Self-organized periodic photonic structure in a nonchiral liquid crystal

A hybrid-aligned cell of the smectic A liquid material 8CB gives two stable director configurations, one of which is periodic and gives strong diffraction of light. This photonic lattice director profile arises from "frustration" caused by conflicting constraints imposed by the boundary conditions and the constant amplitude smectic density wave. A model is proposed which accords well with the experiment results, predicting correctly the dependence of the periodicity on the cell thickness and reproducing optical polarization microscopy results.     

深过冷Ag-Cu-Ge三元共晶合金的相组成与凝固特征

在Ag_38.5Cu_33.4Ge_28.1三元共晶合金的深过冷实验中，获得的最大过冷度为175 K(0.22T_E). XRD分析表明，不同过冷条件下其共晶组织均由(Ag),(Ge)和η(Cu₃Ge)三相组成. 在小过冷条件下，三个共晶相协同生长，凝固组织粗大.随着过冷度的增大，共晶组织明显细化，(Ge)相与其他两相分离，以初生相方式生长，而(Ag)相与η相始终呈二相层片共晶方式共生生长. 当过冷度超过80 K时，初生相(Ge)由小过冷时的块状转变为具有小面相特征的枝晶方式生长. 部分小面相(Ge)枝晶出现规则的花状，花瓣数介于5—8之间，并且过冷度越大(Ge)相越容易分瓣. 花状(Ge)枝晶的晶体表面为{111}晶面簇，择优生长方向为〈100〉晶向族. 关键词： 三元共晶 晶体形核 深过冷 快速凝固     

Dendritic and eutectic growth in Sb<Subscript>60</Subscript>Ag<Subscript>20</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>20</Subscript> ternary alloy

The rapid solidification of Sb60Ag20Cu20 ternary alloy was realized by high undercooling method, and the maximum undercooling is up to 142 K (0.18TL). Within the wide undercooling range of 40-142 K, the solidified microstructures are composed of (Sb), θand ε phases. High undercooling enlarges the solute solubility of (Sb) phase, which causes its crystal lattice to expand and its crystal lattice constants to increase. Primary (Sb) phase grows in two modes at small undercoolings non-faceted dendrite growth is the main growth form; whereas at large undercoolings faceted dendrite growth takes the dominant place. The remarkable difference of crystal structures between (Sb) and θphases leads to (θ Sb) pseudobinary eutectic hard to form, whereas strips of θform when the alloy melt reaches the (θ Sb) pseudobinary eutectic line. The cooperative growth of θand ε phases contributes to the formation of (ε θ) pseudobinary eutectic easily. In addition, the crystallization route has been determined via microstructural characteristic analysis and DSC experiment.     

Gerbes and twisted orbifold quantum cohomology

In this paper,we construct an orbifold quantum cohomology twisted by a flat gerbe. Then we compute these invariants in the case of a smooth manifold and a discrete torsion on a global quotient orbifold.     

A new alkaloid from Lycoris aurea

A new alkaloid was isolated from the bulbs of Lycoris aurea(L'Herit.) Herb.Its structure was established as 3-o-ethyltazettinol through chemical and spectroscopic studies including 2D NMR.     

Kinetic study of acrylamide radical polymerization initiated by the horseradish peroxidase–mediated system

The polymerization kinetics of acrylamide (AAM) in water initiated by a ternary enzymatic system of horseradish peroxidase (HRP)/H₂O₂/acetylacetone (ACAC) was investigated. Conversion–time plots were obtained by dilatometry under different conditions of reaction temperatures and initial concentrations of HRP, ACAC, H₂O₂, and AAM. The results showed that the effect of the initial concentration of ACAC on the inhibition period was significant. The inhibition period decreases with increasing the initial concentration of ACAC. The inhibition period can be even eliminated by the use of a comparatively large amount of ACAC. From the conversion–time plots, the polymerization rate equation was obtained. Some kinetic features were explained on the basis of analysis of the reaction mechanism. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 44: 475–481, 2012     

The moduli space of regular stable maps

We prove that the moduli space of regular stable maps in a complex manifold admits a natural complex orbifold structure. Our proof is based on Hardy decompositions and Fredholm intersection theory. The authors would like to thank the referee for his/her diligent work. We are grateful for the careful attention to detail in the report.     

Isolation of Phosphate-Solubilizing Fungi from Phosphate Mines and Their Effect on Wheat Seedling Growth

Three phosphate-solubilizing fungi, identified as Penicillium expansum, Mucor ramosissimus, and Candida krissii, were isolated from phosphate mines (Hubei, People’s Republic of China) and characterized. All the isolates demonstrated diverse levels of phosphate-solubilizing capability in National Botanical Research Institute’s phosphate growth medium containing rock phosphate as sole phosphate source. Acidification of culture medium seemed to be the main mechanism for rock phosphate solubilization. Indeed, citric acid, oxalic acid, and gluconic acid were shown to be present in the culture medium inoculated with these isolates. Moreover, the isolates produced acid and alkaline phosphatases in culture medium, which may also be helpful for RP solubilization. A strong negative correlation between content of soluble phosphorus and pH (r = – 0.89; p < 0.01) in culture medium was observed in this study. All the isolates promoted growth, soil available phosphorus, phosphorus, and nitrogen uptake of wheat seedling in field soil containing rock phosphate under pot culture conditions, thus demonstrating the capability of these isolates to convert insoluble form of phosphorus into plant available form from rock phosphate, and therefore hold great potential for development as biofertilizers to enhance soil fertility and promote plant growth.