One-Step Borylation of 1,3-Diaryloxybenzenes Towards Efficient Materials for Organic Light-Emitting Diodes.

PubMed

Hirai, Hiroki; Nakajima, Kiichi; Nakatsuka, Soichiro; Shiren, Kazushi; Ni, Jingping; Nomura, Shintaro; Ikuta, Toshiaki; Hatakeyama, Takuji

2015-11-09

The development of a one-step borylation of 1,3-diaryloxybenzenes, yielding novel boron-containing polycyclic aromatic compounds, is reported. The resulting boron-containing compounds possess high singlet-triplet excitation energies as a result of localized frontier molecular orbitals induced by boron and oxygen. Using these compounds as a host material, we successfully prepared phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes exhibiting high efficiency and adequate lifetimes. Moreover, using the present one-step borylation, we succeeded in the synthesis of an efficient, thermally activated delayed fluorescence emitter and boron-fused benzo[6]helicene. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Effect of low electric fields on alpha scintillation light yield in liquid argon

DOE PAGES

Agnes, P.; Albuquerque, I. F. M.; Alexander, T.; ...

2017-01-24

Measurements were made of scintillation light yield of alpha particles from themore » $$^{222}$$Rn decay chain within the DarkSide-50 liquid argon time projection chamber. Furthermore, the light yield was found to increase as the applied electric field increased, with alphas in a 200 V/cm electric field exhibiting a 2% increase in light yield compared to alphas in no field.« less

Stellar occultation spikes as probes of atmospheric structure and composition. [for Jupiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elliot, J. L.; Veverka, J.

1976-01-01

The characteristics of spikes observed in occultation light curves of Beta Scorpii by Jupiter are discussed in terms of the gravity-gradient model. The occultation of Beta Sco by Jupiter on May 13, 1971, is reviewed, and the gravity-gradient model is defined as an isothermal atmosphere of constant composition in which the refractivity is a function only of the radial coordinate from the center of refraction, which is assumed to lie parallel to the local gravity gradient. The derivation of the occultation light curve in terms of the atmosphere, the angular diameter of the occulted star, and the occultation geometry is outlined. It is shown that analysis of the light-curve spikes can yield the He/H2 concentration ratio in a well-mixed atmosphere, information on fine-scale atmospheric structure, high-resolution images of the occulted star, and information on ray crossing. Observational limits are placed on the magnitude of horizontal refractivity gradients, and it is concluded that the spikes are the result of local atmospheric density variations: atmospheric layers, density waves, or turbulence.

The unbearable lightness of "light" cigarettes: a comparison of smoke yields in six varieties of Canadian "light" cigarettes.

PubMed

Gendreau, Paul L; Vitaro, Frank

2005-01-01

Labelling cigarettes as "light" or "mild" is claimed to be one of the biggest marketing scams in Canadian history. Arguably, such labelling implies that these varieties of cigarettes are less harmful than "regular" cigarettes. In Canada, a food product can be labelled "light" if there is a 25% reduction from the "reference food" and if the constituent being reduced is clearly identified (e.g., light in fat). Cigarette labelling does not comply with these regulations, however. To examine whether or not some tobacco constituents meet the 25% reduction criterion, we compared yields of 41 toxic and/or carcinogenic smoke constituents in six varieties of "light" cigarettes to the yields of "regular" cigarettes. We selected cigarettes from the two most popular Canadian brands, Du Maurier and Players. Using a set of data provided by Imperial Tobacco Canada and made available to the public by the Government of British Columbia, we compared yields measured under a laboratory protocol (modified ISO) that was designed to provide a more rigorous evaluation of the differences between varieties of cigarettes and a more accurate assessment of smokers' potential smoke intake than the traditional protocol (standard ISO). For all six varieties of "light" cigarettes, the yields of nicotine were higher by an average of 5% (range: 1% to 13%). The 25% reduction criterion was not met for any variety of "light" cigarettes concerning yields of tar. For all cigarettes tested, yields of tar were reduced on average by only 16% (range: 5% to 22%). For carbon monoxide (CO), only Player's Smooth Light had an over 25% reduction (30%) compared with Player's Regular. Conversely, yield of CO was 24% higher for Du Maurier Lights compared with Du Maurier Regular. As for the other smoke constituents, the majority (75%) were not reduced by 25% or more in "light" cigarettes, and a sizeable proportion of yields (e.g., acrylonitrile, benzene, chromium, m+p cresol, mercury, nickel, toluene) were larger in these varieties of cigarettes. Only yields of formaldehyde, crotonaldehyde, 1-aminonaphtalene, and proprionaldehyde were systematically reduced in all varieties of "light" cigarettes. The six varieties of "light" cigarettes examined in this study do not differ substantially from "regular" cigarettes in terms of smoke yields. We argue that the modified ISO protocol should be implemented for a more valid comparison of potential smoke yields in all varieties of cigarettes and that labelling based on this protocol should be promoted.

Interaction of light with dye-doped calcium phosphate nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Russin, Timothy John

In this work we present work on a novel amorphous calcium phosphate nanoparticle system for use in bioimaging and drug delivery applications. The system, by virtue of its synthesis, can be made to encapsulate and protect any number of molecules that are not suitable for biological applications on their own; for example, medication that is poorly soluble in aqueous solution can be encapsulated for delivery, or fragile optical molecules can be encapsulated to protect them from the local environment. We have encapsulated the near-infrared dye indocyanine green, which has beneficial properties for optical imaging (low biotoxicity, absorption and emission at a minimum of tissue absorption). There are two original works presented in this thesis. The first describes the measurement of the quantum yield of the indocyanine green-doped nanoparticles, as well as the development of a theoretical method to extract the molecular quantum yield of a fluorophore encapsulated in a dielectric sphere from effective quantum yield measurements of nanoparticle dispersions in solution. The second work is an application of diffuse scattering theory to the problem of light propagation in biological tissue; specifically, the limits on penetration depth for photodynamic therapy and bioimaging.

Fluctuations in coral health of four common inshore reef corals in response to seasonal and anthropogenic changes in water quality.

PubMed

Browne, Nicola K; Tay, Jason K L; Low, Jeffrey; Larson, Ole; Todd, Peter A

2015-04-01

Environmental drivers of coral condition (maximum quantum yield, symbiont density, chlorophyll a content and coral skeletal growth rates) were assessed in the equatorial inshore coastal waters of Singapore, where the amplitude of seasonal variation is low, but anthropogenic influence is relatively high. Water quality variables (sediments, nutrients, trace metals, temperature, light) explained between 52 and 83% of the variation in coral condition, with sediments and light availability as key drivers of foliose corals (Merulina ampliata, Pachyseris speciosa), and temperature exerting a greater influence on a branching coral (Pocillopora damicornis). Seasonal reductions in water quality led to high chlorophyll a concentrations and maximum quantum yields in corals, but low growth rates. These marginal coral communities are potentially vulnerable to climate change, hence, we propose water quality thresholds for coral growth with the aim of mitigating both local and global environmental impacts. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tools for visualization of phosphoinositides in the cell nucleus.

PubMed

Kalasova, Ilona; Fáberová, Veronika; Kalendová, Alžběta; Yildirim, Sukriye; Uličná, Lívia; Venit, Tomáš; Hozák, Pavel

2016-04-01

Phosphoinositides (PIs) are glycerol-based phospholipids containing hydrophilic inositol ring. The inositol ring is mono-, bis-, or tris-phosphorylated yielding seven PIs members. Ample evidence shows that PIs localize both to the cytoplasm and to the nucleus. However, tools for direct visualization of nuclear PIs are limited and many studies thus employ indirect approaches, such as staining of their metabolic enzymes. Since localization and mobility of PIs differ from their metabolic enzymes, these approaches may result in incomplete data. In this paper, we tested commercially available PIs antibodies by light microscopy on fixed cells, tested their specificity using protein-lipid overlay assay and blocking assay, and compared their staining patterns. Additionally, we prepared recombinant PIs-binding domains and tested them on both fixed and live cells by light microscopy. The results provide a useful overview of usability of the tools tested and stress that the selection of adequate tools is critical. Knowing the localization of individual PIs in various functional compartments should enable us to better understand the roles of PIs in the cell nucleus.

Single molecule localization imaging of telomeres and centromeres using fluorescence in situ hybridization and semiconductor quantum dots.

PubMed

Wang, Le; Zong, Shenfei; Wang, Zhuyuan; Lu, Ju; Chen, Chen; Zhang, Ruohu; Cui, Yiping

2018-07-13

Single molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) is a powerful tool for imaging biological targets at the nanoscale. In this report, we present SMLM imaging of telomeres and centromeres using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The FISH probes were fabricated by decorating CdSSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) with telomere or centromere complementary DNA strands. SMLM imaging experiments using commercially available peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probes labeled with organic fluorophores were also conducted to demonstrate the advantages of using QDs FISH probes. Compared with the PNA probes, the QDs probes have the following merits. First, the fluorescence blinking of QDs can be realized in aqueous solution or PBS buffer without thiol, which is a key buffer component for organic fluorophores' blinking. Second, fluorescence blinking of the QDs probe needs only one excitation light (i.e. 405 nm). While fluorescence blinking of the organic fluorophores usually requires two illumination lights, that is, the activation light (i.e. 405 nm) and the imaging light. Third, the high quantum yield, multiple switching times and a good optical stability make the QDs more suitable for long-term imaging. The localization precision achieved in telomeres and centromeres imaging experiments is about 30 nm, which is far beyond the diffraction limit. SMLM has enabled new insights into telomeres or centromeres on the molecular level, and it is even possible to determine the length of telomere and become a potential technique for telomere-related investigation.

Single molecule localization imaging of telomeres and centromeres using fluorescence in situ hybridization and semiconductor quantum dots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Le; Zong, Shenfei; Wang, Zhuyuan; Lu, Ju; Chen, Chen; Zhang, Ruohu; Cui, Yiping

2018-07-01

Single molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) is a powerful tool for imaging biological targets at the nanoscale. In this report, we present SMLM imaging of telomeres and centromeres using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The FISH probes were fabricated by decorating CdSSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) with telomere or centromere complementary DNA strands. SMLM imaging experiments using commercially available peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probes labeled with organic fluorophores were also conducted to demonstrate the advantages of using QDs FISH probes. Compared with the PNA probes, the QDs probes have the following merits. First, the fluorescence blinking of QDs can be realized in aqueous solution or PBS buffer without thiol, which is a key buffer component for organic fluorophores’ blinking. Second, fluorescence blinking of the QDs probe needs only one excitation light (i.e. 405 nm). While fluorescence blinking of the organic fluorophores usually requires two illumination lights, that is, the activation light (i.e. 405 nm) and the imaging light. Third, the high quantum yield, multiple switching times and a good optical stability make the QDs more suitable for long-term imaging. The localization precision achieved in telomeres and centromeres imaging experiments is about 30 nm, which is far beyond the diffraction limit. SMLM has enabled new insights into telomeres or centromeres on the molecular level, and it is even possible to determine the length of telomere and become a potential technique for telomere-related investigation.

EUCLIA—Exploring the UV/Optical Continuum Lag in Active Galactic Nuclei. I. A Model without Light Echoing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Zhen-Yi; Wang, Jun-Xian; Zhu, Fei-Fan; Sun, Mou-Yuan; Gu, Wei-Min; Cao, Xin-Wu; Yuan, Feng

2018-03-01

The tight interband correlation and the lag–wavelength relation among UV/optical continua of active galactic nuclei have been firmly established. They are usually understood within the widespread reprocessing scenario; however, the implied interband lags are generally too small. Furthermore, it is challenged by new evidence, such as that the X-ray reprocessing yields too much high-frequency UV/optical variation and that it fails to reproduce the observed timescale-dependent color variations among the Swift light curves of NGC 5548. In a different manner, we demonstrate that an upgraded inhomogeneous accretion disk model, whose local independent temperature fluctuations are subject to a speculated common large-scale temperature fluctuation, can intrinsically generate the tight interband correlation and lag across the UV/optical and be in nice agreement with several observational properties of NGC 5548, including the timescale-dependent color variation. The emergent lag is a result of the differential regression capability of local temperature fluctuations when responding to the large-scale fluctuation. An average speed of propagations as large as ≳15% of the speed of light may be required by this common fluctuation. Several potential physical mechanisms for such propagations are discussed. Our interesting phenomenological scenario may shed new light on comprehending the UV/optical continuum variations of active galactic nuclei.

Single-molecule optomechanics in "picocavities".

PubMed

Benz, Felix; Schmidt, Mikolaj K; Dreismann, Alexander; Chikkaraddy, Rohit; Zhang, Yao; Demetriadou, Angela; Carnegie, Cloudy; Ohadi, Hamid; de Nijs, Bart; Esteban, Ruben; Aizpurua, Javier; Baumberg, Jeremy J

2016-11-11

Trapping light with noble metal nanostructures overcomes the diffraction limit and can confine light to volumes typically on the order of 30 cubic nanometers. We found that individual atomic features inside the gap of a plasmonic nanoassembly can localize light to volumes well below 1 cubic nanometer ("picocavities"), enabling optical experiments on the atomic scale. These atomic features are dynamically formed and disassembled by laser irradiation. Although unstable at room temperature, picocavities can be stabilized at cryogenic temperatures, allowing single atomic cavities to be probed for many minutes. Unlike traditional optomechanical resonators, such extreme optical confinement yields a factor of 10 6 enhancement of optomechanical coupling between the picocavity field and vibrations of individual molecular bonds. This work sets the basis for developing nanoscale nonlinear quantum optics on the single-molecule level. Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

[Dynamics of Amomum villosum growth and its fruit yield cultivated under tropical forests].

PubMed

Zheng, Zheng; Gan, Jianmin; Feng, Zhili; Meng, Ying

2004-01-01

Investigations on the dynamics of Amomum villosum growth and its fruit yield cultivated under tropical ravine rainforest and secondary forest at different elevations in Xishuangbanna showed that the yield of A. villosum was influenced by the site age, sun light level of understorey, and water stress in dry season. The fruit yield and mature plant density decreased with increasing age of the A. villosum site. The fruit yield increased with sun light level when the light level in understorey was under 35% of full sun light (P < 0.05). The fruit yield at the lower site by stream was significantly higher than that at upper site (P < 0.05). The yield difference between ravine rainforest and secondary forest was not significant. Planned cultivation of A. villosum in the secondary forest of the shifting cultivation land by ravine from 800-1000 m elevation instead of customary cultivation in the ravine rainforest, could not only resolve the problem of the effect of light deficiency in understorey and water stress in the dry season on A. villosum fruit yield, but also be useful to protect the tropical ravine rain forest.

Near-infrared continuous-wave light driving a two-photon photochromic reaction with the assistance of localized surface plasmon.

PubMed

Tsuboi, Yasuyuki; Shimizu, Ryosuke; Shoji, Tatsuya; Kitamura, Noboru

2009-09-09

We demonstrate that a photochromic reaction can be driven by irradiation from a weak, near-infrared continuous-wave (NIR-CW) laser light. A two-photon ring-opening photochromic reaction of a diarylethene (DE) derivative can be induced by irradiation with a NIR-CW laser light (lambda = 808 nm). An ultrathin polymer film doped with DE in its closed form was coated onto a gold-nanoparticle-integrated glass substrate. Upon irradiation of the sample with a CW laser at low fluence (0.1-4.0 W/cm(2)), we could clearly observe bleaching of the DE (ring-opening reaction). Following the IR irradiation, the bleached absorption could be reversibly recovered by applying UV irradiation (ring-closing reaction). We verified that the yield of the photochromic ring-opening reaction of the DE was proportional to the square of the irradiation fluence. The origin of this NIR-CW-induced two-photon photochromic reaction is an "enhancing effect" that acts on the electromagnetic field (localized surface plasmon) of the gold nanoparticles. The DE interacts with the surface plasmon and receives energy from two photons, which excites it to a state from which the ring-opening reaction can be initiated.

Nighttime Supplemental LED Inter-lighting Improves Growth and Yield of Single-Truss Tomatoes by Enhancing Photosynthesis in Both Winter and Summer.

PubMed

Tewolde, Fasil T; Lu, Na; Shiina, Kouta; Maruo, Toru; Takagaki, Michiko; Kozai, Toyoki; Yamori, Wataru

2016-01-01

Greenhouses with sophisticated environmental control systems, or so-called plant factories with solar light, enable growers to achieve high yields of produce with desirable qualities. In a greenhouse crop with high planting density, low photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) at the lower leaves tends to limit plant growth, especially in the winter when the solar altitude and PPFD at the canopy are low and day length is shorter than in summer. Therefore, providing supplemental lighting to the lower canopy can increase year-round productivity. However, supplemental lighting can be expensive. In some places, the cost of electricity is lower at night, but the effect of using supplemental light at night has not yet been examined. In this study, we examined the effects of supplemental LED inter-lighting (LED inter-lighting hereafter) during the daytime or nighttime on photosynthesis, growth, and yield of single-truss tomato plants both in winter and summer. We used LED inter-lighting modules with combined red and blue light to illuminate lower leaves right after the first anthesis. The PPFD of this light was 165 μmol m(-2) s(-1) measured at 10 cm from the LED module. LED inter-lighting was provided from 4:00 am to 4:00 pm for the daytime treatments and from 10:00 pm to 10:00 am for the nighttime treatments. Plants exposed only to solar light were used as controls. Daytime LED inter-lighting increased the photosynthetic capacity of middle and lower canopy leaves, which significantly increased yield by 27% in winter; however, photosynthetic capacity and yield were not significantly increased during summer. Nighttime LED inter-lighting increased photosynthetic capacity in both winter and summer, and yield increased by 24% in winter and 12% in summer. In addition, nighttime LED inter-lighting in winter significantly increased the total soluble solids and ascorbic acid content of the tomato fruits, by 20 and 25%, respectively. Use of nighttime LED inter-lighting was also more cost-effective than daytime inter-lighting. Thus, nighttime LED inter-lighting can effectively improve tomato plant growth and yield with lower energy cost compared with daytime both in summer and winter.

Nighttime Supplemental LED Inter-lighting Improves Growth and Yield of Single-Truss Tomatoes by Enhancing Photosynthesis in Both Winter and Summer

PubMed Central

Tewolde, Fasil T.; Lu, Na; Shiina, Kouta; Maruo, Toru; Takagaki, Michiko; Kozai, Toyoki; Yamori, Wataru

2016-01-01

Greenhouses with sophisticated environmental control systems, or so-called plant factories with solar light, enable growers to achieve high yields of produce with desirable qualities. In a greenhouse crop with high planting density, low photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) at the lower leaves tends to limit plant growth, especially in the winter when the solar altitude and PPFD at the canopy are low and day length is shorter than in summer. Therefore, providing supplemental lighting to the lower canopy can increase year-round productivity. However, supplemental lighting can be expensive. In some places, the cost of electricity is lower at night, but the effect of using supplemental light at night has not yet been examined. In this study, we examined the effects of supplemental LED inter-lighting (LED inter-lighting hereafter) during the daytime or nighttime on photosynthesis, growth, and yield of single-truss tomato plants both in winter and summer. We used LED inter-lighting modules with combined red and blue light to illuminate lower leaves right after the first anthesis. The PPFD of this light was 165 μmol m-2 s-1 measured at 10 cm from the LED module. LED inter-lighting was provided from 4:00 am to 4:00 pm for the daytime treatments and from 10:00 pm to 10:00 am for the nighttime treatments. Plants exposed only to solar light were used as controls. Daytime LED inter-lighting increased the photosynthetic capacity of middle and lower canopy leaves, which significantly increased yield by 27% in winter; however, photosynthetic capacity and yield were not significantly increased during summer. Nighttime LED inter-lighting increased photosynthetic capacity in both winter and summer, and yield increased by 24% in winter and 12% in summer. In addition, nighttime LED inter-lighting in winter significantly increased the total soluble solids and ascorbic acid content of the tomato fruits, by 20 and 25%, respectively. Use of nighttime LED inter-lighting was also more cost-effective than daytime inter-lighting. Thus, nighttime LED inter-lighting can effectively improve tomato plant growth and yield with lower energy cost compared with daytime both in summer and winter. PMID:27092163

Red light and carbon dioxide differentially affect growth, lipid production, and quality in the microalga, Ettlia oleoabundans.

PubMed

Yang, Ying; Weathers, Pamela

2015-01-01

Ettlia oleoabundans, a freshwater unicellular green microalga, was grown under different light qualities ± carbon dioxide-enriched air to determine the combined effects on growth and lipid production of this oleaginous species. Keeping total light intensity constant, when a portion of the cool white was replaced by red, volumetric lipid yield increased 2.8-fold mainly due to the greater yield of oleic acid, a desirable biodiesel precursor. Only 30 min of red light treatment was sufficient to increase lipid yield and quality to the same level as cultures provided red light for >14 days, indicating the potential role of red light in stimulating lipid production of this species. Carbon dioxide enrichment via air sparging enhanced exponential growth, carbon conversion efficiency, and nutrient consumption. Together, these results showed that light quality plays an important role in microalgal lipid production. Adjustment in light quality and gas delivery efficiency with carbon dioxide enrichment improved lipid yield and quality in this and possibly other oleaginous algal species.

Discrete Electronic Bands in Semiconductors and Insulators: Potential High-Light-Yield Scintillators

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

Shi, Hongliang; Du, Mao-Hua

Bulk semiconductors and insulators typically have continuous valence and conduction bands. In this paper, we show that valence and conduction bands of a multinary semiconductor or insulator can be split to narrow discrete bands separated by large energy gaps. This unique electronic structure is demonstrated by first-principles calculations in several quaternary elpasolite compounds, i.e., Cs 2NaInBr 6, Cs 2NaBiCl 6, and Tl 2NaBiCl 6. The narrow discrete band structure in these quaternary elpasolites is due to the large electronegativity difference among cations and the large nearest-neighbor distances in cation sublattices. We further use Cs 2NaInBr 6 as an example tomore » show that the narrow bands can stabilize self-trapped and dopant-bound excitons (in which both the electron and the hole are strongly localized in static positions on adjacent sites) and promote strong exciton emission at room temperature. The discrete band structure should further suppress thermalization of hot carriers and may lead to enhanced impact ionization, which is usually considered inefficient in bulk semiconductors and insulators. Finally, these characteristics can enable efficient room-temperature light emission in low-gap scintillators and may overcome the light-yield bottleneck in current scintillator research.« less

Discrete Electronic Bands in Semiconductors and Insulators: Potential High-Light-Yield Scintillators

DOE PAGES

Shi, Hongliang; Du, Mao-Hua

2015-05-12

Bulk semiconductors and insulators typically have continuous valence and conduction bands. In this paper, we show that valence and conduction bands of a multinary semiconductor or insulator can be split to narrow discrete bands separated by large energy gaps. This unique electronic structure is demonstrated by first-principles calculations in several quaternary elpasolite compounds, i.e., Cs 2NaInBr 6, Cs 2NaBiCl 6, and Tl 2NaBiCl 6. The narrow discrete band structure in these quaternary elpasolites is due to the large electronegativity difference among cations and the large nearest-neighbor distances in cation sublattices. We further use Cs 2NaInBr 6 as an example tomore » show that the narrow bands can stabilize self-trapped and dopant-bound excitons (in which both the electron and the hole are strongly localized in static positions on adjacent sites) and promote strong exciton emission at room temperature. The discrete band structure should further suppress thermalization of hot carriers and may lead to enhanced impact ionization, which is usually considered inefficient in bulk semiconductors and insulators. Finally, these characteristics can enable efficient room-temperature light emission in low-gap scintillators and may overcome the light-yield bottleneck in current scintillator research.« less

Long helical filaments are not seen encircling cells in electron cryotomograms of rod-shaped bacteria

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

Swulius, Matthew T.; Chen, Songye; Jane Ding, H.

2011-04-22

Highlights: {yields} No long helical filaments are seen near or along rod-shaped bacterial inner membranes by electron cryo-tomography. {yields} Electron cryo-tomography has the resolution to detect single filaments in vivo. -- Abstract: How rod-shaped bacteria form and maintain their shape is an important question in bacterial cell biology. Results from fluorescent light microscopy have led many to believe that the actin homolog MreB and a number of other proteins form long helical filaments along the inner membrane of the cell. Here we show using electron cryotomography of six different rod-shaped bacterial species, at macromolecular resolution, that no long (>80 nm)more » helical filaments exist near or along either surface of the inner membrane. We also use correlated cryo-fluorescent light microscopy (cryo-fLM) and electron cryo-tomography (ECT) to identify cytoplasmic bundles of MreB, showing that MreB filaments are detectable by ECT. In light of these results, the structure and function of MreB must be reconsidered: instead of acting as a large, rigid scaffold that localizes cell-wall synthetic machinery, moving MreB complexes may apply tension to growing peptidoglycan strands to ensure their orderly, linear insertion.« less

Combining Deep and Handcrafted Image Features for Presentation Attack Detection in Face Recognition Systems Using Visible-Light Camera Sensors

PubMed Central

Nguyen, Dat Tien; Pham, Tuyen Danh; Baek, Na Rae; Park, Kang Ryoung

2018-01-01

Although face recognition systems have wide application, they are vulnerable to presentation attack samples (fake samples). Therefore, a presentation attack detection (PAD) method is required to enhance the security level of face recognition systems. Most of the previously proposed PAD methods for face recognition systems have focused on using handcrafted image features, which are designed by expert knowledge of designers, such as Gabor filter, local binary pattern (LBP), local ternary pattern (LTP), and histogram of oriented gradients (HOG). As a result, the extracted features reflect limited aspects of the problem, yielding a detection accuracy that is low and varies with the characteristics of presentation attack face images. The deep learning method has been developed in the computer vision research community, which is proven to be suitable for automatically training a feature extractor that can be used to enhance the ability of handcrafted features. To overcome the limitations of previously proposed PAD methods, we propose a new PAD method that uses a combination of deep and handcrafted features extracted from the images by visible-light camera sensor. Our proposed method uses the convolutional neural network (CNN) method to extract deep image features and the multi-level local binary pattern (MLBP) method to extract skin detail features from face images to discriminate the real and presentation attack face images. By combining the two types of image features, we form a new type of image features, called hybrid features, which has stronger discrimination ability than single image features. Finally, we use the support vector machine (SVM) method to classify the image features into real or presentation attack class. Our experimental results indicate that our proposed method outperforms previous PAD methods by yielding the smallest error rates on the same image databases. PMID:29495417

Combining Deep and Handcrafted Image Features for Presentation Attack Detection in Face Recognition Systems Using Visible-Light Camera Sensors.

PubMed

Nguyen, Dat Tien; Pham, Tuyen Danh; Baek, Na Rae; Park, Kang Ryoung

2018-02-26

Although face recognition systems have wide application, they are vulnerable to presentation attack samples (fake samples). Therefore, a presentation attack detection (PAD) method is required to enhance the security level of face recognition systems. Most of the previously proposed PAD methods for face recognition systems have focused on using handcrafted image features, which are designed by expert knowledge of designers, such as Gabor filter, local binary pattern (LBP), local ternary pattern (LTP), and histogram of oriented gradients (HOG). As a result, the extracted features reflect limited aspects of the problem, yielding a detection accuracy that is low and varies with the characteristics of presentation attack face images. The deep learning method has been developed in the computer vision research community, which is proven to be suitable for automatically training a feature extractor that can be used to enhance the ability of handcrafted features. To overcome the limitations of previously proposed PAD methods, we propose a new PAD method that uses a combination of deep and handcrafted features extracted from the images by visible-light camera sensor. Our proposed method uses the convolutional neural network (CNN) method to extract deep image features and the multi-level local binary pattern (MLBP) method to extract skin detail features from face images to discriminate the real and presentation attack face images. By combining the two types of image features, we form a new type of image features, called hybrid features, which has stronger discrimination ability than single image features. Finally, we use the support vector machine (SVM) method to classify the image features into real or presentation attack class. Our experimental results indicate that our proposed method outperforms previous PAD methods by yielding the smallest error rates on the same image databases.

Power-controlled transition from standard to negative refraction in reorientational soft matter.

PubMed

Piccardi, Armando; Alberucci, Alessandro; Kravets, Nina; Buchnev, Oleksandr; Assanto, Gaetano

2014-11-25

Refraction at a dielectric interface can take an anomalous character in anisotropic crystals, when light is negatively refracted with incident and refracted beams emerging on the same side of the interface normal. In soft matter subject to reorientation, such as nematic liquid crystals, the nonlinear interaction with light allows tuning of the optical properties. We demonstrate that in such material a beam of light can experience either positive or negative refraction depending on input power, as it can alter the spatial distribution of the optic axis and, in turn, the direction of the energy flow when traveling across an interface. Moreover, the nonlinear optical response yields beam self-focusing and spatial localization into a self-confined solitary wave through the formation of a graded-index waveguide, linking the refractive transition to power-driven readdressing of copolarized guided-wave signals, with a number of output ports not limited by diffraction.

LED Lighting – Modification of Growth, Metabolism, Yield and Flour Composition in Wheat by Spectral Quality and Intensity

PubMed Central

Monostori, István; Heilmann, Márk; Kocsy, Gábor; Rakszegi, Marianna; Ahres, Mohamed; Altenbach, Susan B.; Szalai, Gabriella; Pál, Magda; Toldi, Dávid; Simon-Sarkadi, Livia; Harnos, Noémi; Galiba, Gábor; Darko, Éva

2018-01-01

The use of light-emitting diode (LED) technology for plant cultivation under controlled environmental conditions can result in significant reductions in energy consumption. However, there is still a lack of detailed information on the lighting conditions required for optimal growth of different plant species and the effects of light intensity and spectral composition on plant metabolism and nutritional quality. In the present study, wheat plants were grown under six regimens designed to compare the effects of LED and conventional fluorescent lights on growth and development, leaf photosynthesis, thiol and amino acid metabolism as well as grain yield and flour quality of wheat. Benefits of LED light sources over fluorescent lighting were manifested in both yield and quality of wheat. Elevated light intensities made possible with LEDs increased photosynthetic activity, the number of tillers, biomass and yield. At lower light intensities, blue, green and far-red light operated antagonistically during the stem elongation period. High photosynthetic activity was achieved when at least 50% of red light was applied during cultivation. A high proportion of blue light prolonged the juvenile phase, while the shortest flowering time was achieved when the blue to red ratio was around one. Blue and far-red light affected the glutathione- and proline-dependent redox environment in leaves. LEDs, especially in Blue, Pink and Red Low Light (RedLL) regimens improved flour quality by modifying starch and protein content, dough strength and extensibility as demonstrated by the ratios of high to low molecular weight glutenins, ratios of glutenins to gliadins and gluten spread values. These results clearly show that LEDs are efficient for experimental wheat cultivation, and make it possible to optimize the growth conditions and to manipulate metabolism, yield and quality through modification of light quality and quantity. PMID:29780400

LED Lighting - Modification of Growth, Metabolism, Yield and Flour Composition in Wheat by Spectral Quality and Intensity.

PubMed

Monostori, István; Heilmann, Márk; Kocsy, Gábor; Rakszegi, Marianna; Ahres, Mohamed; Altenbach, Susan B; Szalai, Gabriella; Pál, Magda; Toldi, Dávid; Simon-Sarkadi, Livia; Harnos, Noémi; Galiba, Gábor; Darko, Éva

2018-01-01

The use of light-emitting diode (LED) technology for plant cultivation under controlled environmental conditions can result in significant reductions in energy consumption. However, there is still a lack of detailed information on the lighting conditions required for optimal growth of different plant species and the effects of light intensity and spectral composition on plant metabolism and nutritional quality. In the present study, wheat plants were grown under six regimens designed to compare the effects of LED and conventional fluorescent lights on growth and development, leaf photosynthesis, thiol and amino acid metabolism as well as grain yield and flour quality of wheat. Benefits of LED light sources over fluorescent lighting were manifested in both yield and quality of wheat. Elevated light intensities made possible with LEDs increased photosynthetic activity, the number of tillers, biomass and yield. At lower light intensities, blue, green and far-red light operated antagonistically during the stem elongation period. High photosynthetic activity was achieved when at least 50% of red light was applied during cultivation. A high proportion of blue light prolonged the juvenile phase, while the shortest flowering time was achieved when the blue to red ratio was around one. Blue and far-red light affected the glutathione- and proline-dependent redox environment in leaves. LEDs, especially in Blue, Pink and Red Low Light (RedLL) regimens improved flour quality by modifying starch and protein content, dough strength and extensibility as demonstrated by the ratios of high to low molecular weight glutenins, ratios of glutenins to gliadins and gluten spread values. These results clearly show that LEDs are efficient for experimental wheat cultivation, and make it possible to optimize the growth conditions and to manipulate metabolism, yield and quality through modification of light quality and quantity.

Characterizing Scitillation and Cherenkov Light Yield in Water-Based Liquid Scintillators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Land, B. J.; Caravaca, J.; Descamps, F. B.; Orebi Gann, G. D.

2016-03-01

The recent development of Water-based Liquid Scintillator (WbLS) has made it possible to produce scintillating materials with highly tunable light yields and excellent optical clarity. This allows for a straightforward combination of the directional properties of Cherenkov light with the greater energy resolution afforded by the typically brighter scintillation light, which lends itself well to a broad program of neutrino physics. Here we explore the light yields and optical properties of WbLS materials in development for Theia (formerly ASDC) as measured in our benchtop Theia R&D at Berkeley Lab and extrapolate to larger detectors.

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

Xu, Yishuai; Chiu, Janet; Miao, Lin

Three-dimensional topological insulators are bulk insulators with Z 2 topological electronic order that gives rise to conducting light-like surface states. These surface electrons are exceptionally resistant to localization by non-magnetic disorder, and have been adopted as the basis for a wide range of proposals to achieve new quasiparticle species and device functionality. Recent studies have yielded a surprise by showing that in spite of resisting localization, topological insulator surface electrons can be reshaped by defects into distinctive resonance states. Here we use numerical simulations and scanning tunnelling microscopy data to show that these resonance states have significance well beyond themore » localized regime usually associated with impurity bands. Lastly, at native densities in the model Bi 2X 3 (X=Bi, Te) compounds, defect resonance states are predicted to generate a new quantum basis for an emergent electron gas that supports diffusive electrical transport.« less

Synthesis of crystalline Ce-activated garnet phosphor powders and technique to characterize their scintillation light yield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gordienko, E.; Fedorov, A.; Radiuk, E.; Mechinsky, V.; Dosovitskiy, G.; Vashchenkova, E.; Kuznetsova, D.; Retivov, V.; Dosovitskiy, A.; Korjik, M.; Sandu, R.

2018-04-01

This work reports on a process of preparation of garnet phosphor powders and a technique for light yield evaluation of strongly light scattering samples. Powders of scintillation compounds could be used as individual materials or as samples for express tests of scintillation properties. However, estimation of their light yield (LY) is complicated by strong light scattering of this kind of materials. Ce3+-activated yttrium-aluminum and gallium-gadolinium-aluminum garnet phosphor powders, Y3Al5O12 (YAG:Ce) and Gd3Ga3Al2O12 (GGAG:Ce), were obtained using a modified coprecipitation technique. Ga tends to residue in mother liquor in ammonia media, but the modification allows to avoid the loss of components. We propose an approach for sample preparation and LY measurement setup with alpha particles excitation, allowing to decrease light scattering influence and to estimate a light yield of powder samples. This approach is used to evaluate the obtained powders.

CT contrast predicts pancreatic cancer treatment response to verteporfin-based photodynamic therapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jermyn, Michael; Davis, Scott C.; Dehghani, Hamid; Huggett, Matthew T.; Hasan, Tayyaba; Pereira, Stephen P.; Bown, Stephen G.; Pogue, Brian W.

2014-04-01

The goal of this study was to determine dominant factors affecting treatment response in pancreatic cancer photodynamic therapy (PDT), based on clinically available information in the VERTPAC-01 trial. This trial investigated the safety and efficacy of verteporfin PDT in 15 patients with locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma. CT scans before and after contrast enhancement from the 15 patients in the VERTPAC-01 trial were used to determine venous-phase blood contrast enhancement and this was correlated with necrotic volume determined from post-treatment CT scans, along with estimation of optical absorption in the pancreas for use in light modeling of the PDT treatment. Energy threshold contours yielded estimates for necrotic volume based on this light modeling. Both contrast-derived venous blood content and necrotic volume from light modeling yielded strong correlations with observed necrotic volume (R2 = 0.85 and 0.91, respectively). These correlations were much stronger than those obtained by correlating energy delivered versus necrotic volume in the VERTPAC-01 study and in retrospective analysis from a prior clinical study. This demonstrates that contrast CT can provide key surrogate dosimetry information to assess treatment response. It also implies that light attenuation is likely the dominant factor in the VERTPAC treatment response, as opposed to other factors such as drug distribution. This study is the first to show that contrast CT provides needed surrogate dosimetry information to predict treatment response in a manner which uses standard-of-care clinical images, rather than invasive dosimetry methods.

Motorist actions at a crosswalk with an in-pavement flashing light system.

PubMed

Karkee, Ganesh J; Nambisan, Shashi S; Pulugurtha, Srinivas S

2010-12-01

An in-pavement flashing light system is used at crosswalks to alert motorists and pedestrians of possible conflicts and to influence their behavior to enhance safety. The relative behaviors of the drivers and the pedestrians affect safety. An evaluation of motorist behavior at a pedestrian crosswalk with an in-pavement flashing light system is presented in this manuscript. Field observations provide the basis to evaluate motorist behavior at a crosswalk with an in-pavement flashing light system. Outcomes of pedestrian and motorists actions were observed to quantify measures of effectiveness (MOEs) such as yielding behavior of motorists, vehicle speeds, and yielding distance from the crosswalk. A before-and-after study design was used. The before condition was prior to the activation of the in-pavement flashing light system and the after condition was after the activation of the in-pavement flashing light system. The study was conducted on a relatively low-volume roadway located in the Henderson, Nevada. The significance of the differences in the MOEs between the 2 study periods was evaluated using statistical analysis tools such as a one-tailed test for proportions and the Welch-Satterthwaite t-test. The results show that the installation of the in-pavement flashing light system increased the yielding behavior of motorists significantly (P < 0.001). The vehicular speeds decreased when pedestrians were waiting at the curb to cross and when they were crossing (P < 0.001). Motorists yielded to pedestrians on an average about 3 m (∼10 feet) upstream from the yield markings and the yielding distances were consistent in both directions. The in-pavement flashing light system is seen to be effective to improve motorists' yielding behavior and the speeds of vehicles were also observed to decrease in the presence of pedestrians.

Light yield in DarkSide-10: A prototype two-phase argon TPC for dark matter searches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alexander, T.; Alton, D.; Arisaka, K.; Back, H. O.; Beltrame, P.; Benziger, J.; Bonfini, G.; Brigatti, A.; Brodsky, J.; Cadonati, L.; Calaprice, F.; Candela, A.; Cao, H.; Cavalcante, P.; Chavarria, A.; Chepurnov, A.; Cline, D.; Cocco, A. G.; Condon, C.; D'Angelo, D.; Davini, S.; De Haas, E.; Derbin, A.; Di Pietro, G.; Dratchnev, I.; Durben, D.; Empl, A.; Etenko, A.; Fan, A.; Fiorillo, G.; Fomenko, K.; Gabriele, F.; Galbiati, C.; Gazzana, S.; Ghag, C.; Ghiano, C.; Goretti, A.; Grandi, L.; Gromov, M.; Guan, M.; Guo, C.; Guray, G.; Hungerford, E. V.; Ianni, Al.; Ianni, An.; Kayunov, A.; Keeter, K.; Kendziora, C.; Kidner, S.; Kobychev, V.; Koh, G.; Korablev, D.; Korga, G.; Shields, E.; Li, P.; Loer, B.; Lombardi, P.; Love, C.; Ludhova, L.; Lukyanchenko, L.; Lund, A.; Lung, K.; Ma, Y.; Machulin, I.; Maricic, J.; Martoff, C. J.; Meng, Y.; Meroni, E.; Meyers, P. D.; Mohayai, T.; Montanari, D.; Montuschi, M.; Mosteiro, P.; Mount, B.; Muratova, V.; Nelson, A.; Nemtzow, A.; Nurakhov, N.; Orsini, M.; Ortica, F.; Pallavicini, M.; Pantic, E.; Parmeggiano, S.; Parsells, R.; Pelliccia, N.; Perasso, L.; Perfetto, F.; Pinsky, L.; Pocar, A.; Pordes, S.; Ranucci, G.; Razeto, A.; Romani, A.; Rossi, N.; Saggese, P.; Saldanha, R.; Salvo, C.; Sands, W.; Seigar, M.; Semenov, D.; Skorokhvatov, M.; Smirnov, O.; Sotnikov, A.; Sukhotin, S.; Suvorov, Y.; Tartaglia, R.; Tatarowicz, J.; Testera, G.; Teymourian, A.; Thompson, J.; Unzhakov, E.; Vogelaar, R. B.; Wang, H.; Westerdale, S.; Wojcik, M.; Wright, A.; Xu, J.; Yang, C.; Zavatarelli, S.; Zehfus, M.; Zhong, W.; Zuzel, G.

2013-09-01

As part of the DarkSide program of direct dark matter searches using two-phase argon TPCs, a prototype detector with an active volume containing 10 kg of liquid argon, DarkSide-10, was built and operated underground in the Gran Sasso National Laboratory in Italy. A critically important parameter for such devices is the scintillation light yield, as photon statistics limits the rejection of electron-recoil backgrounds by pulse shape discrimination. We have measured the light yield of DarkSide-10 using the readily-identifiable full-absorption peaks from gamma ray sources combined with single-photoelectron calibrations using low-occupancy laser pulses. For gamma lines of energies in the range 122-1275 keV, we get light yields averaging 8.887±0.003(stat)±0.444(sys) p.e./keVee. With additional purification, the light yield measured at 511 keV increased to 9.142±0.006(stat) p.e./keVee.

Photomorphogenesis, photosynthesis, and seed yield of wheat plants grown under red light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with and without supplemental blue lighting

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goins, G. D.; Yorio, N. C.; Sanwo, M. M.; Brown, C. S.; Sager, J. C. (Principal Investigator)

1997-01-01

Red light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are a potential light source for growing plants in spaceflight systems because of their safety, small mass and volume, wavelength specificity, and longevity. Despite these attractive features, red LEDs must satisfy requirements for plant photosynthesis and photomorphogenesis for successful growth and seed yield. To determine the influence of gallium aluminium arsenide (GaAlAs) red LEDs on wheat photomorphogenesis, photosynthesis, and seed yield, wheat (Triticum aestivum L., cv. 'USU-Super Dwarf') plants were grown under red LEDs and compared to plants grown under daylight fluorescent (white) lamps and red LEDs supplemented with either 1% or 10% blue light from blue fluorescent (BF) lamps. Compared to white light-grown plants, wheat grown under red LEDs alone demonstrated less main culm development during vegetative growth through preanthesis, while showing a longer flag leaf at 40 DAP and greater main culm length at final harvest (70 DAP). As supplemental BF light was increased with red LEDs, shoot dry matter and net leaf photosynthesis rate increased. At final harvest, wheat grown under red LEDs alone displayed fewer subtillers and a lower seed yield compared to plants grown under white light. Wheat grown under red LEDs+10% BF light had comparable shoot dry matter accumulation and seed yield relative to wheat grown under white light. These results indicate that wheat can complete its life cycle under red LEDs alone, but larger plants and greater amounts of seed are produced in the presence of red LEDs supplemented with a quantity of blue light.

Manipulation of local optical properties and structures in molybdenum-disulfide monolayers using electric field-assisted near-field techniques.

PubMed

Nozaki, Junji; Fukumura, Musashi; Aoki, Takaaki; Maniwa, Yutaka; Yomogida, Yohei; Yanagi, Kazuhiro

2017-04-05

Remarkable optical properties, such as quantum light emission and large optical nonlinearity, have been observed in peculiar local sites of transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers, and the ability to tune such properties is of great importance for their optoelectronic applications. For that purpose, it is crucial to elucidate and tune their local optical properties simultaneously. Here, we develop an electric field-assisted near-field technique. Using this technique we can clarify and tune the local optical properties simultaneously with a spatial resolution of approximately 100 nm due to the electric field from the cantilever. The photoluminescence at local sites in molybdenum-disulfide (MoS 2 ) monolayers is reversibly modulated, and the inhomogeneity of the charge neutral points and quantum yields is suggested. We successfully etch MoS 2 crystals and fabricate nanoribbons using near-field techniques in combination with an electric field. This study creates a way to tune the local optical properties and to freely design the structural shapes of atomic monolayers using near-field optics.

Strontium and barium iodide high light yield scintillators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cherepy, Nerine J.; Hull, Giulia; Drobshoff, Alexander D.; Payne, Stephen A.; van Loef, Edgar; Wilson, Cody M.; Shah, Kanai S.; Roy, Utpal N.; Burger, Arnold; Boatner, Lynn A.; Choong, Woon-Seng; Moses, William W.

2008-02-01

Europium-doped strontium and barium iodide are found to be readily growable by the Bridgman method and to produce high scintillation light yields. SrI2(Eu ) emits into the Eu2+ band, centered at 435nm, with a decay time of 1.2μs and a light yield of ˜90000photons/MeV. It offers energy resolution better than 4% full width at half maximum at 662keV, and exhibits excellent light yield proportionality. BaI2(Eu ) produces >30000photons/MeV into the Eu2+ band at 420nm (<1μs decay). An additional broad impurity-mediated recombination band is present at 550nm (>3μs decay), unless high-purity feedstock is used.

Chemical evolution with rotating massive star yields - I. The solar neighbourhood and the s-process elements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prantzos, N.; Abia, C.; Limongi, M.; Chieffi, A.; Cristallo, S.

2018-05-01

We present a comprehensive study of the abundance evolution of the elements from H to U in the Milky Way halo and local disc. We use a consistent chemical evolution model, metallicity-dependent isotopic yields from low and intermediate mass stars and yields from massive stars which include, for the first time, the combined effect of metallicity, mass loss, and rotation for a large grid of stellar masses and for all stages of stellar evolution. The yields of massive stars are weighted by a metallicity-dependent function of the rotational velocities, constrained by observations as to obtain a primary-like 14N behaviour at low metallicity and to avoid overproduction of s-elements at intermediate metallicities. We show that the Solar system isotopic composition can be reproduced to better than a factor of 2 for isotopes up to the Fe-peak, and at the 10 per cent level for most pure s-isotopes, both light ones (resulting from the weak s-process in rotating massive stars) and the heavy ones (resulting from the main s-process in low and intermediate mass stars). We conclude that the light element primary process (LEPP), invoked to explain the apparent abundance deficiency of the s-elements with A < 100, is not necessary. We also reproduce the evolution of the heavy to light s-elements abundance ratio ([hs/ls]) - recently observed in unevolved thin disc stars - as a result of the contribution of rotating massive stars at sub-solar metallicities. We find that those stars produce primary F and dominate its solar abundance and we confirm their role in the observed primary behaviour of N. In contrast, we show that their action is insufficient to explain the small observed values of ^{12}C/^{13}C in halo red giants, which is rather due to internal processes in those stars.

One pot synthesis of highly luminescent polyethylene glycol anchored carbon dots functionalized with a nuclear localization signal peptide for cell nucleus imaging.

PubMed

Yang, Lei; Jiang, Weihua; Qiu, Lipeng; Jiang, Xuewei; Zuo, Daiying; Wang, Dongkai; Yang, Li

2015-04-14

Strong blue fluorescent polyethylene glycol (PEG) anchored carbon nitride dots (CDs@PEG) with a high quantum yield (QY) of 75.8% have been synthesized by a one step hydrothermal treatment. CDs with a diameter of ca. 6 nm are well dispersed in water and present a graphite-like structure. Photoluminescence (PL) studies reveal that CDs display excitation-dependent behavior and are stable under various test conditions. Based on the as-prepared CDs, we designed novel cell nucleus targeting imaging carbon dots functionalized with a nuclear localization signal (NLS) peptide. The favourable biocompatibilities of CDs and NLS modified CDs (NLS-CDs) are confirmed by in vitro cytotoxicity assays. Importantly, intracellular localization experiments in MCF7 and A549 cells demonstrate that NLS-CDs could be internalized in the nucleus and show blue light, which indicates that CDs may serve as cell nucleus imaging probes.

Mechanical stability of a microscope setup working at a few kelvins for single-molecule localization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hinohara, Takuya; Hamada, Yuki I.; Nakamura, Ippei; Matsushita, Michio; Fujiyoshi, Satoru

2013-06-01

A great advantage of single-molecule fluorescence imaging is the localization precision of molecule beyond the diffraction limit. Although longer signal-acquisition yields higher precision, acquisition time at room temperature is normally limited by photobleaching, thermal diffusion, and so on. At low temperature of a few kelvins, much longer acquisition is possible and will improve precision if the sample and the objective are held stably enough. The present work examined holding stability of the sample and objective at 1.5 K in superfluid helium in the helium bath. The stability was evaluated by localization precision of a point scattering source of a polymer bead. Scattered light was collected by the objective, and imaged by a home-built rigid imaging unit. The standard deviation of the centroid position determined for 800 images taken continuously in 17 min was 0.5 nm in the horizontal and 0.9 nm in the vertical directions.

Disorder enabled band structure engineering of a topological insulator surface

DOE PAGES

Xu, Yishuai; Chiu, Janet; Miao, Lin; ...

2017-02-03

Three-dimensional topological insulators are bulk insulators with Z 2 topological electronic order that gives rise to conducting light-like surface states. These surface electrons are exceptionally resistant to localization by non-magnetic disorder, and have been adopted as the basis for a wide range of proposals to achieve new quasiparticle species and device functionality. Recent studies have yielded a surprise by showing that in spite of resisting localization, topological insulator surface electrons can be reshaped by defects into distinctive resonance states. Here we use numerical simulations and scanning tunnelling microscopy data to show that these resonance states have significance well beyond themore » localized regime usually associated with impurity bands. Lastly, at native densities in the model Bi 2X 3 (X=Bi, Te) compounds, defect resonance states are predicted to generate a new quantum basis for an emergent electron gas that supports diffusive electrical transport.« less

The influence of day/night cycles on biomass yield and composition of Neochloris oleoabundans.

PubMed

de Winter, Lenneke; Cabanelas, Iago Teles Dominguez; Martens, Dirk E; Wijffels, René H; Barbosa, Maria J

2017-01-01

Day/night cycles regulate the circadian clock of organisms to program daily activities. Many species of microalgae have a synchronized cell division when grown under a day/night cycle, and synchronization might influence biomass yield and composition. Therefore, the aim of this study was to study the influence of day/night cycle on biomass yield and composition of the green microalgae Neochloris oleoabundans . Hence, we compared continuous turbidostat cultures grown under continuous light with cultures grown under simulated day/night cycles. Under day/night cycles, cultures were synchronized as cell division was scheduled in the night, whereas under continuous light cell division occurred randomly synchronized cultures were able to use the light 10-15% more efficiently than non-synchronized cultures. Our results indicate that the efficiency of light use varies over the cell cycle and that synchronized cell division provides a fitness benefit to microalgae. Biomass composition under day/night cycles was similar to continuous light, with the exception of starch content. The starch content was higher in cultures under continuous light, most likely because the cells never had to respire starch to cover for maintenance during dark periods. Day/night cycles were provided in a 'block' (continuous light intensity during the light period) and in a 'sine' (using a sine function to simulate light intensities from sunrise to sunset). There were no differences in biomass yield or composition between these two ways of providing light (in a 'block' or in a 'sine'). The biomass yield and composition of N. oleoabundans were influenced by day/night cycles. These results are important to better understand the relations between research done under continuous light conditions and with day/night cycle conditions. Our findings also imply that more research should be done under day/night cycles.

Dual-Function Au@Y2O3:Eu3+ Smart Film for Enhanced Power Conversion Efficiency and Long-Term Stability of Perovskite Solar Cells.

PubMed

Kim, Chang Woo; Eom, Tae Young; Yang, In Seok; Kim, Byung Su; Lee, Wan In; Kang, Yong Soo; Kang, Young Soo

2017-07-28

In the present study, a dual-functional smart film combining the effects of wavelength conversion and amplification of the converted wave by the localized surface plasmon resonance has been investigated for a perovskite solar cell. This dual-functional film, composed of Au nanoparticles coated on the surface of Y 2 O 3 :Eu 3+ phosphor (Au@Y 2 O 3 :Eu 3+ ) nanoparticle monolayer, enhances the solar energy conversion efficiency to electrical energy and long-term stability of photovoltaic cells. Coupling between the Y 2 O 3 :Eu 3+ phosphor monolayer and ultraviolet solar light induces the latter to be converted into visible light with a quantum yield above 80%. Concurrently, the Au nanoparticle monolayer on the phosphor nanoparticle monolayer amplifies the converted visible light by up to 170%. This synergy leads to an increased solar light energy conversion efficiency of perovskite solar cells. Simultaneously, the dual-function film suppresses the photodegradation of perovskite by UV light, resulting in long-term stability. Introducing the hybrid smart Au@Y 2 O 3 :Eu 3+ film in perovskite solar cells increases their overall solar-to-electrical energy conversion efficiency to 16.1% and enhances long-term stability, as compared to the value of 15.2% for standard perovskite solar cells. The synergism between the wavelength conversion effect of the phosphor nanoparticle monolayer and the wave amplification by the localized surface plasmon resonance of the Au nanoparticle monolayer in a perovskite solar cell is comparatively investigated, providing a viable strategy of broadening the solar spectrum utilization.

Development of high yielding photonic light delivery system for photodynamic therapy of esophageal carcinomas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Premasiri, Amaranath; Happawana, Gemunu; Rosen, Arye

2007-02-01

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an approved treatment modality for Barrett's and invasive esophageal carcinoma. Proper Combination of photosentizing agent, oxygen, and a specific wavelength of light to activate the photosentizing agents is necessary for the cytotoxic destruction of cancerous cells by PDT. As a light source expensive solid-state laser sources currently are being used for the treatment. Inexpensive semiconductor lasers have been suggested for the light delivery system, however packaging of semiconductor lasers for optimal optical power output is challenging. In this paper, we present a multidirectional direct water-cooling of semiconductor lasers that provides a better efficiency than the conventional unidirectional cooling. AlGaAsP lasers were tested under de-ionized (DI) water and it is shown that the optical power output of the lasers under the DI water is much higher than that of the uni-directional cooling of lasers. Also, in this paper we discuss how direct DI water-cooling can optimize power output of semiconductor lasers. Thereafter an optimal design of the semiconductor laser package is shown with the DI water-cooling system. Further, a microwave antenna is designed which is to be imprinted on to a balloon catheter in order to provide local heating of esophagus, leading to an increase in local oxygenation of the tumor to generate an effective level of singlet oxygen for cellular death. Finally the optimal level of light energy that is required to achieve the expected level of singlet oxygen is modeled to design an efficient PDT protocol.

Tomographic imaging of flourescence resonance energy transfer in highly light scattering media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soloviev, Vadim Y.; McGinty, James; Tahir, Khadija B.; Laine, Romain; Stuckey, Daniel W.; Mohan, P. Surya; Hajnal, Joseph V.; Sardini, Alessandro; French, Paul M. W.; Arridge, Simon R.

2010-02-01

Three-dimensional localization of protein conformation changes in turbid media using Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) was investigated by tomographic fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM). FRET occurs when a donor fluorophore, initially in its electronic excited state, transfers energy to an acceptor fluorophore in close proximity through non-radiative dipole-dipole coupling. An acceptor effectively behaves as a quencher of the donor's fluorescence. The quenching process is accompanied by a reduction in the quantum yield and lifetime of the donor fluorophore. Therefore, FRET can be localized by imaging changes in the quantum yield and the fluorescence lifetime of the donor fluorophore. Extending FRET to diffuse optical tomography has potentially important applications such as in vivo studies in small animal. We show that FRET can be localized by reconstructing the quantum yield and lifetime distribution from time-resolved non-invasive boundary measurements of fluorescence and transmitted excitation radiation. Image reconstruction was obtained by an inverse scattering algorithm. Thus we report, to the best of our knowledge, the first tomographic FLIM-FRET imaging in turbid media. The approach is demonstrated by imaging a highly scattering cylindrical phantom concealing two thin wells containing cytosol preparations of HEK293 cells expressing TN-L15, a cytosolic genetically-encoded calcium FRET sensor. A 10mM calcium chloride solution was added to one of the wells to induce a protein conformation change upon binding to TN-L15, resulting in FRET and a corresponding decrease in the donor fluorescence lifetime. The resulting fluorescence lifetime distribution, the quantum efficiency, absorption and scattering coefficients were reconstructed.

Tunable UV- and Visible-Light Photoresponse Based on p-ZnO Nanostructures/n-ZnO/Glass Peppered with Au Nanoparticles.

PubMed

Hsu, Cheng-Liang; Lin, Yu-Hong; Wang, Liang-Kai; Hsueh, Ting-Jen; Chang, Sheng-Po; Chang, Shoou-Jinn

2017-05-03

UV- and visible-light photoresponse was achieved via p-type K-doped ZnO nanowires and nanosheets that were hydrothermally synthesized on an n-ZnO/glass substrate and peppered with Au nanoparticles. The K content of the p-ZnO nanostructures was 0.36 atom %. The UV- and visible-light photoresponse of the p-ZnO nanostructures/n-ZnO sample was roughly 2 times higher than that of the ZnO nanowires. The Au nanoparticles of various densities and diameter sizes were deposited on the p-ZnO nanostructures/n-ZnO samples by a simple UV photochemical reaction method yielding a tunable and enhanced UV- and visible-light photoresponse. The maximum UV and visible photoresponse of the Au nanoparticle sample was obtained when the diameter size of the Au nanoparticle was approximately 5-35 nm. On the basis of the localized surface plasmon resonance effect, the UV, blue, and green photocurrent/dark current ratios of Au nanoparticle/p-ZnO nanostructures/n-ZnO are ∼1165, ∼94.6, and ∼9.7, respectively.

All fiber cladding mode stripper with uniform heat distribution and high cladding light loss manufactured by CO2 laser ablation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jebali, M. A.; Basso, E. T.

2018-02-01

Cladding mode strippers are primarily used at the end of a fiber laser cavity to remove high-power excess cladding light without inducing core loss and beam quality degradation. Conventional manufacturing methods of cladding mode strippers include acid etching, abrasive blasting or laser ablation. Manufacturing of cladding mode strippers using laser ablation consist of removing parts of the cladding by fused silica ablation with a controlled penetration and shape. We present and characterize an optimized cladding mode stripper design that increases the cladding light loss with a minimal device length and manufacturing time. This design reduces the localized heat generation by improving the heat distribution along the device. We demonstrate a cladding mode stripper written on a 400um fiber with cladding light loss of 20dB, with less than 0.02dB loss in the core and minimal heating of the fiber and coating. The manufacturing process of the designed component is fully automated and takes less than 3 minutes with a very high throughput yield.

Local feedback control of light honeycomb panels.

PubMed

Hong, Chinsuk; Elliott, Stephen J

2007-01-01

This paper summarizes theoretical and experimental work on the feedback control of sound radiation from honeycomb panels using piezoceramic actuators. It is motivated by the problem of sound transmission in aircraft, specifically the active control of trim panels. Trim panels are generally honeycomb structures designed to meet the design requirement of low weight and high stiffness. They are resiliently mounted to the fuselage for the passive reduction of noise transmission. Local coupling of the closely spaced sensor and actuator was observed experimentally and modeled using a single degree of freedom system. The effect of the local coupling was to roll off the response between the actuator and sensor at high frequencies, so that a feedback control system can have high gain margins. Unfortunately, only relatively poor global performance is then achieved because of localization of reduction around the actuator. This localization prompts the investigation of a multichannel active control system. Globalized reduction was predicted using a model of 12-channel direct velocity feedback control. The multichannel system, however, does not appear to yield a significant improvement in the performance because of decreased gain margin.

Modeling tree crown dynamics with 3D partial differential equations.

PubMed

Beyer, Robert; Letort, Véronique; Cournède, Paul-Henry

2014-01-01

We characterize a tree's spatial foliage distribution by the local leaf area density. Considering this spatially continuous variable allows to describe the spatiotemporal evolution of the tree crown by means of 3D partial differential equations. These offer a framework to rigorously take locally and adaptively acting effects into account, notably the growth toward light. Biomass production through photosynthesis and the allocation to foliage and wood are readily included in this model framework. The system of equations stands out due to its inherent dynamic property of self-organization and spontaneous adaptation, generating complex behavior from even only a few parameters. The density-based approach yields spatially structured tree crowns without relying on detailed geometry. We present the methodological fundamentals of such a modeling approach and discuss further prospects and applications.

Visualization of local Ca2+ dynamics with genetically encoded bioluminescent reporters.

PubMed

Rogers, Kelly L; Stinnakre, Jacques; Agulhon, Cendra; Jublot, Delphine; Shorte, Spencer L; Kremer, Eric J; Brûlet, Philippe

2005-02-01

Measurements of local Ca2+ signalling at different developmental stages and/or in specific cell types is important for understanding aspects of brain functioning. The use of light excitation in fluorescence imaging can cause phototoxicity, photobleaching and auto-fluorescence. In contrast, bioluminescence does not require the input of radiative energy and can therefore be measured over long periods, with very high temporal resolution. Aequorin is a genetically encoded Ca(2+)-sensitive bioluminescent protein, however, its low quantum yield prevents dynamic measurements of Ca2+ responses in single cells. To overcome this limitation, we recently reported the bi-functional Ca2+ reporter gene, GFP-aequorin (GA), which was developed specifically to improve the light output and stability of aequorin chimeras [V. Baubet, et al., (2000) PNAS, 97, 7260-7265]. In the current study, we have genetically targeted GA to different microdomains important in synaptic transmission, including to the mitochondrial matrix, endoplasmic reticulum, synaptic vesicles and to the postsynaptic density. We demonstrate that these reporters enable 'real-time' measurements of subcellular Ca2+ changes in single mammalian neurons using bioluminescence. The high signal-to-noise ratio of these reporters is also important in that it affords the visualization of Ca2+ dynamics in cell-cell communication in neuronal cultures and tissue slices. Further, we demonstrate the utility of this approach in ex-vivo preparations of mammalian retina, a paradigm in which external light input should be controlled. This represents a novel molecular imaging approach for non-invasive monitoring of local Ca2+ dynamics and cellular communication in tissue or whole animal studies.

Discrete Indoor Three-Dimensional Localization System Based on Neural Networks Using Visible Light Communication

PubMed Central

Ley-Bosch, Carlos; Quintana-Suárez, Miguel A.

2018-01-01

Indoor localization estimation has become an attractive research topic due to growing interest in location-aware services. Many research works have proposed solving this problem by using wireless communication systems based on radiofrequency. Nevertheless, those approaches usually deliver an accuracy of up to two metres, since they are hindered by multipath propagation. On the other hand, in the last few years, the increasing use of light-emitting diodes in illumination systems has provided the emergence of Visible Light Communication technologies, in which data communication is performed by transmitting through the visible band of the electromagnetic spectrum. This brings a brand new approach to high accuracy indoor positioning because this kind of network is not affected by electromagnetic interferences and the received optical power is more stable than radio signals. Our research focus on to propose a fingerprinting indoor positioning estimation system based on neural networks to predict the device position in a 3D environment. Neural networks are an effective classification and predictive method. The localization system is built using a dataset of received signal strength coming from a grid of different points. From the these values, the position in Cartesian coordinates (x,y,z) is estimated. The use of three neural networks is proposed in this work, where each network is responsible for estimating the position by each axis. Experimental results indicate that the proposed system leads to substantial improvements to accuracy over the widely-used traditional fingerprinting methods, yielding an accuracy above 99% and an average error distance of 0.4 mm. PMID:29601525

Model-assisted forest yield estimation with light detection and ranging

Treesearch

Jacob L. Strunk; Stephen E. Reutebuch; Hans-Erik Andersen; Peter J. Gould; Robert J. McGaughey

2012-01-01

Previous studies have demonstrated that light detection and ranging (LiDAR)-derived variables can be used to model forest yield variables, such as biomass, volume, and number of stems. However, the next step is underrepresented in the literature: estimation of forest yield with appropriate confidence intervals. It is of great importance that the procedures required for...

Predawn and high intensity application of supplemental blue light decreases the quantum yield of PSII and enhances the amount of phenolic acids, flavonoids, and pigments in Lactuca sativa

PubMed Central

Ouzounis, Theoharis; Razi Parjikolaei, Behnaz; Fretté, Xavier; Rosenqvist, Eva; Ottosen, Carl-Otto

2015-01-01

To evaluate the effect of blue light intensity and timing, two cultivars of lettuce [Lactuca sativa cv. “Batavia” (green) and cv. “Lollo Rossa” (red)] were grown in a greenhouse compartment in late winter under natural light and supplemental high pressure sodium (SON-T) lamps yielding 90 (±10) μmol m−2 s−1 for up to 20 h, but never between 17:00 and 21:00. The temperature in the greenhouse compartments was 22/11°C day/night, respectively. The five light-emitting diode (LED) light treatments were Control (no blue addition), 1B 06-08 (Blue light at 45 μmol m−2 s−1 from 06:00 to 08:00), 1B 21-08 (Blue light at 45 μmol m−2 s−1 from 21:00 to 08:00), 2B 17-19 (Blue at 80 μmol m−2 s−1 from 17:00 to 19:00), and 1B 17-19 (Blue at 45 μmol m−2 s−1 from 17:00 to 19:00). Total fresh and dry weight was not affected with additional blue light; however, plants treated with additional blue light were more compact. The stomatal conductance in the green lettuce cultivar was higher for all treatments with blue light compared to the Control. Photosynthetic yields measured with chlorophyll fluorescence showed different response between the cultivars; in red lettuce, the quantum yield of PSII decreased and the yield of non-photochemical quenching increased with increasing blue light, whereas in green lettuce no difference was observed. Quantification of secondary metabolites showed that all four treatments with additional blue light had higher amount of pigments, phenolic acids, and flavonoids compared to the Control. The effect was more prominent in red lettuce, highlighting that the results vary among treatments and compounds. Our results indicate that not only high light level triggers photoprotective heat dissipation in the plant, but also the specific spectral composition of the light itself at low intensities. However, these plant responses to light are cultivar dependent. PMID:25767473

Photoperiod shift effects on yield characteristics of rice

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Volk, G. M.; Mitchell, C. A.

1995-01-01

Edible yield must be maximized for each crop species selected for inclusion in the Controlled Ecological Life-Support System (CELSS) proposed by NASA to support long-term manned space missions. In a greenhouse study aimed at increasing biomass partitioning to rice (Oryza sativa L.) grain, plants of the high yielding semi-dwarf rice cultivar Ai-Nan-Tsao were started in pots under 8-h photoperiods at a density of 212 plants m-2. After different periods of time under 8-h photoperiods, pots were switched to continuous light for the remainder of the cropping cycle. Continuous light did not delay time to first panicle emergence (60 d) or time to harvest (83 d). There was a positive correlation between the length of continuous light treatments and nongrain biomass. Grain yield (1.6 +/- 0.2 g plant-1) did not increase in continuous light. Yield-efficiency rate (grain weight per length of cropping cycle, canopy volume, and weight of nongrain shoot biomass) was used to compare treatments. Small Ai-Nan-Tsao rice canopies grown under 8-h photoperiods were more efficient producers of grain than canopies grown under continuous light for a portion of the rice cropping cycle.

Exoplanet Yield Estimation for Decadal Study Concepts using EXOSIMS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morgan, Rhonda; Lowrance, Patrick; Savransky, Dmitry; Garrett, Daniel

2016-01-01

The anticipated upcoming large mission study concepts for the direct imaging of exo-earths present an exciting opportunity for exoplanet discovery and characterization. While these telescope concepts would also be capable of conducting a broad range of astrophysical investigations, the most difficult technology challenges are driven by the requirements for imaging exo-earths. The exoplanet science yield for these mission concepts will drive design trades and mission concept comparisons.To assist in these trade studies, the Exoplanet Exploration Program Office (ExEP) is developing a yield estimation tool that emphasizes transparency and consistent comparison of various design concepts. The tool will provide a parametric estimate of science yield of various mission concepts using contrast curves from physics-based model codes and Monte Carlo simulations of design reference missions using realistic constraints, such as solar avoidance angles, the observatory orbit, propulsion limitations of star shades, the accessibility of candidate targets, local and background zodiacal light levels, and background confusion by stars and galaxies. The python tool utilizes Dmitry Savransky's EXOSIMS (Exoplanet Open-Source Imaging Mission Simulator) design reference mission simulator that is being developed for the WFIRST Preliminary Science program. ExEP is extending and validating the tool for future mission concepts under consideration for the upcoming 2020 decadal review. We present a validation plan and preliminary yield results for a point design.

Coherent Doppler Wind Lidar Technology for Space Based Wind Measurements Including SPARCLE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kavaya, Michael J.; Singh, Upendra N.

1999-01-01

It has been over 30 years since coherent lidar systems first measured wind velocity, and over 20 years since the "ultimate application" of measuring Earth's winds from space was conceived. Coherent or heterodyne optical detection involves the combination (or mixing) of the returned optical field with a local oscillator (LO) laser's optical field on the optical detector. This detection technique yields the benefits of dramatically improved signal-to-noise ratios; insensitivity to detector noise, background light and multiply scattered light; reduction of the returned signal's dynamic range; and preservation of the optical signal spectrum for electronic and computer processing. (Note that lidar systems are also referred to as optical radar, laser radar, and LADAR systems.) Many individuals, agencies, and countries have pursued the goal of space-based wind measurements through technology development, experiments, field campaigns and studies.

Light propagation and fluorescence quantum yields in liquid scintillators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buck, C.; Gramlich, B.; Wagner, S.

2015-09-01

For the simulation of the scintillation and Cherenkov light propagation in large liquid scintillator detectors a detailed knowledge about the absorption and emission spectra of the scintillator molecules is mandatory. Furthermore reemission probabilities and quantum yields of the scintillator components influence the light propagation inside the liquid. Absorption and emission properties are presented for liquid scintillators using 2,5-Diphenyloxazole (PPO) and 4-bis-(2-Methylstyryl)benzene (bis-MSB) as primary and secondary wavelength shifter. New measurements of the quantum yields for various aromatic molecules are shown.

Effects of light intensity on components and topographical structures of extracellular polysaccharides from the cyanobacteria Nostoc sp.

PubMed

Ge, Hongmei; Xia, Ling; Zhou, Xuping; Zhang, Delu; Hu, Chunxiang

2014-02-01

A study on the effects of light intensity (40 and 80 μE/m(2)/sec) on the components and topographical structures of extracellular polysaccharides (EPS) was carried out in cyanobacteria Nostoc sp.. EPS yield increased with light intensity. However, light intensity did not significantly affect the EPS fractions and monosaccharide composition. Higher light intensity generally resulted in higher protein content of EPS in similar fractions. The topographical structure of EPS, investigated by atomic force microscopy, appeared as spherical lumps, chains and networks. The long chains were observed at higher light intensity. Thus, light intensity affected the yield and nature of EPS.

Optimizing concentration of shifter additive for plastic scintillators of different size

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adadurov, A. F.; Zhmurin, P. N.; Lebedev, V. N.; Titskaya, V. D.

2009-02-01

This paper concerns the influence of wavelength shifting (secondary) luminescent additive (LA 2) on the light yield of polystyrene-based plastic scintillator (PS) taking self-absorption into account. Calculations of light yield dependence on concentration of 1.4-bis(2-(5-phenyloxazolyl)-benzene (POPOP) as LA 2 were made for various path lengths of photons in PS. It is shown that there is an optimal POPOP concentration ( Copt), which provides a maximum light yield for a given path length. This optimal concentration is determined by the competition of luminescence and self-reflection processes. Copt values were calculated for PS of different dimensions. For small PS, Copt≈0.02%, which agree with a common (standard) value of POPOP concentration. For higher PS dimensions, the optimal POPOP concentration is decreased (to Copt≈0.006% for 320×30×2 cm sample), reducing the light yield from PS by almost 35%.

Beyond peak summer temperatures, branching corals in the Gulf of Aqaba are resilient to thermal stress but sensitive to high light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bellworthy, Jessica; Fine, Maoz

2017-12-01

Despite rapidly rising sea surface temperatures and recurrent positive temperature anomalies, corals in the Gulf of Aqaba (GoA) rarely experience thermal bleaching. Elsewhere, mass coral bleaching has been observed in corals when the water temperature exceeds 1-2 °C above the local maximum monthly mean (MMM). This threshold value or "bleaching rule" has been used to create predictive models of bleaching from satellite sea surface temperature observations, namely the "degree heating week" index. This study aimed to characterize the physiological changes of dominant reef building corals from the GoA in response to a temperature and light stress gradient. Coral collection and experiments began after a period of 14 consecutive days above MMM in the field. Stylophora pistillata showed negligible changes in symbiont and host physiology parameters after accumulating up to 9.4 degree heating weeks during peak summer temperatures, for which the index predicts widespread bleaching and some mortality. This result demonstrates acute thermal tolerance in S. pistillata from the GoA and deviation from the bleaching rule. In a second experiment after 4 weeks at 4 °C above peak summer temperatures, S. pistillata and Acropora eurystoma in the high-light treatment visibly paled and suffered greater midday and afternoon photoinhibition compared to corals under low-light conditions (35% of high-light treatment). However, light, not temperature (alone or in synergy with light), was the dominant factor in causing paling and the effective quantum yield of corals at 4 °C above ambient was indistinguishable from those in the ambient control. This result highlights the exceptional, atypical thermal tolerance of dominant GoA branching corals. Concomitantly, it validates the efficacy of protecting GoA reefs from local stressors if they are to serve as a coral refuge in the face of global sea temperature rise.

