Theory and application of a quartz resonator as a sensor for viscous liquids

A comprehensive analysis of the interaction between an AT-cut quartz crystal resonator and a viscous fluid is presented. The analysis, which includes peizoelectric effects, assumes a liquid of finite extent and therefore could also be used to study thin film of viscous liquids. A novel continuous flow cell system was designed and fabricated to monitor viscosity using an 11-MHz quartz crystal resonator. Measured data for frequency shifts of aqueous solutions of alcohols and sugars are in excellent agreement with theory.     

A principal component method to impute missing values for mixed data

We propose a new method to impute missing values in mixed data sets. It is based on a principal component method, the factorial analysis for mixed data, which balances the influence of all the variables that are continuous and categorical in the construction of the principal components. Because the imputation uses the principal axes and components, the prediction of the missing values is based on the similarity between individuals and on the relationships between variables. The properties of the method are illustrated via simulations and the quality of the imputation is assessed using real data sets. The method is compared to a recent method (Stekhoven and Buhlmann Bioinformatics 28:113–118, 2011) based on random forest and shows better performance especially for the imputation of categorical variables and situations with highly linear relationships between continuous variables.     

Magnetic behaviour of the MTbF6 fluoroterbates (M=Cd,Ca, Sr, (α/β)-Ba)

Neutron powder diffraction has been performed on the MTbF₆ fluorides (M=Cd, Ca, Sr, (α/β)-Ba). Four of these fluorides (Cd, Ca, Sr, β-Ba) are built of a (pseudo-) tetragonal packing of [TbF₆]^2? chains and only differs by the chains relative orientations. Thus this series represents a valuable opportunity to evaluate the Tb⁴⁺-Tb⁴⁺ magnetic interactions. All the compounds displayed antiferromagnetic order (T_N=2.70 K (Cd), 2.15 K (Ca), 2.60 K (Sr), 2.10 K (β-Ba)), except for the α form of BaTbF₆. The crystal structure of this latter fluoroterbate has also been investigated by means of high-resolution neutron powder diffraction. From Neutron Powder Diffraction data, CdTbF₆ and β-BaTbF₆ magnetic structures were determined, together with the metamagnetic behaviour of β-BaTbF₆ as a function of an external magnetic field. A tentative phase diagram is then given for β-BaTbF₆. Advantage was taken of the polymorphism of the BaTbF₆ fluoroterbate to analyse, on the basis of topological parameters such as bond distances and angles, the magnetic behaviour of its α and β forms. It was shown that superexchange interactions are present in β-BaTbF₆, and that these interactions may also rule the magnetic behaviour of the other MTbF₆ (M=Ca, Sr, Cd) tetravalent terbium fluorides.     

Shedding light on the laser wavelength effect in Raman analysis of skin epidermises

Confocal Raman microspectroscopy is a promising technique which enables measuring the molecular composition of the skin layers, non-destructively and without extrinsic markers. The Raman approach is increasingly used in skin research but with various experimental conditions. In addition to the different skin types, one of the varying parameters is the wavelength of laser excitation. This parameter contributes strongly in the skin Raman response. The present work aimed to evaluate this effect for 3 different wavelengths, 532, 633 and 785 nm, on pig ear skin models. The Raman signal was assessed in the spectral fingerprint region. According to the Raman response for stability, repeatability, variability and fluorescence contribution, the 785 nm excitation wavelength was shown to be the most suitable for epidermis depth profiling in the fingerprint region.     

Phthalocyanines as Sensitive Materials for Chemical Sensors

This paper provides a review of phthalocyan- ines suitable for the development of chemical sensors. Phthalocyanines may be utilized for different types of chemical sensors, including in particular electronic conductance sensors [such as semiconductive, field-effect transistor (FET), solid-state ionic and capacitance sensors], mass-sensitive sensors utilizing a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and surface acoustic-wave (SAW) sensors, and optical sensors. The phthalocyanines used are discussed in terms of their physical and chemical properties, as well as their sensitivity, selectivity and reversibility towards the detection of NO₂ and organic solvent vapours. The interaction mechanism between phthalocyanine films and analyte molecules is also discussed.     

Crystal growth and characterization of tetragonal tungsten bronze FerroNiobates Ba2LnFeNb4O15

Tetragonal Tungsten Bronze Ferroelectrics (TTB) are currently revisited for the elaboration of new multifunctional materials. Recent studies on Ba₂LnFeNb₄O₁₅ ceramics (Ln=Nd, Sm and Eu) demonstrated that these materials display both ferroelectric and ferromagnetic behaviors at room temperature due to the presence of barium hexaferrite as a secondary phase. In this paper, we report for the first time the growth of Ba₂LnFeNb₄O₁₅ single crystals (Ln=La, Pr, Nd, Sm and Eu) from high temperature solution using LiBO₂ flux. Inclusion free millimeter-sized single crystals were successfully grown. Structural and dielectric characterizations were performed and chemical analysis confirmed that the TTB matrix is reluctant to accommodate small rare earth as it was observed for ceramics. A paramagnetic behavior was observed for all compositions, which corroborates the composite nature of the TTB ceramic multiferroics at room temperature, while dielectric measurements on Ln=La and Pr crystals confirmed their relaxor behavior.     

Influence of the spin-orbit couplingon nuclear superfluidity along the N = Z line

We show that the spin-orbit potential of the nuclear mean field destroys isoscalar superfluid correlations in self-conjugate nuclei. Using group theory and boson mapping techniques on a Hamiltonian including single particle splittings and a SO _ST(8) pairing interaction, we give analytical expressions for the spin-orbit dependence of some N = Z properties such as the relative position of T = 0 and T = 1 states in odd-odd systems or double binding-energy differences of even-even nuclei. Received: 12 April 2000 / Accepted: 25 May 2000