Sae-Wan; Kim, Ju-Seong; Jeong, Hyun-Min; Gopalan, Sai-Anand; Kwon, Dae-Hyuk; Kang, Shin-Won

2016-01-01

We propose a solution-processable ultraviolet (UV) photodetector with a pn-heterojunction hybrid photoactive layer (HPL) that is composed of poly-n-vinylcarbazole (PVK) as a p-type polymer and ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) as an n-type metal oxide. To observe the effective photo-inducing ability of the UV photodetector, we analyzed the optical and electrical properties of HPL which is controlled by the doping concentration of n-type ZnO NPs in PVK matrix. Additionally, we confirmed that the optical properties of HPL dominantly depend on the ZnO NPs from the UV-vis absorption and the photoluminescence (PL) spectral measurements. This HPL can induce efficient charge transfer in the localized narrow pn-heterojunction domain and increases the photocurrent gain. It is essential that proper doping concentration of n-type ZnO NPs in polymer matrix is obtained to improve the performance of the UV photodetector. When the ZnO NPs are doped with the optimized concentration of 3.4 wt.%, the electrical properties of the photocurrent are significantly increased. The ratio of the photocurrent was approximately 103 higher than that of the dark current. PMID:26751453

UV water disinfector

DOEpatents

Gadgil, A.; Garud, V.

1998-07-14

A UV disinfector with a gravity driven feed water delivery system and an air-suspended bare UV lamp are disclosed. The disinfector is hydrodynamically optimized with a laminerizing, perforated baffle wall, beveled treatment chamber, and outlet weir. 7 figs.

Impact of shortwave ultraviolet (UV-C) radiation on the antioxidant activity of thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.).

PubMed

Dogu-Baykut, Esra; Gunes, Gurbuz; Decker, Eric Andrew

2014-08-15

Thyme is a good source of antioxidant compounds but it can be contaminated by microorganisms. An experimental fluid bed ultraviolet (UV) reactor was designed for microbial decontamination of thyme samples and the effect of shortwave ultraviolet light (UV-C) radiation on antioxidant properties of thyme was studied. Samples were exposed to UV-C radiation for 16 or 64 min. UV-C treatment led to 1.04 and 1.38 log CFU/g reduction of total aerobic mesophilic bacteria (TAMB) counts. Hunter a(∗) value was the most sensitive colour parameter during UV-C treatment. 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity of extracts was not significantly affected by UV-C. Addition of thyme extracts at 0.15 and 0.3 μmol GAE/ml emulsion delayed the formation of lipid hydroperoxides and headspace hexanal in the 5.0%(wt) corn oil-in-water emulsion from 4 to 9 and 14 days, respectively. No significant changes in oxidation rates were observed between UV-C treated and untreated samples at same concentrations. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Degradation of sulfamethoxazole by UV, UV/H2O2 and UV/persulfate (PDS): Formation of oxidation products and effect of bicarbonate.

PubMed

Yang, Yi; Lu, Xinglin; Jiang, Jin; Ma, Jun; Liu, Guanqi; Cao, Ying; Liu, Weili; Li, Juan; Pang, Suyan; Kong, Xiujuan; Luo, Congwei

2017-07-01

The frequent detection of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) in wastewater and surface waters gives rise of concerns about their ecotoxicological effects and potential risks to induce antibacterial resistant genes. UV/hydrogen peroxide (UV/H 2 O 2 ) and UV/persulfate (UV/PDS) advanced oxidation processes have been demonstrated to be effective for the elimination of SMX, but there is still a need for a deeper understanding of product formations. In this study, we identified and compared the transformation products of SMX in UV, UV/H 2 O 2 and UV/PDS processes. Because of the electrophilic nature of SO 4 - , the second-order rate constant for the reaction of sulfate radical (SO 4 - ) with the anionic form of SMX was higher than that with the neutral form, while hydroxyl radical (OH) exhibited comparable reactivity to both forms. The direct photolysis of SMX predominately occurred through cleavage of the NS bond, rearrangement of the isoxazole ring, and hydroxylation mechanisms. Hydroxylation was the dominant pathway for the reaction of OH with SMX. SO 4 - favored attack on NH 2 group of SMX to generate a nitro derivative and dimeric products. The presence of bicarbonate in UV/H 2 O 2 inhibited the formation of hydroxylated products, but promoted the formation of the nitro derivative and the dimeric products. In UV/PDS, bicarbonate increased the formation of the nitro derivative and the dimeric products, but decreased the formation of the hydroxylated dimeric products. The different effect of bicarbonate on transformation products in UV/H 2 O 2 vs. UV/PDS suggested that carbonate radical (CO 3 - ) oxidized SMX through the electron transfer mechanism similar to SO 4 - but with less oxidation capacity. Additionally, SO 4 - and CO 3 - exhibited higher reactivity to the oxazole ring than the isoxazole ring of SMX. Ecotoxicity of transformation products was estimated by ECOSAR program based on the quantitative structure-activity relationship analysis as well as by experiments using

The World Space Observatory Ultraviolet (WSO-UV), as a bridge to future UV astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shustov, B.; Gómez de Castro, A. I.; Sachkov, M.; Vallejo, J. C.; Marcos-Arenal, P.; Kanev, E.; Savanov, I.; Shugarov, A.; Sichevskii, S.

2018-04-01

Ultraviolet (UV) astronomy is a vital branch of space astronomy. Many dozens of short-term UV-experiments in space, as well as long-term observatories, have brought a very important knowledge on the physics and chemistry of the Universe during the last decades. Unfortunately, no large UV-observatories are planned to be launched by most of space agencies in the coming 10-15 years. Conversely, the large UVOIR observatories of the future will appear not earlier than in 2030s. This paper briefly describes the projects that have been proposed by various groups. We conclude that the World Space Observatory-Ultraviolet (WSO-UV) will be the only 2-m class UV telescope with capabilities similar to those of the HST for the next decade. The WSO-UV has been described in detail in previous publications, and this paper updates the main characteristics of its instruments and the current state of the whole project. It also addresses the major science topics that have been included in the core program of the WSO-UV, making this core program very relevant to the current state of the UV-astronomy. Finally, we also present here the ground segment architecture that will implement this program.

Multifunctional Polymer Nanofibers: UV Emission, Optical Gain, Anisotropic Wetting, and High Hydrophobicity for Next Flexible Excitation Sources

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

The use of UV light sources is highly relevant in many fields of science, being directly related to all those detection and diagnosis procedures that are based on fluorescence spectroscopy. Depending on the specific application, UV light-emitting materials are desired to feature a number of opto-mechanical properties, including brightness, optical gain for being used in laser devices, flexibility to conform with different lab-on-chip architectures, and tailorable wettability to control and minimize their interaction with ambient humidity and fluids. In this work, we introduce multifunctional, UV-emitting electrospun fibers with both optical gain and greatly enhanced anisotropic hydrophobicity compared to films. Fibers are described by the onset of a composite wetting state, and their arrangement in uniaxial arrays further favors liquid directional control. The low gain threshold, optical losses, plastic nature, flexibility, and stability of these UV-emitting fibers make them interesting for building light-emitting devices and microlasers. Furthermore, the anisotropic hydrophobicity found is strongly synergic with optical properties, reducing interfacial interactions with liquids and enabling smart functional surfaces for droplet microfluidic and wearable applications. PMID:26401889

Simulation and comparative study on the oxidation kinetics of atrazine by UV/H₂O₂, UV/HSO₅⁻ and UV/S₂O₈²⁻.

PubMed

Luo, Congwei; Ma, Jun; Jiang, Jin; Liu, Yongze; Song, Yang; Yang, Yi; Guan, Yinghong; Wu, Daoji

2015-09-01

This study comparatively investigated atrazine (ATZ) degradation by irradiation at the wavelength of 254 nm in the presence of peroxides including hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), peroxymonosulfate (HSO5(-)), and persulfate (S2O8(2-)) at various initial ATZ concentrations and oxidant dosages. The effects of water matrix, such as carbonate/bicarbonate (HCO3(-)/CO3(2-)), chloride ions (Cl(-)), and natural organic matter (NOM), were evaluated on these three advanced oxidation processes. A simple steady-state kinetic model was developed based on the initial rates of ATZ destruction, which could well describe the apparent pseudo-first-order rate constants (k(app), s(-1)) of ATZ degradation in these three processes. The specific roles of reactive species (i.e., HO·, SO4(-·), CO3(-·), and Cl2(-·)) under various experimental conditions were quantitatively evaluated based on their steady-state concentrations obtained from this model. Modeling results showed that the steady-state concentrations of HO· and SO4(-·) decreased with the increase of CO3(2-)/HCO3(-) concentration, and the relative contribution of HO· to ATZ degradation significantly decreased in UV/H2O2 and UV/HSO5(-) systems. On the other hand, the scavenging effect of HCO3(-)/CO3(2-) on the relative contribution of SO4(-·) to ATZ degradation was lower than that on HO·. The presence of Cl(-) (0.5-10 mM) significantly scavenged SO4(-·) but had slightly scavenging effect on HO· at the present experimental pH, resulting in greater decrease of k(app) in the UV/S2O8(2-) than UV/H2O2 and UV/HSO5(-) systems. Higher levels of Cl2(-·) were generated in the UV/S2O8(2-) than those in the UV/H2O2 and UV/HSO5(-) systems at the same Cl(-) concentrations. NOM significantly decreased k(app) due to its effects of competitive UV absorption and radical scavenging with the latter one being dominant. These results improve the understanding of the effects of water constituents for ATZ degradation in the UV-based oxidation

The optimal UV exposure time for vitamin D3 synthesis and erythema estimated by UV observations in Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Y. G.; Koo, J. H.

2016-12-01

Solar UV radiation in a wavelength range between 280 to 400 nm has both positive and negative influences on human body. Surface UV radiation is the main natural source of vitamin D, providing the promotion of bone and musculoskeletal health and reducing the risk of a number of cancers and other medical conditions. However, overexposure to surface UV radiation is significantly related with the majority of skin cancer, in addition other negative health effects such as sunburn, skin aging, and some forms of eye cataracts. Therefore, it is important to estimate the optimal UV exposure time, representing a balance between reducing negative health effects and maximizing sufficient vitamin D production. Previous studies calculated erythemal UV and vitamin-D UV from the measured and modelled spectral irradiances, respectively, by weighting CIE Erythema and Vitamin D3 generation functions (Kazantzidis et al., 2009; Fioletov et al., 2010). In particular, McKenzie et al. (2009) suggested the algorithm to estimate vitamin-D production UV from erythemal UV (or UV index) and determined the optimum conditions of UV exposure based on skin type Ⅱ according to the Fitzpatrick (1988). Recently, there are various demands for risks and benefits of surface UV radiation on public health over Korea, thus it is necessary to estimate optimal UV exposure time suitable to skin type of East Asians. This study examined the relationship between erythemally weighted UV (UVEry) and vitamin D weighted UV (UVVitD) from spectral UV measurements during 2006-2010. The temporal variations of the ratio (UVVitD/UVEry) were also analyzed and the ratio as a function of UV index was applied to the broadband UV measured by UV-Biometer at 6 sites in Korea Thus, the optimal UV exposure time for vitamin D3 synthesis and erythema was estimated for diurnal, seasonal, and annual scales over Korea. In summer with high surface UV radiation, short exposure time leaded to sufficient vitamin D and erythema and vice

Synthesis and controlled self-assembly of UV-responsive gold nanoparticles in block copolymer templates.

PubMed

Song, Dong-Po; Wang, Xinyu; Lin, Ying; Watkins, James J

2014-11-06

We demonstrate the facile synthesis of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) functionalized by UV-responsive block copolymer ligands, poly(styrene)-b-poly(o-nitrobenzene acrylate)-SH (PS-b-PNBA-SH), followed by their targeted distribution within a lamellae-forming poly(styrene)-b-poly(2-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P2VP) block copolymer. The multilayer, micelle-like structure of the GNPs consists of a gold core, an inner PNBA layer, and an outer PS layer. The UV-sensitive PNBA segment can be deprotected into a layer containing poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) when exposed to UV light at 365 nm, which enables the simple and precise tuning of GNP surface properties from hydrophobic to amphiphilic. The GNPs bearing ligands of different chemical compositions were successfully and selectively incorporated into the PS-b-P2VP block copolymer, and UV light showed a profound influence on the spatial distributions of GNPs. Prior to UV exposure, GNPs partition along the interfaces of PS and P2VP domains, while the UV-treated GNPs are incorporated into P2VP domains as a result of hydrogen bond interactions between PAA on the gold surface and P2VP domains. This provides an easy way of controlling the arrangement of nanoparticles in polymer matrices by tailoring the nanoparticle surface using UV light.

