Fluoro- and Chlorodeoxy Derivatives of Starches

Treatment of 6-O-p-tolylsulfonyl starch with anhydrous potassium fluoride in boiling 1,2-dihydroxyethane afforded deoxyfluorostarches (D. S. Fluorine 0.18). Reaction of starch with hydrofluoric acid in dimethyl sulfoxide at −30 °C gave deoxyfluorostarches of high fluorine content (D. S. Fluorine 0.91). Chlorodeoxystarches have been prepared by the reaction of corn starch with (chloromethylene) dimethylimminium chloride in N, N′-dimethyl-formamide.     

High intergrain critical current density in fine-grain (Ba0.6K0.4)Fe2As2 wires and bulks

The K- and Co-doped BaFe(2)As(2) (Ba-122) superconducting compounds are potentially useful for applications because they have upper critical fields (H(c2)) of well over 50?T, H(c2) anisotropy γ < 2and thin-film critical current densities J(c) exceeding 1?MA?cm(-2) (refs 1-4) at 4.2?K. However, thin-film bicrystals of Co-doped Ba-122 clearly exhibit weak link behaviour for [001] tilt misorientations of more than about 5°, suggesting that textured substrates would be needed for applications, as in the cuprates. Here we present a contrary and very much more positive result in which untextured polycrystalline (Ba(0.6)K(0.4))Fe(2)As(2) bulks and round wires with high grain boundary density have transport critical current densities well over 0.1?MA?cm(-2) (self-field, 4.2?K), more than 10 times higher than that of any other round untextured ferropnictide wire and 4-5 times higher than the best textured flat wire. The enhanced grain connectivity is ascribed to their much improved phase purity and to the enhanced vortex stiffness of this low-anisotropy compound (γ~1-2) when compared with YBa(2)Cu(3)O(7-x) (γ~5).     

Application of selective implantation in Al0.5Ga0.5As/In0.25Ga0.75As/GaAs pseudomorphic single quantum wire structures

A pseudomorphic Al0.5Ga0.5As/In0.25Ga0.75As/GaAs asymmetric quantum wire (QWR) structure was grown on GaAs V-grooved substrate by low pressure metal organic vapor phase epitaxy. The formation of crescent shaped QWRs at the bottom of the V-grooves was confirmed by both transmission electron microscopy and photoluminescence (PL) spectra. The temperature dependence of PL spectra demonstrated a fast decrease of the sidewall quantum well PL intensity with increasing temperature, which originates from relaxation of carriers from well to wire region. The self-aligned dual implantation technique was successfully used to selectively disable the adjacent quantum structures. Decrease of the PL intensity of QWR at 8 K was observed after selective implantation, which resulted from a decreased number of carriers relaxed from adjacent quantum structures.     

Simulating Retention in Gas–Liquid Chromatography: Benzene, Toluene, and Xylene Solutes

Accurate predictions of retention times, retention indices, and partition constants are a long sought-after goal for theoretical studies in chromatography. Although advances in computational chemistry have improved our understanding of molecular interactions, little attention has been focused on chromatography, let alone calculations of retention properties. Configurational-bias Monte Carlo simulations in the isobaric–isothermal Gibbs ensemble were used to investigate the partitioning of benzene, toluene, and the three xylene isomers between a squalane liquid phase and a helium vapor phase. The united-atom representation of the TraPPE (transferable potentials for phase equilibria) force field was used for all solutes and squalane. The Gibbs free energies of transfer and Kovats retention indices of the solutes were calculated directly from the partition constants (which were averaged over several independent simulations). While the calculated Kovats indices of benzene and toluene at T=403 K are significantly higher than their experimental counterparts, much better agreement is found for the xylene isomers at T=365 K.     

