The smalleye pygmy shark (Squaliolus aliae) is a dwarf pelagic shark from the Dalatiidae family that harbours thousands of tiny photophores. In this work, we studied the organisation and physiological control of these photogenic organs. Results show that they are mainly situated on the ventral side of the shark, forming a homogeneous ventral photogenic area that appears well suited for counteri...

RATIONALE Vitamin D was used to treat tuberculosis (TB) in the preantibiotic era. Prospective studies to evaluate the effect of vitamin D supplementation on antimycobacterial immunity have not previously been performed. OBJECTIVES To determine the effect of vitamin D supplementation on antimycobacterial immunity and vitamin D status. METHODS A double-blind randomized controlled trial was co...

By combining the unique features of the quantum cutting luminescence and long persistent luminescence, we design a new concept called "near-infrared quantum cutting long persistent luminescence (NQPL)", which makes it possible for us to obtain highly efficient (>100%) near-infrared long persistent luminescence in theory. Guided by the NQPL concept, we fabricate the first NQPL phosphor Ca2Ga2GeO...

Metal-enhanced Luminescence of silicon nanocrystals (SiNCs) was determined using two different particle sizes of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). SiNCs have been characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It is found that the SiNCs are cryst...

Enhancement of upconversion luminescence is imperative for the applications of upconversion nanocrystals (UCNs). In this work, we investigated the upconversion luminescence enhancement of NaYF4:Yb/Er by Mo(3+) ion doping. It was found that the upconversion luminescence intensities of the green and red emissions of UCNs co-doped with 10 mol% Mo(3+) ions were enhanced by 6 and 8 times, respective...

Oxyfluoride lead borate glasses singly doped with Nd3+ and Er3+ ions have been studied before and after thermal treatment. The orthorhombic PbF2 crystallites are formed during thermal treatment, which was evidenced by X-ray diffraction analysis. Near-infrared luminescence spectra at 1.06 μm and 1.53 μm have been registered for samples before and after annealing, which correspond to the main F3/...

Absorbed sunlight in a solar cell produces electrons and holes. However, at the open-circuit condition, the carriers have no place to go. They build up in density, and ideally, they emit external luminescence that exactly balances the incoming sunlight. Any additional nonradiative recombination impairs the carrier density buildup, limiting the open-circuit voltage. At open circuit, efficient ex...

The effect of carbon doping on the enhancement of visible luminescence from silicon-rich silicon oxide ~SRSO!, which consists of Si nanoclusters embedded inside a SiO2 matrix, is investigated. C-doped SRSO films were fabricated by electron cyclotron resonance-plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition method using SiH4 , O2 , and CH4 source gases followed by a high-temperature anneal. Intense bl...

A series of new cyclic trinuclear Au(I) complexes with alkoxy side chains of various lengths were synthesized as photoluminescence materials. None of the complexes emitted luminescence in solution; however, some showed photoluminescence in the crystalline phase. Single crystal X-ray structural analyses revealed that an intermolecular interaction between two Au atoms (aurophilic interaction) exi...