Microbial Safety and Shelf Life of UV-C Treated Freshly Squeezed White Grape Juice.

PubMed

Unluturk, Sevcan; Atilgan, Mehmet R

2015-08-01

The effects of UV-C irradiation on the inactivation of Escherichia coli K-12 (ATCC 25253), a surrogate of E. coli O157:H7, and on the shelf life of freshly squeezed turbid white grape juice (FSWGJ) were investigated. FSWGJ samples were processed at 0.90 mL/s for 32 min by circulating 8 times in an annular flow UV system. The UV exposure time was 244 s per cycle. The population of E. coli K-12 was reduced by 5.34 log cycles after exposure to a total UV dosage of 9.92 J/cm(2) (1.24 J/cm(2) per cycle) at 0.90 mL/s flow rate. The microbial shelf life of UV-C treated FSWGJ was extended up to 14 d at 4 °C. UV exposure was not found to alter pH, total soluble solid, and titratable acidity of juice. There was a significant effect (P < 0.05) on turbidity, absorbance coefficient, color, and ascorbic acid content. Furthermore, all physicochemical properties were altered during refrigerated storage. The microbial shelf life of FSWGJ was doubled after UV-C treatment, whereas the quality of juice was adversely affected similarly observed in the control samples. © 2015 Institute of Food Technologists®

Developing an Approach to Model UV Fluxes in Smoke Laden Conditions over Central Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Y. H.; Sokolik, I. N.

2016-12-01

The UV characteristics of smoke aerosols are valuable inputs to the UV Index forecasts, air quality studies, and assessments of the impact of regional environmental changes. The wavelength dependence of light absorption by aerosol particles is pronounced throughout the UV spectral region. Also in assumption that smoke consists of BC, OC, and Sulfate, the mass fraction of smoke is different with fire types. The purpose of this study is to introduce an approach to calculate the UV fluxes in the aerosol laden conditions, and investigate the irradiance compared to measured irradiance in the UV spectrum. To compute the spectral optical properties (e.g., the effective single scattering albedo, asymmetry parameter, and aerosol optical thickness) for the selected scenarios, the representative size distribution and the refractive index are selected and used in the Mie code. Smoke aerosol information (e.g. emission injection height, mass concentration of smoke components) from WRF Chem is applied to run tropospheric ultraviolet and visible (TUV) model. Using the TUV model, we make the comparisons between model and measured irradiance in UV spectrum in smoke aerosol conditions. An advantage of this approach and the uncertainty of the evaluation are discussed. Overall, the results of this investigation show that this approach is valuable to estimate UV fluxes in smoke laden conditions.

Light scattering on PHA granules protects bacterial cells against the harmful effects of UV radiation.

PubMed

Slaninova, Eva; Sedlacek, Petr; Mravec, Filip; Mullerova, Lucie; Samek, Ota; Koller, Martin; Hesko, Ondrej; Kucera, Dan; Marova, Ivana; Obruca, Stanislav

2018-02-01

Numerous prokaryotes accumulate polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) in the form of intracellular granules. The primary function of PHA is the storage of carbon and energy. Nevertheless, there are numerous reports that the presence of PHA granules in microbial cells enhances their stress resistance and fitness when exposed to various stress factors. In this work, we studied the protective mechanism of PHA granules against UV irradiation employing Cupriavidus necator as a model bacterial strain. The PHA-accumulating wild type strain showed substantially higher UV radiation resistance than the PHA non-accumulating mutant. Furthermore, the differences in UV-Vis radiation interactions with both cell types were studied using various spectroscopic approaches (turbidimetry, absorption spectroscopy, and nephelometry). Our results clearly demonstrate that intracellular PHA granules efficiently scatter UV radiation, which provides a substantial UV-protective effect for bacterial cells and, moreover, decreases the intracellular level of reactive oxygen species in UV-challenged cells. The protective properties of the PHA granules are enhanced by the fact that granules specifically bind to DNA, which in turn provides shield-like protection of DNA as the most UV-sensitive molecule. To conclude, the UV-protective action of PHA granules adds considerable value to their primary storage function, which can be beneficial in numerous environments.

UV/H2O2 and UV/PDS Treatment of Trimethoprim and Sulfamethoxazole in Synthetic Human Urine: Transformation Products and Toxicity.

PubMed

Zhang, Ruochun; Yang, Yongkui; Huang, Ching-Hua; Li, Na; Liu, Hang; Zhao, Lin; Sun, Peizhe

2016-03-01

Elimination of pharmaceuticals in source-separated human urine is a promising approach to minimize the pharmaceuticals in the environment. Although the degradation kinetics of pharmaceuticals by UV/H2O2 and UV/peroxydisulfate (PDS) processes has been investigated in synthetic fresh and hydrolyzed urine, comprehensive evaluation of the advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), such as product identification and toxicity testing, has not yet been performed. This study identified the transformation products of two commonly used antibiotics, trimethoprim (TMP) and sulfamethoxazole (SMX), by UV/H2O2 and UV/PDS in synthetic urine matrices. The effects of reactive species, including •OH, SO4(•-), CO3(•-), and reactive nitrogen species, on product generation were investigated. Multiple isomeric transformation products of TMP and SMX were observed, especially in the reaction with hydroxyl radical. SO4(•-) and CO3(•-) reacted with pharmaceuticals by electron transfer, thus producing similar major products. The main reactive species deduced on the basis of product generation are in good agreement with kinetic simulation of the advanced oxidation processes. A strain identified as a polyphosphate-accumulating organism was used to investigate the antimicrobial activity of the pharmaceuticals and their products. No antimicrobial property was detected for the transformation products of either TMP or SMX. Acute toxicity employing luminescent bacterium Vibrio qinghaiensis indicated 20-40% higher inhibitory effect of TMP and SMX after treatment. Ecotoxicity was estimated by quantitative structure-activity relationship analysis using ECOSAR.

TEMIS UV product validation using NILU-UV ground-based measurements in Thessaloniki, Greece

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zempila, Melina-Maria; van Geffen, Jos H. G. M.; Taylor, Michael; Fountoulakis, Ilias; Koukouli, Maria-Elissavet; van Weele, Michiel; van der A, Ronald J.; Bais, Alkiviadis; Meleti, Charikleia; Balis, Dimitrios

2017-06-01

This study aims to cross-validate ground-based and satellite-based models of three photobiological UV effective dose products: the Commission Internationale de l'Éclairage (CIE) erythemal UV, the production of vitamin D in the skin, and DNA damage, using high-temporal-resolution surface-based measurements of solar UV spectral irradiances from a synergy of instruments and models. The satellite-based Tropospheric Emission Monitoring Internet Service (TEMIS; version 1.4) UV daily dose data products were evaluated over the period 2009 to 2014 with ground-based data from a Norsk Institutt for Luftforskning (NILU)-UV multifilter radiometer located at the northern midlatitude super-site of the Laboratory of Atmospheric Physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (LAP/AUTh), in Greece. For the NILU-UV effective dose rates retrieval algorithm, a neural network (NN) was trained to learn the nonlinear functional relation between NILU-UV irradiances and collocated Brewer-based photobiological effective dose products. Then the algorithm was subjected to sensitivity analysis and validation. The correlation of the NN estimates with target outputs was high (r = 0. 988 to 0.990) and with a very low bias (0.000 to 0.011 in absolute units) proving the robustness of the NN algorithm. For further evaluation of the NILU NN-derived products, retrievals of the vitamin D and DNA-damage effective doses from a collocated Yankee Environmental Systems (YES) UVB-1 pyranometer were used. For cloud-free days, differences in the derived UV doses are better than 2 % for all UV dose products, revealing the reference quality of the ground-based UV doses at Thessaloniki from the NILU-UV NN retrievals. The TEMIS UV doses used in this study are derived from ozone measurements by the SCIAMACHY/Envisat and GOME2/MetOp-A satellite instruments, over the European domain in combination with SEVIRI/Meteosat-based diurnal cycle of the cloud cover fraction per 0. 5° × 0. 5° (lat × long) grid cells. TEMIS

Exposure to UV filters during summer and winter in Danish kindergarten children.

PubMed

Krause, Marianna; Andersson, Anna-Maria; Skakkebaek, Niels E; Frederiksen, Hanne

2017-02-01

Ultra violet (UV) filters with known or suspected endocrine disrupting properties are widely used in sunscreens and other personal care products, clothing, food packaging and many other consumer products. Danish kindergarten children have sunscreens applied daily during summer to prevent skin burns. To estimate the assumed contribution of sunscreens to the total exposure to UV filters, we measured the urinary excretion of UV filters during summer and winter in kindergarten children. Spot- and first morning urines were collected during a summer and a winter day in 2013. A total of 266 urine samples were collected from 55 children and were analysed for content of benzophenone (BP), benzophenone-1 (BP-1), benzophenone-2 (BP-2), benzophenone-3 (BP-3), 5-chloro-2-hydroxybenzophenone (BP-7), 4-methyl-benzophenone (4-MBP), 4-hydroxybenzophenone (4-HBP), 3-(4-methylbenzylidene)-camphor (4-MBC), and 3-benzylidene camphor (3-BC) by LC-MS/MS. Of the analysed UV filters, the children excreted predominantly BP-1, BP-3 and 4-HBP. The urine levels were significantly higher in summer samples compared to winter samples, however exposure during winter was still evident. Furthermore, children with the highest concentrations of UV filters in summer urines also tended to be among those with the highest winter levels. Exposures to UV filters during summertime can partly be explained by the intended use of UV filters in sunscreens, which is considered to be beneficial for children during outdoor activities. However, exposure to UV filters all year round together with large inter-individual variation indicate that children's exposure to UV filters also comes from other consumer items, presumably highly influenced by the general lifestyle of an individual child: this is completely unintended, without benefit, and potentially harmful. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Photostability of cosmetic UV filters on mammalian skin under UV exposure.

PubMed

Stiefel, Constanze; Schwack, Wolfgang; Nguyen, Yen-Thi Hai

2015-01-01

Previous studies showed that the common UV filter substances benzophenone-3 (BP-3), butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane (BM-DBM), octocrylene (OCR), ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate (EHMC), ethylhexyl salicylate (EHS) and ethylhexyl triazone (EHT) were able to react with amino side chains of different proteins in vitro. To transfer the results to mammalian skin conditions, sunscreen products were applied on both prepared fresh porcine skin and glass plates, followed by UV irradiation and the determination of depletion of the respective UV filters. Significantly lower recoveries of the UV filters extracted from skin samples than from glass plates indicated the additional reaction of the UV filters with skin constituents, when proteins will be the most important reactants. Among the products tested, BP-3 showed the greatest differences in recoveries between glass and skin samples of about 13% and 24% after 2 and 4 h of irradiation, respectively, followed by EHS > BM-DBM > OCR > EHMC > EHT. The obtained results raise the question, whether the common in vitro evaluations of sunscreens, using inert substrate materials like roughened quartz or polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) plates are really suitable to fully replace in vivo methods, as they cannot include skin-typical reactions. © 2014 The American Society of Photobiology.

White dwarf variability with gPhoton: pulsators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tucker, Michael A.; Fleming, Scott W.; Pelisoli, Ingrid; Romero, Alejandra; Bell, Keaton J.; Kepler, S. O.; Caton, Daniel B.; Debes, John; Montgomery, Michael H.; Thompson, Susan E.; Koester, Detlev; Million, Chase; Shiao, Bernie

2018-04-01

We present results from a search for short time-scale white dwarf variability using gPhoton, a time-tagged data base of GALEX photon events and associated software package. We conducted a survey of 320 white dwarf stars in the McCook-Sion catalogue, inspecting each for photometric variability with particular emphasis on variability over time-scales less than ˜30 min. From that survey, we present the discovery of a new pulsating white dwarf: WD 2246-069. A Ca II K line is found in archival ESO spectra and an IR excess is seen in WISE W1 and W2 bands. Its independent modes are identified in follow-up optical photometry and used to model its interior structure. Additionally, we detect UV pulsations in four previously known pulsating ZZ Ceti-type (DAVs). Included in this group is the simultaneous fitting of the pulsations of WD 1401-147 in optical, near-ultraviolet and far-ultraviolet bands using nearly concurrent Whole Earth Telescope and GALEX data, providing observational insight into the wavelength dependence of white dwarf pulsation amplitudes.

