Carbon Dots: A Bright Future as Anticounterfeiting Encoding Agents.

Counterfeit products and data vulnerability present significant challenges in contemporary society. Hence, various methods and technologies are explored for anticounterfeiting encoding, with luminescent tracers, particularly luminescent carbon dots (CDs), emerging as a notable solution. CDs offer promising contributions to product security, environmental sustainability, and the circular economy.

Impact of atomic layer deposited TiO on the photocatalytic efficiency of TiO/w-VA-CNT nanocomposite materials.

Titanium oxide (TiO) has been widely investigated as a photocatalytic material, and the fact that its performance depends on its crystalline structure motivates further research on the relationship between preparation methods and material properties. In this work, TiO thin films were grown on non-functionalized wave-like patterned vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (w-VA-CNTs) the atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique. Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) analysis revealed that the structure of the TiO/VA-CNT nanocomposites varied from amorphous to a crystalline phase with increasing deposition temperature, suggesting a "critical deposition temperature" for the anatase crystalline phase formation.

THORACIC SYMPATHECTOMY: SEDATION EXPERIENCE.

Unlabelled: Introduction/Study Goals: Thoracic sympathectomy is considered to be the most effective treatment for hyperhidrosis, a procedure traditionally performed under general anesthesia. Nowadays it's a minimally invasive procedure, which makes it possible to perform under sedation with local anesthesia. The goal in this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of this anesthetic technique in video-assisted thoracic sympathectomy.

Tuning Green to Red Color in Erbium Niobate Micro- and Nanoparticles.

Tetragonal ErNbO and monoclinic ErNbO micro- and nanoparticles were prepared by the citrate sol-gel method and heat-treated at temperatures between 700 and 1600 °C. ErNbO revealed a spherical-shaped crystallite, whose size increased with heat treatment temperatures. To assess their optical properties at room temperature (RT), a thorough spectroscopic study was conducted.

Switching from a traditional undergraduate programme in (clinical) pharmacology and therapeutics to a problem-based learning programme.

Purpose: The pharmacology and clinical pharmacology and therapeutics (CPT) education during the undergraduate medical curriculum of NOVA Medical School, Lisbon, Portugal, was changed from a traditional programme (i.e. discipline-based, lectures) to a problem-based learning (PBL) programme (i.

Iridium(III)porphyrin arrays with tuneable photophysical properties.

The photophysical properties of iridium(III) porphyrins complexes with two different axial ligands (Cl(CO) and bipyridine (bpy)) in solution and in cellulose acetate polymer matrix were investigated. The axial ligands substitution was made aiming to evaluate the photophysical properties and the solubility in different solvents. Therefore, dissimilar from the free porphyrin, non-polar solvents (as toluene) favours the quantum yield of iridium(III)porphyrins and ligands with a more extended π-conjugated compound as bpy results in higher yields.

Optical properties of hydrothermally synthesised and thermally annealed ZnO/ZnO composites.

ZnO/ZnO2 composites grown by hydrothermal synthesis at low temperature (180 °C) and thermally annealed at 300 °C were fully analysed by morphological, structural and optical techniques. X-ray diffraction patterns (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy clearly evidence the presence of both crystalline phases in the ZnO/ZnO2 sample. The differential scanning calorimetry analysis and thermogravimetric profiles indicate an exothermic event with a peak temperature ca.

ZnAlO decorated Al-doped ZnO tetrapodal 3D networks: microstructure, Raman and detailed temperature dependent photoluminescence analysis.

3D networks of Al-doped ZnO tetrapods decorated with ZnAlO particles synthesised by the flame transport method were investigated in detail using optical techniques combined with morphological/structural characterisation. Low temperature photoluminescence (PL) measurements revealed spectra dominated by near band edge (NBE) recombination in the UV region, together with broad visible bands whose peak positions shift depending on the ZnO : Al mixing ratios. A close inspection of the NBE region evidences the effective doping of the ZnO structures with Al, as corroborated by the broadening and shift of its peak position towards the expected energy associated with the exciton bound to Al.

ZnO decorated laser-induced graphene produced by direct laser scribing.

A scalable laser scribing approach to produce zinc oxide (ZnO) decorated laser-induced graphene (LIG) in a unique laser-processing step was developed by irradiating a polyimide sheet covered with a Zn/ZnO precursor with a CO laser (10.6 μm) under ambient conditions. The laser scribing parameters revealed a strong impact on the surface morphology of the formed LIG, on ZnO microparticles' formation and distribution, as well as on the physical properties of the fashioned composites.

Probing surface states in C decorated ZnO microwires: detailed photoluminescence and cathodoluminescence investigations.

