Electron spin resonance study of γ-irradiated poly(acrylic acid)

Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) γ-irradiated in air at room temperature and recorded at room temperature and at liquid-nitrogen temperature have been studied to identify the radiation products. The ESR spectra are composed of eight lines with hyperfine splittings of 23 ± 1 G and 11 ± 1 G. The method of least-squares total curve fitting, employing the Lorentzian line shape function, to the observed spectra enabled the assignment of the spectra. Computed spectra obtained by the superposition of a singlet and the spectra due to chain radicals are considered to give the best fits to the observed ESR spectra. The singlet is assigned to the radicals COOH, and the component 10-line spectra are assigned to the chain radicals CH₃? CH? CH₂ ～ and/or ～ CH₂? CH? CH₂ ～. The observed change in line shape with temperature of the ESR spectra is attributed to the hindered oscillations of the methyl groups about the C_α? C_β bond axis of the chain radicals. The existence of the methyl groups is confirmed by the measurement of infrared absorption.     

Some geometrical aspects of semidefinite linear complementarity problems

This article studies some geometrical aspects of the semidefinite linear complementarity problem (SDLCP), which can be viewed as a generalization of the well-known linear complementarity problem (LCP). SDLCP is a special case of a complementarity problem over a closed convex cone, where the cone considered is the closed convex cone of positive semidefinite matrices. It arises naturally in the unified formulation of a pair of primal-dual semidefinite programming problems. In this article, we introduce the notion of complementary cones in the semidefinite setting using the faces of the cone of positive semidefinite matrices and show that unlike complementary cones induced by an LCP, semidefinite complementary cones need not be closed. However, under R₀-property of the linear transformation, closedness of all the semidefinite complementary cones induced by L is ensured. We also introduce the notion of a principal subtransformation with respect to a face of the cone of positive semidefinite matrices and show that for a self-adjoint linear transformation, strict copositivity is equivalent to strict semimonotonicity of each principal subtransformation. Besides the above, various other solution properties of SDLCP will be interpreted and studied geometrically.     

A neutron polarization analysis study of Ce2Fe17 in its paramagnetic phase

Spin-flip (paramagnetic) scattering and neutron depolarization studies were performed on Ce₂Fe₁₇ in its paramagnetic phase on the Dhruva neutron polarization analysis spectrometer. The absence of normalQ dependence of the scattered spin flip intensity shows that Ce₂Fe₁₇ is not a normal paramagnetic and there exist superparamagnetic clusters of sufficiently large dimensions (～100Å). The observed neutron depolarization gives an indication of the dynamics of these Ce₂Fe₁₇ superparamagnetic clusters.     

Characterization of oxide layers on amorphous Mg-based alloys by Auger electron spectroscopy with sputter depth profiling

Amorphous ribbons of Mg-Y-TM-[Ag] (TM: Cu, Ni), prepared by melt spinning, were subjected to electrochemical investigations. Oxide layers formed anodically under potentiostatic control in different electrolytes were investigated by AES and sputter depth profiling. Problems and specific features of characterization of the composition of oxide layers and amorphous ternary or quaternary Mg-based alloys have been investigated. In the alloys the Mg(KL(23)L(23)) peak exhibits a different shape compared to that in the pure element. Analysis of the peak of elastically scattered electrons proved the absence of plasmon loss features, characteristic of pure Mg, in the alloy. A different loss feature emerges in Mg(KL(23)L(23)) and Cu(L(23)VV). The system Mg-Y-TM-[Ag] suffers preferential sputtering. Depletion of Mg and enrichment of TM and Y are found. This is attributed mainly to the preferential sputtering of Mg. Thickness and composition of the formed oxide layer depend on the electrochemical treatment. After removing the oxide by sputtering the concentration of the underlying alloy was found to be affected by the treatment.     

1-Benzopyran-4(4H)-ones as novel activated alkenes in the Baylis-Hillman reaction: a simple and facile synthesis of indolizine-fused-chromones

1-Benzopyran-4(4H)-one derivatives have been successfully employed as novel activated alkenes in the Baylis-Hillman coupling with heteroaromatic-aldehydes, nitrobenzaldehydes and isatin-derivatives and the corresponding adducts, derived from pyridine-2-carboxaldehyde, have been transformed into a novel indolizine-fused-chromone framework.     

Applications of electronic speckle interferometry (ESI) techniques for spacecraft structural components

Laser-based electronic speckle interferometry (ESI) techniques, viz., electronic speckle pattern interferometry (ESPI) and electronic speckle shearographic interferometry (ESSI) are used for testing of spacecraft structural components. The combined ESPI and ESSI system developed in house was successfully used for the non-destructive evaluation (NDE) of honeycomb sandwich panels and propellant tanks of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). Debonds between face sheet and the honeycomb core were identified using (i) thermal and (ii) dual vacuum stressing methods. On-line NDE of the propellant tanks under internal pressure loading for identification of the minute cracks and thickness reduction areas were successfully implemented by ESI.     

Cone complementarity problems with finite solution sets

We introduce the notion of a complementary cone and a nondegenerate linear transformation and characterize the finiteness of the solution set of a linear complementarity problem over a closed convex cone in a finite dimensional real inner product space. In addition to the above, other geometrical properties of complementary cones have been explored.