Sensitive and Selective Determination of Cu2+ by Electrochemiluminescence of CdTe Quantum Dots

For the first time, we report a sensitive and selective method to detect Cu2+ based on the electrochemiluminescence quenching of CdTe quantum dots (QDs) in aqueous solution. The mercaptosuccinic acid (MSA) protected CdTe QDs were prepared and characterized with UV, fluorescence and ECL. The anodic ECL quenching mechanism was attributed to the fact that MSA capping was removed from the surface of the CdTe QDs and preferentially bound with Cu2+. The displacement of MSA capping layer created imperfections on the CdTe QDs surface, and eventually led to the ECL quenching.

Phosphors for plasma display panels

Excitation and emission characteristics were reviewed for phosphors which were reported, applied, or suggested for the plasma display panel (PDP). Correlation of luminescence characteristics to the host crystal structure and the activator of the phosphor was explained. Improvements of the PDP phosphor for practicality were considered. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.

The effects of oxygen partial pressure on the optical absorption edge and the UV emission energy of ZnO films

The optical absorption edge and ultraviolet (UV) emission energy of ZnO films deposited by direct current (DC) reactive magnetron sputtering at room temperature have been investigated. With the oxygen ratio increasing, the structure of films changes from zinc and zinc oxide coexisting phase to single-phase ZnO and finally to the highly (002) orientation. Both the grain size and the stress of ZnO film vary with the oxygen partial pressure. Upon increasing the oxygen partial pressure in the growing ambient, the visible emission in the room-temperature photoluminescence spectra was suppressed without sacrificing the band-edge emission intensity in the ultraviolet region. The peaks of photoluminescence spectra were located at 3.06---3.15 eV. From optical transmittance spectra of ZnO films, the optical band gap edge was observed to shift towards shorter wavelength with the increase of oxygen partial pressure.