Effect of light with different wavelengths on Nostoc flagelliforme cells in liquid culture.

PubMed

Dai, Yu-Jie; Li, Jing; Wei, Shu-Mei; Chen, Nan; Xiao, Yu-Peng; Tan, Zhi-Lei; Jia, Shi-Ru; Yuan, Nan-Nan; Tan, Ning; Song, Yi-Jie

2013-04-01

The effects of lights with different wavelengths on the growth and the yield of extracellular polysaccharides of Nostoc flagelliforme cells were investigated in a liquid cultivation. N. flagelliforme cells were cultured for 16 days in 500 ml conical flasks containing BG11 culture medium under 27 micromol·m-2·s-1 of light intensity and 25 degrees C on a rotary shaker (140 rpm). The chlorophyll a, phycocyanin, allophycocyanin, and phycoerythrin contents in N. flagelliforme cells under the lights of different wavelengths were also measured. It was found that the cell biomass and the yield of polysaccharide changed with different wavelengths of light. The biomass and the yield of extracellular polysaccharides under the red or violet light were higher than those under other light colors. Chlorophyll a, phycocyanin, and allophycocyanin are the main pigments in N. flagelliforme cells. The results showed that N. flagelliforme, like other cyanobacteria, has the ability of adjusting the contents and relative ratio of its pigments with the light quality. As a conclusion, N. flagelliforme cells favor red and violet lights and perform the complementary chromatic adaptation ability to acclimate to the changes of the light quality in the environment.

Variable stars in the Leo A dwarf galaxy (DDO 69)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoessel, John G.; Saha, A.; Krist, John; Danielson, G. Edward

1994-01-01

Observations of the Leo A dwarf galaxy, obtained over the period from 1980 to 1991 are reported. Forty two separate Charge Coupled Devices (CCD) frames were searched for variable stars. A total of 14 suspected variables were found, 9 had sufficient coverage for period determination, and 5 had Cepheid light curves. Four of these stars fit well on a P-L relation and yield a distance modulus, after correction for Galactic foreground extinction, of m-M = 26.74. This corresponds to a distance of 2.2 Mpc, placing Leo A near the Local Group zero-velocity surface.

Many light Higgs bosons in the next-to-minimal supersymmetric model

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

Dermisek, Radovan; Gunion, John F.

2009-03-01

The next-to-minimal supersymmetric model with a light doubletlike CP-odd Higgs boson and small tan{beta} can satisfy all experimental limits on Higgs bosons even with light superpartners. In these scenarios, the two lightest CP-even Higgs bosons, h{sub 1} and h{sub 2}, and the charged Higgs boson, h{sup +}, can all be light enough to be produced at CERN LEP and yet have decays that have not been looked for or are poorly constrained by existing collider experiments. The channel h{sub 1}{yields}a{sub 1}a{sub 1} with a{sub 1}{yields}{tau}{sup +}{tau}{sup -} or 2j is still awaiting LEP constraints for m{sub h{sub 1}}>86 or 82more » GeV, respectively. LEP data may also contain e{sup +}e{sup -}{yields}h{sub 2}a{sub 1} events where h{sub 2}{yields}Za{sub 1} is the dominant decay, a channel that was never examined. Decays of the charged Higgs bosons are often dominated by H{sup {+-}}{yields}W{sup {+-}}{sup (}*{sup )}a{sub 1} with a{sub 1}{yields}gg, cc, and {tau}{sup +}{tau}{sup -}. This is a channel that has so far been ignored in the search for t{yields}h{sup +}b decays at the Tevatron. A specialized analysis might reveal a signal. The light a{sub 1} might be within the reach of B factories via {upsilon}{yields}{gamma}a{sub 1} decays. We study typical mass ranges and branching ratios of Higgs bosons in this scenario and compare these scenarios where the a{sub 1} has a large doublet component to the more general scenarios with arbitrary singlet component for the a{sub 1}.« less

Trends in leaf photosynthesis in historical rice varieties developed in the Philippines since 1966.

PubMed

Hubbart, S; Peng, S; Horton, P; Chen, Y; Murchie, E H

2007-01-01

Crop improvement in terms of yield is rarely linked to leaf photosynthesis. However, in certain crop plants such as rice, it is predicted that an increase in photosynthetic rate will be required to support future grain yield potential. In order to understand the relationships between yield improvement and leaf photosynthesis, controlled environment conditions were used to grow 10 varieties which were released from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) between 1966 and 1995 and one newly developed line. Two growth light intensities were used: high light (1500 micromol m(-2) s(-1)) and low light (300 micromol m(-2) s(-1)). Gas exchange, leaf protein, chlorophyll, and leaf morphology were measured in the ninth leaf on the main stem. A high level of variation was observed among high light-grown plants for light-saturated photosynthetic rate per unit leaf area (P(max)), stomatal conductance (g), content of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase (Rubisco), and total leaf protein content. Notably, between 1966 and 1980 there was a decline in P(max), g, leaf protein, chlorophyll, and Rubisco content. Values recovered in those varieties released after 1980. This striking trend coincides with a previous published observation that grain yield in IRRI varieties released prior to 1980 correlated with harvest index whereas that for those released after 1980 correlated with biomass. P(max) showed significant correlations with both g and Rubisco content. Large differences were observed between high light- and low light-grown plants (photoacclimation). The photoacclimation 'range' for P(max) correlated with P(max) in high light-grown plants. It is concluded that (i) leaf photosynthesis may be systematically affected by breeding strategy; (ii) P(max) is a useful target for yield improvements where yield is limited by biomass production rather than partitioning; and (iii) the capacity for photoacclimation is related to high P(max) values.

Particle detection for patterned wafers of 100nm design rule by evanescent light illumination: analysis of evanescent light scattering using Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshioka, Toshie; Miyoshi, Takashi; Takaya, Yasuhiro

2005-12-01

To realize high productivity and reliability of the semiconductor, patterned wafers inspection technology to maintain high yield becomes essential in modern semiconductor manufacturing processes. As circuit feature is scaled below 100nm, the conventional imaging and light scattering methods are impossible to apply to the patterned wafers inspection technique, because of diffraction limit and lower S/N ratio. So, we propose a new particle detection method using annular evanescent light illumination. In this method, a converging annular light used as a light source is incident on a micro-hemispherical lens. When the converging angle is larger than critical angle, annular evanescent light is generated under the bottom surface of the hemispherical lens. Evanescent light is localized near by the bottom surface and decays exponentially away from the bottom surface. So, the evanescent light selectively illuminates the particles on the patterned wafer surface, because it can't illuminate the patterned wafer surface. The proposed method evaluates particles on a patterned wafer surface by detecting scattered evanescent light distribution from particles. To analyze the fundamental characteristics of the proposed method, the computer simulation was performed using FDTD method. The simulation results show that the proposed method is effective for detecting 100nm size particle on patterned wafer of 100nm lines and spaces, particularly under the condition that the evanescent light illumination with p-polarization and parallel incident to the line orientation. Finally, the experiment results suggest that 220nm size particle on patterned wafer of about 200nm lines and spaces can be detected.

Effect of raceme-localized supplemental light on soybean reproductive abscission

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

Myers, R.L.; Brun, W.A.; Brenner, M.L.

The percentage of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) reproductive structures that abscise is a potentially important yield factor. To better understand the involvement of light in the abscission of reproductive structures, a series of in vitro raceme-culture and growth-chamber experiments were conducted. In the in vitro raceme-culture experiments, racemes with four to six flowers at or past anthesis were excised from the soybean plant (genotype IX93-100), embedded in a complete nutrient, solid agar medium, and subjected to various light treatments. A series of three experiments indicated that the racemes contain a photoreceptor, possibly phytochrome, capable of regulating sucrose accumulation. Inmore » each of the growth chamber studies, supplemental light was supplied directly to individual soybean flowers via fiber optic light guides. The light source increased the photon flux to the flowers by 10-fold. The first growth chamber experiment showed that flowers receiving supplemental light were more intense sinks for /sup 14/C-sucrose than were controls (intensity value of 1.0 vs 0.4 x 10/sup -7/, intensity = (dps of flower/dps of raceme)/(kg dry wt of flower)). In a second study, 42% of flowers treated with supplemental light set pods, while only 26% of control flowers set pods. A third experiment showed that red supplemental light produced 55% fruit set, compared to 41% set for far-red light, and 35% for controls. These experiments indicate that both photoassimilate accumulation and abscission in young soybean reproductive structures may be regulated by light quality.« less

High-efficiency organic glass scintillators

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

Feng, Patrick L.; Carlson, Joseph S.

A new family of neutron/gamma discriminating scintillators is disclosed that comprises stable organic glasses that may be melt-cast into transparent monoliths. These materials have been shown to provide light yields greater than solution-grown trans-stilbene crystals and efficient PSD capabilities when combined with 0.01 to 0.05% by weight of the total composition of a wavelength-shifting fluorophore. Photoluminescence measurements reveal fluorescence quantum yields that are 2 to 5 times greater than conventional plastic or liquid scintillator matrices, which accounts for the superior light yield of these glasses. The unique combination of high scintillation light-yields, efficient neutron/gamma PSD, and straightforward scale-up via melt-castingmore » distinguishes the developed organic glasses from existing scintillators.« less

Low temperature conversion of plastic waste into light hydrocarbons.

PubMed

Shah, Sajid Hussain; Khan, Zahid Mahmood; Raja, Iftikhar Ahmad; Mahmood, Qaisar; Bhatti, Zulfiqar Ahmad; Khan, Jamil; Farooq, Ather; Rashid, Naim; Wu, Donglei

2010-07-15

Advance recycling through pyrolytic technology has the potential of being applied to the management of plastic waste (PW). For this purpose 1 l volume, energy efficient batch reactor was manufactured locally and tested for pyrolysis of waste plastic. The feedstock for reactor was 50 g waste polyethylene. The average yield of the pyrolytic oil, wax, pyrogas and char from pyrolysis of PW were 48.6, 40.7, 10.1 and 0.6%, respectively, at 275 degrees C with non-catalytic process. Using catalyst the average yields of pyrolytic oil, pyrogas, wax and residue (char) of 50 g of PW was 47.98, 35.43, 16.09 and 0.50%, respectively, at operating temperature of 250 degrees C. The designed reactor could work at low temperature in the absence of a catalyst to obtain similar products as for a catalytic process. 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The conversion of biomass to light olefins on Fe-modified ZSM-5 catalyst: Effect of pyrolysis parameters.

PubMed

Zhang, Shihong; Yang, Mingfa; Shao, Jingai; Yang, Haiping; Zeng, Kuo; Chen, Yingquan; Luo, Jun; Agblevor, Foster A; Chen, Hanping

2018-07-01

Light olefins are the key building blocks for the petrochemical industry. In this study, the effects of in-situ and ex-situ process, temperature, Fe loading, catalyst to feed ratio and gas flow rate on the olefins carbon yield and selectivity were explored. The results showed that Fe-modified ZSM-5 catalyst increased the olefins yield significantly, and the ex-situ process was much better than in-situ. With the increasing of temperature, Fe-loading amount, catalyst to feed ratio, and gas flow rate, the carbon yields of light olefins were firstly increased and further decreased. The maximum carbon yield of light olefins (6.98% C-mol) was obtained at the pyrolysis temperature of 600°C, catalyst to feed ratio of 2, gas flow rate of 100ml/min, and 3wt% Fe/ZSM-5 for cellulose. The selectivity of C 2 H 4 was more than 60% for all feedstock, and the total light olefins followed the decreasing order of cellulose, corn stalk, hemicelluloses and lignin. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

High energy resolution with transparent ceramic garnet scintillators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cherepy, N. J.; Seeley, Z. M.; Payne, S. A.; Beck, P. R.; Swanberg, E. L.; Hunter, S.; Ahle, L.; Fisher, S. E.; Melcher, C.; Wei, H.; Stefanik, T.; Chung, Y.-S.; Kindem, J.

2014-09-01

Breakthrough energy resolution, R(662keV) < 4%, has been achieved with an oxide scintillator, Cerium-doped Gadolinium Yttrium Gallium Aluminum Garnet, or GYGAG(Ce). Transparent ceramic GYGAG(Ce), has a peak emission wavelength of 550 nm that is better matched to Silicon photodetectors than to standard PMTs. We are therefore developing a spectrometer based on pixelated GYGAG(Ce) on a Silicon photodiode array that can provide R(662 keV) = 3.6%. In comparison, with large 1-2 in3 size GYGAG(Ce) ceramics we obtain R(662 keV) = 4.6% with PMT readout. We find that ceramic GYGAG(Ce) of a given stoichiometric chemical composition can exhibit very different scintillation properties, depending on sintering conditions and post-anneal treatments. Among the characteristics of transparent ceramic garnet scintillators that can be controlled by fabrication conditions are: scintillation decay components and their amplitudes, intensity and duration of afterglow, thermoluminescence glow curve peak positions and amplitudes, integrated light yield, light yield non-proportionality - as measured in the Scintillator Light Yield Non-Proportionality Characterization Instrument (SLYNCI), and energy resolution for gamma spectroscopy. Garnet samples exhibiting a significant fraction of Cerium dopant in the tetravalent valence also exhibit: faster overall scintillation decay, very low afterglow, high light yield, but poor light yield proportionality and degraded energy resolution.

Scintillation properties of the silver doped lithium iodide single crystals at room and low temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, Sajid; Kim, H. J.; Lee, M. H.

2016-06-01

This study presents luminescence and scintillation properties of Silver doped LiI crystals. Single crystals of LiI: x% Ag (x=0.02, 0.05, 0.1 and 0.5) were grown by using the Bridgman technique. X-ray induced luminescence spectra show emission bands spanning from 275 nm to 675 nm, dominated by Ag+ band having a peak at 300 nm. Under UV-luminescence, a similar emission band was observed with the peak excitation wavelength of 265 nm. Energy resolution, light yield and decay time profiles of the samples were measured under a 137Cs γ-ray irradiation. The LiI(0.1%Ag) showed the highest light yield and the best energy resolution among the samples. The light yield of LiI(0.1%Ag) is higher than commercially available LiI(Eu) crystal (15,000±1500 ph/MeV). The LiI(Ag) samples exhibit three exponential decay time components except the LiI(0.02%Ag), where the fitting found two decay time components. Temperature dependences of emission spectra, light yield and decay time were studied from 300 K to 10 K. The LiI(0.1%Ag) crystal showed an increase in the light yield and a shortening of decay time with a decrease in temperature..

Structural, optoelectronic, infrared and Raman spectra of orthorhombic SrSnO{sub 3} from DFT calculations

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

Moreira, E.; Henriques, J.M.; Azevedo, D.L.

2011-04-15

Orthorhombic SrSnO{sub 3} was investigated using density functional theory (DFT) considering both the local density and generalized gradient approximations, LDA and GGA, respectively. The electronic band structure, density of states, complex dielectric function, optical absorption, and the infrared and Raman spectra were computed. Calculated lattice parameters are close to the experimental measurements, and an indirect band gap E(S{yields}{Gamma})=1.97eV (2.27 eV) was obtained within the GGA (LDA) level of calculation. Effective masses for holes and electrons were estimated, being very anisotropic in comparison with similar results for orthorhombic CaSnO{sub 3}. The complex dielectric function and the optical absorption of SrSnO{sub 3}more » were shown to be sensitive to the plane of polarization of the incident light. The infrared spectrum between 100 and 600 cm{sup -1} was obtained, with its main peaks being assigned, and a nice agreement between experimental and theoretical peaks of the Raman spectrum of orthorhombic SrSnO{sub 3} was achieved. -- Graphical abstract: Orthorhombic SrSnO{sub 3}: a view of the unit cell (left) and plots showing the calculated and experimental Raman spectra (right). Display Omitted Research highlights: {yields} We have performed DFT calculations on orthorhombic SrSnO{sub 3} crystals, obtaining their structural, electronical and optical properties. {yields} An indirect band gap was obtained, and anisotropic effective masses were found for both electrons and holes. {yields} The complex dielectric function and the optical absorption of SrSnO{sub 3} were shown to be very sensitive to the plane of polarization of the incident light. {yields} The infrared spectrum between 100 and 600 cm{sup -1} was obtained, with its main peaks being assigned, and a nice agreement between experimental and theoretical peaks of the Raman spectrum was achieved.« less

Factors determining yield and quality of illicit indoor cannabis (Cannabis spp.) production.

PubMed

Vanhove, Wouter; Van Damme, Patrick; Meert, Natalie

2011-10-10

Judiciary currently faces difficulties in adequately estimating the yield of illicit indoor cannabis plantations. The latter data is required in penalization which is based on the profits gained. A full factorial experiment in which two overhead light intensities, two plant densities and four varieties were combined in the indoor cultivation of cannabis (Cannabis spp.) was used to reveal cannabis drug yield and quality under each of the factor combinations. Highest yield was found for the Super Skunk and Big Bud varieties which also exhibited the highest concentrations of Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Results show that plant density and light intensity are additive factors whereas the variety factor significantly interacts with both plant density and light intensity factors. Adequate estimations of yield of illicit, indoor cannabis plantations can only be made if upon seizure all factors considered in this study are accounted for. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nanowire-Intensified Metal-Enhanced Fluorescence in Hybrid Polymer-Plasmonic Electrospun Filaments.

PubMed

Camposeo, Andrea; Jurga, Radoslaw; Moffa, Maria; Portone, Alberto; Cardarelli, Francesco; Della Sala, Fabio; Ciracì, Cristian; Pisignano, Dario

2018-05-01

Hybrid polymer-plasmonic nanostructures might combine high enhancement of localized fields from metal nanoparticles with light confinement and long-range transport in subwavelength dielectric structures. Here, the complex behavior of fluorophores coupling to Au nanoparticles within polymer nanowires, which features localized metal-enhanced fluorescence (MEF) with unique characteristics compared to conventional structures, is reported. The intensification effect when the particle is placed in the organic filaments is remarkably higher with respect to thin films of comparable thickness, thus highlighting a specific, nanowire-related enhancement of MEF effects. A dependence on the confinement volume in the dielectric nanowire is also indicated, with MEF significantly increasing upon reduction of the wire diameter. These findings are rationalized by finite element simulations, predicting a position-dependent enhancement of the quantum yield of fluorophores embedded in the fibers. Calculation of the ensemble-averaged fluorescence enhancement unveils the possibility of strongly enhancing the overall emission intensity for structures with size twice the diameter of the embedded metal particles. These new, hybrid fluorescent systems with localized enhanced emission, and the general nanowire-enhanced MEF effects associated to them, are highly relevant for developing nanoscale light-emitting devices with high efficiency and intercoupled through nanofiber networks, highly sensitive optical sensors, and novel laser architectures. © 2018 The Authors. Published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA Weinheim.

Are the Formation and Abundances of Metal-poor Stars the Result of Dust Dynamics?

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

Hopkins, Philip F.; Conroy, Charlie, E-mail: phopkins@caltech.edu

Large dust grains can fluctuate dramatically in their local density, relative to the gas, in neutral turbulent disks. Small, high-redshift galaxies (before reionization) represent ideal environments for this process. We show via simple arguments and simulations that order-of-magnitude fluctuations are expected in local abundances of large grains (>100 Å) under these conditions. This can have important consequences for star formation and stellar metal abundances in extremely metal-poor stars. Low-mass stars can form in dust-enhanced regions almost immediately after some dust forms even if the galaxy-average metallicity is too low for fragmentation to occur. We argue that the metal abundances ofmore » these “promoted” stars may contain interesting signatures as the CNO abundances (concentrated in large carbonaceous grains and ices) and Mg and Si (in large silicate grains) can be enhanced and/or fluctuate almost independently. Remarkably, the otherwise puzzling abundance patterns of some metal-poor stars can be well fit by standard IMF-averaged core-collapse SNe yields if we allow for fluctuating local dust-to-gas ratios. We also show that the observed log-normal distribution of enhancements in pure SNe yields, shows very large enhancements and variations up to factors of ≳100 as expected in the dust-promoted model, preferentially in the [C/Fe]-enhanced metal-poor stars. Together, this suggests that (1) dust exists in second-generation star formation, (2) local dust-to-gas ratio fluctuations occur in protogalaxies and can be important for star formation, and (3) the light element abundances of these stars may be affected by the local chemistry of dust where they formed, rather than directly tracing nucleosynthesis from earlier populations.« less

Design with high strength steel: A case of failure and its implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahka, Klaus

1992-10-01

A recent proof test failure of a high strength steel pressure vessel is scrutinized. Apparent deficiencies in the procedures to account for elasto-plastic local strain are indicated for the applicable routine (code) strength calculations. Tentative guidance is given for the use of material tensile fracture strain and its strain state (plane strain) correction in fracture margin estimation. A hypothesis that the calculated local strain is comparable with a gauge length weighted tensile ductility for fracture to initiate at a notch root is given. A discussion about the actual implications of the failure case and the suggested remedy in the light of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code section 3 and 8 is presented. Further needs for research and development are delineated. Possible yield and ductility related design limits and their use as material quality indices are discussed.

Historical gains in soybean (Glycine max Merr.) seed yield are driven by linear increases in light interception, energy conversion, and partitioning efficiencies

PubMed Central

Koester, Robert P.; Skoneczka, Jeffrey A.; Cary, Troy R.; Diers, Brian W.; Ainsworth, Elizabeth A.

2014-01-01

Soybean (Glycine max Merr.) is the world’s most widely grown leguminous crop and an important source of protein and oil for food and feed. Soybean yields have increased substantially throughout the past century, with yield gains widely attributed to genetic advances and improved cultivars as well as advances in farming technology and practice. Yet, the physiological mechanisms underlying the historical improvements in soybean yield have not been studied rigorously. In this 2-year experiment, 24 soybean cultivars released between 1923 and 2007 were grown in field trials. Physiological improvements in the efficiencies by which soybean canopies intercepted light (εi), converted light energy into biomass (εc), and partitioned biomass into seed (εp) were examined. Seed yield increased by 26.5kg ha–1 year–1, and the increase in seed yield was driven by improvements in all three efficiencies. Although the time to canopy closure did not change in historical soybean cultivars, extended growing seasons and decreased lodging in more modern lines drove improvements in εi. Greater biomass production per unit of absorbed light resulted in improvements in εc. Over 84 years of breeding, soybean seed biomass increased at a rate greater than total aboveground biomass, resulting in an increase in εp. A better understanding of the physiological basis for yield gains will help to identify targets for soybean improvement in the future. PMID:24790116

Performance Analysis of Classification Methods for Indoor Localization in Vlc Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sánchez-Rodríguez, D.; Alonso-González, I.; Sánchez-Medina, J.; Ley-Bosch, C.; Díaz-Vilariño, L.

2017-09-01

Indoor localization has gained considerable attention over the past decade because of the emergence of numerous location-aware services. Research works have been proposed on solving this problem by using wireless networks. Nevertheless, there is still much room for improvement in the quality of the proposed classification models. In the last years, the emergence of Visible Light Communication (VLC) brings a brand new approach to high quality indoor positioning. Among its advantages, this new technology is immune to electromagnetic interference and has the advantage of having a smaller variance of received signal power compared to RF based technologies. In this paper, a performance analysis of seventeen machine leaning classifiers for indoor localization in VLC networks is carried out. The analysis is accomplished in terms of accuracy, average distance error, computational cost, training size, precision and recall measurements. Results show that most of classifiers harvest an accuracy above 90 %. The best tested classifier yielded a 99.0 % accuracy, with an average error distance of 0.3 centimetres.

The dynamics of minority opinions in democratic debate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galam, Serge

2004-05-01

A model for the dynamics of opinion forming in democratic public debate is presented. Using concepts and techniques from the physics of disorder the dynamics of social refusal spreading is studied within a perfect world, where the minority holds neither better arguments nor lobbying backing. The one-person-one-vote rule, together with local majority rules, are used to determine the outcome of local group discussions. In case of a local tie, the group decides on keeping the Status Quo. The geometry of social life shaped by offices, houses, bars, and restaurants is shown to determine the distribution size of these discussion groups. It is found to yield very asymmetric unstable thresholds to the total spreading of one opinion at the benefit of the refusal one. The associated dynamics is rather quick and completed within few days. This democratic paradox of public debate driven majority opinion reversal is discussed in light of some European construction issues. The model may apply to rumor and fear propagation.

Room-Temperature and Aqueous-Phase Synthesis of Plasmonic Molybdenum Oxide Nanoparticles for Visible-Light-Enhanced Hydrogen Generation.

PubMed

Shi, Jiayuan; Kuwahara, Yasutaka; Wen, Meicheng; Navlani-García, Miriam; Mori, Kohsuke; An, Taicheng; Yamashita, Hiromi

2016-09-06

A straightforward aqueous synthesis of MoO3-x nanoparticles at room temperature was developed by using (NH4 )6 Mo7 O24 ⋅4 H2 O and MoCl5 as precursors in the absence of reductants, inert gas, and organic solvents. SEM and TEM images indicate the as-prepared products are nanoparticles with diameters of 90-180 nm. The diffuse reflectance UV-visible-near-IR spectra of the samples indicate localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) properties generated by the introduction of oxygen vacancies. Owing to its strong plasmonic absorption in the visible-light and near-infrared region, such nanostructures exhibit an enhancement of activity toward visible-light catalytic hydrogen generation. MoO3-x nanoparticles synthesized with a molar ratio of Mo(VI) /Mo(V) 1:1 show the highest yield of H2 evolution. The cycling catalytic performance has been investigated to indicate the structural and chemical stability of the as-prepared plasmonic MoO3-x nanoparticles, which reveals its potential application in visible-light catalytic hydrogen production. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Non-local rheology for dense granular flows in avalanches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Izzet, Adrien; Clement, Eric; Andreotti, Bruno

A local constitutive relation was proposed to describe dense granular flows (GDR MiDi, EPJE 2004). It provides a rather good prediction of the flowing regime but does not foresee the existence of a ``creep regime'' as observed by Komatsu et al. (PRL 2001). In the context of a 2D shear cell, a relaxation length for the velocity profile was measured (Bouzid et al., PRL 2013) which confirmed the existence of a flow below the standard Coulomb yield threshold. A correction for the local rheology was proposed. To test further this non-local constitutive relation, we built an inclined narrow channel within which we monitor the flow from the side. We managed to observe the ``creep regime'' over five orders of magnitude in velocity and fit the velocity profiles in the depth with an asymptotic solution of the non-local equation. However, the boundary condition at the free surface needs to be selected in order to calibrate the non-local rheology over the whole range of stresses in the system. In this perspective, we complement the experimental results with 2D simulations of hard and frictional discs on an inclined plane in which we introduce a surface friction force proportional to the effective pressure in the granular. We analyze these results in the light of the non-local rheology.

Chemometric investigation of light-shade effects on essential oil yield and morphology of Moroccan Myrtus communis L.

PubMed

Fadil, Mouhcine; Farah, Abdellah; Ihssane, Bouchaib; Haloui, Taoufik; Lebrazi, Sara; Zghari, Badreddine; Rachiq, Saâd

2016-01-01

To investigate the effect of environmental factors such as light and shade on essential oil yield and morphological traits of Moroccan Myrtus communis, a chemometric study was conducted on 20 individuals growing under two contrasting light environments. The study of individual's parameters by principal component analysis has shown that essential oil yield, altitude, and leaves thickness were positively correlated between them and negatively correlated with plants height, leaves length and leaves width. Principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis have also shown that the individuals of each sampling site were grouped separately. The one-way ANOVA test has confirmed the effect of light and shade on essential oil yield and morphological parameters by showing a statistically significant difference between them from the shaded side to the sunny one. Finally, the multiple linear model containing main, interaction and quadratic terms was chosen for the modeling of essential oil yield in terms of morphological parameters. Sun plants have a small height, small leaves length and width, but they are thicker and richer in essential oil than shade plants which have shown almost the opposite. The highlighted multiple linear model can be used to predict essential oil yield in the studied area.

Dy3+ doped tellurite glasses containing silver nanoparticles for lighting devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hua, Chenxiao; Shen, Lifan; Pun, Edwin Yue Bun; Li, Desheng; Lin, Hai

2018-04-01

Efficient warm yellowish-white fluorescence emissions of Dy3+ were observed in heavy metal germanium tellurite (HGT) glasses under the excitation of 454 nm. Further, the luminescence intensity of Dy3+ is increased by ∼29% accompanying the introduction of Ag NPs with diameter ∼7 nm when compared with that of the silver-free case, which is caused by the existence of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). The larger net emission power, the more net emission photon number and the higher quantum yield in Dy2O3 doped HGT glasses containing Ag NPs (HGT-Ag) confirm the availability of utilizing laser. Presupposed fluorescence color trace reveals that white luminescence can be achieved when the intensity ratio between residual laser and Dy3+ emission reaches the appropriate range. The productive transition emissions and the tunable white fluorescence illustrate tellurite glasses embodying noble-metal NPs are a potential candidate for high-quality lighting devices.

Fano Description of Single-Hydrocarbon Fluorescence Excited by a Scanning Tunneling Microscope.

PubMed

Kröger, Jörg; Doppagne, Benjamin; Scheurer, Fabrice; Schull, Guillaume

2018-06-13

The detection of fluorescence with submolecular resolution enables the exploration of spatially varying photon yields and vibronic properties at the single-molecule level. By placing individual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon molecules into the plasmon cavity formed by the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope and a NaCl-covered Ag(111) surface, molecular light emission spectra are obtained that unravel vibrational progression. In addition, light spectra unveil a signature of the molecule even when the tunneling current is injected well separated from the molecular emitter. This signature exhibits a distance-dependent Fano profile that reflects the subtle interplay between inelastic tunneling electrons, the molecular exciton and localized plasmons in at-distance as well as on-molecule fluorescence. The presented findings open the path to luminescence of a different class of molecules than investigated before and contribute to the understanding of single-molecule luminescence at surfaces in a unified picture.

Exciton characteristics in graphene epoxide.

PubMed

Zhu, Xi; Su, Haibin

2014-02-25

Exciton characteristics in graphene epoxide (GE) are investigated by density functional theory with quasi-particle corrections and many-body interactions. The nature of the exciton is influenced by epoxide content and detailed geometric configurations. Two kinds of excitons are identified in GE: Frenkel-like exciton originated from the sp(2) carbon cluster and charge-transfer exciton formed by localized states involving both oxygen and carbon atoms. The unusual blue shift associated with the Frenkel-like exciton leaking is highlighted. One scaling relationship is proposed to address the power-law dependence of Frenkel-like exciton binding strength on its size. The charge-transfer exciton appears in GE samples with the high oxygen coverage. Particularly, the exciton in GE structures exhibits long lifetime by analyzing both radiative and nonradiative decay processes. This study sheds light on the potential applications of GE-based structures with attractive high quantum yield in light emission and optoelectronic technology.

Enhancement of light yield and stability of radio-pure tetraphenyl-butadiene based coatings for VUV light detection in cryogenic environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baudis, L.; Benato, G.; Dressler, R.; Piastra, F.; Usoltsev, I.; Walter, M.

2015-09-01

The detection of VUV scintillation light in (liquid) argon (LAr) detectors commonly includes a reflector with a fluorescent coating, converting UV photons to visible light. The light yield of these detectors depends directly on the conversion efficiency. Several coating/reflector combinations were produced using VM2000, a specular reflecting multi-layer polymer, and Tetratex®, a diffuse reflecting PTFE fabric, as reflector foils. The light yield of these coatings was optimised and has been measured in a dedicated liquid argon setup built at the University of Zurich. It employs a small, 1.3 kg LAr cell viewed by a 3-inch, low radioactivity PMT of type R11065-10 from Hamamatsu. The cryogenic stability of these coatings was additionally studied. The optimum reflector/coating combination was found to be Tetratex® dip-coated with Tetraphenyl-butadiene with a thickness of 0.9 mg/cm2, resulting in a 3.6 times higher light yield compared to uncoated VM2000. Its performance was stable in long-term measurements, performed up to 100 days in liquid argon. This coated reflector was also investigated concerning radioactive impurities and found to be suitable for current and upcoming low-background experiments. Therefore it is used for the liquid argon veto in Phase II of the GERDA neutrinoless double beta decay experiment.

Effects of blue light on pigment biosynthesis of Monascus.

PubMed

Chen, Di; Xue, Chunmao; Chen, Mianhua; Wu, Shufen; Li, Zhenjing; Wang, Changlu

2016-04-01

The influence of different illumination levels of blue light on the growth and intracellular pigment yields of Monascus strain M9 was investigated. Compared with darkness, constant exposure to blue light of 100 lux reduced the yields of six pigments, namely, rubropunctatamine (RUM), monascorubramine (MOM), rubropunctatin (RUN), monascorubrin (MON), monascin (MS), and ankaflavin (AK). However, exposure to varying levels of blue light had different effects on pigment production. Exposure to 100 lux of blue light once for 30 min/day and to 100 lux of blue light once and twice for 15 min/day could enhance RUM, MOM, MS, and AK production and reduce RUN and MON compared with non-exposure. Exposure to 100 lux twice for 30 min/day and to 200 lux once for 45 min/day decreased the RUM, MOM, MS, and AK yields and increased the RUN and MON. Meanwhile, the expression levels of pigment biosynthetic genes were analyzed by real-time quantitative PCR. Results indicated that gene MpPKS5, mppR1, mppA, mppB, mmpC, mppD, MpFasA, MpFasB, and mppF were positively correlated with the yields of RUN and MON, whereas mppE and mppR2 were associated with RUM, MOM, MS, and AK production.

Quantum yield measurements of light-induced H₂ generation in a photosystem I-[FeFe]-H₂ase nanoconstruct.

PubMed

Applegate, Amanda M; Lubner, Carolyn E; Knörzer, Philipp; Happe, Thomas; Golbeck, John H

2016-01-01

The quantum yield for light-induced H2 generation was measured for a previously optimized bio-hybrid cytochrome c 6-crosslinked PSI(C13G)-1,8-octanedithiol-[FeFe]-H2ase(C97G) (PSI-H2ase) nanoconstruct. The theoretical quantum yield for the PSI-H2ase nanoconstruct is 0.50 molecules of H2 per photon absorbed, which equates to a requirement of two photons per H2 generated. Illumination of the PSI-H2ase nanoconstruct with visible light between 400 and 700 nm resulted in an average quantum yield of 0.10-0.15 molecules of H2 per photon absorbed, which equates to a requirement of 6.7-10 photons per H2 generated. A possible reason for the difference between the theoretical and experimental quantum yield is the occurrence of non-productive PSI(C13G)-1,8-octanedithiol-PSIC13G (PSI-PSI) conjugates, which would absorb light without generating H2. Assuming the thiol-Fe coupling is equally efficient at producing PSI-PSI conjugates as well as in producing PSI-H2ase nanoconstructs, the theoretical quantum yield would decrease to 0.167 molecules of H2 per photon absorbed, which equates to 6 photons per H2 generated. This value is close to the range of measured values in the current study. A strategy that purifies the PSI-H2ase nanoconstructs from the unproductive PSI-PSI conjugates or that incorporates different chemistries on the PSI and [FeFe]-H2ase enzyme sites could potentially allow the PSI-H2ase nanoconstruct to approach the expected theoretical quantum yield for light-induced H2 generation.

Oxygen quenching in a LAB based liquid scintillator and the nitrogen bubbling model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Hua-Lin; Deng, Jing-Shan; Wang, Nai-Yan

2010-05-01

The oxygen quenching effect in a Linear Alkl Benzene (LAB) based liquid scintillator (LAB as the solvent, 3 g/L 2, 5 diphe-nyloxazole (PPO) as the fluor and 15 mg/L p-bis-(o-methylstyryl)-benzene (bis-MSB) as the λ-shifter) is studied by measuring the light yield as a function of the nitrogen bubbling time. It is shown that the light yield of the fully purged liquid scintillator is increased by 11% at room temperature and the room atmospheric pressure. A simple nitrogen bubbling model is proposed to describe the relationship between the relative light yield (oxygen quenching factor) and the bubbling time.

Catalytic conversion of biomass-derived ethanol to liquid hydrocarbon blend-stock: Effect of light gas recirculation

DOE PAGES

Li, Zhenglong; Lepore, Andrew W.; Davison, Brian H.; ...

2016-01-01

Here, we describe a light gas recirculation (LGR) method to increase the liquid hydrocarbon yield with reduced aromatic content from catalytic conversion of ethanol to hydrocarbons. The previous liquid hydrocarbon yield is ~40% from one-pass ethanol conversion over V-ZSM-5 at 350 C and atmospheric pressure where the remaining ~60% yield is light gas hydrocarbons. In comparison, the liquid hydrocarbon yield increases to 80% when a simulated light gas hydrocarbon stream is co-fed at a rate of 0.053 mol g-1 h-1 with ethanol due to the conversion of most of the light olefins. The LGR also significantly improves the quality ofmore » the liquid hydrocarbon blend-stock by reducing aromatic content and overall benzene concentration. For 0.027 mol g-1 h-1 light gas mixture co-feeding, the average aromatic content in liquid hydrocarbons is 51.5% compared with 62.5% aromatic content in ethanol only experiment. Average benzene concentration decreases from 3.75% to 1.5% which is highly desirable since EPA limits benzene concentration in gasoline to 0.62%. As a result of low benzene concentration, the blend-wall for ethanol derived liquid hydrocarbons changes from ~18% to 43%. The remaining light paraffins and olefins can be further converted to valuable BTX products (94% BTX in the liquid) over Ga-ZSM-5 at 500 C. Thus, the LGR is an effective approach to convert ethanol to liquid hydrocarbons with higher liquid yield and low aromatic content, especially low benzene concentration, which could be blended with gasoline in a much higher ratio than ethanol or ethanol derived hydrocarbon blend-stock.« less

Catalytic conversion of biomass-derived ethanol to liquid hydrocarbon blend-stock: Effect of light gas recirculation

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

Li, Zhenglong; Lepore, Andrew W.; Davison, Brian H.

Here, we describe a light gas recirculation (LGR) method to increase the liquid hydrocarbon yield with reduced aromatic content from catalytic conversion of ethanol to hydrocarbons. The previous liquid hydrocarbon yield is ~40% from one-pass ethanol conversion over V-ZSM-5 at 350 C and atmospheric pressure where the remaining ~60% yield is light gas hydrocarbons. In comparison, the liquid hydrocarbon yield increases to 80% when a simulated light gas hydrocarbon stream is co-fed at a rate of 0.053 mol g-1 h-1 with ethanol due to the conversion of most of the light olefins. The LGR also significantly improves the quality ofmore » the liquid hydrocarbon blend-stock by reducing aromatic content and overall benzene concentration. For 0.027 mol g-1 h-1 light gas mixture co-feeding, the average aromatic content in liquid hydrocarbons is 51.5% compared with 62.5% aromatic content in ethanol only experiment. Average benzene concentration decreases from 3.75% to 1.5% which is highly desirable since EPA limits benzene concentration in gasoline to 0.62%. As a result of low benzene concentration, the blend-wall for ethanol derived liquid hydrocarbons changes from ~18% to 43%. The remaining light paraffins and olefins can be further converted to valuable BTX products (94% BTX in the liquid) over Ga-ZSM-5 at 500 C. Thus, the LGR is an effective approach to convert ethanol to liquid hydrocarbons with higher liquid yield and low aromatic content, especially low benzene concentration, which could be blended with gasoline in a much higher ratio than ethanol or ethanol derived hydrocarbon blend-stock.« less

Virtual chromoendoscopy improves the diagnostic yield of small bowel capsule endoscopy in obscure gastrointestinal bleeding.

PubMed

Boal Carvalho, Pedro; Magalhães, Joana; Dias de Castro, Francisca; Gonçalves, Tiago Cúrdia; Rosa, Bruno; Moreira, Maria João; Cotter, José

2016-02-01

Small bowel capsule endoscopy represents the initial investigation for obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. Flexible spectral imaging colour enhancement (FICE) is a virtual chromoendoscopy technique designed to enhance mucosal lesions, available in different settings according to light wavelength-- FICE1, 2 and 3. To compare the diagnostic yield of FICE1 and white light during capsule endoscopy in patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. Retrospective single-centre study including 60 consecutive patients referred for small bowel capsule endoscopy for obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. Endoscopies were independently reviewed in FICE1 and white light; findings were then reviewed by another researcher, establishing a gold standard. Diagnostic yield was defined as the presence of lesions with high bleeding potential (P2) angioectasias, ulcers or tumours. Diagnostic yield using FICE1 was significantly higher than white light (55% vs. 42%, p=0.021). A superior number of P2 lesions was detected with FICE1 (74 vs. 44, p=0.003), particularly angioectasias (54 vs. 26, p=0.002), but not ulcers or tumours. FICE1 was significantly superior to white light, resulting in a 13% improvement in diagnostic yield, and potentially bleeding lesions particularly angioectasias were more often observed. Our results support the use of FICE1 while reviewing small bowel capsule endoscopy for obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. Copyright © 2015 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Generating cycle flow between dark and light zones with double paddlewheels to improve microalgal growth in a flat plate photo-bioreactor.

PubMed

Cheng, Jun; Xu, Junchen; Lu, Hongxiang; Ye, Qing; Liu, Jianzhong; Zhou, Junhu

2018-08-01

Double paddlewheels were proposed to generate cycle flow for increasing horizontal fluid velocity between dark and light zones in a flat plate photo-bioreactor, which strengthened the mass transfer and the mixing effect to improve microalgal growth with 15% CO 2 . Numerical fluid dynamics were used to simulate the cycle flow field with double paddlewheels. The local flow field measured with particle image velocimetry fitted well with the numerical simulation results. The horizontal fluid velocity in the photo-bioreactor was markedly increased from 5.8 × 10 -5  m/s to 0.45 m/s with the rotation of double paddlewheels, resulting in a decreased dark/light cycle period. Therefore, bubble formation time and diameter reduced by 24.4% and 27.4%, respectively. Meanwhile, solution mixing time reduced by 31.3% and mass transfer coefficient increased by 41.2%. The biomass yield of microalgae Nannochloropsis Oceanic increased by 127.1% with double paddlewheels under 15% CO 2 condition. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Measurement of radiation damage of water-based liquid scintillator and liquid scintillator

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

Bignell, L. J.; Diwan, M. V.; Hans, S.

2015-10-19

Liquid scintillating phantoms have been proposed as a means to perform real-time 3D dosimetry for proton therapy treatment plan verification. We have studied what effect radiation damage to the scintillator will have upon this application. We have performed measurements of the degradation of the light yield and optical attenuation length of liquid scintillator and water-based liquid scintillator after irradiation by 201 MeV proton beams that deposited doses of approximately 52 Gy, 300 Gy, and 800 Gy in the scintillator. Liquid scintillator and water-based liquid scintillator (composed of 5% scintillating phase) exhibit light yield reductions of 1.74 ± 0.55 % andmore » 1.31 ± 0.59 % after ≈ 800 Gy of proton dose, respectively. Some increased optical attenuation was observed in the irradiated samples, the measured reduction to the light yield is also due to damage to the scintillation light production. Based on our results and conservative estimates of the expected dose in a clinical context, a scintillating phantom used for proton therapy treatment plan verification would exhibit a systematic light yield reduction of approximately 0.1% after a year of operation.« less

Temporal Variations in Metabolic and Autotrophic Indices for Acropora digitifera and Acropora spicifera – Implications for Monitoring Projects

PubMed Central

Hinrichs, Saskia; Patten, Nicole L.; Waite, Anya M.

2013-01-01

Coral health indices are important components of the management assessments of coral reefs, providing insight into local variation in reef condition, as well as tools for comparisons between reefs and across various time scales. Understanding how such health indices vary in space and time is critical to their successful implementation as management tools. Here we compare autotrophic and heterotrophic coral health indices, examining specifically the temporal variation driven by the local environmental variation, at three scales (diel, daily and seasonal). We compared metabolic indices (RNA/DNA ratio, protein concentration) and autotrophic indices (Chlorophyll a (Chl a), zooxanthellae density, effective quantum yield (yield) and relative electron transport rate (rETR)) for two dominant Acropora species, A. digitifera and A. spicifera at Ningaloo Reef (north-western Australia) in August 2010 (austral winter) and February 2011 (austral summer). Clear seasonal patterns were documented for metabolic indices, zooxanthellae density and rETR, while cyclic diel patterns only occurred for yield and rETR, and RNA/DNA ratio. Significant daily variation was observed for RNA/DNA ratio, Chl a concentration, yield and rETR. Results suggest that zooxanthellae density and protein concentrations are good long-term indicators of coral health whose variance is largely seasonal, while RNA/DNA ratio and rETR can be used for both long-term (seasonal) and short-term (diel) coral monitoring. Chl a can be used to describe changes between days and yield for both diel and daily variations. Correlations between health indices and light history showed that short-term changes in irradiance had the strongest impact on all health indices except zooxanthellae density for A. digitifera; for A. spicifera no correlation was observed at all. However, cumulative irradiance over the several days before sampling showed significant correlations with most health indices suggesting that a time-lag effect has to be taken into account when interpreting diel variations in coral condition. PMID:23696848

Temporal variations in metabolic and autotrophic indices for Acropora digitifera and Acropora spicifera--implications for monitoring projects.

PubMed

Hinrichs, Saskia; Patten, Nicole L; Waite, Anya M

2013-01-01

Coral health indices are important components of the management assessments of coral reefs, providing insight into local variation in reef condition, as well as tools for comparisons between reefs and across various time scales. Understanding how such health indices vary in space and time is critical to their successful implementation as management tools. Here we compare autotrophic and heterotrophic coral health indices, examining specifically the temporal variation driven by the local environmental variation, at three scales (diel, daily and seasonal). We compared metabolic indices (RNA/DNA ratio, protein concentration) and autotrophic indices (Chlorophyll a (Chl a), zooxanthellae density, effective quantum yield (yield) and relative electron transport rate (rETR)) for two dominant Acropora species, A. digitifera and A. spicifera at Ningaloo Reef (north-western Australia) in August 2010 (austral winter) and February 2011 (austral summer). Clear seasonal patterns were documented for metabolic indices, zooxanthellae density and rETR, while cyclic diel patterns only occurred for yield and rETR, and RNA/DNA ratio. Significant daily variation was observed for RNA/DNA ratio, Chl a concentration, yield and rETR. Results suggest that zooxanthellae density and protein concentrations are good long-term indicators of coral health whose variance is largely seasonal, while RNA/DNA ratio and rETR can be used for both long-term (seasonal) and short-term (diel) coral monitoring. Chl a can be used to describe changes between days and yield for both diel and daily variations. Correlations between health indices and light history showed that short-term changes in irradiance had the strongest impact on all health indices except zooxanthellae density for A. digitifera; for A. spicifera no correlation was observed at all. However, cumulative irradiance over the several days before sampling showed significant correlations with most health indices suggesting that a time-lag effect has to be taken into account when interpreting diel variations in coral condition.

Historical gains in soybean (Glycine max Merr.) seed yield are driven by linear increases in light interception, energy conversion, and partitioning efficiencies.

PubMed

Koester, Robert P; Skoneczka, Jeffrey A; Cary, Troy R; Diers, Brian W; Ainsworth, Elizabeth A

2014-07-01

Soybean (Glycine max Merr.) is the world's most widely grown leguminous crop and an important source of protein and oil for food and feed. Soybean yields have increased substantially throughout the past century, with yield gains widely attributed to genetic advances and improved cultivars as well as advances in farming technology and practice. Yet, the physiological mechanisms underlying the historical improvements in soybean yield have not been studied rigorously. In this 2-year experiment, 24 soybean cultivars released between 1923 and 2007 were grown in field trials. Physiological improvements in the efficiencies by which soybean canopies intercepted light (εi), converted light energy into biomass (εc), and partitioned biomass into seed (εp) were examined. Seed yield increased by 26.5kg ha(-1) year(-1), and the increase in seed yield was driven by improvements in all three efficiencies. Although the time to canopy closure did not change in historical soybean cultivars, extended growing seasons and decreased lodging in more modern lines drove improvements in εi. Greater biomass production per unit of absorbed light resulted in improvements in εc. Over 84 years of breeding, soybean seed biomass increased at a rate greater than total aboveground biomass, resulting in an increase in εp. A better understanding of the physiological basis for yield gains will help to identify targets for soybean improvement in the future. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

Photosynthesis, light use efficiency, and yield of reduced-chlorophyll soybean mutants in field conditions

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Reducing chlorophyll (chl) content may improve the conversion efficiency of absorbed radiation into biomass (ec) and therefore yield in dense monoculture crops by improving light penetration and distribution within the canopy. Modeling suggests that reducing chl content may also reduce leaf temperat...

Degree of conversion and cross-link density within a resin-matrix composite.

PubMed

Al-Zain, Afnan O; Eckert, George J; Lukic, Henry; Megremis, Spiro J; Platt, Jeffrey A

2018-05-01

The aims of this study were to profile light radiated from two light-curing units (LCUs) and evaluate profile relationship to polymerization patterns within a resin-matrix composite (RMC). Beam profiles of one multiple emission peak light-emitting-diode and one quartz-tungsten-halogen curing-unit were measured using a beam profiler/spectrometer system. A camera-based profiler and an integrating sphere/spectrometer assembly were used to evaluate each LCU beam. Polymerization patterns within a nano-hybrid RMC were investigated using a mapping approach by assessing the degree of conversion utilizing micro-Raman spectroscopy and indirectly estimating cross-link-density by repeated microhardness testing before and after exposure to ethanol (%KH reduction, n = 3). The irradiance received on the top and bottom specimen surfaces from both LCUs was measured using a MARC-RC system. The investigated beam profile area from both LCUs was non-uniform and yielded localized discrepancies in DC (55.7-74.9%) and %KH reduction (26.7-54.1%). The LCU irradiance received at the bottom of the specimens was ∼10% of the top value. This study demonstrated that LCU beam profiles were non-uniform in the area explored. Localized differences in DC and %KH reduction existed throughout the RMC specimens but did not follow a specific pattern. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 1496-1504, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Seed-to-seed growth of superdwarf wheat and arabidopsis using red light-emitting diodes (LED's): A report on baseline tests conducted for NASA's proposed Plant Research Unit (PRU)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goins, G. D.; Yorio, N. C.; Sanwo, M. M.; Brown, C. S.

1996-01-01

To determine the influence of narrow-spectrum red light-emitting diodes (LED's) on plant growth and seed production, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.cv Superdwarf) and Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh, race Columbia) plants were grown under red LED's (peak emission 660 nm) and compared to plants grown under daylight fluorescent (white) light and red LED's supplemented with either 1 percent or 10 percent blue fluorescent (BF) light. Wheat growth under red LED's alone appeared normal, whereas Arabidopsis under red LED's alone developed curled leaf margins and a spiraling growth pattern. Both wheat and Arabidopsis under red LED's alone or red LED's + 1 percent BF light had significantly lower seed yield than plants grown under white light. However, the addition of 10 percent BF light to red LED's partially alleviated the adverse effect of red LED's on yield. Irrespective of the light treatment, viable seeds were produced by wheat(75-92 percent germination rate) and Arabidopsis (85-100 percent germination rate). These results indicate that wheat, and to a lesser extent Arabidopsis, can be successfully grown under red LED's alone, but supplemental blue light is required with red LED's to sufficiently match the growth characteristics and seed yield associated with plants grown under white light.

Dynamics of localized charges in dopamine-modified TiO{sub 2} and their effect on the formation of reactive oxygen species.

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

Dimitrijevic, N.; Rozhkova, E.; Rajh, T.

Modification of TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles with dopamine enables harvesting of visible light and promotes spatial separation of charges. The formation of reactive oxygen species (OH, {sup 1}O{sub 2}, O{sub 2}{sup -}, HO{sub 2}, H{sub 2}O{sub 2}) upon illumination of TiO{sub 2}/dopamine was studied using complementary spin-trap EPR and radical-induced fluorescence techniques. The localization of holes on dopamine suppresses oxidation of adsorbed water molecules at the surface of nanoparticles, and thus formation of OH radicals. At the same time, dopamine does not affect electronic properties of photogenerated electrons and their reaction with dissolved oxygen to produce superoxide anions. Superoxide anions aremore » proposed to generate singlet oxygen through dismutation reaction, resulting in a low yield of {sup 1}O{sub 2} detected.« less

The Rise and Fall of Type Ia Supernova Light Curves in the SDSS-II Supernova Survey

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

Hayden, Brian T.; /Notre Dame U.; Garnavich, Peter M.

2010-01-01

We analyze the rise and fall times of Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) light curves discovered by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey-II (SDSS-II) Supernova Survey. From a set of 391 light curves k-corrected to the rest-frame B and V bands, we find a smaller dispersion in the rising portion of the light curve compared to the decline. This is in qualitative agreement with computer models which predict that variations in radioactive nickel yield have less impact on the rise than on the spread of the decline rates. The differences we find in the rise and fall properties suggest that amore » single 'stretch' correction to the light curve phase does not properly model the range of SN Ia light curve shapes. We select a subset of 105 light curves well observed in both rise and fall portions of the light curves and develop a '2-stretch' fit algorithm which estimates the rise and fall times independently. We find the average time from explosion to B-band peak brightness is 17.38 {+-} 0.17 days, but with a spread of rise times which range from 13 days to 23 days. Our average rise time is shorter than the 19.5 days found in previous studies; this reflects both the different light curve template used and the application of the 2-stretch algorithm. The SDSS-II supernova set and the local SNe Ia with well-observed early light curves show no significant differences in their average rise-time properties. We find that slow-declining events tend to have fast rise times, but that the distribution of rise minus fall time is broad and single peaked. This distribution is in contrast to the bimodality in this parameter that was first suggested by Strovink (2007) from an analysis of a small set of local SNe Ia. We divide the SDSS-II sample in half based on the rise minus fall value, t{sub r} - t{sub f} {approx}< 2 days and t{sub r} - t{sub f} > 2 days, to search for differences in their host galaxy properties and Hubble residuals; we find no difference in host galaxy properties or Hubble residuals in our sample.« less

Mechanism of rapid suppression of cell expansion in cucumber hypocotyls after blue-light irradiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cosgrove, D. J.

1988-01-01

Rapid suppression of hypocotyl elongation by blue light in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) was studied to examine possible hydraulic and wall changes responsible for diminished growth. Cell-sap osmotic pressure, measured by vapor-pressure osmometry, was not decreased by blue light; turgor pressure, measured by the pressure-probe technique, remained constant during the growth inhibition; and stem hydraulic conductance, measured by dynamic and static methods, was likewise unaffected by blue light. Wall yielding properties were assessed by the pressure-block technique for in-vivo stress relaxation. Blue light reduced the initial rate of relaxation by 77%, but had little effect on the final amount of relaxation. The results demonstrate that blue irradiation acts to decrease the wall yielding coefficient, but not the yield threshold. Stress-strain (Instron) analysis showed that irradiation of the seedlings had little effect on the mechanical extensibilities of the isolated wall. The results indicate that blue light can reduce cell-wall loosening without affecting bulk viscoelastic properties, and indicate a chemorheological mechanism of cell-wall expansion.

LED power efficiency of biomass, fatty acid, and carotenoid production in Nannochloropsis microalgae.

PubMed

Ma, Ruijuan; Thomas-Hall, Skye R; Chua, Elvis T; Eltanahy, Eladl; Netzel, Michael E; Netzel, Gabriele; Lu, Yinghua; Schenk, Peer M

2018-03-01

The microalga Nannochloropsis produces high-value omega-3-rich fatty acids and carotenoids. In this study the effects of light intensity and wavelength on biomass, fatty acid, and carotenoid production with respect to light output efficiency were investigated. Similar biomass and fatty acid yields were obtained at high light intensity (150 μmol m -2  s -1 ) LEDs on day 7 and low light intensity (50 μmol m -2  s -1 ) LEDs on day 11 during cultivation, but the power efficiencies of biomass and fatty acid (specifically eicosapentaenoic acid) production were higher for low light intensity. Interestingly, low light intensity enhanced both, carotenoid power efficiency of carotenoid biosynthesis and yield. White LEDs were neither advantageous for biomass and fatty acid yields, nor the power efficiency of biomass, fatty acid, and carotenoid production. Noticeably, red LED resulted in the highest biomass and fatty acid power efficiency, suggesting that LEDs can be fine-tuned to grow Nannochloropsis algae more energy-efficiently. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Supplemental Upward Lighting from Underneath to Obtain Higher Marketable Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) Leaf Fresh Weight by Retarding Senescence of Outer Leaves.

PubMed

Zhang, Geng; Shen, Shanqi; Takagaki, Michiko; Kozai, Toyoki; Yamori, Wataru

2015-01-01

Recently, the so-called "plant factory with artificial lighting" (PFAL) approach has been developed to provide safe and steady food production. Although PFALs can produce high-yielding and high-quality plants, the high plant density in these systems accelerates leaf senescence in the bottom (or outer) leaves owing to shading by the upper (or inner) leaves and by neighboring plants. This decreases yield and increases labor costs for trimming. Thus, the establishment of cultivation methods to retard senescence of outer leaves is an important research goal to improve PFAL yield and profitability. In the present study, we developed an LED lighting apparatus that would optimize light conditions for PFAL cultivation of a leafy vegetable. Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) was hydroponically grown under white, red, or blue LEDs, with light provided from above (downward), with or without supplemental upward lighting from underneath the plant. White LEDs proved more appropriate for lettuce growth than red or blue LEDs, and the supplemental lighting retarded the senescence of outer leaves and decreased waste (i.e., dead or low-quality senescent leaves), leading to an improvement of the marketable leaf fresh weight.

Luminescence of water or ice as a new detection method for magnetic monopoles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pollmann, Anna Obertacke

2017-12-01

Cosmic ray detectors use air as a radiator for luminescence. In water and ice, Cherenkov light is the dominant light producing mechanism when the particle's velocity exceeds the Cherenkov threshold, approximately three quarters of the speed of light in vacuum. Luminescence is produced by highly ionizing particles passing through matter due to the electronic excitation of the surrounding molecules. The observables of luminescence, such as the wavelength spectrum and decay times, are highly dependent on the properties of the medium, in particular, temperature and purity. The results for the light yield of luminescence of previous measurements vary by two orders of magnitude. It will be shown that even for the lowest measured light yield, luminescence is an important signature of highly ionizing particles below the Cherenkov threshold. These could be magnetic monopoles or other massive and highly ionizing exotic particles. With the highest observed efficiencies, luminescence may even contribute significantly to the light output of standard model particles such as the PeV IceCube neutrinos. We present analysis techniques to use luminescence in neutrino telescopes and discuss experimental setups to measure the light yield of luminescence for the particular conditions in neutrino detectors.

The light-yield response of a NE-213 liquid-scintillator detector measured using 2-6 MeV tagged neutrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scherzinger, J.; Al Jebali, R.; Annand, J. R. M.; Fissum, K. G.; Hall-Wilton, R.; Kanaki, K.; Lundin, M.; Nilsson, B.; Perrey, H.; Rosborg, A.; Svensson, H.

2016-12-01

The response of a NE-213 liquid-scintillator detector has been measured using tagged neutrons from 2 to 6 MeV originating from an Am/Be neutron source. The neutron energies were determined using the time-of-flight technique. Pulse-shape discrimination was employed to discern between gamma-rays and neutrons. The behavior of both the fast (35 ns) and the combined fast and slow (475 ns) components of the neutron scintillation-light pulses were studied. Three different prescriptions were used to relate the neutron maximum energy-transfer edges to the corresponding recoil-proton scintillation-light yields, and the results were compared to simulations. The overall normalizations of parametrizations which predict the fast or total light yield of the scintillation pulses were also tested. Our results agree with both existing data and existing parametrizations. We observe a clear sensitivity to the portion and length of the neutron scintillation-light pulse considered.

Solid State Lighting: A Nanoenabled Case Study in Sustainability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hicks, Andrea L.

This work uses three household lighting technology options (incandescent, compact fluorescent (CFL), and light emitting diode (LED)) in a nanoenabled case study of artificial lighting. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is used to analyze the environmental impact of three lighting types across all four lifecycle phases: raw materials acquisition, manufacturing, use, and end of life. Using the average United States electricity profile, the use phase is found to have the greatest impact in all nine impact categories defined by TRACI (Tool for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and other environmental Impacts). Agent based modeling (ABM) is used to further investigate the use phase with respect to the adoption of energy efficient lighting and the rebound effect. Survey data on the consumer adoption and use of energy efficient lighting technology yields insight into consumer actions and the potential for rebound to occur, and is used to inform the ABM. Based on the results of the ABM analysis it is suggested that regardless of the type of energy efficient lighting, as long as the consumption of light continues to increase, efficiency alone will not reduce energy consumption. Over extended periods of time (~70 years), energy consumption rebounds to levels of pre-efficiency periods. There is a need for policy measures that are coupled with efficiency increases in such a way that energy savings are sustainable. Geographical and temporal variations in electricity profiles and their associated impacts are explored using LCA. It is found that there is the potential for significant variation in the lifetime environmental impact of lighting options based on shifts in the electricity profile. These results suggest the need for effective local policy in coordination with flexible national policy.

Environmental tolerances of rare and common mangroves along light and salinity gradients.

PubMed

Dangremond, Emily M; Feller, Ilka C; Sousa, Wayne P

2015-12-01

Although mangroves possess a variety of morphological and physiological adaptations for life in a stressful habitat, interspecific differences in survival and growth under different environmental conditions can shape their local and geographic distributions. Soil salinity and light are known to affect mangrove performance, often in an interactive fashion. It has also been hypothesized that mangroves are intrinsically shade intolerant due to the high physiological cost of coping with saline flooded soils. To evaluate the relationship between stress tolerance and species distributions, we compared responses of seedlings of three widespread mangrove species and one narrow endemic mangrove species in a factorial array of light levels and soil salinities in an outdoor laboratory experiment. The more narrowly distributed species was expected to exhibit a lower tolerance of potentially stressful conditions. Two of the widespread species, Avicennia germinans and Lumnitzera racemosa, survived and grew well at low-medium salinity, regardless of light level, but performed poorly at high salinity, particularly under high light. The third widespread species, Rhizophora mangle, responded less to variation in light and salinity. However, at high salinity, its relative growth rate was low at every light level and none of these plants flushed leaves. As predicted, the rare species, Pelliciera rhizophorae, was the most sensitive to environmental stressors, suffering especially high mortality and reduced growth and quantum yield under the combined conditions of high light and medium-high salinity. That it only thrives under shaded conditions represents an important exception to the prevailing belief that halophytes are intrinsically constrained to be shade intolerant.

Transparent ceramic garnet scintillator optimization via composition and co-doping for high-energy resolution gamma spectrometers (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cherepy, Nerine J.; Payne, Stephen A.; Seeley, Zachary M.; Beck, Patrick R.; Swanberg, Erik L.; Hunter, Steven L.

2016-09-01

Breakthrough energy resolution, R(662keV) <4%, has been achieved with an oxide scintillator, Cerium-doped Gadolinium Yttrium Gallium Aluminum Garnet, or GYGAG(Ce), by optimizing fabrication conditions. Here we describe the dependence of scintillation light yield and energy resolution on several variables: (1) Stoichiometry, in particular Gd/Y and Ga/Al ratios which modify the bandgap energy, (2) Processing methods, including vacuum vs. oxygen sintering, and (3) Trace co-dopants that influence the formation of Ce4+ and modify the intra-bandgap trap distribution. To learn about how chemical composition influences the scintillation properties of transparent ceramic garnet scintillators, we have measured: scintillation decay component amplitudes; intensity and duration of afterglow; thermoluminescence glow curve peak positions and amplitudes; integrated light yield; light yield non-proportionality, as measured in the Scintillator Light Yield Non-Proportionality Characterization Instrument (SLYNCI); and energy resolution for gamma spectroscopy. Optimized GYGAG(Ce) provides R(662 keV) =3.0%, for 0.05 cm3 size ceramics with Silicon photodiode readout, and R(662 keV) =4.6%, at 2 in3 size with PMT readout.

Photosystem II Photochemistry and Phycobiliprotein of the Red Algae Kappaphycus alvarezii and Their Implications for Light Adaptation

PubMed Central

Wang, Jinfeng; Zhu, Jianyi; Yao, Chunyan; Liu, Jianguo; Qin, Song; Jiang, Peng

2013-01-01

Photosystem II photochemistry and phycobiliprotein (PBP) genes of red algae Kappaphycus alvarezii, raw material of κ-carrageenan used in food and pharmaceutical industries, were analyzed in this study. Minimum saturating irradiance (I k) of this algal species was less than 115 μmol m−2 s−1. Its actual PSII efficiency (yield II) increased when light intensity enhanced and decreased when light intensity reached 200 μmol m−2 s−1. Under dim light, yield II declined at first and then increased on the fourth day. Under high light, yield II retained a stable value. These results indicate that K. alvarezii is a low-light-adapted species but possesses regulative mechanisms in response to both excessive and deficient light. Based on the PBP gene sequences, K. alvarezii, together with other red algae, assembled faster and showed a closer relationship with LL-Prochlorococcus compared to HL-Prochlorococcus. Many amino acid loci in PBP sequences of K. alvarezii were conserved with those of LL-Prochlorococcus. However, loci conserved with HL-Prochlorococcus but divergent with LL-Prochlorococcus were also found. The diversities of PE and PC are proposed to have played some roles during the algal evolution and divergence of light adaption. PMID:24380080

Photosystem II photochemistry and phycobiliprotein of the red algae Kappaphycus alvarezii and their implications for light adaptation.

PubMed

Guan, Xiangyu; Wang, Jinfeng; Zhu, Jianyi; Yao, Chunyan; Liu, Jianguo; Qin, Song; Jiang, Peng

2013-01-01

Photosystem II photochemistry and phycobiliprotein (PBP) genes of red algae Kappaphycus alvarezii, raw material of κ -carrageenan used in food and pharmaceutical industries, were analyzed in this study. Minimum saturating irradiance (I k) of this algal species was less than 115 μmol m(-2) s(-1). Its actual PSII efficiency (yield II) increased when light intensity enhanced and decreased when light intensity reached 200 μmol m(-2) s(-1). Under dim light, yield II declined at first and then increased on the fourth day. Under high light, yield II retained a stable value. These results indicate that K. alvarezii is a low-light-adapted species but possesses regulative mechanisms in response to both excessive and deficient light. Based on the PBP gene sequences, K. alvarezii, together with other red algae, assembled faster and showed a closer relationship with LL-Prochlorococcus compared to HL-Prochlorococcus. Many amino acid loci in PBP sequences of K. alvarezii were conserved with those of LL-Prochlorococcus. However, loci conserved with HL-Prochlorococcus but divergent with LL-Prochlorococcus were also found. The diversities of PE and PC are proposed to have played some roles during the algal evolution and divergence of light adaption.

Cesium hafnium chloride: A high light yield, non-hygroscopic cubic crystal scintillator for gamma spectroscopy

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

Burger, Arnold, E-mail: aburger@fisk.edu; Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235; Rowe, Emmanuel

We report on the scintillation properties of Cs{sub 2}HfCl{sub 6} (cesium hafnium chloride or CHC) as an example of a little-known class of non-hygroscopic compounds having the generic cubic crystal structure of K{sub 2}PtCl{sub 6}. The crystals are easily growable from the melt using the Bridgman method with minimal precursor treatments or purification. CHC scintillation is centered at 400 nm, with a principal decay time of 4.37 μs and a light yield of up to 54 000 photons/MeV when measured using a silicon CCD photodetector. The light yield is the highest ever reported for an undoped crystal, and CHC also exhibits excellent lightmore » yield nonproportionality. These desirable properties allowed us to build and test CHC gamma-ray spectrometers providing energy resolution of 3.3% at 662 keV.« less

Analysis of nanoparticles using photonic nanojet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xu; Chen, Zhigang; Siegel, Michael P.; Taflove, Allen; Backman, Vadim

2005-04-01

A photonic nanojet is a local field enhancement generated in the vicinity of a properly chosen microsphere or microcylinder illuminated by a collimated light beam. These photonic nanojets have waists smaller than the diffraction limit and propagate over several optical wavelengths without significant diffraction. We investigate the properties of photonic nanojets using rigorous solutions of Maxwell"s equations. A remarkable property we have found is that they can significantly enhance the backscattering of light by nanometer-scale particles (as small as ~1 nm) located within the jets. The enhancement factor for the backscattering intensity can be as high as five to six orders of magnitude. As a result, the observed intensity of the backscattered light from the dielectric microsphere can be substantially altered due to the presence of a nanoparticle within the light jet. Furthermore, the intensity and angular distribution of the backscattered signal is extremely sensitive to the size of the nanoparticle, which may enable differentiating particles with accuracy up to 1 nm. These properties of photonic nanojets make them an ideal tool for detecting, differentiating and sorting nanoparticles, which is of immense necessity for the field of nano-biotechnology. For example, they could yield potential novel ultramicroscopy techniques using visible light for detecting proteins, viral particles, and even single molecules; and monitoring molecular synthesis and aggregation processes of importance in many areas of biology, chemistry, material sciences, and tissue engineering.

Delivery of vincristine sulfate-conjugated gold nanoparticles using liposomes: a light-responsive nanocarrier with enhanced antitumor efficiency

PubMed Central

Liu, Ying; He, Man; Niu, Mengmeng; Zhao, Yiqing; Zhu, Yuanzhang; Li, Zhenhua; Feng, Nianping

2015-01-01

Rapid drug release at the specific site of action is still a challenge for antitumor therapy. Development of stimuli-responsive hybrid nanocarriers provides a promising strategy to enhance therapeutic effects by combining the unique features of each component. The present study explored the use of drug–gold nanoparticle conjugates incorporated into liposomes to enhance antitumor efficiency. A model drug, vincristine sulfate, was physically conjugated with gold nanoparticles and verified by UV-visible and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. The conjugates were incorporated into liposomes by film dispersion to yield nanoparticles (113.4 nm) with light-responsive release properties, as shown by in vitro release studies. Intracellular uptake and distribution was studied in HeLa cells using transmission electron microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy. This demonstrated liposome internalization and localization in endosomal–lysosomal vesicles. Fluorescence intensity increased in cells exposed to UV light, indicating that this stimulated intracellular drug release; this finding was confirmed by quantitative analyses using flow cytometry. Antitumor efficacy was evaluated in HeLa cells, both in culture and in implants in vivo in nude mice. HeLa cell viability assays showed that light exposure enhanced liposome cytotoxicity and induction of apoptosis. Furthermore, treatment with the prepared liposomes coupled with UV light exposure produced greater antitumor effects in nude mice and reduced side effects, as compared with free vincristine sulfate. PMID:25960649

The dark side of marketing seemingly "Light" cigarettes: successful images and failed fact.

PubMed

Pollay, R W; Dewhirst, T

2002-03-01

To understand the development, intent, and consequences of US tobacco industry advertising for low machine yield cigarettes. Analysis of trade sources and internal US tobacco company documents now available on various web sites created by corporations, litigation, or public health bodies. When introducing low yield products, cigarette manufacturers were concerned about maintaining products with acceptable taste/flavour and feared consumers might become weaned from smoking. Several tactics were employed by cigarette manufacturers, leading consumers to perceive filtered and low machine yield brands as safer relative to other brands. Tactics include using cosmetic (that is, ineffective) filters, loosening filters over time, using medicinal menthol, using high tech imagery, using virtuous brand names and descriptors, adding a virtuous variant to a brand's product line, and generating misleading data on tar and nicotine yields. Advertisements of filtered and low tar cigarettes were intended to reassure smokers concerned about the health risks of smoking, and to present the respective products as an alternative to quitting. Promotional efforts were successful in getting smokers to adopt filtered and low yield cigarette brands. Corporate documents demonstrate that cigarette manufacturers recognised the inherent deceptiveness of cigarette brands described as "Light"or "Ultra-Light" because of low machine measured yields.

Oxygen-Evolving Porous Glass Plates Containing the Photosynthetic Photosystem II Pigment-Protein Complex.

PubMed

Noji, Tomoyasu; Kawakami, Keisuke; Shen, Jian-Ren; Dewa, Takehisa; Nango, Mamoru; Kamiya, Nobuo; Itoh, Shigeru; Jin, Tetsuro

2016-08-09

The development of artificial photosynthesis has focused on the efficient coupling of reaction at photoanode and cathode, wherein the production of hydrogen (or energy carriers) is coupled to the electrons derived from water-splitting reactions. The natural photosystem II (PSII) complex splits water efficiently using light energy. The PSII complex is a large pigment-protein complex (20 nm in diameter) containing a manganese cluster. A new photoanodic device was constructed incorporating stable PSII purified from a cyanobacterium Thermosynechococcus vulcanus through immobilization within 20 or 50 nm nanopores contained in porous glass plates (PGPs). PSII in the nanopores retained its native structure and high photoinduced water splitting activity. The photocatalytic rate (turnover frequency) of PSII in PGP was enhanced 11-fold compared to that in solution, yielding a rate of 50-300 mol e(-)/(mol PSII·s) with 2,6-dichloroindophenol (DCIP) as an electron acceptor. The PGP system realized high local concentrations of PSII and DCIP to enhance the collisional reactions in nanotubes with low disturbance of light penetration. The system allows direct visualization/determination of the reaction inside the nanotubes, which contributes to optimize the local reaction condition. The PSII/PGP device will substantively contribute to the construction of artificial photosynthesis using water as the ultimate electron source.

Dynamical control of electron-phonon interactions with high-frequency light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dutreix, C.; Katsnelson, M. I.

