Altered Intrinsic Functional Connectivity of the Primary Visual Cortex in Patients with Neovascular Glaucoma: A Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.

PURPOSE: The purpose was to investigate the differences in spontaneous functional connectivity (FC) of the primary visual cortex (V1) between patients with neovascular glaucoma (NVG) and healthy controls (HCs) using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data. METHODS: A total of 18 patients with NVG (nine males and nine females) and 18 HCs with similar age and sex background were enrolled in the study and inspected using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. The differences in FC of the V1 between the two groups were compared using the independent samples t-test. We used the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve to compare the average FC values of NVG subjects with those of HCs. RESULTS: FC in the left V1 and right fusiform gyrus, bilateral cuneus, and left precuneus was significantly decreased in the NVG group compared with that reported in the HC group. Meanwhile, patients with NVG presented increased FC between the right V1 and bilateral middle frontal gyrus. However, they also exhibited declining FC between the right V1 and left precuneus, and bilateral cuneus. The ROC curve analysis of each brain region indicated that the accuracy of the area under the ROC curves regarding NVG was excellent. CONCLUSION: NVG involves aberrant FC in the V1 in different brain areas, including the visual-related and cognitive-related regions. These findings may assist in unveiling the underlying neural mechanisms of impaired visual function in NVG.

[The Concentration Effect of Near-Infrared Quantum Cutting Luminescence of Tm(3+) Ion Sensitized with Bi(3+) Ion in YNbO(4) Phosphor].

Searching for new energy source is one of the most important projects faced by the global, while the most ideal new energy source is solar cell. Near infrared quantum cutting luminescence method can doubly transfer large energy photon which is not sensitive to Si or Ge solar cell to small energy photon which is sensitive to Si or Ge solar cell. It can resolve the spectral mismatch problem and largely enhance solar cell efficiency. Therefore, it is significant. The concentration effect of near-infrared quantum cutting luminescence of Tm3+Bi3+∶YNbO4 phosphor is reported in present manuscript. Through the measurement of excitation and emission spectra, it is found that the Tm0.058Bi0.010Y0.932NbO4 powder phosphor has intense 1 820.0 nm near-infrared quantum cutting luminescence. Further analysis finds they are multi-photon quantum cutting luminescence induced by the cross-energy transfer process. The population of 1G4 energy level may be directly transferred to lower energy level mainly through {1G4­3H4, 3H6­3H5} and {1G4­3H5, 3H6­3H4} cross-energy transfer processes, i. e. one population of the 1G4 energy level may effectively lead to two populations, which are positioned at the 3H4 and 3H5 energy levels, respectively, mainly through {1G4­3H4, 3H6­3H5} and {1G4­3H5, 3H6­3H4} cross-energy transfer processes. This may also effectively lead to three populations of the 3F4 energy level through {3H4­3F4, 3H6­3F4} cross-energy transfer process from the 3H4 level and multi-phonon non-radiative relaxation from the 3H5 level, respectively. This results in the effective three-photon near-infrared quantum cutting of the 3F4­3H6 fluorescence of Tm3+ ion. It's also found that the sensitization action of Bi3+ ion to Tm3+ ion is very strong. The enhancement of the 1 820.0 nm near-infrared quantum cutting luminescence, of Tm0.058Bi0.010Y0.932NbO4 relative to Tm0.005Y0.995NbO4, is about 175.5 times, when excited by the 302.0 nm light. The present results are significant for the exploration of the next-generation multi-photon near-infrared quantum cutting germanium solar cell.

[Near-infrared quantum cutting downconversion luminescence of Yb3+ ion cooperative energy transferred from YVO4 matrix donor].

The present manuscript researches the near infrared quantum cutting luminescence phenomena of Yb3+ ion in YVO4 crystal matrix The luminescence spectra, excitation spectra and fluorescence lifetimes were measured. It was found that the excitation of YVO4 crystal matrix energy band by 322.0 nm light can result in the effective secondary cooperative energy transfer of Yba+ ion from the YVO4 crystal matrix It results in the intense 985.5 nm 2F(5/2)-->2F(7/2) near infrared quantum cutting luminescence of Yb3+ ion. Meanwhile, the 430.O nm luminescence intensity of YVO4 crystal matrix decreases greatly. From the experimental measurements, it was found that the lifetime of 430.0 nm fluorescence of (A) Yb(1.5) : YVO4 crystal is tauA = 3.785 s and that of (B) YVO4 crystal is tauB=22.72 s. It was found also that the theoretical efficiency up limit of quantum cutting of (A) Yb(1.5) : YVO4 crystal is about eta1.5%=183-3%.

[Spectroscopy parameters of Ho3+ in Ho3+ : FOG and Ho3+ : FOV].

In the present paper, the absorption spectra of Ho3+ (0.5 mol%)-doped oxyfluoride glass (FOG) sample and Ho3+ (0.5 mol%)-doped oxyfluoride vitroceramics (FOV) sample were measured through experiment. The authors calculated the intensity parameters omega 2, 4, 6 of the two materials according to J-O theory, and analyzed the possible reason for the difference between the two materials on the intensity parameters. After that the authors calculated oscillator strength, spontaneous radiative transition rate, branching ratio and integrated emission cross section and some other spectroscopic parameters of several excited states and then made a comparative analysis of the two materials based on these spectroscopic parameters. The authors found that the oscillator strength of trivalent holmium iron in FOV is about the same with the oscillator strength in YAlO3 and is similar to oscillator strength in FOG, while slightly larger than in that LBTAF and much larger than that in LaF3 and ZBLAN. By analyzing the calculated spectroscopic parameters, it can be found that some transitions, especially 5I7 --> 5I8, 5F5 --> 5I8 etc., have a relatively large oscillator strengths(larger than 10(-6)) and large integrated emission cross sections(larger than 10(-18) cm). These transitions have the conditions to form laser passages, so they are worth a lot of attention. At last, application prospects of several strong luminescence transitions were concluded.

