Exploiting spatio-spectral aberrations for rapid synchrotron infrared imaging.

The Infrared Microspectroscopy Beamline at the Australian Synchrotron is equipped with a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer, which is coupled with an infrared (IR) microscope and a choice of two detectors: a single-point narrow-band mercury cadmium telluride (MCT) detector and a 64 × 64 multi-pixel focal plane array (FPA) imaging detector. A scanning-based point-by-point mapping method is commonly used with a tightly focused synchrotron IR beam at the sample plane, using an MCT detector and a matching 36× IR reflecting objective and condenser (NA = 0.5), which is time consuming. In this study, the beam size at the sample plane was increased using a 15× objective and the spatio-spectral aberrations were investigated. A correlation-based semi-synthetic computational optical approach was applied to assess the possibilities of exploiting the aberrations to perform rapid imaging rather than a mapping approach.

Tilted black-Si: ∼0.45 form-birefringence from sub-wavelength needles.

The self-organised conical needles produced by plasma etching of silicon (Si), known as black silicon (b-Si), create a form-birefringent surface texture when etching of Si orientated at angles of θi < 50 - 70° (angle between the Si surface and vertical plasma E-field). The height of the needles in the form-birefringent region following 15 min etching was d ∼ 200 nm and had a 100 µm width of the optical retardance/birefringence, characterised using polariscopy. The height of the b-Si needles corresponds closely to the skin-depth of Si ∼λ/4 for the visible spectral range. Reflection-type polariscope with a voltage-controlled liquid-crystal retarder is proposed to directly measure the retardance Δn × d/λ ≈ 0.15 of the region with tilted b-Si needles. The quantified form birefringence of Δn = -0.45 over λ = 400 - 700 nm spectral window was obtained. Such high values of Δn at visible wavelengths can only be observed in the most birefringence calcite or barium borate as well as in liquid crystals. The replication of b-Si into Ni-shim with high fidelity was also demonstrated and can be used for imprinting of the b-Si nanopattern into other materials.

Laser-Patterned Alumina Mask and Mask-Less Dry Etch of Si for Light Trapping with Photonic Crystal Structures.

Ultra-short 230 fs laser pulses of a 515 nm wavelength were tightly focused onto 700 nm focal spots and utilised in opening ∼0.4-1 µm holes in alumina Al2O3 etch masks with a 20-50 nm thickness. Such dielectric masks simplify the fabrication of photonic crystal (PhC) light-trapping patterns for the above-Lambertian performance of high-efficiency solar cells. The conditions of the laser ablation of transparent etch masks and the effects sub-surface Si modifications were revealed by plasma etching, numerical modelling, and minority carrier lifetime measurements. Mask-less patterning of Si is proposed using fs laser direct writing for dry plasma etching of Si.

Si-Cr Nano-Alloys Fabricated by Direct Femtosecond Laser Writing.

Ultra-short 230 fs laser pulses of 515 nm wavelength were tightly focused into 700 nm focal spots and utilised in opening ∼400 nm nano-holes in a Cr etch mask that was tens-of-nm thick. The ablation threshold was found to be 2.3 nJ/pulse, double that of plain silicon. Nano-holes irradiated with pulse energies below this threshold produced nano-disks, while higher energies produced nano-rings. Both these structures were not removed by either Cr or Si etch solutions. Subtle sub-1 nJ pulse energy control was harnessed to pattern large surface areas with controlled nano-alloying of Si and Cr. This work demonstrates vacuum-free large area patterning of nanolayers by alloying them at distinct locations with sub-diffraction resolution. Such metal masks with nano-hole opening can be used for formation of random patterns of nano-needles with sub-100 nm separation when applied to dry etching of Si.

Color Centers Enabled by Direct Femto-Second Laser Writing in Wide Bandgap Semiconductors.

