Geogenic Pollution of Groundwater Quality in Gampaha District, Sri Lanka: A Case Study of Groundwater Acidification from Rathupaswala

Over recent decades, Gampaha district, Sri Lanka, has experienced significant urbanisation and industrial growth, increasing groundwater demand due to limited and polluted surface water resources. In 2013, a community uprising in Rathupaswala, a village in Gampaha district, accused a latex glove manufacturing factory of causing groundwater acidity (pH < 4). This study evaluates the spatial and temporal changes in geochemical parameters across three transects in the southern part of Gampaha district to 1) assess the impact of geological formations on groundwater;2) compare temporal variations in groundwater;and 3) explain acidification via a geochemical model. Seventy-two sample locations were tested for pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and anion concentrations (sulphate, nitrate, chloride and fluoride). Depth to the water table and distance from the sea were measured to study variations across sandy, peaty, lateritic, and crystalline aquifers. Results showed pH readings around 7 for sandy and crystalline aquifers, below 7 for peaty aquifers, and below 5 for lateritic aquifers, with significant water table fluctuations near Rathupaswala area. Principal component analysis revealed three principal components (PCs) explaining 86.0% of the variance. PC1 (40.6%) correlated with pH, EC, and sulphate (saltwater intrusion), while PC2 (32.0%) correlated with nitrates and depth to the water table (anthropogenic nutrient pollution). A geochemical transport model indicated a cone of depression recharged by acidic groundwater from peat-soil aquifers, leading to acidic groundwater in Rathupaswala area. Previous attributions of acidic pH to the over-exploitation of groundwater by the latex factory have been reevaluated;the results suggest natural acidification from prolonged water-rock interactions with iron-rich lateritic aquifers. Groundwater pH is influenced by local climate, geology, topography, and drainage systems. It is recommended that similar water-rock interaction conditions may be present throughout the wet zone of Sri Lanka, warranting detailed studies to confirm this hypothesis.

Self-confocal NIR-II fluorescence microscopy for multifunctional in vivo imaging

Fluorescence imaging in the second near-infrared window(NIR-II,900–1880 nm)with less scattering background in biological tissues has been combined with the confocal microscopic system for achieving deep in vivo imaging with high spatial resolution.However,the traditional NIR-IIfluorescence confocal microscope with separate excitation focus and detection pinhole makes it possess low confocal e±ciency,as well as di±cultly to adjust.Two types of upgraded NIR-IIfluorescence confocal microscopes,sharing the same pinhole by excitation and emission focus,leading to higher confocal e±ciency,are built in this work.One type is-ber-pinhole-based confocal microscope applicable to CW laser excitation.It is constructed forfluorescence intensity imaging with large depth,high stabilization and low cost,which could replace multiphotonfluorescence microscopy in some applications(e.g.,cerebrovascular and hepatocellular imaging).The other type is air-pinhole-based confocal microscope applicable to femtosecond(fs)laser excitation.It can be employed not only for NIR-IIfluorescence intensity imaging,but also for multi-channelfluorescence lifetime imaging to recognize different structures with similarfluorescence spectrum.Moreover,it can be facilely combined with multiphotonfluorescence microscopy.A single fs pulsed laser is utilized to achieve up-conversion(visible multiphotonfluorescence)and down-conversion(NIR-II one-photonfluorescence)excitation simultaneously,extending imaging spectral channels,and thus facilitates multi-structure and multi-functional observation.

基于临床可用的亚甲基蓝近红外二区成像用于泌尿系统结构及功能成像的研究

精准的结构和功能成像对于泌尿系统疾病的诊断和预后至关重要。近红外二区(second near-infrared,NIR-Ⅱ;1000~1700 nm)荧光生物成像相较于传统的荧光生物成像具有更高的空间分辨率、更深的穿透力和更好的信噪比,但其临床适用性有限。本文首次报道了基于临床可用且经肾脏排泄的荧光染料亚甲蓝(methylene blue,MB)NIR-Ⅱ活体泌尿系统荧光成像,该方法不仅可以实现清晰的有创/无创尿路造影,而且可以有效且无创地检测肾功能。以上研究结果表明MB辅助的NIR-Ⅱ荧光成像在临床及基础研究中的泌尿系统结构和功能成像中具有巨大前景。

