PLD-assisted VLS growth of aligned ferrite nanorods, nanowires, and nanobelts-synthesis, and properties

We report here a systematic synthesis and characterization of aligned alpha-Fe2O3 (hematite), epsilon-Fe2O3, and Fe3O4 (magnetite) nanorods, nanobelts, and nanowires on alumina substrates using a pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method. The presence of spherical gold catalyst particles at the tips of the nanostructures indicates selective growth via the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) mechanism. Through a series of experiments, we have produced a primitive "phase diagram" for growing these structures based on several designed pressure and temperature parameters. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis has shown that the rods, wires, and belts are single-crystalline and grow along <111>m or <110>h directions. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements confirm phase and structural analysis. Superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) measurements show that the iron oxide structures exhibit interesting magnetic behavior, particularly at room temperature. This work is the first known report of magnetite 1D nanostructure growth via the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) mechanism without using a template, as well as the first known synthesis of long epsilon-Fe2O3 nanobelts and nanowires.     

Synthesis and characterization of graphene-based nanocomposites with potential use for biomedical applications

In this paper, GaN nanoparticles were synthesized from the complex Ga(H₂NCONH₂)₆Cl₃ in the flow of NH₃ at a mild temperature (350 °C). Further purification was performed by the ethanol-thermal method. The ethanol-thermal method also prompted the GaN nanoparticles to grow into an anisotropic morphology. XRD patterns reveal that GaN nanoparticles have crystallized in a hexagonal wurtzite structure. TEM observation shows that the average size of the as-prepared nanoparticles is about 5–10 nm. The photoluminescence spectrum exhibits a broad green emission band with a peak at 510 nm. It can be known from the first-principle theoretic simulation by the TDDFT method that this fluorescence emission band is attributed to the hydride defects of V _N-H on the surface of GaN nanoparticles.     

Voice source characteristics in six premier country singers

Voice source characteristics as derived from inverse filtering were analyzed in 6 country singers' speech and singing. Results showed that the closed quotient varied systematically with vocal loudness, and that glottal compliance (the ratio between transglottal AC volume displacement and subglottal pressure) decreased with increases in fundamental frequency but remained unaffected by vocal loudness. No striking differences were found in source characteristics between speech and singing within subjects. The degree of phonatory press, as judged by a panel of 19 expert listeners, appeared related to the range in which the singer was singing and to the sound pressure level gain from a doubling of subglottal pressure.     

Wearable Sweat Sensors: Background and Current Trends

Sweat‐related physiology research has been well established over the years. However, it has only been around ten years that sweat‐based sensing devices started to be explored. With the recent advancements in wearable activity and physiology monitoring devices, sweat was investigated for its contents similar to blood and corresponding wearable devices were studied intensively. This article provides a thorough review on sweating mechanisms, sweat sensing devices, and electronic technologies for sweat sensor implementations. Potential future directions and recommendations based on current research trends were provided in each section. This review aims to offer a unique perspective from both physiology and engineering point‐of‐view to draw a complete landscape of the sweat sensing research.     

Solubility Thermodynamics of CyMe$$_{}$$-BTBP in Various Diluents Mixed with TBP

The two organic ligands 6,6′-bis(5,5,8,8-tetramethyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobenzo[1,2,4]triazin-3-yl)[2,2′]bipyridine (CyMe\(_{4}\)-BTBP) and tri-butyl phosphate (TBP) have previously been investigated in different diluents for use within recycling of used nuclear fuel through solvent extraction. The thermodynamic parameters, \(K_{\mathrm{S}}\), \(\Delta C_{p}\), \(\Delta H^{0}\) and \(\Delta S^{0}\), of the CyMe\(_{4}\)-BTBP solubility in three diluents (cyclohexanone, octanol and phenyl trifluoromethyl sulfone) mixed with TBP have been studied at 288, 298 and 308 K, both as pristine solutions and pre-equilibrated with 4 mol\(\cdot \)L\(^{-1}\) nitric acid. In addition, the amount of acid in the organic phase and density change after pre-equilibration have been measured. The solubility of CyMe\(_{4}\)-BTBP increases with an increased temperature in all systems, especially after acid pre-equilibration. This increased CyMe\(_{4}\)-BTBP solubility after pre-equilibration could be explained by acid dissolution into the solvent. Comparing the \(\Delta H^{0}\) and \(\Delta S^{0}\) calculated using \(\Delta C_{p}\) with the same parameters derived from a linear fit indicates temperature independence of all three thermodynamic systems. The change in enthalpy is positive in all solutions.     

Base-catalyzed intramolecular hydroamination of conjugated enynes

A de novo intramolecular hydroamination of conjugated enynes was developed using commercially available n-BuLi as a precatalyst. This hydroamination reaction successfully afforded allenyl-substituted pyrrolidines with up to 95% yield. One of the resulting allenyl pyrrolidines was converted to the natural products irniine and irnidine in three steps.     

Alternative organic solvents for HILIC separation of cisplatin species with on-line ICP-MS detection

Several low volatile organic solvents were evaluated as organic modifiers in eluents for HILIC separations of cisplatin species to optimize the on-line coupling of HILIC to inductively coupled plasma MS (ICP-MS). The aim was to identify a solvent giving low solvent vapor loading of the ICP, to maximize analyte sensitivity and minimize carbon depositions on instrumental parts, while retaining chromatographic performance. The best overall performance of the HILIC-ICP-MS system for the analysis of cisplatin was achieved using 1,4-dioxane as eluent, yielding high retention and an HILIC type retention mechanism, at the expense of a 50% drop in column efficiency due to the higher viscosity of 1,4-dioxane compared to the more commonly used HILIC solvent ACN. Using 1,4-dioxane as solvent in HILIC provides the best compromise between carbon deposition and separation efficiency among a series of high-boiling water-miscible solvents tested.     

Single‐cell gel electrophoresis (the comet assay): Loops or fragments?

Single-cell gel electrophoresis, or the comet assay, is widely used to measure DNA damage and repair. Upon electrophoresis, the DNA of lysed, agarose-embedded cells known as nucleoids, extends towards the anode in a structure resembling a comet, the relative intensity of the tail reflecting the frequency of DNA breaks. The structural organization of the DNA within comet preparations is not fully understood. We have used fluorescent in situ hybridization with large-insert genomic probes and human Cot-I DNA to investigate whether the production of the comet tail is simply explained by the relaxation of supercoiled DNA loops. We find that, under neutral electrophoresis conditions, when the tail and head DNA are double-stranded, the probed sequence of DNA is seen as a linear array, consistent with extension from a fixed point on the nuclear core or matrix. After alkaline electrophoresis, the appearance of the fluorescent probes suggests that linear DNA has coalesced into a granular form.     

Raney-Co mediated reductive cyclization of an alpha,beta-unsaturated nitrile

An expedient, five step synthesis of caprolactam 1 is reported starting from natural L-homoserine. The key step is a chemoselective reductive cyclization of alpha,beta-unsaturated nitrile 10 mediated by Raney-Co type metals. This hydrogenation is extensively investigated in order to account for the observed product distribution and yields.