Synthesis of CdSe nanocrystals in a noncoordinating solvent: effect of reaction temperature on size and optical properties

Colloidal synthesis of high quality CdSe nanocrystals with controllable size and tunable properties have been one of the most important topics of research over the last decade, in view of its huge technological potentials. CdSe is one of the most studied nanocrystals of this category because of its photoluminescence tunability across the visible spectrum. We have synthesized CdSe nanocrystals using CdO precursor in a noncoordinating solvent and studied the effect of the reaction temperature on the size and optical properties of the nanocrystals. The size of the nanocrystals could be varied systematically in the range of 3.5 to 6.6 nm diameter with a remarkably narrow size distribution by controlling only the reaction temperature, without any need for a post-synthesis processing. The band gap and the corresponding band edge emission could be tuned across the entire visible range by tuning the size of the nanocrystals. The narrow width of the photoluminescence emissions of different colours (blue to red) make these nanocrystals a potential candidate for different optical and optoelectronic devices.     

Effect of trehalose and lactose as cryoprotectant during freeze‐drying,in vitro gastro‐intestinal transit and survival of microencapsulated freeze‐dried Lactobacillus casei 431 cells

A novel microencapsulation technique for Lactobacillus casei 431 cells was developed, and the bacterial stability was studied. Cryoprotective solutes were incorporated in the encapsulation mix to improve freeze‐drying survival. The losses of viable cells during drying were recorded as 1.7, 0.84 and 0.38 log Colony‐forming units (cfu)/g for control and samples with trehalose and lactose, respectively. During the simulated gastric‐intestinal transit, trehalose and lactose contributed to higher survivals of 3.1 and 3.0 log cfu/g, respectively, in gastric fluid and 1.3 log and 0.9 log cfu/g, respectively, in 1% bile extract solution. Higher temperature storage was found to be detrimental for cell viability.     

New concept in long-reach PON Planning: BER-aware wavelength allocation

With the use of arrayed-waveguide grating (AWG) and erbium-doped-fiber amplifier (EDFA), the long-reach passive optical network (LR-PON) can provide enormous bandwidth over large distances. However, these new technologies can also deteriorate the receivers' bit-error rate (BER) performance. By bringing the concept of BER-awareness into network planning, we can alleviate the performance deterioration, which could in turn lead to simpler design of receiver and thus lower the total cost of LR-PON.The effects of AWG and EDFA on BER are studied in this paper. An analytical model of BER performance is developed as a function of the output port location in the AWG and the distance of the receiver from the AWG. Not only does the proposed model capture the power loss caused by AWG, but it also accounts for several transmission impairments, including the beat noise due to inter-channel crosstalk in the AWG, the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) noise related to EDFA, and the thermal noise related to the receiver. Based on this model, we propose both short-term and long-term distance-aware wavelength allocation schemes, which balance the BER among the optical network units (ONUs) at different distance. Simulation results show that average BER improves and the relative standard deviation decreases.     

Shaping the response: the role of FcεRI and Syk expression levels in mast cell signaling

Many receptor systems initiate cell signaling through ligand-induced receptor aggregation. For bivalent ligands binding to mono- or bivalent receptors, a plot of the equilibrium concentration of receptors in aggregates against the log of the free ligand concentration, the cross-linking curve, is symmetric and bell shaped. However, steady state cellular responses initiated through receptor cross-linking may have a different dependence on ligand concentration than the aggregated receptors that initiate and maintain these responses. The authors illustrate by considering the activation of the protein kinase Syk that rapidly occurs after high affinity receptors for IgE, FcεRI, are aggregated on the surface of mast cells and basophils. Using a mathematical model of Syk activation the authors investigate two effects, one straightforward and one less so, that result in Syk activation not qualitatively following the cross-linking curve. Model predictions show that if the mechanism by which Syk is fully activated involves the transphosphorylation of Syk by Syk, then Syk activation curves can be either bell shaped or double humped, depending on the cellular concentrations of Syk and FcεRI. The model also predicts that the Syk activation curve can be non-symmetric with respect to the ligand concentration. The cell can exhibit differential Syk activation at two different ligand concentrations that produce identical distributions of receptor aggregates that form and dissociate at the same rates. The authors discuss how, even though it is only receptor aggregates that trigger responses, differences in total ligand concentration can lead to subtle kinetic effects that yield qualitative differences in the levels of Syk activation.     

Electromagnetic plane wave scattering by a system of two uniformlylossy dielectric prolate spheroids in arbitrary orientation

By means of modal series expansions of electromagnetic fields in terms of prolate spheroidal vector wave functions, an exact solution is obtained for the scattering by two uniformly lossy dielectric prolate spheroids in arbitrary orientation embedded in free space, the excitation being a monochromatic plane electromagnetic wave of arbitrary polarization and angle of incidence. Rotational-translational addition theorems for spheroidal vector wave functions are employed to transform the outgoing wave from one spheroid into the incoming wave at the other spheroid. The field solution gives the column vector of the unknown coefficients of the series expansions of the scattered and transmitted fields expressed in terms of the column vector of the known coefficients of the series expansions of the incident field and the system matrix which is independent of the direction and polarization of the incident wave. Numerical results in the form of curves for normalized bistatic and monostatic radar cross sections are given for a variety of two-body system of uniformly lossy dielectric prolate spheroids in arbitrary orientation having resonant or near resonant lengths and different distances of separation     

Kinetics of the vapour phase oxidation of ethyl alcohol on vanadium pentoxide catalyst

The kinetics of V₂O₅-catalysed vapour phase oxidation of ethyl alcohol were studied with the help of a differential fixed-bed flow reactor. The partial pressures of alcohol, oxygen and water were varied in the ranges: 6–10 × 10^–3 atm, 1–10 % × 10^–1 atm, and 0–169 × 10^–3 atm respectively in the temperature range 228–264 °C. The rate equation: deduced by the assumptions of the steady-state redox mechanism, was found to conform to the experimental results. The energies of activation for the partial reactions, namely reduction and oxidation of the catalyst, were found to be 18.9 and 11.8 kcal/mol. The influence of different products was also studied in detail.     

Studies on oxidative stabilisation of lard by natural antioxidants recovered from olive-oil mill wastewater

Free phenolic compounds was extracted by ethyl acetate from olive oil mill wastewater. Extraction yield was 50 mg of total phenol on 100 g of wastewaters. Phenolic compounds recovered, determined by HPLC, were hydroxytyrosol (as major compound) and tyrosol, caffeic acid and ferulic acid (as minor compounds). For determination of antioxidant effects by Rancimat, phenolic extract, dissolved in distilled water, was added in different lard samples in quantity ranged between 50 and 350 mg kg⁻¹. Antioxidant effectiveness was measured also at low temperature.     

An investigation of the growth of In0·53Ga0·47As layers on InP by liquid phase epitaxy

Liquid phase epitaxial growth of lattice-matched In_0·53Ga_0·47As layers on InP substrates is investigated with particular emphasis on the role of interface defects on layer quality. By differential Hall measurements it is established that a bad interface, resulting from the thermal decomposition of InP substrate prior to growth, degrade the electron mobility in all parts of the layer and the effect is most pronounced at regions close to the interface. However layers with much better physical and electrical characteristics are grown following steps to ensure substrate surfaces free from any thermal damage.