Structural Specific Features of Solid Solutions NdxGd1 – xCr3(BO3)4

Optics and Spectroscopy - Optical investigations of crystals of solid solutions NdxGd1 – xCr3(BO3)4, 0.01 ≤ x ≤ 1, have been performed. Absorption spectra in the...     

Application of Synchrotron Radiation to Analyze the Friction-Induced Structural and Phase Transformations of Chrome-Nickel Austenitic Steel

Russian Physics Journal -     

Circular Polarization of a γ-Quantum in the Radiative Decay H ⇒ ff ¯ γ . $$ H\Rightarrow \overline{ff}\upgamma . $$ Part I

Russian Physics Journal - The process of radiative decay of a Higgs boson into a fermion-antifermion pair $$ H\Rightarrow \overline{ff}\upgamma . $$ is investigated within the framework of the...     

Stability Issues in Two-Dimensional Mathematical Models of Plasma Equilibrium in Magnetic Galathea Traps

Differential Equations - Galathea traps for confining plasma in a magnetic field created by current-carrying conductors immersed in the plasma volume constitute a promising class of objects for...     

Automatic approximation using asymptotically optimal adaptive interpolation

Numerical Algorithms - We present an asymptotic analysis of adaptive methods for Lp approximation of functions f ∈ Cr([a, b]), where $1\le p\le +\infty $ . The methods rely on piecewise...     

New Insights on Modern Age Coins by Calibration-Free Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Method and Chemometric Approaches

Journal of Applied Spectroscopy - The elemental composition of one- and two-rupee coins issued in different years by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was investigated using laser-induced breakdown...     

Composition and Antifungal Activity of Lipids from Seeds of Atriplex tatarica

Chemistry of Natural Compounds -     

Portable single-sided NMR measurements at variable temperatures: Implementation of a thermo-controlled device and application to the heating of bread dough

A temperature control unit was implemented to vary the temperature of samples studied on a commercial Mobile Universal Surface Explorer nuclear magnetic resonance (MOUSE-NMR) apparatus. The device was miniaturized to fit the maximum MOUSE sampling depth (25 mm). It was constituted by a sample holder sandwiched between two heat exchangers placed below and above the sample. Air was chosen as the fluid to control the temperature at the bottom of the sample, at the interface between the NMR probe and the sample holder, in order to gain space. The upper surface of the sample was regulated by the circulation of water inside a second heat exchanger placed above the sample holder. The feasibility of using such a device was demonstrated first on pure water and then on several samples of bread dough with different water contents. For this, T1 relaxation times were measured at various temperatures and depths and were then compared with those acquired with a conventional compact closed-magnet spectrometer. Discussion of results was based on biochemical transformations in bread dough (starch gelatinization and gluten heat denaturation). It was demonstrated that, within a certain water level range, and because of the low magnetic field strength of the MOUSE, a linear relationship could be established between T1 relaxation times and the local temperature in the dough sample.     

Biosynthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles using Euphorbia milii leaf constituents: Characterization and improved photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye under natural sunlight

A facile biosynthesis route was followed to prepare zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) using Euphorbia milii (E. milii) leaf constituents. The SEM images exhibited presence of spherical ZnO NPs and the corresponding TEM images disclosed monodisperse nature of the ZnO NPs with diameter ranges between 12 and 20 nm. The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis revealed that the ZnO NPs have specific surface area of 20.46 m²/g with pore diameter of 2 nm–10 nm and pore volume of 0.908 cm³/g. The EDAX spectrum exemplified the existence of Zn and O elements and non-appearance of impurities that confirmed pristine nature of the ZnO NPs. The XRD pattern indicated crystalline peaks corresponding to hexagonal wurtzite structured ZnO with an average crystallite size of 16.11 nm. The FTIR spectrum displayed strong absorption bands at 512 and 534 cm^?1 related to ZnO. The photocatalytic action of ZnO NPs exhibited noteworthy degradation of methylene blue dye under natural sunlight illumination. The maximum degradation efficiency achieved was 98.17% at an illumination period of 50 min. The reusability study proved considerable photostability of the ZnO NPs during photocatalytic experiments. These findings suggest that the E. milii leaf constituents can be utilized as suitable biological source to synthesis ZnO NPs for photocatalytic applications.