Quantum Entanglement and Correlation Lengths of a S-wave Superconductors in the Presence of a Weak Constant External Potential

By considering a s-wave Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer superconductor, as a many body system, subject to a weak constant external potential, U, using perturbed linearized Gorkov equations at zero temperature and calculating perturbed Green’s functions up to the first approximation, we obtain the two-particle space-spin density matrix of the system. Then, we investigate the effect of the potential on bipartite entanglement (via concurrence) of electron spins of a Cooper pair and also quantum discord in terms of the potential and the relative distance of electrons of a Cooper pair, r. At some fixed values of r, concurrence is zero and does not change until U increases and receives to a special value. Specially, quantum entanglement length and quantum correlation length (in which quantum discord becomes zero) with respect to the potential are derived. We result that by increasing the potential, these lengths are increased. At higher values of U, quantum correlation length is not very sensitive to changes in U. Finally, the relation between these lengths is given.     

Self-assembled multilayers of transition-metal-terpyridinyl complexes; formation, and characterization

Layer-by-layer (LBL) growth of terpyridinyl ligands with a range of metal ions is reported. Monolayers of mercaptophenyl terpyridine on gold were used to initiate LBL assembly by complexing the first layer of metal ions. Tetra-2-pyridinylpyrazine was used as a linking ligand between subsequent metal ion layers. The assembly of the terpyridines with 21 different metals was evaluated using UV absorbance spectroscopy, variable-angle spectroscopic ellipsometry, and atomic force microscopy. Successful LBL growth appears to depend on the ionic radius of the metal ion. Metals that formed multilayered LBL structures were primarily limited to a small range of effective ionic radii between 66 and 73 pm. Metal ions with smaller ionic radii usually formed initial layers but seldom exhibited consistent LBL growth, while ions with radii larger than 73 nm generally did not demonstrate any evidence of LBL growth.     

Design of Low-Complexity and High-Speed Coplanar Four-Bit Ripple Carry Adder in QCA Technology

Quantum-dot Cellular Automata (QCA) technology is a suitable technology to replace CMOS technology due to low-power consumption, high-speed and high-density devices. Full adder has an important role in the digital circuit design. This paper presents and evaluates a novel single-layer four-bit QCA Ripple Carry Adder (RCA) circuit. The developed four-bit QCA RCA circuit is based on novel QCA full adder circuit. The developed circuits are simulated using QCADesigner tool version 2.0.3. The simulation results show that the developed circuits have advantages in comparison with existing single-layer and multilayer circuits in terms of cell count, area occupation and circuit latency.     

Head-on collision of ion-acoustic solitary waves in a Thomas-Fermi plasma containing degenerate electrons and positrons

Head-on collision between two ion acoustic solitary waves in a Thomas-Fermi plasma containing degenerate electrons and positrons is investigated using the extended Poincaré-Lighthill-Kuo (PLK) method. The results show that the phase shifts due to the collision are strongly dependent on the positron-to-electron number density ratio, the electron-to-positron Fermi temperature ratio and the ion-to-electron Fermi temperature ratio. The present study might be helpful to understand the excitation of nonlinear ion-acoustic solitary waves in a degenerate plasma such as in superdense white dwarfs.     

Wake potential with mobile positive/negative ions in multicomponent dusty plasmas

We employ the test charge approach to calculate the electrostatic potential for a test charge in a multicomponent dusty plasma, whose constituents are the Boltzmann distributed electrons, mobile positive and negative ions, and immobile positive/negative charged dust particles. By using the modified dielectric constant of the dust-ion-acoustic (DIA) waves, the Debye screening and wake potentials are obtained. It is found that the presence of mobile negative ions significantly modify the DIA speed and the wake potential. The present results are relevant to polar mesosphere and microelectronic in the context of charged particle attraction and repulsion.     

Optimality conditions in optimization problems with convex feasible set using convexificators

In this paper, we consider a nonsmooth optimization problem with a convex feasible set described by constraint functions which are neither convex nor differentiable nor locally Lipschitz necessarily. Utilizing upper regular convexificators, we characterize the normal cone of the feasible set and derive KKT type necessary and sufficient optimality conditions. Under some assumptions, we show that the set of KKT multipliers is bounded. We also characterize the set of optimal solutions and introduce a linear approximation corresponding to the original problem which is useful in checking optimality. The obtained outcomes extend various results existing in the literature to a more general setting.     