Direct and Indirect Effects of UV-B Exposure on Litter Decomposition: A Meta-Analysis

PubMed Central

Song, Xinzhang; Peng, Changhui; Jiang, Hong; Zhu, Qiuan; Wang, Weifeng

2013-01-01

Ultraviolet-B (UV-B) exposure in the course of litter decomposition may have a direct effect on decomposition rates via changing states of photodegradation or decomposer constitution in litter while UV-B exposure during growth periods may alter chemical compositions and physical properties of plants. Consequently, these changes will indirectly affect subsequent litter decomposition processes in soil. Although studies are available on both the positive and negative effects (including no observable effects) of UV-B exposure on litter decomposition, a comprehensive analysis leading to an adequate understanding remains unresolved. Using data from 93 studies across six biomes, this introductory meta-analysis found that elevated UV-B directly increased litter decomposition rates by 7% and indirectly by 12% while attenuated UV-B directly decreased litter decomposition rates by 23% and indirectly increased litter decomposition rates by 7%. However, neither positive nor negative effects were statistically significant. Woody plant litter decomposition seemed more sensitive to UV-B than herbaceous plant litter except under conditions of indirect effects of elevated UV-B. Furthermore, levels of UV-B intensity significantly affected litter decomposition response to UV-B (P<0.05). UV-B effects on litter decomposition were to a large degree compounded by climatic factors (e.g., MAP and MAT) (P<0.05) and litter chemistry (e.g., lignin content) (P<0.01). Results suggest these factors likely have a bearing on masking the important role of UV-B on litter decomposition. No significant differences in UV-B effects on litter decomposition were found between study types (field experiment vs. laboratory incubation), litter forms (leaf vs. needle), and decay duration. Indirect effects of elevated UV-B on litter decomposition significantly increased with decay duration (P<0.001). Additionally, relatively small changes in UV-B exposure intensity (30%) had significant direct effects on litter

The UV Sensor Onboard the Mars Science Laboratory Mission: Correction and Generation of UV Fluxes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vicente-Retortillo, Á.; Martinez, G.; Renno, N. O.; Lemmon, M. T.; Gomez-Elvira, J.

2017-12-01

The Rover Environmental Monitoring Station UV sensor (UVS) onboard the Mars Science Laboratory mission has completed more than 1750 sols of measurements, providing an unprecedented coverage ranging from diurnal to interannual times scales [1,2]. The UVS is comprised of six photodiodes to measure the UV flux in the ranges 200-380, 320-380, 280-320, 200-280, 230-290 and 300-350 nm [3]. UV fluxes in units of W/m2 can be found in the NASA Planetary Data System (PDS). However, dust deposition on the UVS and a non-physical discontinuity in the calibration functions when the solar zenith angle is above 30º cause errors in these fluxes that increase with time. We have developed a technique to correct UV fluxes from the effects of dust degradation and inconsistencies in the angular response of the UVS. The photodiode output currents (available in the PDS as lower-level TELRDR products), ancillary data records (available in the PDS as ADR products) and dust opacity values derived from Mastcam observations are used for performing the corrections. The corrections have been applied to the UVA band (320-380 nm) for the first 1000 sols of the mission, providing excellent results [4]. We plan to correct the UV fluxes on each of the six UVS bands and to make these results available in the PDS. Data products generated by this study will allow comparisons of the UV radiation environment at Gale crater with that at the locations of the future missions ExoMars 2020 and Mars 2020, as well as the assessment of the potential survivability of biological contaminants brought to Mars from Earth. References: [1] Smith, M. D., et al. (2016), Aerosol optical depth as observed by the Mars Science Laboratory REMS UV photodiodes, Icarus, 280, 234-248. [2] Vicente-Retortillo, Á., et al. (2017), Determination of dust aerosol particle size at Gale Crater using REMS UVS and Mastcam measurements, Geophys. Res. Lett., 44, 3502-3508. [3] Gómez-Elvira, J., et al. (2012), REMS: The environmental sensor

Effect of dehydration in the UV transmittance of "in vitro" corneas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lincoln, Victor A. C.; Ventura, Liliane; Faria e Sousa, Sidney J.; Mello, Marcio M.

2012-03-01

In ophthalmology the research using "in vitro" corneas are an excellent model for studies of new ophthalmologic procedures, enabling the analysis of effectiveness, performance and even safety parameters of the procedure. In this work we studied four "in vitro" human corneas preserved in OPTISOL-GS, with initial average pachymetry of 542 microns and a post-mortem average of 6 days. The corneas were preserved in OPTISOL-GS and were washed with saline solution to remove the excess the preservative medium. The corneas were placed in a device aligned with an ultraviolet source of 3mw/cm2 and an optical fiber positioned after the device near the endothelium of the cornea. The UV transmittance spectra in the region of 360-370nm were captured by the emission of UV source for 3 seconds. These spectra were captured every 5 minutes in a total of 60 minutes, resulting in 13 spectra per cornea. The measured average initial UV transmittance was 73% and after 50 minutes of dehydration there was no significant difference in the corneal teansmittance properties. However, for the last 10 minutes we have observed a decrease in the UV transmittance of 4%, probably indicated by corneal dehydration and swelling (wrinkling of the cornea tissue. The final average pachymetry was 421 microns and the UV transmittance after the 60 minutes was 69%. Therefore we can suppose that the UV transmittance of corneas "in vitro" is invariant over a period of up to 60 minutes, even with the thickness decrease, since the material that absorbs in the UV region remains intact and only water loss occurs.

Advances in UV-Plasmonics: A Detailed Analysis of Metallic Materials as Candidates for New Applications in Nanothecnology

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-08-26

Indium, Rhodium, Ruthenium, Tungsten, Titanium, Chromium, Palladium, Copper, Platinum and Magnesium . These have been chosen because all of them...performance. vii. Considering that the observed behaviors occur precisely where UV surface-enhanced Raman spectra indicated strong local field...research objective was centered on the UV plasmonic properties of Rh NPs by means of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, surface-enhanced

Enhancement of UV photodetector properties of ZnO nanorods/PEDOT:PSS Schottky junction by NGQD sensitization along with conductivity improvement of PEDOT:PSS by DMSO additive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dhar, Saurab; Majumder, Tanmoy; Chakraborty, Pinak; Mondal, Suvra Prakash

2018-04-01

Schottky junction ultraviolet (UV) photodetector was fabricated by spin coating a hole conducting polymer, poly 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene: polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) on hydrothermally grown zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorod arrays. The UV detector performance was significantly improved two step process. Firstly, ZnO nanorods were modified by sensitizing N doped grapheme quantum dots (NGQDs) for better photoresponce behavior. Afterwards, the junction properties as well as photoresponse was enhanced by modifying electrical conductivity of PEDOT:PSS layer with organic solvent (DMSO). Our NGQD decorated ZnO NRs/DMSO-PEDOT:PSS Schottky junction device demonstrated superior external quantum efficiency (EQE ˜ 90063 %) and responsivity (Rλ˜247 A/W) at 340 nm wavelength and -1V external bias. The response and recovery times of the final photodetector device was very fast compared to GQD as well as NGQD modified and pristine ZnO nanorod based detectors.

The protective effect of 18β-Glycyrrhetinic acid against UV irradiation induced photoaging in mice.

PubMed

Kong, Song-Zhi; Chen, Hai-Ming; Yu, Xiu-Ting; Zhang, Xie; Feng, Xue-Xuan; Kang, Xin-Huang; Li, Wen-Jie; Huang, Na; Luo, Hui; Su, Zi-Ren

2015-01-01

It has been confirmed that repeated exposure of skin to ultraviolet (UV) radiation results in cutaneous oxidative stress and inflammation, which act in concert to cause premature skin aging, well known as photoaging. 18β-Glycyrrhetinic acid (GA), widely used to treat various tissue inflammations, is the main active component of licorice root, and has also been shown to possess favorable anti-oxidative property and modulating immunity function. In the present study, we investigated the potential protective effect of GA on UV-induced skin photoaging in a mouse model. During the experimental period of ten consecutive weeks, the dorsal depilated skin of mice was treated with topical GA for 2 hours prior to UV irradiation. The results showed that GA pretreatment significantly alleviated the macroscopic and histopathological damages in mice skin caused by UV. Meanwhile, the data also indicated that GA markedly up-regulated the activities of the antioxidant enzymes (SOD, GSH-Px), and increased the content of skin collagen, while obviously decreased malonaldehyde level and inhibited high expressions of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) and -3 (MMP-3), as well as down-regulated the expression of inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, TNF-α and IL-10. Taken together, these findings amply demonstrate that GA observably attenuates UV-induced skin photoaging mainly by virtue of its antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as regulating the abnormal expression of MMP-1 and MMP-3. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Physical Properties of UV-bright Clumps in Star-forming Galaxies at 0.5 ≤ z < 3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Yicheng; Rafelski, Marc; Bell, Eric F.; Dekel, Avishai; Mandelker, Nir; Primack, Joel R.; CANDELS

2018-06-01

Studying giant star-forming clumps in distant galaxies is important to understand galaxy formation and evolution. At present, however, observers and theorists have not reached a consensus on whether the observed “clumps” in distant galaxies are the same phenomenon that is seen in simulations. As a step to establish a benchmark of direct comparisons between observations and theories, we publish a sample of clumps constructed to represent the commonly observed “clumps” in the literature. This sample contains 3193 clumps detected from the rest-frame images of 1270 galaxies at 0.5≤z<3.0. The physical properties of clumps (e.g., rest-frame color, stellar mass, star formation rate, age, and dust extinction) are measured by fitting the spectral energy distribution (SED) to synthetic stellar population models. We carefully test the procedures of measuring clump properties, especially the method of subtracting background fluxes from the diffuse component of galaxies. With our fiducial background subtraction, we find a radial clump U-V color variation, where clumps close to galactic centers are redder than those in outskirts. The slope of the color gradient (clump color as a function of their galactocentric distance scaled by the semimajor axis of galaxies) changes with redshift and stellar mass of the host galaxies: at a fixed stellar mass, the slope becomes steeper toward low redshift, and at a fixed redshift, it becomes slightly steeper with stellar mass. Based on our SED fitting, this observed color gradient can be explained by a combination of a negative age gradient, a negative E(B-V) gradient, and a positive specific star formation rate gradient of the clumps. We also find that the color gradients of clumps are steeper than those of intra-clump regions. Correspondingly, the radial gradients of the derived physical properties of clumps are different from those of the diffuse component or intra-clump regions.

Preliminary Study of ZnS:Mn2+ Quantum Dots Response Under UV and X-Ray Irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saatsakis, G.; Valais, I.; Michail, C.; Fountzoula, C.; Fountos, G.; Koukou, V.; Martini, N.; Kalyvas, N.; Bakas, A.; Sianoudis, I.; Kandarakis, I.; Panayiotakis, G. S.

2017-11-01

Quantum Dots are semiconductor nanocrystals, with their optical properties controlled by their size, shape and material composition. The aim of the present study is to examine the scintillation properties of Manganese Doped Zinc Sulfide (ZnS:Mn 2+) Quantum Dot (QDs) nanocrystals under UV and X-ray irradiation. ZnS:Mn 2+ Quantum Dots, with typical diameter of ZnS dots of 13-20nm (also called scintillation QDs, stQDs), were developed and acquired by Mesolight Inc. The initial stQD sample was a solution of 75mg of ZnS:Mn 2+ dissolved in 100μL of Toluene, having a concentration of 75% w/v. Emission characteristics under UV and X-Ray excitation were examined. Two ultraviolet sources were incorporated (315 nm and 365 nm) as well as a medical X-ray tube with tube voltage from 50 to 130 kVp. Parameters such as Energy Quantum Efficiency under UV excitation and Luminescence Efficiency-LE (light energy flux over exposure rate) under X-ray excitation were examined. Luminescence Efficiency (LE) of ZnS:Mn 2+ was higher than that exhibited by previously examined QDs, (ZnCdSeS:ZnS and ZnCuInS:ZnS). The ability of ZnS:Mn 2+ to transform UV photons energy into optical photons energy, tends to increase while the incident UV wavelength decreases. Energy Quantum Efficiency of the sample exhibited a 6% increase when exposed to 315nm UV light compared to 365 nm. The emission spectrum of the stQDs, exhibited a narrow peak (~585nm) in the yellow range.

Effect of supplemental UV-A irradiation in solid-state lighting on the growth and phytochemical content of microgreens

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brazaitytė, A.; Viršilė, A.; Jankauskienė, J.; Sakalauskienė, S.; Samuolienė, G.; Sirtautas, R.; Novičkovas, A.; Dabašinskas, L.; Miliauskienė, J.; Vaštakaitė, V.; Bagdonavičienė, A.; Duchovskis, P.