冬小麦抗寒性和光合作用对增强UV-B辐射与温度交互作用的响应

人类活动产生的氯氟烃化合物破坏了大气臭氧层，导致了到达地球表面的UV-B辐射大幅度增加。UV-B辐射增强可以影响到植物的生长、形态与发育等各个方面，因此有关增强UV-B辐射对植物的影响，及其与许多环境因子复合作用的研究都已经广泛开展。但是增强UV-B辐射与温度，特别是与低温的相互作用的研究报道很少。在北半球的晚秋至早春这段时期里，一些越冬生长的植物将面临着UV-B辐射增强和低温的双重胁迫，因此，迫切需要进行UV-B辐射和低温生长环境下植物的响应及其机制的研究。 以人工气候生长室中生长的冬小麦(Triticum aestivum)幼苗为试验材料，研究了低剂量（4.2 kJ m-2 d-1 UV-BBE，LUVB）和较高剂量（7.0 kJ m-2 d-1 UV-BBE，HUVB）UV-B辐射处理对20/16℃条件下幼苗抗寒力的交叉适应性及其抗氧化系统的反应;同时还研究了在两种生长温度（25/20℃和10/5℃）条件下，低剂量（4.2 kJ m-2 d-1 UV-BBE，LUVB）和超高剂量（10.3 kJ m-2 d-1 UV-BBE，SHUVB）UV-B辐射处理幼苗的生长速率、光合与荧光参数、叶黄素循环色素、抗氧化系统、以及抗寒性和酚类物质等生理反应，以期阐明不同温度条件下生长的冬小麦对UV-B辐射的生长、光合作用以及抗寒性响应与适应机制。主要结果如下： 1.在LUVB辐射处理下，在20/16℃和25/20℃条件下生长的冬小麦幼苗LT50值都显著降低，HUVB辐射处理对在20/16℃条件下生长的幼苗LT50值也可以显著降低，而SHUVB辐射对25/20℃条件下生长的幼苗LT50值没有显著影响。但是，LUVB和SHUVB辐射处理都导致了10/5℃条件下生长的幼苗LT50值的显著增加。表明适当的UV-B辐射能增强较高温度（20/16℃或25/20℃）条件下冬小麦幼苗的抗寒力，即表现出对冷冻低温的交叉适应性，但低温（10/5℃）生长条件却削弱了UV-B辐射下冬小麦的抗寒能力。 2.在20/16℃条件下接受UV-B辐射预处理的幼苗在-6℃条件下冷冻胁迫6 h再缓慢恢复6 h后，与未进行UV-B辐射处理的对照相比，其叶片过氧化氢酶（CAT）、愈创木酚过氧化物酶（GPX）、谷胱甘肽还原酶（GR）活性，谷胱甘肽氧化还原比例（GSH/GSSG）都显著提高，而由硫代巴比妥酸反应物质（TBARS）代表的膜质过氧化程度显著低于对照。此外，UV-B辐射期间处理幼苗的H2O2含量较对照显著增加，而冷冻恢复以后却明显低于对照。表明UV-B辐射诱导的抗寒力的提高应该与冷冻恢复后植株体内抗氧化系统的上调表达有关，H2O2可能参与了UV-B辐射对低温的交叉适应的信号传导。 3.除25/20℃生长条件下的LUVB处理的小麦幼苗外，UV-B辐射显著降低幼苗的相对生长速率（RGR）、净光合速率（Pn）、光系统II最大量子产量（Fv/Fm）、光系统II实际量子产量（(F΄m−Fs)/F΄m）以及光化学淬灭（qP），但是UV-B辐射并不影响叶片胞间CO2浓度（Ci），而且冬小麦幼苗生长和光合作用的抑制被增加的UV-B辐射剂量和降低的温度加强。UV-B辐射引起的光抑制由非气孔限制所导致，而且主要与PS II光化学效率降低有关。 4.UV-B辐射显著增加了两个温度条件（20/16℃或25/20℃）下生长的冬小麦幼苗叶黄素循环过程中紫黄素（V）的合成，但抑制了V向玉米黄质（Z）的转化，从而造成了对照与LUVB辐射处理幼苗之间的叶片中脱环氧化比例（DEPS）和NPQ无显著性差异，但SHUVB辐射处理幼苗叶片中DEPS和NPQ显著降低。因此，在本试验条件下，增强UV-B辐射处理的冬小麦可能并不通过热耗散形式形成光保护机制，光抑制形成的过剩激发能的耗散可能更多地通过代谢途径来实现。 5.UV-B辐射处理提高了在25/20℃条件下幼苗的超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）、抗坏血酸过氧化物酶（APX）和GR等活性，以及抗坏血酸氧化还原比例（AsA/DHA）和GSH/GSSG;但是在10/5℃下，UV-B辐射除了导致SOD和CAT活性升高之外，对APX活性和AsA/DHA并不产生明显影响，但GPX和GSH/GSSG则显著降低。说明UV-B辐射幼苗的抗氧化系统在较高生长温度下显著地增强，而在低温10/5℃下被严重地削弱或降低，即低温阻止了代谢途径的光保护机制的正常运转。 6.多酚物质在UV-B辐射或低温10/5℃条件下都能显著地累积，且在UV-B辐射和低温复合作用下增加尤其显著，表明多酚物质在两个温度生长条件下特别是低温条件下都参与了对UV-B辐射幼苗的保护。 7.在高温条件下仅仅SHUVB处理的幼苗TBARS含量显著增加，而低温10/5℃条件下两个UV-B辐射处理都非常显著地上升，说明与高温生长条件相比较，低温加重了UV-B辐射引起的氧化胁迫，低温10/5℃条件下幼苗多酚的增加以及抗氧化系统的部分增强都没有能阻止UV-B辐射对幼苗的伤害。

Single UV excitation of Hoechst 33342 and propidium iodide for viability assessment of rhesus monkey spermatozoa using flow cytometry

