Elemental Scientific Lasers’ Scientific Publications

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Two fragmented long bones and one fragment of ivory were selected from the faunal collections of the Shipwrecks Museum (Fremantle, WA, Australia) due to their intense green, orange and brown-grey staining. They were analysed by light microscopy (LM) and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) to achieve their tapho-diagenetic characterization, with the aim of reconstructing their depositional environment prior to underwater archaeological excavations, as well as exploring potential predictions in the forensic taphonomy of human skeletal remains. The included and infiltrated external material correlated to the samples colour and preservation, expressed by the value of the Oxford Histological Index (OHI) and by...

Mitochondria are the cellular organelle in charge of cellular respiration; thus, they are the main cellular oxygen consumers. Accordingly, a deficiency in available oxygen, a situation known as hypoxia, directly affects this mitochondrial function. We have shown that the mitochondrial sodium/calcium/lithium exchanger (NCLX) is essential in redox signaling in acute hypoxia. Hypoxia-induced deactivation of mitochondrial complex I (CI) of the electron transport chain produces the loss of its proton pumping activity, thereby acidifying the mitochondrial matrix. Consequently, mitochondrial calcium phosphate granules partially dissolve, increasing mitochondrial soluble calcium. This activates NCLX, resulting in the import of sodium into the mitoc...

Polymeric ‘smart drug delivery systems’ respond to external and environmental stimuli to modulate drug release at the right time and in the right place. Here I present several polymer systems to overcome challenges in spatiotemporal control of drug delivery. First, a novel acidlabile liquid polymer responsive to endogenous pH conditions was synthesized and characterized for releasing poorly soluble drugs as an injectable depot, a photo-crosslinked implantable matrix, temporarily stable nanodroplets and stable nanogels. Second, two acid-labile biodegradable liquid polymers were investigated for pH-responsive intracellular delivery of the immunomodulator R848 (or Resiquimod), a poorly soluble adjuvant for a melanoma vaccine. Third, nanodr...

The magnitude of the atmosphere-land carbon exchange rate is arguably the largest source of uncertainty in our understanding of climate change. Accurate vertical profiles of pressure and temperature are essential for the retrieval of precise greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations from many remote sensing instruments. The focus of this dissertation at George Washington University (GWU), in collaboration with Mesa Photonics, has been in the development and deployment of a Laser Heterodyne Radiometer (LHR) that simultaneously measures CO2, CH4, H2O, and O2 mixing ratios throughout the troposphere and lower stratosphere. To constrain the spectral fits, a data extraction, visualization, and analysis program was written to extract pressure and tempe...

Strong electron-electron and electron-phonon correlations are responsible for important effects in materials such as magnetism and superconductivity, leading to a broad spectrum of uses in quantum information, clean energy, catalysis, and much more. Materials characterization, discovery, and design have been made highly efficient through computational approaches which can circumvent time-consuming experiments; however most such approaches suffer from the "exponential-scaling wall" of performing calculations on correlated electrons, where accuracy and computational tractability cannot simultaneously be achieved. In this dissertation, two novel approaches are introduced: one for affordably treating solid-state point defects in an ab-initio so...

Este trabajo de fin de máster se centra en la optimización de técnicas petrológicas para el monitoreo de erupciones volcánicas, utilizando como caso de estudio la erupción de La Palma en 2021. El objetivo principal es mejorar la capacidad de respuesta ante futuras erupciones en Canarias, proponiendo protocolos más eficientes para la toma de muestras, sus análisis petrológicos y envío de información a científicos y gestores. Se analizaron en laboratorios del IGME-CSIC y la UCM muestras de lava de la erupción de La Palma de 2021 mediante técnicas avanzadas como EPMA, SEM y LA-ICP-MS, que permitieron obtener información detallada sobre la composición química y textural de los minerales. Los resultados mostraron cambios en la c...

Pre-Jurassic plate reconstructions rely mainly on ophiolites and metabasites found along suture zones and plate boundaries. Tethyan oceanic rocks have undergone at least four Wilson cycles, characterized by Gondwana-derived continental terranes detaching and later accreting onto Laurussia/Eurasia, offering an excellent case example to understand long term tectonic processes. The oceanic rocks from present-day north Turkey to northeast Iran contain an excellent record of those cycles. In this paper, we focus on the origins and tectonometamorphic evolution of the Shanderman eclogites in NW Iran. We have performed through petrological, Sm-Nd isochron, and U-Pb/Lu-Hf on zircon analysis. Our results show that the Shanderman eclogites’ protolit...