Color centers in silicon carbide are relevant for applications in quantum technologies as they can produce single photon sources or can be used as spin qubits and in quantum sensing applications. Here, we have applied femtosecond laser writing in silicon carbide and gallium nitride to generate vacancy-related color centers, giving rise to photoluminescence from the visible to the infrared. Using a 515 nm wavelength 230 fs pulsed laser, we produce large arrays of silicon vacancy defects in silicon carbide with a high localization within the confocal diffraction limit of 500 nm and with minimal material damage. The number of color centers formed exhibited power-law scaling with the laser fabrication energy indicating that the color centers are created by photoinduced ionization. This work highlights the simplicity and flexibility of laser fabrication of color center arrays in relevant materials for quantum applications.

Single shot multispectral multidimensional imaging using chaotic waves.

Multispectral imaging technology is a valuable scientific tool for various applications in astronomy, remote sensing, molecular fingerprinting, and fluorescence imaging. In this study, we demonstrate a single camera shot, lensless, interferenceless, motionless, non-scanning, space, spectrum, and time resolved five-dimensional incoherent imaging technique using tailored chaotic waves with quasi-random intensity and phase distributions. Chaotic waves can distinctly encode spatial and spectral information of an object in single self-interference intensity distribution. In this study, a tailored chaotic wave with a nearly pure phase function and lowest correlation noise is generated using a quasi-random array of pinholes. A unique sequence of signal processing techniques is applied to extract all possible spatial and spectral channels with the least entropy. The depth-wavelength reciprocity is exploited to see colour from depth and depth from colour and the physics of beam propagation is exploited to see at one depth by calibrating at another.

Ablation in Externally Applied Electric and Magnetic Fields.

To harness light-matter interactions at the nano-/micro-scale, better tools for control must be developed. Here, it is shown that by applying an external electric and/or magnetic field, ablation of Si and glass under ultra-short (sub-1 ps) laser pulse irradiation can be controlled via the Lorentz force F = e E + e [ v × B ] , where v is velocity of charge e, E is the applied electrical bias and B is the magnetic flux density. The external electric E-field was applied during laser ablation using suspended micro-electrodes above a glass substrate with an air gap for the incident laser beam. The counter-facing Al-electrodes on Si surface were used to study debris formation patterns on Si. Debris was deposited preferentially towards the negative electrode in the case of glass and Si ablation. Also, an external magnetic field was applied during laser ablation of Si in different geometries and is shown to affect ripple formation.

External Field-Controlled Ablation: Magnetic Field.

The femtosecond laser ablation of silicon amidst an externally applied magnetic field in different orientations was investigated with respect to the scanning direction and polarisation of the laser beam, by observation of ablation patterns and debris displacement in a range of fluences, magnetic fields strengths, and geometries. Ultra-short ∼ 230 fs laser pulses of 1030 nm wavelengths were utilised in the single and multi-pulse irradiation modes. Ablation with an externally applied magnetic B-field B e x t ≈ 0.15 T was shown to strongly affect debris formation and deposition. The mechanism of surface plasmon polariton (SPP) wave can explain the ablated periodic patterns observed with alignment along the magnetic field lines. The application potential of external field controlled ablation is discussed.

Laser-Inscribed Stress-Induced Birefringence of Sapphire.

Birefringence of 3 × 10 - 3 is demonstrated inside cross-sectional regions of 100 µ m, inscribed by axially stretched Bessel-beam-like fs-laser pulses along the c-axis inside sapphire. A high birefringence and retardance of λ / 4 at mid-visible spectral range (green) can be achieved using stretched beams with axial extension of 30-40 µ m. Chosen conditions of laser-writing ensure that there are no formations of self-organized nano-gratings. This method can be adopted for creation of polarization optical elements and fabrication of spatially varying birefringent patterns for optical vortex generation.

Professors, principals and textbooks from the Midwifery school in Zadar.

Midwifery in Dalmatia was highly undeveloped at the beginning of the XIX century. The health report from 1813 suggested that there were only 48 midwives in the whole province, and none of them with a degree from the midwifery school. After abolishing the Central Schools ("Ecoles Centrales"), which were founded at the time of French reign, and which had the university range, the professors who stayed in Zadar continued their work and teaching in the Midwifery School, which was founded in 1820 according to the decision made by Emperor Franz I, and started working in 1821. Since the school was working continuously for the whole century, a lot of professors and principals passed through. Protomedicus of Dalmatia officially performed the duty of principals of the Midwifery School. Their life and work biographies were gathered in this paper. Although the newcomers were mostly illiterate, very contemporary and valuable textbooks were used at that time. The professors of this school wrote some of these textbooks. This paper analyses those textbooks from the current medical science and praxis point of view, which points out to its significance and contribution of its authors to the reputation that the School enjoyed at that time.