Lipid droplets imaging with three-photon microscopy

Lipid droplets(LDs)participate in many physiological processes,the abnormality of which will cause chronic diseases and pathologies such as diabetes and obesity.It is crucial to monitor the distribution of LDs at high spatial resolution and large depth.Herein,we carried three-photon imaging of LDs in fat liver.Owing to the large three-photon absorption cross-section of the luminogen named NAP-CF_(3)(1:67×10^(-79) cm^(6) s^(2)),three-photon fluorescence fat liver imaging reached the largest depth of 80μm.Fat liver diagnosis was successfully carried out with excellent performance,providing great potential for LDs-associated pathologies research.

Rapid and Continuous Production of LiFePO4/C Nanoparticles in Super Heated Water

A rapid and continuous method for production of LiFePO4/C nanoparticles in super heated water is described, wherein soluble starch was used as carbon precursor. The effects of pH, flow rate, temperature, and pressure on the formation of LiFePO4/C particles were investigated. Results showed that the pH value was the key factot on the formation of phase pure LiFePO4, which only formed at pH = 7; the LiFePO4/C-occurred as particles with about 70-200 nm size and LiFePO4 was covered by a thin carbon layer; higher flow rate, higher pressure, and lower temperature led to smaller particles of LiFePO4/C.

Rift-associated ultramafic lamprophyre(damtjernite) from the middle part of the Lower Cretaceous(125 Ma) succession of Kutch,northwestern India: Tectonomagmatic implications

Mineralogical,geochemical and isotopic(Sr and Nd) studies on the recently reported ca. 124 Ma'anorogenic lamproite' dyke from the Palanpur area, Kutch seismogenic rift zone, northwestern India, are presented. We propose a new classification for the dyke as a damtjernite(ultramafic lamprophyre; UML)based on its porphyritic-panidiomorphic texture, abundance of phlogopite, presence of nepheline in the groundmass, and the composition of liquidus phases such as olivine, phlogopite, magnetite, and clinopyroxene(diopside). The Palanpur UML is primitive(Mg# =74-77),silica-undersaturated(SiO_2<40 wt.%),potassic to slightly sodic in nature, and is strikingly similar to the ～69 Ma UML dykes and sills of the Tethyan Indus suture zone, which are considered as the earliest yet known manifestations of the Deccan Large Igneous Province(LIP). Bulk-rock(^(87)Sr/^(86)Sr)_i(0.70460-0.70461) and ε_(N)d(t)(+2.56 to-0.69) of the Palanpur UML signify derivation from a slightly depleted mantle source similar to that of asthenospheric magmas such as OIB. This is further attested to by the high incompatible trace element ratios(viz., La/Ba, Nb/U, Nb/La and Ta/Yb) that are typical of plume-type magmas. However, the Neoproterozoic T_(DM) depleted mantle Nd model ages( ～655-919 Ma) also necessitate some involvement of a lithospheric mantle component in its genesis. High bulk-rock Fe_2 O_3~t and TiO_2 contents require the involvement of a fertile peridotitic mantle source, whereas high La/Yb(60-80) implies a control by residual garnet. Higher Rb/Sr and lower Ba/Rb suggest phlogopite as a residual phase and high Nb and lower La/Sm favour carbonatite, rather than silicate melt as metasomatising agent. Low degrees of partial melting of a primitive garnet lherzolite mantle can account for the observed REE patterns in the Palanpur UML. The Palanpur UML shares a temporal similarity to the Kerguelen plume-derived Rajmahal basalts and associated alkaline rocks from the eastern India. The tectonomagmatic significance of its emplacement during the mid-Cretaceous vis-a-vis various models involving the timing of eruption of the Deccan and the Rahmahal Traps and the rifting in the Kutch basin induced by far-field plate reorganization is evaluated.