[Total contents of heavy metals and their chemical fractionation in agricultural soils at different locations of Beijing City].

In this study, 23 groups of suited typical soil-wheat grain samples were collected from different locations of Beijing city (central city, suburban plain and exurban plain), the accumulation, chemical forms and bioavailability of heavy metals in arable soils under different human activity intensity were analyzed, and their source identifications and health risk were discussed. The results showed that (1) Urban soils exhibited Pb contamination with an average concentration (35.59 mg x kg(-1)) above the WHO limit, probably due to the emission of traffic activities and industrial processes. In addition, long-term sewage irrigation and other agricultural activities led to local metal contamination in the suburban agricultural soils. (2) Cu, Zn and Pb were predominantly associated with the residual (35%-75%) and organic (23%-53%) fractions, followed by Fe/Mn oxide (1%-19%), and very small proportion of carbonate (n. d.-5%) and exchangeable (n. d.-2%) fraction. Furthermore, compared with the suburban agricultural soils, Pb, Zn and Cu in the urban agricultural soils showed higher mobility, whereas the exurban agricultural soils presented the lowest mobility. For Cd, the order was contrary. Besides, Cd showed the highest bioavailability among the four metals in suburban and exurban arable soils due to its considerable proportion of exchangeable (13% -31%) and carbonate fractions (11%-27%). (3) Cd and Zn contents in wheat grains were largely dependent on the Fe/Mn ox. fractions in the studied soils (P < 0.05, r were 0.43-0.7). (4) Pb and Zn concentrations in wheat grains in some of the urban and suburban agricultural soils were above the standard limit, which might bring potential risk for the health of the local residents.

[Cooperative downconversion in Tb (0.7 ) Yb (5) : FOV oxyfluoride nanophase vitroceramics].

The present article reports the infrared quantum cutting study of the nanophase oxyfluoride vitroceramics Tb(0.7)Yb (5.0) : FOV. The visible to infrared fluorescence emission spectra, excitation spectra and fluorescence lifetime were measured carefully. The infrared quantum cutting phenomenon {1([5 D4 --> 7 F6](Tb3+), 2([2 F7/2 --> 2 F5/2](Yb3+)} was analyzed based on the above experiments. It was found that the theoretical quantum cutting efficiency is about 121.35% when 5D4 level is excited by 487.0nm light, and about 136.27% when (5D3, 5G6) levels are excited by 378.0 nm light respectively. Meanwhile, it is first time for the present paper to find a cooperative downconversion phenomenon {2([(5D3, 5G6) --> 5D4] (Tb3+), 1([2 F7/2 --> 2 F5/2] (Yb3+)}. That is, the authors found for the first time that the donor Tb3+ ion releases two pieces of energy [(5D3, 5G6) --> 5D4] of small energy photon to produce a middle energy photon [2 F5/2 --> 2 F7/2] of acceptor Yb3+ ion.

[Improvement of anti-stokes energy transfer between rare earth ions--2. Numerical calculation and analysis].

The dynamics of all levels were calculated numerically in the present article for Er(0.5)Yb(3):FOV oxyfluoride nanophase vitroceramics. The population dynamical processes were analyzed carefully. It was found for the first time that traditional phonon-assisted energy transfer theory of rare earth ion energy transfer can not well explain the observed experimental calibrated results, as it does not take into account the difference between Stokes and anti-Stokes process. A coefficient, the improved factor of the intensity ratio of Stokes to anti-Stokes process in quantum Raman theory compared to classical Raman theory, was introduced for the first time to successfully describe the anti-Stokes energy transfer. The theoretical improvement results are coincident with experiments very well. This improvement is very significant and indispensable when the photonics of nanomaterials is probed.

Al(III) speciation distribution and transformation in high concentration PACl solutions.

Effects of Al(III) concentration and pH on the speciation of Al(III) in polyaluminum chloride (PACl) solutions especially on the Al13 fraction were investigated. A series of PACl samples were prepared over the range of Al(III) concentration from 0.01 to 2.0 mol/L with the B (OH/Al ratio) value from 1.0 to 2.5 by forced hydrolysis of AlCl3. The samples were characterized by ferron assay, pH and 27Al NMR. It was shown that the Al(lIII) concentration had a dramatic effect on the hydrolysis processes and the species distribution of PACl was in relate to the decrease of pH. The fraction of Al species, Alb, (or A113) decreased and Al, increased with increase of total Al(III) concentration. Under the condition of AI(llI) 2.0 mol/L, B = 2.5, the pH value was 2.73 and no Al13 could be detected. During diluting and aging, the species distribution evolved. The Al13 could then be detected again and the amounts increased with time. If the diluted samples were concentrated by freeze dry at -35 degrees C or heating at 80 degrees C, the pH value and Al13 content would decrease with the increased concentration. It demonstrated that the key factor for formation of Al13 in concentrated PACl was pH value.