[The first record of the delivery of conjoined twins in the Srem county in the 19th century]. / Prvi zapis o rodenju spojenih blizanaca u Sremskoj zupaniji u 19. veku.

In this paper is presented the first original document of the delivery of conjoined twins on the territory of the present-day Vojvodina. The document number 1224 consists of two handwritten quires. On the first page of the first quire are a description and a drawing of the delivered twins. The delivery was described and drawn by Dr. Ernest Furjakovic, a shire physician in Ruma and the secondary physicus of the Srem County, who attended and handled the delivery. The conjoined twins were delivered in the night between 2 and 3 April 1852 in Mali Radinci, a small village in the Srem County nearby Ruma, in the far south of the Habsburg Monarchy. The twins, preserved in alcohol, were sent to Budapest to the professor of anatomy "for the purposes of medical science", as he wrote in the report. The second quire of the same document refers to the proof that the Commissariat in Ruma forwarded the doctor's report to the High Land Government in Timisoara. In the introduction, the authors displayed the known facts on the occurrence of conjoined twins in the world, which were used to compare with the described case. The data refer to the incidence of conjoined twins in the population, theory of its embryonic origin, their classification, treatment in cases of diagnosed pregnancy and the manner of their delivery. They also refer to the procedures of modern diagnostics, the possibilities of their surgical disjoin and related ethical questions. After that comes a part of the work dedicated to the analysis of the shown document, and the comparison of the several cases of the most significant conjoined twins in the world with these from Srem, as the authors named them. The authors showed short biography of the physician who delivered them, as well. At the end, they conclude that this work gives the first description of document of the delivery of the first known conjoined twins on the territory of the present-day Vojvodina.

From the "Art of cutting the umbilical cord" by Dr. J.B. Lalangue to the "Midwifery" by Prof.Dr. A. Lobmayer and Prof.Dr. F.Durst.

A short survey of midwifery and obstetrics development in the northwest part of Croatia is presented in this paper, from J.B. Lalangue's coming to VaraZdin, through the founding and work of Midwifery School and National Maternity in Zagreb to the persons without whom this would not be possible or it would be quite different. Lalangue, being an expert on obstetrics, noticed in a very short period of time, all misfortune caused by incompetent work of then's midwives, so he published the book "Brevis institutio de re obstetritia illiti kratek navuk od mestrie pupkorezne⃛", and started first midwifery courses for peasant women. Focus of this paper is on Prof. Dr Antun Lobmayer textbook analyses, and he was the first professor of midwifery, and the director of the "Royal Midwifery School" and the "National Maternity" in Zagreb. Textbooks for midwives named "Midwifery- Learning Book for Midwives', had six editions over 50 years and they represent the basis of Croatian midwifery textbook literature. Prof. Dr Franjo Durst, the assistant and successor of Prof. Lobmayer completed and partially revised the last two editions.Besides the biographies of the "rdquor;Midwifery School" professors, an analyssis and critical review on the mentioned textbooks is given from today' s medicine point of view.

[Personality and work of Florence Nightingale--creator of modern nursing and public health pioneer].

INTRODUCTION: Through her "calling to service", Florence Nightingale worked as a nurse, manager, researcher, reformer, writer and teacher. The aim of this study is to present Florence Nightingale in all these roles, pointing out all complexity and multidimensionality of nursing profession. PERSONALITY AND WORK OF FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE: Having come from an aristocratic English family, Florence Nightingale was very educated She considered knowledge as a way, and statistical method as an instrument for discovering the rules of the world. Her work during the Crimean War was one of her most important deeds and made her a national hero. After the war, she devoted herself to reforming nursing and public health in Britain and in the world. Since she was bedbound after the Crimean War due to her illness, writing became the most powerful tool she had in achieving her goals. Florence Nightingale wrote many letters to politicians and statesmen, many newspaper and scientific articles. One of her greatest works "Notes on Nursing" was not written only for nurses, but for all women. By founding Nursing school at St. Thomas Hospital in 1860 she aspired to train and educate nurses. CONCLUSION: Her complete and lifelong devotion to the ,,calling" directed all her activities, contributions and achievements, not only towards nursing but also towards statistics, epidemiology, public health and social sciences.