Measurement of the peripheral aberrations of human eyes:A comprehensive review

It has been nearly 50 years since the first glimpse of the relationship between myopia and peripheral refractive errors. According to experiments on both animals and humans, the eyes with hyperopic peripheral vision appear to be at higher risk of developing myopia than those with myopic peripheral refractive errors. Despite the first measurement of peripheral refraction being achieved by a modified manual optometer, the concept of emmetropization triggered a rapidly increasing number of studies on peripheral aberrations. Not only the horizontal off-axis aberrations but also the meridional aberrations at different angles are measured by researchers during the development of peripheral aberrations measuring techniques. According to the differences among the working principles, a variety of techniques have been adopted for performing such measurements. The methods developed to realize the high-performance measurement involve the subject cooperating actively by rotating the head or eyes, the rotation of the whole optical path, and the combination of measurements of many light paths. This paper provides a review of the peripheral aberrations measuring techniques and their current status. This article also highlights the development trend of the measuring techniques of peripheral aberrations and practical applications of peripheral aberration measurements, such as the control of the accommodation, the measuring time, and the dynamic range problem of the wavefront sensor. Although wavefront sensing peripheral measurement is widely recognized for its capability to reveal both lower-order aberrations and higher-order aberrations, the efficiency of an autorefractometer is incomparable. The current study reveals that the most widely used peripheral aberration measurement methods are the use of an open field autorefractometer and Hartman-shack wavefront sensor-based techniques.

Pencil-beam scanning catheter for intracoronary optical coherence tomography

Current gradient-index(GRIN)lens based proximal-driven intracoronary optical coherence tomography(ICOCT)probes consist of a spacer and a GRIN lens with large gradient constant.This design provides great flexibility to control beam profiles,but the spacer length should be well controlled to obtain desired beam profiles and thus it sets an obstacle in mass catheter fabrication.Besides,although GRIN lens with large gradient constant can provide tight focus spot,it has short depth of focus and fast-expanded beam which leads to poor lateral resolution for deep tissue.In this paper,a type of spacer-removed probe is demonstrated with a small gradient constant GRIN lens.This design simplifies the fabrica-tion process and is suitable for mass production.The output beam of the catheter is a narrow nearly collimated light beam,referred to as pencil beam here.The full width at half maximum beam size varies from 35.1μm to 75.3μm in air over 3-mm range.Probe design principles are elaborated with probe/catheter fabrication and performance test.The in vivo imaging of the catheter was verified by a clinical ICOCT system.Those results prove that this novel pencil-beam scanning catheter is potentially a good choice for ICOCT systems.

Aggregation-induced emission luminogen for in vivo three-photon fuorescence lifetime microscopic imaging

Compared with visible light,near infrared(NIR)light has deeper penetration in biological tisues.Three-photon fuorescence microscopy(3PFM)can effectively utilize the NIR excitation to obtain high-contrast images in the deep tisue.However,the weak three photon fluorescence signals may be not well presented in the traditional fuorescence intensity imaging mode.Fluorescence lifetime of certain probes is insensitive to the intensity of the excitation laser.Moreover,fluorescence lifetimne imaging microscopy(FLIM)can detect weak signals by utilizing time correlated single photon counting(TCSPC)technique.Thus,it would be an improved strategy to combine the 3PFM imaging with the FLIM together.Herein,DCDPP-2TPA,a novel agegation-induced emission luminogen(AIEgen),was adopted as the fluorescent probes.The three-photon absorption cros-section of the AlEgen,which has a deep-red fluorescence emission,was proved to be large.DCDPP-2TPA nanoparticles were synthesized,and the three photon fluorescence lifetime of which was measured in water.Moreover,in vrivo thre-photon fuorescence lifetime microscopic imaging of a craniotomy mouse was conducted via a home made optical system.High contrast cerebrovascular images of different vertical depths were obtained and the maximun depth was about 600 pumn.Even reaching the depth of 600 pum,tiny capillary vessels as small as 1.9 pum could still be distinguished.The three photon fuorescence lifetimes of the capillaries in some representative images were in accord with that of DCDPP-2TPA nanoparticles in water.A vivid 3D reconstruction was further organized to present a wealth of lifetime information.In the future,the combination strategy of 3PFM and FLIM could be further applied in the brain functional imaging.

