[Piezoresistivity of ultra-thin poly-silicon layer by aluminum-induced layer exchange].

Poly-Si film, due to its favorable piezoresistive properties, has been widely used in piezoresistive sensors. The previous researches have shown that the ultra-thin poly-Si film have better piezoresistive properties than common poly-silicon film, and have promising future of application. A promising method to obtain large grained high quality poly-silicon films by low-temperature crystallization of an amorphous precursor material is the aluminum-induced layer exchange (ALILE). In this paper, ultra-thin poly-Si films were prepared by aluminum induced layer exchange (ALILE). Experimental results of Raman spectroscopy show that a narrow and symmetrical Raman peak at the wave number of about 518 cm(-1) was observed for all samples, indicating that the films were fully crystallized. XRD results show that the crystallites of ultra-thin poly-silicon layer were preferably (111) and (220) oriented. Hall affect measurements show that hole concentration of the films (p-type) were between 9 x 10(18) and 6 x 10(19) cm(-3). Restorative properties show that the piezoresistors exhibit gauge factors (GFs) up to 60, with temperature coefficients of GF (TCGF) between -0.17-0% degree C and temperature coefficients of resistance (TCR) between -0.2 and -0.1% degrees C. The study of the ultra-thin poly-Si films by ALILE is completed, and the study results lay a foundation for application of the film

Protective effect of Bajijiasu against ß-amyloid-induced neurotoxicity in PC12 cells.

Beta-amyloid peptide (Aß), a major protein component of senile plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD), is also directly neurotoxic. Mitigation of Aß-induced neurotoxicity is thus a possible therapeutic approach to delay or prevent onset and progression of AD. This study evaluated the protective effect of Bajijiasu (ß- D-fructofuranosyl (2-2) ß- D-fructofuranosyl), a dimeric fructose isolated from the Chinese herb Radix Morinda officinalis, on Aß-induced neurotoxicity in pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells. Bajijiasu alone had no endogenous neurotoxicity up to 200 µM. Brief pretreatment with 10-40 µM Bajijiasu (2 h) significantly reversed the reduction in cell viability induced by subsequent 24 h exposure to Aß25-35 (21 µM) as measured by MTT and LDH assays, and reduced Aß25-35-induced apoptosis as indicated by reduced annexin V-EGFP staining. Bajijiasu also decreased the accumulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species and the lipid peroxidation product malondialdehyde in PC12 cells, upregulated expression of glutathione reductase and superoxide dismutase, prevented depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential (Ψm), and blocked Aß25-35-induced increases in [Ca(2+)] i . Furthermore, Bajijiasu reversed Aß25-35-induced changes in the expression levels of p21, CDK4, E2F1, Bax, NF-κB p65, and caspase-3. Bajijiasu is neuroprotective against Aß25-35-induced neurotoxicity in PC12 cells, likely by protecting against oxidative stress and ensuing apoptosis.

[Quantization determination study of micro-Raman spectroscopy of methemoglobin induced by sodium nitrite].

In the present study, Raman spectral characteristics of methemoglobin (MetHb) induced by sodium nitrite (NaNO2) were investigated. Hemoglobin (Hb) was oxidated to MetHb with NaNO2, the Raman spectral specific changes of MetHb was studied by determining the Raman spectral changes of methemoglobin/total hemoglobin of different ratios, and the Raman intensities of methemoglobin/total hemoglobin of different ratios at 1 586, 1 605 and 1 637 cm(-1) were linearly fitted to realize its quantitative detection. The results show that the completely oxidized MetHb can be obtained when the molar ratio of NaNO2 to Hb is 3.5 : 1 whose Raman characteristic peaks are at around 499, 1 340, 1 562 and 1 622 cm(-1), and that the linear fitting correlation coefficients R2 of the Raman intensities of methemoglobin/total hemoglobin of different ratios at 1 586, 1 605 and 1 637 cm(-1) are 0.972 84, 0.997 97 and 0.991 26 respectively, which shows a good linear relationship. This study indicates that the Raman spectrums of MetHb induced by NaNO2 have characteristic differences when compared with normal Hb, that the locations and intensities of Raman characteristic peaks change correspondingly with the alterations of the ratios of methemoglobin/total hemoglobin, and that there are linear correlations between the ratios and their corresponding Raman intensities, which would provide theoretical bases for the clinical Raman spectral detection and quantitative study of methemoglobinemia.