2017-01-01

This work addresses the one-dimensional problem of Bloch electrons when they are rapidly driven by a homogeneous time-periodic light and linearly coupled to vibrational modes. Starting from a generic time-periodic electron-phonon Hamiltonian, we derive a time-independent effective Hamiltonian that describes the stroboscopic dynamics up to the third order in the high-frequency limit. This yields nonequilibrium corrections to the electron-phonon coupling that are controllable dynamically via the driving strength. This shows in particular that local Holstein interactions in equilibrium are corrected by antisymmetric Peierls interactions out of equilibrium, as well as by phonon-assisted hopping processes that make the dynamical Wannier-Stark localization of Bloch electrons impossible. Subsequently, we revisit the Holstein polaron problem out of equilibrium in terms of effective Green's functions, and specify explicitly how the binding energy and effective mass of the polaron can be controlled dynamically. These tunable properties are reported within the weak- and strong-coupling regimes since both can be visited within the same material when varying the driving strength. This work provides some insight into controllable microscopic mechanisms that may be involved during the multicycle laser irradiations of organic molecular crystals in ultrafast pump-probe experiments, although it should also be suitable for realizations in shaken optical lattices of ultracold atoms.

Exploring combined dark and bright field illumination to improve the detection of defects on specular surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forte, Paulo M. F.; Felgueiras, P. E. R.; Ferreira, Flávio P.; Sousa, M. A.; Nunes-Pereira, Eduardo J.; Bret, Boris P. J.; Belsley, Michael S.

2017-01-01

An automatic optical inspection system for detecting local defects on specular surfaces is presented. The system uses an image display to produce a sequence of structured diffuse illumination patterns and a digital camera to acquire the corresponding sequence of images. An image enhancement algorithm, which measures the local intensity variations between bright- and dark-field illumination conditions, yields a final image in which the defects are revealed with a high contrast. Subsequently, an image segmentation algorithm, which compares statistically the enhanced image of the inspected surface with the corresponding image for a defect-free template, allows separating defects from non-defects with an adjusting decision threshold. The method can be applied to shiny surfaces of any material including metal, plastic and glass. The described method was tested on the plastic surface of a car dashboard system. We were able to detect not only scratches but also dust and fingerprints. In our experiment we observed a detection contrast increase from about 40%, when using an extended light source, to more than 90% when using a structured light source. The presented method is simple, robust and can be carried out with short cycle times, making it appropriate for applications in industrial environments.

Current Velocity Data on Dwarf Galaxy NGC 1052-DF2 do not Constrain it to Lack Dark Matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, Nicolas F.; Collins, Michelle L. M.; Longeard, Nicolas; Tollerud, Erik

2018-05-01

It was recently proposed that the globular cluster system of the very low surface brightness galaxy NGC 1052-DF2 is dynamically very cold, leading to the conclusion that this dwarf galaxy has little or no dark matter. Here, we show that a robust statistical measure of the velocity dispersion of the tracer globular clusters implies a mundane velocity dispersion and a poorly constrained mass-to-light ratio. Models that include the possibility that some of the tracers are field contaminants do not yield a more constraining inference. We derive only a weak constraint on the mass-to-light ratio of the system within the half-light radius (M/{L}V< 6.7 at the 90% confidence level) or within the radius of the furthest tracer (M/{L}V< 8.1 at the 90% confidence level). This limit may imply a mass-to-light ratio on the low end for a dwarf galaxy, but many Local Group dwarf galaxies fall well within this contraint. With this study, we emphasize the need to reliably account for measurement uncertainties and to stay as close as possible to the data when determining dynamical masses from very small data sets of tracers.

Tuning of the emission color of organic light emitting diodes via smartly designed aluminum plasmonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Auer-Berger, Manuel; Tretnak, Veronika; Wenzl, Franz-Peter; Krenn, Joachim; List-Kratochvil, Emil J. W.

2017-02-01

With the invention of phosphorescent emitter material, organic light emitting diodes with internal quantum yields of up to 100% can be realized. Still, the extraction of the light from the OLED stack is a bottleneck, which hampers the availability of OLEDs with large external quantum efficiencies. In this contribution, we highlight the advantages of integrating aluminum nanodisc arrays into the OLED stack. By this, not only the out-coupling of light can be enhanced, but also the emission color can be tailored and controlled. By means of extinction- and fluorescence spectroscopy measurements we are able to show how the sharp features observed in the extinction measurements correlate with a very selective fluorescence enhancement of the organic emitter materials used in these studies. At the same time, localized surface plasmon resonances of the individual nanodiscs further modify the emission spectrum, e.g., by filtering the green emission tail. A combination of these factors leads to a modification of the emission color in between CIE1931 (x,y) chromaticity coordinates of (0.149, 0.225) and (0.152, 0.352). After accounting for the sensitivity of the human eye, we are able to demonstrate that this adjustment of the chromaticity coordinates goes is accompanied by an increase in device efficiency.

[Effects of light intensity on growth and photosynthetic characteristics of Tulipa edulis].

PubMed

Xu, Hongjian; Zhu, Zaibiao; Guo, Qiaosheng; Wu, Zhengjun; Ma, Hongliang; Miao, Yuanyuan

2012-02-01

Present study was conducted to explore the growth and photosynthetic characteristics of Tulipa edulis under different light conditions (23%, 45%, 63%, 78%, 100% of full sunlight) and to determine the optimum light intensity for growth of T. edulis. The leaf area and biomass indicators as well as reproductive characteristics were measured. The photosynthetic basic parameters and light response curve were determined by a LI-6400XT portable photosynthesis system, and the light response curve characteristic parameters was determined. Additionally, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters were determined by assorted fluorescence leaf chamber of LI-6400XT. The lowest biomass yield was observed in the 23% and 100% of full sunlight treatments while the highest value was found under the 78% of full sunlight conditions. With the reduction of light availability, the success rate of sexual reproduction, light saturation point (LSP) and light compensation point (LCP) reduced, while apparent quantum yield (AQY) increased. 23% and 45% of full sunlight treatments led to lower photosynthesis rate (Pn) and higher apparent quantum yield (AQY) in comparison with other treatents. The highest photosynthesis rate was observed in the 78% and 100% of full sunlight treatments. In addition, 78% of full sunlight treatments led to highest Fv/Fm, Fv'/Fm', PhiPS II, ETR, and qP. T. edulis was able to adapt in a wide range of light intensity, and 78% of full sunlinght was the most suitable light condition for growth of T. edulis.

Magnesium for Crashworthy Components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbott, T.; Easton, M.; Schmidt, R.

Most applications of magnesium in automobiles are for nonstructural components. However, the light weight properties of magnesium make it attractive in structural applications where energy absorption in a crash is critical. Because most deformation in a crash occurs as bending rather than simple tension or compression, the advantages of magnesium are greater than anticipated simply from tensile strength to weight ratios. The increased thickness possible with magnesium strongly influences bending behavior and theoretical calculations suggest almost an order of magnitude greater energy absorption with magnesium compared to the same weight of steel. The strain rate sensitivity of steel is of concern for energy absorption. Mild steels exhibit a distinct yield point which increases with strain rate. At strain rates typical of vehicle impact, this can result in strain localization and poor energy absorption. Magnesium alloys with relatively low aluminum contents exhibit strain rate sensitivity, however, this is manifest as an increase in work hardening and tensile / yield ratio. This behavior suggests that the performance of magnesium alloys in terms of energy absorption actually improves at high strain rates.

Effects of Controlled-Release Fertilizer on Leaf Area Index and Fruit Yield in High-Density Soilless Tomato Culture Using Low Node-Order Pinching

PubMed Central

Kinoshita, Takafumi; Yano, Takayoshi; Sugiura, Makoto; Nagasaki, Yuji

2014-01-01

To further development of a simplified fertigation system using controlled-release fertilizers (CRF), we investigated the effects of differing levels of fertilizers and plant density on leaf area index (LAI), fruit yields, and nutrient use in soilless tomato cultures with low node-order pinching and high plant density during spring-summer (SS), summer-fall (SF), and fall-winter (FW) seasons. Plants were treated with 1 of 3 levels of CRF in a closed system, or with liquid fertilizer (LF) with constant electrical conductivity (EC) in a drip-draining system. Two plant densities were examined for each fertilizer treatment. In CRF treatments, LAI at pinching increased linearly with increasing nutrient supply for all cropping seasons. In SS, both light interception by plant canopy at pinching and total marketable fruit yield increased linearly with increasing LAI up to 6 m2·m−2; the maximization point was not reached for any of the treatments. In FW, both light interception and yield were maximized at an LAI of approximately 4. These results suggest that maximizing the LAI in SS and FW to the saturation point for light interception is important for increasing yield. In SF, however, the yield maximized at an LAI of approximately 3, although the light interception linearly increased with increasing LAI, up to 4.5. According to our results, the optimal LAI at pinching may be 6 in SS, 3 in SF, and 4 in FW. In comparing LAI values with similar fruit yield, we found that nutrient supply was 32−46% lower with the CRF method than with LF. In conclusion, CRF application in a closed system enables growers to achieve a desirable LAI to maximize fruit yield with a regulated amount of nutrient supply per unit area. Further, the CRF method greatly reduced nutrient use without decreasing fruit yield at similar LAIs, as compared to the LF method. PMID:25402478

Auditory and visual localization accuracy in young children and adults.

PubMed

Martin, Karen; Johnstone, Patti; Hedrick, Mark

2015-06-01

This study aimed to measure and compare sound and light source localization ability in young children and adults who have normal hearing and normal/corrected vision in order to determine the extent to which age, type of stimuli, and stimulus order affects sound localization accuracy. Two experiments were conducted. The first involved a group of adults only. The second involved a group of 30 children aged 3 to 5 years. Testing occurred in a sound-treated booth containing a semi-circular array of 15 loudspeakers set at 10° intervals from -70° to 70° azimuth. Each loudspeaker had a tiny light bulb and a small picture fastened underneath. Seven of the loudspeakers were used to randomly test sound and light source identification. The sound stimulus was the word "baseball". The light stimulus was a flashing of a light bulb triggered by the digital signal of the word "baseball". Each participant was asked to face 0° azimuth, and identify the location of the test stimulus upon presentation. Adults used a computer mouse to click on an icon; children responded by verbally naming or walking toward the picture underneath the corresponding loudspeaker or light. A mixed experimental design using repeated measures was used to determine the effect of age and stimulus type on localization accuracy in children and adults. A mixed experimental design was used to compare the effect of stimulus order (light first/last) and varying or fixed intensity sound on localization accuracy in children and adults. Localization accuracy was significantly better for light stimuli than sound stimuli for children and adults. Children, compared to adults, showed significantly greater localization errors for audition. Three-year-old children had significantly greater sound localization errors compared to 4- and 5-year olds. Adults performed better on the sound localization task when the light localization task occurred first. Young children can understand and attend to localization tasks, but show poorer localization accuracy than adults in sound localization. This may be a reflection of differences in sensory modality development and/or central processes in young children, compared to adults. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Experience in estimating neutron poison worths

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

Chiang, R.T.; Congdon, S.P.

1989-01-01

Gadolinia, {sup 135}Xe, {sup 149}Sm, control rod, and soluble boron are five neutron poisons that may appear in light water reactor assemblies. Reliable neutron poison worth estimation is useful for evaluating core operating strategies, fuel cycle economics, and reactor safety design. Based on physical presence, neutron poisons can be divided into two categories: local poisons and global poisons. Gadolinia and control rod are local poisons, and {sup 135}Xe, {sup 149}Sm, and soluble boron are global poisons. The first-order perturbation method is commonly used to estimate nuclide worths in fuel assemblies. It is well known, however, that the first-order perturbation methodmore » was developed for small perturbations, such as the perturbation due to weak absorbers, and that neutron poisons are not weak absorbers. The authors have developed an improved method to replace the first-order perturbation method, which yields very poor results, for estimating local poison worths. It has also been shown that the first-order perturbation method seems adequate to estimate worths for global poisons caused by flux compensation.« less

Supplemental Upward Lighting from Underneath to Obtain Higher Marketable Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) Leaf Fresh Weight by Retarding Senescence of Outer Leaves

PubMed Central

Zhang, Geng; Shen, Shanqi; Takagaki, Michiko; Kozai, Toyoki; Yamori, Wataru

2015-01-01

Recently, the so-called “plant factory with artificial lighting” (PFAL) approach has been developed to provide safe and steady food production. Although PFALs can produce high-yielding and high-quality plants, the high plant density in these systems accelerates leaf senescence in the bottom (or outer) leaves owing to shading by the upper (or inner) leaves and by neighboring plants. This decreases yield and increases labor costs for trimming. Thus, the establishment of cultivation methods to retard senescence of outer leaves is an important research goal to improve PFAL yield and profitability. In the present study, we developed an LED lighting apparatus that would optimize light conditions for PFAL cultivation of a leafy vegetable. Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) was hydroponically grown under white, red, or blue LEDs, with light provided from above (downward), with or without supplemental upward lighting from underneath the plant. White LEDs proved more appropriate for lettuce growth than red or blue LEDs, and the supplemental lighting retarded the senescence of outer leaves and decreased waste (i.e., dead or low-quality senescent leaves), leading to an improvement of the marketable leaf fresh weight. PMID:26697055

Preparation and characterization of ZnO-TiO{sub 2} nanocomposite for photocatalytic disinfection of bacteria and detoxification of cyanide under visible light

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

Karunakaran, C., E-mail: karunakaranc@rediffmail.com; Abiramasundari, G.; Gomathisankar, P.

2011-10-15

Highlights: {yields} ZnO-TiO{sub 2} nanocomposite, obtained by modified ammonia-evaporation-induced synthetic method, absorbs visible light. {yields} ZnO-TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles catalyze bacteria disinfection and cyanide detoxification under sunlight. {yields} ZnO-TiO{sub 2} nanocomposite is selective in photocatalysis. -- Abstract: ZnO-TiO{sub 2} nanocomposite was prepared by modified ammonia-evaporation-induced synthetic method. It was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction, and energy dispersive X-ray, UV-visible diffuse reflectance, photoluminescence and electrochemical impedance spectroscopies. Incorporation of ZnO leads to visible light absorption, larger charge transfer resistance and lower capacitance. The nanocomposite effectively catalyzes the inactivation of E. coli under visible light. Further,more » the prepared nanocomposite displays selective photocatalysis. While its photocatalytic efficiency to detoxify cyanide with visible light is higher than that of TiO{sub 2} P25, its efficiency to degrade methylene blue, sunset yellow and rhodamine B dyes under UV-A light is less than that of TiO{sub 2} P25.« less

Neutron spectroscopy by thermalization light yield measurement in a composite heterogeneous scintillator

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

Shi, T.; Nattress, J.; Mayer, Michael F.

2016-12-11

An exothermic neutron capture reaction can be used to uniquely identify neutrons in particle detectors. With the use of a capture-gated coincidence technique, the sequence of scatter events that lead to neutron thermalization prior to the neutron capture can also be used to measure neutron energy. We report on the measurement of thermalization light yield via a time-of-flight technique in a polyvinyl toluene-based scintillator EJ-290 within a heterogeneous composite detector that also includes 6Li-doped glass scintillator. The thermalization light output exhibits a strong correlation with neutron energy because of the preference for near-complete energy deposition prior to the 6Li(n,t)4He neutronmore » capture reaction. The nonproportionality of the light yield from nuclear recoils contributes to the observed broadening of the distribution of thermalization light output. The nonproportional dependence of the scintillation light output in the EJ-290 scintillator as a function of proton recoil energy has been characterized in the range of 0.3–14.1 MeV via the Birks parametrization through a combination of time-of-flight measurement and previously conducted measurements with Monoenergetic neutron sources.« less

Synthesis and biological evaluation of 173-dicarboxylethyl-pyropheophorbide-a amide derivatives for photodynamic therapy.

PubMed

Zhu, Wei; Wang, Lai-Xing; Chen, Dan-Ye; Gao, Ying-Hua; Yan, Yi-Jia; Wu, Xiao-Feng; Wang, Mi; Han, Yi-Ping; Chen, Zhi-Long

2017-12-19

Three novel 17 3 -dicarboxylethyl-pyropheophorbide-a amide derivatives as photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy (PDT) were synthesized from pyropheophorbide-a (Ppa). Their photophysical and photochemical properties, intracellular localization, photocytotoxicity in vitro and in vivo were investigated. All target compounds exhibited low cytotoxicity in the dark and remarkable photocytotoxicity against human esophageal cancer cells. Among them, 1a showed highest singlet oxygen quantum yield. Upon light activation, 1a exhibited significant photocytotoxicity. After PDT treatment, the growth of Eca-109 tumor in nude mice was significantly inhibited. Therefore, 1a is a powerful and promising antitumor photosensitizer for PDT. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tests of Scintillator+WLS Strips for Muon System at Future Colliders

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

Denisov, Dmitri; Evdokimov, Valery; Lukić, Strahinja

2015-10-11

Prototype scintilator+WLS strips with SiPM readout for muon system at future colliders were tested for light yield, time resolution and position resolution. Depending on the configuration, light yield of up to 36 photoelectrons per muon per SiPM has been achieved, as well as time resolution of 0.5 ns and position resolution of ~ 7 cm.

Generation of the neutron response function of an NE213 scintillator for fusion applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Binda, F.; Eriksson, J.; Ericsson, G.; Hellesen, C.; Conroy, S.; Nocente, M.; Sundén, E. Andersson; JET Contributors

2017-09-01

In this work we present a method to evaluate the neutron response function of an NE213 liquid scintillator. This method is particularly useful when the proton light yield function of the detector has not been measured, since it is based on a proton light yield function taken from literature, MCNPX simulations, measurements of gamma-rays from a calibration source and measurements of neutrons from fusion experiments with ohmic plasmas. The inclusion of the latter improves the description of the proton light yield function in the energy range of interest (around 2.46 MeV). We apply this method to an NE213 detector installed at JET, inside the radiation shielding of the magnetic proton recoil (MPRu) spectrometer, and present the results from the calibration along with some examples of application of the response function to perform neutron emission spectroscopy (NES) of fusion plasmas. We also investigate how the choice of the proton light yield function affects the NES analysis, finding that the result does not change significantly. This points to the fact that the method for the evaluation of the neutron response function is robust and gives reliable results.

Local yield stress statistics in model amorphous solids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barbot, Armand; Lerbinger, Matthias; Hernandez-Garcia, Anier; García-García, Reinaldo; Falk, Michael L.; Vandembroucq, Damien; Patinet, Sylvain

2018-03-01

We develop and extend a method presented by Patinet, Vandembroucq, and Falk [Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 045501 (2016), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.117.045501] to compute the local yield stresses at the atomic scale in model two-dimensional Lennard-Jones glasses produced via differing quench protocols. This technique allows us to sample the plastic rearrangements in a nonperturbative manner for different loading directions on a well-controlled length scale. Plastic activity upon shearing correlates strongly with the locations of low yield stresses in the quenched states. This correlation is higher in more structurally relaxed systems. The distribution of local yield stresses is also shown to strongly depend on the quench protocol: the more relaxed the glass, the higher the local plastic thresholds. Analysis of the magnitude of local plastic relaxations reveals that stress drops follow exponential distributions, justifying the hypothesis of an average characteristic amplitude often conjectured in mesoscopic or continuum models. The amplitude of the local plastic rearrangements increases on average with the yield stress, regardless of the system preparation. The local yield stress varies with the shear orientation tested and strongly correlates with the plastic rearrangement locations when the system is sheared correspondingly. It is thus argued that plastic rearrangements are the consequence of shear transformation zones encoded in the glass structure that possess weak slip planes along different orientations. Finally, we justify the length scale employed in this work and extract the yield threshold statistics as a function of the size of the probing zones. This method makes it possible to derive physically grounded models of plasticity for amorphous materials by directly revealing the relevant details of the shear transformation zones that mediate this process.

Spectral focusing of broadband silver electroluminescence in nanoscopic FRET-LEDs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puchert, Robin P.; Steiner, Florian; Plechinger, Gerd; Hofmann, Felix J.; Caspers, Ines; Kirschner, Johanna; Nagler, Philipp; Chernikov, Alexey; Schüller, Christian; Korn, Tobias; Vogelsang, Jan; Bange, Sebastian; Lupton, John M.

2017-07-01

Few inventions have shaped the world like the incandescent bulb. Edison used thermal radiation from ohmically heated conductors, but some noble metals also exhibit 'cold' electroluminescence in percolation films, tunnel diodes, electromigrated nanoparticle aggregates, optical antennas or scanning tunnelling microscopy. The origin of this radiation, which is spectrally broad and depends on applied bias, is controversial given the low radiative yields of electronic transitions. Nanoparticle electroluminescence is particularly intriguing because it involves localized surface-plasmon resonances with large dipole moments. Such plasmons enable very efficient non-radiative fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) coupling to proximal resonant dipole transitions. Here, we demonstrate nanoscopic FRET-light-emitting diodes which exploit the opposite process, energy transfer from silver nanoparticles to exfoliated monolayers of transition-metal dichalcogenides. In diffraction-limited hotspots showing pronounced photon bunching, broadband silver electroluminescence is focused into the narrow excitonic resonance of the atomically thin overlayer. Such devices may offer alternatives to conventional nano-light-emitting diodes in on-chip optical interconnects.

Nanoscale Imaging of Light-Matter Coupling Inside Metal-Coated Cavities with a Pulsed Electron Beam.

PubMed

Moerland, Robert J; Weppelman, I Gerward C; Scotuzzi, Marijke; Hoogenboom, Jacob P

2018-05-02

Many applications in (quantum) nanophotonics rely on controlling light-matter interaction through strong, nanoscale modification of the local density of states (LDOS). All-optical techniques probing emission dynamics in active media are commonly used to measure the LDOS and benchmark experimental performance against theoretical predictions. However, metal coatings needed to obtain strong LDOS modifications in, for instance, nanocavities, are incompatible with all-optical characterization. So far, no reliable method exists to validate theoretical predictions. Here, we use subnanosecond pulses of focused electrons to penetrate the metal and excite a buried active medium at precisely defined locations inside subwavelength resonant nanocavities. We reveal the spatial layout of the spontaneous-emission decay dynamics inside the cavities with deep-subwavelength detail, directly mapping the LDOS. We show that emission enhancement converts to inhibition despite an increased number of modes, emphasizing the critical role of optimal emitter location. Our approach yields fundamental insight in dynamics at deep-subwavelength scales for a wide range of nano-optical systems.

Spectral focusing of broadband silver electroluminescence in nanoscopic FRET-LEDs.

PubMed

Puchert, Robin P; Steiner, Florian; Plechinger, Gerd; Hofmann, Felix J; Caspers, Ines; Kirschner, Johanna; Nagler, Philipp; Chernikov, Alexey; Schüller, Christian; Korn, Tobias; Vogelsang, Jan; Bange, Sebastian; Lupton, John M

2017-07-01

Few inventions have shaped the world like the incandescent bulb. Edison used thermal radiation from ohmically heated conductors, but some noble metals also exhibit 'cold' electroluminescence in percolation films, tunnel diodes, electromigrated nanoparticle aggregates, optical antennas or scanning tunnelling microscopy. The origin of this radiation, which is spectrally broad and depends on applied bias, is controversial given the low radiative yields of electronic transitions. Nanoparticle electroluminescence is particularly intriguing because it involves localized surface-plasmon resonances with large dipole moments. Such plasmons enable very efficient non-radiative fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) coupling to proximal resonant dipole transitions. Here, we demonstrate nanoscopic FRET-light-emitting diodes which exploit the opposite process, energy transfer from silver nanoparticles to exfoliated monolayers of transition-metal dichalcogenides. In diffraction-limited hotspots showing pronounced photon bunching, broadband silver electroluminescence is focused into the narrow excitonic resonance of the atomically thin overlayer. Such devices may offer alternatives to conventional nano-light-emitting diodes in on-chip optical interconnects.

Space-resolved diffusing wave spectroscopy measurements of the macroscopic deformation and the microscopic dynamics in tensile strain tests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagazi, Med-Yassine; Brambilla, Giovanni; Meunier, Gérard; Marguerès, Philippe; Périé, Jean-Noël; Cipelletti, Luca

2017-01-01

We couple a laser-based, space-resolved dynamic light scattering apparatus to a universal traction machine for mechanical extensional tests. We perform simultaneous optical and mechanical measurements on polyether ether ketone, a semi-crystalline polymer widely used in the industry. Due to the high turbidity of the sample, light is multiply scattered by the sample and the diffusing wave spectroscopy (DWS) formalism is used to interpret the data. Space-resolved DWS yields spatial maps of the sample strain and of the microscopic dynamics. An excellent agreement is found between the strain maps thus obtained and those measured by a conventional stereo-digital image correlation technique. The microscopic dynamics reveals both affine motion and plastic rearrangements. Thanks to the extreme sensitivity of DWS to displacements as small as 1 nm, plastic activity and its spatial localization can be detected at an early stage of the sample strain, making the technique presented here a valuable complement to existing material characterization methods.

High-Efficiency and High-Color-Rendering-Index Semitransparent Polymer Solar Cells Induced by Photonic Crystals and Surface Plasmon Resonance.

PubMed

Shen, Ping; Wang, Guoxin; Kang, Bonan; Guo, Wenbin; Shen, Liang

2018-02-21

Semitransparent polymer solar cells (ST-PSCs) show attractive potential in power-generating windows or building-integrated photovoltaics. However, the development of ST-PSCs is lagging behind opaque PSCs because of the contradiction between device efficiency and transmission. Herein, Ag/Au alloy nanoparticles and photonic crystals (PCs) were simultaneously introduced into ST-PSCs, acting compatibly as localized surface plasmon resonances and distributed Bragg reflectors to enhance light absorption and transmission. As a result, ST-PSCs based on a hybrid PTB7-Th:PC 71 BM active layer contribute an efficiency as high as 7.13 ± 0.15% and an average visible transmission beyond 20%, which are superior to most of the reported results. Furthermore, PCs can partly compensate valley range of transmission by balancing reflection and transmission regions, yielding a high color rendering index of 95. We believe that the idea of two light management methods compatibly enhancing the performance of ST-PSCs can offer a promising path to develop photovoltaic applications.

Quantitative NO-LIF imaging in high-pressure flames

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bessler, W. G.; Schulz, C.; Lee, T.; Shin, D.-I.; Hofmann, M.; Jeffries, J. B.; Wolfrum, J.; Hanson, R. K.

2002-07-01

Planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) images of NO concentration are reported in premixed laminar flames from 1-60 bar exciting the A-X(0,0) band. The influence of O2 interference and gas composition, the variation with local temperature, and the effect of laser and signal attenuation by UV light absorption are investigated. Despite choosing a NO excitation and detection scheme with minimum O2-LIF contribution, this interference produces errors of up to 25% in a slightly lean 60 bar flame. The overall dependence of the inferred NO number density with temperature in the relevant (1200-2500 K) range is low (<±15%) because different effects cancel. The attenuation of laser and signal light by combustion products CO2 and H2O is frequently neglected, yet such absorption yields errors of up to 40% in our experiment despite the small scale (8 mm flame diameter). Understanding the dynamic range for each of these corrections provides guidance to minimize errors in single shot imaging experiments at high pressure.

Features of plastic strain localization at the yield plateau in Hadfield steel single crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barannikova, S. A.; Zuev, L. B.

2008-07-01

Spatiotemporal distributions of local components of the plastic distortion tensor in Hadfield steel single crystals oriented for single twinning have been studied under active tensile straining conditions using the double-exposure speckle photography technique. Features of the macroscopically inhomogeneous strain localization at the yield plateau are considered. Relations between local components of the plastic distortion tensor in the zone of strain localization are analyzed.

Observation of {chi}{sub cJ} Radiative Decays to Light Vector Mesons

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

Bennett, J. V.; Mitchell, R. E.; Shepherd, M. R.

2008-10-10

Using a total of 2.74x10{sup 7} decays of the {psi}(2S) collected with the CLEO-c detector, we present a study of {chi}{sub cJ}{yields}{gamma}V, where V={rho}{sup 0}, {omega}, {phi}. The transitions {chi}{sub c1}{yields}{gamma}{rho}{sup 0} and {chi}{sub c1}{yields}{gamma}{omega} are observed with B({chi}{sub c1}{yields}{gamma}{rho}{sup 0})=(2.43{+-}0.19{+-}0.22)x10{sup -4} and B({chi}{sub c1}{yields}{gamma}{omega})=(8.3{+-}1.5{+-}1.2)x10{sup -5}. In the {chi}{sub c1}{yields}{gamma}{rho}{sup 0} transition, the final state meson is dominantly longitudinally polarized. Upper limits on the branching fractions of other {chi}{sub cJ} states to light vector mesons are presented.

How does spatial and temporal resolution of vegetation index impact crop yield estimation?

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Timely and accurate estimation of crop yield before harvest is critical for food market and administrative planning. Remote sensing data have long been used in crop yield estimation for decades. The process-based approach uses light use efficiency model to estimate crop yield. Vegetation index (VI) ...

Dark Skies: Local Success, Global Challenge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lockwood, G. W.

2009-01-01

The Flagstaff, Arizona 1987 lighting code reduced the growth rate of man-made sky glow by a third. Components of the code include requirements for full cutoff lighting, lumens per acre limits in radial zones around observatories, and use of low-pressure sodium monochromatic lighting for roadways and parking lots. Broad public acceptance of Flagstaff's lighting code demonstrates that dark sky preservation has significant appeal and few visibility or public safety negatives. An inventory by C. Luginbuhl et al. of the light output and shielding of a sampling of various zoning categories (municipal, commercial, apartments, single-family residences, roadways, sports facilities, industrial, etc.), extrapolated over the entire city, yields a total output of 139 million lumens. Commercial and industrial sources account for 62% of the total. Outdoor sports lighting increases the total by 24% on summer evenings. Flagstaff's per capita lumen output is 2.5 times greater than the nominal 1,000 lumens per capita assumed by R. Garstang in his early sky glow modeling work. We resolved the discrepancy with respect to Flagstaff's measured sky glow using an improved model that includes substantial near ground attenuation by foliage and structures. A 2008 university study shows that astronomy contributes $250M annually to Arizona's economy. Another study showed that the application of lighting codes throughout Arizona could reduce energy consumption significantly. An ongoing effort led by observatory directors statewide will encourage lighting controls in currently unregulated metropolitan areas whose growing sky glow threatens observatory facilities more than 100 miles away. The national press (New York Times, the New Yorker, the Economist, USA Today, etc.) have publicized dark sky issues but frequent repetition of the essential message and vigorous action will be required to steer society toward darker skies and less egregious waste.

Light Yield Measurements of Heavy Photon Search (HPS) Muon Scintillator Hodoscopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skolnik, Marianne; Stepanyan, Stepan

2013-10-01

The HPS is an experiment that will search for new heavy vector boson(s) in the mass range of 20 MeV/c2 to 1000 MeV/c2. One of the detectors used for this experiment is a muon hodoscope. We are interested in finding the light yield for the scintillator - wavelength-shifting fiber coupling that will be used in this muon hodoscope. The muon hodoscope will have background signals distorting the data. In order to reduce the background, a threshold cut will be made on the signal coming from the photo-detector. Precision of this cut depends on the average number of photoelectrons, Npe. Previous tests have shown that Npe with Wavelength Shifting (WLS) fibers placed through the holes that go lengthwise down the scintillator is ~12/MeV. In this new muon hodoscope the scintillators will have WLS fibers glued inside the holes. The optical epoxy allows more light, changing Npe. To find Npe, two scintillators with fibers will be used, one of which will have glued WLS fibers. Light will be readout out using photo multiplier tubes (PMTs). The system of two scintillator-fiber-PMTs and one trigger PMT with a scintillator are placed in a dark box. First, position of a single photoelectron peaks is found using an LED light, then using the signal from cosmic muons from trigger PMT light yield is measured. Data are analyzed using ROOT macros. Result of this measurement suggests that light yield form glued fibers is higher than from WLS fibers without glue by a factor of ~1.7, which is sufficient for operation of the HPS muon hodoscope.

Development of a New Class of Scintillating Fibres with Very Short Decay Time and High Light Yield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borshchev, O.; Cavalcante, A. B. R.; Gavardi, L.; Gruber, L.; Joram, C.; Ponomarenko, S.; Shinji, O.; Surin, N.

2017-05-01

We present first studies of a new class of scintillating fibres which are characterised by very short decay times and high light yield. The fibres are based on a novel type of luminophores admixed to a polystyrene core matrix. These so-called Nanostructured Organosilicon Luminophores (NOL) have high photoluminescense quantum yield and decay times just above 1 ns. A blue and a green emitting prototype fibre with 250 μm diameter were produced and characterised in terms of attenuation length, ionisation light yield, decay time and tolerance to x-ray irradiation. The well-established Kuraray SCSF-78 and SCSF-3HF fibres were taken as references. Even though the two prototype fibres mark just an intermediate step in an ongoing development, their performance is already on a competitive level. In particular, their decay time constants are about a factor of two shorter than the fastest known fibres, which makes them promising candidates for time critical applications.

Measurement of light and charge yield of low-energy electronic recoils in liquid xenon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goetzke, L. W.; Aprile, E.; Anthony, M.; Plante, G.; Weber, M.

2017-11-01

The dependence of the light and charge yield of liquid xenon on the applied electric field and recoil energy is important for dark matter detectors using liquid xenon time projections chambers. Few measurements have been made of this field dependence at recoil energies less than 10 keV. In this paper, we present results of such measurements using a specialized detector. Recoil energies are determined via the Compton coincidence technique at four drift fields relevant for liquid xenon dark matter detectors: 0.19, 0.48, 1.02, and 2.32 kV /cm . Mean recoil energies down to 1 keV were measured with unprecedented precision. We find that the charge and light yield are anticorrelated above ˜3 keV and that the field dependence becomes negligible below ˜6 keV . However, below 3 keV, we find a charge yield significantly higher than expectation and a reconstructed energy deviating from linearity.

Photo reduction of CO2 to CH4 on g-C3N4: The effect of concentrating light and pretreatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Dong; Fang, Xiaoxiang; Liu, Huayan; Lu, Hanfeng; Zhang, Zekai

2018-06-01

The behavior of CO2 photoreduction to CH4 on the g-C3N4 catalyst was studied in a concentrating light reactor. The g-C3N4 catalysts before and after pretreatment were characterized by FE-SEM, XRD and photoilluminance. It is found that concentrating light increases the CH4 yield on the g-C3N4 by heightening the incident light intensity, and light pretreatment has an excessive effect on the performance. Pretreated by suitable light intensity, air atmosphere and time, the CH4 yield on the g-C3N4 under concentrating light irradiation reached about 3.39 μmol.g-1.h-1, which is about 16 times of that g-C3N4 reacted at nature incident light without pretreatment. The mechanism of pretreatment is considered to be from the surface oxidation state change of the catalyst either from the oxidation of the catalyst surface or the activation of surface oxygen.

Photosynthetic limitation as a factor influencing yield in highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum) grown in a northern European environment.

PubMed

Petridis, Antonios; van der Kaay, Jeroen; Chrysanthou, Elina; McCallum, Susan; Graham, Julie; Hancock, Robert D

2018-05-25

Published evidence indicates that nearly 60% of blueberry-producing countries experience yield instability. Yield is a complex trait determined by genetic and environmental factors. Here, using physiological and biochemical approaches, we tested the hypothesis that yield instability results from year-to-year environmental variation that limits carbon assimilation, storage and partitioning. The data indicate that fruit development depends primarily on the daily production of non-structural carbohydrates by leaves, and there is no accumulation of a starch buffer to allow continuous ripening under conditions limiting for photosynthesis. Photosynthesis was saturated at moderate light irradiance and this was mainly due to stomatal and biochemical limitations. In a dynamic light environment, photosynthesis was further limited by slow stomatal response to increasing light. Finally, labelling with 13CO2 at specific stages of fruit development revealed a relatively even distribution of newly assimilated carbon between stems, roots and fruits, suggesting that the fruit is not a strong sink. We conclude that a significant component of yield variability results from limitations in photosynthetic efficiency that are compounded by an inability to accumulate starch reserves in blueberry storage tissues in a typical northern European environment. This work informs techniques for improving agronomic management and indicates key traits required for yield stability in such environments.

Photosynthetic limitation as a factor influencing yield in highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum) grown in a northern European environment

PubMed Central

van der Kaay, Jeroen; Chrysanthou, Elina; McCallum, Susan

2018-01-01

Abstract Published evidence indicates that nearly 60% of blueberry-producing countries experience yield instability. Yield is a complex trait determined by genetic and environmental factors. Here, using physiological and biochemical approaches, we tested the hypothesis that yield instability results from year-to-year environmental variation that limits carbon assimilation, storage and partitioning. The data indicate that fruit development depends primarily on the daily production of non-structural carbohydrates by leaves, and there is no accumulation of a starch buffer to allow continuous ripening under conditions limiting for photosynthesis. Photosynthesis was saturated at moderate light irradiance and this was mainly due to stomatal and biochemical limitations. In a dynamic light environment, photosynthesis was further limited by slow stomatal response to increasing light. Finally, labelling with 13CO2 at specific stages of fruit development revealed a relatively even distribution of newly assimilated carbon between stems, roots and fruits, suggesting that the fruit is not a strong sink. We conclude that a significant component of yield variability results from limitations in photosynthetic efficiency that are compounded by an inability to accumulate starch reserves in blueberry storage tissues in a typical northern European environment. This work informs techniques for improving agronomic management and indicates key traits required for yield stability in such environments. PMID:29590429

{lambda}{sub b}{yields}p, {lambda} transition form factors from QCD light-cone sum rules

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

Wang Yuming; Lue Caidian; Shen Yuelong

2009-10-01

Light-cone sum rules for the {lambda}{sub b}{yields}p, {lambda} transition form factors are derived from the correlation functions expanded by the twist of the distribution amplitudes of the {lambda}{sub b} baryon. In terms of the {lambda}{sub b} three-quark distribution amplitude models constrained by the QCD theory, we calculate the form factors at small momentum transfers and compare the results with those estimated in the conventional light-cone sum rules (LCSR) and perturbative QCD approaches. Our results indicate that the two different versions of sum rules can lead to the consistent numbers of form factors responsible for {lambda}{sub b}{yields}p transition. The {lambda}{sub b}{yields}{lambda}more » transition form factors from LCSR with the asymptotic {lambda} baryon distribution amplitudes are found to be almost 1 order larger than those obtained in the {lambda}{sub b}-baryon LCSR, implying that the preasymptotic corrections to the baryonic distribution amplitudes are of great importance. Moreover, the SU(3) symmetry breaking effects between the form factors f{sub 1}{sup {lambda}{sub b}}{sup {yields}}{sup p} and f{sub 1}{sup {lambda}{sub b}}{sup {yields}}{sup {lambda}} are computed as 28{sub -8}{sup +14}% in the framework of {lambda}{sub b}-baryon LCSR.« less

Effect of light intensity adjusted for species-specific spectral sensitivity on live performance and processing yield of male broiler chickens

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Adoption of alternative lighting systems to replace traditional incandescent light sources offers the opportunity to tailor lighting systems according to spectral sensitivity needs of different species. Providing a lighting environment that accounts for poultry vision may improve bird welfare and p...

[Optical and spectral parameters in Ce3+ -doped gadolinium gallium aluminum garnet glass-ceramics].

PubMed

Gong, Hua; Zhao, Xin; Yu, Xiao-bo; Setsuhisa, Tanabe; Lin, Hai

2010-01-01

The crystalline phases of Ce3+ -doped gadolinium gallium aluminum garnet (GGAG) glass-ceramics were investigated by X-ray diffraction, and the fluorescence spectra were recorded under the pumping of blue light-emitting diode (LED) using an integrating sphere of 10-inch in diameter, which connected to a CCD detector. The spectral power distribution of the glass-ceramics was obtained from the measured spectra first, and then the quantum yield was derived based on the photon distribution. The quantum yield of Ce3+ emission in GGAG glass-ceramics is 29.2%, meanwhile, the color coordinates and the correlated color temperature (CCT) of combined white light were proved to be x = 0.319, y = 0.349 and 6086 K, respectively. Although the quantum yield is a little smaller than the value in Ce3+ -doped YAG glass-ceramics, the CCT of the combined white light is much smaller than that in the latter. The optical behavior of GGAG glass-ceramics provides new vision for developing comfortable LED lighting devices.

[Effects of plastic film mulching and rain harvesting modes on chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics, yield and water use efficiency of dryland maize].

PubMed

Li, Shang-Zhong; Fan, Ting-Lu; Wang, Yong; Zhao, Gang; Wang, Lei; Tang, Xiao-Ming; Dang, Yi; Zhao, Hui

2014-02-01

The differences on chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, yield and water use efficiency of dryland maize were compared among full plastic film mulching on double ridges and planting in catchment furrows (FFDRF), half plastic film mulching on double ridges and planting in catchment furrows (HFDRF), plastic film mulching on ridge and planting in film-side (FS), and flat planting with no plastic film mulching (NM) under field conditions in dry highland of Loess Plateau in 2007-2012. The results showed that fluorescence yield (Fo), the maximum fluorescence yield (Fm), light-adapted fluorescence yield when PS II reaction centers were totally open (F), light-adapted fluorescence yield when PS II reaction centers closed (Fm'), the maximal photochemical efficiency of PS II (Fv/Fm), the actual photochemical efficiency of PS II in the light (Phi PS II), the relative electron transport rate (ETR), photochemical quenching (qP) and non-photochemical quenching (qN) in maize leaves of FFDRF were higher than that of control (NM), and the value of 1-qP was lower than that of control, at 13:00, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters values of FFDRF was significantly higher than control, which were increased by 5.3%, 56.8%, 10.7%, 36.3%, 23.6%, 56.7%, 64.4%, 45.5%, 23.6% and -55.6%, respectively, compared with the control. Yield and water use efficiency of FFDRF were the highest in every year no matter dry year, normal year, humid year and hail disaster year. Average yield and water use efficiency of FFDRF were 12,650 kg x hm(-2) and 40.4 kg x mm(-1) x hm(-2) during 2007-2012, increased by 57.8% and 61.6% compared with the control, respectively, and also significantly higher compared with HFDRF and PS. Therefore, it was concluded that FFDRF had significantly increased the efficiency of light energy conversion and improved the production capacity of dryland maize.

Characterizing Scintillation and Cherenkov Light in Water-Based Liquid Scintillators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Land, Benjamin; Caravaca, Javier; Descamps, Freija; Orebi Gann, Gabriel

2016-09-01

The recent development of Water-based Liquid Scintillator (WbLS) has made it possible to produce scintillating materials with highly tunable light yields and excellent optical clarity. This allows for a straightforward combination of the directional properties of Cherenkov light with the greater energy resolution afforded by the typically brighter scintillation light which lends itself well to a broad program of neutrino physics. Here we explore the light yields and time profiles of WbLS materials in development for Theia (formerly ASDC) as measured in CheSS: our bench-top Cherenkov and scintillation separation R&D project at Berkeley Lab. This work was supported by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory under U.S. Department of Energy Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231.

Light harvesting control in plants.

PubMed

Ruban, Alexander V

2018-05-23

In 1991, my colleagues and I published a hypothesis article that proposed a mechanism that controls light harvesting in plants and protects them against photodamage. The major light harvesting complex, LHCII, was suggested to undergo aggregation upon exposure of the plant to damaging levels of light. Aggregated LHCII was found to be much less efficient in light harvesting, as it promptly dissipated absorbed energy into heat, possessing a very low chlorophyll fluorescence yield. Non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) is a term coined to describe this reduction in chlorophyll fluorescence yield. This article is a story of how the hypothesis that LHCII aggregation is involved in NPQ is developed into a model that is now becoming broadly accepted by the research community. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Weight and volume yields from thinning two oak-hickory stands

Treesearch

E. Paul Craft; John E. Baumgras

1979-01-01

Two sample plots in oak-hickory stands of poletimber-small sawtimber were thinned to determine product yields from thinnings. One stand received a light thinning; the other was heavily thinned. Light thinning reduced basal area from 120 ft² to 84 ft² per acre and removed 22 tons of roundwopd per acre, including 2,543 board feet of sawed products and 7...

Lithium Alkaline Halides—Next Generation of Dual Mode Scintillators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soundara-Pandian, L.; Hawrami, R.; Glodo, J.; Ariesanti, E.; van Loef, E. V.; Shah, K.

2016-04-01

We report on a new family of scintillators - Lithium alkaline halides, developed based on the alkaline halides by introducing lithium for dual mode gamma-neutron detection. Many different compositions were grown, among which LiSr2I5 (LSI), LiCa2I5 (LCI), LiSr2Br5 (LSB) activated with divalent Europium show good gamma and neutron detection properties. LSI shows the main emission at 497 nm under X-ray excitation. It also shows good proportionality, which in combination with the light yield as high as 60000 photons/MeV, results in an energy resolution of 3.5% at 662 keV. The electron or gamma equivalent energy (GEE) of the thermal neutron peak due to the 6Li neutron capture is 4.1 MeV, which amounts to a very high neutron light yield of 245000 photons. The decay times for neutrons are faster compared to that for gamma-rays, hence we achieved good pulse shape discrimination (PSD) between gamma and neutron events. Our initial studies on the effects of Eu concentration on the properties of LSI show that 3%-4% Eu concentration is optimal for the best performance in terms of gamma and neutron light yields and pulse shape discrimination. LCI shows the main emission at 475 nm under X-ray excitation and a very high gamma light yield of 90000 photons/MeV. The measured energy resolution is 6% at 662 keV. The electron equivalent energy for neutron detection has been measured to be around 3 MeV, which gives a neutron light yield of 270 000 photons. The measured decay times for neutrons are faster compared to gamma decays and the PSD between the gamma-rays and neutrons is not as good as LSI. LSB shows two emissions at 410 and 475 nm under X-ray excitation. The measured light yield is 32000 ph/MeV gamma-ray with an energy resolution of 6% at 662 keV. The electron equivalent energy of the 6Li capture peak was measured to be 3.3 MeV.

Enhancing Localized Evaporation through Separated Light Absorbing Centers and Scattering Centers

PubMed Central

Zhao, Dengwu; Duan, Haoze; Yu, Shengtao; Zhang, Yao; He, Jiaqing; Quan, Xiaojun; Tao, Peng; Shang, Wen; Wu, Jianbo; Song, Chengyi; Deng, Tao

2015-01-01

This report investigates the enhancement of localized evaporation via separated light absorbing particles (plasmonic absorbers) and scattering particles (polystyrene nanoparticles). Evaporation has been considered as one of the most important phase-change processes in modern industries. To improve the efficiency of evaporation, one of the most feasible methods is to localize heat at the top water layer rather than heating the bulk water. In this work, the mixture of purely light absorptive plasmonic nanostructures such as gold nanoparticles and purely scattering particles (polystyrene nanoparticles) are employed to confine the incident light at the top of the solution and convert light to heat. Different concentrations of both the light absorbing centers and the light scattering centers were evaluated and the evaporation performance can be largely enhanced with the balance between absorbing centers and scattering centers. The findings in this study not only provide a new way to improve evaporation efficiency in plasmonic particle-based solution, but also shed lights on the design of new solar-driven localized evaporation systems. PMID:26606898

Lunisolar tidal force and its relationship to chlorophyll fluorescence in Arabidopsis thaliana.

PubMed

Fisahn, Joachim; Klingelé, Emile; Barlow, Peter

2015-01-01

The yield of chlorophyll fluorescence Ft was measured in leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana over periods of several days under conditions of continuous illumination (LL) without the application of saturating light pulses. After linearization of the time series of the chlorophyll fluorescence yield (ΔFt), oscillations became apparent with periodicities in the circatidal range. Alignments of these linearized time series ΔFt with the lunisolar tidal acceleration revealed high degrees of synchrony and phase congruence. Similar congruence with the lunisolar tide was obtained with the linearized quantum yield of PSII (ΔФII), recorded after application of saturating light pulses. These findings strongly suggest that there is an exogenous timekeeper which is a stimulus for the oscillations detected in both the linearized yield of chlorophyll fluorescence (ΔFt) and the linearized quantum yield of PSII (ΔФII).

Lunisolar tidal force and its relationship to chlorophyll fluorescence in Arabidopsis thaliana

PubMed Central

Fisahn, Joachim; Klingelé, Emile; Barlow, Peter

2015-01-01

The yield of chlorophyll fluorescence Ft was measured in leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana over periods of several days under conditions of continuous illumination (LL) without the application of saturating light pulses. After linearization of the time series of the chlorophyll fluorescence yield (ΔFt), oscillations became apparent with periodicities in the circatidal range. Alignments of these linearized time series ΔFt with the lunisolar tidal acceleration revealed high degrees of synchrony and phase congruence. Similar congruence with the lunisolar tide was obtained with the linearized quantum yield of PSII (ΔФII), recorded after application of saturating light pulses. These findings strongly suggest that there is an exogenous timekeeper which is a stimulus for the oscillations detected in both the linearized yield of chlorophyll fluorescence (ΔFt) and the linearized quantum yield of PSII (ΔФII). PMID:26376108

Measuring heterogenous stress fields in a 3D colloidal glass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Neil; Bierbaum, Matthew; Bi, Max; Sethna, James; Cohen, Itai

Glass in our common experience is hard and fragile. But it still bends, yields, and flows slowly under loads. The yielding of glass, a well documented yet not fully understood flow behavior, is governed by the heterogenous local stresses in the material. While resolving stresses at the atomic scale is not feasible, measurements of stresses at the single particle level in colloidal glasses, a widely used model system for atomic glasses, has recently been made possible using Stress Assessment from Local Structural Anisotropy (SALSA). In this work, we use SALSA to visualize the three dimensional stress network in a hard-sphere glass during start-up shear. By measuring the evolution of this stress network we identify local-yielding. We find that these local-yielding events often require only minimal structural rearrangement and as such have most likely been ignored in previous analyses. We then relate these micro-scale yielding events to the macro-scale flow behavior observed using bulk measurements.

Effect of light on growth, intracellular and extracellular pigment production by five pigment-producing filamentous fungi in synthetic medium.

PubMed

Velmurugan, Palanivel; Lee, Yong Hoon; Venil, Chidambaram Kulandaisamy; Lakshmanaperumalsamy, Perumalsamy; Chae, Jong-Chan; Oh, Byung-Taek

2010-04-01

The competence of the living creatures to sense and respond to light is well known. The effect of darkness and different color light quality on biomass, extracellular and intracellular pigment yield of five potent pigment producers Monascus purpureus, Isaria farinosa, Emericella nidulans, Fusarium verticillioides and Penicillium purpurogenum, with different color shades such as red, pink, reddish brown and yellow, were investigated. Incubation in total darkness increased the biomass, extracellular and intracellular pigment production in all the fungi. Extracellular red pigment produced by M. purpureus resulted maximum in darkness 36.75 + or - 2.1 OD and minimum in white unscreened light 5.90 + or - 1.1 OD. Similarly, intracellular red pigment produced by M. purpureus resulted maximum in darkness 18.27 + or - 0.9 OD/g and minimum in yellow light 8.03 + or - 0.6 OD/g of substrate. The maximum biomass production was also noticed in darkness 2.51 g/L and minimum in yellow light 0.5 g/L of dry weight. In contrast, growth of fungi in green and yellow wavelengths resulted in low biomass and pigment yield. It was found that darkness, (red 780-622 nm, blue 492-455 nm) and white light influenced pigment and biomass yield. Copyright 2009 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The dark side of marketing seemingly "Light" cigarettes: successful images and failed fact

PubMed Central

Pollay, R; Dewhirst, T

2002-01-01

Methods: Analysis of trade sources and internal US tobacco company documents now available on various web sites created by corporations, litigation, or public health bodies. Results: When introducing low yield products, cigarette manufacturers were concerned about maintaining products with acceptable taste/flavour and feared consumers might become weaned from smoking. Several tactics were employed by cigarette manufacturers, leading consumers to perceive filtered and low machine yield brands as safer relative to other brands. Tactics include using cosmetic (that is, ineffective) filters, loosening filters over time, using medicinal menthol, using high tech imagery, using virtuous brand names and descriptors, adding a virtuous variant to a brand's product line, and generating misleading data on tar and nicotine yields. Conclusions: Advertisements of filtered and low tar cigarettes were intended to reassure smokers concerned about the health risks of smoking, and to present the respective products as an alternative to quitting. Promotional efforts were successful in getting smokers to adopt filtered and low yield cigarette brands. Corporate documents demonstrate that cigarette manufacturers recognised the inherent deceptiveness of cigarette brands described as "Light"or "Ultra-Light" because of low machine measured yields. PMID:11893811

Development of transgenic crops based on photo-biotechnology.

PubMed

Ganesan, Markkandan; Lee, Hyo-Yeon; Kim, Jeong-Il; Song, Pill-Soon

2017-11-01

The phenotypes associated with plant photomorphogenesis such as the suppressed shade avoidance response and de-etiolation offer the potential for significant enhancement of crop yields. Of many light signal transducers and transcription factors involved in the photomorphogenic responses of plants, this review focuses on the transgenic overexpression of the photoreceptor genes at the uppermost stream of the signalling events, particularly phytochromes, crytochromes and phototropins as the transgenes for the genetic engineering of crops with improved harvest yields. In promoting the harvest yields of crops, the photoreceptors mediate the light regulation of photosynthetically important genes, and the improved yields often come with the tolerance to abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity and heavy metal ions. As a genetic engineering approach, the term photo-biotechnology has been coined to convey the idea that the greater the photosynthetic efficiency that crop plants can be engineered to possess, the stronger the resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Development of GM crops based on photoreceptor transgenes (mainly phytochromes, crytochromes and phototropins) is reviewed with the proposal of photo-biotechnology that the photoreceptors mediate the light regulation of photosynthetically important genes, and the improved yields often come with the added benefits of crops' tolerance to environmental stresses. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Evaluation of GAGG:Ce scintillators for future space applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoneyama, M.; Kataoka, J.; Arimoto, M.; Masuda, T.; Yoshino, M.; Kamada, K.; Yoshikawa, A.; Sato, H.; Usuki, Y.

2018-02-01

Cerium-doped Gd3(Ga, Al)5O12 (GAGG:Ce) is a promising novel scintillator for gamma-ray detectors. While GAGG:Ce has already been implemented in various commercial products, its detailed characteristics and response to high-energy particles and gamma rays remain unknown. In particular, knowledge is lacking on the radiation tolerance of this scintillator against the gamma-ray and proton irradiation expected in future space satellite mission applications. In this study, we first investigate the light-yield energy dependence, energy resolution, decay time, radiation tolerance, and afterglow of GAGG:Ce scintillators under various temperature conditions. We find excellent linearity of ±3% between light yields and deposited energy over a wide range of 30-1836 keV; however, a light-yield deficit of more than 10% is observed below 30 keV of deposited gamma ray energy. We confirm that the temperature dependence of the light yield, energy resolution, and scintillation decay time is within 5-20% between -20 and 20 oC. We also evaluate the GAGG:Ce activation characteristics under proton irradiation and the light-yield degradation by accumulated dose using a 60Co source. Moreover, we successfully identify various gamma-ray lines due to activation. Finally, we find a substantial afterglow for GAGG:Ce scintillators over a few hours; such an afterglow is only minimally observed in other scintillators such as CsI:Tl and Bi4Ge3O12 (BGO). However, the afterglow can be substantially reduced through additional co-doping with divalent metal ions, such as Mg ions. These results suggest that GAGG:Ce is a promising scintillator with potential application in space satellite missions in the near future.

Present-Day Vegetation Helps Quantifying Past Land Cover in Selected Regions of the Czech Republic

PubMed Central

Abraham, Vojtěch; Oušková, Veronika; Kuneš, Petr

2014-01-01

The REVEALS model is a tool for recalculating pollen data into vegetation abundances on a regional scale. We explored the general effect of selected parameters by performing simulations and ascertained the best model setting for the Czech Republic using the shallowest samples from 120 fossil sites and data on actual regional vegetation (60 km radius). Vegetation proportions of 17 taxa were obtained by combining the CORINE Land Cover map with forest inventories, agricultural statistics and habitat mapping data. Our simulation shows that changing the site radius for all taxa substantially affects REVEALS estimates of taxa with heavy or light pollen grains. Decreasing the site radius has a similar effect as increasing the wind speed parameter. However, adjusting the site radius to 1 m for local taxa only (even taxa with light pollen) yields lower, more correct estimates despite their high pollen signal. Increasing the background radius does not affect the estimates significantly. Our comparison of estimates with actual vegetation in seven regions shows that the most accurate relative pollen productivity estimates (PPEs) come from Central Europe and Southern Sweden. The initial simulation and pollen data yielded unrealistic estimates for Abies under the default setting of the wind speed parameter (3 m/s). We therefore propose the setting of 4 m/s, which corresponds to the spring average in most regions of the Czech Republic studied. Ad hoc adjustment of PPEs with this setting improves the match 3–4-fold. We consider these values (apart from four exceptions) to be appropriate, because they are within the ranges of standard errors, so they are related to original PPEs. Setting a 1 m radius for local taxa (Alnus, Salix, Poaceae) significantly improves the match between estimates and actual vegetation. However, further adjustments to PPEs exceed the ranges of original values, so their relevance is uncertain. PMID:24936973

Sweetpotato vine management for confined food production in a space life-support system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Massa, Gioia D.; Mitchell, Cary A.

2012-01-01

Sweetpotato (Ipomea batatas L.) 'Whatley-Loretan' was developed for space life support by researchers at Tuskegee University for its highly productive, nutritious storage roots. This promising candidate space life-support crop has a sprawling habit and aggressive growth rate in favorable environments that demands substantial growing area. Shoot pruning is not a viable option for vine control because removal of the main shoot apex drastically inhibits storage-root initiation and development, and chemical growth retardants typically are not cleared for use with food crops. As part of a large effort by the NASA Specialized Center of Research and Training in Advanced Life Support to reduce equivalent system mass (ESM) for food production in space, the dilemma of vine management for sweetpotato was addressed in effort to conserve growth area without compromising root yield. Root yields from unbranched vines trained spirally around wire frames configured either in the shapes of cones or cylinders were similar to those from vines trained horizontally along the bench, but occupying only a small fraction of the bench area. This finding indicates that sweetpotato is highly adaptable to a variety of vine-training architectures. Planting a second plant in the growth container and training the two vines in opposite directions around frames enhanced root yield and number, but had little effect on average length of each vine or bench area occupied. Once again, root yields were similar for both configurations of wire support frames. The 3-4-month crop-production cycles for sweetpotato in the greenhouse spanned all seasons of multiple years during the course of the study, and although electric lighting was used for photoperiod control and to supplement photosynthetic light during low-light seasons, there still were differences in total light available across seasons. Light variations and other environmental differences among experiments in the greenhouse had more effects on vine length than on root yield. Average vine length correlated positively with total hours of daylight received across seasons, and responses for one plant per container were higher above a threshold duration of solar exposure, suggesting that the vines of two plants per container compete for available light. In addition to the adaptability of sweetpotato to various vine-training architectures and across seasons in terms of maintaining root productivity, the open, interior volumes of the support frames tested in this study will provide future opportunity to enhance sweetpotato root yield in space by adding novel interior lighting, such as from intracanopy arrays of light-emitting diodes. This work was sponsored by NASA grant NAG 5 1286.

Non-contact pumping of light emitters via non-radiative energy transfer

DOEpatents

Klimov, Victor I.; Achermann, Marc

2010-01-05

A light emitting device is disclosed including a primary light source having a defined emission photon energy output, and, a light emitting material situated near to said primary light source, said light emitting material having an absorption onset equal to or less in photon energy than the emission photon energy output of the primary light source whereby non-radiative energy transfer from said primary light source to said light emitting material can occur yielding light emission from said light emitting material.

Photoenhanced degradation of veratraldehyde upon the heterogeneous ozone reactions.

PubMed

Net, Sopheak; Gligorovski, Sasho; Pietri, Sylvia; Wortham, Henri

2010-07-21

Light-induced heterogeneous reactions between gas-phase ozone and veratraldehyde adsorbed on silica particles were performed. At an ozone mixing ratio of 250 ppb, the loss of veratraldehyde largely increased from 1.81 x 10(-6) s(-1) in the dark to 2.54 x 10(-5) s(-1) upon exposure to simulated sunlight (lambda > 300 nm). The observed rates of degradation exhibited linear dependence with the ozone in the dark ozonolysis experiments which change in the non-linear Langmuir-Hinshelwood dependence in the experiments with simultaneous ozone and light exposure of the coated particles. When the coated silica particles were exposed only to simulated sunlight in absence of ozone the loss of veratraldehyde was about three times higher i.e. 5.97 x 10(-6) s(-1) in comparison to the ozonolysis experiment under dark conditions at 250 ppb ozone mixing ratio, 1.81 x 10(-6) s(-1).These results clearly show that the most important loss of veratraldehyde occurs under simultaneous ozone and light exposure of the coated silica particles. The main identified product in the heterogeneous reactions between gaseous ozone and adsorbed veratraldehyde under dark conditions and in presence of light was veratric acid.Carbon yields of veratric acid were calculated and the obtained results indicated that at low ozone mixing ratio (250 ppb) the carbon yield obtained under dark conditions is 70% whereas the carbon yield obtained in the experiments with simultaneous ozone and light exposure of the coated particles is 40%. In both cases the carbon yield of veratric acid exponentially decayed leading to the plateau ( approximately 35% of carbon yield) at an ozone mixing ratio of 6 ppm. Two reaction products i.e. 3-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzoic acid and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzoic acid were identified (confirmed with the standards) only in the experiments performed under simultaneous ozonolysis and light irradiation of the particles.

Thin laser light sheet microscope for microbial oceanography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fuchs, Eran; Jaffe, Jules S.; Long, Richard A.; Azam, Farooq

2002-01-01

Despite a growing need, oceanographers are limited by existing technological constrains and are unable to observe aquatic microbes in their natural setting. In order to provide a simple and easy to implement solution for such studies, a new Thin Light Sheet Microscope (TLSM) has been developed. The TLSM utilizes a well-defined sheet of laser light, which has a narrow (23 micron) axial dimension over a 1 mm x 1 mm field of view. This light sheet is positioned precisely within the depth of field of the microscope’s objective lens. The technique thus utilizes conventional microscope optics but replaces the illumination system. The advantages of the TLSM are two-fold: First, it concentrates light only where excitation is needed, thus maximizing the efficiency of the illumination source. Secondly, the TLSM maximizes image sharpness while at the same time minimizing the level of background noise. Particles that are not located within the objective's depth of field are not illuminated and therefore do not contribute to an out-of-focus image. Images from a prototype system that used SYBR Green I fluorescence stain in order to localize single bacteria are reported. The bacteria were in a relatively large and undisturbed volume of 4ml, which contained natural seawater. The TLSM can be used for fresh water studies of bacteria with no modification. The microscope permits the observation of interactions at the microscale and has potential to yield insights into how microbes structure pelagic ecosystems.

Yielding and flow of colloidal glasses.

PubMed

Petekidis, Georgios; Vlassopoulos, Dimitris; Pusey, Peter N

2003-01-01

We investigate the yielding and flow of hard-sphere colloidal glasses by combining rheological measurements with the technique of light scattering echo. The polymethylmethacrylate particles used are sufficiently polydisperse that crystallization is suppressed. Creep and recovery measurements show that the glasses can tolerate surprisingly large strains, up to at least 15%, before yielding irreversibly. We attribute this behaviour to 'cage elasticity', the ability of a particle and its cage of neighbours to retain their identity under quite large distortion. Results from light scattering echo, which measures the extent of irreversible particle rearrangement under oscillatory shear, support the notion of cage elasticity. In the lower concentration glasses we find that particle trajectories are partly reversible under strains which significantly exceed the yield strain.

Zooxanthellae harvested by ciliates associated with brown band syndrome of corals remain photosynthetically competent.

PubMed

Ulstrup, Karin E; Kühl, Michael; Bourne, David G

2007-03-01

Brown band syndrome is a new coral affliction characterized by a local accumulation of yet-unidentified ciliates migrating as a band along the branches of coral colonies. In the current study, morphologically intact zooxanthellae (= Symbiodinium) were observed in great numbers inside the ciliates (>50 dinoflagellates per ciliate). Microscale oxygen measurements and variable chlorophyll a fluorescence analysis along with microscopic observations demonstrated that zooxanthellae within the ciliates are photosynthetically competent and do not become compromised during the progression of the brown band zone. Zooxanthellae showed similar trends in light acclimation in a comparison of rapid light curve and steady-state light curve measures of variable chlorophyll a fluorescence. Extended light exposure of steady-state light curves resulted in higher quantum yields of photosystem II. The brown band tissue exhibited higher photosynthetically active radiation absorptivity, indicating more efficient light absorption due to a higher density of zooxanthellae in the ciliate-dominated zone. This caused relatively higher gross photosynthesis rates in the zone with zooxanthella-containing ciliates compared to healthy coral tissue. The observation of photosynthetically active intracellular zooxanthellae in the ciliates suggests that the latter can benefit from photosynthates produced by ingested zooxanthellae and from photosynthetic oxygen production that alleviates diffusion limitation of oxic respiration in the densely populated brown band tissue. It remains to be shown whether the zooxanthellae form a stable symbiotic association with the ciliate or are engulfed incidentally during grazing on coral tissue and then maintained as active inside the ciliate for a period before being digested and replaced by new zooxanthellae.

Zooxanthellae Harvested by Ciliates Associated with Brown Band Syndrome of Corals Remain Photosynthetically Competent▿

PubMed Central

Ulstrup, Karin E.; Kühl, Michael; Bourne, David G.

2007-01-01

Brown band syndrome is a new coral affliction characterized by a local accumulation of yet-unidentified ciliates migrating as a band along the branches of coral colonies. In the current study, morphologically intact zooxanthellae (= Symbiodinium) were observed in great numbers inside the ciliates (>50 dinoflagellates per ciliate). Microscale oxygen measurements and variable chlorophyll a fluorescence analysis along with microscopic observations demonstrated that zooxanthellae within the ciliates are photosynthetically competent and do not become compromised during the progression of the brown band zone. Zooxanthellae showed similar trends in light acclimation in a comparison of rapid light curve and steady-state light curve measures of variable chlorophyll a fluorescence. Extended light exposure of steady-state light curves resulted in higher quantum yields of photosystem II. The brown band tissue exhibited higher photosynthetically active radiation absorptivity, indicating more efficient light absorption due to a higher density of zooxanthellae in the ciliate-dominated zone. This caused relatively higher gross photosynthesis rates in the zone with zooxanthella-containing ciliates compared to healthy coral tissue. The observation of photosynthetically active intracellular zooxanthellae in the ciliates suggests that the latter can benefit from photosynthates produced by ingested zooxanthellae and from photosynthetic oxygen production that alleviates diffusion limitation of oxic respiration in the densely populated brown band tissue. It remains to be shown whether the zooxanthellae form a stable symbiotic association with the ciliate or are engulfed incidentally during grazing on coral tissue and then maintained as active inside the ciliate for a period before being digested and replaced by new zooxanthellae. PMID:17259357

Positive hysteresis of Ce-doped GAGG scintillator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yanagida, Takayuki; Fujimoto, Yutaka; Koshimizu, Masanori; Watanabe, Kenichi; Sato, Hiroki; Yagi, Hideki; Yanagitani, Takagimi

2014-10-01

Positive hysteresis and radiation tolerance to high-dose radiation exposure were investigated for Ce 1% and 3% doped Gd3(Al, Ga)5O12 (Ce:GAGG) crystal scintillator on comparison with other garnet scintillators such Ce:YAG, Ce:LuAG, Pr:LuAG, and ceramic Ce:GAGG. When they were irradiated by several Gy 60Co γ-rays, Ce 1% doped GAGG crystal exhibited ∼20% light yield enhancement (positive hysteresis). This is the first time to observe positive hysteresis in Ce doped GAGG. On the other hand, other garnet materials did not show the positive hysteresis and their light yields were stable after 800 Gy irradiation except Pr:LuAG. The light yield of Pr:LuAG decreased largely. When irradiated Ce:GAGG which showed positive hysteresis was evaluated in Synchrotron facility (UVSOR), new excitation band was created around 60 nm.

Singlet oxygen production by combining erythrosine and halogen light for photodynamic inactivation of Streptococcus mutans.

PubMed

Fracalossi, Camila; Nagata, Juliana Yuri; Pellosi, Diogo Silva; Terada, Raquel Sano Suga; Hioka, Noboru; Baesso, Mauro Luciano; Sato, Francielle; Rosalen, Pedro Luiz; Caetano, Wilker; Fujimaki, Mitsue

2016-09-01

Photodynamic inactivation of microorganisms is based on a photosensitizing substance which, in the presence of light and molecular oxygen, produces singlet oxygen, a toxic agent to microorganisms and tumor cells. This study aimed to evaluate singlet oxygen quantum yield of erythrosine solutions illuminated with a halogen light source in comparison to a LED array (control), and the photodynamic effect of erythrosine dye in association with the halogen light source on Streptococcus mutans. Singlet oxygen quantum yield of erythrosine solutions was quantified using uric acid as a chemical-probe in an aqueous solution. The in vitro effect of the photodynamic antimicrobial activity of erythrosine in association with the halogen photopolimerizing light on Streptococcus mutans (UA 159) was assessed during one minute. Bacterial cultures treated with erythrosine alone served as negative control. Singlet oxygen with 24% and 2.8% degradation of uric acid in one minute and a quantum yield of 0.59 and 0.63 was obtained for the erythrosine samples illuminated with the halogen light and the LED array, respectively. The bacterial cultures with erythrosine illuminated with the halogen light presented a decreased number of CFU mL(-1) in comparison with the negative control, with minimal inhibitory concentrations between 0.312 and 0.156mgmL(-1). The photodynamic response of erythrosine induced by the halogen light was capable of killing S. mutans. Clinical trials should be conducted to better ascertain the use of erythrosine in association with halogen light source for the treatment of dental caries. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Subjective quality of video sequences rendered on LCD with local backlight dimming at different lighting conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mantel, Claire; Korhonen, Jari; Pedersen, Jesper M.; Bech, Søren; Andersen, Jakob Dahl; Forchhammer, Søren

2015-01-01

This paper focuses on the influence of ambient light on the perceived quality of videos displayed on Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) with local backlight dimming. A subjective test assessing the quality of videos with two backlight dimming methods and three lighting conditions, i.e. no light, low light level (5 lux) and higher light level (60 lux) was organized to collect subjective data. Results show that participants prefer the method exploiting local dimming possibilities to the conventional full backlight but that this preference varies depending on the ambient light level. The clear preference for one method at the low light conditions decreases at the high ambient light, confirming that the ambient light significantly attenuates the perception of the leakage defect (light leaking through dark pixels). Results are also highly dependent on the content of the sequence, which can modulate the effect of the ambient light from having an important influence on the quality grades to no influence at all.

Insights from Placing Photosynthetic Light Harvesting into Context.

PubMed

Demmig-Adams, Barbara; Stewart, Jared J; Burch, Tyson A; Adams, William W

2014-08-21

Solar-energy conversion through natural photosynthesis forms the base of virtually all food chains on Earth and provides fiber, materials, and fuels, as well as inspiration for the design of biomimetic energy-conversion systems. We summarize well-known as well as recently discovered feedback loops between natural light-harvesting systems and whole-organism function in natural settings. We propose that the low effective quantum yield of natural light-harvesting systems in high light is caused by downstream limitations rather than unavoidable intrinsic vulnerabilities. We evaluate potential avenues, and their costs and benefits, for increasing the maximal rate and photon yield of photosynthesis in high light in plants and photosynthetic microbes. By summarizing mechanisms observable only in complex systems (whole plants, algae, or, in some cases, intact leaves), we aim to stimulate future research efforts on reciprocal feedback loops between light harvesting and downstream processes in whole organisms and to provide additional arguments for the significance of research on photosynthetic light harvesting.

White light photothermal lens spectrophotometer for the determination of absorption in scattering samples.

PubMed

Marcano, Aristides; Alvarado, Salvador; Meng, Junwei; Caballero, Daniel; Moares, Ernesto Marín; Edziah, Raymond

2014-01-01

We developed a pump-probe photothermal lens spectrophotometer that uses a broadband arc-lamp and a set of interference filters to provide tunable, nearly monochromatic radiation between 370 and 730 nm as the pump light source. This light is focused onto an absorbing sample, generating a photothermal lens of millimeter dimensions. A highly collimated monochromatic probe light from a low-power He-Ne laser interrogates the generated lens, yielding a photothermal signal proportional to the absorption of light. We measure the absorption spectra of scattering dye solutions using the device. We show that the spectra are not affected by the presence of scattering, confirming that the method only measures the absorption of light that results in generation of heat. By comparing the photothermal spectra with the usual absorption spectra determined using commercial transmission spectrophotometers, we estimate the quantum yield of scattering of the sample. We discuss applications of the device for spectroscopic characterization of samples such as blood and gold nanoparticles that exhibit a complex behavior upon interaction with light.

Recent Results from the WASA-at-COSY Experiment

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

Kupsc, Andrzej

2011-10-24

Studies of light meson decays are the key experiments for the WASA detector at COSY-Juelich. One of the world largest data samples of the {eta} meson decays have been recently collected in the pd {yields}{sup 3}He{eta} and in the pp {yields} pp{eta} reactions. The status of the analysis of various decay channels and the further plans for the light meson decay program are presented.

Test beam studies of the light yield, time and coordinate resolutions of scintillator strips with WLS fibers and SiPM readout

DOE PAGES

Denisov, Dmitri; Evdokimov, Valery; Lukic, Strahinja; ...