2015-01-01

In this study, we sought to find and employ positive effects of UV-A irradiation on cultivation and quality of microgreens. Therefore, the goal of our study was to investigate the influence of 366, 390, and 402 nm UV-A LED wavelengths, supplemental for the basal solid-state lighting system at two UV-A irradiation levels on the growth and phytochemical contents of different microgreen plants. Depending on the species, supplemental UV-A irradiation can improve antioxidant properties of microgreens. In many cases, a significant increase in the investigated phytochemicals was found under 366 and 390 nm UV-A wavelengths at the photon flux density (12.4 μmol m-2 s-1). The most pronounced effect of supplemental UV-A irradiation was detected in pak choi microgreens. Almost all supplemental UV-A irradiation treatments resulted in increased leaf area and fresh weight, in higher 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free-radical scavenging activity, total phenols, anthocyanins, ascorbic acid, and α-tocopherol.

Synthesis and Luminescence Properties of Rare Earth Activated Phosphors for near UV-Emitting LEDs for Efficacious Generation of White Light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Jinkyu

Solid state white-emitting lighting devices based on LEDs outperform conventional light sources in terms of lifetime, durability, and luminous efficiency. Near UV-LEDs in combination with blue-, green-, and red-emitting phosphors show superior luminescence properties over the commercialized blue-emitting LED with yellow-emitting phosphors. However, phosphor development for near UV LEDs is a challenging problem and a vibrant area of research. In addition, using the proper synthesis technique is an important consideration in the development of phosphors. In this research, efficient blue-, green-yellow, red-emitting, and color tunable phosphors for near UV LEDs based white light are identified and prepared by various synthetic methods such as solid state reaction, sol-gel/Pechini, co-precipitation, hydrothermal, combustion and spray-pyrolysis. Blue-emittingLiCaPO4:Eu2+, Green/yellow-emitting (Ba,Sr)2SiO4:Eu2+, color tunable solid solutions of KSrPO4-(Ba,Ca)2SiO4:Eu 2+, and red-emitting (Ba,Sr,Ca)3MgSi2O 8:Eu2+,Mn2+ show excellent excitation profile in the near UV region, high quantum efficiency, and good thermal stability for use in solid state lighting applications. In addition, different synthesis methods are analyzed and compared, with the goal of obtaining ideal phosphors, which should have not only have high luminous output but also optimal particle size (˜150--400 nm) and spherical morphology. For Sr2SiO 4:Eu2+, the sol-gel method appears to be the best method. For Ba2SiO4:Eu2+, the co-precipitation method is be the best. Lastly, the fabrication of core/SiO2 shell particles alleviate surface defects and improve luminescence output and moisture stability of nano and micron sized phosphors. For nano-sized Y2O 3:Eu3+, Y2SiO5:Ce3+,Tb 3+, and (Ba,Sr)2SiO4, the luminescence emission intensity of the core/shell particles were significantly higher than that of bare cores. Additionally, the moisture stability is also improved by SiO 2 shells, the luminescence output of

Results of the IRIS UV Burst Survey, Part I: Active Regions Tracked Limb to Limb

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madsen, C. A.; DeLuca, E.

2017-12-01

We present results from the first phase of an effort to thoroughly characterize UV bursts within the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) data catalogue. The observational signatures of these phenomena include dramatically intensified and broadened NUV/FUV emission line profiles with absorption features from cool metallic ions. These properties suggest that UV bursts originate from plasma at transition region temperatures (≥ 80,000 K) which is deeply embedded in the cool lower chromosphere ( 5,000 K). Rigorously characterizing the energetic and dynamical properties of UV bursts is crucial since they have considerable potential to heat active region chromospheres and could provide critical constraints for models of magnetic reconnection in these regions. The survey first focuses on IRIS observations of active regions tracked from limb to limb. All observations consist of large field-of-view raster scans of 320 or 400 steps each, which allow for widespread detection of many burst profiles at the expense of having limited short-term time evolution information. We detect bursts efficiently by applying a semi-automated single-Gaussian fitting technique to Si IV 1393.8 Å emission profiles that isolates the distinct burst population in a 4-D parameter space. The robust sample of NUV/FUV burst spectra allows for precise constraints of properties critical for modeling reconnection in the chromosphere, including outflow kinetic energy, density estimates from intensity ratios of Si IV 1402.8 Å and O IV 1401.2 Å emission lines, and coincident measures of emission in other wavelengths. We also track burst properties throughout the lifetimes of their host active regions, noting changes in detection rate and preferential location as the active regions evolve. Finally, the tracked active region observations provide a unique opportunity to investigate line-of-sight effects on observed UV burst spectral properties, particularly the strength of Ni II 1393.3 Å absorption

The Austrian UV monitoring network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blumthaler, Mario; Klotz, Barbara; Schwarzmann, Michael; Schreder, Josef

2017-02-01

The Austrian UV Monitoring network is operational since 1998 providing a large data set of erythemally weighted UV irradiance recorded with broadband UV biometer at 12 stations distributed all over Austria. In order to obtain high quality data all biometer are recalibrated once a year, the detectors are checked regularly for humidity and quality control is done routinely. The collected data are processed and then published on the website http://www.uv-index.at where the UV-Index of all measurement sites is presented in near real time together with a map of the distribution of the UV-Index over Austria. These UV-Index data together with measurements of global radiation and ozone levels from OMI are used to study long term trends for the stations of the monitoring network. Neither for all weather conditions nor for clear sky conditions is a statistically significant trend found for the UV-Index (with one exception) and for ozone. Furthermore, the radiation amplification factor (RAF) is determined experimentally from the power law correlation between UV-Index and ozone level for the site Innsbruck (577 m above sea level, 47.26°N, 11.38°E) for 19°solar elevation. A value of 0.91 ± 0.05 is found for the RAF for clear sky days with low ground albedo and a value of 1.03 ± 0.08 for days with high ground albedo (snow cover).

UV-Induced cell death in plants.

PubMed

Nawkar, Ganesh M; Maibam, Punyakishore; Park, Jung Hoon; Sahi, Vaidurya Pratap; Lee, Sang Yeol; Kang, Chang Ho

2013-01-14

Plants are photosynthetic organisms that depend on sunlight for energy. Plants respond to light through different photoreceptors and show photomorphogenic development. Apart from Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR; 400-700 nm), plants are exposed to UV light, which is comprised of UV-C (below 280 nm), UV-B (280-320 nm) and UV-A (320-390 nm). The atmospheric ozone layer protects UV-C radiation from reaching earth while the UVR8 protein acts as a receptor for UV-B radiation. Low levels of UV-B exposure initiate signaling through UVR8 and induce secondary metabolite genes involved in protection against UV while higher dosages are very detrimental to plants. It has also been reported that genes involved in MAPK cascade help the plant in providing tolerance against UV radiation. The important targets of UV radiation in plant cells are DNA, lipids and proteins and also vital processes such as photosynthesis. Recent studies showed that, in response to UV radiation, mitochondria and chloroplasts produce a reactive oxygen species (ROS). Arabidopsis metacaspase-8 (AtMC8) is induced in response to oxidative stress caused by ROS, which acts downstream of the radical induced cell death (AtRCD1) gene making plants vulnerable to cell death. The studies on salicylic and jasmonic acid signaling mutants revealed that SA and JA regulate the ROS level and antagonize ROS mediated cell death. Recently, molecular studies have revealed genes involved in response to UV exposure, with respect to programmed cell death (PCD).

Using CeSiC for UV spectrographs for the WSO/UV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reutlinger, A.; Gál, C.; Brandt, C.; Haberler, P.; Zuknik, K.-H.; Sedlmaier, T.; Shustov, B.; Sachkov, M.; Moisheev, A.; Kappelmann, N.; Barnstedt, J.; Werner, K.

2017-11-01

The World Space Observatory Ultraviolet (WSO/UV) is a multi-national project lead by the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) with the objective of high performance observations in the ultraviolet range. The 1.7 m WSO/UV telescope feeds UV spectrometers and UV imagers. The UV spectrometers comprise two high resolution Echelle spectrographs for the 100 - 170 nm and 170 - 300 nm wavelength range and a long slit spectrograph for the 100 - 300 nm band. All three spectrometers represent individual instruments that are assembled and aligned separately. In order to save mass while maintaining high stiffness, the instruments are combined to a monoblock. Cesic has been selected to reduce CTE related distortions of the instruments. In contrast to aluminium, the stable structure of Cesic is significantly less sensitive to thermal gradients. No further mechanism for focus correction with high functional, technical and operational complexity and dedicated System costs are necessary. Using Cesic also relaxes the thermal control requirements of +/-5°C, which represents a considerable cost driver for the S/C design. The WUVS instrument is currently studied in the context of a phase B2 study by Kayser-Threde GmbH including a Structural Thermal Model (STM) for verification of thermal and mechanical loads, stability due to thermal distortions and Cesic manufacturing feasibility.

Antiradiation UV Vaccine: UV Radiation, Biological effects, lesions and medical management - immune-therapy and immune-protection.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popov, Dmitri; Jones, Jeffrey; Maliev, Slava

Key Words: Ultraviolet radiation,Standard Erythema Dose(SED), Minimal Erythema Dose(MED), Sun Burns, Solar Dermatitis, Sun Burned Disease, DNA Damage,Cell Damage, Antiradiation UV Vaccine, Immune-Prophylaxis of Sun Burned Diseases, Immune-Prophylaxis of Sun Burns, Immune-Therapy of Sun-Burned Disease and Sun Burns,Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC), Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC), Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis(TEN). Introduction: High doses of UV generated by solar source and artificial sources create an exposure of mammals and other species which can lead to ultraviolet(UV)radiation- associated disease (including erythema, epilation, keratitis, etc.). UV radiation belongs to the non-ionizing part of the electromagnetic spectrum and ranges between 100 nm and 400 nm with 100 nm having been chosen arbitrarily as the boundary between non-ionizing and ionizing radiation, however EMR is a spectrum and UV can produce molecular ionization. UV radiation is conventionally categorized into 3 areas: UV-A (>315-400 nm),UV-B (>280-315 nm)and UV-C (>100-280 nm) [IARC,Working Group Reports,2005] An important consequence of stratospheric ozone depletion is the increased transmission of solar ultraviolet (UV)radiation to the Earth's lower atmosphere and surface. Stratospheric ozone levels have been falling, in certain areas, for the past several decades, so current surface ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation levels are thought to be close to their modern day maximum. [S.Madronich et al.1998] Overexposure of ultraviolet radiation a major cause of skin cancer including basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) { collectively referred to as “non-melanoma" skin cancer (NMSC) and melanoma as well, with skin cancers being the most common cancer in North America. [Armstrong et al. 1993, Gallagher et al. 2005] Methods and Experimental Design: Our experiments and testing of a novel UV “Antiradiation Vaccine” have employed a wide variety of laboratory animals which include : Chinchilla

What happens with organic micropollutants during UV disinfection in WWTPs? A global perspective from laboratory to full-scale.

PubMed

Paredes, L; Omil, F; Lema, J M; Carballa, M

2018-01-15

The phototransformation of 18 organic micropollutants (OMPs) commonly detected in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents was examined attempting to explain their fate during UV disinfection in WWTPs. For this purpose, a lab-scale UV reactor (lamp emitting at 254nm) was used to study the influence of the operational conditions (UV dose, temperature and water matrix) on OMPs abatement and disinfection efficiency. Chemical properties of OMPs and the quality of treated effluent were identified as key factors affecting the phototransformation rate of these compounds. Sampling campaigns were carried out at the inlet and outlet of UV systems of three WWTPs, and the results evidenced that only the most photosensitive compounds, such as sulfamethoxazole and diclofenac, are eliminated. Therefore, despite UV treatment is an effective technology to phototransform OMPs, the UV doses typically applied for disinfection (10-50mJ/cm 2 ) are not sufficient to remove them. Consequently, small modifications (increase of UV dose, use of catalysts) should be applied in WWTPs to enhance the abatement of OMPs in UV systems. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

UV-LIGA technique for ECF micropumps using back UV exposure and self-alignment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, D.; Xia, Y.; Yokota, S.; Kim, J. W.