[Early Christian martyrs who refused to worship the cult of Asclepius in the times of Diocletian].

For centuries, theologists, historians, archaeologists, petrologists, and others had been interested in a story about Christian martyrs known as Passio Sanctorum Quattuor Coronatorum. It is a hagiographic manuscript from the 4th century which describes the martyrdom and death of two separate groups of Christians who suffered Diocletian's persecution. One group lived in Pannonia and the other in Rome. They refused to offer sacrifice to the ancient god of medicine Asclepius Roman Aesculapius. In the 6th century, their relics were kept in a basilica on the Coelian Hill in Rome, named after four saint martyrs Ss. Quattuor Coronatorum. In the Middle Ages, these saints enjoyed great glory, and many churches and chapels were dedicated to them in Italy, France, England, and Belgium. Guilds of stone workers and stone cutters took them for patrons. There are many copies of the Passio, which are kept in Vatican, Paris, Milan, Verona, Bern, and Munich. Beside the martyrdom story, these copies speak about inconsistencies related to the saints' names and place and time of the events described in the story. Our study brings together the most important findings made so far about this hagiographic mystery. Certain events described in the Passio are interpreted from the medico-historical aspect, which is a new approach to the subject.

[Contribution of physicians from Vojvodina to establishing health service in Serbia and founding and working of Medical Society of Serbia].

It was in the middle of the 18th century, when Serbia started the process of getting independent from the long-lasting period of the Turkish rule, that the necessity for the organized health care emerged. Despite the fact that it had not existed before, the process advanced rather quickly regarding the contemporary political, social and cultural conditions and the Medical Society of Serbia (MSS) was founded in Belgrade on the 22nd of April, 1872. Although it is known that the doctors from Vojvodina, which was an integral part of Austria of that time, contributed significantly to establishing both the civil and military medical service, this period of our medical history has neither been searched enough nor published in one piece. The author of this paper points out four characteristic activity segments through which the doctors from Vojvodina gave their contribution. An important role in health education and promotion of health culture in the still vassal Serbia was played by the doctors from Vojvodina and popular educators at the very beginnings of the health journalism in Serbian which reached Serbia from Austria. Somewhat later the doctors of Vojvodina went to Serbia to contribute to the establishment and promotion of the civil and military medical services and to take an active part in the Inaugural Meeting and the forthcoming activities of the Medical Society of Serbia. They were also among the initiators and first teachers at the Medical Faculty in Belgrade. This paper highlights and encircles a very important period of our national health culture history by analyzing thoroughly the four above mentioned segments of activities and their protagonists.

[A historical review of medical societies and journals in Vojvodina].

INTRODUCTION: Long before the foundation of the Medical Society of Vojvodina (MSV) of the Serbian Medical Society (SMS), health professionals of Vojvodina had initiated formation of medical societies. In the mid-18th century, after the liberation from the Turkish rule. there were few educated physicians, so surgeons and barbers were responsible for public health care. Like other craftsmen, they organized their guilds (esnafs), and one of the most famous was the Guild of Surgeons in Novi Sad. MEDICAL SOCIETIES IN VOJVODINA: The first professional medical society in Vojvodina, the Medical Society of Banat, Backa and Baranja, was founded on November 19, 1919. Since that time, and due to political circumstances, the society has changed its name to the Medical Society of Vojvodina of the Serbian Medical Society (SMS), but its aims have virtually remained the same. MEDICAL JOURNALS IN VOJVODINA: This paper also reviews the history of medical journalism in Vojvodina, including the present journal of the MSV - SMS, Medical Review, which is due to celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2008. Taking into account the historical context and the continuity of work, the year 1919 is the year of the foundation of the first society of physicians in Vojvodina, and it should be considered when celebrating the society's anniversary.

