Comparison of the emission wavelengths by a single fluorescent dye on in vivo 3-photon imaging of mouse brains

Multiphoton microscopy(MPM)is a powerful imaging technology for brain research.The imaging depth in MPM is partly determined by emission wavelength of fluorescent labels.It has been demonstrated that a longer emission wavelength is favorable for signal detection as imaging depth increases.However,there has been no comparison with near-infrared(NIR)emission.In order to quantitatively analyze the effect of emission wavelength on 3-photon imaging of mouse brains in vivo,we utilize the same excitation wavelength to excite a single fluorescent dye and simultaneously collect NIR and orange-red emission fluorescence at 828 nm and 620 nm,respectively.Both experimental and simulation results show that as the imaging depth increases,NIR emission decays less than orange-red fluorescent emission.These results show that it is preferable to shift the emission wavelength to NIR to enable more e±cient signal collection deep in the brain.

N Cycle, N Flow Trends in Japan, and Strategies for Reducing N_2O Emission and NO_3^- Pollution

To feed an increasing population, large amounts of chemical nitrogen fertilizer have been used to produce much of our food, feed and fiber thereby increasing nitrogen levels in soils, natural waters, crop residues, livestock wastes,and municipal and agricultural wastes, with national and international concern about its potential adverse effects on environmental quality and public health. To understand these phenomena and problems, first the nitrogen cycle and the environment are described. Then recent trends for nitrogen cycling through the food and feed system, N2O emissions from fertilized upland and paddy soils, and NO-3 pollution in ground water in Japan are reported. Finally, mitigation strategies in Japan for reducing N2O emission and NO-3 pollution are proposed, including nitrification inhibitors, controlled release fertilizers, utilization of plant species that could suppress nitrification, utilizing the toposequence, government policy, and appropriate agricultural practices. Of all the technologies presented, use of nitrification inhibitors and controlled release fertilizers are deemed the most important with further development of these aspects of technologies being expected. These practices, if employed worldwide, could help reduce the load, or environmental deterioration, on the Earth's biosphere.

Role of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography imaging in surgery for pancreatic cancer

AIM： To evaluate the role of positron emission tomography using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose （FDG-PET） in the surgical management of patients with pancreatic cancer, including the diagnosis, staging, and selection of patients for the subsequent surgical treatment. METHODS： This study involved 53 patients with proven primary pancreatic cancer. The sensitivity of diagnosing the primary cancer was examined for FDG-PET CT, cytological examination of the bile or pancreatic juice, and the serum levels of carcinoembrionic antigens （CEA） and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 （CA29-9）. Next, the accuracy of staging was compared between FDG-PET and CT. Finally, FDG-PET was analyzed semiquantitatively using the standard uptake value （SUV）. The impact of the SUV on patient management was evaluated by examining the correlations between the SUV and the histological findings of cancer. RESULTS： The sensitivity of FDG-PET, CT, cytological examination of the bile or pancreatic juice, and the serum levels of CEA and CA19-9 were 92.5%, 88.7%, 46.4%, 37.7% and 69.8%, respectively. In staging, FDG-PET was superior to CT only in diagnosing distant disease （bone metastasis）. For local staging, the sensitivity of CT was better than that of FDG-PEr. The SUV did not correlate with the pTNM stage, grades, invasions to the vessels and nerve, or with the size of the tumor. However, there was a statistically significant difference （4.6 ± 2.9 vs 7.8 ± 4.5, P = 0.024） in the SUV between patients with respectable and unresectable disease. CONCLUSION： FDG-PET is thus considered to be useful in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. However, regarding the staging of the disease, FDG-PET is not considered to be a sufficiently accurate diagnostic modality. Although the SUV does not correlate with the patho-histological prognostic factors, it may be useful in selecting patients who should undergo subsequent surgical treatment.