2017-12-01

This paper proposes and develops a novel UV-LIGA technique using back UV exposure and self-alignment to realize high aspect ratio micromachining (HARM) in high power density electro-conjugate fluid (ECF) micropumps. ECF is a functional fluid designed to be able to generate strong and active jet flow (ECF jetting) between anode and cathode in ECF when high DC voltage is applied. We have developed high power density ECF micropumps consisting of triangular prism and slit electrode pairs (TPSEs) fabricated by HARM. The traditional UV-LIGA technique for HARM is mainly divided into two approaches: (a) single thick layer and (b) multiple thin layers. Both methods have limitations—deformed molds in the former and misalignment between layers in the latter. Using the finite element method software COMSOL Multiphysics, we demonstrate that the deformed micro-molds critically impair the performance of ECF micropumps. In addition, we experimentally prove that the misalignment would easily trigger electric discharge in the ECF micropumps. To overcome these limitations, we conceive a new concept utilizing the seed electrode layer for electroforming as the UV shield and pattern photoresist (KMPR) by back UV exposure. The seed electrode layer should be composed of a non-transparent conductor (Au/Ti) for patterning and a transparent conductor (ITO) for wiring. Instead of ITO, we propose the concept of transparency-like electrodes comprised of thin metal line patterns. To verify this concept, KMPR layers with thicknesses of 70, 220, and 500 µm are experimentally investigated. In the case of 500 µm KMPR thickness, the concept of transparency-like electrode was partially proved. As a result, TPSEs with a height of 440 µm were successfully fabricated. Characteristic experiments demonstrated that ECF micropumps (367 mW cm-3) fabricated by back UV achieved almost the same output power density as ECF micropumps (391 mW cm-3) fabricated by front UV. This paper proves that the proposed

Preparation and characterization of functional poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membranes with ultraviolet-absorbing property

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Li; Liu, Xiangdong; Xiong, Zhengrong; Sheng, Dekun; Lin, Changhong; Zhou, Yan; Yang, Yuming

2018-06-01

We first reported a strategy to prepare functional poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membranes with excellent ultraviolet-absorbing property through chemically induced grafting. Herein, the polymerizable ultraviolet (UV) absorber 2-hydroxy-4-(3-methacryloxy-2-hydroxylpropoxy) benzophenone (BPMA) made by ourselves was grafted onto the PVDF chains that have been pretreated with tetraethylammonium hydroxide (TEAH) alkaline solution. Moreover, the effect of experiment conditions such as the alkali and monomer concentrations, alkali treatment time on the UV-absorbing property of the obtained PVDF-g-PBPMA membranes were studied in detail. The chemical structure of the modified membranes was confirmed by 1H NMR, FT-IR and XPS measurements. Meanwhile, the thermal and UV-absorbing properties were characterized by TGA, DSC and UV-Vis spectrophotometer, respectively. The results indicated that BPMA side chains were successfully introduced onto PVDF backbones. Most importantly, the obtained PVDF-g-PBPMA membranes exhibited excellent UV-absorbing property. The transmittance of UV light at 300 nm decreased to as low as 0.02% and the UV light below 388 nm could be completely absorbed by the PVDF-g-PBPMA membrane made under optimal condition.

The Hubble Deep UV Legacy Survey (HDUV)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montes, Mireia; Oesch, Pascal

2015-08-01

Deep HST imaging has shown that the overall star formation density and UV light density at z>3 is dominated by faint, blue galaxies. Remarkably, very little is known about the equivalent galaxy population at lower redshifts. Understanding how these galaxies evolve across the epoch of peak cosmic star-formation is key to a complete picture of galaxy evolution. Here, we present a new HST WFC3/UVIS program, the Hubble Deep UV (HDUV) legacy survey. The HDUV is a 132 orbit program to obtain deep imaging in two filters (F275W and F336W) over the two CANDELS Deep fields. We will cover ~100 arcmin2 sampling the rest-frame far-UV at z>~0.5, this will provide a unique legacy dataset with exquisite HST multi-wavelength imaging as well as ancillary HST grism NIR spectroscopy for a detailed study of faint, star-forming galaxies at z~0.5-2. The HDUV will enable a wealth of research by the community, which includes tracing the evolution of the FUV luminosity function over the peak of the star formation rate density from z~3 down to z~0.5, measuring the physical properties of sub-L* galaxies, and characterizing resolved stellar populations to decipher the build-up of the Hubble sequence from sub-galactic clumps. This poster provides an overview of the HDUV survey and presents the reduced data products and catalogs which will be released to the community, reaching down to 27.5-28.0 mag at 5 sigma. By directly sampling the rest-frame far-UV at z>~0.5, this will provide a unique legacy dataset with exquisite HST multi-wavelength imaging as well as ancillary HST grism NIR spectroscopy for a detailed study of faint, star-forming galaxies at z~0.5-2. The HDUV will enable a wealth of research by the community, which includes tracing the evolution of the FUV luminosity function over the peak of the star formation rate density from z~3 down to z~0.5, measuring the physical properties of sub-L* galaxies, and characterizing resolved stellar populations to decipher the build-up of the Hubble

The UV Survey Mission Concept, CETUS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heap, Sara; and the CETUS Team

2018-01-01

In March 2017, NASA selected CETUS for study of a Probe-class mission concept. W. Danchi is the CETUS PI, and S. Heap is the Science PI. CETUS is primarily a UV survey telescope to complement survey telescopes of the 2020’s including E-ROSITA, Subaru Hyper Suprime Cam and Prime-Focus Spectrograph, WFIRST, and the Square Kilometer Array. CETUS comprises a 1.5-m wide-field telescope and three science instruments: a wide-field (1045” on a side) far-UV and near-UV camera; a similarly wide-field near-UV multi-object spectrograph utilizing a next-generation micro-shutter array; and a single-object spectrograph with options of spectral region (far-UV or near-UV) and spectral resolving power (2,000 or 40,000). The survey instruments will operate simultaneously thereby producing wide-field images in the near-UV and far-UV and a spectrogram containing near-UV spectra of up to 100 sources free of spectral overlap and astronomical background. ln concert with other survey telescopes, CETUS will focus on understanding galaxy evolution at cosmic noon (z~1-2).

UV-mediated tuning of surface biorepulsivity in aqueous environment.

PubMed

Weber, Theresa; Meyerbröker, Nikolaus; Hira, Nuruzzaman Khan; Zharnikov, Michael; Terfort, Andreas

2014-04-28

While it is well-known that oligoethylene glycol (OEG) terminated self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) can be deteriorated by UV irradiation in air, we now report that the analogous modification can also be performed in water, opening the opportunity for in situ tuning of biorepulsive properties. Surprisingly, this deterioration also takes place even in the absence of molecular oxygen, resulting in a very selective process.

Radical protection by differently composed creams in the UV/VIS and IR spectral ranges.

PubMed

Meinke, Martina C; Syring, Felicia; Schanzer, Sabine; Haag, Stefan F; Graf, Rüdiger; Loch, Manuela; Gersonde, Ingo; Groth, Norbert; Pflücker, Frank; Lademann, Jürgen

2013-01-01

Modern sunscreens are well suited to provide sufficient protection in the UV range because the filter substances absorb or scatter UV radiation. Although up to 50% of radicals are formed in the visible and infrared spectral range during solar radiation protection strategies are not provided in this range. Previous investigations of commercially available products have shown that in addition to physical filters, antioxidants (AO) are necessary to provide protective effects in the infrared range by neutralizing already formed radicals. In this study, the efficacy of filter substances and AO to reduce radical formation in both spectral ranges was investigated after UV/VIS or IR irradiation. Optical properties and radical protection were determined for the investigated creams. It was found that organic UV filters lower radical formation in the UV/VIS range to 35% compared to untreated skin, independent of the presence of AO. Further reduction to 14% was reached by addition of 2% physical filters, whereas physical filters alone were ineffective in the UV/VIS range due to the low concentration. In contrast, this filter type reduced radical formation in the IR range significantly to 65%; similar effects were aroused after application of AO. Sunscreens which contain organic UV filters, physical filters and AO ensure protection in the complete solar spectrum. © 2013 The American Society of Photobiology.

UV-Induced Cell Death in Plants

PubMed Central

Nawkar, Ganesh M.; Maibam, Punyakishore; Park, Jung Hoon; Sahi, Vaidurya Pratap; Lee, Sang Yeol; Kang, Chang Ho

2013-01-01

Plants are photosynthetic organisms that depend on sunlight for energy. Plants respond to light through different photoreceptors and show photomorphogenic development. Apart from Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR; 400–700 nm), plants are exposed to UV light, which is comprised of UV-C (below 280 nm), UV-B (280–320 nm) and UV-A (320–390 nm). The atmospheric ozone layer protects UV-C radiation from reaching earth while the UVR8 protein acts as a receptor for UV-B radiation. Low levels of UV-B exposure initiate signaling through UVR8 and induce secondary metabolite genes involved in protection against UV while higher dosages are very detrimental to plants. It has also been reported that genes involved in MAPK cascade help the plant in providing tolerance against UV radiation. The important targets of UV radiation in plant cells are DNA, lipids and proteins and also vital processes such as photosynthesis. Recent studies showed that, in response to UV radiation, mitochondria and chloroplasts produce a reactive oxygen species (ROS). Arabidopsis metacaspase-8 (AtMC8) is induced in response to oxidative stress caused by ROS, which acts downstream of the radical induced cell death (AtRCD1) gene making plants vulnerable to cell death. The studies on salicylic and jasmonic acid signaling mutants revealed that SA and JA regulate the ROS level and antagonize ROS mediated cell death. Recently, molecular studies have revealed genes involved in response to UV exposure, with respect to programmed cell death (PCD). PMID:23344059

The WIRED Survey. I. A Bright IR Excess Due to Dust Around the Heavily Polluted White Dwarf Galex J193156.8+011745

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Debes, John H.; Hoard, D. W.; Kilic, Mukremin; Wachter, Stefanie; Leisawitz, David T.; Cohen, Martin; Kirkpatrick, J. Davy; Griffith, Roger L.

2011-01-01

With the launch of the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), a new era of detecting planetary debris around white dwarfs (WDs) has begun with the WISE InfraRed Excesses around Degenerates (WIRED) Survey. The WIRED survey will be sensitive to substellar objects and dusty debris around WDs out to distances exceeding 100 pc, well beyond the completeness level of local WDs and covering a large fraction of known WDs detected with the SDSS DR4 WD catalog. In this paper, we report an initial result of the WIRED survey, the detection of the heavily polluted hydrogen WD (spectral type DAZ) GALEX Jl93156.S-KlI1745 at 3.35 and 4.6/Lm. We find that the excess is consistent with either a narrow dusty ring with an inner radius of 29 RWD. outer radius of 40 RWD, and a face-on inclination, or a disk with an inclination of 70 , an inner radius of 23 RWD. and an outer radius of 80 RWD. We also report initial optical spectroscopic monitoring of several metal lines present in the photosphere and find no variability in the line strengths or radial velocities of the lines. We rule out all but planetary mass companions to GALEXl931 out to 0.5 AU.

Photoprotective Effects of a Multifunctional Hair Care Formulation Containing Botanical Extracts, Vitamins, and UV Filters.

PubMed

Leite, Marcella Gabarra Almeida; Maia Campos, Patricia M B G

2018-05-04

The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate the efficacy of a multifunctional hair care formulation-Hair BB Cream-containing botanical extracts of Camellia sinensis, Vitis vinifera, and Euterpe orleacea, vitamins, amino acids, UV filters, and silicones for hair treatment and prevention of UV damages. The in vitro antioxidant activity of the botanical extracts was evaluated using the DPPH and chemiluminescence methods. A tensile test, combability, shine, and image analysis were performed to evaluate the efficacy of the formulation. To evaluate protection against UV damage, the hair strands were submitted to UV radiation without and with the application of the Hair BB Cream. The results showed that the application of the Hair BB Cream promoted a reduction in combability values and an increase in break stress and gloss values. After exposure to UV radiation, the hair treated with the BB Cream formulation showed no difference in the mechanical properties test, indicating protection against UV damage. In conclusion, the multifunctional formulation showed several benefits of single product acting in the prevention of UV damage and the treatment of hair damage. Thus, the Hair BB Cream proposed can be suggested as an effective multifunctional hair care product. © 2018 The American Society of Photobiology.

UV dose measurements of photosensitive dermatosis patients by polycrystalline GaN-based portable self-data-acquisition UV monitors.

PubMed

Yagi, Shigeru; Iwanaga, Takeshi; Kojima, Hiroshi; Shoji, Yoshio; Suzuki, Seiji; Seno, Kunihiro; Mori, Hisayoshi; Tokura, Yoshiki; Takigawa, Masahiro; Moriwaki, Shin-Ichi

2002-12-01

We have developed a UV monitor with polycrystalline (poly-) gallium nitride (GaN) UV sensors and evaluated its performance from the viewpoint of its effectiveness for use with photosensitive dermatosis patients. The poly-GaN UV sensor is sensitive to UV light from 280 to 410 nm even without optical filters. The UV monitor is a portable self-data-acquisition instrument with a minimum detection level (defined as average UV intensity over 290 to 400 nm) of 2 microW/cm2 and can store UV dose data for 128 days. It allows easy measurement of four orders of magnitude of ambient UV intensity and dose from indoor light to direct solar radiation in summer. Trial use of the UV monitor by five xeroderma pigmentosum patients started in June 2000 and was carried out for 1 year. It was demonstrated that the UV monitor was useful in improving their quality of life.