Competitive binding affinity of two lanthanum(III) macrocycle complexes toward DNA and bovine serum albumin in water

In the present study, two water-soluble lanthanum(III) hexaaza Schiff base complexes were synthesized and characterized and also theoretically investigated. The interactions of these complexes with DNA and bovine serum albumin (BSA) were studied using different spectroscopic assessments and docking simulation analysis. The DNA docking studies suggested that these two complexes are able to interact with DNA through the minor groove, and also the binding affinity is in the order of La(L¹) > La(L²). Furthermore, the spectral titration was carried out and viscosity measurements were taken. In this regard, protein-binding studies revealed that these complexes quench the intrinsic fluorescence of BSA, and indicated that the possible binding site is located on the vicinity of Trp 213, which is further validated by docking simulation analysis. The in vitro anticancer activities of these complexes indicated that the La(L¹) complex is more effective than the other one and also exhibits a better interaction with DNA.     

Surface Pretreatments of AA5083 Aluminum Alloy with Enhanced Corrosion Protection for Cerium-Based Conversion Coatings Application: Combined Experimental and Computational Analysis

The effects of surface pretreatments on the cerium-based conversion coating applied on an AA5083 aluminum alloy were investigated using a combination of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), polarization testing, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Two steps of pretreatments containing acidic or alkaline solutions were applied to the surface to study the effects of surface pretreatments. Among the pretreated samples, the sample prepared by the pretreatment of the alkaline solution then acid washing presented higher corrosion protection (~3 orders of magnitude higher than the sample without pretreatment). This pretreatment provided a more active surface for the deposition of the cerium layer and provided a more suitable substrate for film formation, and made a more uniform film. The surface morphology of samples confirmed that the best surface coverage was presented by alkaline solution then acid washing pretreatment. The presence of cerium in the (EDS) analysis demonstrated that pretreatment with the alkaline solution then acid washing resulted in a higher deposition of the cerium layer on the aluminum surface. After selecting the best surface pretreatment, various deposition times of cerium baths were investigated. The best deposition time was achieved at 10 min, and after this critical time, a cracked film formed on the surface that could not be protective. The corrosion resistance of cerium-based conversion coatings obtained by electrochemical tests were used for training three computational techniques (artificial neural network (ANN), adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), and support vector machine regression (SVMR)) based on Pretreatment-1 (acidic or alkaline cleaning: pH (1)), Pretreatment-2 (acidic or alkaline cleaning: pH (2)), and deposition time in the cerium bath as an input. Various statistical criteria showed that the ANFIS model (R² = 0.99, MSE = 48.83, and MAE = 3.49) could forecast the corrosion behavior of a cerium-based conversion coating more accurately than other models. Finally, due to the robust performance of ANFIS in modeling, the effect of each parameter was studied.     

A novel composite derived from a metal organic framework immobilized within electrospun nanofibrous polymers: An efficient methane adsorbent

In this study, tantalum(V) metal organic framework (Ta-MOF) nanostructure was incorporated within polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofibers to prepare an electrospun porous composite as a novel CH₄ adsorbent. The crystallinity, thermodynamic behavior, and textural properties of the products were investigated using instrumental analyses techniques. The results confirmed that the developed PVA/Ta-MOF electrospun nanofibrous composite exhibits higher thermal stability, considerable porosity, and larger surface area compared to the parent Ta-MOF. A 2^k factorial design was used for systematic study of the adsorption process. The results of response surface methodology (RSM) optimization indicated that the highest methane adsorption can be achieved at 24.40 °C and 3.70 bar in 23.60 min. These nano pore sorbents showed a significant potential for CH₄ adsorption due to the presence of Ta-MOF at the surface of nanofibrous composite compared to many other conventional sorbents that have been already used. This study introduces a novel biocompatible/biodegradable nanofibrous composite material with high methane adsorption performance and potentials for other applications.     

Application of modified multiwalled carbon nanotubes as solid sorbent for separation and preconcentration of trace amounts of manganese ions

In this work, the potential of modified multiwalled carbon nanotubes for separation and preconcentration of trace amounts of manganese ion is studied. Multiwalled carbon nanotubes were oxidized with concentrated HNO₃ and then modified with loading 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphtol. Mn(II) ions could be quantitatively retained by modified multiwalled carbon nanotubes in the pH range of 8–9.5. Elution of the adsorbed manganese was carried out with 5.0 mL of 0.1 mol L^?1 HNO₃. Detection limit is 0.058 ng mL^?1 and analytical curve is linear in the range of 0.1 ng mL^?1–5.0 μg mL^?1 in the initial solution with a correlation coefficient 0.9977 and the preconcentration factor is 100. Relative standard deviation for eight replicate determination of 0.5 μg mL^?1 of manganese in the final solution is 0.41%. The effects of the experimental parameters, including the sample pH, flow rates of sample and eluent solution, eluent type, breakthrough volume and interference ions, were studied for preconcentration of Mn(II) ions in detail to optimize the conditions. The method was successfully applied for separation, preconcentration and determination of manganese in different samples.