The Activation Energy <Emphasis Type="Italic">U</Emphasis>(<Emphasis Type="Italic">T</Emphasis>,<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>) in Y-based Superconductors

Based on the Arrhenius equation, a method to calculate the activation energy from the resistance transition is proposed for high temperature superconductors. This method is applied to the Y-based superconductors. The activation energy is found to be U(T,H)∼(1−T/T _c )^4.8(H/H ₀)^−3.8 of YBCO crystal, and U(T,H)∼(1−T/T _c )^3.3(H/H ₀)^−2.2 of Er doped MTG YBCO crystal, respectively. With the obtained activation energy U(T,H), the lower part of the experimental curve ρ(T,H) and its derivative can be reproduced.      

Long-wavelength photodiodes based on <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-GaSb/<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-GaInAsSb/<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-AlGaAsSb heterostructures

Photodiodes sensitive in the wavelength ranges 1–2.5 μm and 1–4.8 μm at room temperature have been created on the basis of n-GaSb/n-GaInAsSb/p-AlGaAsSb double-junction heterostructures of two types. The broadband photosensitivity of the diode structures of both types is indicative of the complete separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs in the staggered n-p heterojunction (n-GaInAsSb/p-AlGaAsSb). The noise characteristics of photodetectors based on the proposed diode structures have been studied. Prospects of the use of these devices in thermophotovoltaic cells for low-temperature radiation sources are considered.     

Impact-ionization-stimulated electroluminescence in isotype <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-GaSb/<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-AlGaAsSb/<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-GaInAsSb heterostructures

We have studied electroluminescence in n-GaSb/n-AlGaAsSb/n-GaInAsSb heterostructures with isotype heterojunctions, in which the quantum efficiency of emission is increased due to the additional production of electron-hole pairs as a result of the impact ionization that takes place near the heterointerface. The impact ionization in such heterostructures is possible due to the presence of deep wells in the energy band structure.     

A comparative study of lignocellulosic ethanol productivities by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Kluyveromyces marxianus</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Saccharomyces cerevisiae</Emphasis>

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is commonly employed in industrial ethanol production, regardless of the capability of Kluyveromyces marxianus strains to produce ethanol at similar or higher levels and on inhibitory conditions. Therefore, in this work strains of S. cerevisiae (ethanol RED and AR5) and K. marxianus (SLP1 and OFF1) were compared for ethanol production from sugarcane bagasse (SCB) and wheat straw (WS) hydrolysates. As it is known, during the lignocellulosic hydrolysis not only free sugars were obtained (SCB, g L^?1: glucose 7.64, xylose 8.38, arabinose 2.43; and WS, g L^?1: glucose 6.07, xylose 6.36, arabinose 2.09) but also growth inhibitors of yeast such as hydroxymethylfurfural and furfural that could modify the fermentation capability. The volumetric ethanol productivity (Q _p) was evaluated, and it was observed that the K. marxianus SLP1 was the most efficient for ethanol production reaching a Q _p of 0.292 and 0.250 g L^?1 h^?1 on SCB and WS hydrolysates, respectively. In contrast, S. cerevisiae AR5 and ethanol RED exhibited a reduced Q _p on SCB, but similar values of Q _p to K. marxianus OFF1 on WS. The results obtained show that it is possible to select K. marxianus yeast strains for ethanol production using SCB and WS hydrolysates obtaining higher Q _p than S. cerevisiae yeast strains. Considering the efficiency of ethanol production and the tolerance to inhibitors, K. marxianus strain SLP1 possesses a great potential as an industrial yeast for lignocellulosic ethanol production.     

Speed of sound in <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-hexane, <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-octane, <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-decane,and <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-hexadecane in the liquid state

This paper describes an improved experimental facility for measuring the speed of sound in liquids with an accuracy of up to 0.1%. Measurements of the speed of sound in liquid n-hexane, n-octane, n-decane, and n-hexadecane at temperatures of 298–433 K and pressures of 0.1–100 MPa have been made. It has been shown that in the possible comparison range the obtained values of the speed of sound are in good agreement with the literature data. Translated from Inzhenerno-Fizicheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 81, No. 4, pp. 732–736, July–August, 2008.     