Emulsifying and foaming properties of ultraviolet-irradiated egg white protein and sodium caseinate.

PubMed

Kuan, Yau-Hoong; Bhat, Rajeev; Karim, Alias A

2011-04-27

The physicochemical and functional properties of ultraviolet (UV)-treated egg white protein (EW) and sodium caseinate (SC) were investigated. UV irradiation of the proteins was carried out for 30, 60, 90, and 120 min. However, the SC samples were subjected to extended UV irradiation for 4 and 6 h as no difference was found on the initial UV exposure time. Formol titration, SDS-PAGE, and FTIR analyses indicated that UV irradiation could induce cross-linking on proteins and led to improved emulsifying and foaming properties (P < 0.05). These results indicated that the UV-irradiated EW and SC could be used as novel emulsifier and foaming agents in broad food systems for stabilizing and foaming purposes.

Visualization of UV exposure of the human body based on data from a scanning UV-measuring system.

PubMed

Hoeppe, P; Oppenrieder, A; Erianto, C; Koepke, P; Reuder, J; Seefeldner, M; Nowak, D

2004-09-01

In general, measurements of UV radition are related to horizontal surfaces, as in the case of the internationally standardized and applied UV index, for example. In order to obtain more relevant information on UV exposure of humans the new measuring system ASCARATIS (Angle SCAnning RAdiometer for determination of erythemally weighted irradiance on TIlted Surfaces) was developed and built. Three systems of ASCARATIS have been in operation at different locations in Bavaria for 3 years, providing erythemally weighted UV irradiation data for 27 differently inclined surfaces every 2 min. On the basis of these data virtual three-dimensional models of the human body surface consisting of about 20,000 triangles could be created and each of these triangles coloured according to its UV irradiation. This allowed the UV exposure of the human body to be visualized for any kind of body posture and spatial orientation on the basis of real measuring data. The results of the UV measurements on inclined surfaces have shown that measuring UV radiation on horizontal surfaces, as done routinely worldwide, often underestimates the UV exposure of the human skin. Especially at times of the day or year with low solar elevations the UV exposure of parts of the human skin can be many times higher than that of the horizontal surface. Examples of three-dimensional modelling of the human UV irradiation are shown for different times of the day and year, altitudes above sea level, body postures and genders. In these examples the UV "hotspots" can be detected and, among other things, used to inform and educate the public about UV radiation.

An optimal thermal evaporation synthesis of c-axis oriented ZnO nanowires with excellent UV sensing and emission characteristics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Saha, Tridib, E-mail: tridib.saha@monash.edu; Achath Mohanan, Ajay, E-mail: ajay.mohanan@monash.edu; Swamy, Varghese, E-mail: varghese.swamy@monash.edu

Highlights: • c-Axis alignment of ZnO nanowires was optimized using self-seeding thermal evaporation method. • Influence of purified air on the morphology and optoelectronic properties were studied. • Nanowires grown under optimal conditions exhibit strong UV emission peak in PL spectrum. • Optimized growth condition establish nanowires of excellent UV sensing characteristics - Abstract: Well-aligned (c-axis oriented) ZnO nanowire arrays were successfully synthesized on Si (1 0 0) substrates through an optimized self-seeding thermal evaporation method. An open-ended chemical vapor deposition (CVD) setup was used in the experiment, with argon and purified air as reaction gases. Epitaxial growth of c-axismore » oriented ZnO nanowires was observed for 5 sccm flow rate of purified air, whereas Zn/Zn suboxide layers and multiple polycrystalline layers of ZnO were obtained for absence and excess of purified air, respectively. Ultraviolet (UV) sensing and emission properties of the as-grown ZnO nanostructures were investigated through the current–voltage (I–V) characteristics of the nanowires under UV (λ = 365 nm) illumination of 8 mW/cm{sup 2} and using photoluminescence spectra. Nanowires grown under optimum flow of air emitted four times higher intensity of 380 nm UV light as well as exhibited 34 times higher UV radiation sensitivity compared to that of other nanostructures synthesized in this study.« less

Study on molecular structure, spectroscopic properties (FTIR and UV-Vis), NBO, QTAIM, HOMO-LUMO energies and docking studies of 5-fluorouracil, a substance used to treat cancer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Almeida, Michell O.; Barros, Daiane A. S.; Araujo, Sheila C.; Faria, Sergio H. D. M.; Maltarollo, Vinicius G.; Honorio, Kathia M.

2017-09-01

Cancer cells can expand to other parts of body through blood system and nodes from a mechanism known as metastasis. Due to the large annual growth of cancer cases, various biological targets have been studied and related to this disorder. A very interesting target related to cancer is human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). In this study, we analyzed the main intermolecular interactions between a drug used in the cancer treatment (5-fluorouracil) and HER2. Molecular modeling methods were also employed to assess the molecular structure, spectroscopic properties (FTIR and UV-Vis), NBO, QTAIM and HOMO-LUMO energies of 5-FU. From the docking simulations it was possible to analyze the interactions that occur between some residues in the binding site of HER2 and 5-FU. To validate the choice of basis set that was used in the NBO and QTAIM analyses, theoretical calculations were performed to obtain FT-IR and UV/Vis spectra, and the theoretical results are consistent with the experimental data, showing that the basis set chosen is suitable. For the maximum λ from the theoretical calculation (254.89 nm) of UV/Vis, the electronic transition from HOMO to LUMO occurs at 4.89 eV. From NBO analyses, we observed interactions between Asp863 and 5-FU, i.e. the orbitals with high transfer of electrons are LP O15 (donor NBO) and BD* (π) N1-H10 (acceptor NBO), being that the value of this interaction is 7.72 kcal/mol. Results from QTAIM indicate one main intermolecular H bond, which is necessary to stabilize the complex formed between the ligands and the biological target. Therefore, this study allowed a careful evaluation on the main structural, spectroscopic and electronic properties involved in the interaction between 5-FU and HER2, an important biological complex related to the cancer treatment.

Synthesis of silica coated zinc oxide–poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) matrix and its UV shielding evaluation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ramasamy, Mohankandhasamy; Kim, Yu Jun; Gao, Haiyan

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Well layer thickness controlled silica shell was made on ZnO nanoparticles. • PEAA, an interfacial agent is used to make nanocomposite–polymer matrix by twin-screw extruder. • Si-ZnO/PEAA matrix is highly stable and UV protective as compared to ZnO/PEAA matrix. • Nanoparticle embedded polymer matrix is suggested to make UV shielding fabrics with Nylon4. - Abstract: Silica coated zinc oxide nanoparticles (Si-ZnO NPs) (7 nm thick) were synthesized successfully and melt blended with poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) (PEAA resin) to improving ultraviolet (UV) shielding of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs). The photostability of both the ZnO NPs andmore » Si-ZnO NPs were analyzed by the difference in photoluminescence (PL) and by methylene blue (MB) degradation. Photo-degradation studies confirmed that Si-ZnO NPs are highly photostable compared to ZnO NPs. The melt blended matrices were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy interfaced with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (FE-SEM-EDX). The UV shielding property was analyzed from the transmittance spectra of UV–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy. The results confirmed fine dispersion of thick Si-ZnO NPs in the entire resin matrix. Moreover, the Si-ZnO/PEAA showed about 97% UV shielding properties than the ZnO/PEAA.« less

UV-blocking spectacle lens protects against UV-induced decline of visual performance.

PubMed

Liou, Jyh-Cheng; Teng, Mei-Ching; Tsai, Yun-Shan; Lin, En-Chieh; Chen, Bo-Yie

2015-01-01

Excessive exposure to sunlight may be a risk factor for ocular diseases and reduced visual performance. This study was designed to examine the ability of an ultraviolet (UV)-blocking spectacle lens to prevent visual acuity decline and ocular surface disorders in a mouse model of UVB-induced photokeratitis. Mice were divided into 4 groups (10 mice per group): (1) a blank control group (no exposure to UV radiation), (2) a UVB/no lens group (mice exposed to UVB rays, but without lens protection), (3) a UVB/UV400 group (mice exposed to UVB rays and protected using the CR-39™ spectacle lens [UV400 coating]), and (4) a UVB/photochromic group (mice exposed to UVB rays and protected using the CR-39™ spectacle lens [photochromic coating]). We investigated UVB-induced changes in visual acuity and in corneal smoothness, opacity, and lissamine green staining. We also evaluated the correlation between visual acuity decline and changes to the corneal surface parameters. Tissue sections were prepared and stained immunohistochemically to evaluate the structural integrity of the cornea and conjunctiva. In blank controls, the cornea remained undamaged, whereas in UVB-exposed mice, the corneal surface was disrupted; this disruption significantly correlated with a concomitant decline in visual acuity. Both the UVB/UV400 and UVB/photochromic groups had sharper visual acuity and a healthier corneal surface than the UVB/no lens group. Eyes in both protected groups also showed better corneal and conjunctival structural integrity than unprotected eyes. Furthermore, there were fewer apoptotic cells and less polymorphonuclear leukocyte infiltration in corneas protected by the spectacle lenses. The model established herein reliably determines the protective effect of UV-blocking ophthalmic biomaterials, because the in vivo protection against UV-induced ocular damage and visual acuity decline was easily defined.

High-Performance Visible-Blind UV Phototransistors Based on n-Type Naphthalene Diimide Nanomaterials.

PubMed

Song, Inho; Lee, Seung-Chul; Shang, Xiaobo; Ahn, Jaeyong; Jung, Hoon-Joo; Jeong, Chan-Uk; Kim, Sang-Wook; Yoon, Woojin; Yun, Hoseop; Kwon, O-Pil; Oh, Joon Hak

2018-04-11

This study investigates the performance of single-crystalline nanomaterials of wide-band gap naphthalene diimide (NDI) derivatives with methylene-bridged aromatic side chains. Such materials are found to be easily used as high-performance, visible-blind near-UV light detectors. NDI single-crystalline nanoribbons are assembled using a simple solution-based process (without solvent-inclusion problems), which is then applied to organic phototransistors (OPTs). Such OPTs exhibit excellent n-channel transistor characteristics, including an average electron mobility of 1.7 cm 2 V -1 s -1 , sensitive UV detection properties with a detection limit of ∼1 μW cm -2 , millisecond-level responses, and detectivity as high as 10 15 Jones, demonstrating the highly sensitive organic visible-blind UV detectors. The high performance of our OPTs originates from the large face-to-face π-π stacking area between the NDI semiconducting cores, which is facilitated by methylene-bridged aromatic side chains. Interestingly, NDI-based nanoribbon OPTs exhibit a distinct visible-blind near-UV detection with an identical detection limit, even under intense visible light illumination (for example, 10 4 times higher intensity than UV light intensity). Our findings demonstrate that wide-band gap NDI-based nanomaterials are highly promising for developing high-performance visible-blind UV photodetectors. Such photodetectors could potentially be used for various applications including environmental and health-monitoring systems.

Improving radiation data quality of USDA UV-B monitoring and research program and evaluating UV decomposition in DayCent and its ecological impacts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Maosi

from an improved cloud screening algorithm that utilizes an iterative rejection of cloudy points based on a decreasing tolerance of unstable optical depth behavior when calibration information is unknown. A MODTRAN radiative transfer model simulation showed the new cloud screening algorithm was capable of screening cloudy points while retaining clear-sky points. The comparison results showed that the cloud-free points determined by the new cloud screening algorithm generated significantly (56%) more and unbiased Langley offset voltages (VLOs) for both partly cloudy days and sunny days at two testing sites, Hawaii and Florida. The V¬LOs are proportional to the radiometric sensitivity. The stability of the calibration is also improved by the development of a two-stage reference channel calibration method for collocated UV-MFRSR and MFRSR instruments. Special channels where aerosol is the only contributor to total optical depth (TOD) variation (e.g. 368-nm channel) were selected and the radiative transfer model (MODTRAN) used to calculate direct normal and diffuse horizontal ratios which were used to evaluate the stability of TOD in cloud-free points. The spectral dependence of atmospheric constituents' optical properties and previously calibrated channels were used to find stable TOD points and perform Langley calibration at spectrally adjacent channels. The test of this method on the UV-B program site at Homestead, Florida (FL02) showed that the new method generated more clustered and abundant VLOs at all (UV-) MFRSR channels and potentially improved the accuracy by 2-4% at most channels and over 10% at 300-nm and 305-nm channels. In the second major part of this work, I calibrated the DayCent-UV model with ecosystem variables (e.g. soil water, live biomass), allowed maximum photodecay rate to vary with litter's initial lignin fraction in the model, and validated the optimized model with LIDET observation of remaining carbon and nitrogen at three semi-arid sites. I

Demography of SDSS Early-type Galaxies from the Perspective of Radial Color Gradients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suh, Hyewon; Jeong, H.; Oh, K.; Yi, S. K.; Ferreras, I.; Schawinski, K.

