Microwave-assisted synthesis of WS2 nanowires through tetrathiotungstate precursors

Tungsten disulfide (WS₂) nanowires have been synthesized through a microwave-assisted chemical route that uses tungstic acid, elemental sulfur and monoethanolamine as starting reagents for obtaining a precursor solution of tetrathiotungstate ions. Acidification of the precursor solution yields amorphous precipitates, which lead to the formation of nanowires of WS₂ with thickness of about 5–10 nm when heated at 750 °C under argon atmosphere for 1.5 h. Phase and the microstructure of the prepared powders have been investigated through x-ray powder diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, respectively. Optical absorption of the WS₂ powders reveals a red shift of the exciton bands compared to bulk WS₂.     

Ferromagnetism above room temperature in bulk and transparent thin films of Mn-doped ZnO

The search for ferromagnetism above room temperature in dilute magnetic semiconductors has been intense in recent years. We report the first observations of ferromagnetism above room temperature for dilute (<4 at.%) Mn-doped ZnO. The Mn is found to carry an average magnetic moment of 0.16 mu(B) per ion. Our ab initio calculations find a valance state of Mn(2+) and that the magnetic moments are ordered ferromagnetically, consistent with the experimental findings. We have obtained room-temperature ferromagnetic ordering in bulk pellets, in transparent films 2-3 microm thick, and in the powder form of the same material. The unique feature of our sample preparation was the low-temperature processing. When standard high-temperature (T > 700 degrees C) methods were used, samples were found to exhibit clustering and were not ferromagnetic at room temperature. This capability to fabricate ferromagnetic Mn-doped ZnO semiconductors promises new spintronic devices as well as magneto-optic components.     

MSurvPow: a FORTRAN program to calculate the sample size and power for cluster-randomized clinical trials with survival outcomes

Manatunga and Chen [A.K. Manatunga, S. Chen, Sample size estimation for survival outcomes in cluster-randomized studies with small cluster sizes, Biometrics 56 (2000) 616-621] proposed a method to estimate sample size and power for cluster-randomized studies where the primary outcome variable was survival time. The sample size formula was constructed by considering a bivariate marginal distribution (Clayton-Oakes model) with univariate exponential marginal distributions. In this paper, a user-friendly FORTRAN 90 program was provided to implement this method and a simple example was used to illustrate the features of the program.     

An efficient adaptive artificial neural network based text to speech synthesizer for Hindi language

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Speech recognition is one of the major research regions these days under speech processing. This paper depends on developing a whole process that takes the input...     

Graphene oxide/ferrofluid/cement composites for electromagnetic interference shielding application

This paper deals with the preparation of graphene oxide-ferrofluid-cement nanocomposites to evaluate the electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness (SE) in the 8.2-12.4 GHz frequency range. It has been observed that incorporation of graphene oxide (30 wt%) along with an appropriate amount of ferrofluid in the cement matrix leads to a shielding effectiveness of 46 dB (>99% attenuation).The presence of graphene oxide and ferrofluid in the cement leads to strong polarizations and magnetic losses that consequently result in higher shielding effectiveness compared to pristine cement. The resulting nanocomposites have shown Shore hardness of 54 and dc conductivity of 10.40 S cm( - 1). SEM reveals the homogeneous dispersion of graphene oxide and ferrofluid in the cement matrix.     

Bright red electroluminescence in diffused porous siliconp-n junction

We report the first operation of light emittingp-n junction diode in porous silicon fabricated by diffusion.     

Evaluation of solar fraction (Fn) for quonset type empty greenhouse: an experimental validation

In this study, the experiments were conducted from December 2000 to November 2001 to evaluate solar fraction (F_n) for quonset type empty greenhouse. Solar radiation was measured at different points inside and outside the greenhouse weekly once. The model based on Auto-CAD 2000 has been used for a given solar altitude and azimuth angles. Calculations have also been carried out for a typical day of each month of the year. It is observed that the solar fraction obtained by using Auto-CAD 2000 are very close to the value determined by using experimental observations and its value is more during winter months. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Nature in Hindu art, architecture and landscape

The article explores the Hindu attitudes towards nature as discerned through art, architecture and landscape. In this transcendental view, nature is seen as manifestation of divinity. The symbolic meanings of natural elements such as tree, mountain, water, and earth in religious thought are described. These meanings form a basis on which the order of nature is represented as a cosmic ideal within sacred landscape and architecture. In the arts and literature, continuity between the natural and human world is expressed as a consequence of natural elements being anthropomorphised as gods and goddesses. Hindu tradition therefore shows little of the duality between nature and culture which is encountered in some other traditions.     

Finite element analysis of piezoelectric thin film membrane structures

Thin film structures have found a wide variety of applications in electromechanical technologies. As the design flexibility for these structures increases, so does the demand for design software that can provide some good insights into the behavior of the structure before it is fabricated. In this study, a finite element code based on a combination of equivalent single-plate theory and classical laminated plate theory was used to predict the dynamic response of thin film structures in micro length scale. As a benchmark for the code development, thin film structures were also fabricated using MEMS technology, and their fundamental frequencies were characterized. It was demonstrated that the model predictions matched fairly well with the experimental data for the small membranes with widths less than 200 microm, but underestimated them for large ones with widths greater than 500 microm. The model also demonstrated that the fundamental frequencies increased with the thickness of the layers. The areas that need to be investigated further in order to improve the predicative capability of the calculations include effects of residual stress, dc bias voltage, parasitic capacitance, interaction of membrane vibration with the supports of the structure, and accurate measurement of the dimensions and material properties of the thin films.