XPS and ionic conductivity studies on Li1.3Al0.15Y0.15Ti1.7(PO4)3 ceramics

Li_1.3Al_0.15Y_0.15Ti_1.7(PO₄)₃ compound was synthesized by solid-state reaction, and ceramics were sintered. The surfaces of the ceramics were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Li_1.3Al_0.15Y_0.15Ti_1.7(PO₄)₃ samples were tested in solid galvanic cells Ag|O₂+CO₂|Li₂CO₃|Li_1.3Al_0.15Y_0.15Ti_1.7(PO₄)₃|LiMnO₂+Mn₂O₃|O₂|Ag. The electromotive force measurements of this cell indicated that investigated samples are practically pure Li-ion conductors. Impedance spectroscopy studies have been performed in the frequency range 10^?2–3·10⁹ Hz and temperatures from ?57 °C to 334 °C. Three dispersion regions related to Li⁺ ionic transport in bulk, grain boundaries of the ceramics and to polarization of electrodes have been found. Total conductivity changes according to Arrhenius law in the studied temperature range, but an anomalous behavior was observed for the bulk conductivity of the ceramics.     

Status of uncertainty assessment in k 0-NAA measurement: anything still missing?

Several approaches to quantifying measurement uncertainty in k ₀-based neutron activation analysis (k ₀-NAA) are reviewed, comprising the original approach, the spreadsheet approach, the dedicated computer program involving analytical calculations and the two k ₀-NAA programs available on the market. Two imperfectness in the dedicated programs are identified, their impact assessed and possible improvements presented for a concrete experimental situation. The status of uncertainty assessment in k ₀-NAA is discussed and steps for improvement are recommended. It is concluded that the present magnitude of measurement uncertainty should further be improved by making additional efforts in reducing uncertainties of the relevant nuclear constants used.     

A Maximal Correlation Framework for Fair Machine Learning

As machine learning algorithms grow in popularity and diversify to many industries, ethical and legal concerns regarding their fairness have become increasingly relevant. We explore the problem of algorithmic fairness, taking an information–theoretic view. The maximal correlation framework is introduced for expressing fairness constraints and is shown to be capable of being used to derive regularizers that enforce independence and separation-based fairness criteria, which admit optimization algorithms for both discrete and continuous variables that are more computationally efficient than existing algorithms. We show that these algorithms provide smooth performance–fairness tradeoff curves and perform competitively with state-of-the-art methods on both discrete datasets (COMPAS, Adult) and continuous datasets (Communities and Crimes).     

Recent Advances on Metal-Organic Frameworks in the Conversion of Carbon Dioxide

With the development of modern industry,global warming is becoming a challenging issue due to the emissions of large quantities of greenhouse gases,mainly carbon dioxide(CO₂).The conversion of CO₂to useful compounds is considered as an effective and economic way to solve such a climate problem.Metal-organic frameworks(MOFs)are an emerging class of porous crystalline materials that have shown great potential in the conversion of CO₂.The advantages of MOFs in CO 2 conversion lie in their high surface areas,adjustable pore size,and high porosity.More importantly,desirable functional sites can be easily designed and precisely installed to the pore wall of target MOFs by pre-assembly and/or post-synthetic modification(PSM)ways.This review summarizes the recent advances in constructing MOF catalysts for the application in CO₂conversion.We believe that the design and synthesis of MOF catalysts for CO₂conversion can be a promising way to solve the“greenhouse effect”.     

Morphine-induced conditioned place preference in mice: Metabolomic profiling of brain tissue to find “molecular switch” of drug abuse by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

Conditioned place preference (CPP) is a widely used model to explore the mechanism of context-dependent learning. In this work, we developed a GC–MS method to investigate the metabolites in mice brain which was used to study the mechanism of context-dependent learning associated with rewarding effect of morphine. Metabolites were extracted from brain tissues and derivatized followed by analysis by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC–MS). In total, 69 peaks were identified as known compounds. By a Wilcoxon ran sum test with p value ≤0.05, 21 metabolites were selected and considered as the potential biomarkers of morphine in mice brain. Using principal component analysis (PCA) and receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) curves, a model was constructed with a combination of these 21 metabolic markers. Multivariate statistics of the model yielded separation between the two groups with an area under the curve value of 0.947. Some metabolites were further discussed in detail about their pathway. Results showed that our technique can be successfully applied to profile for biomarkers and in understanding molecular mechanisms of drug abuse.     