2016-12-24

Prototype scintilator+WLS strips with SiPM readout for large muon detection systems were tested in the muon beam of the Fermilab Test Beam Facility. Furthermore, light yield of up to 137 photoelectrons per muon per strip has been observed, as well as time resolution of 330 ps and position resolution along the strip of 5.4 cm.

Tailoring the Energy Landscape in Quasi-2D Halide Perovskites Enables Efficient Green-Light Emission.

PubMed

Quan, Li Na; Zhao, Yongbiao; García de Arquer, F Pelayo; Sabatini, Randy; Walters, Grant; Voznyy, Oleksandr; Comin, Riccardo; Li, Yiying; Fan, James Z; Tan, Hairen; Pan, Jun; Yuan, Mingjian; Bakr, Osman M; Lu, Zhenghong; Kim, Dong Ha; Sargent, Edward H

2017-06-14

Organo-metal halide perovskites are a promising platform for optoelectronic applications in view of their excellent charge-transport and bandgap tunability. However, their low photoluminescence quantum efficiencies, especially in low-excitation regimes, limit their efficiency for light emission. Consequently, perovskite light-emitting devices are operated under high injection, a regime under which the materials have so far been unstable. Here we show that, by concentrating photoexcited states into a small subpopulation of radiative domains, one can achieve a high quantum yield, even at low excitation intensities. We tailor the composition of quasi-2D perovskites to direct the energy transfer into the lowest-bandgap minority phase and to do so faster than it is lost to nonradiative centers. The new material exhibits 60% photoluminescence quantum yield at excitation intensities as low as 1.8 mW/cm 2 , yielding a ratio of quantum yield to excitation intensity of 0.3 cm 2 /mW; this represents a decrease of 2 orders of magnitude in the excitation power required to reach high efficiency compared with the best prior reports. Using this strategy, we report light-emitting diodes with external quantum efficiencies of 7.4% and a high luminescence of 8400 cd/m 2 .

Spectral methods for study of the G-protein-coupled receptor rhodopsin. II. Magnetic resonance methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Struts, A. V.; Barmasov, A. V.; Brown, M. F.

2016-02-01

This article continues our review of spectroscopic studies of G-protein-coupled receptors. Magnetic resonance methods including electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) provide specific structural and dynamical data for the protein in conjunction with optical methods (vibrational, electronic spectroscopy) as discussed in the accompanying article. An additional advantage is the opportunity to explore the receptor proteins in the natural membrane lipid environment. Solid-state 2H and 13C NMR methods yield information about both the local structure and dynamics of the cofactor bound to the protein and its light-induced changes. Complementary site-directed spin-labeling studies monitor the structural alterations over larger distances and correspondingly longer time scales. A multiscale reaction mechanism describes how local changes of the retinal cofactor unlock the receptor to initiate large-scale conformational changes of rhodopsin. Activation of the G-protein-coupled receptor involves an ensemble of conformational substates within the rhodopsin manifold that characterize the dynamically active receptor.

Temperature influence on the cladding mode distribution in highly localized point-by-point fibre Bragg gratings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caucheteur, C.; Gonzalez-Vila, A.; Chikh-Bled, H.; Lasri, B.; Kinet, D.; Chah, K.

2016-05-01

An infrared femtosecond pulses laser is used to manufacture point-by-point gratings in telecommunication-grade optical fibres. The refractive index modulations are localized close to the core-cladding interface, yielding a strong coupling to cladding mode resonances together with an important photo-induced birefringence. Such gratings have been recently used for refractrometric measurements. In this work, their transmitted amplitude spectrum is measured with polarized light while they are exposed to temperature changes up to 900 °C. Despite an overall good thermal stability of the gratings that confirms their robustness for high-temperature refractometry, we report an interesting polarization effect depending on both the cladding mode resonance family (radially- and azimuthally-polarized modes) and mode order. While the birefringence of the core mode resonance decreases with the temperature, certain cladding mode resonances show an increase of the wavelength splitting between their orthogonally-polarized components. This differential behaviour can be of high interest to develop high-resolution multiparametric sensing platforms.

Analysis of Mancos shale failure in light of localization theory for transversely isotropic materials.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ingraham, M. D.; Dewers, T. A.; Heath, J. E.

2016-12-01

Utilizing the localization conditions laid out in Rudnicki 2002, the failure of a series of tests performed on Mancos shale has been analyzed. Shale specimens were tested under constant mean stress conditions in an axisymmetric stress state, with specimens cored both parallel and perpendicular to bedding. Failure data indicates that for the range of pressures tested the failure surface is well represented by a Mohr- Coulomb failure surface with a friction angle of 34.4 for specimens cored parallel to bedding, and 26.5 for specimens cored perpendicular to bedding. There is no evidence of a yield cap up to 200 MPa mean stress. Comparison with the theory shows that the best agreement in terms of band angles comes from assuming normality of the plastic strain increment. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

Tailoring Plasmonic Enhanced Upconversion in Single NaYF4:Yb3+/Er3+ Nanocrystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Ya-Lan; Mohammadi Estakhri, Nasim; Johnson, Amber; Li, Hai-Yang; Xu, Li-Xiang; Zhang, Zhenyu; Alù, Andrea; Wang, Qu-Quan; Shih, Chih-Kang (Ken)

2015-05-01

By using silver nanoplatelets with a widely tunable localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), and their corresponding local field enhancement, here we show large manipulation of plasmonic enhanced upconversion in NaYF4:Yb3+/Er3+ nanocrystals at the single particle level. In particular, we show that when the plasmonic resonance of silver nanolplatelets is tuned to 656 nm, matching the emission wavelength, an upconversion enhancement factor ~5 is obtained. However, when the plasmonic resonance is tuned to 980 nm, matching the nanocrystal absorption wavelength, we achieve an enhancement factor of ~22 folds. The precise geometric arrangement between fluorescent nanoparticles and silver nanoplatelets allows us to make, for the first time, a comparative analysis between experimental results and numerical simulations, yielding a quantitative agreement at the single particle level. Such a comparison lays the foundations for a rational design of hybrid metal-fluorescent nanocrystals to harness the upconversion enhancement for biosensing and light harvesting applications.

Measurement of the cosmic optical background using the long range reconnaissance imager on New Horizons

PubMed Central

Zemcov, Michael; Immel, Poppy; Nguyen, Chi; Cooray, Asantha; Lisse, Carey M.; Poppe, Andrew R.

2017-01-01

The cosmic optical background is an important observable that constrains energy production in stars and more exotic physical processes in the universe, and provides a crucial cosmological benchmark against which to judge theories of structure formation. Measurement of the absolute brightness of this background is complicated by local foregrounds like the Earth's atmosphere and sunlight reflected from local interplanetary dust, and large discrepancies in the inferred brightness of the optical background have resulted. Observations from probes far from the Earth are not affected by these bright foregrounds. Here we analyse the data from the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) instrument on NASA's New Horizons mission acquired during cruise phase outside the orbit of Jupiter, and find a statistical upper limit on the optical background's brightness similar to the integrated light from galaxies. We conclude that a carefully performed survey with LORRI could yield uncertainties comparable to those from galaxy counting measurements. PMID:28397781

Epigenetic and Posttranslational Modifications in Light Signal Transduction and the Circadian Clock in Neurospora crassa

PubMed Central

Proietto, Marco; Bianchi, Michele Maria; Ballario, Paola; Brenna, Andrea

2015-01-01

Blue light, a key abiotic signal, regulates a wide variety of physiological processes in many organisms. One of these phenomena is the circadian rhythm presents in organisms sensitive to the phase-setting effects of blue light and under control of the daily alternation of light and dark. Circadian clocks consist of autoregulatory alternating negative and positive feedback loops intimately connected with the cellular metabolism and biochemical processes. Neurospora crassa provides an excellent model for studying the molecular mechanisms involved in these phenomena. The White Collar Complex (WCC), a blue-light receptor and transcription factor of the circadian oscillator, and Frequency (FRQ), the circadian clock pacemaker, are at the core of the Neurospora circadian system. The eukaryotic circadian clock relies on transcriptional/translational feedback loops: some proteins rhythmically repress their own synthesis by inhibiting the activity of their transcriptional factors, generating self-sustained oscillations over a period of about 24 h. One of the basic mechanisms that perpetuate self-sustained oscillations is post translation modification (PTM). The acronym PTM generically indicates the addition of acetyl, methyl, sumoyl, or phosphoric groups to various types of proteins. The protein can be regulatory or enzymatic or a component of the chromatin. PTMs influence protein stability, interaction, localization, activity, and chromatin packaging. Chromatin modification and PTMs have been implicated in regulating circadian clock function in Neurospora. Research into the epigenetic control of transcription factors such as WCC has yielded new insights into the temporal modulation of light-dependent gene transcription. Here we report on epigenetic and protein PTMs in the regulation of the Neurospora crassa circadian clock. We also present a model that illustrates the molecular mechanisms at the basis of the blue light control of the circadian clock. PMID:26198228

Exploring growth conditions and Eu2+ concentration effects for KSr2I5:Eu scintillator crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stand, L.; Zhuravleva, M.; Camarda, G.; Lindsey, A.; Johnson, J.; Hobbs, C.; Melcher, C. L.

2016-04-01

Our current research is focused on understanding dopant optimization, growth rate, homogeneity and their impact on the overall performance of KSr2I5:Eu2+ single crystal scintillators. In this work we have investigated the effects of Eu2+ concentration in the potassium strontium iodide matrix, and we found that the concentration needed to maximize the light yield was 4 mol%. In order to assess the effects of the pulling rate, we grew single crystals at 12, 24 and 120 mm/day via the vertical Bridgman technique. For the sample sizes measured (5×5×5 mm3), we found that the crystal grown at the fastest rate of 120 mm/day showed a light yield within ~7% of the more slowly grown boules, and no significant change was observed in the energy resolution. Therefore, light yields from 88,000 to 96,000 ph/MeV and energy resolutions from 2.4 to 3.0% (at 662 keV) were measured for KSr2I5:Eu 4% over a relatively wide range of growth conditions. In order to assess the homogeneity of KSr2I5:Eu 4%, a newly developed micro-resolution X-ray technique was used to map the light yield as a function of excitation position. In the crystals that we studied, we did not observe any significant inhomogeneity other than a smooth gradient due to light collection and self absorption effects.

An evaluation of eco-friendly naturally coloured cottons regarding seed cotton yield, yield components and major lint quality traits under conditions of East Mediterranean region of Turkey.

PubMed

Efe, Lale; Killi, Fatih; Mustafayev, Sefer A

2009-10-15

In the study carried out in 2002-2003 in the East Mediterranean region of Turkey (in Kahramanmaras Province), four different naturally coloured cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) (dark brown, light brown, cream and green) lines from Azerbaijan and two white linted cotton varieties (Maras-92 and Sayar-314 (G. hirsutum L.)) of the region were used as material. The aim of this study was to determine seed cotton yield and yield components and major lint quality traits of investigated coloured cotton lines comprising white linted local standard cotton varieties. Field trials were established in randomized block design with four blocks. According to two year's results, it was determined that naturally coloured cottons were found similar to both white linted standard cotton varieties for sympodia number and seed cotton yield. For boll number per plant, except green cotton line all coloured cotton lines were similar to standard varieties or even some of them were better than standards. For ginning outturn, dark brown, cream and green cotton lines were found statistically similar to standard Maras-92. But all naturally coloured cotton lines had lower seed cotton weight per boll and generally lower fiber quality than white linted standard varieties. For fiber length and fiber strength cream cotton line was the best coloured cotton. And for fiber fineness only green cotton line was better than both standards. It can be said that naturally coloured cotton lines need to be improved especially for fiber quality characters in the East Mediterranean region of Turkey.

Thulium-170-labeled microparticles for local radiotherapy: preliminary studies.

PubMed

Polyak, Andras; Das, Tapas; Chakraborty, Sudipta; Kiraly, Reka; Dabasi, Gabriella; Joba, Robert Peter; Jakab, Csaba; Thuroczy, Julianna; Postenyi, Zita; Haasz, Veronika; Janoki, Gergely; Janoki, Gyozo A; Pillai, Maroor R A; Balogh, Lajos

2014-10-01

The present article describes the preparation, characterization, and biological evaluation of Thulium-170 ((170)Tm) [T1/2 = 128.4 days; Eβmax = 968 keV; Eγ = 84 keV (3.26%)] labeled tin oxide microparticles for its possible use in radiation synovectomy (RSV) of medium-sized joints. (170)Tm was produced by irradiation of natural thulium oxide target. 170Tm-labeled microparticles were synthesized with high yield and radionuclidic purity (> 99%) along with excellent in vitro stability by following a simple process. Particle sizes and morphology of the radiolabeled particles were examined by light microscope, dynamic light scattering, and transmission electron microscope and found to be of stable spherical morphology within the range of 1.4-3.2 μm. The preparation was injected into the knee joints of healthy Beagle dogs intraarticularly for biological studies. Serial whole-body and regional images were taken by single-photon-emission computed tomography (SPECT) and SPECT-CT cameras up to 9 months postadministration, which showed very low leakage (< 8% of I.D.) of the instilled particles. The majority of leaked radiocolloid particles were found in inguinal lymph nodes during the 9 months of follow-up. All the animals tolerated the treatment well; the compound did not show any possible radiotoxicological effect. These preliminary studies showed that 170Tm-labeled microparticles could be a promising nontoxic and effective radiopharmaceutical for RSV applications or later local antitumor therapy.

A carbon sink pathway increases carbon productivity in cyanobacteria.

PubMed

Oliver, John W K; Atsumi, Shota

2015-05-01

The burning of fossil reserves, and subsequent release of carbon into the atmosphere is depleting the supply of carbon-based molecules used for synthetic materials including plastics, oils, medicines, and glues. To provide for future society, innovations are needed for the conversion of waste carbon (CO2) into organic carbon useful for materials. Chemical production directly from photosynthesis is a nascent technology, with great promise for capture of CO2 using sunlight. To improve low yields, it has been proposed that photosynthetic capacity can be increased by a relaxation of bottlenecks inherent to growth. The limits of carbon partitioning away from growth within the cell and the effect of partitioning on carbon fixation are not well known. Here we show that expressing genes in a pathway between carbon fixation and pyruvate increases partitioning to 2,3-butanediol (23BD) and leads to a 1.8-fold increase in total carbon yield in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942. Specific 2,3-butanediol production increases 2.4-fold. As partitioning increases beyond 30%, it leads to a steep decline in total carbon yield. The data suggests a local maximum for carbon partitioning from the Calvin Benson cycle that is scalable with light intensity. Copyright © 2015 International Metabolic Engineering Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mechanical Properties of Elastomeric Impression Materials: An In Vitro Comparison

PubMed Central

De Angelis, Francesco; Caputi, Sergio; D'Amario, Maurizio; D'Arcangelo, Camillo

2015-01-01

Purpose. Although new elastomeric impression materials have been introduced into the market, there are still insufficient data about their mechanical features. The tensile properties of 17 hydrophilic impression materials with different consistencies were compared. Materials and Methods. 12 vinylpolysiloxane, 2 polyether, and 3 hybrid vinylpolyether silicone-based impression materials were tested. For each material, 10 dumbbell-shaped specimens were fabricated (n = 10), according to the ISO 37:2005 specifications, and loaded in tension until failure. Mean values for tensile strength, yield strength, strain at break, and strain at yield point were calculated. Data were statistically analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Tukey's tests (α = 0.05). Results. Vinylpolysiloxanes consistently showed higher tensile strength values than polyethers. Heavy-body materials showed higher tensile strength than the light bodies from the same manufacturer. Among the light bodies, the highest yield strength was achieved by the hybrid vinylpolyether silicone (2.70 MPa). Polyethers showed the lowest tensile (1.44 MPa) and yield (0.94 MPa) strengths, regardless of the viscosity. Conclusion. The choice of an impression material should be based on the specific physical behavior of the elastomer. The light-body vinylpolyether silicone showed high tensile strength, yield strength, and adequate strain at yield/brake; those features might help to reduce tearing phenomena in the thin interproximal and crevicular areas. PMID:26693227

Interacting vector fields in relativity without relativity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, Edward; Barbour, Julian

2002-06-01

Barbour, Foster and Ó Murchadha have recently developed a new framework, called here the 3-space approach, for the formulation of classical bosonic dynamics. Neither time nor a locally Minkowskian structure of spacetime are presupposed. Both arise as emergent features of the world from geodesic-type dynamics on a space of three-dimensional metric-matter configurations. In fact gravity, the universal light-cone and Abelian gauge theory minimally coupled to gravity all arise naturally through a single common mechanism. It yields relativity - and more - without presupposing relativity. This paper completes the recovery of the presently known bosonic sector within the 3-space approach. We show, for a rather general ansatz, that 3-vector fields can interact among themselves only as Yang-Mills fields minimally coupled to gravity.

Limitations to photosynthesis under light and heat stress in three high-yielding wheat genotypes.

PubMed

Monneveux, Philippe; Pastenes, Claudio; Reynolds, Matthew P

2003-06-01

Three high-yielding wheat genotypes (T. aestivum L., c.v. Siete Cerros, Seri and Bacanora, released in 1966, 1982 and 1988, respectively) were grown under irrigation in two high radiation, low relative humidity environments (Tlaltizapan and Ciudad Obregon CIMMYT experimental stations, Mexico). Gas exchange and fluorescence parameters were assessed on the flag leaf during the day. Carbon isotope discrimination (delta) was analysed in flag leaf at anthesis and in grain at maturity. In both environments, gas exchange and fluorescence parameters varied markedly with irradiance and temperature. Analysis of their respective variation indicated the occurrence of photo-respiration and photo-inhibition, particularly in Tlaltizapan, the warmest environment, and in Siete Cerros. In Ciudad Obregon (high-yielding environment) lower Ci (internal CO2 concentration) and delta La (carbon isotope discrimination of the leaf) suggested a higher intrinsic photosynthetic capacity in the variety Bacanora. Higher yield of this genotype was also associated with higher Fv'/Fo' (ratio of photochemical and non photochemical rate constants in the light) and Fm'/Fm (ratio of the non photochemical rate constants in the dark and light adapted state).

A Global Analysis of Light and Charge Yields in Liquid Xenon

DOE PAGES

Lenardo, Brian; Kazkaz, Kareem; Manalaysay, Aaron; ...

2015-11-04

Here, we present an updated model of light and charge yields from nuclear recoils in liquid xenon with a simultaneously constrained parameter set. A global analysis is performed using measurements of electron and photon yields compiled from all available historical data, as well as measurements of the ratio of the two. These data sweep over energies from keV and external applied electric fields from V/cm. The model is constrained by constructing global cost functions and using a simulated annealing algorithm and a Markov Chain Monte Carlo approach to optimize and find confidence intervals on all free parameters in the model.more » This analysis contrasts with previous work in that we do not unnecessarily exclude datasets nor impose artificially conservative assumptions, do not use spline functions, and reduce the number of parameters used in NEST v 0.98. Here, we report our results and the calculated best-fit charge and light yields. These quantities are crucial to understanding the response of liquid xenon detectors in the energy regime important for rare event searches such as the direct detection of dark matter particles.« less

Time and position resolution of the scintillator strips for a muon system at future colliders

DOE PAGES

Denisov, Dmitri; Evdokimov, Valery; Lukic, Strahinja

2016-03-31

In this study, prototype scintilator+WLS strips with SiPM readout for a muon system at future colliders were tested for light yield, time resolution and position resolution. Depending on the configuration, light yield of up to 36 photoelectrons per muon per SiPM has been observed, as well as time resolution of 0.45 ns and position resolution along the strip of 7.7 cm.

A first comparison of the responses of a 4He-based fast-neutron detector and a NE-213 liquid-scintillator reference detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jebali, R.; Scherzinger, J.; Annand, J. R. M.; Chandra, R.; Davatz, G.; Fissum, K. G.; Friederich, H.; Gendotti, U.; Hall-Wilton, R.; Håkansson, E.; Kanaki, K.; Lundin, M.; Murer, D.; Nilsson, B.; Rosborg, A.; Svensson, H.

2015-09-01

A first comparison has been made between the pulse-shape discrimination characteristics of a novel 4He-based pressurized scintillation detector and a NE-213 liquid-scintillator reference detector using an Am/Be mixed-field neutron and gamma-ray source and a high-resolution scintillation-pulse digitizer. In particular, the capabilities of the two fast neutron detectors to discriminate between neutrons and gamma-rays were investigated. The NE-213 liquid-scintillator reference cell produced a wide range of scintillation-light yields in response to the gamma-ray field of the source. In stark contrast, due to the size and pressure of the 4He gas volume, the 4He-based detector registered a maximum scintillation-light yield of 750keVee to the same gamma-ray field. Pulse-shape discrimination for particles with scintillation-light yields of more than 750keVee was excellent in the case of the 4He-based detector. Above 750keVee its signal was unambiguously neutron, enabling particle identification based entirely upon the amount of scintillation light produced.

Decentralized semi-active damping of free structural vibrations by means of structural nodes with an on/off ability to transmit moments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poplawski, Blazej; Mikułowski, Grzegorz; Mróz, Arkadiusz; Jankowski, Łukasz

2018-02-01

This paper proposes, tests numerically and verifies experimentally a decentralized control algorithm with local feedback for semi-active mitigation of free vibrations in frame structures. The algorithm aims at transferring the vibration energy of low-order, lightly-damped structural modes into high-frequency modes of vibration, where it is quickly damped by natural mechanisms of material damping. Such an approach to mitigation of vibrations, known as the prestress-accumulation release (PAR) strategy, has been earlier applied only in global control schemes to the fundamental vibration mode of a cantilever beam. In contrast, the decentralization and local feedback allows the approach proposed here to be applied to more complex frame structures and vibration patterns, where the global control ceases to be intuitively obvious. The actuators (truss-frame nodes with controllable ability to transmit moments) are essentially unblockable hinges that become unblocked only for very short time periods in order to trigger local modal transfer of energy. The paper proposes a computationally simple model of the controllable nodes, specifies the control performance measure, yields basic characteristics of the optimum control, proposes the control algorithm and then tests it in numerical and experimental examples.

Oligomeric state of purified transient receptor potential melastatin-1 (TRPM1), a protein essential for dim light vision.

PubMed

Agosto, Melina A; Zhang, Zhixian; He, Feng; Anastassov, Ivan A; Wright, Sara J; McGehee, Jennifer; Wensel, Theodore G

2014-09-26

Transient receptor potential melastatin-1 (TRPM1) is essential for the light-induced depolarization of retinal ON bipolar cells. TRPM1 likely forms a multimeric channel complex, although almost nothing is known about the structure or subunit composition of channels formed by TRPM1 or any of its close relatives. Recombinant TRPM1 was robustly expressed in insect cells, but only a small fraction was localized to the plasma membrane. Similar intracellular localization was observed when TRPM1 was heterologously expressed in mammalian cells. TRPM1 was affinity-purified from Sf9 cells and complexed with amphipol, followed by detergent removal. In blue native gels and size exclusion chromatography, TRPM1 migrated with a mobility consistent with detergent- or amphipol-bound dimers. Cross-linking experiments were also consistent with a dimeric subunit stoichiometry, and cryoelectron microscopy and single particle analysis without symmetry imposition yielded a model with approximate 2-fold symmetrical features. Finally, electron microscopy of TRPM1-antibody complexes revealed a large particle that can accommodate TRPM1 and two antibody molecules. Taken together, these data indicate that purified TRPM1 is mostly dimeric. The three-dimensional structure of TRPM1 dimers is characterized by a small putative transmembrane domain and a larger domain with a hollow cavity. Blue native gels of solubilized mouse retina indicate that TRPM1 is present in two distinct complexes: one similar in size to the recombinant protein and one much larger. Because dimers are likely not functional ion channels, these results suggest that additional partner subunits participate in forming the transduction channel required for dim light vision and the ON pathway. © 2014 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Light, plants, and power for life support on Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Salisbury, F. B.; Dempster, W. F.; Allen, J. P.; Alling, A.; Bubenheim, D.; Nelson, M.; Silverstone, S.

2002-01-01

Regardless of how well other growing conditions are optimized, crop yields will be limited by the available light up to saturation irradiances. Considering the various factors of clouds on Earth, dust storms on Mars, thickness of atmosphere, and relative orbits, there is roughly 2/3 as much light averaged annually on Mars as on Earth. On Mars, however, crops must be grown under controlled conditions (greenhouse or growth rooms). Because there presently exists no material that can safely be pressurized, insulated, and resist hazards of puncture and deterioration to create life support systems on Mars while allowing for sufficient natural light penetration as well, artificial light will have to be supplied. If high irradiance is provided for long daily photoperiods, the growing area can be reduced by a factor of 3-4 relative to the most efficient irradiance for cereal crops such as wheat and rice, and perhaps for some other crops. Only a small penalty in required energy will be incurred by such optimization. To obtain maximum yields, crops must be chosen that can utilize high irradiances. Factors that increase ability to convert high light into increased productivity include canopy architecture, high-yield index (harvest index), and long-day or day-neutral flowering and tuberization responses. Prototype life support systems such as Bios-3 in Siberia or the Mars on Earth Project need to be undertaken to test and further refine systems and parameters.

Light, plants, and power for life support on Mars.

PubMed

Salisbury, F B; Dempster, W F; Allen, J P; Alling, A; Bubenheim, D; Nelson, M; Silverstone, S

2002-01-01

Regardless of how well other growing conditions are optimized, crop yields will be limited by the available light up to saturation irradiances. Considering the various factors of clouds on Earth, dust storms on Mars, thickness of atmosphere, and relative orbits, there is roughly 2/3 as much light averaged annually on Mars as on Earth. On Mars, however, crops must be grown under controlled conditions (greenhouse or growth rooms). Because there presently exists no material that can safely be pressurized, insulated, and resist hazards of puncture and deterioration to create life support systems on Mars while allowing for sufficient natural light penetration as well, artificial light will have to be supplied. If high irradiance is provided for long daily photoperiods, the growing area can be reduced by a factor of 3-4 relative to the most efficient irradiance for cereal crops such as wheat and rice, and perhaps for some other crops. Only a small penalty in required energy will be incurred by such optimization. To obtain maximum yields, crops must be chosen that can utilize high irradiances. Factors that increase ability to convert high light into increased productivity include canopy architecture, high-yield index (harvest index), and long-day or day-neutral flowering and tuberization responses. Prototype life support systems such as Bios-3 in Siberia or the Mars on Earth Project need to be undertaken to test and further refine systems and parameters.

78 FR 71493 - Special Local Regulation; Lake Havasu City Christmas Boat Parade of Lights; Colorado River; Lake...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-29

...-AA00 Special Local Regulation; Lake Havasu City Christmas Boat Parade of Lights; Colorado River; Lake... Boat Parade of Lights on the Colorado River. This modification is necessary to reflect the actual dates... of Lights will involve fifty vessels in Lake Havasu, AZ transiting Thompson Bay, proceeding through...

Levitating dark matter

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

Kaloper, Nemanja; Padilla, Antonio, E-mail: kaloper@physics.ucdavis.edu, E-mail: antonio.padilla@nottingham.ac.uk

2009-10-01

A sizable fraction of the total energy density of the universe may be in heavy particles with a net dark U(1)' charge comparable to its mass. When the charges have the same sign the cancellation between their gravitational and gauge forces may lead to a mismatch between different measures of masses in the universe. Measuring galactic masses by orbits of normal matter, such as galaxy rotation curves or lensing, will give the total mass, while the flows of dark matter agglomerates may yield smaller values if the gauge repulsion is not accounted for. If distant galaxies which house light beaconsmore » like SNe Ia contain such dark particles, the observations of their cosmic recession may mistake the weaker forces for an extra 'antigravity', and infer an effective dark energy equation of state smaller than the real one. In some cases, including that of a cosmological constant, these effects can mimic w < −1. They can also lead to a local variation of galaxy-galaxy forces, yielding a larger 'Hubble Flow' in those regions of space that could be taken for a dynamical dark energy, or superhorizon effects.« less

Levitating dark matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaloper, Nemanja; Padilla, Antonio

2009-10-01

A sizable fraction of the total energy density of the universe may be in heavy particles with a net dark U(1)' charge comparable to its mass. When the charges have the same sign the cancellation between their gravitational and gauge forces may lead to a mismatch between different measures of masses in the universe. Measuring galactic masses by orbits of normal matter, such as galaxy rotation curves or lensing, will give the total mass, while the flows of dark matter agglomerates may yield smaller values if the gauge repulsion is not accounted for. If distant galaxies which house light beacons like SNe Ia contain such dark particles, the observations of their cosmic recession may mistake the weaker forces for an extra `antigravity', and infer an effective dark energy equation of state smaller than the real one. In some cases, including that of a cosmological constant, these effects can mimic w < -1. They can also lead to a local variation of galaxy-galaxy forces, yielding a larger `Hubble Flow' in those regions of space that could be taken for a dynamical dark energy, or superhorizon effects.

Improved Photometry for the DASCH Pipeline

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Sumin; Grindlay, Jonathan; Los, Edward; Servillat, Mathieu

2013-07-01

The Digital Access to a Sky Century@Harvard (DASCH) project is digitizing the ˜500,000 glass plate images obtained (full sky) by the Harvard College Observatory from 1885 to 1992. Astrometry and photometry for each resolved object are derived with photometric rms values of ˜0.15 mag for the initial photometry analysis pipeline. Here we describe new developments for DASCH photometry, applied to the Kepler field, that have yielded further improvements, including better identification of image blends and plate defects by measuring image profiles and astrometric deviations. A local calibration procedure using nearby stars in a similar magnitude range as the program star (similar to what has been done for visual photometry from the plates) yields additional improvement for a net photometric rms of ˜0.1 mag. We also describe statistical measures of light curves that are now used in the DASCH pipeline processing to identify new variables autonomously. The DASCH photometry methods described here are used in the pipeline processing for the data releases of DASCH data,5 as well as for a forthcoming paper on the long-term variables discovered by DASCH in the Kepler field.

Bifacial aspects of industrial n-Pasha solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Aken, Bas B.; Tool, Kees; Kossen, Eric J.; Carr, Anna J.; Janssen, Gaby J. M.; Newman, Bonna K.; Romijn, Ingrid G.

2017-08-01

Bifacial photovoltaic (PV) modules make optimal use of diffuse and ground-reflected light. The gain in energy yield depends on both the local climatic conditions and the PV system layout. These determine the additional irradiance on the rear of the PV panels. The rear response of the (laminated) solar cell(s) determines how much additional energy this rear irradiance generates. Based on our experiments and simulations, the main parameters that determine the bifaciality factor of solar cells with a front side junction are the rear metal coverage, the base resistivity and the diffusion profile on the rear. These will be evaluated and discussed in this paper. Front-junction solar cells with low base resistivity have a lower short circuit current when illuminated from the rear due to enhanced recombination in the BSF. Stencil printed rear metallization yields a higher bifaciality factor compared to screen printed by reducing the metal coverage and consumption and maintaining the front side efficiency. For our optimized 239 cm2 bifacial cell we estimate that the output with 20% contributed by the rear side is equivalent to that of a 24.4% efficient monofacial cell.

Formation of the thioester, N,S-diacetylcysteine, from acetaldehyde and N,N'-diacetylcystine in aqueous solution with ultraviolet light

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weber, A. L.

1981-01-01

The thioester, N,S-diacetylcysteine, is formed during the illumination of phosphate buffered (pH 7.0) aqueous solutions of acetaldehyde and N,N'-diacetylcystine with ultraviolet light. The yield of N,S-diacetylcysteine relative to N-acetylcysteine and unidentified products progressively increases as ultraviolet light below 239 nm, 253 nm and 281 nm is cut off with optical filters. When ultraviolet light below 320 nm is removed with an optical filter, there is no detectable reaction. Illumination of 0.025 M N,N'-diacetylcystine with 0.5 M and 1.0 M acetaldehyde with filtered ultraviolet light gives, respectively, 20% and 80% yields of N,S-diacetylcysteine. In the reaction with 1.0 M acetaldehyde, N-acetylcysteine forms early in the reaction and later decreases with its conversion to N,S-diacetylcysteine. The prebiotic significance of these reactions is discussed.

Reduced street lighting at night and health: A rapid appraisal of public views in England and Wales

PubMed Central

Green, Judith; Perkins, Chloe; Steinbach, Rebecca; Edwards, Phil

2015-01-01

Financial and carbon reduction incentives have prompted many local authorities to reduce street lighting at night. Debate on the public health implications has centred on road accidents, fear of crime and putative health gains from reduced exposure to artificial light. However, little is known about public views of the relationship between reduced street lighting and health. We undertook a rapid appraisal in eight areas of England and Wales using ethnographic data, a household survey and documentary sources. Public concern focused on road safety, fear of crime, mobility and seeing the night sky but, for the majority in areas with interventions, reductions went unnoticed. However, more private concerns tapped into deep-seated anxieties about darkness, modernity ‘going backwards’, and local governance. Pathways linking lighting reductions and health are mediated by place, expectations of how localities should be lit, and trust in local authorities to act in the best interests of local communities. PMID:26057894

The initiating radical yields and the efficiency of polymerization for various dental photoinitiators excited by different light curing units.

PubMed

Neumann, Miguel G; Schmitt, Carla C; Ferreira, Giovana C; Corrêa, Ivo C

2006-06-01

To evaluate the efficiency of the photopolymerization of dental resins it is necessary to know to what extent the light emitted by the light curing units is absorbed by the photoinitiators. On the other hand, the efficiency of the absorbed photons to produce species that launch the polymerization process is also of paramount importance. Therefore, the previously determined PAE (photon absorption efficiency) is used in conjunction with the polymerization quantum yields for the photoinitiators, in order to be able to compare the total process on an equivalent basis. This parameter can be used to identify the best performance for the photochemical process with specific photoinitiators. The efficiency of LED (Ultrablue IS) and QTH (Optilux 401) lamps were tested comparing their performances with the photoinitiators camphorquinone (CQ); phenylpropanedione (PPD); monoacylphosphine oxide (Lucirin TPO); and bisacylphosphine oxide (Irgacure 819). The extent of photopolymerization per absorbed photon was determined from the polymerization quantum yields obtained by using the photoinitiators to polymerize methyl methacrylate, and afterwards combined with the previously determined PAEs. Although CQ presents a rather low polymerization quantum yield, its photopolymerization efficiency is practically the highest when irradiated with the Ultrablue LED. On the other hand, Lucirin is much more efficient than the other photoinitiators when irradiated with a QTH lamp, due to its high quantum yield and the overlap between its absorption spectrum and the output of the visible lamp light. Difference in photopolymerization efficiencies arise when combinations of photoinitiators are used, and when LED sources are used in preference to QTH. Mechanistic understanding is essential to optimal initiator formulation.

Intrinsic light yield and light loss coefficient of Bi4Ge3O12 single crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yawai, Nattasuda; Chewpraditkul, Weerapong; Wanarak, Chalerm; Nikl, Martin; Ratanatongchai, Wichian

2014-10-01

In this paper we present the scintillation properties of polished Bi4Ge3O12 (BGO) crystals grown by the Bridgman method. The light yield (LY) and energy resolution were measured using XP5200B photomultiplier. At 662 keV γ-rays, high LY of 9680 photons/MeV and good energy resolution of 8.6% were obtained for a 5 × 5 × 1 mm3 BGO sample. The intrinsic LY and light loss coefficient were evaluated. The photofraction in pulse height spectrum of 662 keV γ-rays and the mass attenuation coefficient at 59.5 and 662 keV γ-rays were also determined and compared with the theoretical ones calculated using the WinXCom program.

New Carrollton Federal Building Lighting Retrofit Captures Cool Savings

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

None

2017-01-01

Case study describes how the U.S. General Services Administration cut a $291,000 annual lighting electric bill to an estimated $53,500 by upgrading their fluorescent lighting to a new LED troffer lighting and controls system in the New Carrollton Federal Building in Lanham, Maryland. The lighting project yielded an 82% reduction in energy use and earned GSA two awards for exemplary performance from the Interior Lighting Campaign in 2016.

Novel solar light driven photocatalyst, zinc indium vanadate for photodegradation of aqueous phenol

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

Mahapure, Sonali A.; Rane, Vilas H.; Ambekar, Jalindar D.

2011-05-15

Graphical abstract: Novel photocatalyst, zinc indium vanadate (ZnIn{sub 2}V{sub 2}O{sub 9}) demonstrated and showed an excellent photocatalytic activity for phenol degradation under visible light. Research highlights: {yields} Designing and identification of a photocatalyst having prospective potential application to be used in visible light (400-800 nm). {yields} Successful synthesis of novel ZnIn{sub 2}V{sub 2}O{sub 9} by solid state route. {yields} Confirmation of the designed product using characterization techniques. {yields} Application study comprising photodegradation of aqueous phenol at visible light despite of UV radiations. -- Abstract: In the present investigation, we have demonstrated the synthesis of novel photocatalyst, zinc indium vanadate (ZIV)more » by solid-solid state route using respective oxides of zinc, indium and vanadium. This novel photocatalyst was characterized using XRD, FESEM, UV-DRS and FTIR in order to investigate its structural, morphological and optical properties. XRD clearly shows the formation of phase pure ZIV of triclinic crystal structure with good crystallinity. FESEM micrographs showed the clustered morphology having particle size between 0.5 and 1 {mu}m. Since, optical study showed the band gap around 2.8 eV, i.e. in visible region, we have performed the photocatalytic activity of phenol degradation under visible light irradiation. The photodecomposition of phenol by ZIV is studied for the first time and an excellent photocatalytic activity was obtained using this novel photocatalyst. Considering the band gap of zinc indium vanadate in visible region, it will also be the potential candidate for water splitting.« less

Photochemical cycloaddition reactions of cyanoacetylene and dicyanoacetylene

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ferris, J. P.; Guillemin, J. C.

1990-01-01

Photolysis of cyanoacetylene with 185- or 206-nm light yields 1,3,5-tricyanobenzene while 254-nm radiation yields a mixture of tetracyanocyclooctatetraenes, 1,2,4- and 1,3,5-tricyanobenzene. A polymer of cyanoacetylene is the major photoproduct. 1,3,5-Tricarbomethoxybenzene was the only photoproduct identified from the irradiation of methyl propiolate at 254 nm. Mono-, di-, and tricyanobenzenes are formed by irradiation of mixtures of acetylene and cyanoacetylene at 185, 206, and 254 nm along with trace amounts of cyclooctatetraenes. No photoadducts were detected on photolysis of mixtures of cyanoacetylene and CO or HCN. The tetracyanocyclooctatetraene structures were established by UV, MS, and NMR analyses. The 1H NMR of the product mixture exhibited a singlet at delta 7.028 consistent with either 1 or 2 and two singlets at delta 6.85 and 6.91 assigned to 3. Photolysis of mixtures of dicyanoacetylene and acetylene with either 185- or 206-nm light yielded 1,2-dicyanobenzene and (E,Z)-1-buten-3-yne-1,4-dicarbonitrile. These products were also obtained using 254-nm light along with a mixture of tetracyanocyclooctatetraenes. The same three singlets were observed in this product mixture as were observed in the tetracyanocyclooctatetraenes obtained from cyanoacetylene. From this observation it was concluded that the delta 7.02 signal is due to 2 and not 1. The photolysis of cyanoacetylene and dicyanoacetylene in the presence of ethylene with 185-nm light yields 1-cyanocylobutene and 1,2-dicyanocyclobutene, respectively. 2-Cyanobutadiene and 2,3-dicyanobutadiene are the photoproducts with 254-nm light. Reaction pathways are proposed to explain these findings.

Light yield and energy resolution studies for SoLid phase 1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boursette, Delphine; SoLid Collaboration

2017-09-01

The SoLid experiment is searching for sterile neutrinos at a nuclear research reactor. It looks for inverse beta decays (producing a positron and a neutron in delayed coincidence) with a very segmented detector made of thousands of scintillating cubes. SoLid has a very innovative hybrid technology with two different scintillators which have different light emissions: polyvynil-toluene cubes (PVT) to detect the positrons and 6LiF:ZnS sheets on two faces of each PVT cube to detect the neutrons. It allows us to do an efficient pulse shape analysis to identify the signals from neutrons and positrons. The 288 kg detector prototype (SM1) took data in 2015. It demonstrated the detection principle and background rejection efficiency. The construction of SoLid phase I (˜ 1.5 t) has now started. To improve the energy resolution of SoLid phase I, we have tried to increase the light yield studying separately the two scintillators: PVT and ZnS. A test bench has been built to fully characterize and improve the neutron detection with the ZnS using an AmBe source. To study the positron light yield on the PVT, we have built another test bench with a 207Bi source. We have improved the design of the cubes, their wrapping or the type and the configuration of the fibers. We managed to increase the PVT light yield by about 66 % and improve the resolution of the positron energy on the test bench from 21 % to 16 % at 1 MeV.

Characterization of PbWO4 crystals for high-energy physics experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, M. J.; Park, H.; Kim, H. J.

2016-09-01

High-energy physics (HEP) experiments have employed many new types of scintillators. Specifically, bismuth germanate, thallium-doped cesium iodide, and lead tungstate (PbWO4, PWO) have been used for the L3 experiment; CLEO II, Belle and BES-III; and CMS, respectively. PWO has particularly beneficial properties, such as high density, fast decay time, short radiation length and radiation hardness. In this study, we tested the PWO crystals at low temperatures to determine their applicability in future calorimeters. Various crystals from the Proton Antiproton Annihilations at Darmstadt (PANDA) experiment in Giessen, the Bogoroditsk Techno-Chemical Plant (BTCP) in Russia and by Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (SICCAS) in China were investigated. We studied the scintillation properties of PWO crystals, such as their X-ray luminescence, relative light yields, absolute light yields, energy resolutions, decay times and longitudinal uniformities of their light yields. In addition, we measured the temperature dependences of the light yields and decay times by using a 137Cs γ-ray source. The emission spectra of the PWO crystals consisted of a broad band from 350 nm to 700 nm, and the peak emission wavelength in each spectrum was 420 nm. The emission spectra of the PWO crystals from SICCAS were slightly shifted to longer wavelengths compared with those of the crystals from the other institutions.

Light-Induced Fluorescence Modulation of Quantum Dot-Crystal Violet Conjugates: Stochastic Off-On-Off Cycles for Multicolor Patterning and Super-Resolution.

PubMed

Jung, Sungwook; Park, Joonhyuck; Bang, Jiwon; Kim, Jae-Yeol; Kim, Cheolhee; Jeon, Yongmoon; Lee, Seung Hwan; Jin, Ho; Choi, Sukyung; Kim, Bomi; Lee, Woo Jin; Pack, Chan-Gi; Lee, Jong-Bong; Lee, Nam Ki; Kim, Sungjee

2017-06-07

Photoswitching or modulation of quantum dots (QDs) can be promising for many fields that include display, memory, and super-resolution imaging. However, such modulations have mostly relied on photomodulations of conjugated molecules in QD vicinity, which typically require high power of high energy photons at UV. We report a visible light-induced facile modulation route for QD-dye conjugates. QD crystal violets conjugates (QD-CVs) were prepared and the crystal violet (CV) molecules on QD quenched the fluorescence efficiently. The fluorescence of QD-CVs showed a single cycle of emission burst as they go through three stages of (i) initially quenched "off" to (ii) photoactivated "on" as the result of chemical change of CVs induced by photoelectrons from QD and (iii) back to photodarkened "off" by radical-associated reactions. Multicolor on-demand photopatterning was demonstrated using QD-CV solid films. QD-CVs were introduced into cells, and excitation with visible light yielded photomodulation from "off" to "on" and "off" by nearly ten fold. Individual photoluminescence dynamics of QD-CVs was investigated using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and single QD emission analysis, which revealed temporally stochastic photoactivations and photodarkenings. Exploiting the stochastic fluorescence burst of QD-CVs, simultaneous multicolor super-resolution localizations were demonstrated.

Studies On Particle-Accompanied Fission Of 252Cf(sf) And 235U(nth,f)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kopatch, Yu N.; Tishchenko, V.; Speransky, M.; Mutterer, M.; Gönnenwein, F.; Jesinger, P.; Gagarski, A. M.; von Kalben, J.; Kojouharov, I.; Lubkiewics, E.; Mezentseva, Z.; Nezvishevsky, V.; Petrov, G. A.; Schaffner, H.; Scharma, H.; Trzaska, W. H.; Wollersheim, H.-J.

2005-11-01

In recent multi-parameter studies of spontaneous and thermal neutron induced fission, 252Cf(sf) and 235U(nth,f) respectively, the energies and emission angles of fission fragments and light charged particles were measured. Fragments were detected by an energy and angle sensitive twin ionization chamber while the light charged particles were identified by a series of ΔE-Erest telescopes. Up to Be the light particle isotopes could be disentangled. In addition, in the 252Cf(sf) experiment, gammas emitted by the fragments were analyzed by a pair of large-volume segmented clover Ge detectors. Here the main interest is to study the γ-decay and the anisotropy of gammas emitted by fragments and light particles. On the other hand, the high count rates achieved in the U-experiment performed at the high flux reactor of the ILL, Grenoble, should allow to explore fragment-particle correlations in very rare events like quaternary fission. At the present stage of data evaluation, yields and energy distributions of light particles are available. For the present contribution in particular the yields of Be-isotopes for the two reactions studied are compared and discussed. For 252Cf(sf) these isotopic yields were hitherto not known.

Massively parallel processor networks with optical express channels

DOEpatents

Deri, R.J.; Brooks, E.D. III; Haigh, R.E.; DeGroot, A.J.

1999-08-24

An optical method for separating and routing local and express channel data comprises interconnecting the nodes in a network with fiber optic cables. A single fiber optic cable carries both express channel traffic and local channel traffic, e.g., in a massively parallel processor (MPP) network. Express channel traffic is placed on, or filtered from, the fiber optic cable at a light frequency or a color different from that of the local channel traffic. The express channel traffic is thus placed on a light carrier that skips over the local intermediate nodes one-by-one by reflecting off of selective mirrors placed at each local node. The local-channel-traffic light carriers pass through the selective mirrors and are not reflected. A single fiber optic cable can thus be threaded throughout a three-dimensional matrix of nodes with the x,y,z directions of propagation encoded by the color of the respective light carriers for both local and express channel traffic. Thus frequency division multiple access is used to hierarchically separate the local and express channels to eliminate the bucket brigade latencies that would otherwise result if the express traffic had to hop between every local node to reach its ultimate destination. 3 figs.

Massively parallel processor networks with optical express channels

DOEpatents

Deri, Robert J.; Brooks, III, Eugene D.; Haigh, Ronald E.; DeGroot, Anthony J.

1999-01-01

An optical method for separating and routing local and express channel data comprises interconnecting the nodes in a network with fiber optic cables. A single fiber optic cable carries both express channel traffic and local channel traffic, e.g., in a massively parallel processor (MPP) network. Express channel traffic is placed on, or filtered from, the fiber optic cable at a light frequency or a color different from that of the local channel traffic. The express channel traffic is thus placed on a light carrier that skips over the local intermediate nodes one-by-one by reflecting off of selective mirrors placed at each local node. The local-channel-traffic light carriers pass through the selective mirrors and are not reflected. A single fiber optic cable can thus be threaded throughout a three-dimensional matrix of nodes with the x,y,z directions of propagation encoded by the color of the respective light carriers for both local and express channel traffic. Thus frequency division multiple access is used to hierarchically separate the local and express channels to eliminate the bucket brigade latencies that would otherwise result if the express traffic had to hop between every local node to reach its ultimate destination.

Luminescence and light yield of (Gd2Y)(Ga3Al2)O12:Pr3+ single crystal scintillators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lertloypanyachai, Prapon; Pathumrangsan, Nichakorn; Sreebunpeng, Krittiya; Pattanaboonmee, Nakarin; Chewpraditkul, Weerapong; Yoshikawa, Akira; Kamada, Kei; Nikl, Martin

2017-06-01

Praseodymium-doped (Gd2Y)(Ga3Al2)O12 (GYGAG: Pr) single crystals are grown by the micro-pulling down method with different Pr concentrations. The energy transfer process between Pr3+ and Gd3+ is investigated by photoluminescence excitation (PLE) and emission (PL) spectra measurements. Photoelectron yield measurements are carried out using photomultiplier. At 662 keV γ-rays, photoelectron yield of 2520 phe/MeV obtained for the GYGAG: Pr (0.01%) sample is larger than that of 1810 phe/MeV obtained for BGO crystal. Light yield degradation for the GYGAG: Pr scintillators is presumably due to the energy transfer from 5d state of Pr3+ to 4f state of Gd3+ together with the concentration quenching in the Gd3+-sublattice.

Photocatalyzed Hydrogen Evolution from Water by a Composite Catalyst of NH2 -MIL-125(Ti) and Surface Nickel(II) Species.

PubMed

Meyer, Kim; Bashir, Shahid; Llorca, Jordi; Idriss, Hicham; Ranocchiari, Marco; van Bokhoven, Jeroen A

2016-09-19

A composite of the metal-organic framework (MOF) NH 2 -MIL-125(Ti) and molecular and ionic nickel(II) species, catalyzed hydrogen evolution from water under UV light. In 95 v/v % aqueous conditions the composite produced hydrogen in quantities two orders of magnitude higher than that of the virgin framework and an order of magnitude greater than that of the molecular catalyst. In a 2 v/v % water and acetonitrile mixture, the composite demonstrated a TOF of 28 mol H 2  g(Ni) -1  h -1 and remained active for up to 50 h, sustaining catalysis for three times longer and yielding 20-fold the amount of hydrogen. Appraisal of physical mixtures of the MOF and each of the nickel species under identical photocatalytic conditions suggest that similar surface localized light sensitization and proton reduction processes operate in the composite catalyst. Both nickel species contribute to catalytic conversion, although different activation behaviors are observed. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Food and Sustainability Challenges Under Climate Changes.

PubMed

Moustafa, Khaled

2016-12-01

Plants are permanently impacted by their environments, and their abilities to tolerate multiple fluctuating environmental conditions vary as a function of several genetic and natural factors. Over the past decades, scientific innovations and applications of the knowledge derived from biotechnological investigations to agriculture caused a substantial increase of the yields of many crops. However, due to exacerbating effects of climate change and a growing human population, a crisis of malnutrition may arise in the upcoming decades in some places in the world. So, effective, ethical and managerial regulations and fair policies should be set up and applied at the local and global levels so that Earth may fairly provide the food and living accommodation needed by its inhabitants. To save some energy consumption, electric devices (for e.g., smartphones, laptops, street lights, traffic lights, etc.) should be manufactured to work with solar energy, whenever available, particularly in sunny countries where sun is available most of the time. Such characteristic will save energy and make solar energy-based smartphones and laptops less cumbersome in terms of chargers and plugging issues.

Polarization effects associated with thermal processing of HY-80 structural steel using high-power laser diode array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Sheldon S. Q.; Baker, Bradford W.; Rotter, Mark D.; Rubenchik, Alexander M.; Wiechec, Maxwell E.; Brown, Zachary M.; Beach, Raymond J.; Matthews, Manyalibo J.

2017-12-01

Localized heating of roughened steel surfaces using highly divergent laser light emitted from high-power laser diode arrays was experimentally demonstrated and compared with theoretical predictions. Polarization dependence was analyzed using Fresnel coefficients to understand the laser-induced temperature rise of HY-80 steel plates under 383- to 612-W laser irradiation. Laser-induced, transient temperature distributions were directly measured using bulk thermocouple probes and thermal imaging. Finite-element analysis yielded quantitative assessment of energy deposition and heat transport in HY-80 steel using absorptivity as a tuning parameter. The extracted absorptivity values ranged from 0.62 to 0.75 for S-polarized and 0.63 to 0.85 for P-polarized light, in agreement with partially oxidized iron surfaces. Microstructural analysis using electron backscatter diffraction revealed a heat affected zone for the highest temperature conditions (612 W, P-polarized) as evidence of rapid quenching and an austenite to martensite transformation. The efficient use of diode arrays for laser-assisted advanced manufacturing technologies, such as hybrid friction stir welding, is discussed.

Transdermal gelation of methacrylated macromers with near-infrared light and gold nanorods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gramlich, William M.; Holloway, Julianne L.; Rai, Reena; Burdick, Jason A.

2014-01-01

Injectable hydrogels provide locally controlled tissue bulking and a means to deliver drugs and cells to the body. The formation of hydrogels in vivo may involve the delivery of two solutions that spontaneously crosslink when mixed, with pH or temperature changes, or with light (e.g., visible or ultraviolet). With these approaches, control over the kinetics of gelation, introduction of the initiation trigger (e.g., limited penetration of ultraviolet light through tissues), or alteration of the material physical properties (e.g., mechanics) may be difficult to achieve. To overcome these limitations, we used the interaction of near-infrared (NIR) light with gold nanorods (AuNRs) to generate heat through the photothermal effect. NIR light penetrates tissues to a greater extent than other wavelengths and provides a means to indirectly initiate radical polymerization. Specifically, this heating coupled with a thermal initiator (VA-044) produced radicals that polymerized methacrylated hyaluronic acid (MeHA) and generated hydrogels. A range of VA-044 concentrations changed the gelation time, yielding a system stable at 37 ° C for 22 min that gels quickly (˜3 min) when heated to 55 ° C. With a constant irradiation time (10 min) and laser power (0.3 W), different VA-044 and AuNR concentrations tuned the compressive modulus of the hydrogel. By changing the NIR irradiation time we attained a wide range of moduli at a set solution composition. In vivo mouse studies confirmed that NIR laser irradiation through tissue could gel an injected precursor solution transdermally.

Identifying, monitoring and implementing "sustainable" agricultural practices for smallholder farmers over large geographic areas in India and Vietnam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kritee, K.; Ahuja, R.; Nair, D.; Esteves, T.; Rudek, J.; Thu Ha, T.

2015-12-01

Industrial agriculture systems, mostly in developed and some emerging economies, are far different from the small-holder farms (size <1 acre) in Asia and Africa. Along with our partners from non-governmental, corporate, academic and government sectors and tens of thousands of farming families, we have worked actively in five states in India and two provinces in Vietnam for the last five years to understand how sustainable and climate smart farming practices can be monitored at small-holder farms. Here, any approach to monitor farming must begin by accounting for the tremendous management variability from farm to farm and also the current inability to ground-truth remote sensing data due to lack of relaible basic parameters (e.g., yields, N use, farm boundaries) which are necessary for calibrating empirical/biogeochemical models. While we continue to learn from new research, we have found that it is crucial to follow some steps if sustainable farming programs are to succeed at small-holder farms Demographic data collection and GPS plot demarcation to establish farm size and ownership Baseline nutrient, water & energy use and crop yield determination via surveys and self-reporting which are verifiable through farmer networks given the importance of peer to peer learning in the dissemination of new techniques in such landscapes "Sustainable" practice determination in consultation with local universities/NGO experts Measurements on representative plots for 3-4 years to help calibrate biogeochemical models and/or empirical equations and establish which practices are truly "sustainable" (e.g., GHG emission reduction varies from 0-7 tCO2e/acre for different sustainable practices). Propagation of sustainable practices across the landscape via local NGOs/governments after analyzing the replicability of identified farming practices in the light of local financial, cultural or socio-political barriers. We will present results from representative plots (including soil and weather parameters, GHG emissions, yields, inputs, economic and environmental savings), farmer surveys and diary data; and discuss our key conclusions based on our approach and the analysis of the collected data which was enabled by use of a commercially available comprehensive agricultural data collection software.

Nighttime image dehazing using local atmospheric selection rule and weighted entropy for visible-light systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Dubok; Han, David K.; Ko, Hanseok

2017-05-01

Optical imaging systems are often degraded by scattering due to atmospheric particles, such as haze, fog, and mist. Imaging under nighttime haze conditions may suffer especially from the glows near active light sources as well as scattering. We present a methodology for nighttime image dehazing based on an optical imaging model which accounts for varying light sources and their glow. First, glow effects are decomposed using relative smoothness. Atmospheric light is then estimated by assessing global and local atmospheric light using a local atmospheric selection rule. The transmission of light is then estimated by maximizing an objective function designed on the basis of weighted entropy. Finally, haze is removed using two estimated parameters, namely, atmospheric light and transmission. The visual and quantitative comparison of the experimental results with the results of existing state-of-the-art methods demonstrates the significance of the proposed approach.

Effects and Mechanism of Blue Light on Monascus in Liquid Fermentation.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiaowei; Liu, Wenqing; Chen, Xiying; Cai, Junhui; Wang, Changlu; He, Weiwei

2017-03-01

The effect of light on Monascus and the underlying mechanism have received a great deal of interest for the industrial application of Monascus pigments. In this study, we have examined the effects of blue light on the culture morphology, mycelium growth, pigments, and citrinin yield of Monascus in liquid-state and oscillation fermentation, and explored the mechanism at a physiological level. It was found that blue light affected the colony morphology, the composition (chitin content), and permeability of the Monascus mycelium cell wall in static liquid culture, which indicates blue light benefits pigments secreting from aerial mycelium to culture medium. In liquid oscillation fermentation, the yields of Monascus pigments in fermentation broth (darkness 1741 U/g, blue light 2206 U/g) and mycelium (darkness 2442 U/g, blue light 1900 U/g) cultured under blue light and darkness are different. The total pigments produced per gram of Monascus mycelium under blue light was also higher (4663 U/g) than that in darkness (4352 U/g). However, the production of citrinin (88 μg/g) under blue light was evidently lower than that in darkness (150 μg/g). According to the degradation of citrinin caused by blue light and hydrogen peroxide, it can be concluded that blue light could degrade citrinin and inhibit the catalase activity of Monascus mycelium, subsequently suppressing the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide, which is the active species that degrades citrinin.

Crop yield and light/energy efficiency in a closed ecological system: Laboratory Biosphere experiments with wheat and sweet potato

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, M.; Dempster, W. F.; Silverstone, S.; Alling, A.; Allen, J. P.; van Thillo, M.

Two crop growth experiments in the soil-based closed ecological facility, Laboratory Biosphere, were conducted from 2003 to 2004 with candidate space life support crops. Apogee wheat (Utah State University variety) was grown, planted at two densities, 400 and 800 seeds m -2. The lighting regime for the wheat crop was 16 h of light - 8 h dark at a total light intensity of around 840 μmol m -2 s -1 and 48.4 mol m -2 d -1 over 84 days. Average biomass was 1395 g m -2, 16.0 g m -2 d -1 and average seed production was 689 g m -2 and 7.9 g m -2 d -1. The less densely planted side was more productive than the denser planting, with 1634 g m -2 and 18.8 g m -2 d -1 of biomass vs. 1156 g m -2 and 13.3 g m -2 d -1; and a seed harvest of 812.3 g m -2 and 9.3 g m -2 d -1 vs. 566.5 g m -2 and 6.5 g m -2 d -1. Harvest index was 0.49 for the wheat crop. The experiment with sweet potato used TU-82-155 a compact variety developed at Tuskegee University. Light during the sweet potato experiment, on a 18 h on/6 h dark cycle, totaled 5568 total moles of light per square meter in 126 days for the sweet potatoes, or an average of 44.2 mol m -2 d -1. Temperature regime was 28 ± 3 °C day/22 ± 4 °C night. Sweet potato tuber yield was 39.7 kg wet weight, or an average of 7.4 kg m -2, and 7.7 kg dry weight of tubers since dry weight was about 18.6% wet weight. Average per day production was 58.7 g m -2 d -1 wet weight and 11.3 g m -2 d -1. For the wheat, average light efficiency was 0.34 g biomass per mole, and 0.17 g seed per mole. The best area of wheat had an efficiency of light utilization of 0.51 g biomass per mole and 0.22 g seed per mole. For the sweet potato crop, light efficiency per tuber wet weight was 1.33 g mol -1 and 0.34 g dry weight of tuber per mole of light. The best area of tuber production had 1.77 g mol -1 wet weight and 0.34 g mol -1 of light dry weight. The Laboratory Biosphere experiment's light efficiency was somewhat higher than the USU field results but somewhat below greenhouse trials at comparable light levels, and the best portion of the crop at 0.22 g mol -1 was in-between those values. Sweet potato production was overall close to 50% higher than trials using hydroponic methods with TU-82-155 at NASA JSC. Compared to projected yields for the Mars on Earth life support system, these wheat yields were about 15% higher, and the sweet potato yields averaged over 80% higher.

Crop yield and light / energy efficiency in a closed ecological system: two laboratory biosphere experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, M.; Dempster, W. F.; Silverstone, S.; Alling, A.; Allen, J. P.; van Thillo, M.

Two crop growth experiments in the soil-based closed ecological facity, Laboratory Biosphere, were conducted from 2003-2004 with candidate space life support crops. Apogee wheat (Utah State University variety) was grown, planted in 2 densities, 400 and 800 seeds m-2. The lighting regime for the wheat crop was 16 hours of light -- 8 hours dark at a total light intensity of around 840 mol m2 sec-1 and 48.4 mol m-2 d-1 over 84 days Average biomass was 1395 g m-2, 16.0 g m-2 day-1 and average seed production was 689 g m-2 and 7.9 g m2 day-1. The less densely planted side was more productive than the denser planting, with 1634 g m-2 and 18.8g m-2 day-1 of biomass vs. 1156 g m-2 and 13.3 g m-2 day-1; and a seed harvest of 812.3 g m-2 and 9.3 g m-2 day-1 vs. 566.5 g m-2 and 6.5 g m-2 day-1 Harvest index was 0.49 for the wheat crop. The experiment with sweet potato used TU-82-155, a compact variety developed at Tuskegee University. Light during the sweet potato experiment, on a 16 hour on/8 hours dark cycle, totalled 5568 total moles of light in 126 days for the sweet potatoes, or an average of 44.2 moles m-2 day-1. Temperature regime was 28 deg +/- 3 deg C day /22 deg +/- 4 deg C night. Sweet potato tuber yield was 39.7 kg wet weight, or an average of 7.4 kg m-2 and 7.7 kg dry weight of tubers since dry weight was about 18.6% wet weight.^Average per day production was 58.7 g m-2 day-1 wet weight and 11.3 g m-2 day-1. For the wheat, average light efficiency was 0.34 grams biomass per mole, and 0.17 grams seed per mole. The best area of wheat had an efficiency of light utilization of 0.51 g biomass per mole and 0.22 g seed per mole. For the sweet potato crop, light efficiency per tuber wet weight was 7.13 g/mole and 1.38 g dry weight of tuber per mole of light. The best area of tuber production had 9.49 g/mole wet weight and 1.85 g/mole of light dry weight. Production from the wheat was The Laboratory Biosphere experiment's light efficiency was somewhat higher than the USU field results but somewhat below greenhouse trials at comparable light levels, and the best portion of the crop at 0.22g/mole was inbetween those values. Sweet potato production was overall close to 50% higher than trials using hydroponic methods with TU-82-155 at NASA JSC. Compared to projected yields for the Mars on Earth life support system, these wheat yields were about 15% higher, and the sweet potato yields averaged over 80% higher

Enhancing photoluminescence yields in lead halide perovskites by photon recycling and light out-coupling

PubMed Central

Richter, Johannes M.; Abdi-Jalebi, Mojtaba; Sadhanala, Aditya; Tabachnyk, Maxim; Rivett, Jasmine P.H.; Pazos-Outón, Luis M.; Gödel, Karl C.; Price, Michael; Deschler, Felix; Friend, Richard H.

2016-01-01

In lead halide perovskite solar cells, there is at least one recycling event of electron–hole pair to photon to electron–hole pair at open circuit under solar illumination. This can lead to a significant reduction in the external photoluminescence yield from the internal yield. Here we show that, for an internal yield of 70%, we measure external yields as low as 15% in planar films, where light out-coupling is inefficient, but observe values as high as 57% in films on textured substrates that enhance out-coupling. We analyse in detail how externally measured rate constants and photoluminescence efficiencies relate to internal recombination processes under photon recycling. For this, we study the photo-excited carrier dynamics and use a rate equation to relate radiative and non-radiative recombination events to measured photoluminescence efficiencies. We conclude that the use of textured active layers has the ability to improve power conversion efficiencies for both LEDs and solar cells. PMID:28008917

Enhancing photoluminescence yields in lead halide perovskites by photon recycling and light out-coupling.

PubMed

Richter, Johannes M; Abdi-Jalebi, Mojtaba; Sadhanala, Aditya; Tabachnyk, Maxim; Rivett, Jasmine P H; Pazos-Outón, Luis M; Gödel, Karl C; Price, Michael; Deschler, Felix; Friend, Richard H

2016-12-23

In lead halide perovskite solar cells, there is at least one recycling event of electron-hole pair to photon to electron-hole pair at open circuit under solar illumination. This can lead to a significant reduction in the external photoluminescence yield from the internal yield. Here we show that, for an internal yield of 70%, we measure external yields as low as 15% in planar films, where light out-coupling is inefficient, but observe values as high as 57% in films on textured substrates that enhance out-coupling. We analyse in detail how externally measured rate constants and photoluminescence efficiencies relate to internal recombination processes under photon recycling. For this, we study the photo-excited carrier dynamics and use a rate equation to relate radiative and non-radiative recombination events to measured photoluminescence efficiencies. We conclude that the use of textured active layers has the ability to improve power conversion efficiencies for both LEDs and solar cells.

Green light drives leaf photosynthesis more efficiently than red light in strong white light: revisiting the enigmatic question of why leaves are green.

PubMed

Terashima, Ichiro; Fujita, Takashi; Inoue, Takeshi; Chow, Wah Soon; Oguchi, Riichi

2009-04-01

The literature and our present examinations indicate that the intra-leaf light absorption profile is in most cases steeper than the photosynthetic capacity profile. In strong white light, therefore, the quantum yield of photosynthesis would be lower in the upper chloroplasts, located near the illuminated surface, than that in the lower chloroplasts. Because green light can penetrate further into the leaf than red or blue light, in strong white light, any additional green light absorbed by the lower chloroplasts would increase leaf photosynthesis to a greater extent than would additional red or blue light. Based on the assessment of effects of the additional monochromatic light on leaf photosynthesis, we developed the differential quantum yield method that quantifies efficiency of any monochromatic light in white light. Application of this method to sunflower leaves clearly showed that, in moderate to strong white light, green light drove photosynthesis more effectively than red light. The green leaf should have a considerable volume of chloroplasts to accommodate the inefficient carboxylation enzyme, Rubisco, and deliver appropriate light to all the chloroplasts. By using chlorophylls that absorb green light weakly, modifying mesophyll structure and adjusting the Rubisco/chlorophyll ratio, the leaf appears to satisfy two somewhat conflicting requirements: to increase the absorptance of photosynthetically active radiation, and to drive photosynthesis efficiently in all the chloroplasts. We also discuss some serious problems that are caused by neglecting these intra-leaf profiles when estimating whole leaf electron transport rates and assessing photoinhibition by fluorescence techniques.

Convenient determination of luminescence quantum yield using a combined electronic absorption and emission spectrometer

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

Prakash, John; Mishra, Ashok Kumar

2016-01-15

It is possible to measure luminescence quantum yield in a facile way, by designing an optical spectrometer capable of obtaining electronic absorption as well as luminescence spectra, with a setup that uses the same light source and detector for both the spectral measurements. Employment of a single light source and single detector enables use of the same correction factor profile for spectral corrections. A suitable instrumental scaling factor is used for adjusting spectral losses.

Tracing mantle processes with Fe isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weyer, S.; Ionov, D.

2006-12-01

High precision Fe isotope measurements have been performed on various mantle peridotites (fertile lherzolites, harzburgites, metasomatised Fe-enriched rocks) and volcanic rocks (mainly oceanic basalts) from different localities and tectonic settings. Pimitive peridotites (Mg# = 0.894) yield delta56Fe = 0.02 and are significantly lighter than the basalts (average delta56Fe = 0.11). Furthermore, the peridotites display a negative correlation of iron isotopes with Mg#. Taken together, these findings imply that Fe isotopes fractionate during partial melting, with heavy isotopes preferentially entering the melt [1, 2]. A particularly good correlation of the Fe isotope composition and Mg# shown by poorly metasomatised spinel lherzolites of three localities (Horoman, Kamchatka and Lherz) was used to model Fe isotope fractionation during partial melting, resulting in alphamantle-melt = 1.0003. This value implies higher Fe isotope fractionation between residual mantle and mantle-derived melts (i.e. Delta56Femantle-melt = 0.2-0.3) than the observed difference between the peridotites and the basalts in this study. Our data on plagioclase lherzolites from Horoman and spinel lherzolites from other localities indicate that the difference in Fe isotope composition between mantle and basalts may be reduced by partial re-equilibration between the isotopically heavy basalts and the isotopically light depleted lithospheric mantle during melt ascent. Besides partial melting, the Fe isotope composition of mantle peridotites can also be significantly modified by metasomatic events. At two localities (Tok, Siberia and Tariat, Mongolia) Fe isotopes correlates with the Fe concentration of the peridotites, which was increased up to 14.5% FeO by melt percolation. Such processes can be accompanied by chromatographic effects and produce a range of Fe isotope compositions in the percolation columns, from extremely light to heavy (delta56Fe = -0.42 to +0.17). We propose that Fe isotopes can be used as a sensitive tracer to identify such metasomatic processes in the mantle. [1] Weyer et al. (2005) EPSL 240: 251-264 [2] Williams et al. (2005) EPSL 235 : 435-452

Effect of Damping and Yielding on the Seismic Response of 3D Steel Buildings with PMRF

PubMed Central

Haldar, Achintya; Rodelo-López, Ramon Eduardo; Bojórquez, Eden

2014-01-01

The effect of viscous damping and yielding, on the reduction of the seismic responses of steel buildings modeled as three-dimensional (3D) complex multidegree of freedom (MDOF) systems, is studied. The reduction produced by damping may be larger or smaller than that of yielding. This reduction can significantly vary from one structural idealization to another and is smaller for global than for local response parameters, which in turn depends on the particular local response parameter. The uncertainty in the estimation is significantly larger for local response parameter and decreases as damping increases. The results show the limitations of the commonly used static equivalent lateral force procedure where local and global response parameters are reduced in the same proportion. It is concluded that estimating the effect of damping and yielding on the seismic response of steel buildings by using simplified models may be a very crude approximation. Moreover, the effect of yielding should be explicitly calculated by using complex 3D MDOF models instead of estimating it in terms of equivalent viscous damping. The findings of this paper are for the particular models used in the study. Much more research is needed to reach more general conclusions. PMID:25097892

Effect of damping and yielding on the seismic response of 3D steel buildings with PMRF.

PubMed

Reyes-Salazar, Alfredo; Haldar, Achintya; Rodelo-López, Ramon Eduardo; Bojórquez, Eden

2014-01-01

The effect of viscous damping and yielding, on the reduction of the seismic responses of steel buildings modeled as three-dimensional (3D) complex multidegree of freedom (MDOF) systems, is studied. The reduction produced by damping may be larger or smaller than that of yielding. This reduction can significantly vary from one structural idealization to another and is smaller for global than for local response parameters, which in turn depends on the particular local response parameter. The uncertainty in the estimation is significantly larger for local response parameter and decreases as damping increases. The results show the limitations of the commonly used static equivalent lateral force procedure where local and global response parameters are reduced in the same proportion. It is concluded that estimating the effect of damping and yielding on the seismic response of steel buildings by using simplified models may be a very crude approximation. Moreover, the effect of yielding should be explicitly calculated by using complex 3D MDOF models instead of estimating it in terms of equivalent viscous damping. The findings of this paper are for the particular models used in the study. Much more research is needed to reach more general conclusions.

Preparation and characterization of Bi-doped TiO{sub 2} and its solar photocatalytic activity for the degradation of isoproturon herbicide

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

Reddy, Police Anil Kumar; Srinivas, Basavaraju; Kala, Pruthu

Highlights: {yields} Visible active Bi-TiO{sub 2} photocatalyst preparation and thorough charaterization. {yields} Bi-TiO{sub 2} shows high activity for isoproturon degradation under solar light irradiation. {yields} The spectral response of TiO{sub 2} shifts from UV to visible light region by Bi doping. {yields} Bi{sup 3+{delta}+} species are playing a vital role in minimizing e{sup -}/h{sup +} recombination. -- Abstract: Bi-doped TiO{sub 2} catalyst was prepared by sol-gel method and was characterized by thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction spectra (XRD), X-ray photo electronic spectroscopy (XPS), UV-Vis diffused reflectance spectra (DRS), photoluminescence spectra (PLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive analysis ofmore » X-rays (EDAX) and BET surface area. The photocatalytic activity of the catalysts were evaluated for the degradation of isoproturon herbicide under solar light irradiation. The UV-Visible DRS of Bi-doped TiO{sub 2} showed red shift in optical absorption. The presence of Bi{sup 3+{delta}+} species are playing a vital role in minimizing the electron hole recombination resulting higher activity compared to bare TiO{sub 2}.« less

Light Charged and CP-odd Higgses in MSSM-like Models

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

Dermisek, Radovan

2008-11-23

We study the Higgs sector of supersymmetric models containing two Higgs doublets with a light MSSM-like CP odd Higgs, m{sub A} < or approx. 10 GeV, and tan{beta} < or approx. 2.5. In this scenario all Higgses resulting from two Higgs doublets: light and heavy CP even Higgses, h and H, the CP odd Higgs, A, and the charged Higgs, H{sup {+-}}, could have been produced at LEP or the Tevatron, but would have escaped detection because they decay in modes that have not been searched for or the experiments are not sensitive to. Especially H{yields}ZA and H{sup {+-}}{yields}W{sup {+-}}*Amore » with A{yields}cc-bar, {tau}{sup +}{tau}{sup -} present an opportunity to discover some of the Higgses at LEP, the Tevatron and also at B factories. In addition, the 2.8{sigma} excess of the branching ratio W{yields}{tau}v with respect to the other leptons measured at LEP correlates well with the existence of the charged Higgs with properties typical for this scenario. Dominant {tau}- and c-rich decay products of all Higgses require modified strategies for their discovery at the LHC.« less

Continuous light exposure causes cumulative stress that affects the localization oscillation dynamics of the transcription factor Msn2p.

