Ab initio studies of two-photon absorption of some stilbenoid chromophores

Two-photon absorption of a series of donor-acceptor trans-stilbene derivatives is studied by means of density functional theory applied to second-order response function. Several important issues in modeling are highlighted which must be addressed for a reliable reproduction of the experimental results. It is evident that the correct order of magnitude of calculated two-photon absorption cross sections can only be obtained if proper account is taken of vibrational broadening of the absorption profiles. A comparison of the theoretical results with the experimental ones indicates that the computed two-photon absorption cross sections are in rough agreement with our previous report, although the observed systematic increase of the cross sections with the electron acceptor strength is not well reproduced. It is suggested that this disagreement may be due not only to the deficiencies of the computations but also to a variety of factors contributing to the experimental value of the effective two-photon absorption cross section, which are not taken into account in the ab initio calculations

TLM modeling and system identification of optimized antenna structures

The transmission line matrix (TLM) method in conjunction with the genetic algorithm (GA) is presented for the bandwidth optimization of a low profile patch antenna. The optimization routine is supplemented by a system identification (SI) procedure. By the SI the model parameters of the structure are estimated which is used for a reduction of the total TLM simulation time. The SI utilizes a new stability criterion of the physical poles for the parameter extraction

Asymmetric properties between the forward and backward stimulated emission generated by ultrafast three- and four-photon excitation

This paper presents the observation of asymmetric behavior between the forward and backward stimulated emission, generated in multiphoton active dye solutions, through three- or four-photon excitation of subpicosecond laser pulses. At a pump energy level considerably higher than the lasing threshold value, the peak wavelengths of the forward stimulated emission are 20–30-nm shorter than those of the backward stimulated emission for the two investigated stilbazolium dye solutions (PRL-L3 and PRL-L10). This obvious spectral asymmetry can be explained by the following three considerations: (i) the difference of spatial/temporal sequences between the forward and backward stimulated emission pulses; (ii) blueshift of the peak wavelength of transient gain experienced by the forward stimulated emission pulse; and (iii) saturation of reabsorption at the forward lasing wavelength range. These proposed explanations are verified by a specially designed pump-probe experiment, utilizing a white-light continuum as the probe beam and the ∼1300-nm laser radiation as the pump beam for three-photon excitation. The experimental results have clearly shown the existence of the saturation effect of reabsorption and the gain-peak blueshift effect as well as their transient features

ChloroMitoSSRDB 2.00: More genomes, more repeats, unifying SSRs search patterns and on-the-fly repeat detection

© The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. Organelle genomes evolve rapidly as compared with nuclear genomes and have been widely used for developing microsatellites or simple sequence repeats (SSRs) markers for delineating phylogenomics. In our previous reports, we have established the largest repository of organelle SSRs, ChloroMitoSSRDB, which provides access to 2161 organelle genomes (1982 mitochondrial and 179 chloroplast genomes) with a total of 5838 perfect chloroplast SSRs, 37 297 imperfect chloroplast SSRs, 5898 perfect mitochondrial SSRs and 50 355 imperfect mitochondrial SSRs across organelle genomes. In the present research, we have updated ChloroMitoSSRDB by systematically analyzing and adding additional 191 chloroplast and 2102 mitochondrial genomes. With the recent update, ChloroMitoSSRDB 2.00 provides access to a total of 4454 organelle genomes displaying a total of 40 653 IMEx Perfect SSRs (11 802 Chloroplast Perfect SSRs and 28 851 Mitochondria Perfect SSRs), 275 981 IMEx Imperfect SSRs (78 972 Chloroplast Imperfect SSRs and 197 009 Mitochondria Imperfect SSRs), 35 250 MISA (MIcroSAtellite identification tool) Perfect SSRs and 3211 MISA Compound SSRs and associated information such as location of the repeats (coding and non-coding), size of repeat, motif and length polymorphism, and primer pairs. Additionally, we have integrated and made available several in silico SSRs mining tools through a unified web-portal for in silico repeat mining for assembled organelle genomes and from next generation sequencing reads. ChloroMitoSSRDB 2.00 allows the end user to perform multiple SSRs searches and easy browsing through the SSRs using two repeat algorithms and provide primer pair information for identified SSRs for evolutionary genomics

Research of Geopolymer Foam Concrete on the Base of the Wastes Produced By Kemerovo Heat and Power Enterprises

