Crystallization-induced valence state change of Mn2+ → Mn4+ in LiNaGe4O9 glass-ceramics

Tetra-valent manganese (Mn⁴⁺) has been regarded as an efficient non-rare-earth red-light emitting ion, which has stimulated continued search of robust hosts and efficient synthetic methods to stabilize Mn⁴⁺ centers with strong photoluminescence. In this work, we demonstrate a facile synthetic method for Mn⁴⁺ doped glass-ceramic (GC) based on crystallization-induced oxidation state change in an oxide glass. The parent glass with a formula of LiNaGe₄O₉ is fabricated by melt-quenching and crystallization is induced by thermal treatment in air. Oxidation of Mn²⁺ in glass to Mn⁴⁺ in the GC is confirmed by both optical spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements. After thermal treatment, the characteristic reddish photoluminescence (PL) of Mn²⁺ in the glass centered at 611 nm disappears and a strong photoluminescence peak at 660 nm attributed to Mn⁴⁺ is observed. The conversion to Mn⁴⁺ after crystallization in the examined system may have strong implications for synthesis of Mn⁴⁺ doped phosphors which always requires rigorous control of the redox equilibrium during synthesis.     

Modification of the electric properties of molecular devices via gradual increase of number of nitrogen atoms: A computational study

This paper introduces a new means to manipulate electronic structures and, consequently, the electrical properties of molecular devices via gradual increase of number of nitrogen atoms in the backbone of conjugated organic molecular systems. Diblock molecules were selected for this purpose. Density functional theory (DFT) was used to investigate geometrical and electronic structures in the absence and presence of external electric field. Furthermore, the tendency of the anchor sulfur atoms toward electrodes in a simulated closed circuit was estimated from the relative condensed Fukui function. The obtained results indicated that HOMO–LUMO gap decreases steadily with increasing the number of nitrogen atoms, which would be used as a means for modifying the electrical properties in a regular mode.     

Physicochemical evaluation of nanocomposite hydrogels with covalently incorporated poly(vinyl alcohol) functionalized graphene oxide

To avoid the negative effect of graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets aggregation in aqueous solutions on physicochemical properties of GO incorporated nanocomposite hydrogels, poly(vinyl alcohol)-functionalized GO (GO-es-PVA) are synthesized and are used for preparation of nanocomposite hydrogels. By graft copolymerization of GO-es-PVA with poly(AA-co-AAm) chains, the nanocomposite hydrogel samples with covalently incorporated GO-es-PVA are achieved. FTIR spectroscopy, XRD analysis, and SEM and EDAX techniques confirm successful synthesis process. It is clear that GO-es-PVA content has significant effect on physicochemical properties of nanocomposite hydrogels, such as improvement of the water uptake properties, porosity, and gel strength. The hydrogel sample with 1:80 mass ratio of GO-es-PVA/AAm has the best physicochemical properties due to the optimum amount of GO-es-PVA, which gives the hydrogel proper viscoelasticity as well as fine porosity and water uptake rate. Interpenetration of PVA chains into the polymeric networks makes the movement of the polymer chains easier, which leads to softer polymeric networks. This phenomenon is called plasticizing effect. The plasticizing nature of PVA and its high hydrophilicity are the main reasons for the fine physicochemical properties. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 48025.     

Ocular parameters as an objective tool for the assessment of truck drivers fatigue

Ocular parameters are influenced by sleep derivation and the use of chemical substances which are two major causes for traffic accidents. We assessed the use of these parameters as an objective screening tool for a driver's fitness for duty. Pupillary diameter, pupil reaction to light and saccadic velocity were measured in 29 army truck drivers every morning for two months and compared to baseline measurements taken while the subjects were alert. An index which expressed the difference between study and baseline measurements was calculated, and drivers with significant deviation from baseline were disqualified and interviewed. Non-disqualified drivers served as controls. Twenty-nine percent of disqualified drivers reported sleeping less than the minimum of 7 h required by army regulations compared with 8% of control drivers (p = 0.01). Disqualified drivers had worse sleep quality the night before the test (Groningen Sleep Quality Scale, p = 0.03) and incurred more accidents per driving day during their service (0.023 vs. 0.015 accidents/day, p = 0.03). Two disqualified drivers admitted to using alcohol or sleeping pills. Thus, these ocular parameters may serve as a screening tool for drivers that are at high risk for driving. Drivers who were disqualified even once, tend to be involved in more motor vehicle accidents than their peers.     