PubMed

Bodvard, Kristofer; Wrangborg, David; Tapani, Sofia; Logg, Katarina; Sliwa, Piotr; Blomberg, Anders; Kvarnström, Mats; Käll, Mikael

2011-02-01

Light exposure is a potentially powerful stress factor during in vivo optical microscopy studies. In yeast, the general transcription factor Msn2p translocates from the cytoplasm to the nucleus in response to illumination. However, previous time-lapse fluorescence microscopy studies of Msn2p have utilized a variety of discrete exposure settings, which makes it difficult to correlate stress levels and illumination parameters. We here investigate how continuous illumination with blue light, corresponding to GFP excitation wavelengths, affects the localization pattern of Msn2p-GFP in budding yeast. The localization pattern was analyzed using a novel approach that combines wavelet decomposition and change point analysis. It was found that the Msn2p nucleocytoplasmic localization trajectories for individual cells exhibit up to three distinct and successive states; i) Msn2p localizes to the cytoplasm; ii) Msn2p rapidly shuttles between the cytoplasm and the nucleus; iii) Msn2p localizes to the nucleus. Many cells pass through all states consecutively at high light intensities, while at lower light intensities most cells only reach states i) or ii). This behaviour strongly indicates that continuous light exposure gradually increases the stress level over time, presumably through continuous accumulation of toxic photoproducts, thereby forcing the cell through a bistable region corresponding to nucleocytoplasmic oscillations. We also show that the localization patterns are dependent on protein kinase A (PKA) activity, i.e. yeast cells with constantly low PKA activity showed a stronger stress response. In particular, the nucleocytoplasmic oscillation frequency was found to be significantly higher for cells with low PKA activity for all light intensities. 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

DANSS Neutrino Spectrometer: Detector Calibration, Response Stability, and Light Yield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alekseev, I. G.; Belov, V. V.; Danilov, M. V.; Zhitnikov, I. V.; Kobyakin, A. S.; Kuznetsov, A. S.; Machikhiliyan, I. V.; Medvedev, D. V.; Rusinov, V. Yu.; Svirida, D. N.; Skrobova, N. A.; Starostin, A. S.; Tarkovsky, E. I.; Fomina, M. V.; Shevchik, E. A.; Shirchenko, M. V.

2018-05-01

Apart from monitoring nuclear reactor parameters, the DANSS neutrino experiment is aimed at searching for sterile neutrinos through a detailed analysis of the ratio of reactor antineutrino spectra measured at different distances from the reactor core. The light collection system of the detector is dual, comprising both the vacuum photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) and silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs). In this paper, the techniques developed to calibrate the responses of these photodetectors are discussed in detail. The long-term stability of the key parameters of the detector and their dependences on the ambient temperature are investigated. The results of detector light yield measurements, performed independently with PMTs and SiPMs are reported.

Applications of Cherenkov Light Emission for Dosimetry in Radiation Therapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glaser, Adam Kenneth

Since its discovery in the 1930's, the Cherenkov effect has been paramount in the development of high-energy physics research. It results in light emission from charged particles traveling faster than the local speed of light in a dielectric medium. The ability of this emitted light to describe a charged particle's trajectory, energy, velocity, and mass has allowed scientists to study subatomic particles, detect neutrinos, and explore the properties of interstellar matter. However, only recently has the phenomenon been considered in the practical context of medical physics and radiation therapy dosimetry, where Cherenkov light is induced by clinical x-ray photon, electron, and proton beams. To investigate the relationship between this phenomenon and dose deposition, a Monte Carlo plug-in was developed within the Geant4 architecture for medically-oriented simulations (GAMOS) to simulate radiation-induced optical emission in biological media. Using this simulation framework, it was determined that Cherenkov light emission may be well suited for radiation dosimetry of clinically used x-ray photon beams. To advance this application, several novel techniques were implemented to realize the maximum potential of the signal, such as time-gating for maximizing the signal to noise ratio (SNR) and Cherenkov-excited fluorescence for generating isotropic light release in water. Proof of concept experiments were conducted in water tanks to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method for two-dimensional (2D) projection imaging, three-dimensional (3D) parallel beam tomography, large field of view 3D cone beam tomography, and video-rate dynamic imaging of treatment plans for a number of common radiotherapy applications. The proposed dosimetry method was found to have a number of unique advantages, including but not limited to its non-invasive nature, water-equivalence, speed, high-resolution, ability to provide full 3D data, and potential to yield data in-vivo. Based on these preliminary results, it is expected that Cherenkov light emission may prove to be a useful tool for radiation dosimetry with both research and clinical applications.

Detection of microstructural defects in chalcopyrite Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells by spectrally-filtered electroluminescence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skvarenina, L.; Gajdos, A.; Macku, R.; Skarvada, P.

2017-12-01

The aim of this research is to detect and localize microstructural defects by using an electrically excited light emission from a forward/reverse-bias stressed pn-junction in thin-film Cu(In; Ga)Se2 solar cells with metal wrap through architecture. A different origin of the local light emission from intrinsic/extrinsic imperfections in these chalcopyrite-based solar cells can be distinguished by a spectrally-filtered electroluminescence mapping. After a light emission mapping and localization of the defects in a macro scale is performed a micro scale exploration of the solar cell surface by a scanning electron microscope which follows the particular defects obtained by an electroluminescence. In particular, these macroscopic/microscopic examinations are performed independently, then the searching of the corresponding defects in the micro scale is rather difficult due to a diffused light emission obtained from the macro scale localization. Some of the defects accompanied by a highly intense light emission very often lead to a strong local overheating. Therefore, the lock-in infrared thermography is also performed along with an electroluminescence mapping.

Variation in canopy duration in the perennial biofuel crop Miscanthus reveals complex associations with yield.

PubMed

Robson, Paul R H; Farrar, Kerrie; Gay, Alan P; Jensen, Elaine F; Clifton-Brown, John C; Donnison, Iain S

2013-05-01

Energy crops can provide a sustainable source of power and fuels, and mitigate the negative effects of CO2 emissions associated with fossil fuel use. Miscanthus is a perennial C4 energy crop capable of producing large biomass yields whilst requiring low levels of input. Miscanthus is largely unimproved and therefore there could be significant opportunities to increase yield. Further increases in yield will improve the economics, energy balance, and carbon mitigation of the crop, as well as reducing land-take. One strategy to increase yield in Miscanthus is to maximize the light captured through an extension of canopy duration. In this study, canopy duration was compared among a diverse collection of 244 Miscanthus genotypes. Canopy duration was determined by calculating the number of days between canopy establishment and senescence. Yield was positively correlated with canopy duration. Earlier establishment and later senescence were also both separately correlated with higher yield. However, although genotypes with short canopy durations were low yielding, not all genotypes with long canopy durations were high yielding. Differences of yield between genotypes with long canopy durations were associated with variation in stem and leaf traits. Different methodologies to assess canopy duration traits were investigated, including visual assessment, image analysis, light interception, and different trait thresholds. The highest correlation coefficients were associated with later assessments of traits and the use of quantum sensors for canopy establishment. A model for trait optimization to enable yield improvement in Miscanthus and other bioenergy crops is discussed.

Variation in canopy duration in the perennial biofuel crop Miscanthus reveals complex associations with yield

PubMed Central

Robson, Paul R.H.; Farrar, Kerrie; Gay, Alan P.; Jensen, Elaine F.; Clifton-Brown, John C.; Donnison, Iain S.

2013-01-01

Energy crops can provide a sustainable source of power and fuels, and mitigate the negative effects of CO2 emissions associated with fossil fuel use. Miscanthus is a perennial C4 energy crop capable of producing large biomass yields whilst requiring low levels of input. Miscanthus is largely unimproved and therefore there could be significant opportunities to increase yield. Further increases in yield will improve the economics, energy balance, and carbon mitigation of the crop, as well as reducing land-take. One strategy to increase yield in Miscanthus is to maximize the light captured through an extension of canopy duration. In this study, canopy duration was compared among a diverse collection of 244 Miscanthus genotypes. Canopy duration was determined by calculating the number of days between canopy establishment and senescence. Yield was positively correlated with canopy duration. Earlier establishment and later senescence were also both separately correlated with higher yield. However, although genotypes with short canopy durations were low yielding, not all genotypes with long canopy durations were high yielding. Differences of yield between genotypes with long canopy durations were associated with variation in stem and leaf traits. Different methodologies to assess canopy duration traits were investigated, including visual assessment, image analysis, light interception, and different trait thresholds. The highest correlation coefficients were associated with later assessments of traits and the use of quantum sensors for canopy establishment. A model for trait optimization to enable yield improvement in Miscanthus and other bioenergy crops is discussed. PMID:23599277

Comparisons of Photosynthetic Responses of Xanthium strumarium and Helianthus annuus to Chronic and Acute Water Stress in Sun and Shade 1

PubMed Central

Ben, Gui-Ying; Osmond, C. Barry; Sharkey, Thomas D.

1987-01-01

We have examined the effects of mild, chronic water stress and acute water stress on two water stress sensitive plants, Xanthium strumarium and Helianthus annuus. Using a combination of the leaf disc O2 electrode to measure the light responses of photosynthesis and 77 K fluorescence to monitor damage to the primary photochemistry, we have found the following: (a) The CO2 saturated rate of photosynthesis at high light is the most water stress sensitive parameter measured. (b) The apparent quantum yield (moles O2 per mole photons) was slightly, if at all, affected by mild water stress (>−1.5 megapascals). (c) Severe water stress (<−1.5 megapascals) reduced the quantum yield of photosynthesis regardless of whether the stress was applied in sun or shade. The light independent reduction of quantum yield was not associated with a reduction in 77 K fluorescence (Fv/Fm) indicating that the quantum yield reduction was not the result of damage to primary photochemistry. (d) The diel fluctuation in 77 K fluorescence seen in sun-exposed control leaves was greatly exaggerated in water stressed leaves because of enhanced decline in 77 K fluorescence in the morning. The rate of recovery was similar in both control and water stressed leaves. Shaded leaves showed no change in 77 K fluorescence regardless of whether water stress was imposed or not. (e) The water stress sensitive plants used in these experiments did not recover from acute water stress severe enough to reduce the quantum yield or chronic water stress which lasted long enough that light dependent damage to primary photochemistry occurred. PMID:16665465

Comparisons of Photosynthetic Responses of Xanthium strumarium and Helianthus annuus to Chronic and Acute Water Stress in Sun and Shade.

PubMed

Ben, G Y; Osmond, C B; Sharkey, T D

1987-06-01

We have examined the effects of mild, chronic water stress and acute water stress on two water stress sensitive plants, Xanthium strumarium and Helianthus annuus. Using a combination of the leaf disc O(2) electrode to measure the light responses of photosynthesis and 77 K fluorescence to monitor damage to the primary photochemistry, we have found the following: (a) The CO(2) saturated rate of photosynthesis at high light is the most water stress sensitive parameter measured. (b) The apparent quantum yield (moles O(2) per mole photons) was slightly, if at all, affected by mild water stress (>-1.5 megapascals). (c) Severe water stress (<-1.5 megapascals) reduced the quantum yield of photosynthesis regardless of whether the stress was applied in sun or shade. The light independent reduction of quantum yield was not associated with a reduction in 77 K fluorescence (F(v)/F(m)) indicating that the quantum yield reduction was not the result of damage to primary photochemistry. (d) The diel fluctuation in 77 K fluorescence seen in sun-exposed control leaves was greatly exaggerated in water stressed leaves because of enhanced decline in 77 K fluorescence in the morning. The rate of recovery was similar in both control and water stressed leaves. Shaded leaves showed no change in 77 K fluorescence regardless of whether water stress was imposed or not. (e) The water stress sensitive plants used in these experiments did not recover from acute water stress severe enough to reduce the quantum yield or chronic water stress which lasted long enough that light dependent damage to primary photochemistry occurred.

Wavelets and spacetime squeeze

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Han, D.; Kim, Y. S.; Noz, Marilyn E.

1993-01-01

It is shown that the wavelet is the natural language for the Lorentz covariant description of localized light waves. A model for covariant superposition is constructed for light waves with different frequencies. It is therefore possible to construct a wave function for light waves carrying a covariant probability interpretation. It is shown that the time-energy uncertainty relation (Delta(t))(Delta(w)) is approximately 1 for light waves is a Lorentz-invariant relation. The connection between photons and localized light waves is examined critically.

Production of organic compounds in plasmas: A comparison among electric sparks, laser-induced plasmas and UV light

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scattergood, T. W.; Mckay, C. P.; Borucki, W. J.; Giver, L. P.; Vanghyseghem, H.; Parris, J. E.; Miller, S. L.

1991-01-01

In order to study the production of organic compounds in plasmas (and shocks), various mixtures of N2, CH4, and H2, modeling the atmosphere of Titan, were exposed to discrete sparks, laser-induced plasmas (LIP) and ultraviolet light. The yields of HCN and simple hydrocarbons were measured and compared to those calculated from a simple quenched thermodynamic equilibrium model. The agreement between experiment and theory was fair for HCN and C2H2. However, the yields of C2H6 and other hydrocarbons were much higher than those predicted by the model. Our experiments suggest that photolysis by ultraviolet light from the plasma is an important process in the synthesis. This was confirmed by the photolysis of gas samples exposed to the light, but not to the plasma or shock waves. The results of these experiments demonstrate that, in addition to the well-known efficient synthesis of organic compounds in plasmas, the yields of saturated species, e.g., ethane, may be higher than predicted by theory and that LIP provide a convenient and clean way of simulating planetary lightning and impact plasmas in the laboratory.

Increased phytochrome B alleviates density effects on tuber yield of field potato crops.

PubMed

Boccalandro, Hernán E; Ploschuk, Edmundo L; Yanovsky, Marcelo J; Sánchez, Rodolfo A; Gatz, Christiane; Casal, Jorge J

2003-12-01

The possibility that reduced photomorphogenic responses could increase field crop yield has been suggested often, but experimental support is still lacking. Here, we report that ectopic expression of the Arabidopsis PHYB (phytochrome B) gene, a photoreceptor involved in detecting red to far-red light ratio associated with plant density, can increase tuber yield in field-grown transgenic potato (Solanum tuberosum) crops. Surprisingly, this effect was larger at very high densities, despite the intense reduction in the red to far-red light ratios and the concomitant narrowed differences in active phytochrome B levels between wild type and transgenics at these densities. Increased PHYB expression not only altered the ability of plants to respond to light signals, but they also modified the light environment itself. This combination resulted in larger effects of enhanced PHYB expression on tuber number and crop photosynthesis at high planting densities. The PHYB transgenics showed higher maximum photosynthesis in leaves of all strata of the canopy, and this effect was largely due to increased leaf stomatal conductance. We propose that enhanced PHYB expression could be used in breeding programs to shift optimum planting densities to higher levels.

TH-AB-209-04: 3D Light Sheet Luminescence Imaging with Cherenkov Radiation

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

Bruza, P; Lin, H; Jarvis, L

Purpose: To recover a three-dimensional density distribution of luminescent molecular probes located several centimeters deep within a highly scattering tissue. Methods: We developed a novel sheet beam Cherenkov-excited luminescence scanned imaging (CELSI) methodology. The sample was irradiated by a horizontally oriented, vertically scanned 6 MV X-ray sheet beam (200mm × 5mm, 0.2mm vertical step) from a radiotherapy linear accelerator. The resulting Cherenkov light emission – and thus luminescent probe excitation – occurred exclusively along the irradiation plane due to a short diffusion path of secondary particles and Cherenkov photons. Cherenkov-excited luminescence was detected orthogonally to the sheet beam by gated,more » intensified charge coupled device camera. Analogously to light sheet microscopy, a series of luminescence images was taken for varied axial positions (depths) of the Cherenkov light sheet in sample. Knowledge of the excitation plane position allowed a 3D image stack deconvolution and depth-variant attenuation correction. The 3D image post-processing yielded a true spatial density distribution of luminescent molecules in highly scattering tissue. Results: We recovered a three-dimensional shape and position of 400 µL lesion-mimicking phantom tubes containing 25 µM solution of PtG4 molecular probe from 3 centimeter deep tissue-like media. The high sensitivity of CELSI also allowed resolving 100 micron capillaries of test solution. Functional information of partial oxygen pressure at the site of PtG4 molecular probe was recovered from luminescence lifetime CELSI. Finally, in-vivo sheet beam CELSI localized milimeter-sized PtG4-labelled tumor phantoms in multiple biological objects (hairless mice) from single scan. Conclusion: Presented sheet beam CELSI technique greatly extended the useful depth range of luminescence molecular imaging. More importantly, the light sheet microscopy approach was successfully adapted to CELSI, providing means to recover a completely attenuation-corrected 3D image of luminescent probe distribution. Gated CELSI acquisition yielded functional information of a spatially resolved oxygen concentration map of deep lying targets. This work was supported by NIH research grant R01CA109558 and R21EB017559, as well as by Pilot Grant Funds from the Norris Cotton Cancer Center.« less

Monitoring atmospheric pollutants with a heterodyne radiometer transmitter-receiver

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Menzies, R. T. (Inventor)

1973-01-01

The presence of selected atmospheric pollutants can be determined by transmitting an infrared beam of proper wavelength through the atmosphere, and detecting the reflections of the transmitted beam with a heterodyne radiometer transmitter-receiver using part of the laser beam as a local oscillator. The particular pollutant and its absorption line strength to be measured are selected by the laser beam wave length. When the round-trip path for the light is known or measured, concentration can be determined. Since pressure (altitude) will affect the shape of the molecular absorption line of a pollutant, tuning the laser through a range of frequencies, which includes a part of the absorption line of the pollutant of interest, yields pollutant altitude data from which the altitude and altitude profile is determined.

Flamsteed's Supernova of 1680

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fesen, R. A.

2001-12-01

A recent proper motion study of 40 knots in the Cas A supernova remnant indicated a knot convergent date of A.D. 1671.3 +/-0.9 assuming no deceleration (Thorstensen, Fesen, & van den Bergh 2001, AJ, 122, 297). However, because these optical knots are made visible by their shock passage through the local ISM/CSM, some deceleration is expected. A deceleration of just ~ 1.6 km s-1 yr-1 over a 300 yr time span would yield an explosion date around A.D. 1680, consistent with a suspected sighting of the Cas A supernova by J. Flamsteed in August 1680 (Ashworth, 1980, J. Hist. Astron., 11, 1). We discuss Flamsteed's likely observations of SN 1680 in terms of their constrains on the light curve and peak brightness and possible implications regarding the Cas A SN subtype.

Transparent ceramic scintillators for gamma spectroscopy and MeV imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cherepy, N. J.; Seeley, Z. M.; Payne, S. A.; Swanberg, E. L.; Beck, P. R.; Schneberk, D. J.; Stone, G.; Perry, R.; Wihl, B.; Fisher, S. E.; Hunter, S. L.; Thelin, P. A.; Thompson, R. R.; Harvey, N. M.; Stefanik, T.; Kindem, J.

2015-09-01

We report on the development of two new mechanically rugged, high light yield transparent ceramic scintillators: (1) Ce-doped Gd-garnet for gamma spectroscopy, and (2) Eu-doped Gd-Lu-bixbyite for radiography. GYGAG(Ce) garnet transparent ceramics offer ρ = 5.8g/cm3, Zeff = 48, principal decay of <100 ns, and light yield of 50,000 Ph/MeV. Gdgarnet ceramic scintillators offer the best energy resolution of any oxide scintillator, as good as R(662 keV) = 3% (Si-PD readout) for small sizes and typically R(662 keV) < 5% for cubic inch sizes. For radiography, the bixbyite transparent ceramic scintillator, (Gd,Lu,Eu)2O3, or "GLO," offers excellent x-ray stopping, with ρ = 9.1 g/cm3 and Zeff = 68. Several 10" diameter by 0.1" thickness GLO scintillators have been fabricated. GLO outperforms scintillator glass for high energy radiography, due to higher light yield (55,000 Ph/MeV) and better stopping, while providing spatial resolution of >8 lp/mm.

Effect of Microstructure on the Radioluminescence and Transparency of Ce-Doped Strontium Hafnate Ceramics

PubMed Central

van Loef, Edgar V.; Wang, Yimin; Miller, Stuart R.; Brecher, Charles; Rhodes, William H.; Baldoni, Gary; Topping, Stephen; Lingertat, Helmut; Sarin, Vinod K.; Shah, Kanai S.

2011-01-01

In this paper we report on the fabrication and characterization of SrHfO3:Ce ceramics. Powders were prepared by solid-state synthesis using metal oxides and carbonates. X-ray diffraction measurements showed that phase-pure SrHfO3 is formed at 1200°C. Inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy confirmed the purity and composition of each batch. SrHfO3 exhibits several phase changes in the solid, but this does not appear to be detrimental to the ceramics. Microprobe experiments showed uniform elemental grain composition, whereas aluminum added as charge compensation for trivalent cerium congregated at grain boundaries and triple points. Radioluminescence spectra revealed that the light yield decreases when the concentration of excess Sr increases. The decrease in the light yield may be related to the change of Ce3+ into Ce4+ ions. For stoichiometric SrHfO3:Ce, the light yield is about four times that of bismuth germanate (BGO), the conventional benchmark, indicating great potential for many scintillator applications. PMID:21339835

Crystal growth and characterization of europium doped KCaI3, a high light yield scintillator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindsey, Adam C.; Zhuravleva, Mariya; Stand, Luis; Wu, Yuntao; Melcher, Charles L.

2015-10-01

The presented study reports on the spectroscopic characteristics of a new high performance scintillation material KCaI3:Eu. The growth of ∅ 17 mm boules using the Bridgman-Stockbarger method in fused silica ampoules is demonstrated to produce yellow tinted, yet transparent single crystals suitable for use in spectroscopic applications due to very promising performance. Scintillation light yield of 72,000 ± 3000 ph/MeV and energy resolution of 3% (FWHM) at 662 keV and 6.1% at 122 keV was obtained from small single crystals of approximately 15 mm3. For a much larger 3.8 cm3 detector, 4.4% and 7.3% for the same energy. Proportionality of the scintillation response to the energy of ionizing radiation is within 96% of the ideal response over an energy range of 14-662 keV. The high light yield and energy resolution of KCaI3:Eu make it suitable for potential use in domestic security applications requiring radionuclide identification.

Microcolumnar and polycrystalline growth of LaBr3:Ce scintillator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagarkar, V. V.; Miller, S.; Sia, R.; Gaysinskiy, V.

2011-05-01

While a wide variety of new scintillators are now available, cerium-doped lanthanide halide scintillators have shown a strong potential toward fulfilling the needs of highly demanding applications such as radioisotope identification at room temperature, homeland security, quantitative molecular imaging for medical diagnostics, and disease staging and research. Despite their extraordinary advantages in terms of light yield and response uniformity over a wide energy range, issues related to reliable, large volume manufacturing of these high-light-yield materials in a rapid and economic manner has not been resolved or purposefully addressed. Here we report on synthesizing LaBr3:Ce scintillator using a thermal evaporation technique, which offers the potential to synthesize large quantities of small-to-large volume, high-quality material in a time-efficient and cost-effective manner. To date we have successfully applied this method to form both microcolumnar films and thick polycrystalline slabs of LaBr3:Ce, and have characterized their light yield, response linearity, decay time and afterglow.

Comparison of three light doses in the photodynamic treatment of actinic keratosis using mathematical modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vignion-Dewalle, Anne-Sophie; Betrouni, Nacim; Tylcz, Jean-Baptiste; Vermandel, Maximilien; Mortier, Laurent; Mordon, Serge

2015-05-01

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an emerging treatment modality for various diseases, especially for cancer therapy. Although high efficacy is demonstrated for PDT using standardized protocols in nonhyperkeratotic actinic keratoses, alternative light doses expected to increase efficiency, to reduce adverse effects or to expand the use of PDT, are still being evaluated and refined. We propose a comparison of the three most common light doses in the treatment of actinic keratosis with 5-aminolevulinic acid PDT through mathematical modeling. The proposed model is based on an iterative procedure that involves determination of the local fluence rate, updating of the local optical properties, and estimation of the local damage induced by the therapy. This model was applied on a simplified skin sample model including an actinic keratosis lesion, with three different light doses (red light dose, 37 J/cm2, 75 mW/cm2, 500 s blue light dose, 10 J/cm2, 10 mW/cm2, 1000 s and daylight dose, 9000 s). Results analysis shows that the three studied light doses, although all efficient, lead to variable local damage. Defining reference damage enables the nonoptimal parameters for the current light doses to be refined and the treatment to be more suitable.

Estimating chlorophyll content and photochemical yield of photosystem II (ΦPSII) using solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence measurements at different growing stages of attached leaves

PubMed Central

Tubuxin, Bayaer; Rahimzadeh-Bajgiran, Parinaz; Ginnan, Yusaku; Hosoi, Fumiki; Omasa, Kenji

2015-01-01

This paper illustrates the possibility of measuring chlorophyll (Chl) content and Chl fluorescence parameters by the solar-induced Chl fluorescence (SIF) method using the Fraunhofer line depth (FLD) principle, and compares the results with the standard measurement methods. A high-spectral resolution HR2000+ and an ordinary USB4000 spectrometer were used to measure leaf reflectance under solar and artificial light, respectively, to estimate Chl fluorescence. Using leaves of Capsicum annuum cv. ‘Sven’ (paprika), the relationships between the Chl content and the steady-state Chl fluorescence near oxygen absorption bands of O2B (686nm) and O2A (760nm), measured under artificial and solar light at different growing stages of leaves, were evaluated. The Chl fluorescence yields of ΦF 686nm/ΦF 760nm ratios obtained from both methods correlated well with the Chl content (steady-state solar light: R2 = 0.73; artificial light: R2 = 0.94). The SIF method was less accurate for Chl content estimation when Chl content was high. The steady-state solar-induced Chl fluorescence yield ratio correlated very well with the artificial-light-induced one (R2 = 0.84). A new methodology is then presented to estimate photochemical yield of photosystem II (ΦPSII) from the SIF measurements, which was verified against the standard Chl fluorescence measurement method (pulse-amplitude modulated method). The high coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.74) between the ΦPSII of the two methods shows that photosynthesis process parameters can be successfully estimated using the presented methodology. PMID:26071530

Effect of pulsed electric fields treatment and mash size on extraction and composition of apple juices.

PubMed

Turk, Mohammad F; Baron, Alain; Vorobiev, Eugene

2010-09-08

This study explored the effect of pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment (E=450 V/cm; tt=10 ms; E<3 kJ/kg) and apple mash size on juice yield, polyphenolic compounds, sugars, and malic acid. Juice yield increased significantly after PEF treatment of large mash (Y=71.4%) and remained higher than the juice yield obtained for a control small mash (45.6%). The acid sweet balance was not altered by PEF. A correlation was established between the decrease of light absorbance (control: 1.43; treated: 1.10) and the decline of native polyphenols yield due to PEF treatment (control: 9.6%; treated: 5.9% for small mash). An enhanced oxidation of phenolic compounds in cells due to electroporation of the inner cell membrane and the adsorption of the oxidized products on the mash may explain both the lower light absorbance and the lower native polyphenol concentration.

Effects of periodic photoinhibitory light exposure on physiology and productivity of Arabidopsis plants grown under low light.

PubMed

Tian, Yonglan; Sacharz, Joanna; Ware, Maxwell A; Zhang, Huayong; Ruban, Alexander V

2017-07-10

This work examined the long-term effects of periodic high light stress on photosynthesis, morphology, and productivity of low-light-acclimated Arabidopsis plants. Significant photoinhibition of Arabidopsis seedlings grown under low light (100 μmol photons m-2 s-1) was observed at the beginning of the high light treatment (three times a day for 30 min at 1800 μmol photons m-2 s-1). However, after 2 weeks of treatment, similar photosynthesis yields (Fv/Fm) to those of control plants were attained. The daily levels of photochemical quenching measured in the dark (qPd) indicated that the plants recovered from photoinhibition within several hours once transferred back to low light conditions, with complete recovery being achieved overnight. Acclimation to high light stress resulted in the modification of the number, structure, and position of chloroplasts, and an increase in the average chlorophyll a/b ratio. During ontogenesis, high-light-exposed plants had lower total leaf areas but higher above-ground biomass. This was attributed to the consumption of starch for stem and seed production. Moreover, periodic high light exposure brought forward the reproductive phase and resulted in higher seed yields compared with control plants grown under low light. The responses to periodic high light exposure of mature Arabidopsis plants were similar to those of seedlings but had higher light tolerance. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

Correlation of Non-proportionality and Scintillation Properties with Cerium Concentration in YAlO 3:Ce

DOE PAGES

Donnald, Samuel B.; Williams, Richard; Melcher, Charles L.; ...

2018-04-19

Cerium doped YAlO3 (YAP:Ce) is an interesting oxide scintillator in that it exhibits a wider range of light yield non-proportionality on a sample-to-sample basis than most other well-known oxide scintillators. In general, most oxide materials, such as BGO and LSO:Ce, are thought to have an intrinsic proportional response that is nearly constant between samples and independent of growth conditions. Since light yield nonproportionality is responsible for degrading the achievable energy resolution of all known scintillators, it is important to understand what contributes to the behavior. In this study, in an attempt to understand if the phenomenon can be affected bymore » growth parameters or by other means, seven samples of YAP:Ce were collected from various sources, and eight samples were grown inhouse using the Czochralski method. Based on optical and scintillation measurement as well as direct measurement of the cerium concentration, it was determined that the light yield proportionality in YAlO3:Ce is strongly related to the cerium concentration. Samples that were found to have a higher relative cerium concentration displayed a more proportional light yield response. In addition, it was determined that samples with a higher cerium concentration also exhibit a faster decay time and an enhanced energy resolution when compared to samples with less cerium. Finally, it was also determined that growth in a reducing atmosphere can effectively suppress a parasitic optical absorption band.« less

Correlation of Non-proportionality and Scintillation Properties with Cerium Concentration in YAlO 3:Ce

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

Donnald, Samuel B.; Williams, Richard; Melcher, Charles L.

Cerium doped YAlO3 (YAP:Ce) is an interesting oxide scintillator in that it exhibits a wider range of light yield non-proportionality on a sample-to-sample basis than most other well-known oxide scintillators. In general, most oxide materials, such as BGO and LSO:Ce, are thought to have an intrinsic proportional response that is nearly constant between samples and independent of growth conditions. Since light yield nonproportionality is responsible for degrading the achievable energy resolution of all known scintillators, it is important to understand what contributes to the behavior. In this study, in an attempt to understand if the phenomenon can be affected bymore » growth parameters or by other means, seven samples of YAP:Ce were collected from various sources, and eight samples were grown inhouse using the Czochralski method. Based on optical and scintillation measurement as well as direct measurement of the cerium concentration, it was determined that the light yield proportionality in YAlO3:Ce is strongly related to the cerium concentration. Samples that were found to have a higher relative cerium concentration displayed a more proportional light yield response. In addition, it was determined that samples with a higher cerium concentration also exhibit a faster decay time and an enhanced energy resolution when compared to samples with less cerium. Finally, it was also determined that growth in a reducing atmosphere can effectively suppress a parasitic optical absorption band.« less

Fluorogenic, catalytic, photochemical reaction for amplified detection of nucleic acids.

PubMed

Dutta, Subrata; Fülöp, Annabelle; Mokhir, Andriy

2013-09-18

Photochemical, nucleic acid-induced reactions, which are controlled by nontoxic red light, are well-suited for detection of nucleic acids in live cells, since they do not require any additives and can be spatially and temporally regulated. We have recently described the first reaction of this type, in which a phenylselenyl derivative of thymidine (5'-PhSeT-ODNa) is cleaved in the presence of singlet oxygen (Fülöp, A., Peng, X., Greenberg, M. M., Mokhir, A. (2010) A nucleic acid directed, red light-induced chemical reaction. Chem. Commun. 46, 5659-5661). The latter reagent is produced upon exposure of a photosensitizer 3'-PS-ODNb (PS = Indium(III)-pyropheophorbide-a-chloride: InPPa) to >630 nm light. In 2012 we reported on a fluorogenic version of this reaction (Dutta, S., Flottmann, B., Heilemann, M., Mokhir, A. (2012) Hybridization and reaction-based, fluorogenic nucleic acid probes. Chem. Commun. 47, 9664-9666), which is potentially applicable for the detection of nucleic acids in cells. Unfortunately, its yield does not exceed 25% and no catalytic turnover could be observed in the presence of substrate excess. This problem occurs due to the efficient, competing oxidation of the substrate containing an electron rich carbon-carbon double bonds (SCH═CHS) in the presence of singlet oxygen with formation of a noncleavable product (SCH═CHSO). Herein we describe a related, but substantially improved photochemical, catalytic transformation of a fluorogenic, organic substrate, which consists of 9,10-dialkoxyanthracene linked to fluorescein, with formation of a bright fluorescent dye. In highly dilute solution this reaction occurs only in the presence of a nucleic acid template. We developed three types of such a reaction and demonstrated that they are high yielding and generate over 7.7 catalytic turnovers, are sensitive to single mismatches in nucleic acid targets, and can be applied for determination of both the amount of nucleic acids and potentially their localization.

Gold nanoparticles and their alternatives for radiation therapy enhancement

PubMed Central

Cooper, Daniel R.; Bekah, Devesh; Nadeau, Jay L.

2014-01-01

Radiation therapy is one of the most commonly used treatments for cancer. The dose of delivered ionizing radiation can be amplified by the presence of high-Z materials via an enhancement of the photoelectric effect; the most widely studied material is gold (atomic number 79). However, a large amount is needed to obtain a significant dose enhancement, presenting a challenge for delivery. In order to make this technique of broader applicability, the gold must be targeted, or alternative formulations developed that do not rely solely on the photoelectric effect. One possible approach is to excite scintillating nanoparticles with ionizing radiation, and then exploit energy transfer between these particles and attached dyes in a manner analogous to photodynamic therapy (PDT). Doped rare-earth halides and semiconductor quantum dots have been investigated for this purpose. However, although the spectrum of emitted light after radiation excitation is usually similar to that seen with light excitation, the yield is not. Measurement of scintillation yields is challenging, and in many cases has been done only for bulk materials, with little understanding of how the principles translate to the nanoscale. Another alternative is to use local heating using gold or iron, followed by application of ionizing radiation. Hyperthermia pre-sensitizes the tumors, leading to an improved response. Another approach is to use chemotherapeutic drugs that can radiosensitize tumors. Drugs may be attached to high-Z nanoparticles or encapsulated. This article discusses each of these techniques, giving an overview of the current state of nanoparticle-assisted radiation therapy and future directions. PMID:25353018

LED lighting – modification of growth, metabolism, yield and flour composition in wheat by spectral quality and intensity

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The use of light-emitting diode (LED) technology for plant cultivation under controlled environmental conditions can result in significant reductions in energy consumption. However, there is still a lack of detailed information on the lighting conditions required for optimal growth of different plan...

Biomass and pigments production in photosynthetic bacteria wastewater treatment: effects of light sources.

PubMed

Zhou, Qin; Zhang, Panyue; Zhang, Guangming

2015-03-01

This study is aimed at enhancing biomass and pigments production together with pollution removal in photosynthetic bacteria (PSB) wastewater treatment via different light sources. Red, yellow, blue, white LED and incandescent lamp were used. Results showed different light sources had great effects on the PSB. PSB had the highest biomass production, COD removal and biomass yield with red LED. The corresponding biomass, COD removal and biomass yield reached 2580 mg/L, 88.6% and 0.49 mg-biomass/mg-COD-removal, respectively. The hydraulic retention time of wastewater treatment could be shortened to 72 h with red LED. Mechanism analysis showed higher ATP was produced with red LED than others. Light sources could significantly affect the pigments production. The pigments productions were greatly higher with LED than incandescent lamp. Yellow LED had the highest pigments production while red LED produced the highest carotenoid/bacteriochlorophyll ratio. Considering both efficiency and energy cost, red LED was the optimal light source. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Simulation of light in-coupling through an aperture probe to investigate light propagation in a thin layer for opto-electronic application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ermes, Markus; Lehnen, Stephan; Cao, Zhao; Bittkau, Karsten; Carius, Reinhard

2015-06-01

In thin optoelectronic devices, like organic light emitting diodes (OLED) or thin-film solar cells (TFSC), light propagation, which is initiated by a local point source, is of particular importance. In OLEDs, light is generated in the layer by the luminescence of single molecules, whereas in TFSCs, light is coupled into the devices by scattering at small surface features. In both applications, light propagation within the active layers has a significant impact on the optical device performance. Scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) using aperture probes is a powerful tool to investigate this propagation with a high spatial resolution. Dual-probe SNOM allows simulating the local light generation by an illumination probe as well as the detection of the light propagated through the layer. In our work, we focus on the light propagation in thin silicon films as used in thin-film silicon solar cells. We investigate the light-in-coupling from an illuminating probe via rigorous solution of Maxwell's equations using a Finite-Difference Time-Domain approach, especially to gain insight into the light distribution inside a thin layer, which is not accessible in the experiment. The structures investigated include at and structured surfaces with varying illumination positions and wavelengths. From the performed simulations, we define a "spatial sensitivity" which is characteristic for the local structure and illumination position. This quantity can help to identify structures which are beneficial as well as detrimental to absorption inside the investigated layer. We find a strong dependence of the spatial sensitivity on the surface structure as well as both the absorption coefficient and the probe position. Furthermore, we investigate inhomogeneity in local light propagation resulting from different surface structures and illumination positions.

Influence of yield surface curvature on the macroscopic yielding and ductile failure of isotropic porous plastic materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dæhli, Lars Edvard Bryhni; Morin, David; Børvik, Tore; Hopperstad, Odd Sture

2017-10-01

Numerical unit cell models of an approximative representative volume element for a porous ductile solid are utilized to investigate differences in the mechanical response between a quadratic and a non-quadratic matrix yield surface. A Hershey equivalent stress measure with two distinct values of the yield surface exponent is employed as the matrix description. Results from the unit cell calculations are further used to calibrate a heuristic extension of the Gurson model which incorporates effects of the third deviatoric stress invariant. An assessment of the porous plasticity model reveals its ability to describe the unit cell response to some extent, however underestimating the effect of the Lode parameter for the lower triaxiality ratios imposed in this study when compared to unit cell simulations. Ductile failure predictions by means of finite element simulations using a unit cell model that resembles an imperfection band are then conducted to examine how the non-quadratic matrix yield surface influences the failure strain as compared to the quadratic matrix yield surface. Further, strain localization predictions based on bifurcation analyses and imperfection band analyses are undertaken using the calibrated porous plasticity model. These simulations are then compared to the unit cell calculations in order to elucidate the differences between the various modelling strategies. The current study reveals that strain localization analyses using an imperfection band model and a spatially discretized unit cell are in reasonable agreement, while the bifurcation analyses predict higher strain levels at localization. Imperfection band analyses are finally used to calculate failure loci for the quadratic and the non-quadratic matrix yield surface under a wide range of loading conditions. The underlying matrix yield surface is demonstrated to have a pronounced influence on the onset of strain localization.

Poly(vinylpyrrolidone) supported copper nanoclusters: glutathione enhanced blue photoluminescence for application in phosphor converted light emitting devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhenguang; Susha, Andrei S.; Chen, Bingkun; Reckmeier, Claas; Tomanec, Ondrej; Zboril, Radek; Zhong, Haizheng; Rogach, Andrey L.

2016-03-01

Poly(vinylpyrrolidone) supported Cu nanoclusters were synthesized by reduction of Cu(ii) ions with ascorbic acid in water, and initially showed blue photoluminescence with a quantum yield of 8%. An enhancement of the emission quantum yield has been achieved by treatment of Cu clusters with different electron-rich ligands, with the most pronounced effect (photoluminescence quantum yield of 27%) achieved with glutathione. The bright blue emission of glutathione treated Cu NCs is fully preserved in the solid state powder, which has been combined with commercial green and red phosphors to fabricate down-conversion white light emitting diodes with a high colour rendering index of 92.Poly(vinylpyrrolidone) supported Cu nanoclusters were synthesized by reduction of Cu(ii) ions with ascorbic acid in water, and initially showed blue photoluminescence with a quantum yield of 8%. An enhancement of the emission quantum yield has been achieved by treatment of Cu clusters with different electron-rich ligands, with the most pronounced effect (photoluminescence quantum yield of 27%) achieved with glutathione. The bright blue emission of glutathione treated Cu NCs is fully preserved in the solid state powder, which has been combined with commercial green and red phosphors to fabricate down-conversion white light emitting diodes with a high colour rendering index of 92. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: The optical spectra of control experiments for Cu NC synthesis, optimization of the reaction conditions, and spectra for LEDs chips and blue LEDs. See DOI: 10.1039/c6nr00806b

Room-temperature quantum noise limited spectrometry and methods of the same

DOEpatents

Stevens, Charles G.; Tringe, Joseph W.; Cunningham, Christopher Thomas

2014-08-26

In one embodiment, a heterodyne detection system for detecting light includes a first input aperture adapted for receiving first light from a scene input, a second input aperture adapted for receiving second light from a local oscillator input, a broadband local oscillator adapted for providing the second light to the second input aperture, a dispersive element adapted for dispersing the first light and the second light, and a final condensing lens coupled to an infrared detector. The final condensing lens is adapted for concentrating incident light from a primary condensing lens onto the infrared detector, and the infrared detector is a square-law detector capable of sensing the frequency difference between the first light and the second light. More systems and methods for detecting light are described according to other embodiments.

Room-temperature quantum noise limited spectrometry and methods of the same

DOEpatents

Stevens, Charles G; Tringe, Joseph W

2014-12-02

In one embodiment, a heterodyne detection system for detecting light includes a first input aperture adapted for receiving a first light from a scene input, a second input aperture adapted for receiving a second light from a local oscillator input, a broadband local oscillator adapted for providing the second light to the second input aperture, a dispersive element adapted for dispersing the first light and the second light, and a final condensing lens coupled to an infrared detector. The final condensing lens is adapted for concentrating incident light from a primary condensing lens onto the detector, and the detector is a square-law detector capable of sensing the frequency difference between the first light and the second light. More systems and methods for detecting light are disclosed according to more embodiments.

Room-temperature quantum noise limited spectrometry and methods of the same

DOEpatents

Stevens, Charles G.; Tringe, Joseph W.; Cunningham, Christopher T.

2016-08-02

In one embodiment, a heterodyne detection system for detecting light includes a first input aperture configured to receive first light from a scene input, a second input aperture configured to receive second light from a local oscillator input, a broadband local oscillator configured to provide the second light to the second input aperture, a dispersive element configured to disperse the first light and the second light, and a final condensing lens coupled to an infrared detector. The final condensing lens is configured to concentrate incident light from a primary condensing lens onto the infrared detector, and the infrared detector is a square-law detector capable of sensing the frequency difference between the first light and the second light. More systems and methods for detecting light are described according to other embodiments.

Folic Acid-Conjugated Pyropheophorbide a as the Photosensitizer Tested for In Vivo Targeted Photodynamic Therapy.

PubMed

Wang, Jin; Liu, Qian; Zhang, Yuting; Shi, Huan; Liu, Hui; Guo, Wenjun; Ma, Yanhong; Huang, Weiqiang; Hong, Zhangyong

2017-06-01

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a highly localized and minimally invasive cancer treatment modality with many important advantages, but the lack of ideal photosensitizers (PSs) greatly restricts its clinical utility. To develop new PSs with highly efficient singlet oxygen production and high tumor-localizing ability to reduce damage to healthy adjacent tissues, we conjugated folic acid (FA) with pyropheophorbide a (Pyro), a potent PS with a very high singlet oxygen quantum yield and a high extinction coefficient. In the present work, we describe the synthesis and PDT evaluation of this FA-Pyro conjugate both in vitro and in vivo. This conjugation increased the accumulation of Pyro inside the tumors and improved the efficiency of PDT, resulting in eradication of subcutaneous xenograft KB (human mouth epidermal carcinoma) tumors after only 1 or 2 applications of external near infrared light irradiation. This outstanding PDT outcome in a tumor-bearing mouse model and the simple synthesis of the conjugate should have very good practical potential for clinical application. Copyright © 2017 American Pharmacists Association®. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Illumination robust face recognition using spatial adaptive shadow compensation based on face intensity prior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsieh, Cheng-Ta; Huang, Kae-Horng; Lee, Chang-Hsing; Han, Chin-Chuan; Fan, Kuo-Chin

2017-12-01

Robust face recognition under illumination variations is an important and challenging task in a face recognition system, particularly for face recognition in the wild. In this paper, a face image preprocessing approach, called spatial adaptive shadow compensation (SASC), is proposed to eliminate shadows in the face image due to different lighting directions. First, spatial adaptive histogram equalization (SAHE), which uses face intensity prior model, is proposed to enhance the contrast of each local face region without generating visible noises in smooth face areas. Adaptive shadow compensation (ASC), which performs shadow compensation in each local image block, is then used to produce a wellcompensated face image appropriate for face feature extraction and recognition. Finally, null-space linear discriminant analysis (NLDA) is employed to extract discriminant features from SASC compensated images. Experiments performed on the Yale B, Yale B extended, and CMU PIE face databases have shown that the proposed SASC always yields the best face recognition accuracy. That is, SASC is more robust to face recognition under illumination variations than other shadow compensation approaches.

Camel as a transboundary vector for emerging exotic Salmonella serovars.

PubMed

Ghoneim, Nahed H; Abdel-Moein, Khaled A; Zaher, Hala

2017-05-01

The current study was conducted to shed light on the role of imported camels as a transboundary vector for emerging exotic Salmonella serovars. Fecal samples were collected from 206 camels directly after slaughtering including 25 local camels and 181 imported ones as well as stool specimens were obtained from 50 slaughterhouse workers at the same abattoir. The obtained samples were cultured while Salmonella serovars were identified through Gram's stain films, biochemical tests and serotyping with antisera kit. Moreover, the obtained Salmonella serovars were examined by PCR for the presence of invA and stn genes. The overall prevalence of Salmonella serovars among the examined camels was 8.3%. Stn gene was detected in the vast majority of exotic strains (11/14) 78.6% including emerging serovars such as Salmonella Saintpaul, S. Chester, S. Typhimurium whereas only one isolate from local camels carried stn gene (1/3) 33.3%. On the other hand, none of the examined humans yielded positive result. Our findings highlight the potential role of imported camels as a transboundary vector for exotic emerging Salomenella serovars.

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

Marseglia, L.; Saha, K.; Ajoy, A.

The practical implementation of quantum technologies such as quantum commu- nication and quantum cryptography relies on the development of indistinguishable, robust, and bright single photon sources that works at room temperature. The silicon- vacancy (SiV -) center in diamond has emerged as a possible candidate for a single photon source with all these characteristics. Unfortunately, due to the high refraction index mismatch between diamond and air, color centers in diamond show low photon out-coupling. This drawback can be overcome by fabrication of photonic structures that improve the in-coupling of excitation laser to the diamond defect as well as the out-couplingmore » emission from the color centers. An additional shortcoming is due to the random localization of native defects in the diamond sample. Here we demonstrate deterministic implantation of Si ions with high conversion effciency to single SiV -, targeted to fabricated nanowires. The co-localization of single SiV - defects with the nanostructures yields a ten times higher light coupling effciency as compared to single SiV - in the bulk. This result, with its intrinsic scalability, enables a new class of devices for integrated photonics and quantum information processing.« less

Muon g -2 in an alternative quasi-Yukawa unification with a less fine-tuned seesaw mechanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Altın, Zafer; Ã-zdal, Ã.-zer; Ün, Cem Salih

2018-03-01

We explore the low-scale implications of the Pati-Salam Model including the TeV scale right-handed neutrinos interacting and mixing with the MSSM fields through the inverse seesaw (IS) mechanism in light of the muon anomalous magnetic moment (muon g -2 ) resolution and highlight the solutions which are compatible with the quasi-Yukawa unification condition (QYU). We find that the presence of the right-handed neutrinos causes heavy smuons as mμ ˜≳800 GeV in order to avoid tachyonic staus at the low scale. On the other hand, the sneutrinos can be as light as about 100 GeV, and along with the light charginos of mass ≲400 GeV , they can yield such large contributions to muon g -2 that the discrepancy between the experiment and the theory can be resolved. These solutions also require mχ˜1 ±≲400 GeV and mχ˜10≲200 . We also discuss such light chargino and neutralino along with the light stau (mτ ˜≳200 GeV ) in the light of current LHC results. Besides, the gluino mass lies in a range ˜[2.5 - 3.5 ] TeV , which is tested in near future experiments. In addition, the model predicts relatively light Higgsinos (μ ≲700 GeV ); hence, the second chargino mass is also light enough (≲700 GeV ) to contribute to muon g -2 . Light Higgsinos also yield less fine-tuning at the electroweak scale, and the regions compatible with muon g -2 restrict ΔEW≲100 strictly, and this region also satisfies the QYU condition. In addition, the ratios among the Yukawa couplings should be 1.8 ≲yt/yb≲2.6 , yτ/yb˜1.3 to yield correct fermion masses. Even though the right-handed neutrino Yukawa coupling can be varied freely, the solutions bound its range to 0.8 ≲yν/yb≲1.7 .

Combined production of fucoxanthin and EPA from two diatom strains Phaeodactylum tricornutum and Cylindrotheca fusiformis cultures.

PubMed

Wang, Hui; Zhang, Yan; Chen, Lin; Cheng, Wentao; Liu, Tianzhong

2018-04-04

Fucoxanthin and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) provide significant health benefits for human population. Diatom is a potential natural livestock for the combined production of EPA and fucoxanthin. In this study, first, the effects of three important parameters including light intensity, nitrogen concentration and salinity were evaluated for the production of EPA and fucoxanthin in two diatom strains Phaeodactylum tricornutum and Cylindrotheca fusiformis. And then, two steps method based on light intensity were applied to produce EPA and fucoxanthin in large scale. Higher light intensity was first adopted for the high growth rate and lipid content of diatom, and after a period of time, light intensity was lowered to enhance the accumulation of fucoxanthin and EPA. In final, the highest EPA yields were 62.55 and 27.32 mg L -1 for P. tricornutum and C. fusiformis, and the fucoxanthin yield reached 8.32 and 6.05 mg L -1 , respectively.

Characterizing Chain Processes in Visible Light Photoredox Catalysis

PubMed Central

Cismesia, Megan A.

2015-01-01

The recognition that Ru(bpy)32+ andsimilar visible light absorbing transition metal complexes can be photocatalysts for a variety of synthetically useful organic reactions has resulted in a recent resurgence of interest in photoredox catalysis. However, many of the critical mechanistic aspects of this class of reactions remain poorly understood. In particular, the degree to which visible light photoredox reactions involve radical chain processes has been a point of some disagreement that has not been subjected to systematic analysis. We have now performed quantum yield measurements to demonstrate that threerepresentative, mechanistically distinct photoredox processes involve product-forming chain reactions. Moreover, we show that the combination of quantum yield and luminescence quenching experiments provides a rapid method to estimate the length of these chains. Together, these measurements constitute a robust, operationally facile strategy for characterizing chain processes in a wide range of visible light photoredox reactions. PMID:26668708

[Photosynthetic fluorescence characteristics of floating-leaved and submersed macrophytes commonly found in Taihu Lake].

PubMed

Song, Yu-zhi; Cai, Wei; Qin, Bo-qiang

2009-03-01

Some aquatic macrophytes commonly found in Taihu Lake, including Trapa bispinosa, Nymphyoides peltatum, Vallisneria natans, and Hydrilla verticillata were collected, and their maximal quantum yield of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) as well as the rapid light curves (RLCs) under conditions of light adaptation and dark adaptation were measured in situ by using a submersible and pulse-amplitude modulated fluorometer (Diving-PAM). The results showed that floating-leaved plants T. bispinosa and N. peltatum had higher potential maximum photosynthetic capacity than submerged macrophytes V. natans and H. verticillata. The measured maximal quantum yield of T. bispinosa, N. peltatum, V. natans, and H. verticillata was 0.837, 0.831, 0.684, and 0.764, respectively. Both the maximal relative electron transport rate and the half saturation point of light intensity of T. bispinosa and N. peltatum were higher than those of V. natans and H. verticillata, especially under the condition of light adaptation.

Comparison of heavy metal loads in stormwater runoff from major and minor urban roads using pollutant yield rating curves.

PubMed

Davis, Brett; Birch, Gavin

2010-08-01

Trace metal export by stormwater runoff from a major road and local street in urban Sydney, Australia, is compared using pollutant yield rating curves derived from intensive sampling data. The event loads of copper, lead and zinc are well approximated by logarithmic relationships with respect to total event discharge owing to the reliable appearance of a first flush in pollutant mass loading from urban roads. Comparisons of the yield rating curves for these three metals show that copper and zinc export rates from the local street are comparable with that of the major road, while lead export from the local street is much higher, despite a 45-fold difference in traffic volume. The yield rating curve approach allows problematic environmental data to be presented in a simple yet meaningful manner with less information loss. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dark Skies Rangers - Fighting light pollution and simulating dark skies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doran, Rosa; Correia, Nelson; Guerra, Rita; Costa, Ana

2015-03-01

Dark Skies Rangers is an awareness program aimed at students of all ages to stimulate them to make an audit of light pollution in their school/district. The young light pollution fighters evaluate the level of light pollution, how much energy is being wasted, and produce a report to be delivered to the local authorities. They are also advised to promote a light pollution awareness campaign to the local community targeting not only the dark skies but also other implications such as effects in our health, to the flora and fauna, etc.

Crop yield and light/energy efficiency in a closed ecological system: Laboratory Biosphere experiments with wheat and sweet potato.

PubMed

Nelson, M; Dempster, W F; Silverstone, S; Alling, A; Allen, J P; van Thillo, M

2005-01-01

Two crop growth experiments in the soil-based closed ecological facility, Laboratory Biosphere, were conducted from 2003 to 2004 with candidate space life support crops. Apogee wheat (Utah State University variety) was grown, planted at two densities, 400 and 800 seeds m-2. The lighting regime for the wheat crop was 16 h of light-8 h dark at a total light intensity of around 840 micromoles m-2 s-1 and 48.4 mol m-2 d-1 over 84 days. Average biomass was 1395 g m-2, 16.0 g m-2 d-1 and average seed production was 689 g m-2 and 7.9 g m-2 d-1. The less densely planted side was more productive than the denser planting, with 1634 g m-2 and 18.8 g m-2 d-1 of biomass vs. 1156 g m-2 and 13.3 g m-2 d-1; and a seed harvest of 812.3 g m-2 and 9.3 g m-2 d-1 vs. 566.5 g m-2 and 6.5 g m-2 d-1. Harvest index was 0.49 for the wheat crop. The experiment with sweet potato used TU-82-155 a compact variety developed at Tuskegee University. Light during the sweet potato experiment, on a 18 h on/6 h dark cycle, totaled 5568 total moles of light per square meter in 126 days for the sweet potatoes, or an average of 44.2 mol m-2 d-1. Temperature regime was 28 +/- 3 degrees C day/22 +/- 4 degrees C night. Sweet potato tuber yield was 39.7 kg wet weight, or an average of 7.4 kg m-2, and 7.7 kg dry weight of tubers since dry weight was about 18.6% wet weight. Average per day production was 58.7 g m-2 d-1 wet weight and 11.3 g m-2 d-1. For the wheat, average light efficiency was 0.34 g biomass per mole, and 0.17 g seed per mole. The best area of wheat had an efficiency of light utilization of 0.51 g biomass per mole and 0.22 g seed per mole. For the sweet potato crop, light efficiency per tuber wet weight was 1.33 g mol-1 and 0.34 g dry weight of tuber per mole of light. The best area of tuber production had 1.77 g mol-1 wet weight and 0.34 g mol-1 of light dry weight. The Laboratory Biosphere experiment's light efficiency was somewhat higher than the USU field results but somewhat below greenhouse trials at comparable light levels, and the best portion of the crop at 0.22 g mol-1 was in-between those values. Sweet potato production was overall close to 50% higher than trials using hydroponic methods with TU-82-155 at NASA JSC. Compared to projected yields for the Mars on Earth life support system, these wheat yields were about 15% higher, and the sweet potato yields averaged over 80% higher. c2005 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of COSPAR.

Optimizing cropland cover for stable food production in Sub-Saharan Africa using simulated yield and Modern Portfolio Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bodin, P.; Olin, S.; Pugh, T. A. M.; Arneth, A.

2014-12-01

Food security can be defined as stable access to food of good nutritional quality. In Sub Saharan Africa access to food is strongly linked to local food production and the capacity to generate enough calories to sustain the local population. Therefore it is important in these regions to generate not only sufficiently high yields but also to reduce interannual variability in food production. Traditionally, climate impact simulation studies have focused on factors that underlie maximum productivity ignoring the variability in yield. By using Modern Portfolio Theory, a method stemming from economics, we here calculate optimum current and future crop selection that maintain current yield while minimizing variance, vs. maintaining variance while maximizing yield. Based on simulated yield using the LPJ-GUESS dynamic vegetation model, the results show that current cropland distribution for many crops is close to these optimum distributions. Even so, the optimizations displayed substantial potential to either increase food production and/or to decrease its variance regionally. Our approach can also be seen as a method to create future scenarios for the sown areas of crops in regions where local food production is important for food security.

Whole high-quality light environment for humans and plants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharakshane, Anton

2017-11-01

Plants sharing a single light environment on a spaceship with a human being and bearing a decorative function should look as natural and attractive as possible. And consequently they can be illuminated only with white light with a high color rendering index. Can lighting optimized for a human eye be effective and appropriate for plants? Spectrum-based effects have been compared under artificial lighting of plants by high-pressure sodium lamps and general-purpose white LEDs. It has been shown that for the survey sample phytochrome photo-equilibria does not depend significantly on the parameters of white LED light, while the share of phytoactive blue light grows significantly as the color temperature increases. It has been revealed that yield photon flux is proportional to luminous efficacy and increases as the color temperature decreases, general color rendering index Ra and the special color rendering index R14 (green leaf) increase. General-purpose white LED lamps with a color temperature of 2700 K, Ra > 90 and luminous efficacy of 100 lm/W are as efficient as the best high-pressure sodium lamps, and at a higher luminous efficacy their yield photon flux per joule is even bigger in proportion. Here we show that demand for high color rendering white LED light is not contradictory to the agro-technical objectives.

Intermittent illumination increases biophotolytic hydrogen yield by Anabaena cylindrica

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

Jeffries, T.W.; Leach, K.L.

Intermittent illumination increased H/sub 2/ and C/sub 2/H/sub 4/ yields per unit of light from growing cells and from nitrogen-starved cells by 1.7- and 1.35-fold, respectively, as compared with continuous illumination.

Effect of Light Intensity and Photoperiod on Growth and Biochemical Composition of a Local Isolate of Nostoc calcicola.

PubMed

Khajepour, Fateme; Hosseini, Seyed Abbas; Ghorbani Nasrabadi, Rasoul; Markou, Giorgos

2015-08-01

A study was conducted to investigate the effect of light intensity (21, 42, and 63 μmol photons m(-2) s(-1)) and photoperiod (8:16, 12:12, and 16:8 h light/dark) on the biomass production and its biochemical composition (total carotenoids, chlorophyll a, phycoerythrin (PE), phycocyanin (PC) and allophycocyanin (APC), total protein, and carbohydrates) of a local isolate of Nostoc calcicola. The results revealed that N. calcicola prefers dim light; however, the most of the levels of light intensity and photoperiod investigated did not have a significant impact on biomass production. Increasing light intensity biomass content of chlorophyll a, PE, PC, APC, and total protein decreased, while total carotenoids and carbohydrate increased. The same behavior was observed also when light duration (photoperiod) increased. The interaction effect of increasing light intensity and photoperiod resulted in an increase of carbohydrate and total carotenoids, and to the decrease of chlorophyll a, PE, PC, APC, and total protein content. The results indicate that varying the light regime, it is capable to manipulate the biochemical composition of the local isolate of N. calcicola, producing either valuable phycobiliproteins or proteins under low light intensity and shorter photoperiods, or producing carbohydrates and carotenoids under higher light intensities and longer photoperiods.

X-ray micro-Tomography at the Advanced Light Source

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The X-ray micro-Tomography Facility at the Advanced Light Source has been in operation since 2004. The source is a superconducting bend magnet of critical energy 10.5KeV; photon energy coverage is 8-45 KeV in monochromatic mode, and a filtered white light option yields useful photons up to 50 KeV. A...

Greenhouse tomato limited cluster production systems: crop management practices affect yield

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Logendra, L. S.; Gianfagna, T. J.; Specca, D. R.; Janes, H. W.

2001-01-01

Limited-cluster production systems may be a useful strategy to increase crop production and profitability for the greenhouse tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill). In this study, using an ebb-and-flood hydroponics system, we modified plant architecture and spacing and determined the effects on fruit yield and harvest index at two light levels. Single-cluster plants pruned to allow two leaves above the cluster had 25% higher fruit yields than did plants pruned directly above the cluster; this was due to an increase in fruit weight, not fruit number. Both fruit yield and harvest index were greater for all single-cluster plants at the higher light level because of increases in both fruit weight and fruit number. Fruit yield for two-cluster plants was 30% to 40% higher than for single-cluster plants, and there was little difference in the dates or length of the harvest period. Fruit yield for three-cluster plants was not significantly different from that of two-cluster plants; moreover, the harvest period was delayed by 5 days. Plant density (5.5, 7.4, 9.2 plants/m2) affected fruit yield/plant, but not fruit yield/unit area. Given the higher costs for materials and labor associated with higher plant densities, a two-cluster crop at 5.5 plants/m2 with two leaves above the cluster was the best of the production system strategies tested.

Scintillating Cocktail Mixtures and the Role of Water on the Optophysical Properties.

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

Cordaro, Joseph Gabriel; Feng, Patrick L.; Mengesha, Wondwosen

2015-10-01

Two types of water - containing liquid scinti llation mixtures were prepared in the present work. In the first, m ixtures of 2 - phenylethanol, water, diphenyl phosphate, sodium phenyl phosphate dibasic dihydrate, and the dye 2,5 - diphenyloxazole (PPO) have been investigated as liquid scintillators. In th e second system, nonionic and mixed surfactant systems were investigated in conjunction with water and small amounts of toluene. In both cases, increasing amounts of water led to reductions in the scintillation light yield. Understanding what factors contr ibute to this phenomenon is the focus of this report. Changes in the solutionmore » microphase structure, diminishing aromatic content of the cocktail mixtures, and inefficient energy transfer to the dye a ppear to be responsible for the decreased light yield as more water is added . In the 2 - phenylethanol system, the observed experimental results are consistent with the formation of a bicontinuous microemulsion at higher water concentrations, which incorporates PPO and shields it from the quenching effects of the increasing polar matrix. Evidence for this proposed phase chan ge c ome s from light scattering data, photo - and x - ray luminescence measurements, and optical transparency measurements . In the surfactant - based system, the quenching effect of water was found to be less than both commercially - available dioxane - naphthalene mixtures used for scintillation counting as well as the 2 - phenylethanol mixtures described above. The effect of different surfactant mixtures and concentrations were studied, revealing a benefic ial effect upon the scintillation light yield for mixed surfactant mixtures. These results are interpreted in the context of r eactive radical species formation following water ionization , which leads to light - yield quenching in aqueous systems . The presenc e of surfactant(s) in these mixtures enables the formation of organic - rich regions that are spatially separated from the reactive radicals. This hypothesis is consistent with subsequent experiments that showed reduced light - yield quenching in the presence of radical - trapping additives. A notable result from these surfactant studies was the preparation of an aqueous scintillator that was transparent and showed neutron/gamma pulse - shape discrimination. Section II below provides background information on the s ignificance of this finding. The combined work described herein has implications on other efforts to make water - based solution scintillators -- without aromatic content an efficient mechanism for ionizing radiation to sensitize emission from a dye is limited.« less

Extraction of Renilla-type luciferin from the calcium-activated photoproteins aequorin, mnemiopsin, and berovin.

PubMed Central

Ward, W W; Cormier, M J

1975-01-01

Photoproteins, which emit light in an oxygen-independent intramolecular reaction initiated by calcium ions, have been isolated from several bioluminescent organisms, including the hydrozoan jellyfish Aequorea and the ctenophore Mnemiopsis. The system of a related anthozoan coelenterate, the sea pansy Renilla reniformis, however, is oxygen dependent, requiring two organic components, luciferin and luciferase. Previously published indirect evidence indicates that photoproteins may contain a Renilla-type luciferin. We have now extracted in high yield a Renilla-type luciferin from three photoproteins, aequorin (45% yield), mnemiopsin (98% yield), and berovin (85% yield). Photoprotein luciferin, released from the holoprotein by mercaptoethanol treatment and separated from apo-photoprotein by gel filtration, no longer responds to calcium but now requires luciferase and O2 for light production. Photoprotein luciferin is identical to Renilla luciferin with respect to reaction kinetics and bioluminescence spectral distribution. In view of these results, the generally accepted hypothesis that the photoprotein chromophore is a protein-stabilized hydroperoxide of luciferin must be modified. We believe, instead, that the chromophore is free luciferin and that oxygen is bound as an oxygenated derivative of an amino-acid side chain of the protein. We propose the general term "coelenterate luciferin" to describe the light-producing chromophore from all bioluminescent coelenterates and ctenophores. PMID:241074

Characterization of Spirulina biomass for CELSS diet potential

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tadros, Mahasin G.

1993-01-01

Cyanobacteria, Spirulina maxima as a biogenerative photosynthetic and an edible alga for the space craft crew in a CELSS, was evaluated in an effort to increase the growth rate, biomass, yield, and chemical analysis in continuous cultures. The cell characteristics were determined for cultures maintained at steady state with respect to the substrate concentration. The productivity increased in experiments exposed to low light (30 uE m(exp -2)s(exp -1). Oxygen evolved and protein production were higher in cultures exposed to low light intensity. There was a relationship between nitrate concentration and the yield of the culture. Increasing the concentration of nitrate in the growth medium up to 20 mM was enough to produce a culture having the same chemical composition as that of complete medium. High light was inhibiting the yield of the culture. Increasing the concentration of phosphate beyond 1 mM did not improve the yield of the culture. Increasing the concentration of sodium chloride in the growth medium did not affect the growth of the alga up to 0.1 M but beyond that the culture started to be stressed. The response to stress appeared in high production of total carbohydrate on the expense of protein production. The oxygen production was also higher in cultures stressed with sodium chloride.

Holographic lens spectrum splitting photovoltaic system for increased diffuse collection and annual energy yield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vorndran, Shelby D.; Wu, Yuechen; Ayala, Silvana; Kostuk, Raymond K.

2015-09-01

Concentrating and spectrum splitting photovoltaic (PV) modules have a limited acceptance angle and thus suffer from optical loss under off-axis illumination. This loss manifests itself as a substantial reduction in energy yield in locations where a significant portion of insulation is diffuse. In this work, a spectrum splitting PV system is designed to efficiently collect and convert light in a range of illumination conditions. The system uses a holographic lens to concentrate shortwavelength light onto a smaller, more expensive indium gallium phosphide (InGaP) PV cell. The high efficiency PV cell near the axis is surrounded with silicon (Si), a less expensive material that collects a broader portion of the solar spectrum. Under direct illumination, the device achieves increased conversion efficiency from spectrum splitting. Under diffuse illumination, the device collects light with efficiency comparable to a flat-panel Si module. Design of the holographic lens is discussed. Optical efficiency and power output of the module under a range of illumination conditions from direct to diffuse are simulated with non-sequential raytracing software. Using direct and diffuse Typical Metrological Year (TMY3) irradiance measurements, annual energy yield of the module is calculated for several installation sites. Energy yield of the spectrum splitting module is compared to that of a full flat-panel Si reference module.

Changes in the germination process and growth of pea in effect of laser seed irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Podleśna, Anna; Gładyszewska, Bożena; Podleśny, Janusz; Zgrajka, Wojciech

2015-10-01

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of pre-sowing helium-neon (He-Ne) laser irradiation of pea seeds on changes in seed biochemical processes, germination rate, seedling emergence, growth rate, and yield. The first experimental factor was exposure to laser radiation: D0 - no irradiation, D3 - three exposures, D5 - five exposures, and the harvest dates were the second factor. Pre-sowing treatment of pea seeds with He-Ne laser light increased the concentrations of amylolytic enzymes and the content of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) in pea seeds and seedlings. The exposure of seeds to He-Ne laser light improved the germination rate and uniformity and modified growth stages, which caused acceleration of flowering and ripening of pea plants. Laser light stimulation improved the morphological characteristics of plants by increasing plant height and leaf surface area. Irradiation improved the yield of vegetative and reproductive organs of pea, although the effects varied at the different growth stages. The increase in the seed yield resulted from a higher number of pods and seeds per plant, whereas no significant changes were observed in the number of seeds per pod. Both radiation doses exerted similarly stimulating effects on pea growth, development, and yield.

Phenotyping of field-grown wheat in the UK highlights contribution of light response of photosynthesis and flag leaf longevity to grain yield.

PubMed

Carmo-Silva, Elizabete; Andralojc, P John; Scales, Joanna C; Driever, Steven M; Mead, Andrew; Lawson, Tracy; Raines, Christine A; Parry, Martin A J

2017-06-15

Improving photosynthesis is a major target for increasing crop yields and ensuring food security. Phenotyping of photosynthesis in the field is critical to understand the limits to crop performance in agricultural settings. Yet, detailed phenotyping of photosynthetic traits is relatively scarce in field-grown wheat, with previous studies focusing on narrow germplasm selections. Flag leaf photosynthetic traits, crop development, and yield traits were compared in 64 field-grown wheat cultivars in the UK. Pre-anthesis and post-anthesis photosynthetic traits correlated significantly and positively with grain yield and harvest index (HI). These traits included net CO2 assimilation measured at ambient CO2 concentrations and a range of photosynthetic photon flux densities, and traits associated with the light response of photosynthesis. In most cultivars, photosynthesis decreased post-anthesis compared with pre-anthesis, and this was associated with decreased Rubisco activity and abundance. Heritability of photosynthetic traits suggests that phenotypic variation can be used to inform breeding programmes. Specific cultivars were identified with traits relevant to breeding for increased crop yields in the UK: pre-anthesis photosynthesis, post-anthesis photosynthesis, light response of photosynthesis, and Rubisco amounts. The results indicate that flag leaf longevity and operating photosynthetic activity in the canopy can be further exploited to maximize grain filling in UK bread wheat. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

Predicting trends of invasive plants richness using local socio-economic data: An application in North Portugal

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

Santos, Mario, E-mail: mgsantoss@gmail.com; Freitas, Raul, E-mail: raulfreitas@portugalmail.com; Crespi, Antonio L., E-mail: aluis.crespi@gmail.com

2011-10-15

This study assesses the potential of an integrated methodology for predicting local trends in invasive exotic plant species (invasive richness) using indirect, regional information on human disturbance. The distribution of invasive plants was assessed in North Portugal using herbarium collections and local environmental, geophysical and socio-economic characteristics. Invasive richness response to anthropogenic disturbance was predicted using a dynamic model based on a sequential modeling process (stochastic dynamic methodology-StDM). Derived scenarios showed that invasive richness trends were clearly associated with ongoing socio-economic change. Simulations including scenarios of growing urbanization showed an increase in invasive richness while simulations in municipalities with decreasingmore » populations showed stable or decreasing levels of invasive richness. The model simulations demonstrate the interest and feasibility of using this methodology in disturbance ecology. - Highlights: {yields} Socio-economic data indicate human induced disturbances. {yields} Socio-economic development increase disturbance in ecosystems. {yields} Disturbance promotes opportunities for invasive plants.{yields} Increased opportunities promote richness of invasive plants.{yields} Increase in richness of invasive plants change natural ecosystems.« less

Facile Preparation of Light Emitting Organic Metal Halide Crystals with Near-Unity Quantum Efficiency

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

Zhou, Chenkun; Worku, Michael; Neu, Jennifer

Here, we report the synthesis and characterization of (Ph 4P) 2SbCl 5, a novel ionically bonded organic metal halide hybrid with a zero-dimensional (0D) structure at the molecular level. By cocrystallization of tetraphenylphosphonium (Ph 4P +) and antimony (Sb 3+) chloride salts, (Ph 4P) 2SbCl 5 bulk single crystals can be prepared in high yield, which exhibit a highly efficient broadband red emission peaked at 648 nm with a photoluminescence quantum efficiency (PLQE) of around 87%. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal the origin of emission as phosphorescence from the excitons localized at SbCl 5 2– with strong excited-state structuralmore » distortion. Interestingly, (Ph 4P) 2SbCl 5 bulk crystals with a PLQE of around 100% can be prepared via a rapid crystal growth process within minutes, followed by a spontaneous structural transformation. It was found that the rapid growth process yielded a yellow emitting kinetically favored metastable product containing solvent molecules, which turned into the red emitting thermodynamically stable product slowly at room temperature or quickly upon thermal treatment.« less

Facile Preparation of Light Emitting Organic Metal Halide Crystals with Near-Unity Quantum Efficiency

DOE PAGES

Zhou, Chenkun; Worku, Michael; Neu, Jennifer; ...

