Effects of Different Substrates and Temperature on the Growth and Yield of Oyster Mushroom (Lentinus sajor-caju Fr.)

The study evaluated the effects of three saw dust substrates on the growth and yield of Lentinus sajor-caju at the pathology laboratory of Forestry Research Institute of  Nigeria (FRIN) under indoor and outdoor temperatures of 28.6ºC and 29.1ºC  respectively.  The saw dust substrate includes; Triplochiton scleroxylon, Gmelina arborea, and Cordia Millenii. Wheat bran and lime (CaCo3) were incorporated to the substrates as supplements.  The mycelial growth was faster at 28.6ºC giving full colonization at 3 weeks in all the substrates, while full colonization was observed in 4 weeks at 29.1ºC. T. scleroxylon substrate recorded best heights at both indoor and outdoor temperatures with 28.1±10.2cm and 14.6±4.40 respectively.  G. arborea substrate gave the highest yield at both outdoor and indoor temperatures with 69.5±30.6 g 53.5±10.8 g respectively. There was no significant difference on the growth and yield of   L. sajor-caju at the two temperature ranges. Based on the results obtained, G. arborea saw dust was the most suitable substrate and could be recommended for the cultivation of Lentinus sajor-caju

Управление фотостабильностью полупроводниковых квантовых точек с помощью наночастиц золота

The effect of plasmonic films containing gold nanoparticles of different shape (nanospheres and nanorods) on the photostability of InP/ZnSe/ZnSeS/ZnS and CdSe/ZnCdS/ZnS quantum dots with core/shell structure has been determined. Gold nanospheres increase the photostability of InP/ZnSe/ZnSeS/ZnS quantum dots when excited by blue LED radiation when reducing the average lifetime of the excited state of quantum dots and, accordingly, when reducing the probability of Auger processes. An increase in the average lifetime of the excited state of CdSe/ZnCdS/ZnS quantum dots in complexes with gold nanorods leads to a decrease in the photostability upon excitation at 449 and 532 nm.Установлено влияние наночастиц золота различной формы (наносферы и наностержни) на фотостабильность квантовых точек InP/ZnSe/ZnSeS/ZnS и CdSe/ZnCdS/ZnS со структурой типа «ядро/оболочка». Наносферы золота повышают фотостабильность квантовых точек InP/ZnSe/ZnSeS/ZnS при возбуждении излучением синего диапазона за счет уменьшения среднего времени жизни возбужденного состояния квантовых точек и, соответственно, снижения вероятности Оже-процессов. Увеличение среднего времени жизни возбужденного состояния квантовых точек CdSe/ZnCdS/ZnS в комплексах с наностержнями золота приводит к снижению фотостабильности при возбуждении на 449 и 532 нм

Plasmon-Enhanced Ultraviolet Luminescence in Colloid Solutions and Nanostructures Based on Aluminum and ZnO Nanoparticles

Aluminum nanoparticles attract scientific interest as a promising low-cost material with strong plasmon resonance in the ultraviolet region, which can be used in various fields of photonics. In this paper, for the first time, ultraviolet luminescence of zinc oxide nanoparticles in colloid solutions and nanostructure films in the presence of plasmonic aluminum nanoparticles 60 nm in size with a metal core and an aluminum oxide shell were studied. Mixture colloids of ZnO and Al nanoparticles in isopropyl alcohol solution with concentrations from 0.022 to 0.44 g/L and 0.057 to 0.00285 g/L, correspondingly, were investigated. The enhancement of up to 300% of ZnO emission at 377 nm in colloids mixtures with metal nanoparticles due to formation of Al-ZnO complex agglomerates was achieved. Plasmon nanostructures with different configurations of layers, such as Al on the surface of ZnO, ZnO on Al, sandwich-like structure and samples prepared from a colloidal mixture of ZnO and Al nanoparticles, were fabricated by microplotter printing. We demonstrated that photoluminescence can be boosted 2.4-fold in nanostructures prepared from a colloidal mixture of ZnO and Al nanoparticles, whereas the sandwich-like structure gave only 1.1 times the amplification of luminescence. Calculated theoretical models of photoluminescence enhancement of ideal and weak emitters near aluminum nanoparticles of different sizes showed comparable results with the obtained experimental data