Magnetic moments of (νi132)−n isomers in neutron-deficient lead isotopes

The magnetic moments of the 12⁺ isomers in ^{192, 196, 198, 200, 206}Pb and of the $\text{33}\text{2}{}^{\mathrm{+}}$ isomer in ²⁰⁵Pb have been measured using the PAD technique. The results for the g-factors are: g(192) = ?0.173(2), g(196) = ?0.1600(15), g(198) = ?0.1552(15), g(200) = ?0.1512(15), g(206) = ?0.1496(18), and g(205) = ?0.148(5). As all states have a rather pure $\text{(νi}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>13</mtext><mtext>2</mtext>}}\text{)}{}^{\mathrm{?n}}$ configuration, the values reflect directly the $\text{νi}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>13</mtext><mtext>2</mtext>}}$ orbital. They show a decrease towards the more neutron-deficient isotopes attributed to the reduced core polarisation as a result of decreasing occupation of the $\text{i}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>13</mtext><mtext>2</mtext>}}$ neutron shell. The measured systematics are discussed regarding core polarisation, mesonic corrections, and small admixtures of core-excited states to the $\text{i}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>13</mtext><mtext>2</mtext>}}$ wave function.     

Studies of single-neutron holes in the transitional nuclei N = 83–89: The 142Ce(d,t)141Ce and 142Ce(3He, α)141Ce pick-up reactions

The level structure of ¹⁴¹Ce up to 3.7 MeV excitation energy has been investigated by the (d, t) and (³He, α) reactions using 17 MeV deuteron and 24 MeV ³He beams respectively. The angular distributions have been analyzed with standard DWBA calculations and spectroscopic factors are deduced. The experimental information is compared to unified model calculations involving both one-particle and two-particle one-hole configurations with quadrupole and octupole vibrations of the underlying N = 82 and N = 84 core.     

Level structure of123, 125I from the 122, 124Te(3He,d) reactions

The energy levels of ¹²³I and ¹²⁵I have been studied in the ^{122, 124}Te(³He, d)^{123, 125}I reactions at 24 MeV bombarding energy. The reaction products were analysed with an Enge split-pole magnetic spectrograph. A total of 57 levels below 3.3 MeV in ¹²³I and 79 levels below 4.1 MeV in ¹²⁵I were observed. Angular distributions were measured and compared with DWBA calculations to obtain orbital angular momentum transfers and spectroscopic strengths. The results were compared to previous radioactive decay studies and to theoretical energy level calculations.     

Optimum sol viscosity for stable electrospinning of silica nanofibres

Silica nanofibres have, due to their excellent properties, promising characteristics for multiple applications such as filtration, composites, catalysis, etc. Silica nanofibres can be obtained by combining electrospinning and the sol–gel process. To produce silica nanofibres most of the time organic solutions are applied containing a carrying polymer, which is afterwards removed by a thermal treatment to form pure ceramic nanofibres. Although electrospinning of the pure silica precursors without carrying polymer is preferred, the parameters influencing the stability of the electrospinning process are however largely unknown. In addition, this knowledge is essential for potential upscaling of the process. In this study, the optimum viscosity to electrospin in a stable manner is determined and the way to obtain this viscosity is evaluated. Sols with a viscosity between 120 and 200 mPa.s could be electrospun in a stable way, resulting in uniform and beadless nanofibres. Furthermore, this viscosity region corresponded with nanofibres having the lowest mean nanofibre diameters. Electrospinning with diluted sols was possible as well, but electrospinning of the fresh sols was more stable. These results illustrate the importance of the viscosity and degree of crosslinking of the sol for the stable electrospinning of silica nanofibres and demonstrate that upscaling of the electrospinning process of silica nanofibres is feasible.     