Many fluorescent probes excited by visible light have been used to assess sperm quality by flow cytometry. Developing a viability evaluation method using UV excited stains would be useful for multiparameter analysis of sperm function. This investigation was conducted to determine the efficacy of Hoechst 33342 (H342) and propidium iodide (PI) dual staining for evaluating rhesus monkey sperm viability through use of flow cytometry and excited by a single UV laser. The results showed that the live cells stained only with H342 strongly correlated with expected sperm viability, and flow cytometric analyses were highly correlated with fluorescence microscopic observation. Using H342/PI/SYBR-14 triple staining method, it was found that the live/dead sperm distributions were completely concordant in both H342/PI and SYBR-14/PI assays. In addition, this dual staining was extended with fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated peanut agglutinin (FITC-PNA) to simultaneously analyze viability and acrosome integrity of sperm cryopreserved using two different extenders, TTE and TEST, and indicated that TTE offered better Preservation of plasma and acrosome integrity than TEST Therefore, the H342/PI dual staining provides an accurate technique for evaluating viability of rhesus monkey sperm and should be valuable for multiparameter flow cytometric analysis of sperm function.

Solar UV radiation drives CO2 fixation in marine phytoplankton: A double-edged sword

Photosynthesis by phytoplankton cells in aquatic environments contributes to more than 40% of the global primary production (Behrenfeld et al., 2006). Within the euphotic zone (down to 1% of surface photosynthetically active radiation [PAR]), cells are exposed not only to PAR (400-700 nm) but also to UV radiation (UVR; 280-400 nm) that can penetrate to considerable depths (Hargreaves, 2003). In contrast to PAR, which is energizing to photosynthesis, UVR is usually regarded as a stressor (Hader, 2003) and suggested to affect CO2-concentrating mechanisms in phytoplankton (Beardall et al., 2002). Solar UVR is known to reduce photosynthetic rates (Steemann Nielsen, 1964; Helbling et al., 2003), and damage cellular components such as D1 proteins (Sass et al., 1997) and DNA molecules (Buma et al., 2003). It can also decrease the growth (Villafane et al., 2003) and alter the rate of nutrient uptake (Fauchot et al., 2000) and the fatty acid composition (Goes et al., 1994) of phytoplankton. Recently, it has been found that natural levels of UVR can alter the morphology of the cyanobacterium Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis (Wu et al., 2005b). On the other hand, positive effects of UVR, especially of UV- A (315-400 nm), have also been reported. UV- A enhances carbon fixation of phytoplankton under reduced (Nilawati et al., 1997; Barbieri et al., 2002) or fast-fluctuating (Helbling et al., 2003) solar irradiance and allows photorepair of UV- B-induced DNA damage (Buma et al., 2003). Furthermore, the presence of UV-A resulted in higher biomass production of A. platensis as compared to that under PAR alone (Wu et al., 2005a). Energy of UVR absorbed by the diatom Pseudo-nitzschia multiseries was found to cause fluorescence (Orellana et al., 2004). In addition, fluorescent pigments in corals and their algal symbiont are known to absorb UVR and play positive roles for the symbiotic photosynthesis and photoprotection (Schlichter et al., 1986; Salih et al., 2000). However, despite the positive effects that solar UVR may have on aquatic photosynthetic organisms, there is no direct evidence to what extent and howUVR per se is utilized by phytoplankton. In addition, estimations of aquatic biological production have been carried out in incubations considering only PAR (i. e. using UV-opaque vials made of glass or polycarbonate; Donk et al., 2001) without UVR being considered (Hein and Sand-Jensen, 1997; Schippers and Lurling, 2004). Here, we have found that UVR can act as an additional source of energy for photosynthesis in tropical marine phytoplankton, though it occasionally causes photoinhibition at high PAR levels. While UVR is usually thought of as damaging, our results indicate that UVR can enhance primary production of phytoplankton. Therefore, oceanic carbon fixation estimates may be underestimated by a large percentage if UVR is not taken into account.

Electrochemical preparation of silver nanostructure on the planar surface for application in metal-enhanced fluorescence

We introduce a fast and simple method, named the potentiostatic electrodeposition technique, to deposit metal particles on the planar surface for application in metal-enhanced fluorescence. The as-prepared metallic surfaces were comprised of silver nanostructures and displayed a relatively homogeneous morphology. Atomic force microscopy and UV-visible absorption spectroscopy were used to characterize the growth process of the silver nanostructures on the indium tin oxide (ITO) surfaces. A typical 20-fold enhancement in the intensity of a nearby fluorophore, [Ru(bpy)(3)](2+), could be achieved on the silvered surfaces. In addition, the photostability of [Ru(bpy)(3)](2+) was found to be greatly increased due to the modification of the radiative decay rate of the fluorophore. It is expected that this electrochemical approach to fabricating nanostructured metallic surfaces can be further utilized in enhanced fluorescence-based applications.