2010-01-01

We have investigated the radial g-r color gradients of early-type galaxies in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) DR6 in the redshift range 0.00 < z < 0.06. The majority of massive early-type galaxies show a negative color gradient (centers being redder). On the other hand, roughly 30 percent of the galaxies in this sample show positive color gradients (centers being bluer). These positive-gradient galaxies often show strong Hβ absorption line strengths and/or emission line ratios that are consistent with containing young stellar populations. Combining the optical data with Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) UV photometry, we find that all positive-gradient galaxies show blue UV-optical colors. This implies that the residual star formation in early-type galaxies is centrally concentrated. These positive-gradient galaxies tend to live in lower density regions. They are also a bit more likely to have a late-type companion galaxy, hinting at a possible role of interactions with a gas-rich companion. A simplistic population analysis shows that these positive color gradients are visible only for half a billion years after a star burst. Moreover, the positive-gradient galaxies occupy different regions in the fundamental planes from the outnumbering negative-gradient galaxies. However, the positions of the positive-gradient galaxies on the fundamental planes cannot be attributed to any reasonable amount of recent star formation alone but require substantially lower velocity dispersions to begin with. Our results based on the optical data are consistent with the residual star formation interpretation which was based on the GALEX UV data. A low-level residual star formation seems continuing in most of the less-massive early-type galaxies in their centers.

Microwave Synthesized ZnO Nanorod Arrays for UV Sensors: A Seed Layer Annealing Temperature Study.

PubMed

Pimentel, Ana; Ferreira, Sofia Henriques; Nunes, Daniela; Calmeiro, Tomas; Martins, Rodrigo; Fortunato, Elvira

2016-04-20

The present work reports the influence of zinc oxide (ZnO) seed layer annealing temperature on structural, optical and electrical properties of ZnO nanorod arrays, synthesized by hydrothermal method assisted by microwave radiation, to be used as UV sensors. The ZnO seed layer was produced using the spin-coating method and several annealing temperatures, ranging from 100 to 500 °C, have been tested. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and spectrophotometry measurements have been used to investigate the structure, morphology, and optical properties variations of the produced ZnO nanorod arrays regarding the seed layer annealing temperatures employed. After the growth of ZnO nanorod arrays, the whole structure was tested as UV sensors, showing an increase in the sensitivity with the increase of seed layer annealing temperature. The UV sensor response of ZnO nanorod arrays produced with the seed layer annealed temperature of 500 °C was 50 times superior to the ones produced with a seed layer annealed at 100 °C.

Microwave Synthesized ZnO Nanorod Arrays for UV Sensors: A Seed Layer Annealing Temperature Study

PubMed Central

Pimentel, Ana; Ferreira, Sofia Henriques; Nunes, Daniela; Calmeiro, Tomas; Martins, Rodrigo; Fortunato, Elvira

2016-01-01

The present work reports the influence of zinc oxide (ZnO) seed layer annealing temperature on structural, optical and electrical properties of ZnO nanorod arrays, synthesized by hydrothermal method assisted by microwave radiation, to be used as UV sensors. The ZnO seed layer was produced using the spin-coating method and several annealing temperatures, ranging from 100 to 500 °C, have been tested. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and spectrophotometry measurements have been used to investigate the structure, morphology, and optical properties variations of the produced ZnO nanorod arrays regarding the seed layer annealing temperatures employed. After the growth of ZnO nanorod arrays, the whole structure was tested as UV sensors, showing an increase in the sensitivity with the increase of seed layer annealing temperature. The UV sensor response of ZnO nanorod arrays produced with the seed layer annealed temperature of 500 °C was 50 times superior to the ones produced with a seed layer annealed at 100 °C. PMID:28773423

Optical fibre sensors for the monitoring of a microwave plasma UV lamp and ozone generation system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Keeffe, S.; Ortoneda, M.; Cullen, J. D.; Shaw, A.; Fitzpatrick, C.; Lewis, E.; Phipps, D. A.; Al-Shamma'a, A. I.

2008-09-01

The food industry is keen to have new techniques that improve the safety and shelf life of food products without the use of preservatives. The use of UV light and ozone (O3) gas are becoming increasingly popular as methods to decontaminate food and thus extending its shelf life. A microwave radiation device that is a novel source of both germicidal UV and O3 suitable for the food industry has been developed, which offers speed, cost and energy benefits over existing sources. With this system comes the need to monitor a number of conditions, primarily UV intensity and ozone gas concentrations. An optical fibre sensor system is being developed to analyse these properties, in order to control and optimise the outputs of the microwave plasma UV lamp.

POLLUX: A UV High-Resolution Spectropolatimeter for LUVOIR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouret, Jean-Claude; Neiner, Coralie; Lopez Ariste, Arturo; Vivès, Sébastien; Muslimov, Eduard; Lopes, Louise; Costeraste, Josiane; Brachet, Frank; POLLUX Consortium

2018-01-01

The Large Ultraviolet/Optical/Infrared Surveyor (LUVOIR) is one of four large mission concept studies led by NASA for the 2020 Decadal Survey. A versatile suite of instruments is envisioned for LUVOIR, to advance our understanding of the origin and evolution of galaxies, stars and planets that make up our Universe, and the life within it. We present POLLUX, a high-resolution spectropolarimeter, operating at UV wavelengths, designed for the 15-meter primary mirror option of LUVOIR. POLLUX study is supported by the French Space Agency (CNES) and developed by a European consortium of scientists.POLLUX will operate over a broad spectral range (98 to 390 nm), at high spectral resolution (R = 120,000). This will permit to resolve narrow UV emission and absorption lines, thus to follow the baryon cycle over cosmic time, from galaxies forming stars out of interstellar gas and grains, and stars forming planets, to the various forms of feedback into the interstellar and intergalactic medium (ISM and IGM), and active galactic nuclei (AGN).The most innovative characteristic of POLLUX is its unique spectropolarimetric capability, that will enable detection of the polarized light reflected from Earth-like exoplanets or from their circumplanetary material, and moons, and characterization of the magnetospheres of stars and planets, and their interactions. The magnetospheric properties of planets in the solar system will be accessible to exquisite level of details, while the influence of magnetic fields at the galactic scale and in the IGM will be measured. UV circular and linear polarisation will provide a full picture of magnetic field properties and impact for a variety of media and objects, from AGN outflows to all types of stars. It will probe the physics of accretion disks around young stars and white dwarfs, or supermassive black holes in AGNs, and constrain the properties, especially sphericity, of stellar ejecta and explosions. Since the parameter space opened by POLLUX is

UV Disinfection System for Cabin Air

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lim, Soojung

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is commonly used for disinfection of water. As a result of advancements made in the last 10-15 years, the analysis and design of UV disinfection systems for water is well developed. UV disinfection is also used for disinfection of air; however, despite the fact the UV-air systems have a longer record of application than UV-water systems, the methods used to analyze and design UV-air disinfection systems remain quite empirical. It is well-established that the effectiveness of UV-air systems is strongly affected by the type of microorganisms, the irradiation level/type (lamp power and wavelength), duration of irradiation (exposure time), air movement pattern (mixing degree), and relative humidity. This paper will describe ongoing efforts to evaluate, design and test a UV-air system based on first principles. Specific issues to be addressed in this work will include laboratory measurements of relevant kinetics (i.e., UV dose-response behavior) and numerical simulations designed to represent fluid mechanics and the radiation intensity field. UV dose-response behavior of test microorganism was measured using a laboratory (bench-scale) system. Target microorganisms (e.g., bacterial spores) were first applied to membrane filters at sub-monolayer coverage. The filters were then transferred to an environmental chamber at fixed relative humidity (RH) and allowed to equilibrate with their surroundings. Microorganisms were then subjected to UV exposure under a collimated beam. The experiment was repeated at RH values ranging from 20% to 100%. UV dose-response behavior was observed to vary with RH. For example, at 100% RH, a UV dose of 20 mJ/cm2 accomplished 90% (1 log10 units) of the B. subtilis spore inactivation, whereas 99 % (2 log10 units) inactivation was accomplished at this same UV dose under 20% RH conditions. However, at higher doses, the result was opposite of that in low dose. Reactor behavior is simulated using an integrated application

Ultraviolet radiation exposure from UV-transilluminators.

PubMed

Akbar-Khanzadeh, Farhang; Jahangir-Blourchian, Mahdi

2005-10-01

UV-transilluminators use ultraviolet radiation (UVR) to visualize proteins, DNA, RNA, and their precursors in a gel electrophoresis procedure. This study was initiated to evaluate workers' exposure to UVR during their use of UV-transilluminators. The levels of irradiance of UV-A, UV-B, and UV-C were determined for 29 UV-transilluminators at arbitrary measuring locations of 6, 25, 62, and 125 cm from the center of the UV-transilluminator's filter surface in the direction of the operator's head. The operators (faculty, research staff, and graduate students) worked within 62 cm of the transilluminators, with most subjects commonly working at < or =25 cm from the UV-transilluminator's filter surface. Daily exposure time ranged from 1 to 60 min. Actinic hazard (effective irradiance level of UVR) was also determined for three representative UV-transilluminators at arbitrary measuring locations of 2.5, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, and 50 cm from these sets' filter surface in the direction of the operator's head. The allowable exposure time for these instruments was less than 20 sec within 15 cm, less than 35 sec within 25 cm, and less than 2 min within 50 cm from the UV-transilluminators' filter surface. The results of this study suggest that the use of UV-transilluminators exposes operators to levels of UVR in excess of exposure guidelines. It is recommended that special safety training be provided for the affected employees and that exposure should be controlled by one or the combination of automation, substitution, isolation, posted warning signs, shielding, and/or personal protective equipment.

Weathering of a carbon nanotube/epoxy nanocomposite under UV light and in water bath: impact on abraded particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schlagenhauf, Lukas; Kianfar, Bahareh; Buerki-Thurnherr, Tina; Kuo, Yu-Ying; Wichser, Adrian; Nüesch, Frank; Wick, Peter; Wang, Jing

2015-11-01

Weathering processes can influence the surface properties of composites with incorporated nanoparticles. These changes may affect the release behavior of nanoparticles when an abrasion process is applied. Therefore, the influence of two different weathering processes, immersion in water and exposure to UV light, on the properties of abraded particles from a carbon nanotube (CNT)/epoxy nanocomposite was investigated. The investigation included the measurement of the weathering impact on the surface chemistry of the exposed samples, the particle size of abraded particles, the quantity of exposed CNTs in the respirable part of the abraded particles, and the toxicity of abraded particles, measured by in vitro toxicity tests using the THP-1 monocyte-derived macrophages. The results showed that weathering by immersion in water had no influence on the properties of abraded particles. The exposure to UV light caused a degradation of the epoxy on the surface, followed by delamination of an approx. 2.5 μm thick layer. An increased quantity of exposed CNTs in abraded particles was not found; on the contrary, longer UV exposure times decreased the released fraction of CNTs from 0.6% to 0.4%. The toxicity tests revealed that abraded particles from the nanocomposites did not induce additional acute cytotoxic effects compared to particles from the neat epoxy.Weathering processes can influence the surface properties of composites with incorporated nanoparticles. These changes may affect the release behavior of nanoparticles when an abrasion process is applied. Therefore, the influence of two different weathering processes, immersion in water and exposure to UV light, on the properties of abraded particles from a carbon nanotube (CNT)/epoxy nanocomposite was investigated. The investigation included the measurement of the weathering impact on the surface chemistry of the exposed samples, the particle size of abraded particles, the quantity of exposed CNTs in the respirable part of

[Light protection: principles of UV protection].

PubMed

Stege, H; Mang, R

2006-05-01

UV radiation is responsible for the induction of epithelial and melanocytic skin cancer, photoaging, and photodermatoses. UV protection is necessary to prevent damage caused by non-physiologic exposure. UV protection includes not only reduction of sun exposure but also use of sun protective filters, UV protective clothes, DNA repair enzymes, and antioxidant supplementation. Consumers are uncertain about the possibilities and limitations of commercial sun protection measures. Dermatologists must explain protective measures to the general public which continues to believe that UV-tanned skin is healthy. The sunscreen market is a highly competitive but lucrative market. The range of products with different designations and promises makes difficult for both consumers and dermatologists to determine what is sensible UV protection.