Product properties of a two-phase magneto-electric composite: Synthesis and numerical modeling

Magneto-electric (ME) materials are of high interest for a variety of advanced applications like in data storage and sensor technology. Due to the low ME coupling in natural materials, composite structures become relevant which generate the effective ME coupling as a strain-mediated product property. In this framework, it seems to be possible to achieve effective ME coefficients that can be exploited technologically. The present contribution investigates the realization of particulate ME composites with a focus on their experimental and computational characterization. We will show that different states of pre-polarizations of the ferroelectric material have a decisive influence on the overall obtainable ME coefficient. Details on the synthesis of two-phase composite microstructures consisting of a barium titanate matrix and cobalt ferrite inclusions will be discussed. Subsequently we will employ computational homogenization in order to determine the effective properties of the experimental composite numerically. We investigate the influence of different states of pre-polarization on the resulting ME-coefficients. For the numerical incorporation of the pre-polarization we use a heuristic method.     

Physico-Chemical Properties of the Egyptian Tamarind Seed Oil

The physico-chemical properties of the Egyptian Tamarind seed oil were investigated. The seeds were found to contain a fair amount of oil (16.25%). It was found that the oil has a high acid and iodine values in comparison with cotton seed oil. Arachidic, linoleic, oleic, stearic, palmitic, myristic, and lauric were fractionated by gas liquid chromatography from the tamarind seed oil. More than 50% of the total acids are unsaturated. The infrared spectroscopy showed the presence of 7 absorption bands at wave-number cm^?1 (730, 1150, 1380, 1480, 1750, 2900 and 2950) in the investigated oil. On the other hand chemical analysis of the cake showed a lower protein content and higher sugar content.     

Tomato Seed Oil II Evaluation of the Egyptian Tomato Seed Oil and the Residual Meal

The oil extracted from tomato seeds and the resultant cake were evaluated. The whole seeds were analyzed for the gross composition. The oil extracted with hexane was examined for its physical and chemical properties. The residual meal was evaluated for the gross, minerals and amino acids. The obtained results were compared with those of cotton seeds.     

Comparative study of patch antenna loaded with slot split-ring resonators on different substrate materials

This paper presents square patch antenna loaded with slot split-ring resonators. Moreover, this paper discusses the performances of various dielectric substrates, having dielectric constants ranging from 2 to 5. Different substrate has been used to design the antenna such as Bakelite, Rogers RO 4232 and RT Duroid with dielectric constant of 4.8, 3.2 and 2.2, respectively. The resonance frequency is 2.25 GHz; these antennas are suitable for S-band and communication applications. The effect of change in substrate material on the performance of antenna is compared, in terms of reflection coefficient, bandwidth, directivity and radiation pattern.     

Sensitivity of CFP/YFP and GFP/mCherry pairs to donor photobleaching on FRET determination by fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy in living cells

Fluorescent protein-based FRET is a powerful method for visualizing protein-protein interactions and biochemical reactions in living cells. It can be difficult, however, to avoid photobleaching when observing fluorescent cells under the microscope, especially those expressing CFP. We compared the sensitivity of two protein-based FRET pairs to light-induced fluorescence changes in the donor, on FRET determination by fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM). Thanks to the very low excitation light levels of the time- and space-correlated single photon counting (TSCSPC) method, FLIM acquisitions were achieved without donor photobleaching. Here, we show that photobleaching of CFP by a mercury lamp under the microscope induced a decrease in the mean fluorescence lifetime, which interfered with FRET determination between CFP and YFP. Importantly, the range of light-induced variation of the mean fluorescence lifetime of CFP was not proportional to the decrease in the steady state fluorescence intensity and varied from cell to cell. The choice of the CFP/YFP pair therefore requires that the cells be observed and analyzed at very low light levels during the whole FRET experiment. In contrast, the GFP/mCherry pair provided an accurate FRET measurement by FLIM, even if some GFP photobleaching took place. We thus demonstrate that CFP can be an unreliable donor for FRET determination in living cells, due to its photosensitivity properties. We demonstrate that the GFP/mCherry pair is better suited for FRET measurement by FLIM in living cells than the CFP/YFP pair.     

High Resolution Magnetic Resonance Imaging Evaluation of Cheese

ABSTRACT: The curd granules/joints structure of the Emmentaler was observed by NMR micro-imaging during the different stages of cheesemaking. During the ripening process, many carbon dioxyde microbubbles have been visualized inside the curd grains, as well as some volumes of fat outside the grains. At the end of the ripening stage, images reveal the final structure does not have a uniform lipid distribution of grains: the density is high at the boundaries and low at the center. Moisture and fat content profile of the rind has been obtained and rind-dependent water and/or fat accumulations are observed. Finally, the contrast difference between curd joints and grains of the studied samples confirms that a higher draining occurs for the joints than for the grains during cheesemaking.