Organic Datura metel Leaf Extract Mediated Inorganic Rare Earth La2O3 Nanocrystals Formation.

Development of sustainable synthesis of La2O3 nanocrystals formation employing Datura metel leaf extract was explored. The obtained nanocrystals were analyzed employing XRD, Raman, PL, FTIR, XPS and TEM characterizations. With increasing incubation and aging, the transformation of La(OH)3 to LaOOH and metal ellagate complex formation to La2O3 nanocrystals formation was observed. The obtained XRD results clearly revealed the transformation of lanthanum hydroxide to lanthanum oxide hydroxide and then to lanthanum oxide nanocrystals formation with 1, 4 and days. The influence of incubation and aging on La2O3 nanocrystals formation was discussed. Datura metel leaf extract product mixture over a period of incubation formed pure hexagonal lanthanum oxide nanocrystals.

Novel functional imaging technique from brain surface with optical coherence tomography enabling visualization of depth resolved functional structure in vivo.

Mapping of the activity of brain by optical intrinsic signal imaging (OISI) provides a two-dimensional activation pattern of visual cortical areas at a resolution of a few hundred microns. However, integration of the intrinsic signal over depth results in loss of finer information about functional organization across the depth. Here, we report the first successful implementation of optical coherence tomography (OCT) at around 30 microm depth resolution to investigate cortical functions of a cat brain in vivo. This technique, named functional OCT (fOCT) provided visually evoked changes in the OCT signal. The fOCT signal shows stimulus specificity that correlates well with that of the intrinsic signals and provides depth resolved layer specific functional information.