ZnO microwires synthesised by the flame transport method and decorated with C clusters were studied in detail by photoluminescence (PL) and cathodoluminescence (CL) techniques. The optical investigations suggest that the enhanced near band edge recombination observed in the ZnO/C composites is attributed to the reduction of the ZnO band tail states in the presence of C. Well-resolved free and bound excitons recombination, as well as 3.

Hierarchical Aerographite 3D flexible networks hybridized by InP micro/nanostructures for strain sensor applications.

In the present work, we report on development of three-dimensional flexible architectures consisting of an extremely porous three-dimensional Aerographite (AG) backbone decorated by InP micro/nanocrystallites grown by a single step hydride vapor phase epitaxy process. The systematic investigation of the hybrid materials by scanning electron microscopy demonstrates a rather uniform spatial distribution of InP crystallites without agglomeration on the surface of Aerographite microtubular structures. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and Raman scattering analysis demonstrate that InP crystallites grown on bare Aerographite are of zincblende structure, while a preliminary functionalization of the Aerographite backbone with Au nanodots promotes the formation of crystalline InO nanowires as well as gold-indium oxide core-shell nanostructures.

Buckminsterfullerene hybridized zinc oxide tetrapods: defects and charge transfer induced optical and electrical response.

Buckminster fullerene (C60) based hybrid metal oxide materials are receiving considerable attention because of their excellent fundamental and applied aspects, like semiconducting, electron transfer, luminescent behaviors, etc. and this work briefly discusses the successful fabrication of C60 decorated ZnO tetrapod materials and their detailed structure-property relationships including device sensing applications. The electron microscopy investigations indicate that a quite dense surface coverage of ZnO tetrapods with C60 clusters is achieved.

Effect of N2 and H2 plasma treatments on band edge emission of ZnO microrods.

ZnO microrods were grown by laser assisted flow deposition technique in order to study their luminescence behaviour in the near band edge spectral region. Transmission electron microscopy analysis put in evidence the high crystallinity degree and microrod's compositional homogeneity. Photoluminescence revealed a dominant 3.

Luminescence studies on green emitting InGaN/GaN MQWs implanted with nitrogen.

We studied the optical properties of metalorganic chemical vapour deposited (MOCVD) InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells (MQW) subjected to nitrogen (N) implantation and post-growth annealing treatments. The optical characterization was carried out by means of temperature and excitation density-dependent steady state photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, supplemented by room temperature PL excitation (PLE) and PL lifetime (PLL) measurements. The as-grown and as-implanted samples were found to exhibit a single green emission band attributed to localized excitons in the QW, although the N implantation leads to a strong reduction of the PL intensity.

Vaccination models and optimal control strategies to dengue.

As the development of a dengue vaccine is ongoing, we simulate an hypothetical vaccine as an extra protection to the population. In a first phase, the vaccination process is studied as a new compartment in the model, and different ways of distributing the vaccines investigated: pediatric and random mass vaccines, with distinct levels of efficacy and durability. In a second step, the vaccination is seen as a control variable in the epidemiological process.

Effect of Eu-implantation and annealing on the GaN quantum dots excitonic recombination.

Undoped self-assembled GaN quantum dots (QD) stacked in superlattices (SL) with AlN spacer layers were submitted to thermal annealing treatments. Changes in the balance between the quantum confinement, strain state of the stacked heterostructures and quantum confined Stark effect lead to the observation of GaN QD excitonic recombination above and below the bulk GaN bandgap. In Eu-implanted SL structures, the GaN QD recombination was found to be dependent on the implantation fluence.

Carotid body function in aged rats: responses to hypoxia, ischemia, dopamine, and adenosine.

The carotid body (CB) is the main arterial chemoreceptor with a low threshold to hypoxia. CB activity is augmented by A(2)-adenosine receptors stimulation and attenuated by D(2)-dopamine receptors. The effect of aging on ventilatory responses mediated by the CB to hypoxia, ischemia, and to adenosine and dopamine administration is almost unknown.

Photoluminescent, transparent and flexible di-ureasil hybrids containing CdSe/ZnS quantum dots.

We describe, in this paper, the sol-gel synthesis of di-ureasil based nanocomposites prepared in situ in the presence of organically capped CdSe quantum dots (QDs) or CdSe QDs which have been coated with a ZnS shell. For the latter a new chemical route to coat the CdSe QDs with ZnS shells was investigated and is now reported. The QDs became well dispersed in the final nanocomposites, whose microstructural homogeneity was evaluated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses.

Optical properties of the synthetic nanocomposites SiO2/CdS/poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride) and SiO2/CdS/poly(styrene-co-maleimide).

Hybrid materials consisting of SiO2/CdS particles dispersed in poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride) and poly(styrene-co-maleimide) have been synthesized and characterized. The polymer nanocomposites were synthesised in situ in the presence of previously prepared inorganic fillers (SiO2/CdS). The nanocomposites were synthesized with the use of as-prepared or surface-modified SiO2/CdS fillers.