Identification of volatile organic compounds in flowers of Astragalus lagopoides

Composition of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in flowers of Astragalus lagopoides was studied using a hydrodistillation extraction procedure coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The analyses allowed the identification of a number of 25 compounds, among which the presence of several bioactive aromatic derivatives such as guaiacol, eugenol, linalool, α- and 4-terpineol as well as nerol was attention-grabbing. Moreover, some other compounds like cyclohexane, 2-bromoethyl with repellent function also appeared to be present in the flower. As a result, the floral VOCs profile of A. lagopoides might reflect an adaptation to attract specialised pollinator insects. These findings provide important information for advances in understanding the ecological and evolutionary perspectives of pollination biology of the giant genus Astragalus.     

Depletion interactions: a new control parameter for the self-assembly of diblock copolymer micelles

Small angle neutron scattering was performed on disordered mixtures of nonadsorbing homopolymer (A) chains and diblock (A-B) copolymer micelles in an A selective solvent. Increasing the molecular weight or concentration of A led to an increase in the aggregation number, and a decrease in the effective hard-sphere diameter of the micelles. Furthermore an intermicellar attractive force developed, which was successfully modeled by the Asakura-Oosawa depletion potential. Via an alternative model we also extracted information about mesoscopic clusters of micelles formed due to this attractive force.     

On measuring the neutron coherent scattering length with ultrahigh precision

We propose an order of magnitude improvement in the present five parts in 10⁵ precision of a nondispersive interferometric measurement of the neutron coherent scattering lengthb _c. For this purpose we make a judicious selection of the Bragg angle for the interferometer and the sample thickness. The precision is further improved by an optimal choice of the Bragg reflection (and a consequent neutron wavelength). By performing the experiment in vacuum, errors arising from possible variations in the pressure, composition or humidity of the ambient air can be eliminated. On attaining such precision, we ought to account for the neutron beam refraction at the sample-ambient interfaces, to infer the correctb _c from the observed phase. The formula for the phase used hitherto is approximate and would significantly overestimateb _c. The refractive index for neutrons can thus be determined to a phenomenal precision of a few parts in 10¹².     

Dielectric permittivity of nickel ferrites at microwave frequencies 1 MHz to 1.8 GHz

NiFe₂O₄ prepared via the sol–gel technique were pre-sintered at 900 °C and synthesized at different sintering temperatures from 1,000 °C to 1,200 °C at 100 °C intervals. The samples were characterized for microwave dielectric properties. These samples were measured using Agilent Impedance/Material Analyzer at frequencies 1 MHz to 1.8 GHz. Results showed a decrease in the dielectric constant and loss factor with frequency except at the turning point, around 150 MHz, where the loss factor showed a gradual increase. However, both the dielectric constant and loss factor increase with increasing sintering temperature. The grain size and density also increased with increasing sintering temperature, but the porosity and grain boundary density showed a decrease. This paper was presented at the International Conference on Solid State Science and Technology 2006, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia, Sept. 4–6, 2006.     

Bipolar tri-state resistive switching characteristics in Ti/CeO_x/Pt memory device

Highly repeatable multilevel bipolar resistive switching in Ti/Ce Ox/Pt nonvolatile memory device has been demonstrated. X-ray diffraction studies of Ce O2 films reveal the formation of weak polycrystalline structure. The observed good memory performance, including stable cycling endurance and long data retention times（〉10^4s） with an acceptable resistance ratio（～10^2）, enables the device for its applications in future non-volatile resistive random access memories（RRAMs）. Based on the unique distribution characteristics of oxygen vacancies in Ce Ox films, the possible mechanism of multilevel resistive switching in Ce Ox RRAM devices has been discussed. The conduction mechanism in low resistance state is found to be Ohmic due to conductive filamentary paths, while that in the high resistance state was identified as Ohmic for low applied voltages and a space-charge-limited conduction dominated by Schottky emission at high applied voltages.     

A DPL model of photothermal interaction in a semiconductor material

The generalized model for plasma, thermal, and elastic waves under dual phase lag model have been applied to determine the carrier density, the displacement, the temperature, and the stresses in a semiconductor medium. Using Laplace transform and the eigenvalue approach methodology, the solutions of all variables have been obtained analytically. A semiconducting material like as silicon was considered. The results were graphically represented to show the different between the dual phase model, Lord and Shulman’s theory and the classical dynamical coupled theory.     

YBC0颗粒膜Josephson微桥结的高频响应

在Aslamazov和Larkin给出的BSJ模型下电压时变方程无扰解的基础上,运用二阶微扰算法计算了Josephson结在高频辐射下的直流电压响应和阻抗.结果表明,辐射响应正比于辐射功率,并且根据Josephson固有频率w0是大于、等于、还是小于辐射频率w,可将响应分为三个特性频率区.当w大于或者小于w0时,响应可以用V-I特性参数表示.当w0w时,响应正比于V-I曲线的曲率.我们的实验表明,当w0>w时,响应正比于辐射功率和V-I特性曲线的曲率.所得到的等效噪声功率为NEP=2.45×10-14W/Hz1/2,明显优于常规的辐射热探测器.     

Optimal design of shock ignition target in order to stop generated hot electrons within the cold fuel

Generation of hot electrons (HEs) within ignitor pulse interaction with pre-compressed fuel is an important challenge in the shock ignition approach. Target optimization in order to prevent the destructive effects of HE is the main goal of the present work. In the first stage, the spectrum of electron energy generated during the interaction of ignitor pulse at different widths with the HiPER pre-compressed target has been estimated by applying particle simulation tool. Then, by changing the thickness of the cold fuel in the range of 185–225 μm, the corresponding areal densities are calculated using 1D hydrodynamic simulations. Finally, in order to assess the energy fusion yield, the iso-gain curves are obtained for different ignitor time windows as well as target thicknesses. Simulation results indicate that by decreasing the baseline, target thickness leads to a 17–70% increase in the fuel areal density. Subsequently, it has been demonstrated that by properly adjusting the parameters of ignitor pulse launch time and its width and employing a target with areal density high enough to stop the HEs, energy gain above 140 can be achieved. Optimal areas for shell thickness and ignitor time window are identified.     

[TBP]2SO4 ionic liquid catalyst for 4MCR of pyridazinoindazole,indazolophthalazine and pyrazolophthalazine derivatives

Molecular Diversity - Tetrabutyl phosphonium sulfate ([TBP]2SO4), as novel room-temperature ionic liquid (RTIL), was synthesized by a simple cost-effective method, characterized by 1H, 13C, 31P NMR...