Upgrade of beamline BL08B at Taiwan Light Source from a photon‐BPM to a double‐grating SGM beamline

During the last 20 years, beamline BL08B has been upgraded step by step from a photon beam‐position monitor (BPM) to a testing beamline and a single‐grating beamline that enables experiments to record X‐ray photo‐emission spectra (XPS) and X‐ray absorption spectra (XAS) for research in solar physics, organic semiconductor materials and spinel oxides, with soft X‐ray photon energies in the range 300–1000 eV. Demands for photon energy to extend to the extreme ultraviolet region for applications in nano‐fabrication and topological thin films are increasing. The basic spherical‐grating monochromator beamline was again upgraded by adding a second grating that delivers photons of energy from 80 to 420 eV. Four end‐stations were designed for experiments with XPS, XAS, interstellar photoprocess systems (IPS) and extreme‐ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) in the scheduled beam time. The data from these experiments show a large count rate in core levels probed and excellent statistics on background normalization in the L‐edge adsorption spectrum.     

Preparation and Characterization of Isotactic Polypropylene Reinforced with Hydroxyapatite Nanorods

Isotactic polypropylene (PP) composites filled with hydroxyapatite nanorods (nHAs) were fabricated using a melt compounding process. The effects of nHA additions on the structure, thermal, and mechanical properties as well as bioactivity of PP were investigated. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry results showed that PP crystallized exclusively in the α-form when adding nHAs. Dynamic mechanical analysis showed that nHAs enhanced the storage modulus of PP. Mechanical measurements showed that nHAs stiffened and reinforced PP but reduced its tensile ductility and impact strength considerably. Furthermore, the PP/nHA nanocomposites were found to exhibit excellent bioactivity upon immersion in a simulated body fluid solution. This was attributed to the formation of apatite mineral crystals on the nanocomposite surfaces as revealed by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis.     

Polymer electrolytes—relaxation and transport properties

Relaxations in polymer electrolytes were studied in poly(ethylene oxide) and epoxidized natural rubbers both filled with lithium perchlorate. Impedance relaxation was investigated over a wide range of salt concentration at room temperature. Imaginary part of impedance as a function of frequency exhibits generally one maximum and one minimum. These two extreme values rule properties in the DC limit. They can be related to transport properties and degree of dissociation. It turns out that DC conductivity is dominantly ruled by transport coefficient.     

Band bending at the conducting polymer/indium tin oxide interfaces with and without ultraviolet treatment

In this study, the effect of ultraviolet treatment on the band bending at the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with poly(4-styrenesulfonate)/indium tin oxide (PEDOT:PSS/ITO) interfaces were researched. The authors suggested that ultraviolet treatment could lead to a reduction in the band bending at the PEDOT:PSS/ITO interface, owing to the removal of carbon contamination at the ITO surfaces and a decrease in the number of the trap-states at the PEDOT:PSS/ITO interface.     

Precise determination of 6Li cold collision parameters by radio-frequency spectroscopy on weakly bound molecules

We employ radio-frequency spectroscopy on weakly bound (6)Li(2) molecules to precisely determine the molecular binding energies and the energy splittings between molecular states for different magnetic fields. These measurements allow us to extract the interaction parameters of ultracold (6)Li atoms based on a multichannel quantum scattering model. We determine the singlet and triplet scattering lengths to be a(s) = 45.167(8)a(0) and a(t) = -2140(18)a(0) (1a(0) = 0.052 917 7 nm), and the positions of the broad Feshbach resonances in the energetically lowest three s-wave scattering channels to be 83.41(15), 69.04(5), and 81.12(10) mT.     

Multifunctional carbon-coated magnetic sensing graphene oxide-cyclodextrin nanohybrid for potential cancer theranosis

Journal of Nanoparticle Research - Over the last years, an environmentally friendly and economically efficient way of nanoparticle production has been found in the biosynthesis of metal...     

Simultaneous Determination of α- and γ-Mangostins in Mouse Plasma by HPLC–MS/MS Method: Application to a Pharmacokinetic Study of Mangosteen Extract in Mouse

Recently, extracts from the pericarp of mangosteen, Garcinia mangostana L., exhibited various pharmacological properties such as anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and chemopreventive activities. Albeit it has diverse application, there is little information about its pharmacokinetic aspects. Thus, the present study was undertaken to develop the simultaneous determination of α- and γ-mangostins (α- and γ-MG), major and active compounds, from extracts for the application of pharmacokinetic studies in mice using combined liquid chromatography–tandem mass-spectrometry and microsampling systems. The intra- and inter-validation, precision, accuracy, stability, recovery and matrix effects of α- and γ-MG were conducted in mouse plasma. Based on the developed analytical methods, pharmacokinetic parameters of α- and γ-MG after intravenous and oral administration of mangosteen extract were calculated. In sample preparation steps, the biological samples were deproteinized by acetonitrile and chromatographic separation was accomplished on a C₁₈ column. The detection was accomplished by multiple-reaction monitoring scanning after electrospray ionization source in the positive ionization mode. The optimized mass transition ion pairs (m/z) for quantitation were 411.062 → 354.900, 397.384 → 340.900, and 808.379 → 527.200 for α- and γ-MG and docetaxel (internal standard), respectively. The total run time was 5 min. The results provided a meaningful basis for the preclinical and clinical application of mangosteen extract.