Macrocyclic Bridgehead Fluorophores, Pyrrolyl-diazabicyclo[8.3.1]tetradecadienones, with Giant Stokes Shifts.

A previously unknown class of fluorophores was discovered, which represents 14-membered bridgehead heterocycles, pyrrolyl-diazabicyclo[8.3.1]tetradecadienones, herein referred to as PY-14-ONEs.

Nonlinear Absorption and Refraction of Picosecond and Femtosecond Pulses in HgTe Quantum Dot Films.

We report measurements of the saturated intensities, saturable absorption, and nonlinear refraction in 70-nm thick films containing 4 nm HgTe quantum dots. We demonstrate strong nonlinear refraction and saturable absorption in the thin films using tunable picosecond and femtosecond pulses. Studies were carried out using tunable laser pulses in the range of 400-1100 nm.

Oxidative C-H/C-H Coupling of Dipyrromethanes with Azines by TiO-Based Photocatalytic System. Synthesis of New BODIPY Dyes and Their Photophysical and Electrochemical Properties.

Oxidative C-H/C-H coupling reactions of dipyrromethanes with azines in the presence of a heterophase oxidative photocatalytic system (O/TiO/visible light irradiation) were carried out. As a result of cyclization of obtained compounds with boron trifluoride etherate, new hetaryl-containing derivatives of 4,4-difluoro-4-boron-3,4-diaza--indacene were synthesized. For the obtained compounds, absorption and luminescence spectra, quantum yields of luminescence as well as cyclic volt-amperograms were measured.

Synthesis and low-order optical nonlinearities of colloidal HgSe quantum dots in the visible and near infrared ranges.

We synthesize colloidal HgSe quantum dots and characterize their nonlinear refraction and nonlinear absorption using a Nd:YAG laser and its second harmonic. The 7.5 nm quantum dots were synthesized using the hot-injection method.

Nonlinear Optical Characterization of InP@ZnS Core-Shell Colloidal Quantum Dots Using 532 nm, 10 ns Pulses.

InP@ZnS core-shell colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) were synthesized and characterized using the z-scan technique. The nonlinear refraction and nonlinear absorption coefficients ( = -2 × 10 cm W, = 4 × 10 cm W) of these CQDs were determined using 10 ns, 532 nm pulses. The saturable absorption ( = -1.

Fluorescence from 3,5-diphenyl-8-CF-BODIPYs with amino substituents on the phenyl rings: Quenching by aromatic molecules.

The photoluminescence from n-hexane solutions of the dyes obtained by the introduction of amino groups into the meta position of the phenyl rings of 3,5-diphenyl-8-CF-BODIPY was found to be strongly quenched by some aromatic molecules (benzene and toluene). On the contrary, the introduction of an amino group into the para position does not lead to significant quenching. The quenching of photoluminescence from the meta derivatives obeys the mixed static + dynamic mechanism.

Studying the size-selective precipitation of colloidal quantum dots by decomposing the excitation-emission matrix.

The exciton peak in the excitation-emission matrix (EEM) of colloidal quantum dots implicitly contains information about inhomogeneous broadening and the photoluminescence (PL) and photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectra of individual particles in the vicinity of the absorption onset. A numerical procedure for extracting this information has been developed and applied to the EEMs of polydisperse InP/ZnS core/shell colloidal quantum dots and their supernatant solutions obtained by partial precipitation with a non-solvent. The inhomogeneous broadenings obtained in this way have been converted by the sizing curve into particle-size distributions.

[Differential diagnosis of focal osteoplastic masses in the lung of miners].

The paper reviews literature on the current aspects of the diagnosis and expert appraisal of focal osteoplastic masses in the lung upon dust exposure to dust factors. It considers different aspects of the pathogenesis of osteoplastic changes in the tissue structural elements of pulmonary histione. Current views on the prevalence, etiology, and pathogenesis, as well as morphological changes in the development of this abnormality, its association with the dust damaging effects of human activities are reflected.