[Raman spectroscopy study of the effect of H+ on the oxygen affinity capacity of hemoglobin].

The hemoglobin was extracted from the blood which was provided by the healthy volunteers and the impact of the pH on hemoglobin oxygen binding capacity was studied with microscopic Raman spectroscopy. The results indicated that: under the excitation light of 514.5 nm, with the reducing of the oxygen partial pressure (PO2), the Raman peak intensity at 1 375, 1 562, 1 585 and 1 638 cm(-1) of the control hemoglobin (pH 7.4) reduced gradually, among which, the change of the 1 375 and 1 638 cm(-1) were the most significant and had a good relevance with the PO2. The curves were plotted by regarding the PO2 as the x-axis and the Raman absolute intensity as the y-axis, and the relationship between hemoglobin Raman absolute intensity of the 1 375 and 1 638 cm(-1) and their related PO2 levels when the pH was 5.7, 7.4 and 8.0 respectively were analyzed. The data was well linear fitted and the fitting equation was obtained. The relationship of the slope (Raman intensity/PO2 level) among them were K8.0 > K7.4 > K5.7, indicating that the lower the pH, the easier the release of the oxygen molecules. It was showed that the Raman spectroscopy technique could be used to detect the oxygen binding rate of hemoglobin quantitatively, and the effect of the PH on oxygen binding state of hemoglobin could be observed, which could provide a new method and make a foundation for the monitoring of the PO2 levels in the blood, as well as the research on the regulatory factors of the blood oxygen affinity, such as H+ and CO2.

[Protective effect of oligosaccharides from Morinda officinalis on beta-amyloid-induced dementia rats].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of oligosaccharides of Morinda officinalis (OMO) on beta-amyloid-induced dementia rats, and study its pharmacological mechanism in treatment of dementia. METHOD: The dementia model rats were established by injecting Abeta25-35 10 microLg into bilateral hippocampus. OMO high-dose (60 mg . kg-1 . d-1) group, OMO low-dose (20 mg . kg-1 . d-1 ) groups, the blank group, the sham operation group and the positive donepezil HC1 group (0. 125 mg kg-1 . d-1) were designed for the experiment. They were continuously administered with drugs at the 15th day after operation for 25 days. Kit microplate method was used to detect the contents of super oxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GSH-Px), acetylcholine (ACh) , acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and Na+ /K+ -ATPase. RESULT: Compared with the model group, all of administration groups showed higher SOD, CAT and GSH-Px levels, and lower MDA in the brain tissues. Besides, they also showed rise in the activities of ACh and Na+ /K+ -ATPase. CONCLUSION: OMO can ameliorate on beta-amyloid-induced dementia rats by enhancing oxidation resistance, activating brain energy metabolism and improving the injury of cholinergic system.

[Effects of indocyanine green on near-infrared optical properties and optical coherence tomographic image of cerebral blood vessel in vivo in rats].

The scope of this research lies in the effects of indocyanine green (ICG) on the near-infrared optical properties and optical coherence tomographic image of cerebral blood vessel in vivo in rats. The skulls of SD rats were opened under nembutal anesthesia to expose and mark the middle cerebral artery. The reflectance spectra of middle cerebral artery were monitored by Vis/ NIR spectrometer and the optical attenuation coefficients of middle cerebral artery were detected by optical coherence tomography (OCT) when indocyanine green was administrated intravenously through tail veins. It was shown that the reflectance spectra of middle cerebral artery could provide guidance for OCT image, where characteristic changes appeared around 800 nm, an absorption peak of indocyanine green. Additionally, significant difference (p<0.01) was observed between the optical attenuation coefficients of middle cerebral artery with and without indocyanine green, which were 24.692 +/- 1.471 and 15.088 +/- 1.602, respectively. It was concluded that indocyanine green, as an optical contrast agent to enhance detection of cerebral artery by the reflectance spectra and OCT imaging, has the potential for monitoring and imaging of cerebral blood vessels.

