Neutron powder diffraction study of A2BeF4 (A=K, Rb, Cs): Structure refinement and analysis of background

The crystal structure of potassium, rubidium and caesium fluoroberyllates have been re-examined by neutron powder diffraction at room temperature and at 1.5 K. Previously, their structures, obtained from X-ray data, were described in the Pn2₁a space group. However, the results obtained from Rietveld refinements, using powder neutron diffraction, at both temperatures, indicated that all structures are orthorhombic with space group Pnma. The known phase transition at high temperature is probably related to the appearance of a hexagonal pseudo-symmetry instead of the elimination of the mirror plane between the above mentioned orthorhombic space groups. A possible phase transition, at very low temperature, was discarded considering the stereochemical criteria concerning the structural stability of A₂BX₄ compounds. This was confirmed by thermal analysis. On the other hand, a modulated background has been detected in all samples during the refinements. This is compatible with the presence of an amorphous phase, coexisting with the crystalline phase, or with a disordered component within the main crystalline phase. Instead of using a polynomial function, the background was modelled by Fourier filtering improving the fit for all patterns. The radial distribution function (RDF) was obtained from the analysis of the calculated background and compared with the RDF from the average crystal structure. The advantages of neutron with respect to X-ray diffraction were evidenced for this type of compound with β-K₂SO₄-type structure.     

Measurement of rheological properties of corn stover suspensions

Corn stover is currently being evaluated as a feedstock for ethanol production. The corn stover suspensions fed to reactors typically range between 10 and 40% solids. To simulate and design bioreactors for processing highly loaded corn stover suspensions, the rheologic properties of the suspension must be measured. In systems with suspended solids, rheologic measurements are difficult to perform owing to settling in the measurement devices. In this study, viscosities of corn stover suspensions were measured using a helical ribbon impeller viscometer. A calibration procedure is required for the impeller method in order to obtain the shear rate constant, k, which is dependent on the geometry of the measurement system. The corn stover suspensions are described using a power law flow model.     

小功率空气冷却ICP-AES 研究I——小功率空气冷却ICP的特性

本文用顺序等离子体光谱仪研究了27.12MHz他激式R.F.发生器点燃的小功率空气冷却ICP的特性。测量并比较了二十个元素五十七条谱线在空气冷却和氩冷却两种ICP中的检测限。     

Comparative evaluation of Fe(III) reducing power-based antioxidant capacity assays in the presence of phenanthroline, batho-phenanthroline, tripyridyltriazine (FRAP), and ferricyanide reagents

The chemical diversity of antioxidants in complex matrices such as plant extracts makes it difficult to separate and quantify antioxidants from these solutions. Therefore it is desirable to establish methods that can measure the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels directly from plant extracts. Iron(III)-based TAC assays, especially the most widely used FRAP (ferric-reducing antioxidant power), play an important role in this regard. However, many problems have been reported in the application of the FRAP assay, the most serious one being the incomplete oxidation of a number of antioxidants during the time protocol of the assay. Thus, six different ferric ion-based total antioxidant capacity (TAC) assays have been comparatively tested, modified, and improved so as to obtain more sensitive and precise results for complex mixtures, namely: 1,10-phenanthroline (o-phen) method (with incubation), batho-phenanthroline method (with incubation), original FRAP method, modified FRAP method (with incubation), original ferricyanide method, and modified ferricyanide method (with incubation). Two new assays in this regard (i.e., o-phen and batho-phen) have been established, and the existing assays (FRAP and ferricyanide) have been modified so as to let the oxidation reactions of antioxidants reach completion. The molar absorptivity for a variety of antioxidants was highest for modified FRAP, batho-phen, and original FRAP methods. The absorption maximum wavelength shifted batochromically to a higher extent for modified ferricyanide, FRAP, and batho-phen procedures, decreasing the possibility of interferences due to organics absorbing in the near-UV range of the visible spectrum where most antioxidant assays are performed. The linear concentration ranges were shown to be further extended and linear correlation coefficients improved with respect to the most widely used ferric-based assay, FRAP. Of the six assays tested and developed, only the modified ferricyanide procedure gave high intercept values and low addivitity of TAC values of constituents in complex mixtures, requiring further attention of method optimization. Thus, it was shown that the most widely used FRAP could be effectively modified, and o-phen, batho-phen, and ferricyanide methods constitute cheaper alternatives to FRAP under certain conditions, with partly improved molar absorptivity (and thus sensitivity) for antioxidants, lower intercept values (and higher precision), broader linear range (and higher flexibility), and better additivity of TAC values of antioxidant constituents in mixtures.     