Direct vapor phase growth process and robust photoluminescence properties of large area MoS2 layers

There has been growing research interest in the use of molybdenum disulfide in the fields of optoelectronics and energy harvesting devices, by virtue of its indirect-to-direct band gap tunability. However, obtaining large area thin films of MoS2 for future device applications still remains a challenge. In the present study, the amounts of the precursors （S and MOO3） were varied systematically in order to optimize the growth of highly crystalline and large area MoS2 layers by the chemical vapor deposition method. Careful control of the amounts of precursors was found to the key factor in the synthesis of large area highly crystalline flakes. The thickness of the layers was confirmed by Raman spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. The optical properties and chemical composition were studied by photoluminescence （PL） and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The emergence of strong direct excitonic emissions at 1.82 eV （A-exciton, with a normalized PL intensity of -55 × 10^3） and 1.98 eV （B-exciton, with a normalized PL intensity of -5 × 10^3） of the sample at room temperature clearly indicates the high luminescence quantum efficiency. The mobility of the films was found to be 0.09 cm^2/（V.s） at room temperature. This study provides a method for the controlled synthesis of high-quality two-dimensional （2D） transition metal dichalcogenide materials, useful for applications in nanodevices, optoelectronics and solar energv conversion.     

Insights into the Pharmacokinetics and In Vitro Cell-Based Studies of the Imidazoline I2 Receptor Ligand B06

The impact of neurodegenerative diseases (ND) is becoming unbearable for humankind due to their vast prevalence and the lack of efficacious treatments. In this scenario, we focused on imidazoline I₂ receptors (I₂-IR) that are widely distributed in the brain and are altered in patients with brain disorders. We took the challenge of modulating I₂-IR by developing structurally new molecules, in particular, a family of bicyclic α-iminophosphonates, endowed with high affinity and selectivity to these receptors. Treatment of two murine models, one for age-related cognitive decline and the other for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), with representative compound B06 ameliorated their cognitive impairment and improved their behavioural condition. Furthermore, B06 revealed beneficial in vitro ADME-Tox properties. The pharmacokinetics (PK) and metabolic profile are reported to de-risk B06 for progressing in the preclinical development. To further characterize the pharmacological properties of B06, we assessed its neuroprotective properties and beneficial effect in an in vitro model of Parkinson’s disease (PD). B06 rescued the human dopaminergic cell line SH-SY5Y from death after treatment with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) and showed a crucial anti-inflammatory effect in a cellular model of neuroinflammation. This research reveals B06 as a putative candidate for advancing in the difficult path of drug discovery and supports the modulation of I₂-IR as a fresh approach for the therapy of ND.     

CAE FOR THE MANUFACTURING ENGINEER: THE ROLE OF PROCESS SIMULATION IN CONCURRENT ENGINEERING

As America refocuses its attention on the factory, design and manufacturing engineers must work together closely to design the appropriate products, and matching production process in a team effort. By building off the designer's CAE tools that predict product performance, the manufacturing engineer is today able to simulate the proposed production process. Process simulations for the following manufacturing processes are available or being developed:

▪Forging, ▪Machining, ▪Injection Molding, ▪Die Casting, ▪Investment Casting, ▪Metal Forming, ▪Heat Treating, ▪Assembly Tolerancing

By utilizing the same 3-D solid model and finite element modeling tools used by the designer, coupled to powerful analysis simulation tools to predict the transient nonlinear heat transfer and plastic material flow found in many manufacturing processes, the manufacturing engineer is able to explore alternative processing plans, evaluate trade-offs and even influence the design to produce superior products.

Process simulation brings a science to support the manufacturing engineers experience for reduced lead time, lower cost, increase product quality and better understanding of the process. The next step will be to directly link the process simulation to an expert system.

This paper describes the current state of technology in the area of manufacturing process computer simulation for a number of manufacturing operations and suggests how these tools can be used “up-front” and lead to concurrent engineering.     

Ultralow Voltage Nanoelectronics Powered Directly, and Solely, From a Tree

Complex patterns of electrical potential differences exist across the structure of a tree. We have characterized these voltages, and measured values ranging from a few millivolts to a few hundred millivolts for Bigleaf maple trees. These potential differences provide a unique opportunity to power nanoelectronic circuits directly from a tree. We have designed, constructed, and successfully tested two ICs, powered solely through a connection to Bigleaf maple trees. The first circuit, built in a 130-nm technology, creates a stable 1.1 V supply from input voltages as low as 20 mV, and can be deployed to generate a usable voltage level for standard circuits. The second circuit, fabricated in 90-nm technology is a timer, operating at 0.045 Hz and can be used for time keeping in stand-alone sensor network nodes. The boost circuit and timer consume 10 and 2.5 nW of power during operation, respectively.