SIMS accurate determination of matrix composition of topological crystalline insulator material Pb1 − xSnxSe

Substitutional alloy Pb_1 − xSn_xSe is a new class of electronic materials called topological crystalline insulators, which at the temperature range from 0 K to 300 K exhibit topological state at compositions in the range 0.18 < x < 0.40 (in the rock-salt structure). In this report, we present a secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) analysis technique to provide accurate Pb and Sn composition based on the measurement of PbCs⁺ and SnCs⁺ cluster ions intensities. Studies of Pb_1 − xSn_xSe bulk samples with various values of x show that x/(1 − x) is linear in relation to the intensity ratio of PbCs⁺/SnCs⁺ over the range from x = 0.15 to x = 0.41. This technique allows us to obtain an accurate Sn content for multilayered heterostructures, quantum wells containing Pb_1 − xSn_xSe with different x values for each layer.     

Novel C3-symmetric molecular scaffolds with potential facial differentiation

The conversion of 1,3,5-substituted benzene and mesitylene by electrophilic aromatic substitution and Sonogashira cross-coupling, respectively, furnished the C3-symmetric, hexasubstituted benzene derivatives 1 and 2 with an alternating substitution pattern. Based on the molecular scaffolds obtained, the two systems serve as model compounds for novel receptor molecules with distinct geometric features. X-ray structures have been obtained for 1 and 2, which are discussed in regard to their aptitude as receptor platforms or supramolecular building blocks. By looking at the rotational barriers for the functional groups placed around the molecular scaffolds by variable temperature 1H NMR spectroscopy, 1 and 2 turn out to exist in rapidly interconverting conformations. The alignment of these potential binding groups around the molecular scaffolds should be strongly biased by specific interactions with suitable guest molecules.     

Quantitative axioms for finite affine planes

All axiom systems are derived which define finite affine planes and consist of certain combinatorial inequalities or equalities involving the number of lines connecting two distinct points the number of lines through a point the number of points on a line, the total number of points or the total number of lines. The result given in Dembowski book Finite Geometries are corrected.     

Heterogeneous ion-exchange membranes

The field of heterogeneous ion exchange membranes is reviewed briefly. Specific advantages and disadvantages of heterogeneous ion exchange membranes are discussed compared with those of homogeneous ion exchange membranes. p]The development of heterogeneous ion exchange membranes is presented in historical perspective. The electrochemistry of ion-selective membranes began with Ostwald in 1890. After the classical work of Michaelis (1925) with collodion membranes, the first fully synthetic ion exchange membranes were prepared by Zhukov (1933) and Wassenegger (1940), based on sulfonated phenol—formaldehyde resins. These initial membranes, which were of the homogeneous type found no practical uses. The era of commercially useful ion exchange membranes began with the work of Wyllie (1948), Juda (1950), Bodamer (1953) and their collaborators who prepared heterogeneous ion exchange membranes by embedding ion exchange particles into polymer matrices. p]Methods for making heterogeneous ion exchange membranes include compression-molding of polymer powders, compounding on hot rolls, latex or solvent blending in situ generation of either the matrix or the ion exchange material. Microheterogeneous ion exchange membranes can be made from block and graft copolymers, interpolymers snake-cage resins, similar techniques and materials. p]Even though the first commercial ion exchange membranes were heterogeneous, the interest in this type of membranes subsided later. As polymer science progressed, speciality monomers and polymers were being made which opened the way to the preparation of quite sophisticated homogeneous ion exchange membranes of satisfactory mechanical strength. However, the possibilities of heterogeneous ion exchange membranes are by no means exhausted and this field may warrant further exploration, applying modern methods and materials and thus progressing beyond the relatively crude heterogeneous ion exchange membranes of the pioneer times.     

On Quasi-Interpolation with Non-uniformly Distributed Centers on Domains and Manifolds

The paper studies quasi-interpolation by scaled shifts of a smooth and rapidly decaying function. The centers are images of a smooth mapping of the hZⁿ-lattice in R^s, sn, and the scaling parameters are proportional to h. We show that for a large class of generating functions the quasi-interpolants provide high order approximations up to some prescribed accuracy. Although in general the approximants do not converge as h tends to zero, the remaining saturation error is negligible in numerical computations if a scalar parameter is suitably chosen. The lack of convergence is compensated for by a greater flexibility in the choice of generating functions used in numerical methods for solving operator equations.     

Uncertainty evaluation of the spectral UV irradiance evaluated by using the UVSPEC radiative transfer model

The radiative transfer models allow calculating the spectral UV irradiance from some set of measured input quantities linked with the surface reflectivity, the solar zenith angle, the ozone column and the characteristics of clouds and aerosols. The spectral irradiance yielded by a model is influenced by errors in the measurement of the input quantities. In this paper, the influences of these errors are characterized and compared with other systematic effects through an uncertainty analysis. We evaluated the uncertainty of the spectral UV irradiance rendered by the UVSPEC model, under cloudless sky conditions. In order to express the uncertainty of the output quantities (the global, direct and diffuse irradiances) in terms of the standard uncertainties of the input quantities, we used a Monte Carlo-based uncertainty propagation technique. We found that the uncertainty of the irradiance in the UV-B part of the spectrum was strongly influenced by the uncertainty attributed to the ozone column datum. Moreover, the uncertainities associated with the aerosol parameters accounted for most of the UV-A global irradiance uncertainty; the latter increased from about 4% under low aerosol conditions, up to about 14% in case of polluted air. We conclude that the UV irradiance evaluation through radiative transfer models requires paying special attention to the assessment of the aerosols properties.