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Optical reflection spectra of In2S3 thin films 180 730 nm deposited on glass substrates are measured by infrared spectroscopy using the synchrotron radiation of BESSY II storage ring in the spectral range of 30 8000 cm amp; 8722;1. The aim of the study is to find the influence of different substrate and post annealing temperatures on the electron and phonon systems of In2S3 films deposited on glass. Clear features in the reflectance spectra for the studied films have been found mainly in the phonon excitation range 100 400 cm amp; 8722;1. The experimental dielectric functions amp; 949; amp; 969; of In2S3 films are found to be in good agreement with the calculated ones obtained for In2S3 crystals within the density functional theory. The dielectric functions amp; 949; amp; 969; of the films in the range of 100 400 cm amp; 8722;1 depend substantially on the post annealing temperature. This indicates a transition of the film from the amorphous to the crystalline state. The thorough analysis of the frequency dependence of the reflection coefficient R amp; 969; and optical conductivity amp; 963; amp; 969; in the wavenumber range of 30 130 cm amp; 8722;1 allowed us to reveal the distributed electron states in In2S3 films

The firing behavior of illite-based archaeological ceramics and corresponding firing conditions were investigated, in order to identify the pyrotechnology of ceramic production at archaeological sites in the North Caucasus (Russia, Bronze and Iron Age). Direct observations of the pyrometamorphic degree in the objects by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Raman and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) revealed the thermally induced localization of the redox state within a single object and its influence on the structural distortion, dehydroxylation and total collapse of illite in the ceramics. Fundamental approaches to illite dehydroxylation kinetics and numerical simulations of oxygen diffusion and heat transfer revealed that the firing temperature and time and thickness of the sample, reactivity between oxygen and ceramic pastes and porosity evolution played a decisive role in the firing behavior of the ceramics during the firing at the sites.

Freshwater pollution is a huge concern. A study aiming to evaluate physico-chemical characteristics, microbiota, occurrence of two groups of persistent environmental pollutants with similar chemical properties (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons- PAHs and microplastics - MPs) in Alqueva's surface water was performed during 2021. Water samples were collected at three spots related to touristic activities (two beaches and one marina) during the Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn seasons. In addition, the presence of biofilms on plastic and natural materials (stone, wood/ vegetal materials) were assessed and compared. Water quality based on physicochemical parameters was acceptable with a low eutrophication level. PAHs concentration levels were lower than the standard limits established for surface waters by international organizations. However, carcinogenic compounds were detected in two sampling locations, which can pose a problem for aquatic ecosystems. PAHs profiles showed significant differences when comparing the dry seasons with the rainy seasons, with a higher number of different compounds detected in Spring. Low molecular weigh compounds, usually associated with the atmospheric deposition and petroleum contamination, were more prevalent. MPs were detected in all samples except one during the Winter season. The polymers detected were poly(methyl-2-methylpropenoate), polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyamide, polypropylene, styrene butadiene, polyvinyl chloride and low /high density polyethylene with the last being the most frequent. Biofilms were more often detected on plastics than on natural materials. In addition, biofilms detected on plastics were more complex with higher microbial diversity (e.g., bacteria, fungi/yeast and phytoplancton organisms) and richer in extrapolymeric material. Based on morphological analysis a good agreement between microbiota and microorganism present in the biofilms was found. Among microbiota were identified microorganisms previously linked to plastic and PAHs detoxification suggesting the need for further studies to evaluate the viability of using biofilms as part of a green bioremediation strategy to mitigate water pollution. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 730872. We thank INSA for finantial support [2020DSA1756, 2020] info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

We present infrared (IR) nanospectroscopy results obtained on single hundred-nanometer-sized lipid microvesicles. The use of an IR nanospectroscopy platform allowed us to identify heterogeneities of the molecular cargo of the microvesicles that would not be possible by conventional IR spectroscopy.

At present, small angle X ray scattering SAXS studies of perfluorinated sulfonic acid ionomers PFSAs are unable to fully determine the true shape of their building blocks, as recent SAXS modelling predicts disk and rod like nanoionic domains as being equally possible. This scenario requires evidence based findings to unravel the real shape of PFSA building blocks. Herein, a SAXS pattern signature for a lamellar nanophase separation of the ionic domains of Nafion is presented, backed by mid and far infrared spectroscopy MIR and FIR and wide angle X ray scattering WAXS data of Nafion in different ionic forms, a broad range of ionic phase contents EW amp; 8764; 859 42 amp; 8198;252 g eq amp; 8722;1 and temperatures. The study indicates that the lamellar arrangement of the ionic domains is the most representative morphology that accounts for the physical properties of this ionomer. The lamellar SAXS reflections of Nafion are enhanced in electric and magnetic field aligned membranes, as confirmed by atomic force microscopy AFM . Electric and magnetic field assisted casting of Nafion allowed producing nanostructured and anisotropic films with the lamellas stacked perpendicularly to the field vector, which is the direction of interest for several applications. Such nanostructured Nafion membranes are bestowed with advanced optical and proton transport properties, making them promising materials for solar and fuel cells

Current submillisecond time resolved broad band infrared spectrosco py, one of the most frequently used techniques for studying structure amp; 8722;functionrelationships in life sciences, is typically limited to fast cycling reactions that can berepeated thousands of times with high frequency. Notably, a majority of chemical andbiological processes do not comply with this requirement. For example, the activationof vertebrate rhodopsin, a prototype of many protein receptors in biological organismsthat mediate basic functions of life, including vision, smell, and taste, is irreversible.Here we present a dispersive single shot Fe amp; 769;ry spectrometer setup that extends suchspectroscopy to irreversible and slow cycling systems by exploiting the uniqueproperties of brilliant synchrotron infrared light combined with an advanced focalplane detector array embedded in a dispersive optical concept. We demonstrate oursingle shot method on microbial actinorhodopsin with a slow photocycle and onvertebrate rhodopsin with irreversible activation