Comparisons between glucose analogue 2-deoxy-2-(^(18)F)fluoro-D-glucose and ^(18)F-sodium fluoride positron emission tomography/computed tomography in breast cancer patients with bone lesions

AIM: To compare 2-deoxy-2-(18F)fluoro-D-glucose(18F-FDG) and 18F-sodium (18F-NaF) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) accuracy in breast cancer patients with clinically/radiologically suspected or known bone metastases.METHODS: A total of 45 consecutive patients with breast cancer and the presence or clinical/biochemical or radiological suspicion of bone metastatic disease underwent 18F-FDG and 18F-fluoride PET/CT. Imaging results were compared with histopathology when available, or clinical and radiological follow-up of at least 1 year. For each technique we calculated: Sensitivity (Se), specificity (Sp), overall accuracy, positive and negative predictive values, error rate, and Youden’s index. McNemar’s χ2 test was used to test the difference in sensitivity and specificity between the two diagnostic methods. All analyses were computed on a patient basis, and then on a lesion basis, with consideration ofthe density of independent lesions on the co-registered CT (sclerotic, lytic, mixed, no-lesions) and the divergent site of disease (skull, spine, ribs, extremities, pelvis). The impact of adding 18F-NaF PET/CT to the work-up of patients was also measured in terms of change in their management due to 18F-NaF PET/CT findings.RESULTS: The two imaging methods of 18F-FDG and 18F-fluoride PET/CT were significantly different at the patient-based analysis: Accuracy was 86.7% and 84.4%, respectively (McNemar’s χ2 = 6.23, df = 1, P = 0.01). Overall, 244 bone lesions were detected in our analysis. The overall accuracy of the two methods was significantly different at lesion-based analysis (McNemar’s χ2 = 93.4, df = 1, P < 0.0001). In the lesion density-based and site-based analysis, 18F-FDG PET/CT provided more accurate results in the detection of CT-negative metastasis (P < 0.002) and vertebral localizations (P < 0.002); 18F-NaF PET/CT was more accurate in detecting sclerotic (P < 0.005) and rib lesions (P < 0.04). 18F-NaF PET/CT led to a change of management in 3 of the 45 patients (6.6%) by revealing findings that were not detected at 18F-FDG PET/CT.CONCLUSION: 18F-FDG PET/CT is a reliable imaging tool in the detection of bone metastasis in most cases, with a diagnostic accuracy that is slightly, but significantly, superior to that of 18F-NaF PET/CT in the general population of breast cancer patients. However, the extremely high sensitivity of 18F-fluoride PET/CT can exploit its diagnostic potential in specific clinical settings (i.e., small CT-evident sclerotic lesions, high clinical suspicious of relapse, and negative 18F-FDG PET and conventional imaging).

Solar Impulsive Hard X-Ray Emission and Two-Stage Electron Acceleration

Heating and acceleration of electrons in solar impulsive hard X-ray （HXR） flares are studied according to the two-stage acceleration model developed by Zhang for solar ^3Herich events. It is shown that electrostatic H-cyclotron waves can be excited at a parallel phase velocity less than about the electron thermal velocity and thus can significantly heat the electrons （up to 40 MK） through landau resonance. The preheated electrons with velocities above a threshold are further accelerated to high energies in the flare-acceleration process. The flareproduced electron spectrum is obtained and shown to be thermal at low energies and power law at high energies. In the non-thermal energy range, the spectrum can be double power law if the spectral power index is energy dependent or related. The electron energy spectrum obtained by this study agrees quantitatively with the result derived from the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager （RHESSI） HXR observations in the flare of 2002 July 23. The total flux and energy flux of electrons accelerated in the solar flare also agree with the measurements.

2.0-μm emission and energy transfer of Ho^(3+)/Yb^(3+) co-doped LiYF_4 single crystal excited by 980 nm

Ho3＋/yb3＋ co-doped LiYF4 single crystals with various Yb3＋ concentrations and ,-~ 0.98 mol% Ho3＋ concentration are grown by the Bridgman method under the conditions of taking LiF and YF3 as raw materials and a temperature gradient （40 ~C/cm-50 ~C/cm） for the solid-liquid interface. The luminescent performances of the crystals are investigated through emission spectra, infrared transmittance spectrum, emission cross section, and decay curves under excitation by 980 nm. Compared with the Ho3＋ single-doped LiYF4 crystal, the Ho3＋/yb3＋ co-doped tiYf4 single crystal has an obviously enhanced emission band from 1850 nm to 2150 nm observed when excited by a 980-nm diode laser. The energy transfer from Yb3＋ to Ho3＋ and the optimum fluorescence emission around 2.0 p-m of Ho3＋ ions are investigated. The maximum emission cross section of the above sample at 2.0 p.m is calculated to be 1.08 × 10-20 cm2 for the LiYF4 single crystal of 1-mol% Ho3＋ and 6-mo1% Yb3＋ according to the measured absorption spectrum. The high energy transfer efficiency of 88.9% from Yb3＋ to Ho3＋ ion in the sample co-doped by Ho3＋ （1 mol%） and Yb3＋ （8 tool%） demonstrates that the Yb3＋ ions can efficiently sensitize the Ho3＋ ions.

