An extension of the Rådström cancellation theorem to cornets

Semigroup Forum - The aim of this paper is to introduce the notion of cornets, which form a particular subclass of ordered semigroups also equipped with a multiplication by natural numbers. The...     

Influence of shear viscosity of quark-gluon plasma on elliptic flow in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions

We investigate the influence of a temperature-dependent shear viscosity over entropy density ratio η/s on the transverse momentum spectra and elliptic flow of hadrons in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions. We find that the elliptic flow in √S(NN)=200 GeV Au+Au collisions at RHIC is dominated by the viscosity in the hadronic phase and in the phase transition region, but largely insensitive to the viscosity of the quark-gluon plasma (QGP). At the highest LHC energy, the elliptic flow becomes sensitive to the QGP viscosity and insensitive to the hadronic viscosity.     

Study of gas generation in real L/ILW containers

To obtain reliable estimates of the quantities and rates of the gas production in L/ILW a series of measurements was carried in the last 7 years in Hungary. The typical gas production rates were 0.05–0.2 STP litre gas/day for CO₂ and CH₄ generation, and less for H₂. No explosive gas mixture was indicated in the L/ILW drums during the investigated storage period. Compositions of headspace gases in closed L/ILW vaults were in agreement with gas generation processes observed in L/ILW drums. The stable carbon isotope measurements show that the main source of the CO₂ gas is the degradation of organic matter and indicates microbial degradation processes as the main sources of CH₄. Typical tritium activity concentrations were <10 Bq/l gas in the drums and <1,000 Bq/l gas in the vaults. Typical ¹⁴C activity values of the headspace gases were <2.0 Bq/l gas in the drums and <1,000 Bq/l gas in the vaults.     

A Bistable Microelectromechanical System Actuated by Spin-Crossover Molecules

We report on a bistable MEMS device actuated by spin-crossover molecules. The device consists of a freestanding silicon microcantilever with an integrated piezoresistive detection system, which was coated with a 140 nm thick film of the [Fe(HB(tz)₃)₂] (tz=1,2,4-triazol-1-yl) molecular spin-crossover complex. Switching from the low-spin to the high-spin state of the ferrous ions at 338 K led to a reversible upward bending of the cantilever in agreement with the change in the lattice parameters of the complex. The strong mechanical coupling was also evidenced by the decrease of approximately 66 Hz in the resonance frequency in the high-spin state as well as by the drop in the quality factor around the spin transition.     

Robust UHPLC Separation Method Development for Multi-API Product Containing Amlodipine and Bisoprolol: The Impact of Column Selection

This paper describes a new and fast ultra-high pressure liquid chromatographic separation of amlodipine and bisoprolol and all their closely related compounds, for impurity profiling purposes. Computer-assisted method development was applied and the impact of several state-of-the-art stationary phase column chemistries (50 × 2.1 mm, sub-2 μm, and core–shell type materials) on the achievable selectivity and resolution was investigated. The work was performed according to quality by design principles using design of experiment with three experimental factors; namely the gradient time (t _G), temperature (T), and mobile phase pH. Thanks to modeling software, it was proved that the separation of all compounds was feasible on numerous column chemistries within <10 min, by proper adjustments of variables. It was also demonstrated that the reliability of predictions was good, as the predicted retention times and resolutions were in good agreement with the experimental ones. The final, optimized method separates 16 peaks related to amlodipine and bisoprolol within 7 min, ensuring baseline resolution between all peak-pairs.     

Determination of <Superscript>93</Superscript>Zr and <Superscript>237</Superscript>Np in nuclear power plant wastes

A combined radioanalytical method for determination of ⁹³Zr and ²³⁷Np (as well as other actinoids) in radioactive wastes has been developed. Analytes were co-precipitated on iron(II)-hydroxide, separated and purified on UTEVA columns, and detected by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. According to Zr and Np, 65 and 75% yields were achieved, respectively.     

MRI-guided neutron capture therapy by use of a dual gadolinium/boron agent targeted at tumour cells through upregulated low-density lipoprotein transporters

The upregulation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) transporters in tumour cells has been exploited to deliver a sufficient amount of gadolinium/boron/ligand (Gd/B/L) probes for neutron capture therapy, a binary chemio-radiotherapy for cancer treatment. The Gd/B/L probe consists of a carborane unit (ten B atoms) bearing an aliphatic chain on one side (to bind LDL particles), and a Gd(III)/1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane monoamide complex on the other (for detection by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)). Up to 190 Gd/B/L probes were loaded per LDL particle. The uptake from tumour cells was initially assessed on cell cultures of human hepatoma (HepG2), murine melanoma (B16), and human glioblastoma (U87). The MRI assessment of the amount of Gd/B/L taken up by tumour cells was validated by inductively coupled plasma-mass-spectrometric measurements of the Gd and B content. Measurements were undertaken in vivo on mice bearing tumours in which B16 tumour cells were inoculated at the base of the neck. From the acquisition of magnetic resonance images, it was established that after 4-6 hours from the administration of the Gd/B/L-LDL particles (0.1 and 1 mmol kg(-1) of Gd and (10)B, respectively) the amount of boron taken up in the tumour region is above the threshold required for successful NCT treatment. After neutron irradiation, tumour growth was followed for 20 days by MRI. The group of treated mice showed markedly lower tumour growth with respect to the control group.     

Composition depth profile analysis of electrodeposited alloys and metal multilayers: the reverse approach

The reverse depth profile analysis is a recently developed method for the study of a deposit composition profile in the near-substrate zone. The sample preparation technique enables one to separate the deposit and a thin cover layer from its substrate, and the initial roughness of the sample is much smaller than in the conventional sputtering direction. This technique is particularly suitable to study the zones being formed in the early phase of the electrodeposition of alloys. It has been demonstrated with the reverse depth profile analysis that in many cases when one component of an alloy is preferentially deposited, an initial zone is formed that is rich in the preferentially deposited component. This phenomenon is demonstrated for Ni–Cd, Ni–Sn, Fe–Co–Ni, Co–Ni, and Co–Ni–Cu alloys. The composition change is confined to the initial 150-nm-thick deposit, and it is the result of the interplay of the deposition preference and the depletion of the electrolyte near the cathode with respect to the ion reduced preferentially. The reverse depth profile analysis made it possible to compare the measured and the calculated composition depth profile of electrodeposited multilayers. It has been shown that the decay in the composition oscillation intensity in Co/Cu multilayers with the increase of the sputtering depth can be derived from the roughness measured as a function of the deposit thickness.     

Role of surface ligands in optical properties of colloidal CdSe/CdS quantum dots

In order to study the role of surface ligands in determining optical properties of colloidal quantum dots (QDs), we have selectively fabricated and studied CdSe/CdS core-shell QDs with strongly confined electron and hole states attached with commonly used surface ligands. Optical properties, viz. absorption and fluorescence of these QDs, are characterized from which salient changes have been observed for different ligand substitutions which, through theoretical analysis, can be associated with electronic structure properties of the QD-ligand composite systems, in particular localization of wave functions of electrons and holes in the QDs and the band matching of the HOMO-LUMO gap of the ligands. The findings can be utilized to facilitate the understanding and optimization of properties of QD biomarkers with functionalizing surface ligands for targeting cellular objects.