2018-03-12

Here, we report the synthesis and characterization of (Ph 4P) 2SbCl 5, a novel ionically bonded organic metal halide hybrid with a zero-dimensional (0D) structure at the molecular level. By cocrystallization of tetraphenylphosphonium (Ph 4P +) and antimony (Sb 3+) chloride salts, (Ph 4P) 2SbCl 5 bulk single crystals can be prepared in high yield, which exhibit a highly efficient broadband red emission peaked at 648 nm with a photoluminescence quantum efficiency (PLQE) of around 87%. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal the origin of emission as phosphorescence from the excitons localized at SbCl 5 2– with strong excited-state structuralmore » distortion. Interestingly, (Ph 4P) 2SbCl 5 bulk crystals with a PLQE of around 100% can be prepared via a rapid crystal growth process within minutes, followed by a spontaneous structural transformation. It was found that the rapid growth process yielded a yellow emitting kinetically favored metastable product containing solvent molecules, which turned into the red emitting thermodynamically stable product slowly at room temperature or quickly upon thermal treatment.« less

Omnidirectional and broadband absorption enhancement from trapezoidal Mie resonators in semiconductor metasurfaces

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

Pala, Ragip A.; Butun, Serkan; Aydin, Koray

2016-09-19

Light trapping in planar ultrathin-film solar cells is limited due to a small number of optical modes available in the thin-film slab. A nanostructured thin-film design could surpass this limit by providing broadband increase in the local density of states in a subwavelength volume and maintaining efficient coupling of light. Here we report a broadband metasurface design, enabling efficient and broadband absorption enhancement by direct coupling of incoming light to resonant modes of subwavelength scale Mie nanoresonators defined in the thin-film active layer. Absorption was investigated both theoretically and experimentally in prototypes consisting of lithographically patterned, two-dimensional periodic arrays ofmore » silicon nanoresonators on silica substrates. A crossed trapezoid resonator shape of rectangular cross section is used to excite broadband Mie resonances across visible and near-IR spectra. Our numerical simulations, optical absorption measurements and photocurrent spectral response measurements demonstrate that crossed trapezoidal Mie resonant structures enable angle-insensitive, broadband absorption. A short circuit current density of 12.0 mA/cm 2 is achieved in 210 nm thick patterned Si films, yielding a 4-fold increase compared to planar films of the same thickness. As a result, it is suggested that silicon metasurfaces with Mie resonator arrays can provide useful insights to guide future ultrathin-film solar cell designs incorporating nanostructured thin active layers.« less

Demonstration of a simplified optical mouse lighting module by integrating the non-Lambertian LED chip and the free-form surface.

PubMed

Pan, Jui-Wen; Tu, Sheng-Han

2012-05-20

A cost-effective, high-throughput, and high-yield method for the efficiency enhancement of an optical mouse lighting module is proposed. We integrated imprinting technology and free-form surface design to obtain a lighting module with high illumination efficiency and uniform intensity distribution. The imprinting technique can increase the light extraction efficiency and modulate the intensity distribution of light-emitting diodes. A modulated light source was utilized to add a compact free-form surface element to create a lighting module with 95% uniformity and 80% optical efficiency.

Image transport through a disordered optical fibre mediated by transverse Anderson localization.

PubMed

Karbasi, Salman; Frazier, Ryan J; Koch, Karl W; Hawkins, Thomas; Ballato, John; Mafi, Arash

2014-02-25

Transverse Anderson localization of light allows localized optical-beam-transport through a transversely disordered and longitudinally invariant medium. Its successful implementation in disordered optical fibres recently resulted in the propagation of localized beams of radii comparable to that of conventional optical fibres. Here we demonstrate optical image transport using transverse Anderson localization of light. The image transport quality obtained in the polymer disordered optical fibre is comparable to or better than some of the best commercially available multicore image fibres with less pixelation and higher contrast. It is argued that considerable improvement in image transport quality can be obtained in a disordered fibre made from a glass matrix with near wavelength-size randomly distributed air-holes with an air-hole fill-fraction of 50%. Our results open the way to device-level implementation of the transverse Anderson localization of light with potential applications in biological and medical imaging.

Corn Response to Competition: Growth Alteration vs. Yield Limiting Factors

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Understanding competition mechanisms among adjacent plants can improve site-specific management recommendations. This 2-yr study compared two hypotheses, yield limiting factors vs. behavior modification, to explain plant interactions. Corn was grown under different levels of stress by varying light ...

Transfer from long to short photoperiods affects production efficiency of day-neutral rice

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldman, K. R.; Mitchell, C. A.

1999-01-01

The day-neutral, semidwarf rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivar Ai-Nan-Tsao was grown in a greenhouse under summer conditions using high-pressure sodium lamps to extend the natural photoperiod. After allowing 2 weeks for germination, stand establishment, and thinning to a consistent planting density of 212 plants/m2, stands were maintained under continuous lighting for 35 or 49 days before shifting to 8- or 12-h photoperiods until harvest 76 days after planting. Non-shifted control treatments consisting of 8-, 12-, or 24-h photoperiods also were maintained throughout production. Tiller number increased as duration of exposure to continuous light increased before shifting to shorter photoperiods. However, shoot harvest index and yield efficiency rate were lower for all plants receiving continuous light than for those under the 8- or 12-h photoperiods. Stands receiving 12-h photoperiods throughout production had the highest grain yield per plant and equaled the 8-h-photoperiod control plants for the lowest tiller number per plant. As long as stands were exposed to continuous light, tiller formation continued. Shifting to shorter photoperiods late in the cropping cycle resulted in newly formed tillers that were either sterile or unable to mature grain before harvest. Late-forming tillers also suppressed yield of grain in early-forming tillers, presumably by competing for photosynthate or for remobilized assimilate during senescence. Stands receiving 12-h photoperiods throughout production not only produced the highest grain yield at harvest but had the highest shoot harvest index, which is important for resource-recovery strategies in advanced life-support systems proposed for space.

Improved Understanding of the Photosynthetic Response of Seven Rice Genotypes with Different Drought Sensitivity using Light and CO2 Response Curves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitra, B.; Basu, S.; Bereznyakov, D.; Pereira, A.; Naithani, K. J.

2015-12-01

Drought across different agro-climatic regions of the world has the capacity to drastically impact the yield potential of rice. Consequently, there is growing interest in developing drought tolerant rice varieties with high yield. We parameterized two photosynthesis models based on light and CO2 response curves for seven different rice genotypes with different drought survival mechanisms: sensitive (Nipponbar, TEJ), resistance (Bengal, TRJ), avoidance by osmotic adjustment (Kaybonnet, TRJ; IRAT177, TRJ; N22, Aus; Vandana, Aus; and O Glabberrima, 316603). All rice genotypes were grown in greenhouse conditions (24 °C ± 3°C air temperature and ~ 600 μmol m-2 s-1 light intensity) with light/dark cycles of 10/14 h in water filled trays simulating flooded conditions. Measurements were conducted on fully grown plants (35 - 60 days old) under simulated flooded and drought conditions. Preliminary results have shown that the drought sensitive genotype, Nipponbare has the lowest photosynthetic carboxylation capacity (Vcmax) and a similar electron transport rate (Jmax) compared to the drought resistant genotype IRAT 177. Mitochondrial respiration (Rd) of all the genotypes were similar while quantum yield of the drought sensitive genotype was greater than that of the drought resistant genotypes. While both drought tolerant and drought sensitive rice genotypes have the same photosynthetic yield, from an irrigation perspective the former would require less 'drop per grain'. This has enormous economic and management implications on account of dwindling water resources across the world due to drought.

Chlorophyll Fluorescence Analysis of Cyanobacterial Photosynthesis and Acclimation

PubMed Central

Campbell, Douglas; Hurry, Vaughan; Clarke, Adrian K.; Gustafsson, Petter; Öquist, Gunnar

1998-01-01

Cyanobacteria are ecologically important photosynthetic prokaryotes that also serve as popular model organisms for studies of photosynthesis and gene regulation. Both molecular and ecological studies of cyanobacteria benefit from real-time information on photosynthesis and acclimation. Monitoring in vivo chlorophyll fluorescence can provide noninvasive measures of photosynthetic physiology in a wide range of cyanobacteria and cyanolichens and requires only small samples. Cyanobacterial fluorescence patterns are distinct from those of plants, because of key structural and functional properties of cyanobacteria. These include significant fluorescence emission from the light-harvesting phycobiliproteins; large and rapid changes in fluorescence yield (state transitions) which depend on metabolic and environmental conditions; and flexible, overlapping respiratory and photosynthetic electron transport chains. The fluorescence parameters FV/FM, FV′/FM′,qp,qN, NPQ, and φPS II were originally developed to extract information from the fluorescence signals of higher plants. In this review, we consider how the special properties of cyanobacteria can be accommodated and used to extract biologically useful information from cyanobacterial in vivo chlorophyll fluorescence signals. We describe how the pattern of fluorescence yield versus light intensity can be used to predict the acclimated light level for a cyanobacterial population, giving information valuable for both laboratory and field studies of acclimation processes. The size of the change in fluorescence yield during dark-to-light transitions can provide information on respiration and the iron status of the cyanobacteria. Finally, fluorescence parameters can be used to estimate the electron transport rate at the acclimated growth light intensity. PMID:9729605

Effects of light-emitting diode supplementary lighting on the winter growth of greenhouse plants in the Yangtze River Delta of China.

PubMed

Li, Xue; Lu, Wei; Hu, Guyue; Wang, Xiao Chan; Zhang, Yu; Sun, Guo Xiang; Fang, Zhichao

2016-12-01

The winter in the Yangtze River Delta area of China involves more than 1 month of continuous low temperature and poor light (CLTL) weather conditions, which impacts horticultural production in an unheated greenhouse; however, few greenhouses in this area are currently equipped with a heating device. The low-cost and long-living light-emitting diode (LED) was used as an artificial light source to explore the effects of supplementary lighting during the dark period in CLTL winter on the vegetative characteristics, early yield, and physiology of flowering for pepper plants grown in a greenhouse without heating. Two LED lighting sets were employed with different light source to provide 65 μmol m -2  s -1 at night: (1) LED-A: red LEDs (R, peak wavelength 660 nm) and blue LEDs (B, peak wavelength 460 nm) with an R:B ratio of 6:3; and (2) LED-B: R and B LEDs at an R:B ratio of 8:1. Plants growth parameters and chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics were compared between lighting treatments and the control group. Plants' yield and photosynthesis ability were improved by LED-A. Pepper grown under the LED-A1 strategy showed a 303.3 % greater fresh weight of fruits and a 501.3 % greater dry mass compared with the control group. Plant leaves under LED-A1 showed maximum efficiency of the light quantum yield of PSII, electron transfer rate, and the proportion of the open fraction of PSII centers, with values 113.70, 114.34, and 211.65 % higher than those of the control group, respectively, and showed the lowest rate constant of thermal energy dissipation of all groups. LED-B was beneficial to the plant height and stems diameter of the pepper plants more than LED-A. These results can serve as a guide for environment control and for realizing low energy consumption for products grown in a greenhouse in the winter in Southern China.

Stocking and yield of Virginia pine stands in Prince Georges County, Maryland

Treesearch

Thomas W., Jr. Church

1955-01-01

Development of yield tables is prerequisite to designing forest-management plans. Yield tables have been prepared for Virginia pine in Maryland, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. But the differences among yields in these three states are great. These differences are probably due chiefly to site. Therefore it would be desirable to have yield tables based on fairly local...

Doppler interpretation of quasar red shifts.

PubMed

Zapolsky, H S

1966-08-05

The hypothesis that the quasistellar sources (quasars) are local objects moving with velocities close to the speed of light is examined. Provided there is no observational cutoff on apparent bolometric magnitude for the quasars, the transverse Doppler effect leads to the expectation of fewer blue shifts than red shifts for an isotropic distribution of velocities. Such a distribution also yields a function N(z), the number of objects with red shift less than z which is not inconsistent with the present data. On the basis of two extreme assumptions concerning the origin of such rapidly moving sources, we computed curves of red shift plotted against magnitude. In particular, the curve obtained on the assumption that the quasars originated from an explosion in or nearby our own galaxy is in as good agreement with the observations as the curve of cosmological red shift plotted against magnitude.

Broad self-trapped and slow light bands based on negative refraction and interference of magnetic coupled modes.

PubMed

Fang, Yun-Tuan; Ni, Zhi-Yao; Zhu, Na; Zhou, Jun

2016-01-13

We propose a new mechanism to achieve light localization and slow light. Through the study on the coupling of two magnetic surface modes, we find a special convex band that takes on a negative refraction effect. The negative refraction results in an energy flow concellation effect from two degenerated modes on the convex band. The energy flow concellation effect leads to forming of the self-trapped and slow light bands. In the self-trapped band light is localized around the source without reflection wall in the waveguide direction, whereas in the slow light band, light becomes the standing-waves and moving standing-waves at the center and the two sides of the waveguide, respectively.

Light-induced Conversion of Trp to Gly and Gly Hydroperoxide in IgG1

PubMed Central

Haywood, Jessica; Mozziconacci, Olivier; Allegre, Kevin M.; Kerwin, Bruce A.; Schöneich, Christian

2013-01-01

The exposure of IgG1 in aqueous solution to light with λ = 254 nm or λ > 295 nm yields products consistent with Trp radical cation formation followed by αC-βC cleavage of the Trp side chain. The resulting glycyl radicals are either reduced to Gly, or add oxygen prior to reduction to Gly hydroperoxide. Photoirradiation at λ = 254 nm targets Trp at positions 191 (light chain), 309 and 377 (heavy chain) while photoirradiation at λ > 295 nm targets Trp at position 309 (heavy chain). Mechanistically, the formation of Trp radical cations likely proceeds via photo-induced electron- or hydrogen-transfer to disulfide bonds, yielding thiyl radicals and thiols, where thiols may serve as reductants for the intermediary glycyl or glycylperoxyl radicals. PMID:23363477

Evolution of Starspots on LO Pegasi

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harmon, Robert; Bloodgood, Felise; Martin, Alec; Pellegrin, Kyle

2018-01-01

LO Pegasi is a young solar analog, a K main-sequence star that rotates with a period of 10.1538 hr. The rapid rotation yields a strong stellar dynamo associated with large starspots on the surface, which are regions where the magnetic field inhibits the convective transport of energy from below, so that the spots are cooler and thus darker than the surrounding photosphere. The star thus exhibits rotational modulation of its light curve as the starspots are carried into and out of view of Earth. CCD images of LO Peg were acquired at Perkins Observatory in Delaware, OH through standard B, V, R, and I photometric filters from 2017 June 1 to July 20. After subtracting dark frames and flat fielding the images, differential aperture photometry was performed to yield light curves through each of the four filters. The resulting light curves that were then analyzed via the Light-curve Inversion program created by one of us (Harmon) to produce surface maps. Our observations indicated that LO Pegasi’s light curve changed in both amplitude and shape between 2017 June and July, while its maximum brightness did not change. We present maps corresponding to these two distinct light curves, along with maps for data acquired from 2006-2016.

Light-driven dynamic Archimedes spirals and periodic oscillatory patterns of topological solitons in anisotropic soft matter

DOE PAGES

Martinez, Angel; Smalyukh, Ivan I.

2015-02-12

Oscillatory and excitable systems very commonly exhibit formation of dynamic non-equilibrium patterns. For example, rotating spiral patterns are observed in biological, chemical, and physical systems ranging from organization of slime mold cells to Belousov-Zhabotinsky reactions, and to crystal growth from nuclei with screw dislocations. Here we describe spontaneous formation of spiral waves and a large variety of other dynamic patterns in anisotropic soft matter driven by low-intensity light. The unstructured ambient or microscope light illumination of thin liquid crystal films in contact with a self-assembled azobenzene monolayer causes spontaneous formation, rich spatial organization, and dynamics of twisted domains and topologicalmore » solitons accompanied by the dynamic patterning of azobenzene group orientations within the monolayer. Linearly polarized incident light interacts with the twisted liquid crystalline domains, mimicking their dynamics and yielding patterns in the polarization state of transmitted light, which can be transformed to similar dynamic patterns in its intensity and interference color. This shows that the delicate light-soft-matter interaction can yield complex self-patterning of both. Finally, we uncover underpinning physical mechanisms and discuss potential uses.« less

Anderson localization of light near boundaries of disordered photonic lattices

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

Jovic, Dragana M.; Texas A and M University at Qatar, P. O. Box 23874, Doha; Kivshar, Yuri S.

We study numerically the effect of boundaries on Anderson localization of light in truncated two-dimensional photonic lattices in a nonlinear medium. We demonstrate suppression of Anderson localization at the edges and corners, so that stronger disorder is needed near the boundaries to obtain the same localization as in the bulk. We find that the level of suppression depends on the location in the lattice (edge vs corner), as well as on the strength of disorder. We also discuss the effect of nonlinearity on various regimes of Anderson localization.

In High-Light-Acclimated Coffee Plants the Metabolic Machinery Is Adjusted to Avoid Oxidative Stress Rather than to Benefit from Extra Light Enhancement in Photosynthetic Yield

PubMed Central

Martins, Samuel C. V.; Araújo, Wagner L.; Tohge, Takayuki; Fernie, Alisdair R.; DaMatta, Fábio M.

2014-01-01

Coffee (Coffea arabica L.) has been traditionally considered as shade-demanding, although it performs well without shade and even out-yields shaded coffee. Here we investigated how coffee plants adjust their metabolic machinery to varying light supply and whether these adjustments are supported by a reprogramming of the primary and secondary metabolism. We demonstrate that coffee plants are able to adjust its metabolic machinery to high light conditions through marked increases in its antioxidant capacity associated with enhanced consumption of reducing equivalents. Photorespiration and alternative pathways are suggested to be key players in reductant-consumption under high light conditions. We also demonstrate that both primary and secondary metabolism undergo extensive reprogramming under high light supply, including depression of the levels of intermediates of the tricarboxylic acid cycle that were accompanied by an up-regulation of a range of amino acids, sugars and sugar alcohols, polyamines and flavonoids such as kaempferol and quercetin derivatives. When taken together, the entire dataset is consistent with these metabolic alterations being primarily associated with oxidative stress avoidance rather than representing adjustments in order to facilitate the plants from utilizing the additional light to improve their photosynthetic performance. PMID:24733284

Enhancing the production of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) from Nannochloropsis oceanica CY2 using innovative photobioreactors with optimal light source arrangements.

PubMed

Chen, Chun-Yen; Chen, Yu-Chun; Huang, Hsiao-Chen; Ho, Shih-Hsin; Chang, Jo-Shu

2015-09-01

Binary combinations of LEDs with four different colors were used as light sources to identify the effects of multiple wavelengths on the production of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) by an isolated microalga Nannochloropsis oceanica CY2. Combining LED-Blue and LED-Red could give the highest EPA productivity of 13.24 mg L(-1) d(-1), which was further enhanced to 14.4 mg L(-1) d(-1) when using semi-batch operations at a 40% medium replacement ratio. A novel photobioreactor with additional immersed light sources improved light penetration efficiency and led to an 38% (0.170-0.235 g L(-1) d(-1)) increase in the microalgae biomass productivity and a 9% decrease in electricity consumption yield of EPA (10.15-9.33 kW-h (g EPA)(-1)) when compared with the control (i.e., without immersed light sources). Operating the immersed LEDs at a flashing-frequency of 9 Hz further lowered the energy consumption yield to 8.87 kW-h (g EPA)(-1). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Installation of a variable-angle spectrometer system for monitoring diffuse and global solar radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ormachea, O.; Abrahamse, A.; Tolavi, N.; Romero, F.; Urquidi, O.; Pearce, J. M.; Andrews, R.

2013-11-01

We report on the design and installation of a spectrometer system for monitoring solar radiation in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Both the light intensity and the spectral distribution affect the power produced by a photovoltaic device. Local variations in the solar spectrum (especially compared to the AM1.5 standard) may have important implications for device optimization and energy yield estimation. The spectrometer system, based on an Ocean Optics USB4000 (300-900nm) spectrometer, was designed to increase functionality. Typically systems only record the global horizontal radiation. Our system moves a fiber-optic cable 0-90 degrees and takes measurements in 9 degree increments. Additionally, a shadow band allows measurement of the diffuse component of the radiation at each position. The electronic controls utilize an Arduino UNO microcontroller to synchronizes the movement of two PAP bipolar (stepper) motors with the activation of the spectrometer via an external trigger. The spectrometer was factory calibrated for wavelength and calibrated for absolute irradiance using a Sellarnet SL1-Cal light source. We present preliminary results from data taken March-June, 2013, and comment on implications for PV devices in Cochabamba.

fDOT for in vivo follow-up of tumor development in mice lungs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koenig, Anne; Hervé, Lionel; Da Silva, Anabela; Dinten, Jean-Marc; Boutet, Jérôme; Berger, Michel; Josserand, Véronique; Coll, Jean-Luc; Peltié, Philippe; Rizo, Philippe

2007-07-01

This paper presents in vivo experiments conducted on cancerous mice bearing mammary murine tumors. In order to reconstruct the fluorescence yield even in highly attenuating and heterogeneous regions like lungs, we developed a fDOT reconstruction method which at first corrects the light propagation model from optical heterogeneities by using the transmitted excitation light measurements. The same approach is also designed to enable working without immersing the mouse in adaptation liquid. The 3D fluorescence map is then reconstructed from the emitted signal of fluorescence and from the corrected propagation model by an ART (Algebraic Reconstruction Technique) algorithm. The system ability to reconstruct fluorescence distribution in presence of high attenuating objects has been validated on phantoms presenting a fluorescent absorbent inclusion. A study was conducted on mice to follow up lungs at different stages of tumor development. The mice were imaged after intravenous injection to the animal of a cancer specific fluorescent marker. A control experiment was conducted in parallel on healthy mice to ensure that the multiple injections of fluorophore did not induce parasite fluorescence distribution. These results validate our system performances for studying small animal lungs tumor evolution. Detection and localization of the fluorophore fixations expresses the tumor development.

A test of local Lorentz invariance with Compton scattering asymmetry

DOE PAGES

Mohanmurthy, Prajwal; Narayan, Amrendra; Dutta, Dipangkar

2016-12-14

Here, we report on a measurement of the constancy and anisotropy of the speed of light relative to the electrons in photon-electron scattering. We also used the Compton scattering asymmetry measured by the new Compton polarimeter in Hall~C at Jefferson Lab to test for deviations from unity of the vacuum refractive index (more » $n$). For photon energies in the range of 9 - 46 MeV, we obtain a new limit of $$1-n < 1.4 \\times 10^{-8}$$. In addition, the absence of sidereal variation over the six month period of the measurement constrains any anisotropies in the speed of light. These constitute the first study of Lorentz invariance using Compton asymmetry. Within the minimal standard model extension framework, our result yield limits on the photon and electron coefficients $$\\tilde{\\kappa}_{0^+}^{YZ}, c_{TX}, \\tilde{\\kappa}_{0^+}^{ZX}$$, and $$c_{TY}$$. Though, these limits are several orders of magnitude larger than the current best limits, they demonstrate the feasibility of using Compton asymmetry for tests of Lorentz invariance. For future parity violating electron scattering experiments at Jefferson Lab we will use higher energy electrons enabling better constraints.« less

a Two-Step Classification Approach to Distinguishing Similar Objects in Mobile LIDAR Point Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, H.; Khoshelham, K.; Fraser, C.

2017-09-01

Nowadays, lidar is widely used in cultural heritage documentation, urban modeling, and driverless car technology for its fast and accurate 3D scanning ability. However, full exploitation of the potential of point cloud data for efficient and automatic object recognition remains elusive. Recently, feature-based methods have become very popular in object recognition on account of their good performance in capturing object details. Compared with global features describing the whole shape of the object, local features recording the fractional details are more discriminative and are applicable for object classes with considerable similarity. In this paper, we propose a two-step classification approach based on point feature histograms and the bag-of-features method for automatic recognition of similar objects in mobile lidar point clouds. Lamp post, street light and traffic sign are grouped as one category in the first-step classification for their inter similarity compared with tree and vehicle. A finer classification of the lamp post, street light and traffic sign based on the result of the first-step classification is implemented in the second step. The proposed two-step classification approach is shown to yield a considerable improvement over the conventional one-step classification approach.

Atomic-Layer-Confined Doping for Atomic-Level Insights into Visible-Light Water Splitting.

PubMed

Lei, Fengcai; Zhang, Lei; Sun, Yongfu; Liang, Liang; Liu, Katong; Xu, Jiaqi; Zhang, Qun; Pan, Bicai; Luo, Yi; Xie, Yi

2015-08-03

A model of doping confined in atomic layers is proposed for atomic-level insights into the effect of doping on photocatalysis. Co doping confined in three atomic layers of In2S3 was implemented with a lamellar hybrid intermediate strategy. Density functional calculations reveal that the introduction of Co ions brings about several new energy levels and increased density of states at the conduction band minimum, leading to sharply increased visible-light absorption and three times higher carrier concentration. Ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy reveals that the electron transfer time of about 1.6 ps from the valence band to newly formed localized states is due to Co doping. The 25-fold increase in average recovery lifetime is believed to be responsible for the increased of electron-hole separation. The synthesized Co-doped In2S3 (three atomic layers) yield a photocurrent of 1.17 mA cm(-2) at 1.5 V vs. RHE, nearly 10 and 17 times higher than that of the perfect In2S3 (three atomic layers) and the bulk counterpart, respectively. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Switchgrass leaf area index and light extinction coefficients

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Biomass production simulation modeling for plant species is often dependent upon accurate simulation or measurement of canopy light interception and radiation use efficiency. With the recent interest in converting large tracts of land to biofuel species cropping, modeling vegetative yield with grea...

Crop biomass and evapotranspiration estimation using SPOT and Formosat-2 Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veloso, Amanda; Demarez, Valérie; Ceschia, Eric; Claverie, Martin

2013-04-01

The use of crop models allows simulating plant development, growth and yield under different environmental and management conditions. When combined with high spatial and temporal resolution remote sensing data, these models provide new perspectives for crop monitoring at regional scale. We propose here an approach to estimate time courses of dry aboveground biomass, yield and evapotranspiration (ETR) for summer (maize, sunflower) and winter crops (wheat) by assimilating Green Area Index (GAI) data, obtained from satellite observations, into a simple crop model. Only high spatial resolution and gap-free satellite time series can provide enough information for efficient crop monitoring applications. The potential of remote sensing data is often limited by cloud cover and/or gaps in observation. Data from different sensor systems need then to be combined. For this work, we employed a unique set of Formosat-2 and SPOT images (164 images) and in-situ measurements, acquired from 2006 to 2010 in southwest France. Among the several land surface biophysical variables accessible from satellite observations, the GAI is the one that has a key role in soil-plant-atmosphere interactions and in biomass accumulation process. Many methods have been developed to relate GAI to optical remote sensing signal. Here, seasonal dynamics of remotely sensed GAI were estimated by applying a method based on the inversion of a radiative transfer model using artificial neural networks. The modelling approach is based on the Simple Algorithm for Yield and Evapotranspiration estimate (SAFYE) model, which couples the FAO-56 model with an agro-meteorological model, based on Monteith's light-use efficiency theory. The SAFYE model is a daily time step crop model that simulates time series of GAI, dry aboveground biomass, grain yield and ETR. Crop and soil model parameters were determined using both in-situ measurements and values found in the literature. Phenological parameters were calibrated by the assimilation of the remotely sensed GAI time series. The calibration process led to accurate spatial estimates of GAI, ETR as well as of biomass and yield over the study area (24 km x 24 km window). The results highlight the interest of using a combined approach (crop model coupled with high spatial and temporal resolution remote sensing data) for the estimation of agronomical variables. At local scale, the model reproduced correctly the biomass production and ETR for summer crops (with relative RMSE of 29% and 35%, respectively). At regional scale, estimated yield and water requirement for irrigation were compared to regional statistics of yield and irrigation inventories provided by the local water agency. Results showed good agreements for inter-annual dynamics of yield estimates. Differences between water requirement for irrigation and actual supply were lower than 10% and inter-annual variability was well represented as well. The work, initially focused on summer crops, is being adapted to winter crops.

Study of new FNAL-NICADD extruded scintillator as active media of large EMCal of ALICE at LHC

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

Oleg A. Grachov et al.

The current conceptual design of proposed Large EMCal of ALICE at LHC is based largely on the scintillating mega-tile/fiber technology implemented in CDF Endplug upgrade project and in both barrel and endcap electromagnetic calorimeters of the STAR. The cost of scintillating material leads us to the choice of extruded polystyrene based scintillator, which is available in new FNAL-NICADD facility. Result of optical measurements, such as light yield and light yield variation, show that it is possible to use this material as active media of Large EMCal of ALICE at LHC.

Cowpeas and pinto beans: yields and light efficiency of candidate space crops in the Laboratory Biosphere closed ecological system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, M.; Dempster, W. F.; Silverstone, S.; Alling, A.; Allen, J. P.; van Thillo, M.

An experiment utilizing cowpeas Vigna unguiculata pinto beans Phaseolus vulgaris L and Apogee ultra-dwarf wheat was conducted in the soil-based closed ecological facility Laboratory Biosphere from February to May 2005 The lighting regime was 13 hours light 11 hours dark at a light intensity of 960 mu mol m -2 s -1 45 moles m -2 day -1 supplied by high-pressure sodium lamps The pinto beans and cowpeas were grown at two different plant densities The pinto bean produced 710 g m -2 total aboveground biomass and 341 g m -2 at 33 5 plants per m 2 and at 37 5 plants per m 2 produced 1092 g m -2 total biomass and 537 g m -2 of dry seed an increase of almost 50 Cowpeas at 28 plants m -2 yielded 1060 g m -2 of total biomass and 387 g seed m -2 outproducing the less dense planting by more than double 209 in biomass and 86 more seed as the planting of 21 plants m -2 produced 508 g m-2 of total biomass and 209 g m-2 of seed Edible yield rate EYR for the denser cowpea bean was 4 6 g m -2 day -1 vs 2 5 g m -2 day -1 for the less dense stand average yield was 3 5 g m -2 day -1 EYR for the denser pinto bean was 8 5 g m -2 day -1 vs 5 3 g m -2 day -1 average EYR for the pinto beans was 7 0 g m -2 day -1 Yield efficiency rate YER the ratio of edible to non-edible biomass was 0 97 for the dense pinto bean 0 92 for the less dense pinto bean and average 0 94 for the entire crop The cowpeas

Whole high-quality light environment for humans and plants.

PubMed

Sharakshane, Anton

2017-11-01

Plants sharing a single light environment on a spaceship with a human being and bearing a decorative function should look as natural and attractive as possible. And consequently they can be illuminated only with white light with a high color rendering index. Can lighting optimized for a human eye be effective and appropriate for plants? Spectrum-based effects have been compared under artificial lighting of plants by high-pressure sodium lamps and general-purpose white LEDs. It has been shown that for the survey sample phytochrome photo-equilibria does not depend significantly on the parameters of white LED light, while the share of phytoactive blue light grows significantly as the color temperature increases. It has been revealed that yield photon flux is proportional to luminous efficacy and increases as the color temperature decreases, general color rendering index R a and the special color rendering index R 14 (green leaf) increase. General-purpose white LED lamps with a color temperature of 2700 K, R a  > 90 and luminous efficacy of 100 lm/W are as efficient as the best high-pressure sodium lamps, and at a higher luminous efficacy their yield photon flux per joule is even bigger in proportion. Here we show that demand for high color rendering white LED light is not contradictory to the agro-technical objectives. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The effect of red light and far-red light conditions on secondary metabolism in agarwood.

PubMed

Kuo, Tony Chien-Yen; Chen, Chuan-Hung; Chen, Shu-Hwa; Lu, I-Hsuan; Chu, Mei-Ju; Huang, Li-Chun; Lin, Chung-Yen; Chen, Chien-Yu; Lo, Hsiao-Feng; Jeng, Shih-Tong; Chen, Long-Fang O

2015-06-12

Agarwood, a heartwood derived from Aquilaria trees, is a valuable commodity that has seen prevalent use among many cultures. In particular, it is widely used in herbal medicine and many compounds in agarwood are known to exhibit medicinal properties. Although there exists much research into medicinal herbs and extraction of high value compounds, few have focused on increasing the quantity of target compounds through stimulation of its related pathways in this species. In this study, we observed that cucurbitacin yield can be increased through the use of different light conditions to stimulate related pathways and conducted three types of high-throughput sequencing experiments in order to study the effect of light conditions on secondary metabolism in agarwood. We constructed genome-wide profiles of RNA expression, small RNA, and DNA methylation under red light and far-red light conditions. With these profiles, we identified a set of small RNA which potentially regulates gene expression via the RNA-directed DNA methylation pathway. We demonstrate that light conditions can be used to stimulate pathways related to secondary metabolism, increasing the yield of cucurbitacins. The genome-wide expression and methylation profiles from our study provide insight into the effect of light on gene expression for secondary metabolism in agarwood and provide compelling new candidates towards the study of functional secondary metabolic components.

Yielding of a model glass former: An interpretation with an effective system of icosahedra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinney, Rhiannon; Liverpool, Tanniemola B.; Royall, C. Patrick

2018-03-01

We consider the yielding under simple shear of a binary Lennard-Jones glass former whose super-Arrhenius dynamics are correlated with the formation of icosahedral structures. We recast this glass former as an effective system of icosahedra [Pinney et al., J. Chem. Phys. 143, 244507 (2015), 10.1063/1.4938424]. Looking at the small-strain region of sheared simulations, we observe that shear rates affect the shear localization behavior particularly at temperatures below the glass transition as defined with a fit to the Vogel-Fulcher-Tamman equation. At higher temperature, shear localization starts immediately on shearing for all shear rates. At lower temperatures, faster shear rates can result in a delayed start in shear localization, which begins close to the yield stress. Building from a previous work which considered steady-state shear [Pinney et al., J. Chem. Phys. 143, 244507 (2015), 10.1063/1.4938424], we interpret the response to shear and the shear localization in terms of a local effective temperature with our system of icosahedra. We find that the effective temperatures of the regions undergoing shear localization increase significantly with increasing strain (before reaching a steady-state plateau).

Tuneable light-emitting carbon-dot/polymer flexible films prepared through one-pot synthesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhunia, Susanta Kumar; Nandi, Sukhendu; Shikler, Rafi; Jelinek, Raz

2016-02-01

Development of efficient, inexpensive, and environmentally-friendly light emitters, particularly devices that produce white light, have drawn intense interest due to diverse applications in the lighting industry, photonics, solar energy, and others. We present a simple strategy for the fabrication of flexible transparent films exhibiting tuneable light emission through one-pot synthesis of polymer matrixes with embedded carbon dots assembled in situ. Importantly, different luminescence colours were produced simply by preparing C-dot/polymer films using carbon precursors that yielded C-dots exhibiting distinct fluorescence emission profiles. Furthermore, mixtures of C-dot precursors could be also employed for fabricating films exhibiting different colours. In particular, we successfully produced films emitting white light with attractive properties (i.e. ``warm'' white light with a high colour rendering index) - a highly sought after goal in optical technologies.Development of efficient, inexpensive, and environmentally-friendly light emitters, particularly devices that produce white light, have drawn intense interest due to diverse applications in the lighting industry, photonics, solar energy, and others. We present a simple strategy for the fabrication of flexible transparent films exhibiting tuneable light emission through one-pot synthesis of polymer matrixes with embedded carbon dots assembled in situ. Importantly, different luminescence colours were produced simply by preparing C-dot/polymer films using carbon precursors that yielded C-dots exhibiting distinct fluorescence emission profiles. Furthermore, mixtures of C-dot precursors could be also employed for fabricating films exhibiting different colours. In particular, we successfully produced films emitting white light with attractive properties (i.e. ``warm'' white light with a high colour rendering index) - a highly sought after goal in optical technologies. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr08400h

75 FR 9901 - Proposed Data Collections Submitted for Public Comment and Recommendations

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-04

...). Background and Brief Description Cigarettes are currently ranked as full-flavor, light or ultralight on the... smokers of cigarettes of different machine-smoked yield categories. Comparison of cigarette smoke... cigarette yield category, biomarkers of exposure, and measures of cardiovascular reactivity. The study has...

75 FR 53311 - Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-31

... Brief Description Cigarettes have been ranked as full-flavor, light or ultralight on the basis of... cigarettes of different machine-smoked yield categories. In 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and... smoking behavior modifies the relationship between cigarette yield category, biomarkers of exposure, and...

Do increases in cigarette prices lead to increases in sales of cigarettes with high tar and nicotine yields?

PubMed

Farrelly, Matthew C; Loomis, Brett R; Mann, Nathan H

2007-10-01

We used scanner data on cigarette prices and sales collected from supermarkets across the United States from 1994 to 2004 to test the hypothesis that cigarette prices are positively correlated with sales of cigarettes with higher tar and nicotine content. During this period the average inflation-adjusted price for menthol cigarettes increased 55.8%. Price elasticities from multivariate regression models suggest that this price increase led to an increase of 1.73% in sales-weighted average tar yields and a 1.28% increase in sales-weighted average nicotine yields for menthol cigarettes. The 50.5% price increase of nonmenthol varieties over the same period yielded an estimated increase of 1% in tar per cigarette but no statistically significant increase in nicotine yields. An ordered probit model of the impact of cigarette prices on cigarette strength (ultra-light, light, full flavor, unfiltered) offers an explanation: As cigarette prices increase, the probability that stronger cigarette types will be sold increases. This effect is larger for menthol than for nonmenthol cigarettes. Our results are consistent with earlier population-based cross-sectional and longitudinal studies showing that higher cigarette prices and taxes are associated with increasing consumption of higher-yield cigarettes by smokers.

Nonlinear Frequency Conversion in III-V Semiconductor Photonic Crystals

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-01

nanocavities, by localizing light into sub-cubic optical wavelength volumes with long photon storage times, can greatly enhance the efficiency of...dissertation shows how optical nanocavities, by localizing light into sub-cubic optical wavelength volumes with long photon storage times, can greatly...8.2.3 Lithographic localization of molecules to cavity region . . . . . 86 8.2.4 Low temperature spectroscopy of DNQDI . . . . . . . . . . . 89 8.2.5

Room-temperature quantum noise limited spectrometry and methods of the same

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

Stevens, Charles G.; Tringe, Joseph W.; Cunningham, Christopher T.

According to one embodiment, a heterodyne detection system for detecting light, includes: a first input aperture configured to receive first light from a scene input; a second input aperture configured to receive second light from a local oscillator input; a broadband local oscillator configured to provide the second light to the second input aperture; a dispersive element configured to disperse the first light and the second light; and a final condensing lens coupled to a detector. The final condensing lens is configured to concentrate incident light from a primary condensing lens onto the detector. The detector is configured to sensemore » a frequency difference between the first light and the second light; and the final condensing lens comprises a plasmonic condensing lens. Methods for forming a plasmonic condensing lens to enable room temperature quantum noise limited spectrometry are also disclosed.« less

Microcontact printing of self-assembled monolayers to pattern the light-emission of polymeric light-emitting diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brondijk, J. J.; Li, X.; Akkerman, H. B.; Blom, P. W. M.; de Boer, B.

2009-04-01

By patterning a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of thiolated molecules with opposing dipole moments on a gold anode of a polymer light-emitting diode (PLED), the charge injection and, therefore, the light-emission of the device can be controlled with a micrometer-scale resolution. Gold surfaces were modified with SAMs based on alkanethiols and perfluorinated alkanethiols, applied by microcontact printing, and their work functions have been measured. The molecules form a chemisorbed monolayer of only ˜1.5 nm on the gold surface, thereby locally changing the work function of the metal. Kelvin probe measurements show that the local work function can be tuned from 4.3 to 5.5 eV, which implies that this anode can be used as a hole blocking electrode or as a hole injecting electrode, respectively, in PLEDs based on poly( p-phenylene vinylene) (PPV) derivatives. By microcontact printing of SAMs with opposing dipole moments, the work function was locally modified and the charge injection in the PLED could be controlled down to the micrometer length scale. Consequently, the local light-emission exhibits a high contrast. Microcontact printing of SAMs is a simple and inexpensive method to pattern, with micrometer resolution, the light-emission for low-end applications like static displays.

Physiological Effects of Free Fatty Acid Production in Genetically Engineered Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942

PubMed Central

Ruffing, Anne M.; Jones, Howland D.T.

2012-01-01

The direct conversion of carbon dioxide into biofuels by photosynthetic microorganisms is a promising alternative energy solution. In this study, a model cyanobacterium, Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942, is engineered to produce free fatty acids (FFA), potential biodiesel precursors, via gene knockout of the FFA-recycling acyl-ACP synthetase and expression of a thioesterase for release of the FFA. Similar to previous efforts, the engineered strains produce and excrete FFA, but the yields are too low for large-scale production. While other efforts have applied additional metabolic engineering strategies in an attempt to boost FFA production, we focus on characterizing the engineered strains to identify the physiological effects that limit cell growth and FFA synthesis. The strains engineered for FFA-production show reduced photosynthetic yields, chlorophyll-a degradation, and changes in the cellular localization of the light-harvesting pigments, phycocyanin and allophycocyanin. Possible causes of these physiological effects are also identified. The addition of exogenous linolenic acid, a polyunsaturated FFA, to cultures of S. elongatus 7942 yielded a physiological response similar to that observed in the FFA-producing strains with only one notable difference. In addition, the lipid constituents of the cell and thylakoid membranes in the FFA-producing strains show changes in both the relative amounts of lipid components and the degree of saturation of the fatty acid side chains. These changes in lipid composition may affect membrane integrity and structure, the binding and diffusion of phycobilisomes, and the activity of membrane-bound enzymes including those involved in photosynthesis. Thus, the toxicity of unsaturated FFA and changes in membrane composition may be responsible for the physiological effects observed in FFA-producing S. elongatus 7942. These issues must be addressed to enable the high yields of FFA synthesis necessary for large-scale biofuel production. PMID:22473793

Multifunctional two-stage riser fluid catalytic cracking process.

PubMed

Zhang, Jinhong; Shan, Honghong; Chen, Xiaobo; Li, Chunyi; Yang, Chaohe

This paper described the discovering process of some shortcomings of the conventional fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process and the proposed two-stage riser (TSR) FCC process for decreasing dry gas and coke yields and increasing light oil yield, which has been successfully applied in 12 industrial units. Furthermore, the multifunctional two-stage riser (MFT) FCC process proposed on the basis of the TSR FCC process was described, which were carried out by the optimization of reaction conditions for fresh feedstock and cycle oil catalytic cracking, respectively, by the coupling of cycle oil cracking and light FCC naphtha upgrading processes in the second-stage riser, and the specially designed reactor for further reducing the olefin content of gasoline. The pilot test showed that it can further improve the product quality, increase the diesel yield, and enhance the conversion of heavy oil.

Fast Radio Bursts from Extragalactic Light Sails

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lingam, Manasvi; Loeb, Abraham

2017-03-01

We examine the possibility that fast radio bursts (FRBs) originate from the activity of extragalactic civilizations. Our analysis shows that beams used for powering large light sails could yield parameters that are consistent with FRBs. The characteristic diameter of the beam emitter is estimated through a combination of energetic and engineering constraints, and both approaches intriguingly yield a similar result that is on the scale of a large rocky planet. Moreover, the optimal frequency for powering the light sail is shown to be similar to the detected FRB frequencies. These “coincidences” lend some credence to the possibility that FRBs might be artificial in origin. Other relevant quantities, such as the characteristic mass of the light sail, and the angular velocity of the beam, are also derived. By using the FRB occurrence rate, we infer upper bounds on the rate of FRBs from extragalactic civilizations in a typical galaxy. The possibility of detecting fainter signals is briefly discussed, and the wait time for an exceptionally bright FRB event in the Milky Way is estimated.

The collection of images of an insulator taken outdoors in varying lighting conditions with additional laser spots.

PubMed

Tomaszewski, Michał; Ruszczak, Bogdan; Michalski, Paweł

2018-06-01

Electrical insulators are elements of power lines that require periodical diagnostics. Due to their location on the components of high-voltage power lines, their imaging can be cumbersome and time-consuming, especially under varying lighting conditions. Insulator diagnostics with the use of visual methods may require localizing insulators in the scene. Studies focused on insulator localization in the scene apply a number of methods, including: texture analysis, MRF (Markov Random Field), Gabor filters or GLCM (Gray Level Co-Occurrence Matrix) [1], [2]. Some methods, e.g. those which localize insulators based on colour analysis [3], rely on object and scene illumination, which is why the images from the dataset are taken under varying lighting conditions. The dataset may also be used to compare the effectiveness of different methods of localizing insulators in images. This article presents high-resolution images depicting a long rod electrical insulator under varying lighting conditions and against different backgrounds: crops, forest and grass. The dataset contains images with visible laser spots (generated by a device emitting light at the wavelength of 532 nm) and images without such spots, as well as complementary data concerning the illumination level and insulator position in the scene, the number of registered laser spots, and their coordinates in the image. The laser spots may be used to support object-localizing algorithms, while the images without spots may serve as a source of information for those algorithms which do not need spots to localize an insulator.

Plant Habitat-Conscious White Light Emission of Dy(3+) in Whitlockite-like Phosphates: Reduced Photosynthesis and Inhibition of Bloom Impediment.

PubMed

Nakajima, Tomohiko; Tsuchiya, Tetsuo

2015-09-30

It has been pointed out that agricultural crops and other natural plants may be damaged by outdoor lighting systems. Therefore, lighting that does not affect plant growth is needed. To address this problem, we have prepared a new whitlockite-like phosphate Dy-phosphor Ca8MgY1-x-yLaxDyy(PO4)7, which exhibits a yellow-white Dy(3+) luminescence that has a maximum internal quantum efficiency of 65.6% under a 387 nm excitation light for x = 0.10 and y = 0.05. The x dependence of IQE showed two maxima at x = 0.10-0.15 and 0.80-0.85, which could be due to the partial allowance of f-f forbidden transitions by local lattice distortion around the Dy(3+) ions originating from the La incorporation at near end members of Ca8MgY1-x-yLaxDyy(PO4)7. Concentration quenching occurred for x > 0.05. A white light-emitting diode (LED) was fabricated from a UV LED emitting at 385 nm and a Ca8MgY1-x-yLaxDyy(PO4)7 phosphor (Dy-WLED) for which the CIE color coordinates and correlated color temperature were CIE(0.350,0.378) and 4919 K, respectively. Plant cultivation experiments on Chlorella photosynthetic growth and blooming of the short-day plant Cosmos were carried out using the prepared Dy-WLED and reference commercial LEDs. We found that the Dy-WLED substantially reduced the photosynthesis of Chlorella and inhibited bloom impediment in Cosmos. These effects originated especially from the reduction of red-near-IR emissions. Thus, we conclude that the Dy-WLED is a very promising candidate for plant habitat-conscious white LEDs for outdoor lights that can protect both natural plant habitats and crop yields.

Downregulation of the CpSRP43 gene expression confers a truncated light-harvesting antenna (TLA) and enhances biomass and leaf-to-stem ratio in Nicotiana tabacum canopies.

PubMed

Kirst, Henning; Shen, Yanxin; Vamvaka, Evangelia; Betterle, Nico; Xu, Dongmei; Warek, Ujwala; Strickland, James A; Melis, Anastasios

2018-04-06

Downregulation in the expression of the signal recognition particle 43 (SRP43) gene in tobacco conferred a truncated photosynthetic light-harvesting antenna (TLA property), and resulted in plants with a greater leaf-to-stem ratio, improved photosynthetic productivity and canopy biomass accumulation under high-density cultivation conditions. Evolution of sizable arrays of light-harvesting antennae in all photosynthetic systems confers a survival advantage for the organism in the wild, where sunlight is often the growth-limiting factor. In crop monocultures, however, this property is strongly counterproductive, when growth takes place under direct and excess sunlight. The large arrays of light-harvesting antennae in crop plants cause the surface of the canopies to over-absorb solar irradiance, far in excess of what is needed to saturate photosynthesis and forcing them to engage in wasteful dissipation of the excess energy. Evidence in this work showed that downregulation by RNA-interference approaches of the Nicotiana tabacum signal recognition particle 43 (SRP43), a nuclear gene encoding a chloroplast-localized component of the photosynthetic light-harvesting assembly pathway, caused a decrease in the light-harvesting antenna size of the photosystems, a corresponding increase in the photosynthetic productivity of chlorophyll in the leaves, and improved tobacco plant canopy biomass accumulation under high-density cultivation conditions. Importantly, the resulting TLA transgenic plants had a substantially greater leaf-to-stem biomass ratio, compared to those of the wild type, grown under identical agronomic conditions. The results are discussed in terms of the potential benefit that could accrue to agriculture upon application of the TLA-technology to crop plants, entailing higher density planting with plants having a greater biomass and leaf-to-stem ratio, translating into greater crop yields per plant with canopies in a novel agronomic configuration.

Dual-Located WHIRLY1 Interacting with LHCA1 Alters Photochemical Activities of Photosystem I and Is Involved in Light Adaptation in Arabidopsis

PubMed Central

Huang, Dongmei; Lin, Wenfang; Deng, Ban

2017-01-01

Plastid-nucleus-located WHIRLY1 protein plays a role in regulating leaf senescence and is believed to associate with the increase of reactive oxygen species delivered from redox state of the photosynthetic electron transport chain. In order to make sure whether WHIRLY1 plays a role in photosynthesis, in this study, the performances of photosynthesis were detected in Arabidopsis whirly1 knockout (kowhy1) and plastid localized WHIRLY1 overexpression (oepWHY1) plants. Loss of WHIRLY1 leads to a higher photochemical quantum yield of photosystem I Y(I) and electron transport rate (ETR) and a lower non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) involved in the thermal dissipation of excitation energy of chlorophyll fluorescence than the wild type. Further analyses showed that WHIRLY1 interacts with Light-harvesting protein complex I (LHCA1) and affects the expression of genes encoding photosystem I (PSI) and light harvest complexes (LHCI). Moreover, loss of WHIRLY1 decreases chloroplast NAD(P)H dehydrogenase-like complex (NDH) activity and the accumulation of NDH supercomplex. Several genes encoding the PSI-NDH complexes are also up-regulated in kowhy1 and the whirly1whirly3 double mutant (ko1/3) but steady in oepWHY1 plants. However, under high light conditions (800 μmol m−2 s−1), both kowhy1 and ko1/3 plants show lower ETR than wild-type which are contrary to that under normal light condition. Moreover, the expression of several PSI-NDH encoding genes and ERF109 which is related to jasmonate (JA) response varied in kowhy1 under different light conditions. These results indicate that WHIRLY1 is involved in the alteration of ETR by affecting the activities of PSI and supercomplex formation of PSI with LHCI or NDH and may acting as a communicator between the plastids and the nucleus. PMID:29112140

Impact of Hearing Aid Technology on Outcomes in Daily Life III: Localization.

PubMed

Johnson, Jani A; Xu, Jingjing; Cox, Robyn M

Compared to basic-feature hearing aids, premium-feature hearing aids have more advanced technologies and sophisticated features. The objective of this study was to explore the difference between premium-feature and basic-feature hearing aids in horizontal sound localization in both laboratory and daily life environments. We hypothesized that premium-feature hearing aids would yield better localization performance than basic-feature hearing aids. Exemplars of premium-feature and basic-feature hearing aids from two major manufacturers were evaluated. Forty-five older adults (mean age 70.3 years) with essentially symmetrical mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss were bilaterally fitted with each of the four pairs of hearing aids. Each pair of hearing aids was worn during a 4-week field trial and then evaluated using laboratory localization tests and a standardized questionnaire. Laboratory localization tests were conducted in a sound-treated room with a 360°, 24-loudspeaker array. Test stimuli were high frequency and low frequency filtered short sentences. The localization test in quiet was designed to assess the accuracy of front/back localization, while the localization test in noise was designed to assess the accuracy of locating sound sources throughout a 360° azimuth in the horizontal plane. Laboratory data showed that unaided localization was not significantly different from aided localization when all hearing aids were combined. Questionnaire data showed that aided localization was significantly better than unaided localization in everyday situations. Regarding the difference between premium-feature and basic-feature hearing aids, laboratory data showed that, overall, the premium-feature hearing aids yielded more accurate localization than the basic-feature hearing aids when high-frequency stimuli were used, and the listening environment was quiet. Otherwise, the premium-feature and basic-feature hearing aids yielded essentially the same performance in other laboratory tests and in daily life. The findings were consistent for both manufacturers. Laboratory tests for two of six major manufacturers showed that premium-feature hearing aids yielded better localization performance than basic-feature hearing aids in one out of four laboratory conditions. There was no difference between the two feature levels in self-reported everyday localization. Effectiveness research with different hearing aid technologies is necessary, and more research with other manufacturers' products is needed. Furthermore, these results confirm previous observations that research findings in laboratory conditions might not translate to everyday life.

Comparing modeled productivity to historical data in New England potato production systems

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Potato yields in Northern Maine have remained fairly constant for the last 70 years. Many long-term projects have sought to identify the limitations to potato yield, but identifying limiting factors is difficult without first identifying the upper limits of potato production. A simple, light-driven ...

Influence of dietary nutrient density, feed form, and lighting on growth and meat yield of broiler chickens.

PubMed

Brickett, K E; Dahiya, J P; Classen, H L; Gomis, S

2007-10-01

The objective of this study was to examine main and interactive effects of nutrient density (ND), feed form (FF; mash, pellet), and lighting program (12L:12D, 20L:4D) on production characteristics and meat yield of broilers raised to 35 d of age. Diets (starter, grower, and finisher) were formulated so that amino acid levels were in proportion to the dietary energy level. Lighting programs were initiated at 4 d of age. Body weight was not affected by ND when diets were fed in a pellet form but decreased in a linear manner with lower ND when fed as a mash. Final BW of birds fed mash were less than those of birds fed pellet diets. Feed to gain ratio decreased with increasing ND but was not affected by FF. Feed intake decreased with increasing ND and was lower for birds fed mash. The effect of ND on feed intake was less when birds were fed mash in contrast to pellet diets (P(ND x F) < 0.0001). Dietary ND had no effect on mortality, but feeding mash decreased mortality (3.8%) compared with feeding pelleted feed (5.6%). Lighting programs affected production characteristics independently of ND and FF. Use of 12L:12D reduced BW, feed to gain ratio, feed intake, and mortality compared with 20L:4D. Similarly, carcass components were not affected by ND when fed in pellet form but decreased with lower ND when fed as a mash. Overall, carcass yields were reduced when broilers were fed mash or provided with 12L:12D. Female birds had higher carcass yields and increased proportional breast meat deposition compared with males.

A chlorophyll fluorescence-based method for the integrated characterization of the photophysiological response to light stress.

PubMed

Serôdio, João; Schmidt, William; Frankenbach, Silja

2017-02-01

This work introduces a new experimental method for the comprehensive description of the physiological responses to light of photosynthetic organisms. It allows the integration in a single experiment of the main established manipulative chlorophyll fluorescence-based protocols. It enables the integrated characterization of the photophysiology of samples regarding photoacclimation state (generating non-sequential light-response curves of effective PSII quantum yield, electron transport rate or non-photochemical quenching), photoprotection capacity (running light stress-recovery experiments, quantifying non-photochemical quenching components) and the operation of photoinactivation and photorepair processes (measuring rate constants of photoinactivation and repair for different light levels and the relative quantum yield of photoinactivation). The new method is based on a previously introduced technique, combining the illumination of a set of replicated samples with spatially separated actinic light beams of different intensity, and the simultaneous measurement of the fluorescence emitted by all samples using an imaging fluorometer. The main novelty described here is the independent manipulation of light intensity and duration of exposure for each sample, and the control of the cumulative light dose applied. The results demonstrate the proof of concept for the method, by comparing the responses of cultures of Chlorella vulgaris acclimated to low and high light regimes, highlighting the mapping of light stress responses over a wide range of light intensity and exposure conditions, and the rapid generation of paired light-response curves of photoinactivation and repair rate constants. This approach represents a chlorophyll fluorescence 'protocol of everything', contributing towards the high throughput characterization of the photophysiology of photosynthetic organisms. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Modeling the effects of light, carbon dioxide, and temperature on the growth of potato

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yandell, B. S.; Najar, A.; Wheeler, R.; Tibbitts, T. W.

1988-01-01

This study examined the effects of light, temperature and carbon dioxide on the growth of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) in a controlled environment in order to ascertain the best growing conditions for potato in life support systems in space. 'Norland' and 'Russet Burbank' were grown in 6-L pots of peat-vermiculite for 56 d in growth chambers at the University of Wisconsin Biotron. Environmental factor levels included continuous light (24-h photoperiod) at 250, 400, and 550 micromoles m-2 s-1 PPF; constant temperature at 16, 20, and 24 degrees C; and CO2 at approximately 400, 1000, and 1600 microliters L-1. Separate effects analysis and ridge analysis provided a means to examine the effects of individual environmental factors and to determine combinations of factors that are expected to give the best increases in yields over the central design point. The response surface of Norland indicated that tuber yields were highest with moderately low temperature (18.7 degrees C), low CO2 (400 microliters L-1) and high light (550 micromoles m-2 s-1 PPF). These conditions also favored shorter stem growth. Russet Burbank tuber yields were highest at moderately low temperature (17.5 degrees C), high CO2 (1600 microliters L-1) and medium analyses will be used to project the most efficient conditions for growth of potatoes in closed ecological life support systems (CELSS) in space colonies.

Properties of true quaternary fission of nuclei with allowance for its multistep and sequential character

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

Kadmensky, S. G., E-mail: kadmensky@phys.vsu.ru; Titova, L. V.; Bulychev, A. O.

An analysis of basicmechanisms of binary and ternary fission of nuclei led to the conclusion that true ternary and quaternary fission of nuclei has a sequential two-step (three-step) character, where, at the first step, a fissile nucleus emits a third light particle (third and fourth light particles) under shakeup effects associated with a nonadiabatic character of its collective deformation motion, whereupon the residual nucleus undergoes fission to two fission fragments. Owing to this, the formulas derived earlier for the widths with respect to sequential two- and three-step decays of nuclei in constructing the theory of two-step twoproton decays and multistepmore » decays in chains of genetically related nuclei could be used to describe the relative yields and angular and energy distributions of third and fourth light particles emitted in (α, α), (t, t), and (α, t) pairs upon the true quaternary spontaneous fission of {sup 252}Cf and thermal-neutron-induced fission of {sup 235}U and {sup 233}U target nuclei. Mechanisms that explain a sharp decrease in the yield of particles appearing second in time and entering into the composition of light-particle pairs that originate from true quaternary fission of nuclei in relation to the yields of analogous particles in true ternary fission of nuclei are proposed.« less

An Excel tool for deriving key photosynthetic parameters from combined gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence: theory and practice.

PubMed

Bellasio, Chandra; Beerling, David J; Griffiths, Howard

2016-06-01

Combined photosynthetic gas exchange and modulated fluorometres are widely used to evaluate physiological characteristics associated with phenotypic and genotypic variation, whether in response to genetic manipulation or resource limitation in natural vegetation or crops. After describing relatively simple experimental procedures, we present the theoretical background to the derivation of photosynthetic parameters, and provide a freely available Excel-based fitting tool (EFT) that will be of use to specialists and non-specialists alike. We use data acquired in concurrent variable fluorescence-gas exchange experiments, where A/Ci and light-response curves have been measured under ambient and low oxygen. From these data, the EFT derives light respiration, initial PSII (photosystem II) photochemical yield, initial quantum yield for CO2 fixation, fraction of incident light harvested by PSII, initial quantum yield for electron transport, electron transport rate, rate of photorespiration, stomatal limitation, Rubisco (ribulose 1·5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase) rate of carboxylation and oxygenation, Rubisco specificity factor, mesophyll conductance to CO2 diffusion, light and CO2 compensation point, Rubisco apparent Michaelis-Menten constant, and Rubisco CO2 -saturated carboxylation rate. As an example, a complete analysis of gas exchange data on tobacco plants is provided. We also discuss potential measurement problems and pitfalls, and suggest how such empirical data could subsequently be used to parameterize predictive photosynthetic models. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Gd2O3:Eu3+/PPO/POPOP/PS composites for digital imaging radiation detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oliveira, J.; Martins, P. M.; Martins, P.; Correia, V.; Rocha, J. G.; Lanceros-Mendez, S.

2015-11-01

Polymer-based scintillator composites have been produced by combining polystyrene (PS) and Gd2O3:Eu3+ scintillator nanoparticles. Polystyrene has been used since it is a flexible and stable binder matrix, resistant to thermal and light deterioration and with suitable optical properties. Gd2O3:Eu3+ has been selected as scintillator material due to its wide band gap, high density and visible light yield. The optical, thermal and electrical characteristics of the composites were studied as a function of filler content, together with their performance as scintillator material. Additionally 1 wt.% of 2,5-diphenyloxazole (PPO) and 0.01 wt.% of 1,4 di[2-(5phenyloxazolyl)]benzene (POPOP) were introduced in the polymer matrix in order to strongly improve light yield, i.e., the measured intensity of the output visible radiation, under X-ray irradiation. Increasing scintillator filler concentration (from 0.25 to 7.5 wt.%) increases scintillator light yield and decreases the optical transparency of the composite. The addition of PPO and POPOP strongly increased the overall transduction performance of the composite due to specific absorption and re-emission processes. It is thus shown that Gd2O3:Eu3+/PPO/POPOP/PS composites with 0.25 wt.% of scintillator content with fluorescence molecules are suitable for the development of innovative large-area X-ray radiation detectors with huge demand from the industries.

[Effects of light intensities after anthesis on the photosynthetic characteristics and chloroplast ultrastructure in mesophyll cell of summer maize (Zea mays L. )].

PubMed

Gao, Jia; Cui, Hai Yan; Shi, Jian Guo; Dong, Shu Ting; Liu, Peng; Zhao, Bin; Zhang, Ji Wang

2018-03-01

We examined the changes of photosynthetic characteristics and chloroplast ultrastructure in mesophyll cell of summer maize in response to different light intensities in the field, with the summer maize hybrid Denghai 605 as experimental material. Two treatments of both shading (S) and increasing light (L) from flowering to physiological maturity stage were designed, with the ambient sunlight treatment as control (CK). Under shading treatment, poorly developed thylakoid structure, blurry lamellar structure, loose granum, large gap between slices and warping granum were the major characteristics in chloroplast. Meanwhile, photosynthetic rate (P n ), transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, chlorophyll content, and actual photo-chemical efficiency (Φ PSII ) decreased, whereas the maximal photochemical efficiency and non-photochemical quenching increased, which resulted in decreases in grain yield under shading treatment. However, a better development was observed in chloroplasts for L treatment, with the number of grana and lamellae increased and lamellae arranged compactly. In addition, P n and Φ PSII increased under L treatment, which increased grain yield. The chloroplast arrangement dispersed in mesophyll cells and chloroplast ultrastructure was destroyed after shading, and then chlorophyll synthesis per unit leaf area and photosynthetic capacity decreased. In contrast, the number of grana and lamellae increased and lamellae arranged compactly after increasing light, which are beneficial for corn yield.

Full-Waveform Envelope Templates for Low Magnitude Discrimination and Yield Estimation at Local and Regional Distances with Application to the North Korean Nuclear Tests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoo, S. H.

2017-12-01

Monitoring seismologists have successfully used seismic coda for event discrimination and yield estimation for over a decade. In practice seismologists typically analyze long-duration, S-coda signals with high signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) at regional and teleseismic distances, since the single back-scattering model reasonably predicts decay of the late coda. However, seismic monitoring requirements are shifting towards smaller, locally recorded events that exhibit low SNR and short signal lengths. To be successful at characterizing events recorded at local distances, we must utilize the direct-phase arrivals, as well as the earlier part of the coda, which is dominated by multiple forward scattering. To remedy this problem, we have developed a new hybrid method known as full-waveform envelope template matching to improve predicted envelope fits over the entire waveform and account for direct-wave and early coda complexity. We accomplish this by including a multiple forward-scattering approximation in the envelope modeling of the early coda. The new hybrid envelope templates are designed to fit local and regional full waveforms and produce low-variance amplitude estimates, which will improve yield estimation and discrimination between earthquakes and explosions. To demonstrate the new technique, we applied our full-waveform envelope template-matching method to the six known North Korean (DPRK) underground nuclear tests and four aftershock events following the September 2017 test. We successfully discriminated the event types and estimated the yield for all six nuclear tests. We also applied the same technique to the 2015 Tianjin explosions in China, and another suspected low-yield explosion at the DPRK test site on May 12, 2010. Our results show that the new full-waveform envelope template-matching method significantly improves upon longstanding single-scattering coda prediction techniques. More importantly, the new method allows monitoring seismologists to extend coda-based techniques to lower magnitude thresholds and low-yield local explosions.

Nitrogen Source and Rate Management Improve Maize Productivity of Smallholders under Semiarid Climates.

PubMed

Amanullah; Iqbal, Asif; Ali, Ashraf; Fahad, Shah; Parmar, Brajendra

2016-01-01

Nitrogen is one of the most important factor affecting maize ( Zea mays L.) yield and income of smallholders under semiarid climates. Field experiments were conducted to investigate the impact of different N-fertilizer sources [urea, calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN), and ammonium sulfate (AS)] and rates (50, 100, 150, and 200 kg ha -1 ) on umber of rows ear -1 (NOR ear -1 ), number of seeds row -1 (NOS row -1 ), number of seeds ear -1 (NOS ear -1 ), number of ears per 100 plants (NOEP 100 plants -1 ), grain yield plant -1 , stover yield (kg ha -1 ), and shelling percentage (%) of maize genotypes "Local cultivars (Azam and Jalal) vs. hybrid (Pioneer-3025)." The experiment was conducted at the Agronomy Research Farm of the University of Agriculture Peshawar during summers of 2008 (year one) and 2010 (year two). The results revealed that the N treated (rest) plots (the average of all the experimental plots treated with N) had produced higher yield and yield components, and shelling percentage over N-control plots (plots where N was not applied). Application of nitrogen at the higher rate increased yield and yield components in maize (200 > 150 > 100 > 50 kg N ha -1 ). Application of AS and CAN had more beneficial impact on yield and yield components of maize as compared to urea (AS > CAN > urea). Hybrid maize (P-3025) produced significantly higher yield and yield components as well as higher shelling percentage than the two local cultivars (P-3025 > Jalal = Azam). Application of ammonium sulfate at the rate of 200 kg N ha -1 to hybrid maize was found most beneficial in terms of higher productivity and grower's income in the study area. For the two local cultivars, application of 150 kg N ha -1 was found more beneficial over 120 kg N ha -1 (recommended N rate) in terms of greater productivity and growers income.

Nitrogen Source and Rate Management Improve Maize Productivity of Smallholders under Semiarid Climates

PubMed Central

Amanullah; Iqbal, Asif; Ali, Ashraf; Fahad, Shah; Parmar, Brajendra

2016-01-01

Nitrogen is one of the most important factor affecting maize (Zea mays L.) yield and income of smallholders under semiarid climates. Field experiments were conducted to investigate the impact of different N-fertilizer sources [urea, calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN), and ammonium sulfate (AS)] and rates (50, 100, 150, and 200 kg ha−1) on umber of rows ear−1 (NOR ear−1), number of seeds row−1 (NOS row−1), number of seeds ear−1 (NOS ear−1), number of ears per 100 plants (NOEP 100 plants−1), grain yield plant−1, stover yield (kg ha−1), and shelling percentage (%) of maize genotypes “Local cultivars (Azam and Jalal) vs. hybrid (Pioneer-3025).” The experiment was conducted at the Agronomy Research Farm of the University of Agriculture Peshawar during summers of 2008 (year one) and 2010 (year two). The results revealed that the N treated (rest) plots (the average of all the experimental plots treated with N) had produced higher yield and yield components, and shelling percentage over N-control plots (plots where N was not applied). Application of nitrogen at the higher rate increased yield and yield components in maize (200 > 150 > 100 > 50 kg N ha−1). Application of AS and CAN had more beneficial impact on yield and yield components of maize as compared to urea (AS > CAN > urea). Hybrid maize (P-3025) produced significantly higher yield and yield components as well as higher shelling percentage than the two local cultivars (P-3025 > Jalal = Azam). Application of ammonium sulfate at the rate of 200 kg N ha−1 to hybrid maize was found most beneficial in terms of higher productivity and grower's income in the study area. For the two local cultivars, application of 150 kg N ha−1 was found more beneficial over 120 kg N ha−1 (recommended N rate) in terms of greater productivity and growers income. PMID:27965685

A novel segmentation method for uneven lighting image with noise injection based on non-local spatial information and intuitionistic fuzzy entropy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Haiyan; Fan, Jiulun

2017-12-01

Local thresholding methods for uneven lighting image segmentation always have the limitations that they are very sensitive to noise injection and that the performance relies largely upon the choice of the initial window size. This paper proposes a novel algorithm for segmenting uneven lighting images with strong noise injection based on non-local spatial information and intuitionistic fuzzy theory. We regard an image as a gray wave in three-dimensional space, which is composed of many peaks and troughs, and these peaks and troughs can divide the image into many local sub-regions in different directions. Our algorithm computes the relative characteristic of each pixel located in the corresponding sub-region based on fuzzy membership function and uses it to replace its absolute characteristic (its gray level) to reduce the influence of uneven light on image segmentation. At the same time, the non-local adaptive spatial constraints of pixels are introduced to avoid noise interference with the search of local sub-regions and the computation of local characteristics. Moreover, edge information is also taken into account to avoid false peak and trough labeling. Finally, a global method based on intuitionistic fuzzy entropy is employed on the wave transformation image to obtain the segmented result. Experiments on several test images show that the proposed method has excellent capability of decreasing the influence of uneven illumination on images and noise injection and behaves more robustly than several classical global and local thresholding methods.

Systematic studies of small scintillators for new sampling calorimeter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacosalem, E. P.; Iba, S.; Nakajima, N.; Ono, H.; Sanchez, A. L. C.; Bacala, A. M.; Miyata, H.

2007-12-01

A new sampling calorimeter using very thin scintillators and the multi-pixel photon counter (MPPC) has been proposed to produce better position resolution for the international linear collider (ILC) experiment. As part of this R&D study, small plastic scintillators of different sizes, thickness and wrapping reflectors are systematically studied. The scintillation light due to beta rays from a collimated ^{90}Sr source are collected from the scintillator by wavelength-shifting (WLS) fiber and converted into electrical signals at the PMT. The wrapped scintillator that gives the best light yield is determined by comparing the measured pulse height of each 10 × 40 × 2 mm strip scintillator covered with 3M reflective mirror film, teflon, white paint, black tape, gold, aluminum and white paint+teflon. The pulse height dependence on position, length and thickness of the 3M reflective mirror film and teflon wrapped scintillators are measured. Results show that the 3M radiant mirror film-wrapped scintillator has the greatest light yield with an average of 9.2 photoelectrons. It is observed that light yield slightly increases with scintillator length, but increases to about 100% when WLS fiber diameter is increased from 1.0 mm to 1.6 mm. The position dependence measurement along the strip scintillator showed the uniformity of light transmission from the sensor to the PMT. A dip across the strip is observed which is 40% of the maximum pulse height. The block type scintillator pulse height, on the other hand, is found to be almost proportional to scintillator thickness.

Light Emission by Nonequilibrium Bodies: Local Kirchhoff Law

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greffet, Jean-Jacques; Bouchon, Patrick; Brucoli, Giovanni; Marquier, François

2018-04-01

The goal of this paper is to introduce a local form of Kirchhoff law to model light emission by nonequilibrium bodies. While absorption by a finite-size body is usually described using the absorption cross section, we introduce a local absorption rate per unit volume and also a local thermal emission rate per unit volume. Their equality is a local form of Kirchhoff law. We revisit the derivation of this equality and extend it to situations with subsystems in local thermodynamic equilibrium but not in equilibrium between them, such as hot electrons in a metal or electrons with different Fermi levels in the conduction band and in the valence band of a semiconductor. This form of Kirchhoff law can be used to model (i) thermal emission by nonisothermal finite-size bodies, (ii) thermal emission by bodies with carriers at different temperatures, and (iii) spontaneous emission by semiconductors under optical (photoluminescence) or electrical pumping (electroluminescence). Finally, we show that the reciprocity relation connecting light-emitting diodes and photovoltaic cells derived by Rau is a particular case of the local Kirchhoff law.

Effects of monochromatic light on quality properties and antioxidation of meat in broilers.

PubMed

Ke, Y Y; Liu, W J; Wang, Z X; Chen, Y X

2011-11-01

Our previous study demonstrated that blue monochromatic light was better to promote the growth and development of broilers than red light. However, consumer research suggests that the eating quality of the meat is more important. The present study was, therefore, designed to further evaluate the effects of various monochromatic lights on the muscle growth and quality properties and antioxidation of meat. A total of 288 newly hatched Arbor Acre male broilers were exposed to blue light (BL), green light (GL), red light (RL), and white light (WL) by a light-emitting diode system for 49 d, respectively. Results showed that the broilers reared under BL significantly increased BW and carcass yield as compared with RL, WL, and GL (P < 0.05), but no statistical difference was found between GL and BL in weight of thigh muscle and carcass yield (P > 0.05). Compared with RL, the muscles of breast and thigh in GL and BL had higher pH, water-holding capacity, and protein content, whereas cooking loss, lightness value, shear value, and fat content were lower (P < 0.05). Moreover, BL significantly elevated superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and total antioxidant capability activities and reduced malondialdehyde content both in breast and thigh muscles as compared with RL and WL (P < 0.05), but there was no significant difference in the superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities between GL and BL (P > 0.05). These results suggest that BL better improves meat quality of Arbor Acre broilers by elevating antioxidative capacity than does RL.