云南几次中强地震热红外异常特征对比研究

云南省位于多个地块交界处，构造活动活跃且地震活动频发。利用中国静止气象卫星风云二号系列相当黑体温度TBB数据，应用小波变换和相对傅氏功率谱的时频相对功率谱方法（T-F RPS），提取并分析了云南省2008年至今发生的5.5级以上地震热红外异常信息，且对比分析了特征周期、特征幅值、异常形态、异常演化过程等参数。结果表明：（1）该系列地震热红外异常信息易于用时频相对功率谱方法（T-F RPS）提取识别，且异常特征具有"出现-扩大-减小-消失"的规律；（2）异常特征周期和持续时间也具有一定的规律性；（3）异常沿着断层延展，震中位于异常边缘一侧或者异常区域交汇地带，发震时刻多位于相对功率谱幅值下降阶段；（4）震级与相对功率谱峰值有一定的相关性，震级高，峰值也较高；（5）地震类型与异常面积有一定的相关性，双震型地震异常面积较大。此外，讨论了地震热红外异常与构造活动、气候状况、天气情况和季节等因素的关系。     

Statistical properties of aggregation with injection

We study a generalized aggregation process in which charged particles diffuse and coalesce randomly on a lattice. For one-dimensional and mean-field models, we show that there exists a statistically-invariant steady state when randomly charged particles are continuously injected. The steady-state charge distribution obeys a power law with the exponent depending both on the type of the injection and on the spatial dimension. The response of the system to a perturbation (i.e., relaxation) is characterized by either a power law decay (t ^– ,1) or a compressed exponential decay [exp(–t ),>1].     

Operation of the quasi-optical gyrotron at harmonics of the gyrofrequency

This paper investigates the performance of a quasioptical gyrotron, when the electron beam interacts with the radiation fields at harmonics of the gyrofrequency. The nonlinear equations of motion are obtained in the slow-timescale. The expression for the linear gain is derived and the conditions for excitation are given (frequency threshold, optimal operating point, bean current and resonator quality thresholds). In the nonlinear regime, it is shown that maximum efficiencies comparable to those at the fundemental (50%) are possible, albeit at a prohitively high radiation field amplitude, while realistically feasible field amplitudes can give somewhat smaller, but nevertheless still high efficiencies (15%). Finally, the results are suplemented by empirical scaling laws, useful for experimental designs.     

Frequencies and wavelengths from a new, efficient FIR lasing gas: CD2F2

We report for the first time wavelength, relative polarization, and frequency measurements for 47 new cw FIR laser lines in the wavelength region from 120 to 1714 m, all obtained by optically pumping CD₂F₂ with a CO₂ laser. Relative output powers were also measured. For comparison, the 189.8 m line pumped by R_I(34) is nearly five times as efficient as the 118.8 m methyl alcohol line.Contribution of the U.S. Government, not subject to copyright.     

S-5N全固态重复频率脉冲发生器

 主要介绍S-5N的结构及测试实验结果。S-5N型全固态重复频率脉冲发生器是目前国际上同类源中峰值功率和平均功率均为最大的一台。随负载大小的变化，S-5N脉冲发生器的输出电压为400～600kV，输出电流2～3kA，输出脉冲半高宽40～50ns，单脉冲输出能量40～65J。 S-5N脉冲发生器在300Hz重复频率条件下可连续工作，500Hz重复频率条件下可连续工作3min，平均输出功率高达30kW。