Towards β-phase formation probability in spin coated PVDF thin films

This work aimed towards the study on variations in the percentage of β-phase in Poly vinylidene fluoride (PVDF) thin films deposited by spin coating technique. PVDF is a semi-crystalline polymer which exhibits α, β, γ and δ polymorphs. Among these polymorphs, generally it crystallizes in a non-polar α-phase, which is of little importance as far as its applications are concerned. However, the β-phase, which exhibits spontaneous polarity created tremendous interest and showed a path towards the devices based on its pyro- and piezoelectric properties. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and XRD techniques were used to study the percentage of formation of β-phase in spin coated PVDF thin films at different processing conditions viz. spin rotation speed (rpm), solution concentration and annealing temperature. We identified the β-phase percentage in PVDF thin films, which are (i) Deposited with different rotation speeds ranging from 1000 to 9000 rpm, (ii) Annealed at different temperatures viz.; room temperature to 100C, and (iii) Deposited at various solution concentrations. It is identified that percentage of formation of β-phase is high in the films deposited with 15(w/v)% solution concentration which is annealed at 100C. The films deposited at higher rpm is showing low enhancement in the β-phase with annealing temperature.     

Simple and rapid molecular techniques for identification of amylose levels in rice varieties

The polymorphisms of Waxy (Wx) microsatellite and G-T single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the Wx gene region were analyzed using simplified techniques in fifteen rice varieties. A rapid and reliable electrophoresis method, MetaPhor agarose gel electrophoresis (MAGE), was effectively employed as an alternative to polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) for separating Wx microsatellite alleles. The amplified products containing the Wx microsatellite ranged from 100 to 130 bp in length. Five Wx microsatellite alleles, namely (CT)(10), (CT)(11), (CT)(16), (CT)(17), and (CT)(18) were identified. Of these, (CT)(11) and (CT)(17) were the predominant classes among the tested varieties. All varieties with an apparent amylose content higher than 24% were associated with the shorter repeat alleles; (CT)(10) and (CT)(11), while varieties with 24% or less amylose were associated with the longer repeat alleles. All varieties with intermediate and high amylose content had the sequence AGGTATA at the 5'-leader intron splice site, while varieties with low amylose content had the sequence AGTTATA. The G-T polymorphism was further verified by the PCR-AccI cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS) method, in which only genotypes containing the AGGTATA sequence were cleaved by AccI. Hence, varieties with desirable amylose levels can be developed rapidly using the Wx microsatellite and G-T SNP, along with MAGE.     

Research and development of transgenic plants in Malaysia: an example from an Asian developing country

In 2000, agriculture contributed 13% to the national gross domestic product of Malaysia. The country of 23 million people has created a competitive program coordinated by the Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment, research institutions, and universities to undertake biotechnology research in several areas. Intensified research efforts are under way on oil palm, rubber, rice, papaya, and orchids. Although the most progress has been made in rice and papaya, no transgenic crop is ready for field trials. Nonetheless, preliminary steps have been taken to prepare for the trials, and detailed testing protocols are being developed.     

Anti-stress activity of N-phthaloyl gamma-aminobutyric acid in rats

The effect of immobilization restraint stress (RS) on some biochemical and biophysical parameters in rats and their modulation by N-phthaloyl gamma-aminobutyric acid (P.GABA) was studied. RS did not affect the levels of serum Ca2+, inorganic phosphate, bilirubin, total protein, but caused insignificant increase of albumin level and significantly decreased the cholesterol level. This RS induced decrease of serum cholesterol level was reversed by prior treatment with P.GABA, while the albumin content showed a decrease. RS-induced a generalised increase in serum enzyme activity of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alkaline phsophatase (AIP), serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT) and serum glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT). P.GABA normalised RS-induced increase of LDH and AlP activity, but it further enhanced SGOT and SGPT activities. In synaptosomal membranes, RS caused a decrease in clusterization and fluidity, but the thickness of the membrane increased as studied by fluorescence probes. Prior administration of P.GABA normalised the changes observed in the synaptic membrane.     

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy studies of orderly arranged silica nanospheres-synthesis,characterization and dye detection

Silica nanospheres have been explored much for drug delivery, photocatalysis, sensors and energy storage applications. It also acts as a template for Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) substrates. Uniform nanostructures at low cost with high reproducibility are the major challenges in SERS substrate fabrication. In the present work, silica nanospheres were synthesized using stober method and deposited on to glass slides using Vertical deposition techniques. Different size/thickness of Silver (Ag) nanoparticles were deposited onto silica thin films using sputter deposition technique. The monodispersity of silica nanospheres and size of silver nanoparticles (10 nm, 20 nm and 30 nm) were confirmed by FESEM analysis. The structural properties were confirmed through XRD. UV–Vis analysis revealed that the plasmonic properties of Ag@SiO₂ give high surface plasmons for 30 nm thickness of silver. The binding energy of Ag@SiO₂ confirmed through XPS spectrum. The fabricated SERS substrates were used to detect Rhodamine 6G (R6G), Methylene blue (MB), Methylene violet (MV) and Methyl orange dyes as an analyte molecule with a limit of detection at about 10^?11 mol/L. The addition of SiO₂ nanospheres decreases the Ag oxidation rate and increases their stability. The maximum enhancement factor (1.5?×?10⁷) achieved for 30nm thickness of Ag@SiO₂. The results and technique establish the potential applications and reproducible SERS substrate.

     

ZnO:Al thin films from (Al2O3)x(ZnO)(1-x) powder targets by magnetron sputtering

In the present work we prepared Aluminum doped Zinc Oxide (AZO) thin films from powder targets. Various concentrations (W/W percentages) of Al₂O₃ such as1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 6%, 7% and 8% were mixed in ZnO powder and made in the form of a 3 inch disc target. These ceramic targets are sputtered in RF magnetron sputtering unit for the deposition of AZO thin films. Optical and electrical properties are analyzed to get an optimized percentage of mixing for achieving high transparency and low resistivity. At Al₂O₃ percentage of 3% there is a considerable decrement in the resistivity, and at 7% there is a considerable decrease in the optical transmittance. Mobility and carrier concentration are increasing with Al₂O₃ percentage. Bandgap of the films is observed to be decreasing with increasing the Al₂O₃ percentage.     

Feasible solution for dynamic economic load dispatch using feasible operation region

High penetration of renewable energy in the future power system will pose a big problem to the load dispatch operation. The large disturbance and high forecast error must be considered when scheduling a limited number of controllable generators to follow rapid change in load. This paper proposes a dynamic economic load dispatch (DELD) problem approach based on the concept of a feasible operation region (FOR). FOR is defined as the region that committed generators may operate in to match the load profile without violating the ramp‐rate constraints. The DELD problem is solved in two stages. In the first stage, FOR of each generator is computed using recent real‐time forecasted load as well as renewable energy generation. In the second stage, a generation schedule is determined by solving the DELD problem interval by interval while considering ramp‐rate constraints and FOR constraints. The method can gives feasible solution for feasible load and specify the amount of compensation required for feasible solution for infeasible load. © 2013 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.