Interfacial stress characterization of GaN epitaxial layer with sapphire substrate by confocal Raman spectroscopy

As an important wide-bandgap semiconductor,gallium nitride(GaN)has attracted considerable attention.This paper describes the use of confocal Raman spectroscopy to characterize undoped GaN,n-type GaN,and p-type GaN through depth profiling using 405-,532-,and 638-nm wavelength lasers.The Raman signal intensity of the sapphire substrate at different focal depths is studied to analyze the depth resolution.Based on the shift of the E2 H mode of the GaN epitaxial layer,the interfacial stress for different types of GaN is characterized and calculated.The results show that the maximum interfacial stress appears approximately at the junction of the GaN and the sapphire substrate.Local interfacial stress analysis between the GaN epitaxial layer and the substrate will be very helpful in furthering the applications of GaN devices.

Ultra-stable near-infrared Tm^(3+)-doped upconversion nanoparticles for in vivo wide-field two-photon angiography with a low excitation intensity

Two-photon luminescence with near-infrared(NIR)excitation of upconversion nanoparticles(NPs)is of great importance in biological imaging due to deep penetration in high-scattering tissues,low auto-luminescence and good sectioning ability.Unfortunately,common two-photon luminescence is in visible band with an extremely high exciation power density,which limits its application.Here,we synthesized NaYF_(4):Yb/Tm@NaYF_(4)upconversion NPs with strong twophoton NIR emission and a low excitation power density.Furthermore,NaYF_(4):Yb/Tm@NaYF_(4)@SiO_(2)@OTMS@F127 NPs with high chemical stability were obtained by a modified multilayer coating method which was applied to upconversion NPs for thefirst time.In addition,it is shown that the as-prepared hydrophillic upconversion NPs have great biocompatibility and kept stable for 6 hours during in vivo whole-body imaging.The vessels with two-photon luminescence were clear even under an excitation power density as low as 25mW/cm^(2).Vivid visualizations of capillaries and vessels in a mouse brain were also obtained with low background and high contrast.Because of cheaper instruments and safer power density,the NIR two-photon luminescence of NaYF_(4):Yb/Tm@NaYF_(4)upconversion NPs could promote wider application of two-photon technology.The modified multilayer coating method could be widely used for upconversion NPs to increase the stable time of the in vivo circulation.Our work possesses a great potential for deep imaging and imaging-guided treatment in the future.

Space luminous environment adaptability of missile-borne star sensor

To solve the problem of stray interference to star point target identification while a star sensor imaging to the sky, a study on space luminous environment adaptability of missile-borne star sensor was carried out. By Plank blackbody radiation law and some astronomic knowledge, irradiancies of the stray at the star sensor working height were estimated. By relative astrophysical and mathematics knowledge, included angles between the star sensor optical axis point and the stray at any moment were calculated. The calculation correctness was verified with the star map software of Stellarium. By combining the upper analysis with the baffle suppression effect, a real-time model for space luminous environment of missile-borne star sensor was proposed. By signal-noise rate （SNR） criterion, the adaptability of missile-borne star sensor to space luminous environment was studied. As an example, a certain type of star sensor was considered when imaging to the starry sky on June 22, 2011 （the Summer Solstice） and September 20, 2011 （August 23 of the lunar year, last quarter moon） in Beijing. The space luminous environment and the adaptability to it were simulated and analyzed at the star sensor working height. In each period of time, the stray suppression of the baffle is analyzed by comparing the calculated included angle between the star sensor optical axis point and the stray with the shielded provided by system index. When the included angle is larger than the shielded angle and less than 90~, the stray is restrained by the baffle. The stray effect on star point target identification is analyzed by comparing the irradiancy of 6 magnitude star with that of the stray on star sensor sensitization surface. When the irradiancy of 6 magnitude star is 5 times more than that of the stray, there is no effect on the star point target identification. The simulation results are identicat with the actual situation. The space luminous environment of the missile-borne star sensor can be estimated real-timely by this model. The adaptability of the star sensor to space luminous environment can be analyzed conveniently. A basis for determining the relative star sensor indexes, the navigation star chosen strategy and the missile launch window can be provided.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering on nanodiamond-derived carbon onions