[Identification of Ginseng and its counterfeit by laser Raman spectroscopy].

The objective of the present study is to identify Ginseng and its false sample: Anthriscus sylvestris, Radix glehniae and balloonflower root by Laser Raman spectroscopy, second derivative Raman spectroscopy. The structural information of the samples indicated that Ginseng and its false samples contains a large amount of carbohydrates, since some characteristic vibration peaks of the carbohydrates, such 1 640, 1 432, 1 130, 1 086, 942, 483 cm(-'1) can be observed. The characteristic vibration peak of Radix glehniae which arouse at 2 206 cm(-1) in the aman spectra, totally different from the other three kinds of traditional Chinese medicines. Anthriscus sylvestris appeare the characteristic vibration peak in 1 050 cm(-1) and the corresponding 1 869 cm(-1) because of the chain ester compounds. The characteristic vibration peak of balloonflower root, such as 1 227, 691, 600 cm(-1) can be observed, significantly different from the other three herbs in the Raman spectra. Further more, the previous identification results can be verified again with second derivative Raman spectroscopy. This identification method is more fast, convenient, and keeping the integrity of the samples than the routine spectroscopic method.

Specificity of auricular acupoints in reflecting changes of qi and blood measured by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the specificity of auricular acupoints in responding to changes of qi and blood which, in traditional Chinese medicine, are considered as the fundamental substances in the human body for sustaining normal vital activity. METHODS: A miniature fiber optic system was used to invasively measure the diffuse reflectance spectra of three auricular acupoints, namely, Uterus (TF2), Gan (CO12) and Neifenmi (CO18), at different stages of menstruation, when the female body exhibits regular changes of qi and blood. The spectra of different acupoints were compared to find their difference in responding changes of qi and blood, especially the reflectivity of absorption peaks of hemoglobin. RESULTS: The reflectivity of the same auricular acupoint during menstruation is higher than that before and after menstruation, and this trend is more obvious for the Uterus point compared with the points Gan and Neifenmi. The average reflectivity of the Uterus point during menstruation was significantly higher than that before or after menstruation (P<0.01). The D-values during and after menstruation of the Uterus point were greater than those of the points Gan and Neifenmi at 544.06 and 577.47 nm, respectively (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The diffuse reflectance light of auricular acupoints changes as qi and blood fluctuates, and there is relative specificity among different auricular acupoints in reflecting changes of qi and blood. The Uterus point may be the most sensitive auricular acupoint in reflecting uterus function and subsequent changes of qi and blood.

[Mice scald model investigated by OCT combined with reflection spectrum].

OCT combined with reflective spectrum was employed to precisely evaluate the mice scald model. Under the conditions that the temperature increased by 5 degrees C from 60 to 95 degrees C with 20 s thermal effect, the cutis depth linearly increased. The fitting absorption parameters and the gradients showed the V trends. Wave peaks of first order differential were legible from 65 to 85 degrees C, then wave peaks became worse over 85 degrees C. At color coordinates, red value decreased severely from 65 to 85 degrees C and from 90 to 95 degrees C, green value continuously decreased, but blue value increased. Under the conditions that thermal effect time increased from 10 to 40 s at 90 degrees C, the main changes of above factors happened at about 20 s, and after 20 s effect time the change of these factors was weak. These factors could reflect the form and progresses of zones of coagulation, injury of cutis and hypodermis. So OCT combined with reflection spectrum could provide a novel method that can be applied for the real-time, low-cost, in vivo and noninvasive optical biopsy on scald.