Theory of modified thermally stimulated current and direct determination of trap level distribution

In order to investigate the trap level distribution in polymer films, a new method is proposed based on modified thermally stimulated current (TSC) theory and numerical calculation of the TSC measurement. In this method, a new function is defined to weight the contribution of every trap level to the external current. The demarcation energy is used to study the trap emptying process. The modified TSC theory shows that only the electrons with trap levels very close to the demarcation energy can significantly contribute to the external circuit at any instant temperature. Based on this method, the trap level distribution of the DuPont original polyimide film 100HN and nanocomposite polyimide film 100CR are investigated as an application example. The effectiveness of the method is confirmed by the experiments. The experimental results show that the trap level density in the 100CR PI films is about six times larger than that in the 100HN PI films through the investigated trap level ranges 06–1.3 eV. The increased traps in 100CR should be introduced by nanofillers, probably come from the interfaces formed between nanofillers and the polymer matrix.     

Targeting Upconversion Nanoprobes for Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Early Colon Cancer

Colon cancer (CC) is one of the most common intestinal malignancies and is difficult to detect in its early stage by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with currently used contrast agents (CAs). The development of targeted CAs contributes to the early diagnosis of CC and thereby enables early intervention and timely therapy. Considering the outstanding performance of upconversion nanoprobes (UCNPs) in high‐performance MR and fluorescence imaging, a new type of nanoprobes with considerably enhanced imaging performance is developed herein. Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) antibody is conjugated onto the surface of UCNPs to achieve the targeted imaging of early CC tumors, which overexpress CEA. Both toxicity tests and histological/hematological examinations demonstrate the excellent biocompatibility of these CC‐targeting nanoprobes, which possess great potential for clinical application in the early diagnosis of CC.     

Ionization of hydrogen and deuterium atoms in thermal energy collisions with state-selected Ne(3s 3 P 2,3 P 0) metastable atoms

High resolution energy spectra of electrons and ions resulting from thermal energy collisions of hydrogen and deuterium atoms with state-selected metastable Ne(Ne(3s ³ P ₂,³ P ₀) atoms are reported. The electron spectra for Ne(³ P ₂)+H(D) are very broad: The high energy part due to formation of NeH⁺ (NeD⁺) bound states (associative ionization), amounts to about 30% of the ionizing events, whereas the dominant part of the spectrum including a prominent low-energy peak is due to Penning ionization out of a strongly-attractive entrance potential curve. Comparison of the spectra with quantum mechanical fit calculations yields fairly accurate information on this potential, in particular its well depthD _e [Ne(³ P ₂)?H,D]= 2.0(1) eV. The spectra for Ne(³ P ₀)+H, D are comparatively narrow with much lower cross sections than the one for the Ne(³ P ₂) state. The corresponding entrance channel is a weakly bound van der Waals molecule with a well depth below 0.1 eV. A perturbation calculation of the Ne(3s)+H(1s) potential energy curves at large distances explains the observed difference between the Ne(³ P ₂)+H(D) and Ne(³ P ₀)+H(D) systems. Symmetry arguments are given that the major contribution to the Ne(³ P ₂)+H(D) spectra is due to the² Σ potential.     

一维云粒子激光探测仪研制及探测数据分析

阐述基于Mie散射理论和激光技术而研制的云粒子探测仪的相关问题。利用m量级的小孔光阑模拟感应区域的散射光,并对系统的探测敏感区域面积进行测定;通过使用不同直径的标准粒子对系统进行标定,得到可靠的响应曲线,用于定量测量云粒子尺度谱及粒子数密度。在进行了一系列实验室内的实验之后,将仪器装载在飞机上进行穿云飞行测量实验,表明了该仪器在飞行过程中工作正常、稳定,并且能够即时地显示采样区内云粒子尺度谱分布和数浓度;通过分析探测得到的数据,并与云粒子谱分布进行比较,确认了探测数据有效可靠,反映了该仪器具有良好的测云能力。     

Current-induced colossal electroresistance in La0.8Ba0.2MnO3 films fabricated by sol–gel method

Transport properties of La_0.8Ba_0.2MnO₃ thin films deposited by the sol–gel method were investigated. It has been found that resistivity plateaus occurred in the ρ–T curves after application of a dc bias current over a critical value. A current of 200 μA could induce a huge resistance variation ∼1200% in these La_0.8Ba_0.2MnO₃ films near room temperature, demonstrating a colossal electroresistance effect. Such strange transport behavior suggests the formation of conductive filaments and that the multi-phase coexistence is sensitive to external stimuli. This phenomenon may find applications in sensing and logic devices.