[FEDERAL CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES FOR THE DIAGNOSIS, PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF PNEUMOCONIOSIS].

The purpose of development of this clinical practice guidelines was to provide evidence-based protocols that help the practitioner and the patient make the right decision for the health assessment, treatment and prevention of pneumoconiosis. Pneumoconiosis is the interstitial lung disease of occupational origin caused by prolonged inhalation of inorganic dust, characterized by chronic diffuse aseptic inflammation in lung tissue with the development of pulmonary fibrosis. Currently, thereare no treatment that provide a cure pulmonary fibrosis and changes in the dynamics of decline in lung function.

Towards understanding the behavior of indigo thin films in organic field-effect transistors: a template effect of the aliphatic hydrocarbon dielectric on the crystal structure and electrical performance of the semiconductor.

Here we report a systematic investigation of indigo thin films grown on different dielectric underlayers. It has been revealed that aliphatic hydrocarbon chains serve as templates inducing the formation of a new crystal modification of indigo which possesses advanced charge transport properties and affords a dramatic improvement in the electrical performance of organic field-effect transistors.

[On problem of interpreting pneumoconiosis concept and possible ways to solve it].

The article focuses on contradictions in contemporary concepts of respiratory diseases due to dust and pneumoconiosis, absence of effective medical measures of their prevention and treatment, inadequacy of methodological approaches to solving the problem and reasons a position of epithelial mesenchimal transformation as a paradigm of the solution.

Influence of surfactant polydispersity on the structure of polyoxyethylene (5) nonylphenyl ether/cyclohexane/water reverse microemulsions.

The distribution of the number of oxyethylene groups in molecules of polyoxyethylene (5) nonylphenyl ether (NP5) is shown to significantly affect the structure of NP5/cyclohexane/water reverse microemulsions. The effect is caused by the difference in solubility of NP5 components. This difference leads to fractionation: surfactant molecules dissolved in the intermicellar nonpolar medium have, on average, shorter polyoxyethylene chains than surfactant molecules forming reverse micelles.

Material structure-composite morphology-photovoltaic performance relationship for organic bulk heterojunction solar cells.

Conjugated PPV-PPE copolymer has been investigated in organic solar cells in combination with twelve different fullerene derivatives. It was shown that the length of solubilizing alkyl chains in the fullerene derivative structures correlates well with the performance of photovoltaic cells.

Indigo--a natural pigment for high performance ambipolar organic field effect transistors and circuits.

Millenniums-old natural dye indigo--a "new" ambipolar organic semiconductor. Indigo shows balanced electron and hole mobilities of 1 × 10(-2) cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) and good stability against degradation in air. Inverters with gains of 105 in the first and 110 in the third quadrant are demonstrated.

[70]fullerene-based materials for organic solar cells.

The synthesis, characterization and photovoltaic study of two novel derivatives of [70]fullerene, phenyl-C₇₁-propionic acid propyl ester ([70]PCPP) and phenyl-C₇₁-propionic acid butyl ester ([70]PCPB), are reported. [70]PCPP and [70]PCPB outperform the conventional material (6,6)-phenyl-C₇₁-butyric acid methyl ester ([70]PCBM) in solar cells based on poly(2-methoxy-5-{3',7'-dimethyloctyloxy}-p-phenylene vinylene) (MDMO-PPV) as a donor polymer using chlorobenzene (CB) or dichlorobenzene (DCB) as solvents. AFM data suggest that improvement of the device efficiency should be attributed to the increased phase compatibility between the novel C₇₀ derivatives and the polymer matrix.

On the composition fluctuations of reverse micelles.

The polydispersity of the reverse micelles is determined mainly by the fluctuations of their composition. The composition of the reverse micelle is a two-dimensional random variable whose components are the numbers of water (i) and surfactant (j) molecules. In this study the fluctuations of the composition of the reverse micelles are considered in the Gaussian approximation.

