Temperature Dependent In-Plane Anisotropic Magnetoresistance in HfTe_5 Thin Layers

We report the observation of in-plane anisotropic magnetoresistance and planar Hall effect in non-magnetic HfTe₅ thin layers.The observed anisotropic magnetoresistance as well as its sign is strongly dependent on the critical resistivity anomaly temperature T_p.Below T_p,the anisotropic magnetoresistance is negative with large negative magnetoresistance.When the in-plane magnetic field is perpendicular to the current,the negative longitudinal magnetoresistance reaches its maximum.The negative longitudinal magnetoresistance effect in HfTe₅ thin layers is dramatically different from that induced by the chiral anomaly as observed in Weyl and Dirac semimetals.One potential underlying origin may be attributed to the reduced spin scattering,which arises from the in-plane magnetic field driven coupling between the top and bottom surface states.Our findings provide valuable insights for the anisotropic magnetoresistance effect in topological electronic systems and the device potential of HfTe5 in spintronics and quantum sensing.     

The chemical bonding and spectral assignments of rhodium(III)‐catalyzed closo‐dodecaborate complexes: Ab initio study

The chemical bonding and spectral assignments of rhodium(III)‐catalyzed closo‐dodecaborate (RhCD) complex are systematically studied using the density functional theory calculations. It is found that the calculated main bond lengths of framework are in good agreement with experimental X‐ray observation, and the pronounced hybridization of B‐2p and Rh‐4d states is responsible for the structural stability, reflected by the large dissociation energy and HOMO–LUMO energy gap. The AdNDP chemical bonding analysis indicates that the RhCD complex can be stabilized by two H‐bridged 3c‐2e σ‐bonds (B‐H‐Rh triangles). Additionally, the theoretical calculations reproduce well the main experimental IR spectrum, and the characteristic peaks are properly assigned. These results will be helpful for further insight into the unique electronic structure of the species, and provide valuable references for potential applications in novel materials.     

Two acridones and two coumarins from the roots of Paramignya trimera

Two acridones, paratrimerins C (1) and D (2), and two coumarins, paratrimerins E (3) and F (4), were isolated from the CHCl₃ and EtOAc extracts of Paramignya trimera (Rutaceae), together with twelve known compounds (5–16). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data. All isolated compounds possessed significant α-glucosidase inhibitory activity in a concentration-dependent manner, and showed more potent inhibitory activity, with IC₅₀ values ranging from 14.6 to 112.2 μM, than the positive control acarbose (IC₅₀, 214.5 μM). The biosynthesis of the isolated coumarins and acridones was proposed.     

Formation of abnormal dual‐peak profiles in large tilt angle boron implantation

Large tilt angle (LTA) implantation has been employed in Si manufacturing processes in many applications, such as lightly doped drain and halo implant. The depth profile of boron ions usually consists of only single peak at incident angle of 0° with respect to the perpendicular of the silicon surface. However, an abnormal dual‐peak profile was observed at LTA (>40°) with incident energy of 160 keV. By using a Monte Carlo method to simulate the ion implant process, it was found that the projected range of boron ions agrees completely with the formation of the first peak position that is shallower in depth, while the cause for the second peak that corresponds with a depth much deeper in the Si substrate was unknown. During the simulation, it was also found that when the tilt angle was increased, the sputtering yields and Si displacements increased significantly, and this phenomenon indicates that during LTA implantation, Si damage may not be negligible anymore. The Si damage effect that was as due to either low Si density or transient Si displacement in the simulation could have led to partial incident boron ions penetrating much deeper into the Si substrate and thus, caused the emergence of the second peak. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Flexural behavior of strain-softening solids

The flexural behavior of a beam is investigated in an attempt to establish a correlation between the tensile and bending properties of strain-softening solids. Given the complete uniaxial stress—strain relations, including the post-peak tension-softening portion, it is possible to predict the flexural behavior in moment—curvature and load—deflection relations. The results indicate that strain-softening gives rise to enhanced bending strength in agreement with experimental data. Conversely, given the bending responses together with the softening characteristics the complete tensile behavior can be determined. Since bending experiments are easier to perform than uniaxial tensile tests, this well-defined correlation provides a feasible means to obtain the entire tensile behavior of strain-softening solids such as concrete, rocks and ceramics.     

