Influence of the sample orientation in Sn<Subscript>2</Subscript>P<Subscript>2</Subscript>S<Subscript>6</Subscript> crystals on the hydrostatic piezoelectric coefficients

The influence of the sample orientation on the effective value of the hydrostatic piezoelectric coefficients d _h ⁽ⁱ⁾ of Sn₂P₂S₆ crystals has been studied. The hydrostatic piezoelectric coefficients d _h ⁽¹⁾ and d′ _h ⁽³⁾ , were measured, d _h ⁽¹⁾ =(244±3) pC/N and d′ _h ⁽³⁾ =(92±1) pC/N. The hydrostatic piezoelectric coefficient d _h ⁽³⁾ for orthogonal axis system was calculated to be d _h ⁽³⁾ =(87±2) pC/N. The, optimal orientation of the sample has been found as (Xy l)−20°-cut. Maximal value of the effective hydrostatic piezoelectric coefficient d _h ⁽¹⁾ equals 260 pC/N. Double rotated samples were also studied. The orientation of the samples insensitive to the pressure has been found. The theoretical mean value of hydrostatic piezoelectric coefficient (d _h ) _mean corresponding to randomly oriented Sn₂P₂S₆ grains in a poled composite has been calculated to be (d _h ) _mean =136 pC/N.     

New strong interactions: From QCD to LHC

The concept of strong interactions need not be limited to the sector of physics taken by QCD. While this domain is investigated by RHIC, LHC will be able to probe potential new strong interactions simultaneously: Finding the precise mechanism for electroweak symmetry breaking is one of the prime problems of physics. Intricately linked to this point is the question after the true nature or even the existence of the Higgs boson. Here, we present stronly interacting theories providing an explanation for the hierarchy problem and leading to a light composite Higgs boson, favoured by experimental data. Our variation of the standard model is consistent with precision data. We achieve this accordance by using technifermions in a higher representation of their gauge group. Anomaly conditions require at least one extra lepton family for some of the theories whereby they contain a natural dark matter candidate. We can accurately determine the masses of said leptons from experimental data.     

Growth of copper phthalocyanine on hydrogen passivated vicinal silicon(1 1 1) surfaces

Using ultra-high vacuum scanning tunneling microscopy (UHV-STM), we show that copper-phthalocyanine (CuPc) grows in a well ordered manner on hydrogen passivated vicinal silicon surfaces. CuPc grows one-dimensionally parallel to the monatomic steps on the vicinal silicon surface. Surprisingly, elongated clusters of the CuPc parallel to the step directions are formed even on the middle of the terraces well away from the step edges. The one-dimensional growth mode continues even after the full monolayer coverage on the substrate which results in strongly oriented growth mode of a thin film of CuPc on the vicinal silicon surfaces.     

Synthesis and Photochemistry of Novel 3,5-Diacetyl-1,4-dihydropyridines. II [1]

In continuation of previous work some novel 3,5-diacetyl-1,4-dihydropyridine derivatives were synthesized and their photochemical behavior was studied under oxygen and argon atmosphere. Oxidation of the dihydropyridine ring and formation of pyridine derivatives was the result of the reaction. The presence of oxygen affects not only on the rate of oxidation, but also the formation of some unidentified by-products was observed on irradiation under this atmosphere.     

Formation of Fe i –B pairs in silicon at high temperatures

We report on the detection of Fe _i –B pairs in heavily B doped silicon using ⁵⁷Fe emission Mössbauer spectroscopy following implantation of radioactive ⁵⁷Mn⁺ parent ions (T _1/2?=?1.5 min) at elevated temperatures >?850 K. The Fe _i –B pairs are formed upon the dissociation of Fe _i –V pairs during the lifetime of the Mössbauer state (T _1/2?=?100 ns). The resulting free interstitial Fe_i diffuses over sufficiently large distances during the lifetime of the Mössbauer state to encounter a substitutional B impurity atom, forming Fe _i –B pairs, which are stable up to ～1,050 K on that time scale.     

Fluorimetric determination of the levels of urinary neopterin and serum thiobarbituric acid reactive substances in the nonagenarians

Twelve self-sustaining nonagenarians, 10 women and two men, aged 94+/-3 years, and eight institutionalised nonagenarians, eight women, aged 91+/-1 year as well as 11 control subjects, seven women and four men, aged 84+/-5 years entered the study. Urinary neopterin, an indicator of systemic immune activation, and serum thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), a marker of lipoperoxidation, were determined initially, and collection of the blood and urine samples was repeated at 3-month interval. Neopterin was measured in the urine specimens by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography. A C(18) reversed-phase column 3.3x150 mm, 5 mum-diameter packing Separon SGX was used. Potassium phosphate buffer (15 mmol l(-1), pH 6.4) at flow rate of 0.8 ml min(-1) was used as mobile phase. After centrifugation (5 min, 1300xg) and diluting 100 mul of urine specimens with 1.0 ml of mobile phase containing 2 g of disodium-EDTA per litre, a 20 mul sample was injected on a column. Neopterin was identified by its native fluorescence (353 nm excitation, 438 nm emission). Creatinine was determined by Jaffé kinetic reaction after dilution of sample 1:50 (v/v). The concentration of neopterin in urine was expressed as neopterin/creatinine ratio (mumol mol(-1) creatinine). TBARS were determined spectrofluorometrically using LS-5 spectrofluorimeter (excitation wavelength 528 nm, emission wavelength 558 nm) after extraction with n-butanol treatment with thiobarbituric acid. The significance of differences between nonagenarians and control group was examined by ANOVA-Kruskal-Wallis tests, using statistical software NCSS 6.0.21 (Kaysville, UT, 1996). The decision on significance was based on P=0.05. Urinary neopterin was significantly higher in institutionalised compared to self-sustaining subjects and controls (625+/-565 vs. 203+/-63 mumol mol(-1) creatinine, and 198+/-128 mumol mol(-1) creatinine, respectively, P=0.006). The serum TBARS were higher in both groups of nonagenarians (3.23+/-1.16 mumol l(-1) and 2.69+/-0.39 vs. 2.12+/-0.83 mumol l(-1) for the self-sustaining, institutionalised and controls, respectively, P=0.023). We conclude that the fluorimetric determinations of urinary neopterin and serum TBARS can be useful for the monitoring health status in the elderly patients.     

Time-domain simulations of sound propagation through screen-induced turbulence

A flow model in combination with a statistical-dynamical turbulence generator and a linearised Euler time-domain model for sound waves were used to simulate the effect of screen-induced turbulence on the noise level in the acoustical shadow of a screen in wind. Instead of simulating a great number of different frozen turbulence realisations, the concept of transient turbulence was successfully tested and applied. This concept is adequate to the time-domain model and reduces the computational demands. Several two-dimensional simulations allowed to isolate the individual effects of wind and screen on the propagation of 500 Hz sound waves over a 4-m high noise barrier. At a distance of 250 m from the source (240 m behind the screen) the sheltering effect of the screen and the refraction effect of the wind are in the order of 6 and 4 dB, respectively. The screen-induced turbulence leads to fluctuations in the noise level with a standard deviation of 1.2 dB and a maximum amplitude of 3 dB. However, the time averaged effect turned out to be in the order of merely 0.2 dB. The effect of the screen-induced turbulence on the average noise level behind the screen is therefore negligible.