Direct synthesis of aqueous quantum dots through 4,4'-bipyridine-based twin ligand strategy

We report a new class of derivatized 4,4'-bipyridinium ligands for use in synthesizing highly fluorescent, extremely stable, water-soluble CdSe and CdTe quantum dots (QDs) for bioconjugation. We employed an evaporation-condensation technique, also known as solvated metal atom dispersion (SMAD), followed by a digestive ripening procedure. This method has been used to synthesize both metal nanoparticles and semiconductors in the gram scale with several stabilizing ligands in various solvents. The SMAD technique comprised evaporation condensation and stabilization of CdSe or CdTe in tetrahydrofuran. The as-prepared product was then digestively ripened in both water and dimethyl formamide, leading to narrowing of the particle size distributions. The ligands were synthesized by nucleophilic substitution (S(N)2) reactions using 4,4'-bipyridine as a nucleophile. Confocal microscopy images revealed the orange color of the nanocrystalline QDs with diameters of ~5 nm. The size has been confirmed by using transmission electron microscopy. As a part of our strategy, 85% of the 4,4'-bipyridinium salt was synthesized as propionic acid derivative and used to both stabilize the QDs in water and label basic amino acids and different biomarkers utilizing the carboxylic acid functional group. Fifteen percent of the 4,4'-bipyridinium salt was synthesized as N-propyl maleimide and used as a second ligand to label any protein containing the amino acid cysteine by means of a 1,4-Michael addition.     

On parameter estimation of threshold autoregressive models

This paper studies the threshold estimation of a TAR model when the underlying threshold parameter is a random variable. It is shown that the Bayesian estimator is consistent and its limit distribution is expressed in terms of a limit likelihood ratio. Furthermore, convergence of moments of the estimators is also established. The limit distribution can be computed via explicit simulations from which testing and inference for the threshold parameter can be conducted. The obtained results are illustrated with numerical simulations.     

Facing the change and meeting the challenge: mathematics curriculum of Tongwen Guan in China in the second half of the nineteenth century

It is commonly recognized that the second wave of transmission of Western science and mathematics into China took place in the second half of the nineteenth century, thereby starting a process of modernization which has become synonymous with ??westernization?? of the country. In this context mathematics education in China also went through a process of modernization. During this period of great change reformers faced serious challenge and went through a ??mental struggle??. This paper discusses this challenge and mental struggle by taking a close look at the controversy over the establishment of Tianwen Suanxue Guan (School of Astronomy and Mathematics) in Tongwen Guan (School of Combined Learning), one of the schools of Western learning at the time. The attempt to integrate Western mathematics with Chinese traditional mathematics is also discussed through the study of some questions sampled from examinations and students?? homework assignments of this school.     

综合核方法求解辐射输运问题的求积组选取

简要介绍求解辐射输运方程的综合核方法,分析计算误差和收敛性,提出新的求积组和误差修正方法,提高综合核方法的计算精度.通过对基准问题的计算比对表明,采用提出的求积组并通过误差修正,综合核方法在低阶时的结果具有较高的计算精度.     

食品中化学添加剂的功能与风险控制*

食品中的化学添加剂是指由化学方法合成的一类食品添加剂。本文探讨了食品中化学添加剂产生和发展的原因,指出化学合成的食品添加剂是天然物质群的一种补充与完善,概述了化学合成食品添加剂的一般性质和功能,介绍了食品添加剂联合专家委员会(JECFA)、美国、欧盟和中国对食品添加剂进入市场前的安全性评价程序和方法,以及美国、欧盟和中国在化学添加剂投入使用后实施监督管理的机构、法律依据、质量标准等,总结了影响食品中化学添加剂安全风险控制的主要因素,最后在此基础上,提出如何从政府、企业、科研三方面完善风险控制体系和有效保障食品安全的建议。     