Strong optical and UV intermediate-width emission lines in the quasar SDSS J232444.80–094600.3:dust-free and intermediate-density gas at the skin of dusty torus?

Emission lines from the broad emission line region （BELR） and the narrow emission line region （NELR） of active galactic nuclei （AGNs） have been extensively studied. However, emission lines are rarely detected between these two regions. We present a detailed analysis of quasar SDSS J232444.80-094600.3 （SDSS J2324-0946）, which is remarkable for its strong intermediate-width emission lines （IELs） with FWHM ≈ 1800 km s^-1. The IEL component is present in different emission lines, including the permitted lines Lyαλ1216, CⅣ λ1549, semiforbidden line C Ⅲ] λ1909, and forbidden lines [OⅢ] ss4959, 5007. With the aid of photo-ionization models, we found that the IELs are produced by gas with a hydrogen density of nH - 10^6.2 -- 10^6.3 cm^-3, a distance from the central ionizing source of R - 35 - 50 pc, a covering factor of - 6%, and a dust-to-gas ratio of ≤ 4% that of the SMC. We suggest that the strong IELs of this quasar are produced by nearly dust-free and intermediate-density gas located at the skin of the dusty torus. Such strong IELs, which serve as a useful diagnostic, can provide an avenue to study the properties of gas between the BELR and the NELR.

2-[18F]-fluoro-2-desoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography initial staging impacts on survival in Hodgkin lymphoma

AIM:To assess the prognostic value and risk classification improvement of metabolic staging(MS)with Initial2-[18F]-fluoro-2-desoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography(FDG-PET)in initial staging of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma(HL)patients to predict 5 years overall survival(5y-OS)and event free survival(EFS).METHODS:A total of 275 patients were included in this retrospective study,155 patients were staged with conventional anatomical staging(AS),and 120 also submitted to MS(FDG-PET).Prognostic analysis compared 5y-OS and 5y-EFS of patients staged with AS and MS.Risk-adjusted models incorporated clinical risk factors,computed tomography and FDG-PET staging.RESULTS:During the follow up of 267 evaluated patients,220(122 AS and 98 MS)achieved complete remission after first-line therapy(median follow-up:70±29 mo),treatment failure occurred in 79 patients and 34 died.The 5y-EFS for early vs advanced disease in AS patients was 79.3%and 66.7%,and 85.6%and53.6%in MS patients,respectively(P<0.01).The5y-OS for early and advanced disease with AS was91.3%and 81.5%,and 97.5%and 80.7%for patients staged with MS,respectively.Cox proportional hazards analysis demonstrated that FDG-PET added signifcant prognostic information and improved risk prediction(P=0.02).CONCLUSION:Initial staging FDG-PET could be used as an accurate and independent predictor of OS and EFS in HL,with impact in 5y-EFS and OS.

Relations between the IR-UV-X-ray Continuum and Emission Lines for a Large Composite Sample of Narrow Line and Normal Seyfert 1 Galaxies

We report on our research on the UV, optical line parameters and the infrared through UV to soft X-ray continuum parameters for a composite sample of narrow line and normal Seyfert 1 galaxies. The strong correlations among the line width of HB, optical line strength of Fell and the soft X-ray slope are confirmed. We found no correlations between the UV line parameters, the equivalent widths of Lya and CIV and their ratio on one hand and the optical line parameters on the other. The UV and X-ray luminosities strongly correlate with the line widths of HB and the Fe II/HB ratio. No significant correlation is found between the infrared-soft X-my continuum slope aix and the line width of HB.