Project of laser-pumped quantum <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">X</Emphasis></Subscript> magnetometer

The possibility of creating a new scheme of a laser-pumped quantum magnetometric device based on a double-beam M _X magnetometer is considered. The proposed system ensures the simultaneous measurement of the modulus of the Earth’s magnetic field vector (with an absolute accuracy of 0.02 nT) and two angles of deviation of this vector with an absolute accuracy and sensitivity of not worse than 0.4″ (0.1 nT) at a measurement time of τ = 1 s. In contrast to the known analogous systems, the proposed scheme does not require generating additional magnetic fields.     

Thermodynamic modeling of BC<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>N<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">y</Emphasis></Subscript> chemical vapor deposition from mixtures of <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-trimethylborazine and nitrogen

Thermodynamic modeling of the chemical vapor deposition of boron-carbonitride-based films in the B-C-N-H-O system using mixtures of N-trimethylborazine and nitrogen is carried out for reduced pressures (13.3 and 1.33 Pa) and a wide temperature range (300–1300 K). The source of oxygen impurities in this system is a residual pressure of 0.40 Pa. The results indicate that films of various compositions can be grown. The conditions for the deposition of BC _x N _y films are identified.     

Nernst Signal in High-<Emphasis Type="Italic">T</Emphasis><Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">c</Emphasis></Subscript> Superconductors

The time-dependent Ginzburg–Landau equation with thermal noise is used to calculate the Nernst signal e _N , describing the Nernst effect, in type-II superconductor in the vortex-liquid regime. The Gaussian method used is an elaboration of the Hartree–Fock method. An additional assumption often made in analytical calculations that only the lowest Landau level significantly contributes to physical quantities of interest in the high-field limit is lifted by including all the Landau levels. The values of e _N are in good quantitative agreement with experimental data for temperature close to T _c on Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O_8+δ and Bi₂Sr₂Ca₂Cu₃O_10+δ .     

The MITC9 <Emphasis Type="Italic">shell</Emphasis> element in <Emphasis Type="Italic">plate</Emphasis> bending: mathematical analysis of a simplified case

We consider the 9-node shell element referred to as the MITC9 shell element in plate bending solutions and present a simplified mathematical analysis. The element uses bi-quadratic interpolations of the rotations and transverse displacement, and the “rotated Raviart-Thomas” interpolations for the transverse shear stresses. A rigorous mathematical analysis of the element is still lacking, even for the simplified case of plate solutions (that is, flat shells), although the numerical evidence suggests a good and reliable behavior. Here we start such an analysis by considering a very simple particular case; namely, a rectangular plate, clamped all around the boundary, and solved with a uniform decomposition. Moreover, we consider only the so-called limit case, corresponding to the limit equations that are obtained for the thickness t going to zero. While the mathematical analysis of the limit case is simpler, such analysis, in general, gives an excellent indication of whether shear locking is present in the real case t > 0. We detail that the element in the setting considered shows indeed optimal behavior.     

Biological synthesis of calcite crystals using <Emphasis Type="Italic">Scindapsus aureum</Emphasis> petioles

We report a novel strategy for the biological synthesis of calcite crystals using the petioles of the plant Scindapsus aureum. The resultant calcite crystals were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffractometry, and electron diffraction. The biomolecules of S. aureum petioles were confirmed by UV–Vis and FT-IR analysis. The results showed that the spherical or rhombohedral calcite crystals were obtained in the cells of S. aureum petioles. Biomimetic synthesis of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) in aqueous solution containing extracts of S. aureum petioles was also performed to investigate the soluble biomolecules’ influence on crystal growth of CaCO₃. It was found that twinborn spherical calcite crystals were formed, suggesting that the soluble biomolecules of S. aureum play a crucial role in directing the formation of calcite spherical particles. The possible mechanism of formation of CaCO₃ crystals using S. aureum is also discussed; the biomolecules of S. aureum may induce and control the nucleation and growth of CaCO₃ crystals.     

