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The continuous technological development of electronic devices and the introduction of new materials lead to ever greater demands on the fabrication of semiconductor heterostructures and their characterization. This work focuses on optimizing Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) depth profiles of semiconductor heterostructures aiming at a minimization of measurement-induced profile broadening. As a model system, a state-of-the-art Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) grown multilayer homostructure consisting of n a t Si/ 28 Si bilayers with only 2 nm in thickness is investigated while varying the most relevant sputter parameters. Atomic concentration-depth profiles are determined and an error function based description model is used to quantify layer thicknesses as well as profile broadening. The optimization process leads to an excellent resolution of the multilayer homostructure. The results of this optimization guide to a ToF-SIMS analysis of another MBE grown heterostructure consisting of a strained and highly purified 28 Si layer sandwiched between two Si 0.7 Ge 0.3 layers. The sandwiched 28 Si layer represents a quantum well that has proven to be an excellent host for the implementation of electron-spin qubits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the realization of controlled quantum systems, exploring excitations beyond the resonant case opens new possibilities. We investigate an extended Jaynes-Cummings model in which two nondegenerate photon modes are coupled off resonantly to a quantum emitter. This allows us to identify few-photon scattering mechanisms that lead to a full inversion of the emitter while transferring off-resonant photons from one mode to another. This behavior is connected to recent measurements of a two-level emitter scattering two off-resonant photons simultaneously. Furthermore, our results can be understood as a quantized analog of the recently developed off-resonant quantum control scheme known as swing-up of quantum emitter (SUPER). Our intuitive formalism gives deeper insight into the interaction of a two-level emitter with off-resonant light modes with the prospect of novel photonic applications.

Aiming at valorizing industrial wastes of tamarind, the present work evaluated the actions of seed, leaf and peel extracts on starch and fat absorption through starch and triglyceride tolerance tests in mice. The actions of all extracts on the α-amylase and lipase were also characterized using classical kinetic assays. All extracts inhibited starch digestion in vivo , but the seed extract was the most effective one with an ID 50 of 151.4 mg kg -1 . The mechanism behind this inhibition probably involves the pancreatic α-amylase, which was strongly inhibited by the seed extract under in vitro conditions (IC 50 = 13.3 μg mL -1 ) and much less strongly by the leaf and peel extracts (IC 50 values in the vicinity of 400 μg mL -1 ). The pancreatic lipase, conversely, was inhibited solely by the seed extract, with an IC 50 of 31.5 μg mL -1 . As a consequence of this property, the seed extract also inhibited triglyceride absorption, as indicated by olive oil tolerance tests, which revealed an ID 50 of 214.9 mg kg -1 . The seed extract also possessed the strongest antioxidant capacity and the highest content in phenolic groups. Chemical analyses revealed that all extracts present a great variety of phenolic compounds and that the seed extract possesses at least 5 unique compounds (ursodiol, masoprocol, lenticin, chenodeoxycolic acid and 13-keto-9 Z ,11 E -octadecadienoic acid), which, according to docking studies, could be involved in the inhibition of both α-amylase and lipase. The overall conclusion is that the tamarind seed extract displays great potential for being used in the management of obesity and diabetes.

Objectives: Copaiba essential oil (CEO) is obtained through the distillation of copaiba balsam and has been used in the traditional medicine to treat inflammatory conditions. However, the highly lipophilic nature of CEO restricts its pharmaceutical use. This study evaluated the effect of CEO, carried in a self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS), on articular and systemic inflammation and liver changes in Holtzman rats with Freund's adjuvant-induced arthritis., Methods: Healthy and arthritic rats received orally for 18 days the non-formulated CEO and the one carried in a self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (FSNEDDS), both at doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg. The oral bioavailability of FSNEDDS was determined in healthy rats by quantifying the levels of β-caryophyllene in the plasma., Key Findings: FSNEDDS exhibited more than three times greater oral bioavailability compared to non-formulated CEO. This phenomenon allowed FSNEDDS (100 mg/kg) to effectively reduce adjuvant-induced articular and systemic inflammation and oxidative stress in arthritic rats at a dose four times lower than copaiba balsam and β-caryophyllene. Furthermore, FSNEDDS did not alter the serum markers of liver damage, hepatic morphometry, and liver gluconeogenesis in healthy rats., Conclusion: FSNEDDS was effective against arthritis in rats, and unlike copaiba balsam, it does not exhibit hepatotoxicity, suggesting it could serve as a phytotherapeutic alternative in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis., (© The Author(s) 2025. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)