United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine Laser Injury Guidebook

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-04-01

unusual light sources? Have you seen this light(s) before? 2. Date, location, and circumstances a. Date and time (local & Zulu using a 24...hour clock) that the exposure occurred. local: DDMMYYYY hh:mm Zulu : DDMMYYYY hh:mm b. Location of exposure (if nonclassified). Describe location...test. Your retina, cornea, and lens appear normal and there is no evidence of injury. Most people , after encountering a laser incident, quite

Developmental changes in growth, yield and volatile oil of some chinese garlic lines in comparison with the local cultivar "Balady".

PubMed

Abouziena, H F; El-Saeid, Hamed M

2013-10-15

Balady cultivar and six Chinese lines were planted to study their developmental growth, yield and essential oil variations. Bulb of Balady cultivar had more two folds of cloves number per bulb than the Chinese lines. On the contrary Balady cv had the lowest clove weight compared to all Chinese lines. Chinese lines significantly surppassed the Balady cultivar in the bulb yield ha(-1). The bulb yield ha(-1) could be arrangement in descending order as follow Line B > Line F > Line D > Line C > Line A > Line E > Balady cv. Line B significantly surpassed the other tested lines in oil yield and had 7 folds oil yield plant(-1) than the local cultivar. The main compound in the bulb was found to be methylallay disulfide in both Chinese lines and Balady cultivar. Some components which found in the garlic bulbs at the age 150 days disappeared at the maturity time. Chinese Line B recorded the highest bulb yield and volatile oil content comparing with other lines.

Detection of localized inclusions of gold nanoparticles in Intralipid-1% by point-radiance spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grabtchak, Serge; Palmer, Tyler J.; Whelan, William M.

2011-07-01

Interstitial fiber-optic-based approaches used in both diagnostic and therapeutic applications rely on localized light-tissue interactions. We present an optical technique to identify spectrally and spatially specific exogenous chromophores in highly scattering turbid media. Point radiance spectroscopy is based on directional light collection at a single point with a side-firing fiber that can be rotated up to 360 deg. A side firing fiber accepts light within a well-defined, solid angle, thus potentially providing an improved spatial resolution. Measurements were performed using an 800-μm diameter isotropic spherical diffuser coupled to a halogen light source and a 600 μm, ~43 deg cleaved fiber (i.e., radiance detector). The background liquid-based scattering phantom was fabricated using 1% Intralipid. Light was collected with 1 deg increments through 360 deg-segment. Gold nanoparticles , placed into a 3.5-mm diameter capillary tube were used as localized scatterers and absorbers introduced into the liquid phantom both on- and off-axis between source and detector. The localized optical inhomogeneity was detectable as an angular-resolved variation in the radiance polar plots. This technique is being investigated as a potential noninvasive optical modality for prostate cancer monitoring.

Detection of localized inclusions of gold nanoparticles in Intralipid-1% by point-radiance spectroscopy.

PubMed

Grabtchak, Serge; Palmer, Tyler J; Whelan, William M

2011-07-01

Interstitial fiber-optic-based approaches used in both diagnostic and therapeutic applications rely on localized light-tissue interactions. We present an optical technique to identify spectrally and spatially specific exogenous chromophores in highly scattering turbid media. Point radiance spectroscopy is based on directional light collection at a single point with a side-firing fiber that can be rotated up to 360 deg. A side firing fiber accepts light within a well-defined, solid angle, thus potentially providing an improved spatial resolution. Measurements were performed using an 800-μm diameter isotropic spherical diffuser coupled to a halogen light source and a 600 μm, ∼43 deg cleaved fiber (i.e., radiance detector). The background liquid-based scattering phantom was fabricated using 1% Intralipid. Light was collected with 1 deg increments through 360 deg-segment. Gold nanoparticles , placed into a 3.5-mm diameter capillary tube were used as localized scatterers and absorbers introduced into the liquid phantom both on- and off-axis between source and detector. The localized optical inhomogeneity was detectable as an angular-resolved variation in the radiance polar plots. This technique is being investigated as a potential noninvasive optical modality for prostate cancer monitoring.

FOXP2 promotes the nuclear translocation of POT1, but FOXP2(R553H), mutation related to speech-language disorder, partially prevents it

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

Tanabe, Yuko; Fujita, Eriko; Department of Pediatrics, Jichi Medical University, 3311-1 Yakushiji, Shimotsuke, Tochigi 329-0498

Highlights: {yields} We isolated protection of telomeres 1 (POT1) as a FOXP2-associated protein by a yeast two-hybrid. {yields} FOXP2 associated and co-localized with POT1 in the nuclei. {yields} FOXP2(R553H) also co-localized with POT1 in both the cytoplasm and nuclei. {yields} FOXP2(R553H) partially prevented the nuclear translocation of POT1. {yields} FOXP2(R553H) mutation may be associated with the pathogenesis of speech-language disorder. -- Abstract: FOXP2 is a forkhead box-containing transcription factor with several recognizable sequence motifs. However, little is known about the FOXP2-associated proteins except for C-terminal binding protein (CtBP). In the present study, we attempted to isolate the FOXP2-associated protein withmore » a yeast two-hybrid system using the C-terminal region, including the forkhead domain, as a bait probe, and identified protection of telomeres 1 (POT1) as a FOXP2-associated protein. Immunoprecipitation assay confirmed the association with FOXP2 and POT1. POT1 alone localized in the cytoplasm but co-localized with FOXP2 and the forkhead domain of FOXP2 in nuclei. However, both FOXP2 with mutated nuclear localization signals and (R553H) mutated forkhead, which is associated with speech-language disorder, prevented the nuclear translocation of POT1. These results suggest that FOXP2 is a binding partner for the nuclear translocation of POT1. As loss of POT1 function induces the cell arrest, the impaired nuclear translocation of POT1 in the developing neuronal cells may be associated with the pathogenesis of speech-language disorder with FOXP2(R553H) mutation.« less

Enhanced detection of a low-frequency signal by using broad squeezed light and a bichromatic local oscillator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Wei; Jin, Yuanbin; Yu, Xudong; Zhang, Jing

2017-08-01

We experimentally study a protocol of using the broadband high-frequency squeezed vacuum to detect the low-frequency signal. In this scheme, the lower sideband field of the squeezed light carries the low-frequency modulation signal, and the two strong coherent light fields are applied as the bichromatic local oscillator in the homodyne detection to measure the quantum entanglement of the upper and lower sideband for the broadband squeezed light. The power of one of the local oscillators for detecting the upper sideband can be adjusted to optimize the conditional variance in the low-frequency regime by subtracting the photocurrent of the upper sideband field of the squeezed light from that of the lower sideband field. By means of the quantum correlation of the upper and lower sideband for the broadband squeezed light, the low-frequency signal beyond the standard quantum limit is measured. This scheme is appropriate for enhancing the sensitivity of the low-frequency signal by the aid of the broad squeezed light, such as gravitational waves detection, and does not need to directly produce the low-frequency squeezing in an optical parametric process.

A Paleoarchean coastal hydrothermal field inhabited by diverse microbial communities: the Strelley Pool Formation, Pilbara Craton, Western Australia.

PubMed

Sugitani, K; Mimura, K; Takeuchi, M; Yamaguchi, T; Suzuki, K; Senda, R; Asahara, Y; Wallis, S; Van Kranendonk, M J

2015-11-01

The 3.4-Ga Strelley Pool Formation (SPF) at the informally named 'Waterfall Locality' in the Goldsworthy greenstone belt of the Pilbara Craton, Western Australia, provides deeper insights into ancient, shallow subaqueous to possibly subaerial ecosystems. Outcrops at this locality contain a thin (<3 m) unit of carbonaceous and non-carbonaceous cherts and silicified sandstones that were deposited in a shallow-water coastal environment, with hydrothermal activities, consistent with the previous studies. Carbonaceous, sulfide-rich massive black cherts with coniform structures up to 3 cm high are characterized by diverse rare earth elements (REE) signatures including enrichment of light [light rare earth elements (LREE)] or middle rare earth elements and by enrichment of heavy metals represented by Zn. The massive black cherts were likely deposited by mixing of hydrothermal and non-hydrothermal fluids. Coniform structures in the cherts are characterized by diffuse laminae composed of sulfide particles, suggesting that unlike stromatolites, they were formed dominantly through physico-chemical processes related to hydrothermal activity. The cherts yield microfossils identical to previously described carbonaceous films, small and large spheres, and lenticular microfossils. In addition, new morphological types such as clusters composed of large carbonaceous spheroids (20-40 μm across each) with fluffy or foam-like envelope are identified. Finely laminated carbonaceous cherts are devoid of heavy metals and characterized by the enrichment of LREE. This chert locally contains conical to domal structures characterized by truncation of laminae and trapping of detrital grains and is interpreted as siliceous stromatolite formed by very early or contemporaneous silicification of biomats with the contribution of silica-rich hydrothermal fluids. Biological affinities of described microfossils and microbes constructing siliceous stromatolites are under investigation. However, this study emphasizes how diverse the microbial community in Paleoarchean coastal hydrothermal environment was. We propose the diversity is at least partially due to the availability of various energy sources in this depositional environment including reducing chemicals and sunlight. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Assessment of cardiac fibrosis: a morphometric method comparison for collagen quantification.

PubMed

Schipke, Julia; Brandenberger, Christina; Rajces, Alexandra; Manninger, Martin; Alogna, Alessio; Post, Heiner; Mühlfeld, Christian

2017-04-01

Fibrotic remodeling of the heart is a frequent condition linked to various diseases and cardiac dysfunction. Collagen quantification is an important objective in cardiac fibrosis research; however, a variety of different histological methods are currently used that may differ in accuracy. Here, frequently applied collagen quantification techniques were compared. A porcine model of early stage heart failure with preserved ejection fraction was used as an example. Semiautomated threshold analyses were imprecise, mainly due to inclusion of noncollagen structures or failure to detect certain collagen deposits. In contrast, collagen assessment by automated image analysis and light microscopy (LM)-stereology was more sensitive. Depending on the quantification method, the amount of estimated collagen varied and influenced intergroup comparisons. PicroSirius Red, Masson's trichrome, and Azan staining protocols yielded similar results, whereas the measured collagen area increased with increasing section thickness. Whereas none of the LM-based methods showed significant differences between the groups, electron microscopy (EM)-stereology revealed a significant collagen increase between cardiomyocytes in the experimental group, but not at other localizations. In conclusion, in contrast to the staining protocol, section thickness and the quantification method being used directly influence the estimated collagen content and thus, possibly, intergroup comparisons. EM in combination with stereology is a precise and sensitive method for collagen quantification if certain prerequisites are considered. For subtle fibrotic alterations, consideration of collagen localization may be necessary. Among LM methods, LM-stereology and automated image analysis are appropriate to quantify fibrotic changes, the latter depending on careful control of algorithm and comparable section staining. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Direct comparison of frequently applied histological fibrosis assessment techniques revealed a distinct relation of measured collagen and utilized quantification method as well as section thickness. Besides electron microscopy-stereology, which was precise and sensitive, light microscopy-stereology and automated image analysis proved to be appropriate for collagen quantification. Moreover, consideration of collagen localization might be important in revealing minor fibrotic changes. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

Herbivores and nutrients control grassland plant diversity via light limitation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Borer, Elizabeth T.; Seabloom, Eric W.; Gruner, Daniel S.; Harpole, W. Stanley; Hillebrand, Helmut; Lind, Eric M.; Alder, Peter B.; Alberti, Juan; Anderson, T. Michael; Bakker, Jonathan D.; Biederman, Lori; Blumenthal, Dana; Brown, Cynthia S.; Brudvig, Lars A.; Buckley, Yvonne M.; Cadotte, Marc; Chu, Cheng-Jin; Cleland, Elsa E.; Crawley, Michael J.; Daleo, Pedro; Damschen, Ellen Ingman; Davies, Kendi F.; DeCrappeo, Nicole M.; Du, Guozhen; Firn, Jennifer; Hautier, Yann; Heckman, Robert W.; Hector, Andy; HilleRisLambers, Janneke; Iribarne, Oscar; Klein, Julia A.; Knops, Johannes M.H.; La Pierre, Kimberly J.; Leakey, Andrew D.B.; Li, Wei; MacDougall, Andrew S.; McCulley, Rebecca L.; Melbourne, Brett A.; Mitchell, Charles E.; Moore, Joslin L.; Mortensen, Brent; O'Halloran, Lydia R.; Orrock, John L.; Pascual, Jesús; Prober, Suzanne M.; Pyke, David A.; Risch, Anita C.; Schuetz, Martin; Smith, Melinda D.; Stevens, Carly J.; Sullivan, Lauren L.; Williams, Ryan J.; Wragg, Peter D.; Wright, Justin P.; Yang, Louie H.

2014-01-01

Human alterations to nutrient cycles and herbivore communities are affecting global biodiversity dramatically. Ecological theory predicts these changes should be strongly counteractive: nutrient addition drives plant species loss through intensified competition for light, whereas herbivores prevent competitive exclusion by increasing ground-level light, particularly in productive systems. Here we use experimental data spanning a globally relevant range of conditions to test the hypothesis that herbaceous plant species losses caused by eutrophication may be offset by increased light availability due to herbivory. This experiment, replicated in 40 grasslands on 6 continents, demonstrates that nutrients and herbivores can serve as counteracting forces to control local plant diversity through light limitation, independent of site productivity, soil nitrogen, herbivore type and climate. Nutrient addition consistently reduced local diversity through light limitation, and herbivory rescued diversity at sites where it alleviated light limitation. Thus, species loss from anthropogenic eutrophication can be ameliorated in grasslands where herbivory increases ground-level light.

Herbivores and nutrients control grassland plant diversity via light limitation.

PubMed

Borer, Elizabeth T; Seabloom, Eric W; Gruner, Daniel S; Harpole, W Stanley; Hillebrand, Helmut; Lind, Eric M; Adler, Peter B; Alberti, Juan; Anderson, T Michael; Bakker, Jonathan D; Biederman, Lori; Blumenthal, Dana; Brown, Cynthia S; Brudvig, Lars A; Buckley, Yvonne M; Cadotte, Marc; Chu, Chengjin; Cleland, Elsa E; Crawley, Michael J; Daleo, Pedro; Damschen, Ellen I; Davies, Kendi F; DeCrappeo, Nicole M; Du, Guozhen; Firn, Jennifer; Hautier, Yann; Heckman, Robert W; Hector, Andy; HilleRisLambers, Janneke; Iribarne, Oscar; Klein, Julia A; Knops, Johannes M H; La Pierre, Kimberly J; Leakey, Andrew D B; Li, Wei; MacDougall, Andrew S; McCulley, Rebecca L; Melbourne, Brett A; Mitchell, Charles E; Moore, Joslin L; Mortensen, Brent; O'Halloran, Lydia R; Orrock, John L; Pascual, Jesús; Prober, Suzanne M; Pyke, David A; Risch, Anita C; Schuetz, Martin; Smith, Melinda D; Stevens, Carly J; Sullivan, Lauren L; Williams, Ryan J; Wragg, Peter D; Wright, Justin P; Yang, Louie H

2014-04-24

Human alterations to nutrient cycles and herbivore communities are affecting global biodiversity dramatically. Ecological theory predicts these changes should be strongly counteractive: nutrient addition drives plant species loss through intensified competition for light, whereas herbivores prevent competitive exclusion by increasing ground-level light, particularly in productive systems. Here we use experimental data spanning a globally relevant range of conditions to test the hypothesis that herbaceous plant species losses caused by eutrophication may be offset by increased light availability due to herbivory. This experiment, replicated in 40 grasslands on 6 continents, demonstrates that nutrients and herbivores can serve as counteracting forces to control local plant diversity through light limitation, independent of site productivity, soil nitrogen, herbivore type and climate. Nutrient addition consistently reduced local diversity through light limitation, and herbivory rescued diversity at sites where it alleviated light limitation. Thus, species loss from anthropogenic eutrophication can be ameliorated in grasslands where herbivory increases ground-level light.

Loads of suspended sediment and nutrients from local nonpoint sources to the tidal Potomac River and Estuary, Maryland and Virginia, 1979-81 water years

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hickman, R. Edward

1987-01-01

Loads of suspended sediment, phosphorus, nitrogen, biochemical oxygen demand, and dissolved silica discharged to the tidal Potomac River and Estuary during the !979-81 water years from three local nonpoint sources have been calculated. The loads in rain falling directly upon the tidal water surface and from overflows of the combined sewer system of the District of Columbia were determined from available information. Loads of materials in the streamflow from local watersheds draining directly to the tidal Potomac River and Estuary downstream from Chain Bridge in Washington, D.C., were calculated from samples of streamflow leaving five monitored watersheds. Average annual yields of substances leaving three urban watersheds (Rock Creek and the Northwest and Northeast Branches of the Anacostia River) and the rural Saint Clements Creek watershed were calculated either by developing relationships between concentration and streamflow or by using the mean of measured concentrations. Yields calculated for the 1979-81 water years are up to 2.3 times period-of-record yields because of greater than average streamflow and stormflow during this 3-year period. Period-of-record yields of suspended sediment from the three urban watersheds and the Saint Clements Creek watershed do not agree with yields reported by other studies. The yields from the urban watersheds are 17 to 51 percent of yields calculated using sediment-concentration data collected during the 1960-62 water years. Previous studies suggest that this decrease is at least partly due to the imposition of effective sediment controls at construction sites and to the construction of two multipurpose reservoirs. The yield calculated for the rural Saint Clements Creek watershed is at least twice the yields calculated for other rural watersheds, a result that may be due to most of the samples of this stream being taken during the summer of the 1981 water year, a very dry period. Loads discharged from all local tributary watersheds to the tidal Potomac River and Estuary during the 1979-81 water years were calculated by applying to the unsampled watersheds the yields determined for the monitored watersheds. The resulting loads are 2.7 million megagrams of suspended sedi- ment, 3,100 megagrams of phosphorus, 14,000 megagrams of nitrogen, 74,000 megagrams of ultimate biochemical oxygen demand, and 68,000 megagrams of dissolved silica. The value for the load of sediment is probably an overestimate because the sediment yield calculated for the Saint Clements Creek watershed does not appear to be representative of rural watersheds. Summed, the loads discharged from all local nonpoint sources (local tributary watersheds, rainfall, and combined sewer overflows) to the tidal Potomac River and Estuary during the 1979-81 water years are 2.7 million megagrams of suspended sediment, 3,300 megagrams of phosphorus, 18,000 megagrams of nitrogen, 78,000 megagrams of ultimate biochemical oxygen demand, and 69,000 megagrams of dissolved silica. These loads accounted for 17 to 38 percent of the loads discharged by major sources during this period.

Experimental evidence for an absorbing phase transition underlying yielding of a soft glass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagamanasa, K. Hima; Gokhale, Shreyas; Sood, A. K.; Ganapathy, Rajesh

2014-03-01

A characteristic feature of solids ranging from foams to atomic crystals is the existence of a yield point, which marks the threshold stress beyond which a material undergoes plastic deformation. In hard materials, it is well-known that local yield events occur collectively in the form of intermittent avalanches. The avalanche size distributions exhibit power-law scaling indicating the presence of self-organized criticality. These observations led to predictions of a non-equilibrium phase transition at the yield point. By contrast, for soft solids like gels and dense suspensions, no such predictions exist. In the present work, by combining particle scale imaging with bulk rheology, we provide a direct evidence for a non-equilibrium phase transition governing yielding of an archetypal soft solid - a colloidal glass. The order parameter and the relaxation time exponents revealed that yielding is an absorbing phase transition that belongs to the conserved directed percolation universality class. We also identified a growing length scale associated with clusters of particles with high Debye-Waller factor. Our findings highlight the importance of correlations between local yield events and may well stimulate the development of a unified description of yielding of soft solids.

Single objective light-sheet microscopy for high-speed whole-cell 3D super-resolution

PubMed Central

Meddens, Marjolein B. M.; Liu, Sheng; Finnegan, Patrick S.; Edwards, Thayne L.; James, Conrad D.; Lidke, Keith A.

2016-01-01

We have developed a method for performing light-sheet microscopy with a single high numerical aperture lens by integrating reflective side walls into a microfluidic chip. These 45° side walls generate light-sheet illumination by reflecting a vertical light-sheet into the focal plane of the objective. Light-sheet illumination of cells loaded in the channels increases image quality in diffraction limited imaging via reduction of out-of-focus background light. Single molecule super-resolution is also improved by the decreased background resulting in better localization precision and decreased photo-bleaching, leading to more accepted localizations overall and higher quality images. Moreover, 2D and 3D single molecule super-resolution data can be acquired faster by taking advantage of the increased illumination intensities as compared to wide field, in the focused light-sheet. PMID:27375939

Apsidal rotation in the eclipsing binary AG Persei

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koch, Robert H.; Woodward, Edith J.

1987-01-01

New three-filter light curves of AG Per are given. These yield times of minimum light in accord with the known rate of apsidal rotation but do not improve that rate. These light curves and all other published historical ones have been treated with the code EBOP and are shown to give largely consistent geometric and photometric parameters no matter which orientation of the orbit is displayed to the observer.

Materials and Designs for High-Efficacy LED Light Engines

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

Ibbetson, James; Gresback, Ryan

Cree, Inc. conducted a narrow-band downconverter (NBD) materials development and implementation program which will lead to warm-white LED light engines with enhanced efficacy via improved spectral efficiency with respect to the human eye response. New red (600-630nm) NBD materials could result in as much as a 20% improvement in warm-white efficacy at high color quality relative to conventional phosphor-based light sources. Key program innovations included: high quantum yield; narrow peak width; minimized component-level losses due to “cross-talk” and light scattering among red and yellow-green downconverters; and improved reliability to reach parity with conventional phosphors. NBD-enabled downconversion efficiency gains relative tomore » conventional phosphors yielded an end-of-project LED light engine efficacy of >160 lm/W at room temperature and 35 A/cm2, with a correlated color temperature (CCT) of ~3500K and >90 CRI (Color Rending Index). NBD-LED light engines exhibited equivalent luminous flux and color point maintenance at >1,000 hrs. of highly accelerated reliability testing as conventional phosphor LEDs. A demonstration luminaire utilizing an NBD-based LED light engine had a steady-state system efficacy of >150 lm/W at ~3500K and >90 CRI, which exceeded the 2014 DOE R&D Plan luminaire milestone for FY17 of >150 lm/W at just 80 CRI.« less

An analytical model of non-photorespiratory CO₂release in the light and dark in leaves of C₃species based on stoichiometric flux balance.

PubMed

Buckley, Thomas N; Adams, Mark A

2011-01-01

Leaf respiration continues in the light but at a reduced rate. This inhibition is highly variable, and the mechanisms are poorly known, partly due to the lack of a formal model that can generate testable hypotheses. We derived an analytical model for non-photorespiratory CO₂ release by solving steady-state supply/demand equations for ATP, NADH and NADPH, coupled to a widely used photosynthesis model. We used this model to evaluate causes for suppression of respiration by light. The model agrees with many observations, including highly variable suppression at saturating light, greater suppression in mature leaves, reduced assimilatory quotient (ratio of net CO₂ and O₂ exchange) concurrent with nitrate reduction and a Kok effect (discrete change in quantum yield at low light). The model predicts engagement of non-phosphorylating pathways at moderate to high light, or concurrent with processes that yield ATP and NADH, such as fatty acid or terpenoid synthesis. Suppression of respiration is governed largely by photosynthetic adenylate balance, although photorespiratory NADH may contribute at sub-saturating light. Key questions include the precise diel variation of anabolism and the ATP : 2e⁻ ratio for photophosphorylation. Our model can focus experimental research and is a step towards a fully process-based model of CO₂ exchange. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Measurement of LYSO Intrinsic Light Yield Using Electron Excitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turtos, Rosana Martinez; Gundacker, Stefan; Pizzichemi, Marco; Ghezzi, Alessio; Pauwels, Kristof; Auffray, Etiennette; Lecoq, Paul; Paganoni, Marco

2016-04-01

The determination of the intrinsic light yield (LYint) of scintillating crystals, i.e. number of optical photons created per amount of energy deposited, constitutes a key factor in order to characterize and optimize their energy and time resolution. However, until now measurements of this quantity are affected by large uncertainties and often rely on corrections for bulk absorption and surface/edge state. The novel idea presented in this contribution is based on the confinement of the scintillation emission in the central upper part of a 10 mm cubic crystal using a 1.5 MeV electron beam with diameter of 1 mm. A black non-reflective pinhole aligned with the excitation point is used to fix the light extraction solid angle (narrower than total reflection angle), which then sets a light cone travel path through the crystal. The final number of photoelectrons detected using a Hamamatsu R2059 photomultiplier tube (PMT) was corrected for the extraction solid angle, the Fresnel reflection coefficient and quantum efficiency (QE) of the PMT. The total number of optical photons produced per energy deposited was found to be 40000 ph/MeV ± 9% (syst) ±3% (stat) for LYSO. Simulations using Geant4 were successfully compared to light output measurements of 2 × 2 mm2 section crystals with lengths of 5-30 mm, in order to validate the light transport model and set a limit on Light Transfer Efficiency estimations.

Interactions between light and growing season temperatures on, growth and development and gas exchange of Semillon (Vitis vinifera L.) vines grown in an irrigated vineyard.

PubMed

Greer, Dennis H; Weedon, Mark M

2012-05-01

High-light intensities and temperatures of the warm climate regions of Australia and elsewhere have a major effect on the growth and development of grapevines (Vitis vinifera L.). The objective of this research was to assess interactions between the light and seasonal temperatures by shading some vines and comparing these with vines exposed to high-light intensities. Canopy temperatures were monitored using infrared radiometers and budbreak, phenology, growth, yield, berry ripening and gas exchange determined over three growing seasons. Results showed canopies were generally about 4 °C cooler than air and shading extended this cooling. Irradiance, irrespective of seasonal temperatures, had no effect on time of budbreak, shoot phenology, stem growth, yield and bunch fresh weights while bunch and leaf dry weights were reduced in low-light. Bunch ripening was initially delayed by low-light but thereafter the ripening process was highly temperature-dependent. Rates increased linearly with increasing temperature in both low and high-light and were optimal at about 35 °C. Maximum photosynthetic capacity was impaired by low irradiance, in accordance with shade leaf attributes, and attributable to stomatal closure. No effects of the low photosynthetic capacity apparently carried-over to sugar accumulation, consistent with the strong sink capacity of bunches. Crown Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Controls of the quantum yield and saturation light of isoprene emission in different-aged aspen leaves

PubMed Central

Niinemets, Ülo; Sun, Zhihong; Talts, Eero

2018-01-01

Leaf age alters the balance between the use of end-product of plastidic isoprenoid synthesis pathway, dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMADP), in prenyltransferase reactions leading to synthesis of pigments of photosynthetic machinery and in isoprene synthesis, but the implications of such changes on environmental responses of isoprene emission have not been studied. Because under light-limited conditions, isoprene emission rate is controlled by DMADP pool size (SDMADP), shifts in the share of different processes are expected to particularly strongly alter the light dependency of isoprene emission. We examined light responses of isoprene emission in young fully-expanded, mature and old non-senescent leaves of hybrid aspen (Populus tremula x P. tremuloides) and estimated in vivo SDMADP and isoprene synthase activity from postillumination isoprene release. Isoprene emission capacity was 1.5-fold larger in mature than in young and old leaves. The initial quantum yield of isoprene emission (αI) increased by 2.5-fold with increasing leaf age primarily as the result of increasing SDMADP. The saturating light intensity (QI90) decreased by 2.3-fold with increasing leaf age, and this mainly reflected limited light-dependent increase of SDMADP possibly due to feedback inhibition by DMADP. These major age-dependent changes in the shape of the light response need consideration in modeling canopy isoprene emission. PMID:26037962

Controls of the quantum yield and saturation light of isoprene emission in different-aged aspen leaves.

PubMed

Niinemets, Ülo; Sun, Zhihong; Talts, Eero

2015-12-01

Leaf age alters the balance between the use of end-product of plastidic isoprenoid synthesis pathway, dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMADP), in prenyltransferase reactions leading to synthesis of pigments of photosynthetic machinery and in isoprene synthesis, but the implications of such changes on environmental responses of isoprene emission have not been studied. Because under light-limited conditions, isoprene emission rate is controlled by DMADP pool size (SDMADP ), shifts in the share of different processes are expected to particularly strongly alter the light dependency of isoprene emission. We examined light responses of isoprene emission in young fully expanded, mature and old non-senescent leaves of hybrid aspen (Populus tremula x P. tremuloides) and estimated in vivo SDMADP and isoprene synthase activity from post-illumination isoprene release. Isoprene emission capacity was 1.5-fold larger in mature than in young and old leaves. The initial quantum yield of isoprene emission (αI ) increased by 2.5-fold with increasing leaf age primarily as the result of increasing SDMADP . The saturating light intensity (QI90 ) decreased by 2.3-fold with increasing leaf age, and this mainly reflected limited light-dependent increase of SDMADP possibly due to feedback inhibition by DMADP. These major age-dependent changes in the shape of the light response need consideration in modelling canopy isoprene emission. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Effect of Light/Dark Regimens on Hydrogen Production by Tetraselmis subcordiformis Coupled with an Alkaline Fuel Cell System.

PubMed

Guo, Zhen; Li, Ying; Guo, Haiyan

2017-12-01

To improve the photoproduction of hydrogen (H 2 ) by a green algae-based system, the effect of light/dark regimens on H 2 photoproduction regulated by carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP) was investigated. A fuel cell was integrated into a photobioreactor to allow online monitoring of the H 2 evolution rate and decrease potential H 2 feedback inhibition by consuming the generated H 2 in situ. During the first 15 h of H 2 evolution, the system was subjected to dark treatment after initial light illumination (L/D = 6/9 h, 9/6 h, and 12/3 h). After the dark period, all systems were again exposed to light illumination until H 2 evolution stopped. Two peaks were observed in the H 2 evolution rate under all three light/dark regimens. Additionally, a high H 2 yield of 126 ± 10 mL L -1 was achieved using a light/dark regimen of L 9 h/D 6 h/L until H 2 production ceased, which was 1.6 times higher than that obtained under continuous illumination. H 2 production was accompanied by some physiological and morphological changes in the cells. The results indicated that light/dark regimens improved the duration and yield of H 2 photoproduction by the CCCP-regulated process of Tetraselmis subcordiformis.

Asymmetric radical alkylation of N-sulfinimines under visible light photocatalytic conditions.

PubMed

Garrido-Castro, Alberto F; Choubane, Houcine; Daaou, Mortada; Maestro, M Carmen; Alemán, José

2017-07-06

In this communication, a new photocatalytic strategy for the addition of alkyl-radical derivatives to N-sulfinimines with complete diastereoselectivity and moderate to good yields is presented. This is the first asymmetric photocatalytic addition to N-sulfinimines under visible light irradiation with smooth conditions and functional group tolerance.

Desktop aligner for fabrication of multilayer microfluidic devices.

PubMed

Li, Xiang; Yu, Zeta Tak For; Geraldo, Dalton; Weng, Shinuo; Alve, Nitesh; Dun, Wu; Kini, Akshay; Patel, Karan; Shu, Roberto; Zhang, Feng; Li, Gang; Jin, Qinghui; Fu, Jianping

2015-07-01

Multilayer assembly is a commonly used technique to construct multilayer polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based microfluidic devices with complex 3D architecture and connectivity for large-scale microfluidic integration. Accurate alignment of structure features on different PDMS layers before their permanent bonding is critical in determining the yield and quality of assembled multilayer microfluidic devices. Herein, we report a custom-built desktop aligner capable of both local and global alignments of PDMS layers covering a broad size range. Two digital microscopes were incorporated into the aligner design to allow accurate global alignment of PDMS structures up to 4 in. in diameter. Both local and global alignment accuracies of the desktop aligner were determined to be about 20 μm cm(-1). To demonstrate its utility for fabrication of integrated multilayer PDMS microfluidic devices, we applied the desktop aligner to achieve accurate alignment of different functional PDMS layers in multilayer microfluidics including an organs-on-chips device as well as a microfluidic device integrated with vertical passages connecting channels located in different PDMS layers. Owing to its convenient operation, high accuracy, low cost, light weight, and portability, the desktop aligner is useful for microfluidic researchers to achieve rapid and accurate alignment for generating multilayer PDMS microfluidic devices.

Bright nanowire single photon source based on SiV centers in diamond

DOE PAGES

Marseglia, L.; Saha, K.; Ajoy, A.; ...

2018-01-01

The practical implementation of quantum technologies such as quantum commu- nication and quantum cryptography relies on the development of indistinguishable, robust, and bright single photon sources that works at room temperature. The silicon- vacancy (SiV -) center in diamond has emerged as a possible candidate for a single photon source with all these characteristics. Unfortunately, due to the high refraction index mismatch between diamond and air, color centers in diamond show low photon out-coupling. This drawback can be overcome by fabrication of photonic structures that improve the in-coupling of excitation laser to the diamond defect as well as the out-couplingmore » emission from the color centers. An additional shortcoming is due to the random localization of native defects in the diamond sample. Here we demonstrate deterministic implantation of Si ions with high conversion effciency to single SiV -, targeted to fabricated nanowires. The co-localization of single SiV - defects with the nanostructures yields a ten times higher light coupling effciency as compared to single SiV - in the bulk. This result, with its intrinsic scalability, enables a new class of devices for integrated photonics and quantum information processing.« less

Photodynamic Efficiency: From Molecular Photochemistry to Cell Death

PubMed Central

Bacellar, Isabel O. L.; Tsubone, Tayana M.; Pavani, Christiane; Baptista, Mauricio S.

2015-01-01

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a clinical modality used to treat cancer and infectious diseases. The main agent is the photosensitizer (PS), which is excited by light and converted to a triplet excited state. This latter species leads to the formation of singlet oxygen and radicals that oxidize biomolecules. The main motivation for this review is to suggest alternatives for achieving high-efficiency PDT protocols, by taking advantage of knowledge on the chemical and biological processes taking place during and after photosensitization. We defend that in order to obtain specific mechanisms of cell death and maximize PDT efficiency, PSes should oxidize specific molecular targets. We consider the role of subcellular localization, how PS photochemistry and photophysics can change according to its nanoenvironment, and how can all these trigger specific cell death mechanisms. We propose that in order to develop PSes that will cause a breakthrough enhancement in the efficiency of PDT, researchers should first consider tissue and intracellular localization, instead of trying to maximize singlet oxygen quantum yields in in vitro tests. In addition to this, we also indicate many open questions and challenges remaining in this field, hoping to encourage future research. PMID:26334268

Atom-scale depth localization of biologically important chemical elements in molecular layers.

PubMed

Schneck, Emanuel; Scoppola, Ernesto; Drnec, Jakub; Mocuta, Cristian; Felici, Roberto; Novikov, Dmitri; Fragneto, Giovanna; Daillant, Jean

2016-08-23

In nature, biomolecules are often organized as functional thin layers in interfacial architectures, the most prominent examples being biological membranes. Biomolecular layers play also important roles in context with biotechnological surfaces, for instance, when they are the result of adsorption processes. For the understanding of many biological or biotechnologically relevant phenomena, detailed structural insight into the involved biomolecular layers is required. Here, we use standing-wave X-ray fluorescence (SWXF) to localize chemical elements in solid-supported lipid and protein layers with near-Ångstrom precision. The technique complements traditional specular reflectometry experiments that merely yield the layers' global density profiles. While earlier work mostly focused on relatively heavy elements, typically metal ions, we show that it is also possible to determine the position of the comparatively light elements S and P, which are found in the most abundant classes of biomolecules and are therefore particularly important. With that, we overcome the need of artificial heavy atom labels, the main obstacle to a broader application of high-resolution SWXF in the fields of biology and soft matter. This work may thus constitute the basis for the label-free, element-specific structural investigation of complex biomolecular layers and biological surfaces.

Desktop aligner for fabrication of multilayer microfluidic devices

PubMed Central

Li, Xiang; Yu, Zeta Tak For; Geraldo, Dalton; Weng, Shinuo; Alve, Nitesh; Dun, Wu; Kini, Akshay; Patel, Karan; Shu, Roberto; Zhang, Feng; Li, Gang; Jin, Qinghui; Fu, Jianping

2015-01-01

Multilayer assembly is a commonly used technique to construct multilayer polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based microfluidic devices with complex 3D architecture and connectivity for large-scale microfluidic integration. Accurate alignment of structure features on different PDMS layers before their permanent bonding is critical in determining the yield and quality of assembled multilayer microfluidic devices. Herein, we report a custom-built desktop aligner capable of both local and global alignments of PDMS layers covering a broad size range. Two digital microscopes were incorporated into the aligner design to allow accurate global alignment of PDMS structures up to 4 in. in diameter. Both local and global alignment accuracies of the desktop aligner were determined to be about 20 μm cm−1. To demonstrate its utility for fabrication of integrated multilayer PDMS microfluidic devices, we applied the desktop aligner to achieve accurate alignment of different functional PDMS layers in multilayer microfluidics including an organs-on-chips device as well as a microfluidic device integrated with vertical passages connecting channels located in different PDMS layers. Owing to its convenient operation, high accuracy, low cost, light weight, and portability, the desktop aligner is useful for microfluidic researchers to achieve rapid and accurate alignment for generating multilayer PDMS microfluidic devices. PMID:26233409

SOLAR MODULATION OF THE LOCAL INTERSTELLAR SPECTRUM WITH VOYAGER 1 , AMS-02, PAMELA , AND BESS

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

Corti, C.; Bindi, V.; Consolandi, C.

In recent years, the increasing precision of direct cosmic rays measurements opened the door to high-sensitivity indirect searches of dark matter and to more accurate predictions for radiation doses received by astronauts and electronics in space. The key ingredients in the study of these phenomena are the knowledge of the local interstellar spectrum (LIS) of galactic cosmic rays and the understanding of how the solar modulation affects the LIS inside the heliosphere. Voyager 1 , AMS-02, PAMELA , and BESS measurements of proton and helium fluxes provide valuable information, allowing us to shed light on the shape of the LISmore » and the details of the solar modulation during solar cycles 22-24. A new parametrization of the LIS is presented, based on the latest data from Voyager 1 and AMS-02. Using the framework of the force-field approximation, the solar modulation parameter is extracted from the time-dependent fluxes measured by PAMELA and BESS . A modified version of the force-field approximation with a rigidity-dependent modulation parameter is introduced, yielding better fits than the force-field approximation. The results are compared with the modulation parameter inferred by neutron monitors.« less

Atom-scale depth localization of biologically important chemical elements in molecular layers

PubMed Central

Schneck, Emanuel; Scoppola, Ernesto; Drnec, Jakub; Mocuta, Cristian; Felici, Roberto; Novikov, Dmitri; Fragneto, Giovanna; Daillant, Jean

2016-01-01

In nature, biomolecules are often organized as functional thin layers in interfacial architectures, the most prominent examples being biological membranes. Biomolecular layers play also important roles in context with biotechnological surfaces, for instance, when they are the result of adsorption processes. For the understanding of many biological or biotechnologically relevant phenomena, detailed structural insight into the involved biomolecular layers is required. Here, we use standing-wave X-ray fluorescence (SWXF) to localize chemical elements in solid-supported lipid and protein layers with near-Ångstrom precision. The technique complements traditional specular reflectometry experiments that merely yield the layers’ global density profiles. While earlier work mostly focused on relatively heavy elements, typically metal ions, we show that it is also possible to determine the position of the comparatively light elements S and P, which are found in the most abundant classes of biomolecules and are therefore particularly important. With that, we overcome the need of artificial heavy atom labels, the main obstacle to a broader application of high-resolution SWXF in the fields of biology and soft matter. This work may thus constitute the basis for the label-free, element-specific structural investigation of complex biomolecular layers and biological surfaces. PMID:27503887

A refined 'standard' thermal model for asteroids based on observations of 1 Ceres and 2 Pallas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lebofsky, Larry A.; Sykes, Mark V.; Tedesco, Edward F.; Veeder, Glenn J.; Matson, Dennis L.

1986-01-01

An analysis of ground-based thermal IR observations of 1 Ceres and 2 Pallas in light of their recently determined occultation diameters and small amplitude light curves has yielded a new value for the IR beaming parameter employed in the standard asteroid thermal emission model which is significantly lower than the previous one. When applied to the reduction of thermal IR observations of other asteroids, this new value is expected to yield model diameters closer to actual values. The present formulation incorporates the IAU magnitude convention for asteroids that employs zero-phase magnitudes, including the opposition effect.

Vertical farming increases lettuce yield per unit area compared to conventional horizontal hydroponics.

PubMed

Touliatos, Dionysios; Dodd, Ian C; McAinsh, Martin

2016-08-01

Vertical farming systems (VFS) have been proposed as an engineering solution to increase productivity per unit area of cultivated land by extending crop production into the vertical dimension. To test whether this approach presents a viable alternative to horizontal crop production systems, a VFS (where plants were grown in upright cylindrical columns) was compared against a conventional horizontal hydroponic system (HHS) using lettuce ( Lactuca sativa L . cv. "Little Gem") as a model crop. Both systems had similar root zone volume and planting density. Half-strength Hoagland's solution was applied to plants grown in perlite in an indoor controlled environment room, with metal halide lamps providing artificial lighting. Light distribution (photosynthetic photon flux density, PPFD) and yield (shoot fresh weight) within each system were assessed. Although PPFD and shoot fresh weight decreased significantly in the VFS from top to base, the VFS produced more crop per unit of growing floor area when compared with the HHS. Our results clearly demonstrate that VFS presents an attractive alternative to horizontal hydroponic growth systems and suggest that further increases in yield could be achieved by incorporating artificial lighting in the VFS.

Low-Power Light Guiding and Localization in Optoplasmonic Chains Obtained by Directed Self-Assembly

PubMed Central

Ahn, Wonmi; Zhao, Xin; Hong, Yan; Reinhard, Björn M.

2016-01-01

Optoplasmonic structures contain plasmonic components embedded in a defined photonic environment to create synergistic interactions between photonic and plasmonic components. Here, we show that chains of optical microspheres containing gold nanoparticles in their evanescent field combine the light guiding properties of a microsphere chain with the light localizing properties of a plasmonic nanoantenna. We implement these materials through template guided self-assembly and investigate their fundamental electromagnetic working principles through combination of electromagnetic simulations and experimental characterization. We demonstrate that optoplasmonic chains implemented by directed self-assembly achieve a significant reduction in guiding losses when compared with conventional plasmonic waveguides and, at the same time, retain the light localizing properties of plasmonic antennas at pre-defined locations. The results reinforce the potential of optoplasmonic structures for realizing low-loss optical interconnects with high bandwidth. PMID:26931149

Direct Imaging of the Relaxation of Individual Ferroelectric Interfaces in a Tensile-Strained Film

DOE PAGES

Li, Linglong; Cao, Ye; Somnath, Suhas; ...

2017-03-15

Understanding the dynamic behavior of interfaces in ferroic materials is an important field of research with widespread practical implications, as the motion of domain walls and phase boundaries are associated with substantial increases in dielectric and piezoelectric effects. Although commonly studied in the macroscopic regime, the local dynamics of interfaces have received less attention, with most studies limited to domain growth and/or reversal by piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM). Here, spatial mapping of local domain wall-related relaxation in a tensile-strained PbTiO 3 thin film using time-resolved band-excitation PFM is demonstrated, which allows exploring of the field-induced strain (piezoresponse) as a functionmore » of applied voltage and time. Through multivariate statistical analysis on the resultant 4-dimensional dataset (x,y,V,t) with functional fitting, it is determined that the relaxation is strongly correleated with the distance to the domain walls, and varies based on the type of domain wall present in the probed volume. Phase-field modeling shows the relaxation behavior near and away from the interfaces, and confirms the modulation of the z-component of polarization by wall motion, yielding the observed piezoresponse relaxation. Lastly, these studies shed light on the local dynamics of interfaces in ferroelectric thin films, and are therefore important for the design of ferroelectric-based components in microelectromechanical systems.« less

Aluminum-nanodisc-induced collective lattice resonances: Controlling the light extraction in organic light emitting diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Auer-Berger, Manuel; Tretnak, Veronika; Wenzl, Franz-Peter; Krenn, Joachim R.; List-Kratochvil, Emil J. W.

2017-10-01

We examine aluminum-nanodisc-induced collective lattice resonances as a means to enhance the efficiency of organic light emitting diodes. Thus, nanodisc arrays were embedded in the hole transporting layer of a solution-processed phosphorescent organic blue-light emitting diode. Through extinction spectroscopy, we confirm the emergence of array-induced collective lattice resonances within the organic light emitting diode. Through finite-difference time domain simulations, we show that the collective lattice resonances yield an enhancement of the electric field intensity within the emissive layer. The effectiveness for improving the light generation and light outcoupling is demonstrated by electro-optical characterization, realizing a gain in a current efficiency of 35%.

Pluto's Atmosphere, Then and Now

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elliot, J. L.; Buie, M.; Person, M. J.; Qu, S.

2002-09-01

The KAO light curve for the 1988 stellar occultation by Pluto exhibits a sharp drop just below half light, but above this level the light curve is consistent with that of an isothermal atmosphere (T = 105 +/- 8 K, with N2 as its major constituent). The sharp drop in the light curve has been interpreted as being caused by: (i) a haze layer, (ii) a large thermal gradient, or (iii) some combination of these two. Modeling Pluto's atmosphere with a haze layer yields a normal optical depth >= 0.145 (Elliot & Young 1992, AJ 103, 991). On the other hand, if Pluto's atmosphere is assumed to be clear, the occultation light curve can be inverted with a new method that avoids the large-body approximations. Inversion of the KAO light curve with this method yields an upper isothermal part, followed by a sharp thermal gradient that reaches a maximum magnitude of -3.9 +/- 0.6 K km-1 at the end of the inversion (r = 1206 +/- 10 km). Even though we do not yet understand the cause of the sharp drop, the KAO light curve can be used as a benchmark for examining subsequent Pluto occultation light curves to determine whether Pluto's atmospheric structure has changed since 1988. As an example, the Mamiña light curve for the 2002 July 20 Pluto occultation of P126A was compared with the KAO light curve by Buie et al. (this conference), who concluded that Pluto's atmospheric structure has changed significantly since 1988. Further analysis and additional light curves from this and subsequent occultations (e.g. 2002 August 21) will allow us to elucidate the nature of these changes. This work was supported, in part, by grants from NASA (NAG5-9008 and NAG5-10444) and NSF (AST-0073447).

The use of thyme and orange essential oils blend to improve quality traits of marinated chicken meat.

PubMed

Rimini, Simone; Petracci, Massimiliano; Smith, Douglas P

2014-08-01

Poultry meat contains large quantities of polyunsaturated fatty acids, which lead to oxidative deterioration. Plant essential oils (EO) and natural compounds, with antioxidant properties, may be used to alleviate this problem. Two replications were conducted to evaluate the effects of a mixture (1:1) of thyme and orange oils (EO) on the quality characteristics and the oxidative stability of chicken meat (breast and wing). For each replication, 24 fresh breast fillets and 24 wings were procured from a local grocery store. The EO were added to marinade solution to achieve a final concentration of 0.55% sodium chloride, 0.28% polyphosphate, and 0.05% wt/vol of EO blend. Breasts and wings were split in 2 different groups with homogenous pH and lightness and vacuum tumbled in 2 treatments, a 0.5% EO and a control (CON, no EO). Each group was tested for pH, Commission Internationale d'Eclairage color (lightness, L*; redness, a*; yellowness, b*), moisture content, marinade uptake, purge loss, cook yield, and shear force. Susceptibility to lipid oxidation was determined on fresh and frozen meat by TBA reactive substance analysis (induced oxidation from 0 to 150 min at 37°C). The EO breasts had lower purge loss compared with CON meat. Breast did not show any color, pH, marinade uptake, cooking yield, shear force, or moisture differences due to treatment, although cooked EO breast was slightly less red than CON. The EO wings presented higher a* and b* values after marination and lower purge loss and shear force than CON. No differences were detected on wings for color, pH, marinade uptake, cooking yield, or moisture between EO and CON wings. Both fresh and frozen EO breasts and EO wings were less susceptible to the lipid oxidation during all induced oxidation times compared with CON breasts and wings. In conclusion, EO had a positive effect on broiler breast and wing lipid oxidation without negatively affecting meat quality traits. © Poultry Science Association Inc.

Quantum dot immunocytochemical localization of somatostatin in somatostatinoma by Widefield Epifluorescence, super-resolution light, and immunoelectron microscopy.

PubMed

Killingsworth, Murray C; Lai, Ken; Wu, Xiaojuan; Yong, Jim L C; Lee, C Soon

2012-11-01

Quantum dot nanocrystal probes (QDs) have been used for detection of somatostatin hormone in secretory granules of somatostatinoma tumor cells by immunofluorescence light microscopy, super-resolution light microscopy, and immunoelectron microscopy. Immunostaining for all modalities was done using sections taken from an epoxy resin-embedded tissue specimen and a similar labeling protocol. This approach allowed assessment of labeling at light microscopy level before examination at super-resolution and electron microscopy level and was a significant aid in interpretation. Etching of ultrathin sections with saturated sodium metaperiodate was a critical step presumably able to retrieve some tissue antigenicity masked by processing in epoxy resin. Immunofluorescence microscopy of QD-immunolabeled sections showed somatostatin hormone localization in cytoplasmic granules. Some variable staining of tumor gland-like structures appeared related to granule maturity and dispersal of granule contents within the tumor cell cytoplasm. Super-resolution light microscopy demonstrated localization of somatostatin within individual secretory granules to be heterogeneous, and this staining pattern was confirmed by immunoelectron microscopy.

Quantum Dot Immunocytochemical Localization of Somatostatin in Somatostatinoma by Widefield Epifluorescence, Super-resolution Light, and Immunoelectron Microscopy

PubMed Central

Lai, Ken; Wu, Xiaojuan; Yong, Jim L. C.; Lee, C. Soon

2012-01-01

Quantum dot nanocrystal probes (QDs) have been used for detection of somatostatin hormone in secretory granules of somatostatinoma tumor cells by immunofluorescence light microscopy, super-resolution light microscopy, and immunoelectron microscopy. Immunostaining for all modalities was done using sections taken from an epoxy resin-embedded tissue specimen and a similar labeling protocol. This approach allowed assessment of labeling at light microscopy level before examination at super-resolution and electron microscopy level and was a significant aid in interpretation. Etching of ultrathin sections with saturated sodium metaperiodate was a critical step presumably able to retrieve some tissue antigenicity masked by processing in epoxy resin. Immunofluorescence microscopy of QD-immunolabeled sections showed somatostatin hormone localization in cytoplasmic granules. Some variable staining of tumor gland-like structures appeared related to granule maturity and dispersal of granule contents within the tumor cell cytoplasm. Super-resolution light microscopy demonstrated localization of somatostatin within individual secretory granules to be heterogeneous, and this staining pattern was confirmed by immunoelectron microscopy. PMID:22899862

Rapid Dye Regeneration Mechanism of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.

PubMed

Jeon, Jiwon; Park, Young Choon; Han, Sang Soo; Goddard, William A; Lee, Yoon Sup; Kim, Hyungjun

2014-12-18

During the light-harvesting process of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), the hole localized on the dye after the charge separation yields an oxidized dye, D(+). The fast regeneration of D(+) using the redox pair (typically the I(-)/I3(-) couple) is critical for the efficient DSSCs. However, the kinetic processes of dye regeneration remain uncertain, still promoting vigorous debates. Here, we use molecular dynamics simulations to determine that the inner-sphere electron-transfer pathway provides a rapid dye regeneration route of ∼4 ps, where penetration of I(-) next to D(+) enables an immediate electron transfer, forming a kinetic barrier. This explains the recently reported ultrafast dye regeneration rate of a few picoseconds determined experimentally. We expect that our MD based comprehensive understanding of the dye regeneration mechanism will provide a helpful guideline in designing TiO2-dye-electrolyte interfacial systems for better performing DSSCs.

Biomimetic 4D printing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sydney Gladman, A.; Matsumoto, Elisabetta A.; Nuzzo, Ralph G.; Mahadevan, L.; Lewis, Jennifer A.

2016-04-01

Shape-morphing systems can be found in many areas, including smart textiles, autonomous robotics, biomedical devices, drug delivery and tissue engineering. The natural analogues of such systems are exemplified by nastic plant motions, where a variety of organs such as tendrils, bracts, leaves and flowers respond to environmental stimuli (such as humidity, light or touch) by varying internal turgor, which leads to dynamic conformations governed by the tissue composition and microstructural anisotropy of cell walls. Inspired by these botanical systems, we printed composite hydrogel architectures that are encoded with localized, anisotropic swelling behaviour controlled by the alignment of cellulose fibrils along prescribed four-dimensional printing pathways. When combined with a minimal theoretical framework that allows us to solve the inverse problem of designing the alignment patterns for prescribed target shapes, we can programmably fabricate plant-inspired architectures that change shape on immersion in water, yielding complex three-dimensional morphologies.

Good Food, Bad Food, and White Rice: Understanding Child Feeding Using Visual-Narrative Elicitation.

PubMed

Wentworth, Chelsea

2017-01-01

Visual-narrative elicitation, a process combining photo elicitation and pile sorting in applied medical anthropology, sheds light on food consumption patterns in urban areas of Vanuatu where childhood malnutrition is a persistent problem. Groups of participants took photographs of the foods they feed their children, and the resources and barriers they encounter in accessing foodstuffs. This revealed how imported and local foods are assigned value as "good" or "bad" foods when contributing to dietary diversity and creating appropriate meals for children, particularly in the context of consuming white rice. The process of gathering and working with photographs illuminated the complex negotiations in which caregivers engaged when making food and nutritional choices for their children. At the nexus of visual and medical anthropology, the visual-narrative elicitation process yielded nuanced, comprehensive understandings of how caregivers value the various foods they feed their children.

Conformal manifolds: ODEs from OPEs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Behan, Connor

2018-03-01

The existence of an exactly marginal deformation in a conformal field theory is very special, but it is not well understood how this is reflected in the allowed dimensions and OPE coefficients of local operators. To shed light on this question, we compute perturbative corrections to several observables in an abstract CFT, starting with the beta function. This yields a sum rule that the theory must obey in order to be part of a conformal manifold. The set of constraints relating CFT data at different values of the coupling can in principle be written as a dynamical system that allows one to flow arbitrarily far. We begin the analysis of it by finding a simple form for the differential equations when the spacetime and theory space are both one-dimensional. A useful feature we can immediately observe is that our system makes it very difficult for level crossing to occur.

Dielectrophoresis of Cells

PubMed Central

Pohl, Herbert A.; Crane, Joe S.

1971-01-01

Dielectrophoresis, the motion produced by the action of nonuniform electric field upon a neutral object, is shown to be a simple and useful technique for the study of cellular organisms. In the present study of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) using a simple pin-pin electrode system of platinum and high-frequency alternating fields, one observes that the collectability of cells at the electrode tip, i.e. at the region of highest field strength, depends upon physical parameters such as field strength, field uniformity, frequency, cell concentration, suspension conductivity, and time of collection. The yield of cells collected is also observed to depend upon biological factors such as colony age, thermal treatment of the cells, and chemical poisons, but not upon irradiation with ultraviolet light. Several interesting side effect phenomena coincident with nonuniform electric field conditions were observed, including stirring (related to “jet” effects at localized electrode sites), discontinuous repulsions, and cellular rotation which was found to be frequency dependent. ImagesFIGURE 2 PMID:5132497

THz field engineering in two-color femtosecond filaments using chirped and delayed laser pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, A.; González de Alaiza Martínez, P.; Thiele, I.; Skupin, S.; Bergé, L.

2018-03-01

We numerically study the influence of chirping and delaying several ionizing two-color light pulses in order to engineer terahertz (THz) wave generation in air. By means of comprehensive 3D simulations, it is shown that two chirped pulses can increase the THz yield when they are separated by a suitable time delay for the same laser energy in focused propagation geometry. To interpret these results, the local current theory is revisited and we propose an easy, accessible all-optical criterion that predicts the laser-to-THz conversion efficiencies given any input laser spectrum. In the filamentation regime, numerical simulations display evidence that a chirped pulse is able to produce more THz radiation due to propagation effects, which maintain the two colors of the laser field more efficiently coupled over long distances. A large delay between two pulses promotes multi-peaked THz spectra as well as conversion efficiencies above 10‑4.

Seabuckthorn: an underutilized resource for the nutritional security and livelihood improvement of rural communities in Uttarakhand Himalaya.

PubMed

Dhyani, Deepak; Maikhuri, Rakesh Kumar; Dhyani, Shalini

2011-01-01

Seabuckthorn (Hippophae salicifolia) is one of the potential underutilized plant species having huge multipurpose benefits including economic and ecological. Comparative study of fruit morphology, architecture, and juice yield productivity revealed that fruit berries of Seabuckthorn in Mana valley was found superior and can provide higher economic return than the berries of other plant species. Moreover, awareness programmes related to nutritional worth and development and demonstration of value added product resulted in economy generation for local inhabitants. Several countries are commercially and ecologically harnessing the potential of Seabuckthorn for livelihood enhancement and environmental conservation. Correspondingly, in Indian Himalayan region, Seabuckthorn plant can also offer benefits of nutrition, food, medicine, cosmetic, etc., to the rural people for their socioeconomic development. Findings presented here have important connotations in light of upcoming organic food and nutraceutical industries in the country. The current study will also help in developing value chain of Seabuckthorn in Uttarakhand.

Fabrication of near-field optical apertures in aluminium by a highly selective corrosion process in the evanescent field.

PubMed

Haefliger, D; Stemmer, A

2003-03-01

A simple, one-step process to fabricate high-quality apertures for scanning near-field optical microscope probes based on aluminium-coated silicon nitride cantilevers is presented. A thin evanescent optical field at a glass-water interface was used to heat the aluminium at the tip apex due to light absorption. The heat induced a breakdown of the passivating oxide layer and local corrosion of the metal, which selectively exposed the front-most part of the probe tip from the aluminium. Apertures with a protruding silicon nitride tip up to 72 nm in height were fabricated. The height of the protrusion was controlled by the extent of the evanescent field, whereas the diameter depended on the geometry of the probe substrate. The corrosion process proved to be self-terminating, yielding highly reproducible tip heights. Near-field optical resolution in a transmission mode of 85 nm was demonstrated.

The Confrontation between General Relativity and Experiment.

PubMed

Will, Clifford M

2014-01-01

The status of experimental tests of general relativity and of theoretical frameworks for analyzing them is reviewed and updated. Einstein's equivalence principle (EEP) is well supported by experiments such as the Eötvös experiment, tests of local Lorentz invariance and clock experiments. Ongoing tests of EEP and of the inverse square law are searching for new interactions arising from unification or quantum gravity. Tests of general relativity at the post-Newtonian level have reached high precision, including the light deflection, the Shapiro time delay, the perihelion advance of Mercury, the Nordtvedt effect in lunar motion, and frame-dragging. Gravitational wave damping has been detected in an amount that agrees with general relativity to better than half a percent using the Hulse-Taylor binary pulsar, and a growing family of other binary pulsar systems is yielding new tests, especially of strong-field effects. Current and future tests of relativity will center on strong gravity and gravitational waves.

The Hanle effect applied to magnetic field measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leroy, J. L.

1985-01-01

The Hanle effect is the modification by a local magnetic field of the polarization due to coherent scattering in spectral lines. It results from the precession of a classical oscillator about the magnetic field direction. The sophisticated quantum-mechanical treatment, which is required to compute the polarization parameters of scattered light, was developed. The main features of the Hanle effect concerning magnetic field measurements are: (1) a good sensitivity within the approximate range 0.1 B gamma rho to 10 B gamma rho where B gamma rho is the field strength yielding a Larmor period equal to the radiative lifetime, (2) there is no Hanle effect for field vectors parallel to the excitating beam, (3) the Hanle effect refers essentially to the linear polarization in a spectral line, (4) various points in the line profile are affected in the same way by change of linear polarization so that polarization parameters can be measured on the integrated line profile.

Silver-induced reconstruction of an adeninate-based metal-organic framework for encapsulation of luminescent adenine-stabilized silver clusters.

PubMed

Jonckheere, Dries; Coutino-Gonzalez, Eduardo; Baekelant, Wouter; Bueken, Bart; Reinsch, Helge; Stassen, Ivo; Fenwick, Oliver; Richard, Fanny; Samorì, Paolo; Ameloot, Rob; Hofkens, Johan; Roeffaers, Maarten B J; De Vos, Dirk E

2016-05-21

Bright luminescent silver-adenine species were successfully stabilized in the pores of the MOF-69A (zinc biphenyldicarboxylate) metal-organic framework, starting from the intrinsically blue luminescent bio-MOF-1 (zinc adeninate 4,4'-biphenyldicarboxylate). Bio-MOF-1 is transformed to the MOF-69A framework by selectively leaching structural adenine linkers from the original framework using silver nitrate solutions in aqueous ethanol. Simultaneously, bright blue-green luminescent silver-adenine clusters are formed inside the pores of the recrystallized MOF-69A matrix in high local concentrations. The structural transition and concurrent changes in optical properties were characterized using a range of structural, physicochemical and spectroscopic techniques (steady-state and time-resolved luminescence, quantum yield determination, fluorescence microscopy). The presented results open new avenues for exploring the use of MOFs containing luminescent silver clusters for solid-state lighting and sensor applications.

Photochemical Synthesis of Complex Carbazoles: Evaluation of Electronic Effects in Both UV- and Visible-Light Methods in Continuous Flow.

PubMed

Hernandez-Perez, Augusto C; Caron, Antoine; Collins, Shawn K

2015-11-09

An evaluation of both a visible-light- and UV-light-mediated synthesis of carbazoles from various triarylamines with differing electronic properties under continuous-flow conditions has been conducted. In general, triarylamines bearing electron-rich groups tend to produce higher yields than triarylamines possessing electron-withdrawing groups. The incorporation of nitrogen-based heterocycles, as well as halogen-containing arenes in carbazole skeletons, was well tolerated, and often synthetically useful complementarity was observed between the UV-light and visible-light (photoredox) methods. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Organic petrology of selected oil shale samples from lower Carboniferous Albert Formation, New Brunswick, Canada

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

Kalkreuth, W.; Macauley, G.

1984-04-01

Incident light microscopy was used to describe maturation and composition of organic material in oil shale samples from the Lower Carboniferous Albert Formation of New Brunswick. The maturation level was determined in normal (white) light by measuring vitrinite reflectance and in fluorescent light by measuring fluorescence spectral of alginite B. Results indicate low to intermediate maturation for all of the samples. Composition was determined by maceral analysis. Alginite B is the major organic component in all samples having significant oil potential. Oil yields obtained from the Fischer Assay process, and oil and gas potentials from Rock-Eval analyses correlate to themore » amounts of alginite B and bituminite determined in the samples. In some of the samples characterized by similar high concentrations of alginite B, decrease in Fischer Assay yields and oil and gas potentials is related to an increase in maturation, as expected by increase in the fluorescence parameter lambda/sub max/ and red/green quotient of alginite B. Incident light microscopy, particularly with fluorescent light, offers a valuable tool for the identification of the organic matter in oil shales and for the evaluation of their oil and gas potentials.« less

Tryptophan fluorescence in the Bacillus subtilis phototropin-related protein YtvA as a marker of interdomain interaction.

PubMed

Losi, Aba; Ternelli, Elena; Gärtner, Wolfgang

2004-01-01

The Bacillus subtilis protein YtvA, related to plant phototropins (phot), binds flavin mononucleotide (FMN) within the N-terminal light, oxygen and voltage (LOV) domain. The blue light-triggered photocycle of YtvA and phot involves the reversible formation of a covalent photoadduct between FMN and a cysteine (cys) residue. YtvA contains a single tryptophan, W103, localized on the LOV domain and conserved in all phot-LOV domains. In this study, we show that the fluorescence parameters of W103 in YtvA-LOV are markedly different from those observed in the full-length YtvA. The fluorescence quantum yields are ca 0.03 and 0.08, respectively. In YtvA-LOV, the maximum is redshifted (ca 345 vs 335 nm) and the average fluorescence lifetime shorter (2.7 vs 4.7 ns). These data indicate that W103 is located in a site of tight contact between the two domains of YtvA. In the FMN-cys adduct, selective excitation of W103 at 295 nm results in minimal changes of the fluorescence parameters with respect to the dark state. On 280 nm excitation, however, there is a detectable decrease in the fluorescence emitted from tyrosines, with concomitant increase in W103 fluorescence. This effect is reversible in the dark and might arise from a light-regulated energy transfer process from a yet unidentified tyrosine to W103.

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

Ordoñez, Antonio J.; Sarajedini, Ata; Yang, Soung-Chul, E-mail: a.ordonez@ufl.edu, E-mail: ata@astro.ufl.edu, E-mail: sczoo@kasi.re.kr

We present the first detailed study of the RR Lyrae variable population in the Local Group dSph/dIrr transition galaxy, Phoenix, using previously obtained HST/WFPC2 observations of the galaxy. We utilize template light curve fitting routines to obtain best fit light curves for RR Lyrae variables in Phoenix. Our technique has identified 78 highly probable RR Lyrae stars (54 ab-type; 24 c-type) with about 40 additional candidates. We find mean periods for the two populations of (P {sub ab}) = 0.60 ± 0.03 days and (P{sub c} ) = 0.353 ± 0.002 days. We use the properties of these light curvesmore » to extract, among other things, a metallicity distribution function for ab-type RR Lyrae. Our analysis yields a mean metallicity of ([Fe/H]) = –1.68 ± 0.06 dex for the RRab stars. From the mean period and metallicity calculated from the ab-type RR Lyrae, we conclude that Phoenix is more likely of intermediate Oosterhoff type; however the morphology of the Bailey diagram for Phoenix RR Lyraes appears similar to that of an Oosterhoff type I system. Using the RRab stars, we also study the chemical enrichment law for Phoenix. We find that our metallicity distribution is reasonably well fitted by a closed-box model. The parameters of this model are compatible with the findings of Hidalgo et al., further supporting the idea that Phoenix appears to have been chemically enriched as a closed-box-like system during the early stage of its formation and evolution.« less

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

Meddens, Marjolein B. M.; Liu, Sheng; Finnegan, Patrick S.

Here, we have developed a method for performing light-sheet microscopy with a single high numerical aperture lens by integrating reflective side walls into a microfluidic chip. These 45° side walls generate light-sheet illumination by reflecting a vertical light-sheet into the focal plane of the objective. Light-sheet illumination of cells loaded in the channels increases image quality in diffraction limited imaging via reduction of out-of-focus background light. Single molecule super-resolution is also improved by the decreased background resulting in better localization precision and decreased photo-bleaching, leading to more accepted localizations overall and higher quality images. Moreover, 2D and 3D single moleculemore » super-resolution data can be acquired faster by taking advantage of the increased illumination intensities as compared to wide field, in the focused light-sheet.« less

Super Dwarf Wheat for Growth in Confined Spaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bugbee, Bruce

2011-01-01

USU-Perigee is a dwarf red spring wheat that is a hybrid of a high-yield early tall wheat (USU-Apogee) and a low-yield, extremely short wheat that has poor agronomic characteristics. USU-Perigee was selected for its extremely short height (.0.3 m) and high yield . characteristics that make it suitable for growth in confined spaces in controlled environments. Other desirable characteristics include rapid development and resistance to a leaf-tip necrosis, associated with calcium deficiency, that occurs in other wheat cultivars under rapid-growth conditions (particularly, continuous light). Heads emerge after only 21 days of growth in continuous light at a constant temperature of 25 C. In tests, USU-Perigee was found to outyield other full dwarf (defined as <0.4 m tall) wheat cultivars: The yield advantage at a constant temperature of 23 C was found to be about 30 percent. Originally intended as a candidate food crop to be grown aboard spacecraft on long missions, this cultivar could also be grown in terrestrial growth chambers and could be useful for plant-physiology and -pathology studies.

Divergence between strength indicators in packaging and cigarette engineering: a case study of Marlboro varieties in Australia and the USA.

PubMed

King, Bill; Borland, Ron; Abdul-Salaam, Shadeed; Polzin, Gregory; Ashley, David; Watson, Clifford; O'Connor, Richard J

2010-10-01

To investigate how the tobacco industry is adapting to regulatory action in accordance with provisions of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control that targets misleading packaging and labelling. To relate the packaging and labelling of new cigarette varieties to their construction and performance. The principal design features and tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide yields of the Marlboro 'brand family' in Australia were measured and compared with those of the US equivalents. Marlboro Red and Blue/Medium, could not be differentiated in preliminary tests in Australia, but were different in the USA. However, yield testing showed Marlboro Blue/Medium did not have lower tar and nicotine yields in either country, indeed being higher in Australia. Colour can be used to market cigarettes as 'milder', independently of ISO yields and 'Light'/'Mild' descriptors. Banning of 'Light' and 'Mild' brand descriptors may be inadequate to end belief in less harmful cigarettes so long as the tobacco industry remains free to engineer 'mildness' and to use colours, other descriptors and design features to characterise varieties it wants to market as 'milder'.

Monitoring Crop Productivity over the U.S. Corn Belt using an Improved Light Use Efficiency Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, X.; Xiao, X.; Zhang, Y.; Qin, Y.; Doughty, R.

2017-12-01

Large-scale monitoring of crop yield is of great significance for forecasting food production and prices and ensuring food security. Satellite data that provide temporally and spatially continuous information that by themselves or in combination with other data or models, raises possibilities to monitor and understand agricultural productivity regionally. In this study, we first used an improved light use efficiency model-Vegetation Photosynthesis Model (VPM) to simulate the gross primary production (GPP). Model evaluation showed that the simulated GPP (GPPVPM) could well captured the spatio-temporal variation of GPP derived from FLUXNET sites. Then we applied the GPPVPM to further monitor crop productivity for corn and soybean over the U.S. Corn Belt and benchmarked with county-level crop yield statistics. We found VPM-based approach provides pretty good estimates (R2 = 0.88, slope = 1.03). We further showed the impacts of climate extremes on the crop productivity and carbon use efficiency. The study indicates the great potential of VPM in estimating crop yield and in understanding of crop yield responses to climate variability and change.

Dynamical Models of Elliptical Galaxies in z = 0.5 Clusters. I. Data-Model Comparison and Evolution of Galaxy Rotation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Marel, Roeland P.; van Dokkum, Pieter G.

2007-10-01

We present spatially resolved stellar rotation velocity and velocity dispersion profiles from Keck/LRIS absorption-line spectra for 25 galaxies, mostly visually classified ellipticals, in three clusters at z~0.5. We interpret the kinematical data and HST photometry using oblate axisymmetric two-integral f(E,Lz) dynamical models based on the Jeans equations. This yields good fits, provided that the seeing and observational characteristics are carefully modeled. The fits yield for each galaxy the dynamical mass-to-light ratio (M/L) and a measure of the galaxy rotation rate. Paper II addresses the implied M/L evolution. Here we study the rotation-rate evolution by comparison to a sample of local elliptical galaxies of similar present-day luminosity. The brightest galaxies in the sample all rotate too slowly to account for their flattening, as is also observed at z=0. But the average rotation rate is higher at z~0.5 than locally. This may be due to a higher fraction of misclassified S0 galaxies (although this effect is insufficient to explain the observed strong evolution of the cluster S0 fraction with redshift). Alternatively, dry mergers between early-type galaxies may have decreased the average rotation rate over time. It is unclear whether such mergers are numerous enough in clusters to explain the observed trend quantitatively. Disk-disk mergers may affect the comparison through the so-called ``progenitor bias,'' but this cannot explain the direction of the observed rotation-rate evolution. Additional samples are needed to constrain possible environmental dependencies and cosmic variance in galaxy rotation rates. Either way, studies of the internal stellar dynamics of distant galaxies provide a valuable new approach for exploring galaxy evolution.

Localization of a variational particle smoother

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morzfeld, M.; Hodyss, D.; Poterjoy, J.

2017-12-01

Given the success of 4D-variational methods (4D-Var) in numerical weather prediction,and recent efforts to merge ensemble Kalman filters with 4D-Var,we consider a method to merge particle methods and 4D-Var.This leads us to revisit variational particle smoothers (varPS).We study the collapse of varPS in high-dimensional problemsand show how it can be prevented by weight-localization.We test varPS on the Lorenz'96 model of dimensionsn=40, n=400, and n=2000.In our numerical experiments, weight localization prevents the collapse of the varPS,and we note that the varPS yields results comparable to ensemble formulations of 4D-variational methods,while it outperforms EnKF with tuned localization and inflation,and the localized standard particle filter.Additional numerical experiments suggest that using localized weights in varPS may not yield significant advantages over unweighted or linearizedsolutions in near-Gaussian problems.

On locally and nonlocally related potential systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheviakov, Alexei F.; Bluman, George W.

2010-07-01

For any partial differential equation (PDE) system, a local conservation law yields potential equations in terms of some potential variable, which normally is a nonlocal variable. The current paper examines situations when such a potential variable is a local variable, i.e., is a function of the independent and dependent variables of a given PDE system, and their derivatives. In the case of two independent variables, a simple necessary and sufficient condition is presented for the locality of such a potential variable, and this is illustrated by several examples. As a particular example, two-dimensional reductions of equilibrium equations for fluid and plasma dynamics are considered. It is shown that such reductions with respect to helical, axial, and translational symmetries have conservation laws which yield local potential variables. This leads to showing that the well-known Johnson-Frieman-Kruskal-Oberman (JFKO) and Bragg-Hawthorne (Grad-Shafranov) equations are locally related to the corresponding helically and axially symmetric PDE systems of fluid/plasma dynamics. For the axially symmetric case, local symmetry classifications and arising invariant solutions are compared for the original PDE system and the Bragg-Hawthorne (potential) equation. The potential equation is shown to have additional symmetries, denoted as restricted symmetries. Restricted symmetries leave invariant a family of solutions of a given PDE system but not the whole solution manifold, and hence are not symmetries of the given PDE system. Corresponding reductions are shown to yield solutions, which are not obtained as invariant solutions from local symmetry reduction.