The effects of Er^(3+) ion concentration on 2.0-μm emission performance in Ho^(3+)/Tm^(3+) co-doped Na_(5)Y_(9)F_(32) single crystal under 800-nm excitation

Na_(5)Y_(9)F_(32) single crystals doped with ~0.8-mol% Ho^(3+),~1-mol% Tm^(3+),and various Er^(3+) ion concentrations were prepared by a modified Bridgman method.The effects of Er^(3+)ion concentration on 2.0-μm emission excited by an800-nm laser diode were investigated with the help of their spectroscopic properties.The intensity of 2.0-μm emission reached to maximum when the Er^(3+) ion concentration was ~1 mol%.The energy transfer mechanisms between Er^(3+),Ho^(3+),and Tm^(3+) ions were identified from the change of the absorption spectra,the emission spectra,and the measured decay curves.The maximum 2.0-μm emission cross section of the Er^(3+)/Ho^(3+)/Tm^(3+)tri-doped Na_(5)Y_(9)F_(32) single crystal reached 5.26 × 10^(-21) cm^(2).The gain cross section spectra were calculated according to the absorption and emission cross section spectra.The cross section for ~2.0-μm emission became a positive gain once the inversion level of population was reached 30%.The energy transfer efficiency was further increased by 11.81% through the incorporation of Er^(3+) ion into Ho^(3+)/Tm^(3+) system estimated from the measured lifetimes of Ho^(3+)/Tm^(3+)-and Er^(3+)/Ho^(3+)/Tm^(3+)-doped Na_(5)Y_(9)F_(32)single crystals.The present results illustrated that the Er^(3+)/Ho^(3+)/Tm^(3+)tri-doped Na_(5)Y_(9)F_(32) single crystals can be used as promising candidate for 2.0-μm laser.

SOIL CO_2 EMISSIONS ON THE GLACIER SHRINKING AREA IN HAILUOGOU GLACIER

From the middle of 19 century, mountain glacier recession occurs widely and Hailuogou glacier does so on a great scale. There is a primary vegetation succession series on the shrinking glacial area. The enhancement of greenhouse gases result in the climate warming. Glacier recession is a response to the global climate warming. Determination on soil respiration plays an important role in the research on the global carbon cycling, which is one key problem for the global climate change studies. The observed values differ in different sites or with different measuring methods or by distinct observers, which add up one indefinite factor to the study on the global carbon balance. There exist different base courses at one same climatic district on the glacier shrinking area in Hailuogou, Gongga Mountain.Comparing the characteristic of different soil CO 2 emissions through the synchronous observation by the analyze ways of on\|the\|spot infrared CO 2(CI\|301) and chromatographic mainframe(HP5890A),and with the achievements of the study on the glacial recession area and vegetation succession, we established a series of soil CO 2 emission flux that can be a reference to emend the determination of soil CO 2 emission on different regions of the globe and that can be a useful parameter for modeling the global carbon cycling . Vegetation succession in the more than 2000m long glacial recession area is serially divided into 6 phases :①exposed shrinking area phase,②herbs phase,③shrubs phase,④deciduous and broad\|leaved mixed forest phase⑤coniferous and broad\|leaved mixed forest phase,⑥coniferous forest phase. Based on the two\|year’s measurement, the series of the mean intensity of soil respiration was arranged: 0, 1 960, 1 136, 2 080, 3 688 and 4 706μmol CO\-2/(m\+2·s); the series of the flux of soil CO\-2 emission was arranged: 0, 74 510, 43 185, 79 071, 140 200 and 178 890kg CO\-2/(hm\+2·d), respectively.Among the effect factors of soil respiration, temperature is the main one. All kinds of temperature influence soil respiration during the 6 succession phases.. The 2nd phase is influenced by atmospheric temperature, the 3rd and 4th phase by near\|surface temperature, the 5th and 6th phases by 5～10cm soil temperature.