Annealing nanodiamonds(ND) at high temperatures up to 1700 ℃ is a common method to synthesize carbon onions. The transformation from NDs to carbon onions is particularly interesting because of carbon onions' potential in the field of tribology and their application in ultra-charge/discharge devices. In this paper, a novel surface-enhanced Raman scattering technique that involves coating the sample with nanoscopic gold particles is proposed to characterize the NDs after different annealing treatments. Conventional Raman and surfaceenhanced Raman spectra were obtained, and the changes of peak parameters as the function of annealing temperature were evaluated. It was found that the widths of the D and the G peaks decreased with increasing annealing temperature, reflecting an improved order in the sp^2-hybridized carbon during the transformation from NDs to carbon onions. After annealing at 1700 ℃, the sp^2?carbon was highly ordered, indicating desirable electrical conductivity and lubricity. With increasing annealing temperature, the D peak showed a blue shift of almost30 cm^(-1), while the G peak merely shifted by 5 cm^(-1). For annealing temperatures above 1100 ℃, an increase of intensity ratio ID/IGwas observed. Compared to the uncoated area, red shifts of 0.5-2 cm^(-1) and of 5-9 cm^(-1) for the G and D peaks, respectively, were detected for the gold-coated area, which was due to the coupling of the plasmons and the phonons of the samples.

Heat and Mass Transfer Investigation of Hydrocarbon Droplet Evaporation under Rotatory Movement

The steady-state boundary layer equations of a rotatory movement around hydrocarbon droplets saturated of pure fuel are numerically solved. The transfer equations are schemed by using an implicit finite difference method. The system of algebraic equations is solved by using the Thomas algorithm. The model is compared to the Kreith one and a good agreement is observed between both models. The dimensionless physical parameters of the evaporation phenomena of droplet in rotation are calculated and presented under the effect of the convection.

Luminescence and ESR Studies of CaS：Dy Phosphor

CaS phosphor activated with Dy ions is prepared by the solid-state diffusion method. The phosphor is characterized by x-ray powder diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis and photoiuminescence. Defect centres formed in CaS：Dy are studied using the technique of electron spin resonance. The thermoluminescence glow curve shows peaks at around 117℃ and 345℃. Irradiated CaS：Dy exhibits ESR lines due to defect centres. The thermal annealing behaviour of one of the defect centres appears to correlate with the TL peaks at 117℃ and 345℃. This centre is characterized by an isotropic g-value of 2.0035 and is assigned to an F^＋ centre.

Spectral lags of flaring events in LS I+61°303 from RXTE Observations

This work reports the first discovery of（negative） spectral lags in X-ray emission below 10 ke V from the gamma ray binary LS I＋61？303 during large flaring episodes using Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer（RXTE） observations. It is found from the RXTE data that during the flares, low energy（3–5 ke V） variations lead the higher energy（8–10 ke V） variations by a few tens of seconds whereas no significant time lag is observed during the non-flaring states. The observed spectral lag features for flaring events suggest that inverse Compton scattering may be operating, at least in some part of the system. Another possibility is that the sites of particle acceleration may be different for flaring and non-flaring events such as in the microquasar model, in which the flaring radiation may come from hot spots sitting above the black hole while steady state emissions are due to the jets.

Structural,optical and antimicrobial properties of pure and Agdoped ZnO nanostructures

In the present work,zinc oxide(ZnO)and silver(Ag)doped ZnO nanostructures are synthesized using a hydrothermal method.Structural quality of the products is attested using X-ray diffraction,which confirms the hexagonal wurtzite struc-ture of pure ZnO and Ag-doped ZnO nanostructures.XRD further confirms the crystallite orientation along the c-axis,(101)plane.The field emission scanning electron microscope study reveals the change in shape of the synthesized ZnO particles from hexagonal nanoparticles to needle-shaped nanostructures for 3 wt%Ag-doped ZnO.The optical band gaps and lattice strain of nanostructures is increased significantly with the increase of doping concentration of Ag in ZnO nanostructure.The anti-microbial activity of synthesized nanostructures has been evaluated against the gram-positive human pathogenic bacteria,Staphylococcus aureus via an agarose gel diffusion test.The maximum value of zone of inhibition(22 mm)is achieved for 3 wt%Ag-doped ZnO nanostructure and it clearly demonstrates the remarkable antibacterial activity.