[Famous physicians from the Simonovic family].

The prominent Simonovic family, from its earliest ancestors known for seeking and promoting education and holding key positions in the society, is known for several remarkable intellectuals, cultural and public workers, as well as physicians. They were all exceptional in their own way, contributing to national education and their professions, and not by accident. This paper presents personal lives and professional careers of three brothers, physicians from the Simonovic family: Dr. Radivoj Simonovic, a famous physician from Sombor who was also a historian, ethnographer, mountaineer, geomorphologist, photoamateur and a medical educator, Dr. Milan Simonovic, for many years beloved and well-known physician in Petrovaradin, and Dr. Svetislav Simonovic, esteemed physician in Belgrade who was the personal physician to King Petar Karadordevic. Apart from their family heritage, their scientific and professional achievements are certainly a result of their talents, training and discipline.

[History of scurvy therapy and the injustice done to Dr. Maksim Nikolic-Miskovicev of Sremski Karlovci in the 19th century]. / Istorijat lecenja skorbuta i nepravda ucinjena Karlovcanu Dr Maksimu Nikolicu-Miskovicevom u XIX veku.

This paper reviews historical aspects regarding medical knowledge on scurvy, vitamin C deficiency, and its etiological factors. This disease used to affect naval-crews on long lasting sea voyages, soldiers during times of war and the poor. Although efficient therapy of scurvy (fresh vegetables, lemon juice) was known in the mid-18th century, its etiology was not known. It was believed to be caused by the cold, moist winds, unhealthy evaporations, malnutrition and it was called "alkaline disease". It was established that acid substances like lemon juice, had beneficial effects on the disease. However, it was soon generally accepted that it was caused by deficient diet. In 1830, Dr. John Elliotson, Professor of Medicine at London University supported this opinion. In 1928, Albert Szent Gyordyi, professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Szeged and Budapest Universities, isolated vitamin C from green pepper, vegetable proved to be rich with vitamin C. Due to this discovery, and some discoveries regarding biological processes, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine and physiology in 1937. Back in 1864, a military doctor in Belgrade, Dr. Maksim Nikolic-Miskovicev from Sremski Karlovci, wrote to Ministry of Defence of the Serbian Principality. He informed the authorities about a successful, quick and cheap cure for scurvy-pepper juice. A medical board headed by Dr. Vladan Dordevic was formed to evaluate his discovery. Dr. Nikolic-Miskovicev was underestimated and laughed at, and his discovery was completely forgotten. The aim of this paper was to correct injustice done to Dr. Maksim Nikolic-Miskovicev.

[Development of midwifery in Vojvodina]. / Razvoj babicke sluzbe u Vojvodini.

This paper deals with the beginnings and development of midwifery services as well as schooling modalities and professional education of midwives in Vojvodina after gaining freedom from Turkish rule. Obstetrical services in the Military Border Region of Vojvodina were much better organized than in the civil, so-called "provincial" part. In the second half of the 18th century, law regulations were brought and only midwives with certificates of universities and training courses of special midwifery schools in bigger towns could practice midwifery. At that time most trained midwives in Vojvodina were of German nationality, because Serbs knew neither German nor Hungarian and could not get education in Vienna and Budapest. A century later the situation was practically the same. Dr. Svetozar Maksimovic, Master of Obstetrics and the first director of the Maternity Hospital and a city physician in Novi Sad, was well aware that this town had no midwifery service. That is why on July 27, 1879 he submitted a suggestion for foundation of a "Government Training Institute for Midwives and Pregnant Women". Although this suggestion was not realized, it was the first attempt to establish a school for midwives in Novi Sad in Serbian language and was of great importance fir history of medicine in Vojvodina, especially in Novi Sad. Furthermore, it points to the fact that physicians in Novi Sad, especially Dr. Svetozar Maksimovic, were informed about current medicine in the world. In the frame of public health special attention was paid to Women's Care Services concerning especially pregnancy, delivery and puerperium. However, it was not possible to realize his vision in Vojvodina at that time, due to insufficient number of trained midwives.