Correcting the Contamination of Second-order Spectra:Improving HαMeasurements in Reverberation Mapping Campaigns

Long-term spectroscopic monitoring campaigns on active galactic nuclei(AGNs)provide a wealth of information about its interior structure and kinematics.However,a number of the observations suffer from the contamination of second-order spectra(SOS)which will introduce some undesirable uncertainties at the red side of the spectra.In this paper,we test the effect of SOS and propose a method to correct it in the time domain spectroscopic data using the simultaneously observed comparison stars.Based on the reverberation mapping(RM)data of NGC 5548 in2019,one of the most intensively monitored AGNs by the Lijiang 2.4 m telescope,we find that the scientific object,comparison star,and spectrophotometric standard star can jointly introduce up to~30%SOS for Grism 14.This irregular but smooth SOS significantly affects the flux density and profile of the emission line,while having little effect on the light curve.After applying our method to each spectrum,we find that the SOS can be corrected effectively.The deviation between corrected and intrinsic spectra is~2%,and the impact of SOS on time lag is very minor.This method makes it possible to obtain the HαRM measurements from archival data provided that the spectral shape of the AGN under investigation does not have a large change.

High Brightness Blue Luminescent Material with Hole-Transporting Ability of 9- （pyren-1-yl）-9H-Carbazole

A novel bifunctional blue-light material, 9-（pyren-l-yl）-9H-carbazole （CzPy）, has been synthesized and its structure is identified by electron ionization mass spectrometry, 1H NMR, and element analysis. The absorption, photoluminescence spectra and thermal properties were studied, results showedthat CzPy was stable under ambient conditions with a blue-light emission （461 nm）. Additionally, its electroluminescence properties were characterized with four different devices. Results indicated a maximum luminous efficiency reached 1.56 cd/A and maximum luminance up to 3526 cd/m2 at 10 V with commission international De L＇ Eclairage coordinates of （0.20, 0.24） when it was used as emitter. Furthermore, CzPy also indicated hole-transporting ability.

Strategies for Improving the Brightness of Aggregation-Induced Emission Materials at Aggregate Level

The brightness of fluorescent agents directly determines the imaging performance as required.Among various fluorophores,small organic species are promising given its exact purity/composition and excellent processibility.However,chromophores with planar geometry may suffer from the undesirable aggregation-caused quenching(ACQ)phenomenon.Encouragingly,luminogens showing aggregation-induced emission(AIE)features are preferable as the aggregates which are the most common used state.In this review,we mainly focus on the strategies employed for boosting the brightness of AIE-active luminogens(AIEgens).From molecule to mor-phology levels,approaches that regulate electronic transition processes of the molecule or the packing extent of aggregates in order to confine molecular motion,reduceπ-πstacking,disrupt fluorophore-water interactions,etc.,are presented.In the end,the current challenges and perspectives are briefly discussed.We anticipate that this review will stimulate new insights and more efforts for the advancement of ultrabright AIEgens.

Long-term and combined effects of N-[2-(nitrooxy)ethyl]-3-pyridinecarboxamide and fumaric acid on methane production,rumen fermentation, and lactation performance in dairy goats

Background:In recent years,nitrooxy compounds have been identified as promising inhibitors of methanogenesis in ruminants.However,when animals receive a nitrooxy compound,a high portion of the spared hydrogen is eructated as gas,which partly offsets the energy savings of CH4mitigation.The objective of the present study was to evaluate the long-term and combined effects of supplementation with N-[2-(nitrooxy)ethyl]-3-pyridinecarboxamide(NPD),a methanogenesis inhibitor,and fumaric acid(FUM),a hydrogen sink,on enteric CH4production,rumen fermentation,bacterial populations,apparent nutrient digestibility,and lactation performance of dairy goats.Results:Twenty-four primiparous dairy goats were used in a randomized complete block design with a 2×2factorial arrangement of treatments:supplementation without or with FUM(32 g/d)or NPD(0.5 g/d).All samples were collected every 3 weeks during a 12-week feeding experiment.Both FUM and NPD supplementation persistently inhibited CH4yield(L/kg DMI,by 18.8%and 18.1%,respectively)without negative influence on DMI or apparent nutrient digestibility.When supplemented in combination,no additive CH4suppression was observed.FUM showed greater responses in increasing the molar proportion of propionate when supplemented with NPD than supplemented alone(by 10.2%vs.4.4%).The rumen microbiota structure in the animals receiving FUM was different from that of the other animals,particularly changed the structure of phylum Firmicutes.Daily milk production and serum total antioxidant capacity were improved by NPD,but the contents of milk fat and protein were decreased,probably due to the bioactivity of absorbed NPD on body metabolism.Conclusions:Supplementing NPD and FUM in combination is a promising way to persistently inhibit CH4emissions with a higher rumen propionate proportion.However,the side effects of this nitrooxy compound on animals and its residues in animal products need further evaluation before it can be used as an animal feed additive.