[Quantitative analysis and classification of tongue inspection based on the visible reflection spectrum].

OBJECTIVE: In this study, optical data on color of tongue tips were collected by using a visible reflection spectrum system. Quantitative method of tongue inspection and classification of tongue states including pale, pale red, red and crimson manifestations were investigated. METHODS: Chromaticity coordinates of the tongue tips from 98 subjects were calculated on the basis of the visible reflection spectrum. The tongue color was quantified and classified by the visible reflection spectrum in the range from 590 nm to 780 nm, based on the higher red-band energy distribution on the tongue tip color. RESULTS: It was found that comparison and analysis of tongue tip color from different samples would be well-suited after spectrum vector normalization, and the difference of tongue tip color between different samples could be observed easily when the tongue tip optical data were sited in CIE 1931 chromaticity diagram. The tongue tip colors were analyzed quantitatively and classified by the spectral energy intensity at the wavelength of 670 nm and (or) spectral energy ratio of red bank from 590 nm to 780 nm. The results of classification showed that there was sound corresponding accuracy with the clinical diagnosis of pale tongue, pale red tongue, red tongue and crimson tongue. CONCLUSION: In this study, based on the collection of the information data on tongue tip characteristics with the visible spectrum from 380 nm to 780 nm, the quantitative analysis of tongue inspection for pale tongue, pale red tongue, red tongue and crimson tongue was established. The quantitative value for tongue tip color is an effective method for classification of the condition of the tongue tip, which provides a useful tool for the modernization of tongue inspection in traditional Chinese medicine.

[Influence of brightness value of supranasal point and apex nasi on dominant wavelength and excitation purity in complexion inspection of healthy adults].

OBJECTIVE: In this study, to analyze the influence of the brightness value of the supranasal point and the apex nasi on their dominant wavelength and excitation purity according to the spectrocolorimetry data of the supranasal point and the apex nasi in healthy adults that were collected based on optical spectrum colorimetry. METHODS: A total of 516 healthy adults were taken as the research subjects. The brightness, dominant wavelength and excitation purity values of the supranasal point and the apex nasi during the complexion inspection of subjects were calculated. This was based on the visible reflection spectrum, and the linear correlation/regression analysis between the brightness Y value and the dominant wavelength or excitation purity value. RESULTS: There was no correlation between the brightness Y value and the dominant wavelength of the normal supranasal point and the apex nasi; however, there was negative correlation between the brightness Y value and the excitation purity of the normal supranasal point and apex nasi. CONCLUSION: During the complexion inspection, the brightness Y value would not influence the dominant wavelength value, indicating that whiteness and/or blackness would not influence the normal individual complexion. However, the brightness Y value would influence the excitation purity of the supranasal point and the apex nasi, and the degree of saturation should be referred to as the brightness. This research provides a basic reference for diagnosing facial complexion in traditional Chinese medicine.

[Colorimetric investigation of normal tongue and lip colors from 516 healthy adults by visible reflection spectrum].

OBJECTIVE: Using the data from normal tongue and lip colors of normal people which were collected by the visible reflection spectrum, we analyzed the colorimetric parameters of tongue and lip colors. METHODS: In this study, 516 healthy students aging from 19 to 26 from the colleges and universities of Guangdong Province of China were taken as research subjects. After collecting the data of tongue and lip colors of the 516 subjects using visible reflectance spectroscopy, CIE XYZ tristimulus values as defined by the International Commission on Illumination in 1964 were calculated, and the colorimetric parameters of the normal tongue and lip colors were obtained, such as the CIE 1964 chromaticity coordinate, brightness, dominant wavelength and excitation purity. RESULTS: The results of CIE 1964 chromaticity diagram calculated on the visible reflection spectrum showed that the normal tongue color chromaticity coordinate x(10) was 0.341 3±0.008 5 and y(10) was 0.332 6±0.005 1, and the normal lip color chromaticity coordinate x(10) was 0.357 7±0.009 2 and y(10) was 0.338 3±0.005 7; the brightness Y values of the normal tongue color and lip colors were 17.96±3.78 and 19.78±3.72, the dominant wavelength values of the normal tongue color and lip color were (626.3±51.6) nm and (600.4±18.2) nm, and the excitation purity values of the normal tongue color and lip color were 0.083±0.031 and 0.144±0.036, respectively. CONCLUSION: Application of the visible reflection spectrum is a standard way to collect colorimetric data for inspection of the complexion. The investigation of chromaticity coordinates, brightness, dominant wavelength and excitation purity of the normal tongue and lip colors may offer the basic reference for diagnosing morbid complexion on the tongue and lip colors in traditional Chinese medicine.