Dendrimer-conjugated magnetic nanoparticles for removal of zinc (II) from aqueous solutions

Dendrimers are novel nanostructure materials that possess a unique three-dimensional molecular configuration. They have high adsorption capacities of heavy metals. Dendrimer-conjugated magnetic nanoparticles (Gn-MNPs) combining the superior adsorbent of dendrimers with magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have been developed for effective removal and recovery of Zn(II). In this study, the Gn-MNPs were synthesized, characterized, and examined as reusable adsorbents of Zn(II). Characterization conducted by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and elemental analysis revealed that dendrimers were successfully coated onto the surface of MNPs made of magnetite (Fe₃O₄). The pH effect studies indicate the Zn(II) adsorption with Gn-MNPs is a function of pH. The adsorption efficiency increases with increasing pH. At pH less than 3, Zn(II) is readily desorbed. Hence, the Gn-MNPs can be regenerated using the diluted HCl aqueous solution (0.1 M) where Zn(II) can be recovered in a concentrated form. It was found that the Gn-MNPs underwent 10 consecutive adsorption–desorption processes still retained the original removal capacity of Zn(II). The adsorption data were fitted well with both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. The maximum adsorption capacity determined by the Langmuir model is 24.3 mg/g at pH 7 and 25°C. A synergistic effect between the complexation reaction and the electrostatic interaction may account for the overall performance of Gn-MNPs.     

Influences of Seven Taiwan‐Produced Adulterants on Gas Chromatographic‐Mass Spectrometric (GC‐MS) Urinalysis of Amphetamines

This study was conducted to better understand the influences exerted by seven Taiwan‐produced adulterants on the forensic gas chromatographic‐mass spectrometric (GC‐MS) confirmatory urinalysis of amphetamines. The results verified that, when added at 5‐15% (w/w), chlorine bleach would lower the GC‐MS outcomes of the spiked and case specimens by 36‐63%, and was most likely to cause false negatives. Liquid soap, potassium dichromate, soda water for drinking, and tap water would decrease the GC‐MS outcomes by 9‐29%, 8‐20%, 8‐20%, and 5‐16%, respectively, and also had the risk of negating near‐cutoff initial positives into false confirmatory negatives. The negative‐directing effects were mostly due to degradation of analytes and/or deactivation of the derivatizing agent by oxidizing adulterants and/or dilution of analytes by the added liquid. Alum and table salt added as powder had little impact on the test. Responsible institutions and relevant laboratories should face the facts seriously and include the specimen validity testing (SVT) battery in the routine drug testing procedures.     

Formation of particle jetting in a cylindrical shock tube

A dense, solid particle flow is numerically studied at a mesoscale level for a cylindrical shock tube problem. The shock tube consists of a central high pressure gas driver section and an annular solid powder bed with air in void regions as a driven section with its far end adjacent to ambient air. Simulations are conducted to explore the fundamental phenomena, causing clustering of particles and formation of coherent particle jet structures in such a dense solid flow. The influence of a range of parameters is investigated, including driver pressure, particle morphology, particle distribution and powder bed configuration. The results indicate that the physical mechanism responsible for this phenomenon is twofold: the driver gas jet flow induced by the shock wave as it passes through the initial gaps between the particles in the innermost layer of the powder bed, and the chaining of solid particles by inelastic collision. The particle jet forming time is determined as the time when the motion of the outermost particle layer of the powder bed is first detected. The maximum number of particle jets is bounded by the total number of particles in the innermost layer of the powder bed. The number of particle jets is mainly a function of the number of particles in the innermost layer and the mass ratio of the powder bed to the gas in the driver section, or the ratio of powder bed mass (in dimensionless form) to the pressure ratio between the driver and driven sections.     

Ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatography of diaminopimelic acid in hydrolysates of physiological samples.

A method is reported for the determination of diaminopimelic acid (DAPA) in physiological samples. DAPA is derivatized with an o-phthaldialdehyde reagent solution, subjected to reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and detected spectrofluorometrically. The method is a significant advance over previous methods because it uses the ion-pairing agent hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HTMA) to facilitate DAPA measurement. Ion-pairing with HTMA avoids interference with co-eluting derivatives to provide simultaneous, sensitive, reproducible measurement of both DAPA peaks (DD,LL-DAPA and DL-DAPA).