This report summarizes the outcome of the project “Improved knowledge for management of flatfish stocks in Danish waters”, funded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and the Danish Fisheries Agency (“Fiskeri, natur og miljø - Marin biodiversitet”). The project focused on improving the biological data to support advice and sustainable management of three flatfish species in Denmark: turbot (Scophthalmus maximus), common sole (Solea solea) and European plaice (Pleuronectes platessa). These species are important to Danish fisheries, and they currently suffer from a lack of information on a number of questions of importance for proper stock assessment and management. While there were differences between knowledge gaps of specie...

The evolution of intra-continental mountain ranges poses significant challenges in understanding Earth’s geological history. Among these, the Tien Shan in Central Asia stands as one of the largest examples. Its crustal structure was shaped during the Paleozoic closure of the Paleo-Asian Ocean and has since undergone multiple reactivations driven by distant tectonic processes along the Eurasian plate margin, culminating in its modern morphology. While geochronological and thermochronological studies in the Tien Shan have largely focused on the range’s core, revealing a complex Mesozoic tectonic history with a dominant Cenozoic overprint from the India-Eurasia collision, the westernmost regions remain comparatively understudied. The aim o...

This study presents new geochronological and geochemical data for the representative porphyry samples of diorite and andesite from the Kennon Cu-Au porphyry deposit of Black Mountain in the Baguio Mineral District in the Province of Benguet, Northern Luzon, Philippine Islands, which is known to host a series of mineral deposits containing porphyry copper, epithermal gold, and skarn deposits. The data has implications for understanding the characteristics of metal fertility of magma associated with ore deposits. The chondrite normalized rare earth element (REE) patterns of diorite and andesite are enriched in light REE (LREE) and slightly depleted heavy REE (HREE). Primitive mantle-normalized spider diagrams revealed relative enrichment in l...

In this paper the influence of paleorelief as an indicator for source area, is analyzed for the Yacoraite Formation of the Balbuena Subgroup (Salta Group).Provenance analysis on detrital zircon for four samples from the Yacoraite Formation in the Maimará and Juella sections was carried out in combination with Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) techniques and U-Pb chronology previously obtained for all units below the Yacoraite Formation in the Tres Cruces subbasin.   For Yacoraite samples of the Maimará section, the main sources of detrital zircons correspond to the basement (Meson Group and Puncoviscana Complex). At the top of the Yacoraite Formation, Ordovician zircons from the Santa Victoria Group were found. In the Juella section, a sa...

Second generation agonist antibodies or ligands targeting TNF receptor superfamily members such as TRAIL (TNF-Related Apoptosis Inducing Ligand), also coined pro-apoptotic receptor activators (PARAs), are under extensive investigation as cancer therapeutics. It is well-established that increasing their valency or modifying administration modalities by inducing a short mild hyperthermia, can increase their pro-apoptotic function. With the emergence of near-infrared (NIR)-activatable nanovectors for targeted cancer therapy, we aimed at optimizing the conjugation of PARAs onto gold nanorods (GNRs) to preserve their apoptotic efficacy under NIR-induced mild hyperthermia. Three conjugation strategies were evaluated: EDC/NHS coupling, Schiff ba...

This study employed laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) to investigate the spatial distribution of potentially toxic elements in Usnea antarctica from James Ross Island, Antarctica. A triple quadrupole ICP-MS system coupled with a next-generation laser ablation system enabled 15 μm spatial resolution, facilitating the acquisition of detailed quantitative bioimages. Bioimages captured Cr, Cu, Co, Ni, Mn, Fe, Zn, Pb, and U distributions across lichen pseudotissues, revealing allocation patterns between the cortical, photobiont, and medullary regions. These elemental distribution trends support previous Antarctic biomonitoring studies, demonstrating consistency in long-range metal transport, deposition patt...

To determine the geological age, petrogenesis, and tectonic setting of Mesozoic volcanic rocks in the Ningyuancun Formation in Xunke area, Lesser Hinggan Range, the zircon U-Pb geochronology, petrographic observations, and geochemical analyses of major and trace elements were conducted in this study. Zircon U-Pb dating showed that the volcanic rocks of the Ningyuancun Formation were formed in the Early Cretaceous (112.97±0.90 Ma). Major element analyses revealed that the content of SiO₂ weighted from 74.14% to 76.54%, indicating the volcanic rocks to be high-silica and felsic. The content of Al₂O₃ varies from 12.48% to 13.65%. A total alkali content of the volcanic rocks range between 8.46% and 9.56%, with Na₂O/K₂O ratios from 0....