[Quantitative characteristics of pathomorphologic changes in bronchi and pulmonary artery branches in miners with preroentgenologic stage of anthrasilicosis].

Morphometric studies covered lung tissue of 10 miners exposed to dusty work conditions over 1 to 30 (13.4 +/- 3.6) years, who were considered apparently healthy according to follow-up examinations and died in technogenic accident.

Self-assembly of thiophene- and furan-appended methanofullerenes with poly(3-hexylthiophene) in organic solar cells.

Novel fullerene derivatives bearing thiophene and furan residues were synthesized and studied as electron acceptor materials in bulk heterojunction organic solar cells, together with poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) as the donor polymer. Some compounds showed large nanomorphological inhomogenities in blends with P3HT; in particular, clusters with dimensions in the range of 100-1000 nm were formed. However, some blends that showed such large clusters yielded at the same time high power conversion efficiencies in photovoltaic devices, approaching 3.

Organic solar cells with semitransparent metal back contacts for power window applications.

To provide truly transparent solar cells for power window applications, both semiconductor and electrode materials have to have a very low absorption over as much of the visible spectrum as possible. We present some promising visible transparent semiconductor combinations, namely zinc-phthalocyanine or zinc-naphthalocyanine together with soluble fullerenes in conjunction with a method for obtaining highly transparent thin metal films by tuning the interference patterns in the multilayer organic solar cells structure. In an optimal combination, solar cells with an efficiency of about 0.

Ternary AOT/water/hexane systems as "micellar sieves" for cyanine dye J-aggregates.

We investigate the behavior of J-aggregates of a cyanine dye, 3,3(')-di-(gamma-sulfopropyl)-4,5,4('),5(')-dibenzo-9-ethylthiacarbocyanine betaine pyridinium salt, in AOT/water/hexane reverse micelles (W=2-50), both during the course of rapid microemulsion formation and then after stabilization of the microemulsions at thermodynamic equilibrium. We suggest a new mechanism for J-aggregate formation in reverse micelle solutions. According to this model J-aggregates are formed in the aqueous phase prior to formation of a stable microemulsion, rather than in the process of intermicellar exchange.

Growth kinetics for AgI nanoparticles in AOT reverse micelles: effect of molecular length of hydrocarbon solvents.

The growth kinetics for AgI nanoparticles formed in the solutions of water/AOT reverse micelles in n-hexane, n-octane, n-decane, and n-dodecane were investigated. In small micelles, the rate of nanoparticles growth was found to be independent of the type of solvent, while in large micelles the growth rate grew with increasing length of solvent molecules. The effect was explained by a different amount of free water in the micelle pools of the same size.

[On pathogenetic unity of pneumoconiosis and dust bronchitis].

Results of complex study determining levels of IL-1-4-6 and TNO in bronchoalveolar lavage and blood serum helped to justify nososlogic independence of dust bronchitis and its pathogenetic commonnes with pneumoconiosis--that confirms combining them into a group of dust respiratory diseases.

[Chronic obstructive lung disease (analytic review)].

The author tackles a problem of "chronic obstructive lung disease" (COLD) term, disclosing an erroneus trend to change nosologic assessment of disease into syndromal presentation. Functional essence of term COLD denies morphologic method as a methodologic basis of classical medicine, derived from natural science and biology and proved effective throughout over 200 years of clinical and theoretical activities.

[State and prospects of evidence-based medicine and occupational pathology].

According to foreign literature data, contemporary methods of evidence-based medicine are insufficiently limited in use by occupational pathologists both in this country and abroad. This is due to restrictions of Occupational Diseases Register, difficulties in adding new entities into it, medical and social practice to use functional parameters for disablement definition, employers' obstacles to reveal early stages of occupational diseases through active employees' examinations, patients' wish to receive governmental annuity and not to get rehabilitated.

[Hemostasis disorders in patients with occupational fluorosis are risk factors for IHD].

The studies covered hemostasis changes in workers with occupational fluorosis. The disorders diagnosed could be a risk factor for IHD in aluminium production workers