Momentum and heat transport in a finite-length cylinder wake

This paper reports an experimental study of turbulent momentum and heat transport in the wake of a wall-mounted finite-length square cylinder, with its length-to-width ratio L/d = 3–7. The cylinder was slightly heated so that heat produced could be considered as a passive scalar. A moveable three-wire probe (a combination of an X-wire and a cold wire) was used to measure velocity and temperature fluctuations at a Reynolds number of 7,300 based on d and the free-stream velocity. Measurements were performed at 10 and 20d downstream of the cylinder at various spanwise locations. Results indicate that L/d has a pronounced effect on Reynolds stresses, temperature variance and heat fluxes. The downwash flow from the free end of the cylinder acts to suppress spanwise vortices and, along with the upwash flow from the cylinder base, makes the finite-length cylinder wake highly three-dimensional. Reynolds stresses, especially the lateral normal stress, are significantly reduced as a result of suppressed spanwise vortices at a small L/d. The downwash flow acts to separate the two rows of spanwise vortices further apart from the wake centerline, resulting in a twin-peak distribution in temperature variance. While the downwash flow entrains high-speed fluid into the wake, responsible for a small deficit in the time-averaged streamwise velocity near the free end, it does not alter appreciably the distribution of time-averaged temperature. It has been found that the downwash flow gives rise to a counter-gradient transport of momentum about the central region of the wake near the free end of the cylinder, though such a counter-gradient transport does not occur for heat transport.     

Onset of Buoyancy-Driven Convection in Porous Media Saturated with Cold Water Cooled from Above

When porous media saturated with initially stagnant cold water around the density maximum temperature are cooled from above, convection may be induced in an unstable lower layer. In this study, the onset of buoyancy-driven convection during time-dependent cooling is investigated using the propagation theory, which transforms disturbance equations similarly, and also considering the density inversion effect. The critical Darcy–Rayleigh number Ra _D,c is found as a function of the dimensionless density maximum temperature θ _max. For Ra _D > Ra _D,c the dimensionless critical time τ _c to mark the onset of instability is presented as a function of Ra _D and θ _max. These critical conditions are compared with previous theoretical results.     

Algorithms of common solutions to quasi variational inclusion and fixed point problems

The purpose of this paper is to present an iterative scheme for finding a common element of the set of solutions to the variational inclusion problem with multivalued maximal monotone mapping and inverse-strongly monotone mappings and the set of fixed points of nonexpansive mappings in Hilbert space.Under suitable conditions, some strong convergence theorems for approximating this common elements are proved. The results presented in the paper not only improve and extend the main results in Korpelevich（Ekonomika i Matematicheskie Metody,1976,12（4）：747-756）,but also extend and replenish the corresponding results obtained by Iiduka and Takahashi（Nonlinear Anal TMA,2005,61（3）：341-350）,Takahashi and Toyoda（J Optim Theory Appl,2003, 118（2）：417-428）,Nadezhkina and Takahashi（J Optim Theory Appl,2006,128（1）：191- 201）,and Zeng and Yao（Taiwanese Journal of Mathematics,2006,10（5）：1293-1303）.     

ANALYSIS OF NANOBRIDGE TESTS

This paper analyzes nanobridge tests with consideration of adhesive contact deformation, which occurs between a probe tip and a tested nanobeam, and deformation of a substrate or template that supports the tested nanobeam.Analytical displacement-load relation, including adhesive contact deformation and substrate deformation, is presented here for small deformation of bending.The analytic results are confirmed by finite element analysis.If adhesive contact deformation and substrate deformation are not considered in the analysis of nanobridge test data, they might lead to lower values of Young＇s modulus of tested nanobeams.     

The onset of Görtler vortices in laminar boundary layer flow over a slightly concave wall

The onset of convective instability in the laminar boundary layer over the slightly curved wall is analyzed theoretically and compared with the existing experimental data. A new set of stability equations are derived by the propagation theory considering the relative instability under the linear stability theory. In this analysis the disturbances are assumed to have the form of longitudinal vortices and also to grow themselves in streamwise direction. The critical position to mark the onset of Görtler instability is obtained as a function of the Görtler number, where disturbances at the critical state are mainly confined to the hydrodynamic boundary layer. Comparing the theoretical predictions with available experimental and other theoretical results, the present predictions follow experimental trends fairly well with slightly higher critical Görtler numbers than those from the local stability theory. The propagation theory commanding the local eigenvalue analysis is successful to obtain stability conditions reasonably in Görtler vortex problems, relaxing the limitations by the conventional analyses.