Ordered Arrays of Ge(Si) Quantum Dots Incorporated into Two-Dimensional Photonic Crystals

Semiconductors - Two different approaches to the integration of self-assembled Ge(Si) quantum dots into two-dimensional photonic crystals are considered. One approach includes the synthesis of an...     

Structural and mechanical properties of advanced polymer gels with rigid side-chains using coarse-grained molecular dynamics

Computational modeling was utilized to design complex polymer networks and gels which display enhanced and tunable mechanical properties. Our approach focuses on overcoming traditional design limitations often encountered in the formulation of simple, single polymer networks. Here, we use a coarse-grained model to study an end-linked flexible polymer network diluted with branched polymer solvent chains, where the latter chains are composed of rigid side-chains or “spikes” attached to a flexible backbone. In order to reduce the entropy penalty of the flexible polymer chains these rigid “spikes” will aggregate into clusters, but the extent of aggregation was shown to depend on the size and distribution of the rigid side-chains. When the “spikes” are short, we observe a lower degree of aggregation, while long “spikes” will aggregate to form an additional secondary network. As a result, the tensile relaxation modulus of the latter system is considerably greater than the modulus of conventional gels and is approximately constant, forming an equilibrium zone for a broad range of time. In this system, the attached long “spikes” create a continuous phase that contributes to a simultaneous increase in tensile stress, relaxation modulus and fracture resistance. Elastic properties and deformation mechanisms of these branched polymers were also studied under tensile deformation at various strain rates. Through this study we show that the architecture of this branched polymer can be optimized and thus the elastic properties of these advanced polymer networks can be tuned for specific applications.     

The National Fund of the Republic of Kazakhstan (NFRK): From accumulation to stress-test to global future

Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWF) have different titles, goals and rules, but they share the underlying objective of helping governments deal with the problems created by large and variable revenues (mainly from energy or other commodity related sectors). In Kazakhstan, such a fund (the National Fund of the Republic of Kazakhstan (NFRK)) was established in 2000. This fund operates as both a stabilisation and a savings fund. The first test for the NFRK was 2007–2009 financial crisis, where the NFRK “saved” the economy and guarantied its speedy recovery. The paper analyses the NFRK's operation up to 2007 and during the crisis years 2007–9, before drawing conclusions and implications for the future. Between 2001 and 2007 the NFRK conservatively accumulated assets, which proved to be useful in limiting the impact of the post-2007 crisis. However, the pre-2007 experience indicated structural weaknesses associated with discretionary executive authority and non-transparency. The paper concludes by observing that this history has created significant challenges for the future.     

Color control of interference pigments dispersed in translucent media

This article presents a method of evaluating the color of special‐effect pigments dispersed in translucent media and of characterizing the color of such media. An analytical model eliminating the effect of sample thickness variations is proposed. The method is based on reflectance measurements against both white and black backgrounds and is applied to the flexible poly(vinyl chloride) model for the quality control of pearlescent/interference/aluminum pigments based on the calculated color differences and for creating a color‐matching database for computer color formulation. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 27, 83–87, 2002; DOI 10.1002/col.10032     

Centaurus: An Infrastructure for Service Management in Ubiquitous Computing Environments

In the near future, we will see dramatic changes in computing and networking hardware. A large number of devices (e.g., phones, PDAs, even small household appliances) will become computationally enabled. Micro/nano sensors will be widely embedded in most engineered artifacts, from the clothes we wear to the roads we drive on. All of these devices will be (wirelessly) networked using Bluetooth, IEEE 802.15 or IEEE 802.11 for short range connectivity creating pervasive environments. In this age where a large number of wirelessly networked appliances and devices are becoming commonplace, there is a necessity for providing a standard interface to them that is easily accessible by any user. This paper outlines the design of Centaurus, an infrastructure for presenting services to heterogeneous mobile clients in a physical space via some short range wireless links. The infrastructure is communication medium independent; we have implemented the system over Bluetooth, CDPD and Infrared, three well-known wireless technologies. All the components in our model use a language based on Extensible Markup Language (XML) for communication, giving the system a uniform and easily adaptable interface. Centaurus defines a uniform infrastructure for heterogeneous services, both hardware and software, to be made available to diverse mobile users within a confined space.     

Combination of Ozonation and the Fenton Processes for Landfill Leachate Treatment: Evaluation of Treatment Efficiency

Single processes such as ozonation, ozone/hydrogen peroxide, Fenton and several combined treatment schemes were applied for leachate collected from a waste disposal site. The implementation of combined Fenton and ozonation processes resulted in the highest chemical oxygen demand removal (77% from initial value) among all the treatment methods applied, while biodegradability improvement was observed during the Fenton pre-treatment only. Some decrease of chemical oxygen demand was obtained during the single ozonation or combined schemes including ozone resulting in slight if any biodegradability improvement. The addition of hydrogen peroxide to ozonation did not enhance chemical oxygen demand, dissolved organic carbon or biochemical oxygen demand removal compared to ozone alone. Ferric chloride coagulation used as a pre-treatment stage did not improve subsequent chemical oxygen demand removal by ozonation or the Fenton processes. Taking into account the effective chemical oxygen demand, dissolved organic carbon removal and biodegradability improvement the single Fenton process seems to be a preferable treatment method for the leachate treatment. Some reduction in toxicity to Daphnia magna was observed after the application of the studied treatment methods.     

Ozonation,Ozone/UV and UV/H2O2 Degradation of Chlorophenols

The performance of the O₃, O₃/UV and UV/H₂O₂ processes for degradation of six chlorophenols (4-chlorophenol, 2-chlorophenol, 2,4-dichlorophenol, 2,4,6-trichlorophenol, 2,3,4,6-tetrachlorophenol and pentachlorophenol) were studied in laboratory reactors. Comparative study showed that chlorophenols can be degraded successfully by all of the methods studied, whilst traditional ozonation at high pH was determined to be the most effective method to treat chlorophenols. Even though the molar absorptivity of chlorophenols is known to be relatively high in the UV-region, the combination of UV-radiation with ozone did not accelerate the degradation of chlorophenols further. The toxicity of degradation products formed during ozonation of chlorophenols has been compared with the toxicity of pure chlorophenols utilizing Daphnia magna 24 hours test. Ozonation of chlorophenols yielded less toxic or even nontoxic products for Daphnia magna compared with parent compounds.     

Physical, chemical and palynological characterization of avocado (Persea americana Mill.) honey in Israel

Various methods were used to characterize avocado honey in Israel. Perseitol, a unique sugar present only in avocado honey, served as an indicator for the degree of purity of avocado honey. Low avocado pollen counts made the common melissopalynology method ineffective at predicting the contribution of avocado nectar to honey. It was also found that the levels of fructose, sucrose and glucose do not uniquely characterize avocado honey. Potassium content and eight other minerals were linearly highly correlated to perseitol content. Moreover, pH level, absorbance and degree of darkness were significantly correlated to perseitol content, and can therefore be used to characterize avocado honey.