The single publication <Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>-index and the indirect <Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>-index of a researcher

The single publication H-index, introduced by A. Schubert in 2009 can be applied on all articles in the Hirsch-core of a researcher. In this way one can define the “indirect H-index” of a researcher.     

The search for novel superhard and incompressible materials on the basis of higher borides of <Emphasis Type="Italic">s</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">d</Emphasis> metals

The state of the art in the search for novel superhard and (or) incompressible materials on the basis of higher borides of s, p, d metals has been briefly reviewed. The information has been considered about experimental and theoretical studies of the following groups of borides: diborides of 4d, 5d heavy metals (Tc, Ru, Rh, Re, Os, and Ir), hexagonal tetraborides with the WB₄-type structure, and AMB₁₄ borides (where A, M are s, p metals) as well as of a number of related systems.     

Inference with progressively censored <Emphasis Type="Italic">k</Emphasis>-out-of-<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis> system lifetime data

A system with n independent components which works if and only if a least k of its n components work is called a k-out-of-n system. For exponentially distributed component lifetimes, we obtain point and interval estimators for the scale parameter of the component lifetime distribution of a k-out-of-n system when the system failure time is observed only. In particular, we prove that the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) of the scale parameter based on progressively Type-II censored system lifetimes is unique. Further, we propose a fixed-point iteration procedure to compute the MLE for k-out-of-n systems data. In addition, we illustrate that the Newton–Raphson method does not converge for any initial value. Finally, exact confidence intervals for the scale parameter are constructed based on progressively Type-II censored system lifetimes.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-AgCoO<Subscript>2</Subscript>/<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-ZnO heterojunction diode grown by rf magnetron sputtering

P-type transparent semiconducting AgCoO₂ thin films were deposited by rf magnetron sputtering of sintered AgCoO₂ target. The AgCoO₂ films grown by rf sputtering were highly c-axis oriented showing only (001) reflections in the X-ray diffraction pattern unlike in the case of amorphous films grown by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The bulk powder of AgCoO₂ was synthesized by hydrothermal process. The optical bandgap was estimated as 4·15 eV and has a transmission of about 50% in the visible region. The temperature dependence of conductivity shows a semiconducting behaviour. The positive sign of Seebeck coefficient (+220 μVK⁻¹) indicates p-type conductivity. Transparent p-n heterojunction on glass substrate was fabricated by rf magnetron sputtering of p-AgCoO₂ and n-type ZnO: Al thin films. The structure of the diode was glass/ITO/n-ZnO/p-AgCoO₂. The junction between p-AgCoO₂ and n-ZnO was found to be rectifying.     

Nonlinear <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-ary Sequences

Low correlation p-ary sequences with p an odd prime are constructed. They are obtained as Gray images of codewords of a subcode of the generalized Kerdock codes over the ring _p². They can be shown to be nonlinear in some precise sense. The research of this author is partially supported by NUS-ARF research grant R-146-000-029-112 and DSTA research grant R-394-000-011-422.This research was done while this author was visiting Temasek Laboratories and Department of Mathematics, NUS. The author thanks them for their hospitality.Keywords:Galois rings, Gray map, Kerdock code, CDMA.     

Synthesis,growth, optical,mechanical and electrical properties of <Emphasis Type="Italic">L</Emphasis>-lysine <Emphasis Type="Italic">L</Emphasis>-lysinium dichloride nitrate (<Emphasis Type="Italic">L</Emphasis>-LLDN) single crystal

Semi-organic nonlinear optical material, L-lysine L-lysinium dichloride nitrate (2C₆H₁₅N₂O₂⁺_{2}^{+} · H⁺ · NO₃^-_{3}^{-} · 2Cl⁻) was synthesized at room temperature. Single crystals of L-LLDN were grown by slow cooling solution growth technique. The grown crystal was confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction analysis. The crystalline perfection of the grown single crystal was characterized by high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) studies. The cut-off wavelength was determined by UV-vis transmission spectral analysis. The frequency doubling of the grown crystal was confirmed by powder second harmonic generation (SHG) measurement. The refractive index and birefringence of the crystal were determined using He–Ne laser source. Mechanical property of the crystal was determined by Vickers hardness tester. The frequency and temperature dependence of dielectric constant (ε _r), dielectric loss (tan δ) and a.c. conductivity (σ _ac) were also measured.     