Design and Development of a 2 ×1 Array of Slotted Microstrip Line Fed Shorted Patch Antenna for DCS Mobile Communication System

Compact microstrip antennas have recently received much attention due to the increasing demand of small antennas for personal communication equipment. The problem of achieving a wide impedance bandwidth for compact microstrip antennas is becoming an important topic in microstrip antenna design. In this paper the design and development of a 2 × 1 array of a low cost slotted microstrip line fed shorted patch antenna (MFSPA) has been presented. Both the shorted patch and microstrip line feed network have air substrate. The material cost is thus reduced to a minimum. The array consists of two adjacent patches fed, using a simple microstrip T network. The impedance bandwidth of nearly 40%, covering the bandwidth requirement of 1750 MHz band is obtained. Also the antenna exhibits dual band operation. The cross polarization radiation in H-Plane observed with a single element antenna has been reduced considerably with 2 × 1 array. A peak antenna gain of 9.2 dBi is obtained with a small variation of 0.8 dBi. From the results obtained it is clear that the antenna array studied has a low cost fabrication and is suitable for applications in DCS mobile communication base station.

Compact Wideband Rectangular Monopole Antenna for Wireless Applications

This article presents a compact wideband microstrip-fed planar monopole antenna composed of a rectangular patch and slotted ground structure. By placing pair of symmetrical square stubs, making slots in the stubs, putting stubs on the sides of the radiating patch, gives wide-band characteristics. The antenna only one of its kinds in structure, small in size and simple design due to less number of design parameters, compared with the existing UWB antennas in the literature. The bandwidth, radiation pattern and other antenna parameters are at acceptable level. IE3D method of moments based simulation software is used for design and analysis. The simulated results are confirmed by conducting experiments with the help of Rohde and Schwarz, German make ZVK model No.8651 Vector Network Analyzer and discussed.

Periodic energy decomposition analysis for electronic transport studies as a tool for atomic scale device manufacturing

Atomic scale manufacturing is a necessity of the future to develop atomic scale devices with high precision.A different perspective of the quantum realm,which includes the tunnelling effect,leakage current at the atomic-scale,Coulomb blockade and Kondo effect,is inevitable for the fabrication and hence,the mass production of these devices.For these atomic-scale device development,molecular level devices must be fabricated.Proper theoretical studies could be an aid towards the experimental realities.Electronic transport studies are the basis to realise and interpret the problems happening at this minute scale.Keeping these in mind,we present a periodic energy decomposition analysis(pEDA)of two potential candidates for moletronics:phthalocyanines and porphyrins,by placing them over gold substrate cleaved at the(111)plane to study the adsorption and interaction at the interface and then,to study their application as a channel between two electrodes,thereby,providing a link between pEDA and electronic transport studies.pEDA provides information regarding the bond strength and the contribution of electrostatic energy,Pauli’s energy,orbital energy and the orbital interactions.Combining this analysis with electronic transport studies can provide novel directions for atomic/close-toatomic-scale manufacturing(ACSM).Literature survey shows that this is the first work which establishes a link between pEDA and electronic transport studies and a detailed pEDA study on the above stated molecules.The results show that among the molecules studied,porphyrins are more adsorbable over gold substrate and conducting across a molecular junction than phthalocyanines,even though both molecules show a similarity in adsorption and conduction when a terminal thiol linker is attached.A further observation establishes the importance of attractive terms,which includes interaction,orbital and electrostatic energies,in correlating the pEDA study with the transport properties.By progressing this research,further developments could be possible in atomic-scale manufacturing in the future.