Optogenetics is a revolutionary method for studying neural activity by exploiting the optical stimulation of neurons made possible by artificial genetic expression of light-sensitive transmembrane ``gate'' proteins. Evidence of functional conformational changes of the gate proteins can be obtained by difference infrared (IR) absorption spectroscopy triggered by light stimuli. Here we investigate the effect on the photocycle of the prototype optogenetic protein channelrhodopsin (ChR2) of gold surfaces placed in close proximity to the protein molecules. In order to do this, we bring difference IR spectroscopy to the nanoscale, using a platform based on the coupling of a tunable mid-IR quantum cascade laser and an atomic force microscope (AFM). Sensitivity to individual subwavelength-sized membrane patches, embedding fewer than a hundred ChR2 molecules, is achieved by taking advantage of a plasmonic field enhancement in the nanogap between the gold-coated AFM tip and an ultraflat gold surface used as a sample support. We obtain relative difference absorption variations smaller than ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$ and benchmark nanospectroscopy difference spectra against those taken with the Fourier transform IR (FTIR) spectroscopic technique on the same sample. We identify distinct simultaneous processes in the ChR2 photocycle by performing singular value decomposition of the FTIR difference spectra, and use this procedure to compare IR nanospectroscopy data on individual membrane patches in contact with gold surfaces with those obtained on thick stacks of membrane patches unexposed to metal surfaces. ChR2 proteins maintain their gate function when placed in a 14-nm-wide gap between two gold surfaces, apart from minor modifications to their kinetics. Our results are relevant to optogenetic applications that require physical contact between nanoscale metallic probes and electrodes and the membrane of single neuronal cells. More generally, our work paves the way towards the spectroscopic study of transmembrane proteins at the nanoscale.

Mit diesem Kapitel soll die Diskussion um Fake News im vorliegenden Buch um eine Ausfuhrung daruber erganzt werden, ob bzw. unter welchen Randbedingungen es moglich ist, automatisiert Fake News zu erkennen oder wenigstens entsprechende Beitrage mit einer Warnung zu markieren. Ein wichtiges Ziel dieser Darstellung ist es, die Ausfuhrungen, insbesondere die informationstheoretischen Aspekte, moglichst allgemein verstandlich zu halten. Die Erlauterungen erfolgen dabei mit Bezug auf ein Tool, welches – thematisch eingeschrankt – eine solche Markierung leistet.

Unter einem Team von Unbemannten Systemen verstehen wir eine kleinere Anzahl von Systemen, die uber unterschiedliche Fahigkeiten verfugen und bei der Erfullung eines Auftrags kooperieren. Der Einsatz eines solchen Teams verspricht Flexibilitat bei der erfolgreichen Bearbeitung unterschiedlicher Auftrage. Teams von Unbemannten Systemen konnen allerdings nur dann effizient agieren, wenn sie in einem hohen Mas autonom sind. Idealerweise sollte ein einzelner Nutzer mit dem Team interagieren und sich dabei auf das „Was ist zu tun?“ beschranken. An dieser Stelle kommt „Semantik“ ins Spiel: Das Team muss uber genugend „Intelligenz“ verfugen, um Auftrage zu „verstehen“, sie in Teilauftrage zu zerlegen und kooperativ zu bearbeiten.

Etalon effects in THz transmittance spectra, either taken in time- domain or frequency-domain, often hamper or even hinder the interpretation of film properties. In this paper we discuss the transferability and applicability of spectroscopic methods typically employed in the near and mid infrared spectral range to eliminate the fringes in the transmittance spectra in the THz spectral range.

A specially developed experimental set up has been integrated into a commercially available FT IR Spectrometer to study the curing of Epoxy Systems. MIR and FIR spectra measured during the curing process at different temperatures of an epoxy system will be presented in dependency of the curing time. The experiments and the selected set up are discussed to demonstrate its potential for future monitoring and ageing control applications during a manufacturing process of polymer composites.

This paper presents the concept, a system-overview, and the evaluation of EnArgus, the central information system for energy research funding in Germany. Initiated by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), EnArgus establishes a one-stop information system about all recent and ongoing energy research funding projects in Germany. Participants ranging from laypersons to experts were surveyed in three workshops to evaluate both the public and expert interfaces of the EnArgus system in comparison to peer systems. The results showed that the EnArgus system was predominantly evaluated positively by the various participants. It contributes to making the energy sector more transparent and offers clear advantages for professional use compared to similar systems. The system’s semantic processing enables more precise hits and better coverage by including semantically related terms in search results; its intelligence makes it fail-safe, rendering it suitable for areas where poor results can have dire consequences. Reporting on an actual real-world system, the paper also provides a roadmap-view of how electronic filing of administrative project data can be semantically enhanced and opened-up to provide the basis for new ways into the data that are key for future breakthrough AI interfaces.

Etalon features in infrared spectra of stratified samples, their influence on the interpretation, and methods to circumvent their presence in infrared spectra have been in discussion for decades. This paper focuses on the application of a method originally developed to remove interference fringes in the mid-infrared spectra for far-infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy on thin polymer films. We show that the total transmittance reflectance technique, commonly used for mid-infrared, also works successfully in the far-infrared spectral range where other approaches fail. Experimental spectra obtained by such technique are supported by model calculations and reveal the possibility and limits to obtain almost undisturbed far-infrared spectra which are suitable to determine low-energy vibrations of ionomer salts under certain sample conditions.