Conversion of natural gas to C2 hydrocarbons via cold plasma technology

The plasma technology served as a tool in unconventional catalysis has been used in natural gas conversion, because the traditional catalytic methane oxidative coupling reaction must be performed at high temperature on account of the stability of methane molecule. The focus of this research is to develop a process of converting methane to C2 hydrocarbons with non-equilibrium plasma technology at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. It was found that methane conversion increased and the selectivity of C2 hydrocarbons decreased with the voltage. The optimum input voltage range was 40-80 V corresponding to high yield of C2 hydrocarbons. Methane conversion decreased and the selectivity of C2 hydrocarbons increased with the inlet flow rate of methane. The proper methane flow rate was 20-40 ml/min (corresponding residence time 10-20 s). The experimental results show that methane conversion was 47% and the selectivity of C2 hydrocarbons was 40% under the proper condition using atmospheric DBD cold plasma technology. It was found that the breakdown voltage of methane VB was determined by the type of electrode and the discharge gap width in this glow discharge reactor. The breakdown voltage of methane VB,min derived from the Paschen law equation was established.     

浅谈电子天平的选择和使用

针对电子天平的选择、使用和维护中容易忽视的问题进行分析和阐述,并提出了解决办法和正确的操作规程。     

Light-enhanced catalysis by pyridoxal phosphate-dependent aspartate aminotransferase

The mechanisms of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzymes require substrates to form covalent "external aldimine" intermediates, which absorb light strongly between 410 and 430 nm. Aspartate aminotransferase (AAT) is a prototypical PLP-dependent enzyme that catalyzes the reversible interconversion of aspartate and α-ketoglutarate with oxalacetate and glutamate. From kinetic isotope effects studies, it is known that deprotonation of the aspartate external aldimine C(α)-H bond to give a carbanionic quinonoid intermediate is partially rate limiting in the thermal AAT reaction. We show that excitation of the 430-nm external aldimine absorption band increases the steady-state catalytic activity of AAT, which is attributed to the photoenhancement of C(α)-H deprotonation on the basis of studies with Schiff bases in solution. Blue light (250 mW) illumination gives an observed 2.3-fold rate enhancement for WT AAT activity, a 530-fold enhancement for the inactive K258A mutant, and a 58600-fold enhancement for the PLP-Asp Schiff base in water. These different levels of enhancement correlate with the intrinsic reactivities of the C(α)-H bond in the different environments, with the less reactive Schiff bases exhibiting greater enhancement. Time-resolved spectroscopy, ranging from femtoseconds to minutes, was used to investigate the nature of the photoactivation of C(α)-H bond cleavage in PLP-amino acid Schiff bases both in water and bound to AAT. Unlike the thermal pathway, the photoactivation pathway involves a triplet state with a C(α)-H pK(a) that is estimated to be between 11 and 19 units lower than the ground state for the PLP-Val Schiff base in water.     

Isolation of chemical constituents from Enicosanthum cupulare (King) Airy-Shaw

Six chemical constituents were isolated from Enicosanthum cupulare (King) Airy-Shaw. The structures of the isolated compounds were determined using 1D, 2D-NMR and were found to be identical to those previously reported for these compounds. Three aporphine alkaloids, O-methylmoschatoline, liriodenine and oxostephanine were isolated from this plant for the first time. In addition, we examined the effects of these compounds on melanogenesis in murine B16 melanoma cells; O-methylmoschatoline increased melanin content in these cells.     

Equivalent contributing depth investigated by a lateral wave with axial transmission in viscoelastic cortical bone

Cortical bone is a viscoelastic heterogeneous medium which may be assessed with axial transmission. This work aims at evaluating the average depth investigated by the lateral wave for radial variations of material properties in relatively thick cortical bone. The equivalent contributing depth (ECD) is derived from the finite element simulation results for spatial variations of a viscoelastic coefficient (η(11)) and of porosity. A value of ECD equal to around 1.6 mm is obtained for a spatial variation of η(11). The method fails to predict accurate values of the ECD for a spatial variation of porosity, because all parameters vary simultaneously.