Advanced oxidation (H₂O₂ and/or UV) of functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNT-OH and CNT-COOH) and its influence on the stabilization of CNTs in water and tannic acid solution.

PubMed

Czech, Bożena; Oleszczuk, Patryk; Wiącek, Agnieszka

2015-05-01

The properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) functionalized with -OH and -COOH groups during simulated water treatment with H2O2 and/or UV were tested. There following properties of CNTs were investigated: specific surface area, elemental composition (CHN), dynamic light scattering, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and changes in the CNTs structure were observed using transmission electron microscopy. Treatment of CNTs with H2O2 and/or UV affected their properties. This effect, however, was different depending on the functionalization of CNTs and also on the factor used (UV and/or H2O2). H2O2 plays a key role as a factor modifying the surface of CNT-OHs, whereas the properties of CNT-COOHs were most affected by UV rays. A shortening of the nanotubes, exfoliation, the opening of their ends, and changes in the surface charge were observed as a result of the action of UV and/or H2O2. The changes in observed parameters may influence the stability of the aqueous suspensions of CNTs. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) skin permeation rates change with simultaneous exposures to solar ultraviolet radiation (UV-S).

PubMed

Hopf, Nancy B; Spring, Philipp; Hirt-Burri, Nathalie; Jimenez, Silvia; Sutter, Benjamin; Vernez, David; Berthet, Aurelie

2018-05-01

Road construction workers are simultaneously exposed to two carcinogens; solar ultraviolet (UV-S) radiation and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in bitumen emissions. The combined exposure may lead to photogenotoxicity and enhanced PAH skin permeation rates. Skin permeation rates (J) for selected PAHs in a mixture (PAH-mix) or in bitumen fume condensate (BFC) with and without UV-S co-exposures were measured with in vitro flow-through diffusion cells mounted with human viable skin and results compared. Possible biomarkers were explored. Js were greater with UV-S for naphthalene, anthracene, and pyrene in BFC (0.08-0.1 ng/cm 2 /h) compared to without (0.02-0.26 ng/cm 2 /h). This was true for anthracene, pyrene, and chrysene in the PAH-mix. Naphthalene and benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) in the PAH-mix had greater Js without (0.97-13.01 ng/cm 2 /h) compared to with UV-S (0.40-6.35 ng/cm 2 /h). Time until permeation (T lags ) in the PAH-mix were generally shorter compared to the BFC, and they ranged from 1 to 13 h. The vehicle matrix could potentially be the reason for this discrepancy as BFC contains additional not identified substances. Qualitative interpretation of p53 suggested a dose-response with UV-S, and somewhat with the co-exposures. MMP1, p65 and cKIT were not exploitable. Although not statistically different, PAHs permeate human viable skin faster with simultaneous exposures to UV. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

KSC-03pd0992

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-04-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Workers prepare the Pegasus XL launch vehicle for re-mate with the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) spacecraft. The March 26 launch was delayed to enable protective covers to be added to the Optical Wheel Assembly (OWA) on GALEX to avoid the possibility of a missing electrical cable fastener floating into and jamming the mechanism when GALEX is in orbit. Launch of GALEX is now scheduled for no earlier than April 26.

KSC-03pd0991

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-04-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers prepare the Pegasus XL launch vehicle for re-mate with the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) spacecraft. The March 26 launch was delayed to enable protective covers to be added to the Optical Wheel Assembly (OWA) on GALEX to avoid the possibility of a missing electrical cable fastener floating into and jamming the mechanism when GALEX is in orbit. Launch of GALEX is now scheduled for no earlier than April 26.

Photodegradation of sulfasalazine and its human metabolites in water by UV and UV/peroxydisulfate processes.

PubMed

Ji, Yuefei; Yang, Yan; Zhou, Lei; Wang, Lu; Lu, Junhe; Ferronato, Corinne; Chovelon, Jean-Marc

2018-04-15

The widespread occurrence of pharmaceuticals and their metabolites in natural waters has raised great concerns about their potential risks on human health and ecological systems. This study systematically investigates the degradation of sulfasalazine (SSZ) and its two human metabolites, sulfapyridine (SPD) and 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA), by UV and UV/peroxydisulfate (UV/PDS) processes. Experimental results show that SPD and 5-ASA were readily degraded upon UV 254 nm direct photolysis, with quantum yields measured to be (8.6 ± 0.8) × 10 -3 and (2.4 ± 0.1) × 10 -2  mol Einstein -1 , respectively. Although SSZ was resistant to direct UV photolysis, it could be effectively removed by both UV/H 2 O 2 and UV/PDS processes, with fluence-based pseudo-first-order rate constants determined to be 0.0030 and 0.0038 cm 2  mJ -1 , respectively. Second-order rate constant between SO 4 •- and SSZ was measured as (1.33 ± 0.01) × 10 9  M -1 s -1 by competition kinetic method. A kinetic model was established for predicting the degradation rate of SSZ in the UV/PDS process. Increasing the dosage of PDS significantly enhanced the degradation of SSZ in the UV/PDS process, which can be well predicted by the developed kinetic model. Natural water constituents, such as natural organic matter (NOM) and bicarbonate (HCO 3 - ), influenced the degradation of SSZ differently. The azo functional group of SSZ molecule was predicted as the reactive site susceptible to electrophilic attack by SO 4 •- by frontier electron densities (FEDs) calculations. Four intermediate products arising from azo bond cleavage and SO 2 extrusion were identified by solid phase extraction-liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (SPE-LC-MS/MS). Based on the products identified, detailed transformation pathways for SSZ degradation in the UV/PDS system were proposed. Results reveal that UV/PDS could be an efficient approach for remediation of water

UV-B measurements in India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prasad, B. S. N.; Gayathri, H. B.; Muralikrishnan, N.

1992-01-01

Global UV-B flux (sum of direct and diffuse radiations) data at four wavelengths 280, 290, 300 and 310 nm are recorded at several locations in India as part of Indian Middle Atmosphere Programme (IMAP). The stations have been selected considering distinct geographic features and possible influence of atmospheric aerosols and particulates on the ground reaching UV-B flux. Mysore (12.6°N, 76.6°E) has been selected as a continental station largely free from any industrial pollution and large scale bio-mass burning. An examination of the ground reaching UV-B flux at Mysore shows a marked dirunal and seasonal asymmetry. This can be attributed to the seasonally varying atmospheric aerosols and particulates which influence the scattering of UV-B radiation. The available parameterization models are used to reproduce the experimental UV-B irradiance by varying the input parameters to the model. These results on the dirunal and seasonal variation of global UV-B flux from experiment and models are discussed in this paper.

UV-Vis reflection spectroscopy under variable angle incidence at the air-liquid interface.

PubMed

Roldán-Carmona, Cristina; Rubia-Payá, Carlos; Pérez-Morales, Marta; Martín-Romero, María T; Giner-Casares, Juan J; Camacho, Luis

2014-03-07

The UV-Vis reflection spectroscopy (UV-Vis-RS) in situ at the air-liquid interface provides information about tilt and aggregation of chromophores in Langmuir monolayers. This information is particularly important given in most cases the chromophore is located at the polar region of the Langmuir monolayer. This region of the Langmuir monolayers has been hardly accessible by other experimental techniques. In spite of its enormous potential, the application of UV-Vis-RS has been limited mainly to reflection measurements under light normal incidence or at lower incidence angles than the Brewster angle. Remarkably, this technique is quite sensitive to the tilt of the chromophores at values of incidence angles close to or larger than the Brewster angle. Therefore, a novel method to obtain the order parameter of the chromophores at the air-liquid interface by using s- and p-polarized radiation at different incidence angles is proposed. This method allowed for the first time the experimental observation of the two components with different polarization properties of a single UV-Vis band at the air-liquid interface. The method of UV-Vis spectroscopy under variable angle incidence is presented as a new tool for obtaining rich detailed information on Langmuir monolayers.

Effect of Polymer Binders on UV-Responsive Organic Thin-Film Phototransistors with Benzothienobenzothiophene Semiconductor.

PubMed

Ljubic, Darko; Smithson, Chad S; Wu, Yiliang; Zhu, Shiping

2016-02-17

The influence of polymer binders on the UV response of organic thin-film phototransistors (OTF-PTs) is reported. The active channel of the OTF-PTs was fabricated by blending a UV responsive 2,7-dipenty-[1]benzothieno[2,3-b][1]benzothiophene (C5-BTBT) as small molecule semiconductor and a branched unsaturated polyester (B-upe) as dielectric binder (ratio 1:1). To understand the influence of the polymer composition on the photoelectrical properties and UV response of C5-BTBT, control blends were prepared using common dielectric polymers, namely, poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc), polycarbonate (PC), and polystyrene (PS), for comparison. Thin-film morphology and nanostructure of the C5-BTBT/polymer blends were investigated by means of optical and atomic force microscopy, and powder X-ray diffraction, respectively. Electrical and photoelectrical characteristics of the studied OTF-PTs were evaluated in the dark and under UV illumination with a constant light intensity (P = 3 mW cm(-2), λ = 365 nm), respectively, using two- and three-terminal I-V measurements. Results revealed that the purposely chosen B-upe polymer binder strongly affected the UV response of OTF-PTs. A photocurrent increase of more than 5 orders of magnitude in the subthreshold region was observed with a responsivity as high as 9.7 AW(-1), at VG = 0 V. The photocurrent increase and dramatic shift of VTh,average (∼86 V) were justified by the high number of photogenerated charge carriers upon the high trap density in bulk 8.0 × 10(12) cm(-2) eV(-1) generated by highly dispersed C5-BTBT in B-upe binder. Compared with other devices, the B-upe OTF-PTs had the fastest UV response times (τr1/τr2 = 0.5/6.0) reaching the highest saturated photocurrent (>10(6)), at VG = -5 V and VSD = -60 V. The enhanced UV sensing properties of B-upe based OTF-PTs were attributed to a self-induced thin-film morphology. The enlarged interface facilitated the electron withdrawing/donating functional groups in the polymer chains in

Efficiency of ocular UV protection by clear lenses

PubMed Central

Rifai, Katharina; Hornauer, Matthias; Buechinger, Ramona; Schoen, Roland; Barraza-Bernal, Maria; Habtegiorgis, Selam; Glasenapp, Carsten; Wahl, Siegfried; Mappes, Timo

2018-01-01

Ocular UV doses accumulate all-day, not only during periods of direct sun exposure. The UV protection efficiency of three clear lenses was evaluated experimentally, validated by simulation, and compared to non-UV protection: a first spectacle lens with a tailored UV absorber, a second spectacle lens, minimizing UV back reflections, as well as a third spectacle lens, combining both. A tailored UV-absorber efficiently reduced overall UV irradiance to 7 %, whereas reduction of back-reflections still left UV irradiance at 42 %. Thus, clear lenses with a tailored UV absorber efficiently protect the eye from UV, supplementing sun glasses wear to an all-day protection scenario. PMID:29675331

Efficiency of ocular UV protection by clear lenses.

PubMed

Rifai, Katharina; Hornauer, Matthias; Buechinger, Ramona; Schoen, Roland; Barraza-Bernal, Maria; Habtegiorgis, Selam; Glasenapp, Carsten; Wahl, Siegfried; Mappes, Timo

2018-04-01

Ocular UV doses accumulate all-day, not only during periods of direct sun exposure. The UV protection efficiency of three clear lenses was evaluated experimentally, validated by simulation, and compared to non-UV protection: a first spectacle lens with a tailored UV absorber, a second spectacle lens, minimizing UV back reflections, as well as a third spectacle lens, combining both. A tailored UV-absorber efficiently reduced overall UV irradiance to 7 %, whereas reduction of back-reflections still left UV irradiance at 42 %. Thus, clear lenses with a tailored UV absorber efficiently protect the eye from UV, supplementing sun glasses wear to an all-day protection scenario.

Ultraviolet reflectance properties of asteroids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Butterworth, P. S.; Meadows, A. J.

1985-05-01

An analysis of the UV spectra of 28 asteroids obtained with the Internal Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) satellite is presented. The spectra lie within the range 2100-3200 A. The results are examined in terms of both asteroid classification and of current ideas concerning the surface mineralogy of asteroids. For all the asteroids examined, UV reflectivity declines approximately linearly toward shorter wavelengths. In general, the same taxonomic groups are seen in the UV as in the visible and IR, although there is some evidence for asteroids with anomalous UV properties and for UV subclasses within the S class. No mineral absorption features are reported of strength similar to the strongest features in the visible and IR regions, but a number of shallow absorptions do occur and may provide valuable information on the surface composition of many asteroids.