. Aerosol-related impurities play an important part in the set of paleoclimate proxies obtained from polar ice cores. However, in order to avoid misinterpretation, post-depositional changes need to be carefully assessed, especially in deep ice. Na, S and Cl are among the relatively abundant impurity species in polar ice (albeit still at the low ppb level in bulk samples), with important applications to paleoclimate reconstructions and dating, e.g. via identification of volcanic eruptions. Especially S has been studied intensely with respect to peak broadening with depth/age related to diffusion, but the precise physical mechanisms remain unclear. Mapping the two-dimensional impurity distribution in ice with laser ablation inductively couple...

Laser technology has become a transformative technology in science, industry, and environmental sustainability. The first ruby laser was produced in 1960, and as far as Einstein’s principle of stimulated emission is concerned, lasers have proliferated into indispensable devices in medicine, manufacturing, and applications to the environment. It emphasizes important innovations and applications in the healthcare sector, i.e. minimally invasive surgeries, diagnostic imaging (e.g. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)), and laser-assisted drug delivery systems. In manufacturing, they make possible precision machining, 3D printing, and AI- powered adaptive processes. The green photonics and associated laser systems are integrated to solve the ch...

The northeastern Tibetan Plateau experienced a pulsed, polyphase topographic growth during the Cenozoic. The Cenozoic sediments from its surrounding intracontinental basins (i.e. Ningnan Basin) record the information on the erosion of source rocks induced by the tectonic activities in the margin of the Plateau. Besides, the outward growth of the Tibetan Plateau was progressively north-northeastward, and the source-to-sink sedimentary routing systems were deeply affected, with substantial modifications of the primary river paths through time. The variation scheme of the source-to-sink system related to several episodes of the topographic growth of the Tibetan Plateau and the tectonic activities remains to be clarified. The multi-proxy chrono...

This thesis goal is to examine the consequences of lower crustal (external) melt flow in mafic granulites of gabbronoritic composition, on the transportation and enrichment of the incompatible metals and rare elements, the geodynamic implications (e.g., post-collisional extension, rifting, etc.) and the general hydration of the lower crust and how these are related to the process of stealth metasomatism. This work is based on detailed petrographical and microstructural observations, field evidence and analyses coupled with minerochemical chemistry of major, minor and trace elements. Field evidence and thin section rock fabric suggest a previous presence of a melt phase. The minerals that are related to the melt flow are elongated amphibole ...

The increasing demand for Li, Be, Cs, Sn, Ta, and W - critical for green energies and technologies - requires a better understanding of what controls the genesis of these elements’ deposits. Peraluminous granitoids - these elements’ main deposits - are formed through the melting of metapelites. However, the impact of melting metapelite on these elements' cycles remains unclear. Similarly, it is unknown if retrograde alteration is linked to the genesis of enriched fluids that later form other deposits of these elements. This study investigated questions on how the melting and retrogression of metapelites mobilise critical elements. The role of protolith enrichment and biotite dehydration melting with different peritectic phases was explo...

The Ulukışla Caldera is located within the Hasandağ Volcanic Complex (Ulusoy et al., 2021; Diker et al., 2024). It has an elongated morphology, measuring ~4 km in length and ~2.5 km in width. As a newly defined volcanic collapse structure, the Ulukışla Caldera has not been the subject of detailed volcano geological studies yet. The region surrounding the Ulukışla Caldera is characterised by several pyroclastic deposits (Aydar and Gourgaud, 1998; Kuzucuoğlu et al., 2020). However, the primary challenge is the limited study of these outcrops, which are crucial for constructing a more comprehensive and detailed record of explosive volcanism within the Ulukışla Caldera. This study aims to reconstruct the explosive volcanic history of ...

The rise in overdoses, especially due to synthetic drugs like fentanyl has demonstrated a need for a rapid and simple drug detection method. This work describes the development and optimization of a paper spray mass spectrometry (PS-MS) with integrated solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridges that can detect a wide range of drugs in plasma and whole blood The results can be obtained providing results in under five minutes with minimal sample preparation. The method is highly adaptable, allowing for rapid response to new emerging drugs. The initial focus on synthetic cannabinoids demonstrated sub-0.1 ng/mL detection limits for eight compounds in 100 µL of plasma. This work was expanded to screen thirty-five analytes from drug classes includi...

