Large scale indium tin oxide (ITO) one dimensional gratings for ultrafast signal modulation in the visible spectral region

Indium tin oxide (ITO) is a heavily doped semiconductor with a plasmonic response in the near infrared region. When exposed to light, the distribution of conduction band electron induces a change in the real and imaginary parts of the dielectric permittivity. The coupling of the electromagnetic waves with the electrons in the conduction band of metallic nanostructures with ultrashort light pulses results in a nonlinear plasmonic response. Such optical modulation occurring on ultrafast time scales, e.g. picosecond response times, can be exploited and used to create integrated optical components with terahertz modulation speed. Here, we present a photophysical study on a one dimensional ITO grating, realized using a femtosecond micromachining process, a very industrially accessible technology. The geometries, dimensions and pitch of the various gratings analyzed are obtained by means of direct ablation in a controlled atmosphere of a homogeneous thin layer of ITO deposited on a glass substrate. The pitch has been selected in order to obtain a higher order of the photonic band gap in the visible spectral region. Femtosecond micromachining technology guarantees precision, repeatability and extreme manufacturing flexibility. By means of ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopy, we characterize both the plasmon and inter-band temporal dynamics. We observe a large optical nonlinearity of the ITO grating in the visible range, where the photonic band gap occurs, when pumped at the surface plasmon resonance in the near infrared (1500 nm) region. All together, we show the possibility of all-optical signal modulation with heavily doped semiconductors in their transparency window with a picosecond response time through the formation of ITO grating structures

Croup and COVID‐19

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Preliminary crystallographic studies of EcTI, a serine proteinase inhibitor from Enterolobium contortisiliquum seeds

Enterolobium contortisiliquum trypsin inhibitor (EcTI) belongs to the Kunitz family of plant inhibitors, which are widely distributed in nature, especially in plant seeds. EcTI is composed of two polypeptide chains with a total of 174 residues, homologous to other inhibitors from the same family. EcTI crystals, which were obtained with the acupuncture-gel technique, diffract to 2.0 Angstrom resolution and belong to space group P2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 37.12, b = 38.42, c = 54.08 Angstrom, beta = 98.08 degrees. Molecular-replacement techniques using Erythrina caffra trypsin inhibitor (PDB code 1tie) as the search model indicate one monomer in the asymmetric unit. the secondary-structure content of EcTI was determined by circular dichroism spectroscopy, yielding values compatible with the expected topology.Universidade Federal de São Paulo, EPM, Dept Bioquim, BR-04044020 São Paulo, BrazilUniv São Paulo, IFSC, Lab Cristalog Prot & Biol Mol Estructural, San Carlos, SP, BrazilUniv São Paulo, IFSC, Dept Biofis, San Carlos, SP, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, EPM, Dept Bioquim, BR-04044020 São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Fully direct written organic micro-thermoelectric generators embedded in a plastic foil

Organic materials have attracted great interest for thermoelectric applications due to their tuneable electronic properties, solution processability and earth-abundance, potentially enabling high-throughput realization of low-cost devices for low-power energy harvesting applications. So far, organic thermoelectricity has primarily focused on materials development, with less attention given to integrated generators. Yet, future applications will require the combination of efficient generators architectures and scalable manufacturing techniques to leverage the advantages of such promising materials. Here we report the realization of a monolithic organic micro-thermoelectric generator (μ-OTEG), using only direct writing methods, embedding the thermoelectric legs within a plastic substrate through a combination of direct laser writing and inkjet printing techniques. Employing PEDOT:PSS for the p-type legs and a doped fullerene derivative for the n-type ones, we demonstrate a μ-OTEG with power density of 30.5 nW/cm2 under small thermal gradients, proving the concrete possibility of achieving power requirements of low-power, distributed sensing applications

Ultrafast photochromism and bacteriochromism in one dimensional hybrid plasmonic photonic structures

Hybrid plasmonic photonic structures combine the plasmonic response with the photonic band gap, holding promise for utilization as optical switches and sensors. Here, we demonstrate the active modulation of the optical response in such structures with two different external stimuli, e.g. laser pulses and bacteria. First, we report the fabrication of a miniaturized (5 x 5 mm) indium tin oxide (ITO) grating employing femtosecond laser micromachining, and we show the possibility to modulate the photonic band gap in the visible via ultrafast photoexcitation in the infrared part of the spectrum. Note that the demonstrated time response in the picosecond range of the spectral modulation have an industrial relevance. Moreover, we manufacture one-dimensional photonic crystals consisting of a solution-processed dielectric Bragg stack exposing a top-layer of bio-active silver. We assign the bacterial responsivity of the system to polarization charges at the Ag/bacterium interface, giving rise to an overall blue shift of the photonic band gap.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

Quantitative analysis of iris parameters in keratoconus patients using optical coherence tomography

ABSTRACTPurpose:To investigate the relationship between quantitative iris parameters and the presence of keratoconus.Methods:Cross-sectional observational study that included 15 affected eyes of 15 patients with keratoconus and 26 eyes of 26 normal age- and sex-matched controls. Iris parameters (area, thickness, and pupil diameter) of affected and unaffected eyes were measured under standardized light and dark conditions using anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT). To identify optimal iris thickness cutoff points to maximize the sensitivity and specificity when discriminating keratoconus eyes from normal eyes, the analysis included the use of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.Results:Iris thickness and area were lower in keratoconus eyes than in normal eyes. The mean thickness at the pupillary margin under both light and dark conditions was found to be the best parameter for discriminating normal patients from keratoconus patients. Diagnostic performance was assessed by the area under the ROC curve (AROC), which had a value of 0.8256 with 80.0% sensitivity and 84.6% specificity, using a cutoff of 0.4125 mm. The sensitivity increased to 86.7% when a cutoff of 0.4700 mm was used.Conclusions:In our sample, iris thickness was lower in keratoconus eyes than in normal eyes. These results suggest that tomographic parameters may provide novel adjunct approaches for keratoconus screening

PLANO DE MANUTENÇÃO DE BOMBAS CENTRÍFUGAS EM SISTEMAS DE COMBATE A INCÊNDIO PREDIAL

O presente artigo científico apresenta uma elaboração de um plano de manutenção para a bomba centrífuga predial de combate a incêndio de modelo Schneider BC-20R. Apresentando uma breve introdução em bombas centrífugas segundo bibliografias técnicas, uma explanação da definição de manutenção segundo bibliografias técnicas, do funcionamento de um sistema de combate a incêndio predial e sua importância, das normas ao qual o plano de manutenção é regido, e ações para elaboração do plano de manutenção preventiva, assim, influenciando diretamente no aumento da disponibilidade operacional da bomba centrífuga em caso de sinistros que possam causar dano a vida e ao patrimônio. A metodologia aplicada foi a de pesquisa como sendo a bibliográfica e a sua abordagem se apresenta com uma abordagem qualitativa, e o resultado esperado é um plano de manutenção que possa ser usado no caso de um prédio residencial de 3 pavimentos abordado no trabalho para proporcionar o aumento da disponibilidade operacional e a mitigação das falhas mais comuns para atendimento das normas técnicas e legislações vigentes