Synthesis and characterization of a time-resolved fluorescence analysis chelate reagent-BCPDA

In this paper, we report on a solid phase time-resolved fluorescence immunoassay chelate reagent-4,7-bis(chlorosulfophenyl)1, 10-phenanthroline-2,9-dicarboxylic acid (BCPDA), which is suitable as a fluorescent labeling agent. The five step synthesis product of BCPDA was presented for improving the purity of the product based on the three step synthesis product. The approach involves chlorization, hydrolyzing the ester, preparing disodium, carboxylate to diacid, sulfonation. The yield of five step product is 99 %, 45 %, 94 %, 95 %, 80 % respectively. The structure and purity of product was characterized by the melting point, IR,H-1 NMR, UV spectrum, element analysis, and proved to be consistent with the structure predictal.

Studies on the interaction of porphyrin with antibody with fluorescent spectrum and UV-Vis differential spectra

After meso-tetra (alpha, alpha, alpha, alpha-O-phenylacetyl benzene)porphyrin combined with McAb 1F2, there was a significant hyperchromic effect, indicating that the combination of porphyrin and antibody is rigid and compact, aromatic amino acids exist at the combining sites of antigen in antibody. These aromatic amino acids are Trys and Trps, but the numbers of Trp are more than that found for Trys. The stochiometric ratio of porphyrin to 1F2 is 1:1, the disassociation constant was determined as(2.084+/-0.216) x 10(-10) mol/L by a method of fluorescence quenching, showing that both have a high affinity.

Synthesis, electrochemistry and fluorescence of four new Ru(phen)(3)(2+) derivatives

Four typical LB monolayer film materials, Ru(phen)(3)(2+) complexes with one ligand attached to different long chain alkyl amides, were designed and synthesized. Their chemical structures were identified by the techniques of FT-IR, H-1 NMR and ESI-MS. Also, UV-Vis, electrochemistry and fluorescence of these complexes are reported.

Fluorescence and aggregation behavior of a polyimide in solutions

The UV-visible absorption and fluorescence spectra of a soluble polyimide, YS-30, in several organic solvents were measured over a wide range of concentration. The experimental results show that there exist both intramolecular and intermolecular electron donor acceptor interactions for YS-30 molecules. The fluorescence behavior of YS-30 in N,N-dimethylacetamide and in chloroform solutions is similar in general, except that its ground-state intermolecular charge transfer emission is more obvious in N,N-dimethylacetamide solution. This difference is attributed to the greater extent of disruption of the chain packing by solvent or/and the more efficient radiationless energy dissipation process from the excited state complexes to chloroform. The intensity ratio of intermolecular charge transfer emission to intramolecular charge transfer emission is used to characterize the state of aggregation of YS-30 molecules in solutions. The plot of this ratio versus concentration indicates the existence of two critical concentrations. It is also found from the same plot that the decrease of coil size is very pronounced during the initial stage of shrinkage.

Study of a new derivatizing reagent that improves the analysis of amino acids by HPLC with fluorescence detection: application to hydrolyzed rape bee pollen