Design of Amphoteric Refraction Models Using WAVICA and RAYICA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Su, Richard

2004-01-01

The phenomenon of refraction of light is due to refractive index mismatches in two different media. However, to achieve this effect, a finite reflection loss is inevitable. A recent finding presented a unique type of interface, ferroelastic materials, that enables refraction without any reflection for either an electron or a light beam. This property is called total refraction. The same type of interface that yields total refraction can also yield amphoteric refraction, where the index of refraction can be either positive or negative depending on the incident angle. This interface could potentially be used to steer light without reflections which could have major applications in high power optics. My goal this summer is to first familiarize myself with the Mathematica software, especially the Wavica and Rayica packages. I will then model the amphoteric refraction by either modifying the Wavica and Rayica packages or using the built-in functions in these packages.

LSS 2018: A double-lined spectroscopic binary central star with an extremely large reflection effect

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Drilling, J. S.

1985-01-01

LSS 2018, the central star of the planetry nebulae DS1, was found to be a double-lined spectroscopic binary with a period of 8.571 hours. Light variations with the same period were observed in U, B, and V; in the wavelength regions defined by the two IUE cameras; and in the strength of the CIII 4647 emission line. The light variations can be accurately predicted by a simple reflection effect, and an analysis of the light curves yields the angular diameter and effective temperature of the primary, the radii of the two stars in terms of their separation, and the inclination of the system. Analysis of the radial velocities then yields the masses of the two stars, their separation, the distance of the system, the absolute magnitude of the primary, and the size of the nebula.

Luminescent carbon quantum dots with high quantum yield as a single white converter for white light emitting diodes

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

Feng, X. T.; Zhang, Y.; Liu, X. G., E-mail: liuxuguang@tyut.edu.cn

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) with high quantum yield (51.4%) were synthesized by a one-step hydrothermal method using thiosalicylic acid and ethylenediamine as precursor. The CQDs have the average diameter of 2.3 nm and possess excitation-independent emission wavelength in the range from 320 to 440 nm excitation. Under an ultraviolet (UV) excitation, the CQDs aqueous solutions emit bright blue fluorescence directly and exhibit broad emission with a high spectral component ratio of 67.4% (blue to red intensity to total intensity). We applied the CQDs as a single white-light converter for white light emitting diodes (WLEDs) using a UV-LED chip as the excitation lightmore » source. The resulted WLED shows superior performance with corresponding color temperature of 5227 K and the color coordinates of (0.34, 0.38) belonging to the white gamut.« less

Photocatalysis using a Wide Range of the Visible Light Spectrum: Hydrogen Evolution from Doped AgGaS2.

PubMed

Yamato, Kohei; Iwase, Akihide; Kudo, Akihiko

2015-09-07

Doping of nickel into AgGaS2 yields a new absorption band, at a wavelength longer than the intrinsic absorption band of the AgGaS2 host. The doped nickel forms an electron donor level in a forbidden band of AgGaS2 . The nickel-doped AgGaS2 with rhodium co-catalyst shows photocatalytic activity for sacrificial H2 evolution under the light of up to 760 nm due to the transition from the electron donor level consisting of Ni(2+) to the conduction band of AgGaS2 . Apparent quantum yields for the sacrificial H2 evolution at 540-620 nm are about 1 %. Moreover, the nickel-doped AgGa0.75 In0.25 S2 also responds to near-IR light, up to 900 nm. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Visible-light-driven chemoselective hydrogenation of nitroarenes to anilines in water via graphitic carbon nitride metal-free photocatalysis.

PubMed

Xiao, Gang; Li, Peifeng; Zhao, Yilin; Xu, Shengnan; Su, Haijia

2018-05-20

Green and efficient procedures are highly required for the chemoselective hydrogenation of functionalized nitroarenes to industrially important anilines. Here, we show that visible-light-driven, chemoselective hydrogenation of functionalized nitroarenes bearing the sensitive groups to anilines can be achieved in good to excellent yields (82-100%) in water under relatively mild conditions, catalyzed by low-cost and recyclable graphitic carbon nitride. It is also applicable in gram-scale reaction with 86% yield of aniline. Mechanism study reveals that visible light induced electrons are responsible for the hydrogenation reactions and thermal energy can also promote the photocatalytic activity. Kinetics study shows that this reaction possibly occurs via one-step hydrogenation or stepwise condensation route. Wide applications can be expected using this green, efficient, and highly selective photocatalysis system in reduction reactions for fine chemical synthesis. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Growth of Nd doped (Lu, Gd)3(Ga, Al)5O12 single crystal by the micro pulling down method and their scintillation properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamada, Kei; Kurosawa, Shunsuke; Yamaji, Akihiro; Shoji, Yasuhiro; Pejchal, Jan; Ohashi, Yuji; Yokota, Yuui; Yoshikawa, Akira

2015-03-01

Nd 1 mol% doped (Lu, Gd)3(Ga, Al)5O12 (LGGAG) single crystals were grown by the micro-pulling down (μ-PD) method. Luminescence and scintillation properties such as absorption, excitation and emission spectra, light yield and decay time were evaluated. Nd1%:Lu3Al5O12 showed the highest light output of around 8200 photons/MeV among the grown crystals. Scintillation decay time of Nd:Y3Al5O12 was 1.32 μs (36%) 2.02 μs (64%). Nd:Lu3Ga3Al2O12 was relatively high dense scintillator of 7.38 g/cm3 with good light yield of 6800 photons/MeV and scintillation decay time of 0.20 μs (5%) 2.60 μs (95%).

Soft-collinear supersymmetry

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

Cohen, Timothy; Elor, Gilly; Larkoski, Andrew J.

Soft-Collinear E ective Theory (SCET) is a framework for modeling the infrared structure of theories whose long distance behavior is dominated by soft and collinear divergences. This paper demonstrates that SCET can be made compatible with supersymmetry (SUSY). Explicitly, the e ective Lagrangian for N = 1 SUSY Yang-Mills is constructed and shown to be a complete description for the infrared of this model. For contrast, we also construct the e ective Lagrangian for chiral SUSY theories with Yukawa couplings, speci cally the single avor Wess-Zumino model. Only a subset of the infrared divergences are reproduced by the Lagrangian |more » to account for the complete low energy description requires the inclusion of local operators. SCET is formulated by expanding elds along a light-like direction and then subsequently integrating out degrees-of-freedom that are away from the light-cone. De ning the theory with respect to a speci c frame obfuscates Lorentz invariance | given that SUSY is a space-time symmetry, this presents a possible obstruction. The cleanest language with which to expose the congruence between SUSY and SCET requires exploring two novel formalisms: collinear fermions as two-component Weyl spinors, and SCET in light-cone gauge. By expressing SUSY Yang- Mills in \\collinear superspace", a slice of superspace derived by integrating out half the fermionic coordinates, the light-cone gauge SUSY SCET theory can be written in terms of super elds. As a byproduct, bootstrapping up to the full theory yields the rst algorithmic approach for determining the SUSY Yang-Mills on-shell superspace action. As a result, this work paves the way toward discovering the e ective theory for the collinear limit of N = 4 SUSY Yang-Mills.« less

Soft-collinear supersymmetry

DOE PAGES

Cohen, Timothy; Elor, Gilly; Larkoski, Andrew J.

2017-03-03

Soft-Collinear E ective Theory (SCET) is a framework for modeling the infrared structure of theories whose long distance behavior is dominated by soft and collinear divergences. This paper demonstrates that SCET can be made compatible with supersymmetry (SUSY). Explicitly, the e ective Lagrangian for N = 1 SUSY Yang-Mills is constructed and shown to be a complete description for the infrared of this model. For contrast, we also construct the e ective Lagrangian for chiral SUSY theories with Yukawa couplings, speci cally the single avor Wess-Zumino model. Only a subset of the infrared divergences are reproduced by the Lagrangian |more » to account for the complete low energy description requires the inclusion of local operators. SCET is formulated by expanding elds along a light-like direction and then subsequently integrating out degrees-of-freedom that are away from the light-cone. De ning the theory with respect to a speci c frame obfuscates Lorentz invariance | given that SUSY is a space-time symmetry, this presents a possible obstruction. The cleanest language with which to expose the congruence between SUSY and SCET requires exploring two novel formalisms: collinear fermions as two-component Weyl spinors, and SCET in light-cone gauge. By expressing SUSY Yang- Mills in \\collinear superspace", a slice of superspace derived by integrating out half the fermionic coordinates, the light-cone gauge SUSY SCET theory can be written in terms of super elds. As a byproduct, bootstrapping up to the full theory yields the rst algorithmic approach for determining the SUSY Yang-Mills on-shell superspace action. As a result, this work paves the way toward discovering the e ective theory for the collinear limit of N = 4 SUSY Yang-Mills.« less

Infrared absorption spectroscopy and sensing of protein monolayers using high performance enhancing substrates and a mobile phone (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dana, Aykutlu; Ayas, Sencer; Bakan, Gokhan; Ozgur, Erol; Guner, Hasan; Celebi, Kemal

2016-09-01

Infrared absorption spectroscopy has greatly benefited from the electromagnetic field enhancement offered by plasmonic surfaces. However, because of the localized nature of plasmonic fields, such field enhancements are limited to nm-scale volumes. Here, we demonstrate that a relatively small, but spatially-uniform field enhancement can yield a superior infrared detection performance compared to the plasmonic field enhancement exhibited by optimized infrared nanoantennas. A specifically designed CaF2/Al thin film surface is shown to enable observation of stronger vibrational signals from the probe material, with wider bandwidth and a deeper spatial extent of the field enhancement as compared to optimized plasmonic surfaces. It is demonstrated that the surface structure presented here can enable chemically specific and label-free detection of organic monolayers using surface enhanced infrared spectroscopy. Also, a low cost hand held infrared absorption measurement setup is demonstrated using a miniature bolometric sensor and a mobile phone. A specifically designed grating in combination with an IR light source yields an IR spectrometer covering 7-12 um range, with about 100 cm-1 resolution. Combining the enhancing substrates with the spectroscopy setup, low cost, high sensitivity mobile infrared sensing is enabled. The results have implications in homeland security and environmental monitoring as well as chemical analysis.

The melatonin action on stromal stem cells within pericryptal area in colon cancer model under constant light

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

Kannen, Vinicius, E-mail: kannen71@yahoo.com.br; Marini, Tassiana; Zanette, Dalila L.

Research highlights: {yields} We investigated melatonin against the malignant effects of constant light. {yields} Melatonin supplementation increased its serum levels and its receptor expression. {yields} Melatonin decreased cancer stem cells and dysplastic injuries in colon tissue. {yields} Melatonin controlled proliferative process and apoptosis induction. -- Abstract: Constant light (LL) is associated with high incidence of colon cancer. MLT supplementation was related to the significant control of preneoplastic patterns. We sought to analyze preneoplastic patterns in colon tissue from animals exposed to LL environment (14 days; 300 lx), MLT-supplementation (10 mg/kg/day) and DMH-treatment (1,2 dimethylhydrazine; 125 mg/kg). Rodents were sacrificed andmore » MLT serum levels were measured by radioimmunoassay. Our results indicated that LL induced ACF development (p < 0.001) with a great potential to increase the number of CD133(+) and CD68(+) cells (p < 0.05 and p < 0.001). LL also increased the proliferative process (PCNA-Li; p < 0.001) as well as decreased caspase-3 protein (p < 0.001), related to higher COX-2 protein expression (p < 0.001) within pericryptal colonic stroma (PCCS). However, MLT-supplementation controlled the development of dysplastic ACF (p < 0.001) diminishing preneoplastic patterns into PCCS as CD133 and CD68 (p < 0.05 and p < 0.001). These events were relative to decreased PCNA-Li index and higher expression of caspase-3 protein. Thus, MLT showed a great potential to control the preneoplastic patterns induced by LL.« less

Single objective light-sheet microscopy for high-speed whole-cell 3D super-resolution

DOE PAGES

Meddens, Marjolein B. M.; Liu, Sheng; Finnegan, Patrick S.; ...

2016-01-01

Here, we have developed a method for performing light-sheet microscopy with a single high numerical aperture lens by integrating reflective side walls into a microfluidic chip. These 45° side walls generate light-sheet illumination by reflecting a vertical light-sheet into the focal plane of the objective. Light-sheet illumination of cells loaded in the channels increases image quality in diffraction limited imaging via reduction of out-of-focus background light. Single molecule super-resolution is also improved by the decreased background resulting in better localization precision and decreased photo-bleaching, leading to more accepted localizations overall and higher quality images. Moreover, 2D and 3D single moleculemore » super-resolution data can be acquired faster by taking advantage of the increased illumination intensities as compared to wide field, in the focused light-sheet.« less

Photothermal fabrication of microscale patterned DNA hydrogels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimomura, Suguru; Nishimura, Takahiro; Ogura, Yusuke; Tanida, Jun

2018-02-01

This paper introduces a method for fabricating microscale DNA hydrogels using irradiation with patterned light. Optical fabrication allows for the flexible and tunable formation of DNA hydrogels without changing the environmental conditions. Our scheme is based on local heat generation via the photothermal effect, which is induced by light irradiation on a quenching species. We demonstrate experimentally that, depending on the power and irradiation time, light irradiation enables the creation of local microscale DNA hydrogels, while the shapes of the DNA hydrogels are controlled by the irradiation patterns.

Experimental Investigation on the Mechanical Instability of Superelastic NiTi Shape Memory Alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Yao; Zeng, Pan; Lei, Liping

2016-09-01

In this paper, primary attention is paid to the mechanical instability of superelastic NiTi shape memory alloy (SMA) during localized forward transformation at different temperatures. By inhibiting the localized phase transformation, we can obtain the up-down-up mechanical response of NiTi SMA, which is closely related to the intrinsic material softening during localized martensitic transformation. Furthermore, the material parameters of the up-down-up stress-strain curve are extracted, in such a way that this database can be utilized for simulation and validation of the theoretical analysis. It is found that during forward transformation, the upper yield stress, lower yield stress, Maxwell stress, and nucleation stress of NiTi SMA exhibit linear dependence on temperature. The relation between nucleation stress and temperature can be explained by the famous Clausius-Clapeyron equation, while the relation between upper/lower yield stress and temperature lacks theoretical study, which needs further investigation.

Hadronic light-by-light scattering contribution to the muon anomalous magnetic moment from lattice QCD

DOE PAGES

Blum, Thomas; Chowdhury, Saumitra; Hayakawa, Masashi; ...

2015-01-07

The form factor that yields the light-by-light scattering contribution to the muon anomalous magnetic moment is computed in lattice QCD+QED and QED. A non-perturbative treatment of QED is used and is checked against perturbation theory. The hadronic contribution is calculated for unphysical quark and muon masses, and only the diagram with a single quark loop is computed. Statistically significant signals are obtained. Initial results appear promising, and the prospect for a complete calculation with physical masses and controlled errors is discussed.

Photosynthetic Properties and Potentials for Improvement of Photosynthesis in Pale Green Leaf Rice under High Light Conditions

PubMed Central

Gu, Junfei; Zhou, Zhenxiang; Li, Zhikang; Chen, Ying; Wang, Zhiqin; Zhang, Hao; Yang, Jianchang

2017-01-01

Light is the driving force of plant growth, providing the energy required for photosynthesis. However, photosynthesis is also vulnerable to light-induced damage caused by the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Plants have therefore evolved various protective mechanisms such as non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) to dissipate excessively absorbed solar energy as heat; however, photoinhibition and NPQ represent a significant loss in solar energy and photosynthetic efficiency, which lowers the yield potential in crops. To estimate light capture and light energy conversion in rice, a genotype with pale green leaves (pgl) and a normally pigmented control (Z802) were subjected to high (HL) and low light (LL). Chlorophyll content, light absorption, chloroplast micrographs, abundance of light-harvesting complex (LHC) binding proteins, electron transport rates (ETR), photochemical and non-photochemical quenching, and generation of ROS were subsequently examined. Pgl had a smaller size of light-harvesting chlorophyll antenna and absorbed less photons than Z802. NPQ and the generation of ROS were also low, while photosystem II efficiency and ETR were high, resulting in improved photosynthesis and less photoinhibition in pgl than Z802. Chlorophyll synthesis and solar conversion efficiency were higher in pgl under HL compared to LL treatment, while Z802 showed an opposite trend due to the high level of photoinhibition under HL. In Z802, excessive absorption of solar energy not only increased the generation of ROS and NPQ, but also exacerbated the effects of increases in temperature, causing midday depression in photosynthesis. These results suggest that photosynthesis and yield potential in rice could be enhanced by truncated light-harvesting chlorophyll antenna size. PMID:28676818

Variation in sensitivity of large benthic Foraminifera to the combined effects of ocean warming and local impacts.

PubMed

Prazeres, Martina; Roberts, T Edward; Pandolfi, John M

2017-03-23

Large benthic foraminifera (LBF) are crucial marine calcifiers in coral reefs, and sensitive to environmental changes. Yet, many species successfully colonise a wide range of habitats including highly fluctuating environments. We tested the combined effects of ocean warming, local impacts and different light levels on populations of the common LBF Amphistegina lobifera collected along a cross-shelf gradient of temperature and nutrients fluctuations. We analysed survivorship, bleaching frequency, chlorophyll a content and fecundity. Elevated temperature and nitrate significantly reduced survivorship and fecundity of A. lobifera across populations studied. This pattern was exacerbated when combined with below optimum light levels. Inshore populations showed a consistent resistance to increased temperature and nitrate levels, but all populations studied were significantly affected by light reduction. These findings demonstrated the capacity of some populations of LBF to acclimate to local conditions; nonetheless improvements in local water quality can ultimately ameliorate effects of climate change in local LBF populations.

Backward optical gain originating from weak localization strengthened three-photon process in Er/Yb co-doped (Pb,La)(Zr,Ti)O₃ ceramics.

PubMed

Xu, Caixia; Zhang, Jingwen; Zou, Yingyin K; Zhao, Hua

2016-03-21

The enhancement of green upconverted emission from the Er³⁺/Yb³⁺ co-doped (Pb,La)(Zr,Ti)O₃ ceramic powder under a pumping light with a wavelength of 1480 nm was observed to be greater than 30 times that from the bulk of the same sample. Weak localization of light supported by the spatial profile of scattered light facilitated the three-photon process contributing to stronger green upconverted emission. Significant backward light amplification was also observed and studied in detail. Additionally, the distribution of the localization zones in the sample was investigated using a probing laser beam with a wavelength of 532 nm. The findings in this work could be used in improving the solar cell efficiency, modulating color, and designing smart devices.

Locally-enhanced light scattering by a monocrystalline silicon wafer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Li; Zhang, Pan; Li, Zhen-Hua; Liu, Chun-Xiang; Li, Xing; Zhan, Zi-Jun; Ren, Xiao-Rong; He, Chang-Wei; Chen, Chao; Cheng, Chuan-Fu

2018-03-01

We study the optical properties of light scattering by a monocrystalline silicon wafer, by using transparent material to replicate its surface structure and illuminating a fabricated sample with a laser source. The experimental results show that the scattering field contains four spots of concentrated intensity with high local energy, and these spots are distributed at the four vertices of a square with lines of intensity linking adjacent spots. After discussing simulations of and theory about the formation of this light scattering, we conclude that the scattering field is formed by the effects of both geometrical optics and physical optics. Moreover, we calculate the central angle of the spots in the light field, and the result indicates that the locally-enhanced intensity spots have a definite scattering angle. These results may possibly provide a method for improving energy efficiency within mono-Si based solar cells.

Low-power light guiding and localization in optoplasmonic chains obtained by directed self-assembly

DOE PAGES

Ahn, Wonmi; Zhao, Xin; Hong, Yan; ...

2016-03-02

Here, optoplasmonic structures contain plasmonic components embedded in a defined photonic environment to create synergistic interactions between photonic and plasmonic components. Here, we show that chains of optical microspheres containing gold nanoparticles in their evanescent field combine the light guiding properties of a microsphere chain with the light localizing properties of a plasmonic nanoantenna. We implement these materials through template guided self-assembly and investigate their fundamental electromagnetic working principles through combination of electromagnetic simulations and experimental characterization. We demonstrate that optoplasmonic chains implemented by directed self-assembly achieve a significant reduction in guiding losses when compared with conventional plasmonic waveguides and,more » at the same time, retain the light localizing properties of plasmonic antennas at pre-defined locations. The results reinforce the potential of optoplasmonic structures for realizing low-loss optical interconnects with high bandwidth.« less

Perfect absorption in nanotextured thin films via Anderson-localized photon modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aeschlimann, Martin; Brixner, Tobias; Differt, Dominik; Heinzmann, Ulrich; Hensen, Matthias; Kramer, Christian; Lükermann, Florian; Melchior, Pascal; Pfeiffer, Walter; Piecuch, Martin; Schneider, Christian; Stiebig, Helmut; Strüber, Christian; Thielen, Philip

2015-10-01

The enhancement of light absorption in absorber layers is crucial in a number of applications, including photovoltaics and thermoelectrics. The efficient use of natural resources and physical constraints such as limited charge extraction in photovoltaic devices require thin but efficient absorbers. Among the many different strategies used, light diffraction and light localization at randomly nanotextured interfaces have been proposed to improve absorption. Although already exploited in commercial devices, the enhancement mechanism for devices with nanotextured interfaces is still subject to debate. Using coherent two-dimensional nanoscopy and coherent light scattering, we demonstrate the existence of localized photonic states in nanotextured amorphous silicon layers as used in commercial thin-film solar cells. Resonant absorption in these states accounts for the enhanced absorption in the long-wavelength cutoff region. Our observations establish that Anderson localization—that is, strong localization—is a highly efficient resonant absorption enhancement mechanism offering interesting opportunities for the design of efficient future absorber layers.

Optimization of 6LiF:ZnS(Ag) scintillator light yield using GEANT4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yehuda-Zada, Y.; Pritchard, K.; Ziegler, J. B.; Cooksey, C.; Siebein, K.; Jackson, M.; Hurlbut, C.; Kadmon, Y.; Cohen, Y.; Ibberson, R. M.; Majkrzak, C. F.; Maliszewskyj, N. C.; Orion, I.; Osovizky, A.

2018-06-01

A new cold neutron detector has been developed at the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) for the CANDoR (Chromatic Analysis Neutron Diffractometer or Reflectometer) project. Geometric and performance constraints dictate that this detector be exceptionally thin (∼ 2 mm). For this reason, the design of the detector consists of a 6LiF:ZnS(Ag) scintillator with embedded wavelength shifting (WLS) fibers. We used the GEANT4 package to simulate neutron capture and light transport in the detector to optimize the composition and arrangement of materials to satisfy the competing requirements of high neutron capture probability and light production and transport. In the process, we have developed a method for predicting light collection and total neutron detection efficiency for different detector configurations. The simulation was performed by adjusting crucial parameters such as the scintillator stoichiometry, light yield, component grain size, WLS fiber geometry, and reflectors at the outside edges of the scintillator volume. Three different detector configurations were fabricated and their test results were correlated with the simulations. Through this correlation we have managed to find a common photon threshold for the different detector configurations which was then used to simulate and predict the efficiencies for many other detector configurations. New detectors that have been fabricated based on simulation results yielding the desired sensitivity of 90% for 3.27 meV (5 Å) cold neutrons. The simulation has proven to be a useful tool by dramatically reducing the development period and the required number of detector prototypes. It can be used to test new designs with different thicknesses and different target neutron energies.

Chiral Plasmonic Nanostructures Fabricated by Circularly Polarized Light.

PubMed

Saito, Koichiro; Tatsuma, Tetsu

2018-05-09

The chirality of materials results in a wide variety of advanced technologies including image display, data storage, light management including negative refraction, and enantioselective catalysis and sensing. Here, we introduce chirality to plasmonic nanostructures by using circularly polarized light as the sole chiral source for the first time. Gold nanocuboids as precursors on a semiconductor were irradiated with circularly polarized light to localize electric fields at specific corners of the cuboids depending on the handedness of light and deposited dielectric moieties as electron oscillation boosters by the localized electric field. Thus, plasmonic nanostructures with high chirality were developed. The present bottom-up method would allow the large-scale and cost-effective fabrication of chiral materials and further applications to functional materials and devices.

Effect of postmortem aging on marination performance of broiler breast pectoralis major categorized by color lightness

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The objective was to evaluate the effect of postmortem aging on marinade uptake and retention by early-deboned chicken breast fillets with different color lightness. Effects of marination on product yield and muscle shear force were also determined. Early deboned (2 h postmortem) broiler butterflies...

Microarray and growth analyses identify differences and similarities of early corn response to weeds, shade, and nitrogen stress

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Weed interference with crop growth is often attributed to water, nutrient, or light competition; however, specific physiological responses to these stresses are not well described. This study’s objective was to compare growth, yield, and gene expression responses of corn to nitrogen (N), low light (...

Detecting an Extended Light Source through a Lens

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Litaker, E. T.; Machacek, J. R.; Gay, T. J.

2011-01-01

We present a Monte Carlo simulation of a cylindrical luminescent volume and a typical lens-detector system. The results of this simulation yield a graphically simple picture of the regions within the cylindrical volume from which this system detects light. Because the cylindrical volume permits large angles of incidence, we use a modification of…

Canopy Light Interception of a Conventional and an Erect Leaf Mutant Sorghum

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Two sorghum lines, an erect leafed mutant sorghum and the wild type from which the mutant was generated, were field grown in rectilinear arrays at low (23 plants per square meter) and high (10 plants per square meter) population densities. Canopy light interception, biomass accretion and yield were ...

Dark Hair and Light Eyes in Female College Students: A Potential Biologic Marker for Liability to Psychopathology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cohen, David B.

1978-01-01

Informal observation suggested that dark-haired/light eyed females (target group) might have a liability to psychopathology. Questionnaire data obtained from eight large undergraduate classes during a four year period (1974-77) yielded consistently higher percentages of target group individuals reporting hospitalization of first-degree relatives…

Light-mediated self-organization of sunflower stands increases oil yield in the field

PubMed Central

López Pereira, Mónica; Sadras, Victor O.; Batista, William; Casal, Jorge J.; Hall, Antonio J.

2017-01-01

Here, we show a unique crop response to intraspecific interference, whereby neighboring sunflower plants in a row avoid each other by growing toward a more favorable light environment and collectively increase production per unit land area. In high-density stands, a given plant inclined toward one side of the interrow space, and the immediate neighbors inclined in the opposite direction. This process started early as an incipient inclination of pioneer plants, and the arrangement propagated gradually as a “wave” of alternate inclination that persisted until maturity. Measurements and experimental manipulation of light spectral composition indicate that these responses are mediated by changes in the red/far-red ratio of the light, which is perceived by phytochrome. Cellular automata simulations reproduced the patterns of stem inclination in field experiments, supporting the proposition of self-organization of stand structure. Under high crop population densities (10 and 14 plants per m2), as yet unachievable in commercial farms with current hybrids due to lodging and diseases, self-organized crops yielded between 19 and 47% more oil than crops forced to remain erect. PMID:28696316

Light-mediated self-organization of sunflower stands increases oil yield in the field.

PubMed

López Pereira, Mónica; Sadras, Victor O; Batista, William; Casal, Jorge J; Hall, Antonio J

2017-07-25

Here, we show a unique crop response to intraspecific interference, whereby neighboring sunflower plants in a row avoid each other by growing toward a more favorable light environment and collectively increase production per unit land area. In high-density stands, a given plant inclined toward one side of the interrow space, and the immediate neighbors inclined in the opposite direction. This process started early as an incipient inclination of pioneer plants, and the arrangement propagated gradually as a "wave" of alternate inclination that persisted until maturity. Measurements and experimental manipulation of light spectral composition indicate that these responses are mediated by changes in the red/far-red ratio of the light, which is perceived by phytochrome. Cellular automata simulations reproduced the patterns of stem inclination in field experiments, supporting the proposition of self-organization of stand structure. Under high crop population densities (10 and 14 plants per m 2 ), as yet unachievable in commercial farms with current hybrids due to lodging and diseases, self-organized crops yielded between 19 and 47% more oil than crops forced to remain erect.

Effects of aging on identifying emotions conveyed by point-light walkers.

PubMed

Spencer, Justine M Y; Sekuler, Allison B; Bennett, Patrick J; Giese, Martin A; Pilz, Karin S

2016-02-01

The visual system is able to recognize human motion simply from point lights attached to the major joints of an actor. Moreover, it has been shown that younger adults are able to recognize emotions from such dynamic point-light displays. Previous research has suggested that the ability to perceive emotional stimuli changes with age. For example, it has been shown that older adults are impaired in recognizing emotional expressions from static faces. In addition, it has been shown that older adults have difficulties perceiving visual motion, which might be helpful to recognize emotions from point-light displays. In the current study, 4 experiments were completed in which older and younger adults were asked to identify 3 emotions (happy, sad, and angry) displayed by 4 types of point-light walkers: upright and inverted normal walkers, which contained both local motion and global form information; upright scrambled walkers, which contained only local motion information; and upright random-position walkers, which contained only global form information. Overall, emotion discrimination accuracy was lower in older participants compared with younger participants, specifically when identifying sad and angry point-light walkers. In addition, observers in both age groups were able to recognize emotions from all types of point-light walkers, suggesting that both older and younger adults are able to recognize emotions from point-light walkers on the basis of local motion or global form. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Reducing pressure on natural forests through high-yield forestry

Treesearch

W.T. Gladstone; F. Thomas Ledig

1990-01-01

High-yield forestry can make a valuable contribution to the conservation and sustained use of forest ecosystems. Despite the pressing reasons for conserving forest resources, population growth creates pressures for exploiting them. Unless needs for forest products, export credits, and local employment can be met by new devices, such as high-yield forestry, these...

Light focusing in the Anderson regime.

PubMed

Leonetti, Marco; Karbasi, Salman; Mafi, Arash; Conti, Claudio

2014-07-29

Anderson localization is a regime in which diffusion is inhibited and waves (also electromagnetic waves) get localized. Here we exploit adaptive optics to achieve focusing in disordered optical fibres in the Anderson regime. By wavefront shaping and optimization, we observe the generation of a propagation-invariant beam, where light is trapped transversally by disorder, and show that Anderson localizations can be also excited by extended speckled beams. We demonstrate that disordered fibres allow a more efficient focusing action with respect to standard fibres in a way independent of their length, because of the propagation-invariant features and cooperative action of transverse localizations.

Deconstructing mammal dispersals and faunal dynamics in SW Europe during the Quaternary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palombo, Maria Rita

2014-07-01

This research aims to investigate the relationships between climate change and faunal dynamics in south-west Europe, disentangling the asynchronous and diachronous dispersal bioevents of large mammals across geographical and ecological boundaries, analysing biodiversity and its changes through time. The analysis of local versus regional biological dynamics may shed new light on whether turnovers and ecological and evolutionary changes developed because of global climate changes and related phenomena, or because of intrinsic biological factors. The SW European Quaternary fossil record is particularly suitable for studying the role of climate change at local and regional levels because of the complex physiographic and climatic heterogeneity of the study area, the presence of important geographical/ecological barriers and the complex history of invasions of species of varying geographical origin and provenance. The data base consists of taxonomically revised lists of large mammal species from selected SW European local faunal assemblages ranging in age from the Early to the late Middle Pleistocene (middle Villafranchian to early Aurelian European Land Mammal Ages). The new biochronological scheme proposed here allows for the comparison of local turnovers and biodiversity trends, yielding a better understanding of the action of geographical/ecological barriers that either prevented the range of some taxa from reaching some regions or caused delays in the dispersal of a taxon in some territories. The results obtained provide evidence that major environmental perturbations, triggering dispersal events and removing keystone species, modified the structure of the pre-existing mammalian faunas, merging previously independently-evolved taxa into new palaeo-communities. The coupled action of climatic changes and internal biotic dynamics thus caused the Quaternary SW European faunal complexes to significantly restructure. Diachroneity in local turnover across the study area probably relates to differences in local dynamic patterns of competition/coevolution, although different manifestations of global climate changes in different geographic settings would have contributed to the scale of local bioevents.

The Involvement of the Oxidative Stress in Murine Blue LED Light-Induced Retinal Damage Model.

PubMed

Nakamura, Maho; Kuse, Yoshiki; Tsuruma, Kazuhiro; Shimazawa, Masamitsu; Hara, Hideaki

2017-01-01

The aim of study was to establish a mouse model of blue light emitting diode (LED) light-induced retinal damage and to evaluate the effects of the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC). Mice were exposed to 400 or 800 lx blue LED light for 2 h, and were evaluated for retinal damage 5 d later by electroretinogram amplitude and outer nuclear layer (ONL) thickness. Additionally, we investigated the effect of blue LED light exposure on shorts-wave-sensitive opsin (S-opsin), and rhodopsin expression by immunohistochemistry. Blue LED light induced light intensity dependent retinal damage and led to collapse of S-opsin and altered rhodopsin localization from inner and outer segments to ONL. Conversely, NAC administered at 100 or 250 mg/kg intraperitoneally twice a day, before dark adaptation and before light exposure. NAC protected the blue LED light-induced retinal damage in a dose-dependent manner. Further, blue LED light-induced decreasing of S-opsin levels and altered rhodopsin localization, which were suppressed by NAC. We established a mouse model of blue LED light-induced retinal damage and these findings indicated that oxidative stress was partially involved in blue LED light-induced retinal damage.

Mapping local deformation behavior in single cell metal lattice structures

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

Carlton, Holly D.; Lind, Jonathan; Messner, Mark C.

The deformation behavior of metal lattice structures is extremely complex and challenging to predict, especially since strain is not uniformly distributed throughout the structure. Understanding and predicting the failure behavior for these types of light-weighting structures is of great interest due to the excellent scaling of stiffness- and strength-to weight ratios they display. Therefore, there is a need to perform simplified experiments that probe unit cell mechanisms. This study reports on high resolution mapping of the heterogeneous structural response of single unit cells to the macro-scale loading condition. Two types of structures, known to show different stress-strain responses, were evaluatedmore » using synchrotron radiation micro-tomography while performing in-situ uniaxial compression tests to capture the local micro-strain deformation. These structures included the octet-truss, a stretch-dominated lattice, and the rhombic-dodecahedron, a bend-dominated lattice. The tomographic analysis showed that the stretch- and bend-dominated lattices exhibit different failure mechanisms and that the defects built into the structure cause a heterogeneous localized deformation response. Also shown here is a change in failure mode for stretch-dominated lattices, where there appears to be a transition from buckling to plastic yielding for samples with a relative density between 10 and 20%. In conclusion, the experimental results were also used to inform computational studies designed to predict the mesoscale deformation behavior of lattice structures. Here an equivalent continuum model and a finite element model were used to predict both local strain fields and mechanical behavior of lattices with different topologies.« less

mLASSO-Hum: A LASSO-based interpretable human-protein subcellular localization predictor.

PubMed

Wan, Shibiao; Mak, Man-Wai; Kung, Sun-Yuan

2015-10-07

Knowing the subcellular compartments of human proteins is essential to shed light on the mechanisms of a broad range of human diseases. In computational methods for protein subcellular localization, knowledge-based methods (especially gene ontology (GO) based methods) are known to perform better than sequence-based methods. However, existing GO-based predictors often lack interpretability and suffer from overfitting due to the high dimensionality of feature vectors. To address these problems, this paper proposes an interpretable multi-label predictor, namely mLASSO-Hum, which can yield sparse and interpretable solutions for large-scale prediction of human protein subcellular localization. By using the one-vs-rest LASSO-based classifiers, 87 out of more than 8000 GO terms are found to play more significant roles in determining the subcellular localization. Based on these 87 essential GO terms, we can decide not only where a protein resides within a cell, but also why it is located there. To further exploit information from the remaining GO terms, a method based on the GO hierarchical information derived from the depth distance of GO terms is proposed. Experimental results show that mLASSO-Hum performs significantly better than state-of-the-art predictors. We also found that in addition to the GO terms from the cellular component category, GO terms from the other two categories also play important roles in the final classification decisions. For readers' convenience, the mLASSO-Hum server is available online at http://bioinfo.eie.polyu.edu.hk/mLASSOHumServer/. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mapping local deformation behavior in single cell metal lattice structures

DOE PAGES

Carlton, Holly D.; Lind, Jonathan; Messner, Mark C.; ...

2017-02-08

The deformation behavior of metal lattice structures is extremely complex and challenging to predict, especially since strain is not uniformly distributed throughout the structure. Understanding and predicting the failure behavior for these types of light-weighting structures is of great interest due to the excellent scaling of stiffness- and strength-to weight ratios they display. Therefore, there is a need to perform simplified experiments that probe unit cell mechanisms. This study reports on high resolution mapping of the heterogeneous structural response of single unit cells to the macro-scale loading condition. Two types of structures, known to show different stress-strain responses, were evaluatedmore » using synchrotron radiation micro-tomography while performing in-situ uniaxial compression tests to capture the local micro-strain deformation. These structures included the octet-truss, a stretch-dominated lattice, and the rhombic-dodecahedron, a bend-dominated lattice. The tomographic analysis showed that the stretch- and bend-dominated lattices exhibit different failure mechanisms and that the defects built into the structure cause a heterogeneous localized deformation response. Also shown here is a change in failure mode for stretch-dominated lattices, where there appears to be a transition from buckling to plastic yielding for samples with a relative density between 10 and 20%. In conclusion, the experimental results were also used to inform computational studies designed to predict the mesoscale deformation behavior of lattice structures. Here an equivalent continuum model and a finite element model were used to predict both local strain fields and mechanical behavior of lattices with different topologies.« less

Dark recovery of the Chl a fluorescence transient (OJIP) after light adaptation: the qT-component of non-photochemical quenching is related to an activated photosystem I acceptor side.

PubMed

Schansker, Gert; Tóth, Szilvia Z; Strasser, Reto J

2006-07-01

The dark recovery kinetics of the Chl a fluorescence transient (OJIP) after 15 min light adaptation were studied and interpreted with the help of simultaneously measured 820 nm transmission. The kinetics of the changes in the shape of the OJIP transient were related to the kinetics of the qE and qT components of non-photochemical quenching. The dark-relaxation of the qE coincided with a general increase of the fluorescence yield. Light adaptation caused the disappearance of the IP-phase (20-200 ms) of the OJIP-transient. The qT correlated with the recovery of the IP-phase and with a recovery of the re-reduction of P700(+) and oxidized plastocyanin in the 20-200 ms time-range as derived from 820 nm transmission measurements. On the basis of these observations, the qT is interpreted to represent the inactivation kinetics of ferredoxin-NADP(+)-reductase (FNR). The activation state of FNR affects the fluorescence yield via its effect on the electron flow. The qT therefore represents a form of photochemical quenching. Increasing the light intensity of the probe pulse from 1800 to 15000 mumol photons m(-2) s(-1) did not qualitatively change the results. The presented observations imply that in light-adapted leaves, it is not possible to 'close' all reaction centers with a strong light pulse. This supports the hypothesis that in addition to Q(A) a second modulator of the fluorescence yield located on the acceptor side of photosystem II (e.g., the occupancy of the Q(B)-site) is needed to explain these results. Besides, some of our results indicate that in pea leaves state 2 to 1 transitions may contribute to the qI-phase.

Achieving Passive Localization with Traffic Light Schedules in Urban Road Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Niu, Qiang; Yang, Xu; Gao, Shouwan; Chen, Pengpeng; Chan, Shibing

2016-01-01

Localization is crucial for the monitoring applications of cities, such as road monitoring, environment surveillance, vehicle tracking, etc. In urban road sensor networks, sensors are often sparely deployed due to the hardware cost. Under this sparse deployment, sensors cannot communicate with each other via ranging hardware or one-hop connectivity, rendering the existing localization solutions ineffective. To address this issue, this paper proposes a novel Traffic Lights Schedule-based localization algorithm (TLS), which is built on the fact that vehicles move through the intersection with a known traffic light schedule. We can first obtain the law by binary vehicle detection time stamps and describe the law as a matrix, called a detection matrix. At the same time, we can also use the known traffic light information to construct the matrices, which can be formed as a collection called a known matrix collection. The detection matrix is then matched in the known matrix collection for identifying where sensors are located on urban roads. We evaluate our algorithm by extensive simulation. The results show that the localization accuracy of intersection sensors can reach more than 90%. In addition, we compare it with a state-of-the-art algorithm and prove that it has a wider operational region. PMID:27735871

Global form and motion processing in healthy ageing.

PubMed

Agnew, Hannah C; Phillips, Louise H; Pilz, Karin S

2016-05-01

The ability to perceive biological motion has been shown to deteriorate with age, and it is assumed that older adults rely more on the global form than local motion information when processing point-light walkers. Further, it has been suggested that biological motion processing in ageing is related to a form-based global processing bias. Here, we investigated the relationship between older adults' preference for form information when processing point-light actions and an age-related form-based global processing bias. In a first task, we asked older (>60years) and younger adults (19-23years) to sequentially match three different point-light actions; normal actions that contained local motion and global form information, scrambled actions that contained primarily local motion information, and random-position actions that contained primarily global form information. Both age groups overall performed above chance in all three conditions, and were more accurate for actions that contained global form information. For random-position actions, older adults were less accurate than younger adults but there was no age-difference for normal or scrambled actions. These results indicate that both age groups rely more on global form than local motion to match point-light actions, but can use local motion on its own to match point-light actions. In a second task, we investigated form-based global processing biases using the Navon task. In general, participants were better at discriminating the local letters but faster at discriminating global letters. Correlations showed that there was no significant linear relationship between performance in the Navon task and biological motion processing, which suggests that processing biases in form- and motion-based tasks are unrelated. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Advances of two-stage riser catalytic cracking of heavy oil for maximizing propylene yield (TMP) process.

PubMed

Chaohe, Yang; Xiaobo, Chen; Jinhong, Zhang; Chunyi, Li; Honghong, Shan

Two-stage riser catalytic cracking of heavy oil for maximizing propylene yield (TMP) process proposed by State Key Laboratory of Heavy oil Processing, China University of Petroleum, can remarkably enhance the propylene yield and minimize the dry gas and coke yields, and obtain high-quality light oils (gasoline and diesel). It has been commercialized since 2006. Up to now, three TMP commercial units have been put into production and other four commercial units are under design and construction. The commercial data showed that taking paraffinic based Daqing (China) atmospheric residue as the feedstock, the propylene yield reached 20.31 wt%, the liquid products yield (the total yield of liquefied petroleum gas, gasoline, and diesel) was 82.66 wt%, and the total yield of dry gas and coke was 14.28 wt%. Moreover, the research octane number of gasoline could be up to 96.

Growing root, tuber and nut crops hydroponically for CELSS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hill, W. A.; Mortley, D. G.; Loretan, P. A.; Bonsi, C. K.; Morris, C. E.; Mackowiak, C. L.; Wheeler, R. M.; Tibbitts, T. W.

1992-01-01

Among the crops selected by NASA for growth in controlled ecological life-support systems are four that have subsurface edible parts: potatoes, sweet potatoes, sugar beets and peanuts. These crops can be produced in open and closed (recirculating), solid media and liquid, hydroponic systems. Fluorescent, fluorescent plus incandescent, and high-pressure sodium-plus-metal-halide lamps have proven to be effective light sources. Continuous light with 16-C and 28/22-C (day/night) temperatures produce highest yields for potato and sweet potato, respectively. Dry weight yields of up to 4685, 2541, 1151 and 207 g/sq m for potatoes, sweet potatoes, sugar beets and peanuts, respectively, are produced in controlled environment hydroponic systems.

Visible-light-induced two-electron-transfer photoreductions on CdS: Effects of morphology

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

Shiragami, Tsutomu; Pac, Chyongjin; Yanagida, Shozo

1990-01-25

Freshly prepared CdS suspensions (CdS-O) consisting of quantized particles and their loose aggregation catalyze photoreductions of aromatic ketones and olefins in methanol under visible light irradiation using triethylamine as sacrificial electron donor, yielding alcohols and dihydro compounds, respectively, which are more selective than photocatalysis of commercially available crystalline CdS (Aldrich) (CdS-Ald). Deuterium incorporation experiments in photolysis of dimethyl maleate in methanol-O-D revealed that CdS-O catalyzes sequential two-electron-transfer photoreduction, affording dideuterated dimethyl succinate, while CdS-Ald induces both photoreduction and photoisomerization through disproportionation between one-electron-transfer-reduction intermediates, yielding much trideuterated dimethyl succinate and monodeuterated dimethyl fumarate and maleate.

Recording epileptic activity with MEG in a light-weight magnetic shield.

PubMed

De Tiège, Xavier; Op de Beeck, Marc; Funke, Michael; Legros, Benjamin; Parkkonen, Lauri; Goldman, Serge; Van Bogaert, Patrick

2008-12-01

Ten patients with focal epilepsy were studied with magnetoencephalography (MEG) to determine if a new light-weight magnetically shielded room (lMSR) provides sufficient attenuation of magnetic interference to detect and localize the magnetic correlates of epileptic activity. Interictal MEG epileptic events co-localizing with the presumed location of the epileptogenic zone were found in all patients. MEG measurements performed in the lMSR provide an adequate signal-to-noise ratio for non-invasive localization of epileptic foci.

The Development of Visible-Light Photoredox Catalysis in Flow.

PubMed

Garlets, Zachary J; Nguyen, John D; Stephenson, Corey R J

2014-04-01

Visible-light photoredox catalysis has recently emerged as a viable alternative for radical reactions otherwise carried out with tin and boron reagents. It has been recognized that by merging photoredox catalysis with flow chemistry, slow reaction times, lower yields, and safety concerns may be obviated. While flow reactors have been successfully applied to reactions carried out with UV light, only recent developments have demonstrated the same potential of flow reactors for the improvement of visible-light-mediated reactions. This review examines the initial and continuing development of visible-light-mediated photoredox flow chemistry by exemplifying the benefits of flow chemistry compared with conventional batch techniques.

The Development of Visible-Light Photoredox Catalysis in Flow

PubMed Central

Garlets, Zachary J.; Nguyen, John D.

2014-01-01

Visible-light photoredox catalysis has recently emerged as a viable alternative for radical reactions otherwise carried out with tin and boron reagents. It has been recognized that by merging photoredox catalysis with flow chemistry, slow reaction times, lower yields, and safety concerns may be obviated. While flow reactors have been successfully applied to reactions carried out with UV light, only recent developments have demonstrated the same potential of flow reactors for the improvement of visible-light-mediated reactions. This review examines the initial and continuing development of visible-light-mediated photoredox flow chemistry by exemplifying the benefits of flow chemistry compared with conventional batch techniques. PMID:25484447

Rational Design of Porous Conjugated Polymers and Roles of Residual Palladium for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production.

PubMed

Li, Lianwei; Cai, Zhengxu; Wu, Qinghe; Lo, Wai-Yip; Zhang, Na; Chen, Lin X; Yu, Luping

2016-06-22

Developing highly efficient photocatalyts for water splitting is one of the grand challenges in solar energy conversion. Here, we report the rational design and synthesis of porous conjugated polymer (PCP) that photocatalytically generates hydrogen from water splitting. The design mimics natural photosynthetics systems with conjugated polymer component to harvest photons and the transition metal part to facilitate catalytic activities. A series of PCPs have been synthesized with different light harvesting chromophores and transition metal binding bipyridyl (bpy) sites. The photocatalytic activity of these bpy-containing PCPs can be greatly enhanced due to the improved light absorption, better wettability, local ordering structure, and the improved charge separation process. The PCP made of strong and fully conjugated donor chromophore DBD (M4) shows the highest hydrogen production rate at ∼33 μmol/h. The results indicate that copolymerization between a strong electron donor and weak electron acceptor into the same polymer chain is a useful strategy for developing efficient photocatalysts. This study also reveals that the residual palladium in the PCP networks plays a key role for the catalytic performance. The hydrogen generation activity of PCP photocatalyst can be further enhanced to 164 μmol/h with an apparent quantum yield of 1.8% at 350 nm by loading 2 wt % of extra platinum cocatalyst.

Tailored Emission Properties of ZnTe/ZnTe:O/ZnO Core-Shell Nanowires Coupled with an Al Plasmonic Bowtie Antenna Array.

PubMed

Nie, Kui-Ying; Tu, Xuecou; Li, Jing; Chen, Xuanhu; Ren, Fang-Fang; Zhang, Guo-Gang; Kang, Lin; Gu, Shulin; Zhang, Rong; Wu, Peiheng; Zheng, Youdou; Tan, Hark Hoe; Jagadish, Chennupati; Ye, Jiandong

2018-06-14

The ability to manipulate light-matter interaction in semiconducting nanostructures is fascinating for implementing functionalities in advanced optoelectronic devices. Here, we report the tailoring of radiative emissions in a ZnTe/ZnTe:O/ZnO core-shell single nanowire coupled with a one-dimensional aluminum bowtie antenna array. The plasmonic antenna enables changes in the excitation and emission processes, leading to an obvious enhancement of near band edge emission (2.2 eV) and subgap excitonic emission (1.7 eV) bound to intermediate band states in a ZnTe/ZnTe:O/ZnO core-shell nanowire as well as surface-enhanced Raman scattering at room temperature. The increase of emission decay rate in the nanowire/antenna system, probed by time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy, yields an observable enhancement of quantum efficiency induced by local surface plasmon resonance. Electromagnetic simulations agree well with the experimental observations, revealing a combined effect of enhanced electric near-field intensity and the improvement of quantum efficiency in the ZnTe/ZnTe:O/ZnO nanowire/antenna system. The capability of tailoring light-matter interaction in low-efficient emitters may provide an alternative platform for designing advanced optoelectronic and sensing devices with precisely controlled response.

Method for accurate quantitation of background tissue optical properties in the presence of emission from a strong fluorescence marker

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bravo, Jaime; Davis, Scott C.; Roberts, David W.; Paulsen, Keith D.; Kanick, Stephen C.

2015-03-01

Quantification of targeted fluorescence markers during neurosurgery has the potential to improve and standardize surgical distinction between normal and cancerous tissues. However, quantitative analysis of marker fluorescence is complicated by tissue background absorption and scattering properties. Correction algorithms that transform raw fluorescence intensity into quantitative units, independent of absorption and scattering, require a paired measurement of localized white light reflectance to provide estimates of the optical properties. This study focuses on the unique problem of developing a spectral analysis algorithm to extract tissue absorption and scattering properties from white light spectra that contain contributions from both elastically scattered photons and fluorescence emission from a strong fluorophore (i.e. fluorescein). A fiber-optic reflectance device was used to perform measurements in a small set of optical phantoms, constructed with Intralipid (1% lipid), whole blood (1% volume fraction) and fluorescein (0.16-10 μg/mL). Results show that the novel spectral analysis algorithm yields accurate estimates of tissue parameters independent of fluorescein concentration, with relative errors of blood volume fraction, blood oxygenation fraction (BOF), and the reduced scattering coefficient (at 521 nm) of <7%, <1%, and <22%, respectively. These data represent a first step towards quantification of fluorescein in tissue in vivo.

Theoretical Analysis of Cancer Detection in the Human Breast by Transillumination.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-12-01

wavelength spectrum and increases in the near infrared. In 1983, Bartrum and Crow (5:409) reported that transillumination light scanning can yield clinical ...results comparable to mamnography if Athe personnel who are interpreting light scan images are trained and have some knowledge of other clinical data...related to the patient. When -4- QW !N N 11111111 ’ 1111111! I iil 11 l~ i m the light scan interpreter is blind to other relevant clinical data, a

Branch point reconstructors for discontinuous light phase functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Bigot, Eric O.; Wild, Walter J.; Kibblewhite, Edward J.

1998-09-01

The study of phase discontinuities caused by atmospheric turbulence is a recent research topic; their study might yield significant improvements in high-quality adaptive optics systems, laser weapons and laser communication. We present in this paper an introduction to discontinuities in the light phase. We also provide a geometrical description of phase discontinuities, a study of their effect on Hartmann-Shack sensor measurements, as well as algorithms for measuring discontinuous light phases and the position of phase discontinuities.

High Color Rendering Index White-Light Emission from UV-Driven LEDs Based on Single Luminescent Materials: Two-Dimensional Perovskites (C6H5C2H4NH3)2PbBr xCl4- x.

PubMed

Yang, Shuming; Lin, Zhenghuan; Wang, Jingwei; Chen, Yunxiang; Liu, Zhengde; Yang, E; Zhang, Jian; Ling, Qidan

2018-05-09

Two-dimensional (2D) white-light-emitting hybrid perovskites (WHPs) are promising active materials for single-component white-light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) driven by UV. However, the reported WHPs exhibit low quantum yields (≤9%) and low color rendering index (CRI) values less than 85, which does not satisfy the demand of solid-state lighting applications. In this work, we report a series of mixed-halide 2D layered WHPs (C 6 H 5 C 2 H 4 NH 3 ) 2 PbBr x Cl 4- x (0 < x < 4) obtained from the phenethylammonium cation. Unlike the reported WHPs including (C 6 H 5 C 2 H 4 NH 3 ) 2 PbCl 4 , the mixed-halide perovskites display morphology-dependent white emission for the different extents of self-absorption. Additionally, the amount of Br has a huge influence on the photophysical properties of mixed-halide WHPs. With the increasing content of Br, the quantum yields of WHPs increase gradually from 0.2 to 16.9%, accompanied by tunable color temperatures ranging from 4000 K ("warm" white light) to 7000 K ("cold" white light). When applied to the WLEDs, the mixed-halide perovskite powders exhibit tunable white electroluminescent emission with very high CRI of 87-91.

Narrowband infrared emitters for combat ID

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pralle, Martin U.; Puscasu, Irina; Daly, James; Fallon, Keith; Loges, Peter; Greenwald, Anton; Johnson, Edward

2007-04-01

There is a strong desire to create narrowband infrared light sources as personnel beacons for application in infrared Identify Friend or Foe (IFF) systems. This demand has augmented dramatically in recent years with the reports of friendly fire casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq. ICx Photonics' photonic crystal enhanced TM (PCE TM) infrared emitter technology affords the possibility of creating narrowband IR light sources tuned to specific IR wavebands (near 1-2 microns, mid 3-5 microns, and long 8-12 microns) making it the ideal solution for infrared IFF. This technology is based on a metal coated 2D photonic crystal of air holes in a silicon substrate. Upon thermal excitation the photonic crystal modifies the emitted yielding narrowband IR light with center wavelength commensurate with the periodicity of the lattice. We have integrated this technology with microhotplate MEMS devices to yield 15mW IR light sources in the 3-5 micron waveband with wall plug efficiencies in excess of 10%, 2 orders of magnitude more efficient that conventional IR LEDs. We have further extended this technology into the LWIR with a light source that produces 9 mW of 8-12 micron light at an efficiency of 8%. Viewing distances >500 meters were observed with fielded camera technologies, ideal for ground to ground troop identification. When grouped into an emitter panel, the viewing distances were extended to 5 miles, ideal for ground to air identification.

Testing soil-like substrate for growing plants in bioregenerative life support systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gros, J. B.; Lasseur, Ch.; Tikhomirov, A. A.; Manukovsky, N. S.; Kovalev, V. S.; Ushakova, S. A.; Zolotukhin, I. G.; Tirranen, L. S.; Karnachuk, R. A.; Dorofeev, V. Yu.

We studied soil-like substrate (SLS) as a potential candidate for plant cultivation in bioregenerative life support systems (BLSS). The SLS was obtained by successive conversion of wheat straw by oyster mushrooms and worms. Mature SLS contained 9.5% humic acids and 4.9% fulvic acids. First, it was shown that wheat, bean and cucumber yields as well as radish yields when cultivated on mature SLS were comparable to yields obtained on a neutral substrate (expanded clay aggregate) under hydroponics. Second, the possibility of increasing wheat and radish yields on the SLS was assessed at three levels of light intensity: 690, 920 and 1150 μmol m -2 s -1 of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). The highest wheat yield was obtained at 920 μmol m -2 s -1, while radish yield increased steadily with increasing light intensity. Third, long-term SLS fertility was tested in a BLSS model with mineral and organic matter recycling. Eight cycles of wheat and 13 cycles of radish cultivation were carried out on the SLS in the experimental system. Correlation coefficients between SLS nitrogen content and total wheat biomass and grain yield were 0.92 and 0.97, respectively, and correlation coefficients between nitrogen content and total radish biomass and edible root yield were 0.88 and 0.87, respectively. Changes in hormone content (auxins, gibberellins, cytokinins and abscisic acid) in the SLS during matter recycling did not reduce plant productivity. Quantitative and species compositions of the SLS and irrigation water microflora were also investigated. Microbial community analysis of the SLS showed bacteria from Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Proteus, Nocardia, Mycobacterium, Arthrobacter and Enterobacter genera, and fungi from Trichoderma, Penicillium, Fusarium, Aspergillus, Mucor, Botrytis, and Cladosporium genera.

Continuous light affects mineralization and delays osteoid incorporation in vertebral bone of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.).

PubMed

Wargelius, Anna; Fjelldal, Per Gunnar; Nordgarden, Ulla; Hansen, Tom

2009-03-01

In order to study the effects of photoperiod on fish bone, Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) were exposed to two light regimes (natural and continuous light) from January until June. During the experimental period, several parameters related to the inorganic (minerals) and organic (osteoid) phases were measured. Changes in the organic phase were related to mechanical strength (yield-load) and the expression of the genes sonic hedgehog (shh) and collagen type I alpha 2 (col I). Co-variation between yield-load and the expression of both shh and col I were detected in both groups. It was also shown that fish on the continuous light regime had delayed activation of osteoid incorporation. Mineralization properties were measured with stiffness, mineral incorporation per day and expression of alkaline phosphatase (alp) and matrix Gla protein (mgp). Stiffness, mineral incorporation and gene expression followed the same trend in both light groups in late spring, whereas an increase in the expression of mgp and alp was detected in April, followed by significantly higher stiffness at last sampling in both light groups. These results indicate that constant light affects mineralization and delays osteoid incorporation in Atlantic salmon during the spring. However, in this experiment light treatment did not promote the development of vertebral deformities. Our results also suggest that shh can be used as a marker of osteoblast proliferation and col I a marker of osteoid incorporation, and that both alp and mgp expression could be associated with a rapid increase in mineralization in Atlantic salmon vertebrae.

SU-E-J-197: A Novel Optical Interstitial Fiber Spectroscopic System for Real-Time Tissue Micro-Vascular Hemodynamics Monitoring.

PubMed

Zhao, D; Campos, D; Yan, Y; Kimple, R; Jacques, S; van der Kogel, A; Kissick, M

2012-06-01

To demonstrate a novel interstitial optical fiber spectroscopic system, based on diffuse optical spectroscopies with spectral fitting, for the simultaneous monitoring of tumor blood volume and oxygen tension. The technique provides real-time, minimally-invasive and quantification of tissue micro-vascular hemodynamics. An optical fiber prototype probe characterizesthe optical transport in tissue between two large Numerical Aperture (NA) fibers of 200μm core diameter (BFH37-200, ThorLabs) spaced 3-mm apart. Two 21-Ga medical needles are used to protect fiber ends and to facilitate tissue penetration with minimum local blunt trauma in nude mice with xenografts. A 20W white light source (HL-2000-HP, Ocean Optics) is coupled to one fiber with SMA adapter. The other fiber is used to collect light, which is coupled into the spectrometer (QE65000 with Spectrasuite Operating software and OmniDriver, Ocean Optics). The wavelength response of the probe depends on the wavelength dependence of the light source, and of the light signal collection that includes considerable scatter, modeled with Monte-Carlo techniques (S. Jacques 2010 J. of Innov. Opt. Health Sci. 2 123-9). Measured spectra of tissue are normalized by a measured spectrum of a white standard, yielding the transmission spectrum. A head-and-neck xenograft on the flank of a live mouse is used for development. The optical fiber probe delivers and collects light at an arbitrary depth in the tumor. By spectral fitting of the measured transmission spectrum, an analysis of blood volume and oxygen tension is obtained from the fitting parameters in real time. A newly developed optical fiber spectroscopic system with an optical fiber probe takes spectroscopic techniques to a much deeper level in a tumor, which has potential applications for real-time monitoring hypoxic cell population dynamics for an eventual adaptive therapy metric of particular use in hypofractionated radiotherapy. © 2012 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

Methodology for extracting local constants from petroleum cracking flows

DOEpatents

Chang, Shen-Lin; Lottes, Steven A.; Zhou, Chenn Q.

2000-01-01

A methodology provides for the extraction of local chemical kinetic model constants for use in a reacting flow computational fluid dynamics (CFD) computer code with chemical kinetic computations to optimize the operating conditions or design of the system, including retrofit design improvements to existing systems. The coupled CFD and kinetic computer code are used in combination with data obtained from a matrix of experimental tests to extract the kinetic constants. Local fluid dynamic effects are implicitly included in the extracted local kinetic constants for each particular application system to which the methodology is applied. The extracted local kinetic model constants work well over a fairly broad range of operating conditions for specific and complex reaction sets in specific and complex reactor systems. While disclosed in terms of use in a Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) riser, the inventive methodology has application in virtually any reaction set to extract constants for any particular application and reaction set formulation. The methodology includes the step of: (1) selecting the test data sets for various conditions; (2) establishing the general trend of the parametric effect on the measured product yields; (3) calculating product yields for the selected test conditions using coupled computational fluid dynamics and chemical kinetics; (4) adjusting the local kinetic constants to match calculated product yields with experimental data; and (5) validating the determined set of local kinetic constants by comparing the calculated results with experimental data from additional test runs at different operating conditions.

Efficient visibility encoding for dynamic illumination in direct volume rendering.

PubMed

Kronander, Joel; Jönsson, Daniel; Löw, Joakim; Ljung, Patric; Ynnerman, Anders; Unger, Jonas

2012-03-01

We present an algorithm that enables real-time dynamic shading in direct volume rendering using general lighting, including directional lights, point lights, and environment maps. Real-time performance is achieved by encoding local and global volumetric visibility using spherical harmonic (SH) basis functions stored in an efficient multiresolution grid over the extent of the volume. Our method enables high-frequency shadows in the spatial domain, but is limited to a low-frequency approximation of visibility and illumination in the angular domain. In a first pass, level of detail (LOD) selection in the grid is based on the current transfer function setting. This enables rapid online computation and SH projection of the local spherical distribution of visibility information. Using a piecewise integration of the SH coefficients over the local regions, the global visibility within the volume is then computed. By representing the light sources using their SH projections, the integral over lighting, visibility, and isotropic phase functions can be efficiently computed during rendering. The utility of our method is demonstrated in several examples showing the generality and interactive performance of the approach.

Universality and depinning models for plastic yield in amorphous materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Budrikis, Zoe; Fernandez Castellano, David; Sandfeld, Stefan; Zaiser, Michael; Zapperi, Stefano

Plastic yield in amorphous materials occurs as a result of complex collective dynamics of local reorganizations, which gives rise to rich phenomena such as strain localization, intermittent dynamics and power-law distributed avalanches. While such systems have received considerable attention, both theoretical and experimental, controversy remains over the nature of the yielding transition. We present a new fully-tensorial coarsegrained model in 2D and 3D, and demonstrate that the exponents describing avalanche distributions are universal under a variety of loading conditions, system dimensionality and size, and boundary conditions. Our results show that while depinning-type models in general are apt to describe the system, mean field depinning models are not.

Light quality affects flavonoid production and related gene expression in Cyclocarya paliurus.

PubMed

Liu, Yang; Fang, Shengzuo; Yang, Wanxia; Shang, Xulan; Fu, Xiangxiang

2018-02-01

Understanding the responses of plant growth and secondary metabolites to differential light conditions is very important to optimize cultivation conditions of medicinal woody plants. As a highly valued and multiple function tree species, Cyclocarya paliurus is planted and managed for timber production and medical use. In this study, LED-based light including white light (WL), blue light (BL), red light (RL), and green light (GL) were used to affect leaf biomass production, flavonoid accumulation and related gene expression of one-year C. paliurus seedlings in controlled environments. After the treatments of 60 days, the highest leaf biomass appeared in the treatment of WL, while the lowest leaf biomass was found under GL. Compared to WL, the total flavonoid contents of C. paliurus leaves were significantly higher in BL, RL, and GL, but the highest values of selected flavonoids (kaempferol, isoquercitrin and quercetin) were observed under BL. Furthermore, the greatest yields of total and selected flavonoids in C. paliurus leaves per seedling were also achieved under BL, indicating that blue light was effective for inducing the production of flavonoids in C. paliurus leaves. Pearson's correlation analysis showed that there were significantly positive correlations between leaf flavonoid content and relative gene expression of key enzymes (phenylalanine ammonia lyase, PAL; 4-coumaroyl CoA-ligase, 4CL; and chalcone synthase, CHS) in the upstream, which converting phenylalanine into the flavonoid skeleton of tetrahydroxy chalcone. It is concluded that manipulating light quality may be potential mean to achieve the highest yields of flavonoids in C. paliurus cultivation, however this needs to be further verified by more field trials. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Exploring Relationships between Canopy Architecture, Light Distribution, and Photosynthesis in Contrasting Rice Genotypes Using 3D Canopy Reconstruction

PubMed Central

Burgess, Alexandra J.; Retkute, Renata; Herman, Tiara; Murchie, Erik H.

2017-01-01

The arrangement of leaf material is critical in determining the light environment, and subsequently the photosynthetic productivity of complex crop canopies. However, links between specific canopy architectural traits and photosynthetic productivity across a wide genetic background are poorly understood for field grown crops. The architecture of five genetically diverse rice varieties—four parental founders of a multi-parent advanced generation intercross (MAGIC) population plus a high yielding Philippine variety (IR64)—was captured at two different growth stages using a method for digital plant reconstruction based on stereocameras. Ray tracing was employed to explore the effects of canopy architecture on the resulting light environment in high-resolution, whilst gas exchange measurements were combined with an empirical model of photosynthesis to calculate an estimated carbon gain and total light interception. To further test the impact of different dynamic light patterns on photosynthetic properties, an empirical model of photosynthetic acclimation was employed to predict the optimal light-saturated photosynthesis rate (Pmax) throughout canopy depth, hypothesizing that light is the sole determinant of productivity in these conditions. First, we show that a plant type with steeper leaf angles allows more efficient penetration of light into lower canopy layers and this, in turn, leads to a greater photosynthetic potential. Second the predicted optimal Pmax responds in a manner that is consistent with fractional interception and leaf area index across this germplasm. However, measured Pmax, especially in lower layers, was consistently higher than the optimal Pmax indicating factors other than light determine photosynthesis profiles. Lastly, varieties with more upright architecture exhibit higher maximum quantum yield of photosynthesis indicating a canopy-level impact on photosynthetic efficiency. PMID:28567045

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

Wei, Hua; Du, Mao -Hua; Stand, Luis

Scintillators attract wide research interest for their distinct applications in radiation detection. Elpasolite halides are among the most promising scintillators due to their high structural symmetry and good scintillation performance. A better understanding of their underlying scintillation mechanism opens up possibilities in scintillator development. In this work, we employ a variety of experimental techniques to study the two mixed-anion elpasolites Cs 2Na RBr 3I 3 ( R = La, Y). The emission of intrinsic Cs 2Na RBr 3I 3 with a light yield ranging from 20 000 to 40 000 ph / MeV is dominant by self-trapped exciton emission. Partialmore » substitution of R with Ce introduces a competing emission, the Ce 3+ 5d-to-4f radiative transition. Ab initio calculations are performed to investigate the electronic structures as well as the binding energies of polarons in Cs 2Na RBr 6. The calculated large self-trapped exciton binding energies are consistent with the observed high light yield due to self-trapped exciton (STE) emission. The unique electronic structure of halide elpasolites as calculated enhances the STE stability and the STE emission. The highly tunable scintillation properties of mixed-anion elpasolites underscore the role of their complex scintillation mechanism. Furthermore, our study provides guidance for the design of elpasolite scintillators with exceptional energy resolution and light yield desirable for applications.« less

Quantifying the effect of Tmax extreme events on local adaptation to climate change of maize crop in Andalusia for the 21st century

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gabaldon, Clara; Lorite, Ignacio J.; Ines Minguez, M.; Lizaso, Jon; Dosio, Alessandro; Sanchez, Enrique; Ruiz-Ramos, Margarita

2015-04-01

Extreme events of Tmax can threaten maize production on Andalusia (Ruiz-Ramos et al., 2011). The objective of this work is to attempt a quantification of the effects of Tmax extreme events on the previously identified (Gabaldón et al., 2013) local adaptation strategies to climate change of irrigated maize crop in Andalusia for the first half of the 21st century. This study is focused on five Andalusia locations. Local adaptation strategies identified consisted on combinations of changes on sowing dates and choice of cultivar (Gabaldón et al., 2013). Modified cultivar features were the duration of phenological phases and the grain filling rate. The phenological and yield simulations with the adaptative changes were obtained from a modelling chain: current simulated climate and future climate scenarios (2013-2050) were taken from a group of regional climate models at high resolution (25 km) from the European Project ENSEMBLES (http://www.ensembles-eu.org/). After bias correcting these data for temperature and precipitation (Dosio and Paruolo, 2011; Dosio et al., 2012) crop simulations were generated by the CERES-maize model (Jones and Kiniry, 1986) under DSSAT platform, previously calibrated and validated. Quantification of the effects of extreme Tmax on maize yield was computed for different phenological stages following Teixeira et al. (2013). A heat stress index was computed; this index assumes that yield-damage intensity due to heat stress increases linearly from 0.0 at a critical temperature to a maximum of 1.0 at a limit temperature. The decrease of crop yield is then computed by a normalized production damage index which combines attainable yield and heat stress index for each location. Selection of the most suitable adaptation strategy will be reviewed and discussed in light of the quantified effect on crop yield of the projected change of Tmax extreme events. This study will contribute to MACSUR knowledge Hub within the Joint Programming Initiative on Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change (FACCE - JPI) of EU and is financed by MULCLIVAR project (CGL2012-38923-C02-02) and IFAPA project AGR6126 from Junta de Andalucía, Spain. References Dosio A. and Paruolo P., 2011. Bias correction of the ENSEMBLES high-resolution climate change projections for use by impact models: Evaluation on the present climate. Journal of Geophysical Research, VOL. 116, D16106, doi:10.1029/2011JD015934 Dosio A., Paruolo P. and Rojas R., 2012. Bias correction of the ENSEMBLES high resolution climate change projections for use by impact models: Analysis of the climate change signal. Journal of Geophysical Research, Volume 117, D17, doi: 0.1029/2012JD017968 Gabaldón C, Lorite IJ, Mínguez MI, Dosio A, Sánchez-Sánchez E and Ruiz-Ramos M, 2013. Evaluation of local adaptation strategies to climate change of maize crop in Andalusia for the first half of 21st century. Geophysical Research Abstracts. Vol. 15, EGU2013-13625, 2013. EGU General Assembly 2013, April 2013, Vienna, Austria. Jones C.A. and J.R. Kiniry. 1986. CERES-Maize: A simulation model of maize growth and development. Texas A&M Univ. Press, College Station. Ruiz-Ramos M., E. Sanchez, C. Galllardo, and M.I. Minguez. 2011. Impacts of projected maximum temperature extremes for C21 by an ensemble of regional climate models on cereal cropping systems in the Iberian Peninsula. Natural Hazards and Earth System Science 11: 3275-3291. Teixeira EI, Fischer G, van Velthuizen H, Walter C, Ewert F. Global hotspots of heat stress on agricultural crops due to climate change. Agric For Meteorol. 2013;170(15):206-215.

A Microlensing Analysis of the Central Engine in the Lensed Quasar WFI J2033-4723

DTIC Science & Technology

Chile. We combined these new data with published measurements from Vuissoz et al. (2008 )to create a 13-season set of optical light curves. Employing the...Bayesian Monte Carlo micro lensing analysis technique of Kochanek (2004), we analyzed these light curves to yield the first-ever measurement of the

Effects of atmospheric aerosols on scattering reflected visible light from earth resource features

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Noll, K. E.; Tschantz, B. A.; Davis, W. T.

1972-01-01

The vertical variations in atmospheric light attenuation under ambient conditions were identified, and a method through which aerial photographs of earth features might be corrected to yield quantitative information about the actual features was provided. A theoretical equation was developed based on the Bouguer-Lambert extinction law and basic photographic theory.

Visible light catalyzed methylsulfoxidation of (het)aryl diazonium salts using DMSO.

PubMed

Pramanik, Mukund M D; Rastogi, Namrata

2016-06-30

The visible light catalyzed methylsulfoxidation of (het)aryl diazonium salts using DMSO is illustrated. This is the first example of DMSO being used as the source of the methylsulfinyl group. The procedure tolerates a wide range of functional groups on (het)aryl diazonium salts and provides aryl methyl sulfoxides in excellent yields under mild reaction conditions.

Implications of Increasing Light Tight Oil Production for U.S. Refining

EIA Publications

2015-01-01

EIA retained Turner, Mason & Company to provide analysis of the implications of increasing domestic light tight oil production for U.S. refining, focusing on regional crude supply/demand balances, refinery crude slates, operations, capital investment, product yields, crude oil exports/imports, petroleum product exports, infrastructure constraints and expansions, and crude oil price relationships.