[Comparative study of reflectance spectroscopy of women's acupoints around menstruation].

Acupoint was reaction of viscera and its optical parameter was an important characteristic of tissue. In the present work, in order to discuss specificity of acupuncture on the response of qi and blood in human body, we compared the diffuse reflectance of Taichong (LV3), Taibai (SP3), and Chongyang (ST42) before, during and after menstruation. All the acupoints had the same shape of the spectrum and troughs were all at 423.16, 544.06 and 577.47 nm. The values of reflectance during menstruation were greater than before and after menstruation, especially for SP3 and ST42 (P < 0.05). SP3 and ST42 were more sensitive to the changes of qi and blood than LV3, and it was asymmetric and we found no evidence for the imbalance of the left side and right. These results indicated that acupoint diffuse reflectance changed with qi and blood, and that SP3 and ST42 had close relationship with menstruation. Diffuse reflectance may be possibly used in the quantitative analysis of qi and blood.

[Preparation and characterization of poly-Si films on different topography substrates by AIC].

Polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) thin-films were made on planar and textured glass substrates by aluminum-induced crystallization (AIC) of in situ amorphous silicon (a-Si) deposited by DC-magnetron. The poly-Si films were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). A narrow and symmetrical Ranman peak at the wave number of about 521 cm(-1) was observed for all samples, indicating that the films were fully crystallized. XRD results show that the crystallites in the authors' AIC poly-Si films were preferably (111) oriented. The measurement of full width at half maximum (FWHW) of (111) XRD peaks showed that the quality of the films was affected by the a-Si deposition temperature and the surface morphology of the glass substrates. It is likely that an a-Si deposition temperature of 200 degrees C seems to be ideal for the preparation of poly-Si films by AIC.

[Activated brain areas during simple and complex mental calculation--a functional MRI study].

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to study the activated brain areas of human during simple and complex digital calculation, and to investigate the role of cortical and subcortical structures involved in the mental calculation. Sixteen right-handed healthy volunteers performed mental calculation of simple and complex addition/subtraction respectively, while the fMRI data were recorded by a Seimens 1.5 T MR machine. Block-design was used in the tasks. Two calculation tasks and one base-line tasks were performed for the block-design. Simple calculation task was single-digit addition and subtraction, while the complex was multi-digit addition and subtraction. The base-line task was to tell whether the two numbers were the same in every trial. Statistical parametric mapping (SPM99) was employed to process data and localize functional areas. We compared the average activation intensity of each activated brain regions in the same calculation task and the activation intensity of the same regions in both tasks respectively. Both the cortex and the subcortical structures including basal ganglia and thalamus were activated during simple and complex mental calculations. Similar brain regions in subjects including frontal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, cingulate gyrus, thalamus and cerebellum were engaged in simple and complex addition/subtraction. In the same task, activation intensity of all activated brain areas differed insignificantly. Compared with the complex task, the right parietal lobe was not activated in the simple one. The subcortical structures such as the caudate nucleus and the left marginal division of the striatum (MrD) were activated in both two calculation tasks. The cortical regions involved in both simple and complex addition/subtraction were similar. In conclusion, both the cortex and the subcortical structures were activated during the mental calculation. The cortex including the frontal cortex, parietal cortex, and cingulate gyrus were activated during mental calculation, while the subcortical structures such as the caudate nucleus, the globus pallidum and the left marginal division of the striatum also played a critical role in the neural networks of the calculation at the same time. Right parietal lobe (supramarginal gyrus) was engaged only in the complex task, which suggested that this region might be involved in the visuospatial memory and processing.

