Visible-Light-Sensitive Photoliquefiable Arylazoisoxazoles for the Solar Energy Conversion, Storage and Controlled-Release of Heat at Room Temperature or Lower Temperatures.

The photoswitchable MOlecular Solar Thermal (MOST) energy storage systems that are capable of exhibiting high energy storage densities are found to suffer from the poor cyclability, the use of less abundant UV light of the solar spectrum, or reduced charging/discharging rates and poor photoconversions in solid states. Herein, we have designed and readily synthesized a novel set of para-thioalkyl substituted arylazoisoxazoles, that undergo high trans-cis and cis-trans photoconversions under visible light, and show fast charging/discharging and impressive cyclability. Remarkably, the presence of C6-or C10-thioalkyl chainin photochromes permitted reversible solid-liquid phase transition with the formation of cis-enriched charged states by 400 nm light irradiation and trans-enriched discharged states by 530 nm light at various temperatures (10-35 °C).

A Mutagen Acts as a Potent Reducing Agent of Glycated Hemoglobin: a Combined Ultrafast Electron Transfer and Computational Studies.

Glycated hemoglobin (GHb) found in mammals undergoes irreversible damage when exposed to external redox agents, which is much more vulnerable than its normal counterpart hemoglobin (Hb). Besides the oxygen regulation throughout the body, Hb plays a vital role in balancing immunological health and the redox cycle. Photoinduced ultra-fast electron transfer phenomena actively participate in regulation of various kind of homeostasis involved in such biomacromolecules.

A spectroscopy based prototype for the noninvasive detection of diabetes from human saliva using nanohybrids acting as nanozyme.

The recent prediction of diabetes to be a global pandemic invites a detection strategy preferably non-invasive, and bloodless to manage the disease and the associated complications. Here, we have synthesized chitosan polymer functionalized, organic-inorganic bio-compatible nano-hybrids of MnO nanoparticles, and characterized it by utilizing several optical methodologies for the structural characterization which shows the Michaelis Menten (MM) kinetics for glucose and alpha-amylase protein (well-known diabetes biomarkers). We have also studied the potentiality for the detection of alpha-amylase in human salivary secretion which is reported to be strongly correlated with uncontrolled hyperglycemia.

Efficient Storage and Encryption of 32-Slice CT Scan Images Using Phase Grating.

Medical images are treated as sensitive as it carries patients' confidential information and hence must be protected from unauthorized access. So, a strong encryption mechanism is a primary criterion to transmit these images over the internet to protect them from intruders. In many existing algorithms, noise affection in the extracted images is high, hence not suitable for medical data encryption.

Spectroscopy of an intrinsic fluorophore in animal and plant milk for potential identification of their quality.

Riboflavin (RF), commonly known as vitamin B, is an essential ingredient in any milk variety of animal origin. The photophysics of the molecule RF, including its interaction with biological macromolecules, are well studied. Here, we have investigated the possibility of the molecule as a potential biomarker of milk quality.

Dietary arsenic exposure with low level of arsenic in drinking water and biomarker: a study in West Bengal.

The authors investigated association of arsenic intake through water and diet and arsenic level in urine in people living in arsenic endemic region in West Bengal supplied with arsenic-safe water (<50 μg L(-1)). Out of 94 (Group-1A) study participants using water with arsenic level <50 μg L(-1), 72 participants (Group-1B) were taking water with arsenic level <10 μg L(-1). Multiple regressions analysis conducted on the Group-1A participants showed that daily arsenic dose from water and diet were found to be significantly positively associated with urinary arsenic level.

Evaluation of dietary arsenic exposure and its biomarkers: a case study of West Bengal, India.

Few reports are available that characterize daily arsenic exposure through water and diet among people living in groundwater-contaminated regions and correlate it with biomarkers. The present study describes the total individual arsenic exposure and arsenic level in urine and hair of such an arsenic-exposed population in West Bengal. Demographic characteristics and the total daily arsenic intake through water and diet were determined in 167 (Group-1 participants selected from arsenic endemic region) and 69 (Group-2 participants selected from arsenic non-endemic region) in West Bengal.

Compensation of rotation effect in a combination of retarders.

In a cascaded system comprising a combination of oblique retarders, the effect of optical rotation is observed in addition to the overall retardation. This shows that the combined system does not behave as a pure oblique retarder. Analyzing such a general system using Pauli Spin matrices, it is shown that the effect of optical rotation may be completely annulled through the use of a suitably oriented retarder at the output of the cascaded system.

Achromatic quarter-wave plate using crystalline quartz.

Achromatic wave plates are ideal components for use with tunable and multiline laser systems, broadband sources, and in astronomical instrumentation. The present study deals with the design and characteristics of two different quarter-wave achromatic retarders in the 500-700 nm range, using a cascaded system of two birefringent plates. The first of these shows a variation of less than ±0.

Polarization phase-shifting interferometric technique for complete evaluation of birefringence.

A full-field technique for simultaneous measurement of the magnitude of birefringence and its orientation is presented. This is achieved using a monolithic birefringence sensitive interferometer where the interference fringes carry the information of both the birefringence phase and the orientation of the fast axis of an optically transmissive anisotropic material placed at the output of the interferometer. The interferometer consists of a suitably polarization-masked cube beam splitter, orientated as in the Gates interferometer, which serves to generate a pair of orthogonally polarized and collinearly propagating light beams.

Transmission digital holographic microscopy based on a beam-splitter cube interferometer.

A new optical configuration for digital holographic microscopy is presented. Digital off-axis holograms are recorded by use of a single cube beam splitter in a nonconventional configuration to both split and combine a diverging spherical wavefront as it emerges from a single point source. Both the amplitude and the phase can then be reconstructed, yielding intensity and phase images with improved resolution.

Polarization-based compensation of astigmatism.

One approach to aberration compensation of an imaging system is to introduce a suitable phase mask at the aperture plane of an imaging system. We utilize this principle for the compensation of astigmatism. A suitable polarization mask used on the aperture plane together with a polarizer-retarder combination at the input of the imaging system provides the compensating polarization-induced phase steps at different quadrants of the apertures masked by different polarizers.

Possibility of an optical focal shift with polarization masks.

The polarization phase shift (PPS) has emerged as an important analytical tool in optical metrology. The present study utilizes the concept of controlling the polarization phase in applications such as focal shift and automatic focusing. When elliptically polarized light, in general, is incident upon a circularly symmetric polarization mask consisting of circular and annular zones with each zone having a unique linear polarizability, the polarization-phase difference introduced between the polarization-masked zones is also circularly symmetric.