Green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles using <Emphasis Type="Italic">Citrus sinensis</Emphasis> extract

This work addresses a low cost, non-toxic green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles prepared using different amounts of Citrus sinensis extract. The zinc oxide nanoparticles presented the Zn–O bond at 618 cm^?1, a crystalline growth in a purely hexagonal wurtzite crystal structure, and different size and shape homogeneity depending on the amount of extract used. The band gap of the ZnO was at around 2.91 eV for all samples. The photocatalytic degradation studies were carried out using methylene blue with the zinc oxide nanoparticles under UV light; where sample M2 presented a degradation of around 83% at 120 min. These results presented a better degradation rate than commercially available zinc oxide nanoparticles.     

Electrical and photoelectric properties of electrodeposited <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-Si/<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-Cd<Subscript>1 - <Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Zn<Subscript>x</Subscript>S heterojunctions

n-Si/n-Cd_{1 - x} Zn_xS heterojunctions are produced by electrodepositing Cd_{1 - x} Zn_xS (0 x 0.6) films on silicon substrates, and their electrical and photoelectric properties are studied. The results demonstrate that the spectral response of the heterojunctions depends strongly on the film composition and heat-treatment conditions. The highest photosensitivity is achieved at x = 0.6 by heat treatment at 350°C for 7 min: V _OC = 0.5 V and I _SC = 3.8 mA/cm² under illumination of 1500 lx at 300 K.Translated from Neorganicheskie Materialy, Vol. 41, No. 3, 2005, pp. 276–280.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Mamedov, Gasanov, Amirova.This revised version was published online in April 2005 with a corrected cover date.This revised version was published online in April 2005 with a corrected cover date.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis> junctions in ZnO implanted with group V ions

n-Type ZnO〈Ga〉 films were implanted with 150-keV N⁺ (As⁺) ions to a dose of 7 × 10¹⁵ cm⁻² and then annealed in atomic oxygen at different temperatures. p-Type conductivity was obtained at annealing temperatures in the range 770–870 K. The parameters of the p-type layers were determined by photoluminescence spectroscopy, secondary ion mass spectrometry, and Hall effect measurements. According to the Hall data, the p-type layers had a resistivity of ∼30 Ω cm, carrier mobility of ∼2 cm²/(V s), and carrier concentration of ∼10¹⁸ cm⁻³. The electroluminescence spectra of the p-n junctions produced by ion implantation showed a band at 440 nm, due to recombination via donor-acceptor pairs.     

Investigation of mechanical and superconducting properties of iron diffusion-doped <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bi</Emphasis>-<Emphasis Type="Italic">2223</Emphasis> superconductors

The mechanical and superconducting properties of the Fe diffusion-doped (Bi-Pb)-2223 superconductor have been investigated. First, iron was evaporated on Bi-2223 superconductor and then the Fe layered superconductor was annealed at 830 °C for 10, 30 and 60 h. Static Vickers hardness, dc electrical resistivity, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microcopy have been carried out to assess the effects of Fe doping. These measurements indicates that Fe doping, in comparison with the undoped samples, increased the critical transition temperature, and improved formation of high T _c phase, while decreasing the number and size of voids. Moreover, both microhardness and grain size were also enhanced by increasing the amount of diffusion. The values of microhardness were found to be load dependent. In addition, we have investigated the indentation size effect (ISE) behavior using some models such as the Kick’s law, modified proportional specimen resistance (MPRS) model and the Hays- Kendall (HK) approach. Among them, both HK and MPRS models are successful. In this study, the possible reasons of noticed improvement on mechanical and physical properties due to iron diffusion are discussed.