Differences in optical transport properties between human meridian and non-meridian.

This study is to present a new scheme for the detection of human meridian system non-invasively. The optical transport properties along the pericardium meridian and a non-meridian path about 1 cm away from the meridian were measured non- invasively on 20 healthy people in vivo. 633 nm, 658 nm and 785 nm red lasers were used for irradiation, and the diffuse light emittances at different points on meridian and non-meridian directions were collected respectively and compared. Our study suggested that the light propagation characteristics along both the meridian and non-meridian directions conformed to the Beer's exponential attenuation law. Statistical analysis of the results suggested that the optical properties of human meridian differ from those of the surrounding tissue (p < 0.05), and the light attenuation is less when propagating along the pericardium meridian than along the non-meridian direction. These findings not only confirmed the objective existence of acupuncture meridians, but also shed new light on the understanding of meridians.

[Quantitative determination of imidacloprid by infrared absorption spectrometry].

The content of imidacloprid in pesticide is usually measured by high-performance liquid chromatography, which is precise but time-consuming. In the present work the content of imidacloprid in pesticide was measured by infrared spectroscopy with pressing potassium bromide troche (KBr). A comparison of infrared spectra between analytic imidacloprid and commercial pesticide showed that the absorption peak of imidacloprid at 939.2 cm(-1) is independent and can be used as the characteristic absorption peak for quantitative determination. The area from 947 to 925.8 cm(-1) for the infrared spectra of imidacloprid and its content meet the linear equation: Area = l.3665 x 10(-1) + 2.37 x 10(-2) x c, r = 0.99953. Finally, the authors could draw a conclusion that the method of NIR, instead of routine lab analysis, is feasible for the determination of imidacloprid in pesticide.

Rare earths exposure and male infertility: the injury mechanism study of rare earths on male mice and human sperm.

The weight; testis/body coefficient; levels of LDH, SDH, SODH, G-6PD, and testosterone; cell cycle; and cell apoptosis of the male mice were influenced after being treated with 200 mg/[kg/day] of rare earths suspension for 3 weeks. The "Raman fingerprints" of the human sperm DNA exposed to 0.040 mg/ml CeCl3 were very different from those of the untreated; the Raman bands at 789 cm(-1) (backbone phosphodiester), PO4 backbone at 1,094 cm(-1), methylene deformation mode at 1,221 cm(-1), methylene deformation mode at 1,485 cm(-1), and amide II at 1,612 cm(-1), of which intensities and shifts were changed, might be the diagnostic biomarkers or potential therapeutic targets. The injury mechanism might be that the rare earths influence the oxidative stress and blood testosterone barrier, tangle the big biomolecule concurrently, which might cause the testicular cells and vascular system disorder and/or dysfunction, and at the same time change the physical and chemical properties of the sperm directly.

Light propagation along the pericardium meridian at human wrist as evidenced by the optical experiment and Monte Carlo method.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the characteristics of light propagation along the Pericardium Meridian and its surrounding areas at human wrist by using optical experiment and Monte Carlo method. METHODS: An experiment was carried out to obtain the distribution of diffuse light on Pericardium Meridian line and its surrounding areas at the wrist, and then a simplified model based on the anatomical structure was proposed to simulate the light transportation within the same area by using Monte Carlo method. RESULTS: The experimental results showed strong accordance with the Monte Carlo simulation that the light propagation along the Pericardium Meridian had an advantage over its surrounding areas at the wrist. CONCLUSION: The advantage of light transport along Pericardium Merdian line was related to components and structure of tissue, also the anatomical structure of the area that the Pericardium Meridian line runs.