Determination of neutron temperature in irradiation channels of reactor

The neutron temperature is a characteristic parameter in irradiation channels of reactor. For nuclides which have resonances in the thermal neutron energy range, their Westcott g-factors are different from unity. The values of g-factors and cross-sections of (n, γ) reaction of these nuclides are temperature dependence. The standard energy for tabulation of thermal neutron cross-section (σ₀) is that of room temperature (293.59 K or 20.43 °C), corresponding to a neutron energy 0.0253 eV or to a neutron velocity of 2200 m/s. However, in the irradiation channels of reactor, the temperature is not exact at 20.43 °C. Thus, the temperature at the irradiation position must be known to convert σ₀ to σ(T). A method for determination of the neutron temperature in irradiation channels of Dalat reactor is presented by fitting the thermal neutron spectrum obtained from the calculation using MCNP code.     

Drop deposition of thin nanostructured coatings of lead telluride

The current-voltage relationships of deposited structures are measured for cluster structures consisting of nanoparticles of lead telluride. Variation in the value of the tunnel current is shown. Optimum conditions for the possible emergence of quantum-hopping conductivity due to carrier tunneling (the characteristic sizes of the nanoclusters and the distances between them) are determined.     

Pb(3)F(5)NO(3), a cationic layered material for anion-exchange

Our research involves the development of new cationic materials for anion-based applications. We report the solvothermal synthesis and characterization of Pb(3)F(5)NO(3), a new layered lead fluoride material that, unlike the majority of layered and open-framework materials, is cationic in charge. The structure consists of polyhedral lead centers connected by doubly and triply bridging fluoride groups. We quantitatively exchanged the interlamellar nitrate groups of Pb(3)F(5)NO(3) for dichromate, under ambient aqueous conditions. Nuclear magnetic resonance and UV-vis spectroscopy show the reaction proceeds to 61.0% completion in several days. The material is also stable to 450 degrees C, which is vastly superior to organic resins that are still the standard for anion-exchange. The presence of extraframework anions also opens up other potentially unique anion-based properties, such as new catalytic reactions, anion intercalation, or growth of anionic clusters within the void spaces of the cationic material.     

Constituents of the Vietnamese medicinal plant Orthosiphon stamineus

From the MeOH extract of the aerial part of Vietnamese Orthosiphon stamineus, five new isopimarane-type diterpenes [orthosiphols F-J (1-5)] and two new diterpenes [staminols A (6) and B (7)] with a novel carbon-framework, to which we proposed the name "staminane", and three new highly-oxygenated staminane-type diterpenes [staminolactones A (8) and B (9) and norstaminol A (10)1 were isolated. Moreover, staminolactone A (8) is 8,14-secostaminane-type and staminolactone B (9) is 13,14-secostaminane-type, while norstaminol A (10) is 14-norstaminen-type. Together with these new diterpenes, sixteen known compounds were also isolated and identified to be: 7,3',4'-tri-O-methylluteolin (11), eupatorin (12), sinensetin (13), 5-hydroxy-6,7,3',4'-tetramethoxyflavone (14), salvigenin (15), ladanein (16), tetramethylscutellarein (17), 6-hydroxy-5,7,4'-trimethoxyflavone (18), vomifoliol (19), aurantiamide acetate (20), rosmarinic acid (21), caffeic acid (22), oleanolic acid (23), ursolic acid (24), betulinic acid (25), and beta-sitosterol (26). All the isolated compounds were tested for their cytotoxicity towards highly liver metastatic murine colon 26-L5 carcinoma cells, and the new diterpenes, except for 4, and flavonoids (11, 12, 16, 18) showed cytotoxicity with an ED50 value between 10 and 90 microg/ml.     

Representation of the category of tangles by Kontsevich's iterated integral

Applying Kontsevich's iterated integral for tangles, we get an isotopy invariant of tangles. We give a method to compute the integral of a tangle combinatorially from modified integrals of some simple tangles. We localize the integral by moving the end points of the tangle to an extreme configuration, and modify the integral so that it is convergent. By using a similar technique, we generalize Kontsevich's invariant to a framed tangle.