New Pyrometer with Double Y-type Optical Fibers

Abstract: A new pyrometer, which can solve the affection of emissivity change in temperature measuring, has been developed by double Y - type optical fibers. The mathematical model of the new pyrometer is presented and the errors of the new pyrometer are analyzed.

Evaluation of DNA synthesis with carbon-11-labeled 4′-thiothymidine

In the cancer research field, the preferred method for evaluating the proliferative activity of cancer cells in vivo is to measure DNA synthesis rates. The cellular proliferation rate is one of the most important cancer characteristics, and represents the gold standard of pathological diagnosis. Positron emission tomography (PET) has been used to evaluate in vivo DNA synthetic activity through visualization of enhanced nucleoside metabolism. However, methods for the quantitative measurement of DNA synthesis rates have not been fully clarified. Several groups have been engaged in research on 4′-[methyl-11C]-thiothymidine (11C-4DST) in an effort to develop a PET tracer that allows quantitative measurement of in vivo DNA synthesis rates. This mini-review summarizes the results of recent studies of the in vivo measurement of cancer DNA synthesis rates using 11C-4DST.

Relation between the “Double-Hump” Behavior in the Radio Band and the Broad-Line Luminosity for Blazars

The physics behind the spectral energy distribution （SED） of blazars remains open. We assembled 36 blazars to tackle the factors that control their SED. Now, many blazar spectra have the ＂double hump＂ feature in the radio and far-IR frequencies. For these a parameter, △, is created to characterize the behavior of the SED. We found a significant correlation between the broad-line luminosity （LBLR） and △. Because L BLR is an indicator of the accreting power of the source in blazars, we derived a linear correlation, △ oc M1/3.18, which suggests that the SED of blazars may depend on the accretion rate, like that of BL Lac objects. We also found a significant correlation between m and △ for a sample of 11 blazars （out of one of 36） with available black hole masses. This implies the Eddington accretion ratio may influence the shape of the SED of blazars.

SDSS J143030.22-001115.1: A Misclassified Narrow-line Seyfert 1 Galaxy with Flat X-ray Spectrum

We used multi-component profiles to model the HE and [O Ⅲ]λλ4959,5007 lines of SDSS J143030.22-001115.1, a narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy （NLS1） in a sample of 150 NLS1 candidates selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey （SDSS）, Early Data Release （EDR）. After subtracting the HE contribution from narrow line regions （NLRs）, we found that its full width half maximum （FWHM） of broad H/3 line is nearly 2900km s^-1, significantly larger than the customarily adopted criterion of 2000 km s^-1. With its weak Fe II multiples, we believe that SDSS J143030.22-001115.1 should not be classified as a genuine NLS1. When we calculate the virial black hole masses of NLSls, we should use the Hβ linewidth after subtracting the NLR component.

Luminescent properties of thermally activated delayed fluorescence molecule with intramolecular π-π interaction between donor and acceptor

Influence of intramolecular π-π interaction on the luminescent properties of thermally activated delayed fluorescence（TADF） molecule（3, 5-bis（3,6-di-tert-butyl-9 H-carbazol-9-yl）-phenyl）（pyridin-4-yl） methanone（DTCBPY） is theoretically studied by using the density functional theory（DFT） and time-dependent density functional theory（TD-DFT）.Four conformations（named as A, B, C, and D） of the DTCBPY can be found by relax scanning, and the configuration C corresponds to the luminescent molecule detected experimentally. Besides, we calculate the proportion of each conformation by Boltzmann distribution, high configuration ratios（44% and 52%） can be found for C and D. Moreover, C and D are found to exist with an intramolecular π-π interaction between one donor and the acceptor; the intramolecular interaction brings a smaller Huang-Rhys factor and reduced reorganization energy. Our work presents a rational explanation for the experimental results and demonstrates the importance of the intramolecular π-π interaction to the photophysical properties of TADF molecules.