The article shows the results of the research on geopolymer foam concrete production on the base of the wastes of Kemerovo heat and power enterprises. Relationships between the compression strength and average density of geopolymer foam concrete and the alkaline activator amount, alkaline concentration, foaming agent amount and duration of the blend mechanical activation were determined. It was found out that being in its optimal composition the material obtained has strength 2.0-3.5 MPa under density from 350 up to 500 kg/m3. Infusion of the developed construction material on the basis of the industrial wastes will allow to change more expensive construction materials on the cement base and provide the utilization of the industrial wastes

Horizontal Branch Stars: The Interplay between Observations and Theory, and Insights into the Formation of the Galaxy

We review HB stars in a broad astrophysical context, including both variable and non-variable stars. A reassessment of the Oosterhoff dichotomy is presented, which provides unprecedented detail regarding its origin and systematics. We show that the Oosterhoff dichotomy and the distribution of globular clusters (GCs) in the HB morphology-metallicity plane both exclude, with high statistical significance, the possibility that the Galactic halo may have formed from the accretion of dwarf galaxies resembling present-day Milky Way satellites such as Fornax, Sagittarius, and the LMC. A rediscussion of the second-parameter problem is presented. A technique is proposed to estimate the HB types of extragalactic GCs on the basis of integrated far-UV photometry. The relationship between the absolute V magnitude of the HB at the RR Lyrae level and metallicity, as obtained on the basis of trigonometric parallax measurements for the star RR Lyrae, is also revisited, giving a distance modulus to the LMC of (m-M)_0 = 18.44+/-0.11. RR Lyrae period change rates are studied. Finally, the conductive opacities used in evolutionary calculations of low-mass stars are investigated. [ABRIDGED]Comment: 56 pages, 22 figures. Invited review, to appear in Astrophysics and Space Scienc

Improving the Efficiency of Using Smalldistributed Generation Systems through Mechanisms of Demand Management for Electricity and Gas

The article is devoted to the development of a model and a set of methods for improving the efficiency of using small-distributed generation systems. The basis of the developed model is the integration of methods of price-dependent demand management for electricity and natural gas with a system of small-distributed power generation. The developed management model allows electricity consumers to reduce the cost of purchasing energy resources in comparison with the cost of electricity supplied from energy companies, based on the analysis of price indicators for the supply of electricity from regional energy markets and the terms of natural gas supply. The article presents the results of the pricing principles analysis for all components of the electricity and natural gas cost. The possibility of complex price-dependent demand management for the consumption of electric power is demonstrated through the management of electricity generation schedules by a small-generation system and schedules of gas consumption spent on electricity generation by a system of small-distributed generation. The complex of methods of price-dependent power consumption developed by the authors, taking into account the use of the system of small-distributed generation, can be adapted to the use by various types of electricity consumers that purchase electricity in the energy markets of various countries of the world.The work was supported by Act 211 Government of the Russian Federation, contract No 02.A03.21.0011

Change in Subjects' Emotional States as Observed through Facial Expressions during a Seven-Day Dry Immersion Experiment

Background. The problem of precise and reliable evaluation of the emotional state of operators in spaceflight conditions still remains unresolved, and therefore relevant. This evaluation is especially important for predicting operators` professional activity effectiveness considering the current emotional state which significantly determines the accuracy and rapidity of professional tasks performance. Objectives. Our study is carried out to empirically test the new method and technology for evaluating changes in the emotional state of the 7-day experiment participants measuring facial expression changes in their DPC-video interview recordings. Study Participants. The study involved 10 men aged 25 to 35 years. Volunteers were selected by the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences as participants in the research. Methods. DPC video interviews were conducted daily in the morning and in the evening. Facial expression changes evaluation was conducted with the EmoRadar software which detects FACS action units (AUs), seven basic emotions and other patterns of facial activity. Results. The description of facial expression changes in the experiment are given based on the data from two participants. These changes were compared with the emotional experience of the participants and experimental conditions. The necessity of differentiated evaluation of the positive emotion of happiness is shown since its assessments may include not only happiness as a basic emotion, but also two expressions of smiles (social smile or coy smile) similar to it. The effectiveness of the software used and the author's approach to computer analysis of facial activity is clearly shown. Conclusions. With the help of the developed technology based on the implementation of a comprehensive approach to measurement and interpretation of facial expressions, it is possible to provide objective information about characteristic changes in facial expressions as reliable behavioral indicators of a person's emotional state. The data are independent of respondents' self-assessments or expert’s experience. This opens up new methodological possibilities for aerospace psychology to solve the problem of automatic monitoring of the emotional state of operators