A simple and sensitive method for evaluating the chemical compositions of protein amino acids, including cystine (Cys)(2) and tryptophane (Try) has been developed, based on the use of a sensitive labeling reagent 2-(11H-benzo[alpha]-carbazol-11-yl) ethyl chloroformate (BCEC-Cl) along with fluorescence detection. The chromophore of the 1,2-benzo-3,4-dihydrocarbazole-ethyl chloroformate (BCEOC-Cl) molecule was replaced with the 2-(11H-benzo[alpha]-carbazol-11-yl) ethyl functional group, yielding the sensitive fluorescence molecule BCEC-Cl. The new reagent BCEC-Cl could then be substituted for labeling reagents commonly used in amino acid derivatization. The BCEC-amino acid derivatives exhibited very high detection sensitivities, particularly in the cases of (Cys)(2) and Try, which cannot be determined using traditional labeling reagents such as 9-fluorenyl methylchloroformate (FMOC-Cl) and ortho-phthaldialdehyde (OPA). The fluorescence detection intensities for the BCEC derivatives were compared to those obtained when using FMOC-Cl and BCEOC-Cl as labeling reagents. The ratios I (BCEC)/I (BCEOC) = 1.17-3.57, I (BCEC)/I (FMOC) = 1.13-8.21, and UVBCEC/UVBCEOC = 1.67-4.90 (where I is the fluorescence intensity and UV is the ultraviolet absorbance). Derivative separation was optimized on a Hypersil BDS C-18 column. The detection limits calculated from 1.0 pmol injections, at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3, ranged from 7.2 fmol for Try to 8.4 fmol for (Cys)(2). Excellent linear responses were observed, with coefficients of > 0.9994. When coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography, the method established here allowed the development of a highly sensitive and specific method for the quantitative analysis of trace levels of amino acids including (Cys)(2) and Try from bee-collected pollen (bee pollen) samples.

Coke formation during the methanol conversion to olefins in zeolites studied by UV Raman spectroscopy

Coke formation on/in ZSM-5, USY and SAPO-34 zeolites was investigated during the methanol conversion to olefins at temperatures from 298 to 773 K using ultraviolet (UV) Raman spectroscopy. The fluorescence interference that usually obscures the Raman spectra of zeolites in the conventional Raman spectroscopy, particularly for coked catalysts, can be successfully avoided in the UV Raman spectroscopy. Raman spectra are almost the same for adsorbed methanol on the three zeolites at room temperature. However, the Raman spectra of the surface species formed at elevated temperatures are quite different for the three zeolites. Coke species formed in/on SAPO-34 are mainly polyolefinic species, and in/on ZSM-5 are some aromatic species, but polyaromatic or substituted aromatic species are predominant in USY at high temperatures. Most of the coke species can be removed after a treatment with O-2 at 773 K, while some small amount of coke species always remains in these zeolites, particularly for USY. The main reason for the different behavior of coke formation in the three zeolites could be attributed to the different pore structures of the zeolites. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Characterization of aluminosilicate zeolites by UV Raman spectroscopy

A series of aluminosilicate zeolites are characterized by UV Raman spectroscopy for the first time, and UV Raman spectra of various zeolites give strong and clear bands with high resolution, while conventional Raman spectra of these zeolites are difficult to obtain because of a strong background fluorescence. Additionally, these zeolites show several new bands in UV Raman spectroscopy. A summary of these UV Raman spectra over various zeolites suggests that the bands at 470-530, 370-430, 290-410, and 220-280 cm(-1) can be assigned to the bending modes of 4-, 5-, 6-, and 8-membered rings of aluminosilicate zeolites, respectively. Furthermore, it is found that the band intensity of zeolites in UV Raman spectroscopy is dependent on the Si/Al ratio. Moreover, the UV Raman spectra of crystallization, for zeolite X at various times show that, in the initial stage of crystallization, the 4-membered rings (510 cm(-1)) interconnect each other to form beta -cages with 6-membered rings (390 cm(-1)), which further crystallize to zeolite X. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparative studies of AOT and NaDEHP by fluorescence technique and z-potential (ζ) measurements

The aggregation behaviors of two surfactants with the same hydrophobic tail, sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate (AOT) and sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)phosphate (NaDEHP), have been investigated by the fluorescence technique and z-potential (ζ) measurements. Five fine peaks of the pyrene molecule fluorescence spectroscopy appear in the surfactant solution, and the micropolarity at which pyrene locates is monitored from the intensity ratio of the first (I1) and the third peak (I3). A wide peak around 475 nm, the emission spectra of the excimer of pyrene molecules, is observed in the NaDEHP solution, while this is not found for the AOT system. The value of I1/I3 decreases in a more limited concentration range for the AOT system than for NaDEHP, indicating that small aggregates can be more easily formed by NaDEHP molecules. The z-potential results for the aggregates formed by the two surfactants show that the interaction between AOT and PVP is stronger than that between NaDEHP and PVP.