The timing of deformation in the central Southern Alps (cSA) of Italy has been debated due to challenges in determining both relative and absolute chronologies in this area of the European Alps. Past studies provided relative time constraints via crosscutting relationships among faults, folds, and intrusive bodies, supported by stratigraphy, while absolute ages have been determined for fault activity in the crystalline basement and for magmatic bodies cutting across primary structures. These efforts have clarified the tectonic and sedimentary evolution of the cSA during the Alpine orogeny. However, many studies relied on qualitative approaches or broad time estimates, leaving uncertainties about the precise timing of events, particularly in...

The deep cratonic ‘roots’ of Earth's major continents extend over 160 km and have remained stable for more than 2.5 billion years. This longevity is primarily due to the presence of low-density, refractory peridotites (harzburgites) that formed by extensive mantle melting in the Archean. However, mantle harzburgites from some global cratons (e.g., Kaapvaal, Siberia, Slave, Rae and Tanzania) often show unusual enrichments in orthopyroxene and silica, alongside titanium depletion, which cannot be explained by simple melting processes. The proposed origins of the orthopyroxene-rich harzburgites are highly controversial and include high-pressure melting residues, komatiite interactions, or subduction-related silicic melts and fluids. The un...

The bulk of the Icelandic crust is generated along the extensively studied neovolcanic zones. The subglacially formed Fjallgarðar Volcanic Ridge (FVR) in Northeast Iceland represents extensive near-rift volcanism and covers a large area east of the Northern Rift Zone, yet its magma plumbing system remains poorly understood. This study presents new geochemical data from basaltic pillow lavas and hyaloclastites sampled along the entire FVR, including major element compositions of whole-rock, groundmass glass, and minerals, trace element compositions of whole-rock and glass, and oxygen isotope data for whole-rocks and glasses. Our results suggest that two types of relatively evolved tholeiitic basalts (4.4 to 7.8 wt% MgO) are present along th...

This study examines the role of the Eura region as a nexus linking the inland with Baltic Sea trade routes. Luistari cemetery, spanning from the early Merovingian to Medieval periods, provides key insights into South-Western Finland’s socio-economic structure and communication networks. Despite its significance, this burial community’s chronological dynamics and regional role remain poorly understood. Using multi-isotopic evidence contextualised with archaeological data, this research explores mobility and subsistence patterns among Luistari’s population. By delineating the bioavailable strontium range in the Eura region, the study assesses the local burial community’s mobility dynamics across various chronological phases. Identific...

Chiral natural products play a prominent role in medicinal chemistry because of their distinct biological activity and complex structure. This chapter addresses the process of extracting and analyzing chiral chemicals, focusing on the important techniques and approaches used to isolate and characterize these crucial substances. The chapter starts with an exploration of the significance of natural products and chirality. It then proceeds to examine a range of extraction techniques, encompassing both traditional and modern methods, employed for the acquisition of chiral natural products. Next, it discusses advanced approaches for isolating substances, with a focus on chromatographic and crystallization techniques, as well as the importance of...

3D printing has become a commonly used tool for designing supports for the analytical laboratory with a wide range of uses. 3D printing has facilitated the daily work in the development of analytical methods and preparative procedures or enabled new tasks by providing a simple, fast, and cost-efficient way to generate general laboratory materials. Moreover, it suits fast replacement of broken instrumental parts or fabrication of devices for sampling, sample handling, and detection as well as supports for auxiliary elements on commercial instruments. In short, 3D printing satisfies the analyst's need for practically any analytical device that requires fit-for-purpose design. In terms of sample preparation, 3D-printed parts have been specific...

This chapter starts with a section presenting general recommendations for selecting an analytical method from the literature, or making the decision to develop a new method. This section is followed by a presentation of general rules for selecting a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) type for an analysis. A number of separate sections are dedicated to the development of a reversed-phase HPLC (RP-HPLC) type analytical method, an ion-pair type method, a HILIC type method, a method for chiral separations, an ion chromatographic type method, a size exclusion type method, a method using immunoaffinity type interactions, and a method using mixed-mode chromatographic column. Following these sections where details are provided regarding ...

During the exploration of ultra-deep carbonate oil and gas field in the Tarim Basin, substantial evidence of hydrothermal activity was discovered. Understanding the timing, origin, and effects of hydrothermal fluids on hydrocarbon accumulation and maturation is critical for deep and ultra-deep hydrocarbon exploration. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of vein minerals from Late Cambrian to Middle Ordovician strata in the Shunnan area of the Tarim Basin, utilizing in-situ U-Pb dating, fluid inclusion analysis, scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and geochemical studies. The research identified three phases of calcite veins in the Late Cambrian to Middle Ordovician strata. The first phase ...