Synthesis of silver nanoparticles by gelcasting using a low toxic monomer and optimization of gelation time using the Taguchi method

Silver nanoparticles were synthesized using a gelcasting process, which includes using in situ polymerization for forming the samples followed by calcination. Methacrylamide (MAM) was used as a monomer and N,N′-methylene-bis-acrylamide (MBAM) was used as a cross-linker to form a cross-linked polymer network. The effects of monomer content, cross-linker to monomer ratio, and silver salt to monomer ratio on gelation time were investigated using the Taguchi experimental design method. A set of 16 experiments was conducted at a constant temperature and agitation speed. The results from the Minitab design of experiments (DOE) analysis indicate that the cross-linker to monomer ratio had the greatest effect on gelation time. Finally, silver nanoparticles were synthesized by burning out a gel sample in a furnace. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis showed that the average size of the silver nanoparticles was approximately 42 nm.     

Structural, electrical and magnetic characterizations of Ni/Cu/p-Si Schottky diodes prepared by liquid phase epitaxy

In this paper, we have investigated the structural, electrical and magnetic characterizations of Ni/Cu/p-Si Schottky diode prepared by liquid phase epitaxy (LPE). Current density-voltage (J-V), capacitance-voltage (C-V) and capacitance-frequency (C-f) measurements were performed to determine the conduction mechanisms as well as extracting the important diode parameters. Rectifying properties were obtained, which definitely of the Schottky diode type. At low voltages, (0 < V ? 0.4 V), current density in the forward direction was found to obey the diode equation, while for higher voltages, (0.5 < V ? 1.5 V), conduction was dominated by a space-charge-limited conduction (SCLC) mechanism. Analysis of the experimental data under reverse bias suggests a transition from electrode-limited to a bulk-limited conduction process for lower and higher applied voltages, respectively. Diode parameters such as, the built-in potential, V_b, the carrier concentration, N, the width of the depletion layer, W, of the Ni/Cu/p-Si Schottky diode were obtained from the C-V measurements at high frequency (1 MHz). The capacitance-frequency measurements showed that the values of capacitance were highly frequency dependent at low frequency region but independent at high frequencies. The Ni/Cu/p-Si Schottky diode showed magnetic properties due to the effect of Ni in the heterostructure.     

Isolation of avian serotype 3 paramyxoviruses from imported caged birds in Israel

Ten avian serotype 3 paramyxoviruses were isolated for the first time in Israel from passerine and psittacine imported caged birds. The birds were submitted for investigation of an illness characterized by nonspecific signs of weakness, anorexia, vomiting, and sneezing. In addition, only the parakeets developed specific neurologic signs. In bacteriologic and pathologic investigation, cachexia and diarrhea were observed in both groups of birds. In psittacines, considerable alterations were observed in lungs, liver, and spleen. Some nonviral pathogens were occasionally isolated. The isolates appeared to belong to serotype 3b avian paramyxovirus (APMV), the prototype strain of which is APMV-3b/parakeet/Netherlands/449/75. The isolation of APMV-3 viruses from imported caged birds may represent a way of introduction of these viruses into the country.     

Frequency and Voltage Dependence of the Dielectric Properties of Ni/SiO 2 /P-Si (MOS) Structure

The frequency (10 - 107 Hz), temperature (303-363 K) or /and bias voltage (−2 to 2 V) dependence of the dielectric properties of     

Radiation dose to neonates undergoing X-ray imaging in special care baby units in Iran

Radiographic imaging has a significant role in the timely diagnosis of the diseases of neonates in intensive care units. The estimation of the dose received by the infants undergoing radiographic examination is of great importance, due to greater more radiosensitivity and longer life expectancy of the neonates and premature babies. In this study, the values of entrance skin dose (ESD), dose area products (DAPs), energy imparted (EI), whole-body dose, effective dose and risk of childhood cancer were estimated using three methods including direct method [using thermoluminescence dosimetry (TLD) chips], indirect method (using tube output) and Monte Carlo (MC) method (using MCNP4C code). In the first step, the ESD of the neonates was directly measured using TLD-100 chips. Fifty neonates, mostly premature, with different weights and gestational ages in five hospitals mostly suffering from respiratory distress syndrome and pneumonia were involved in this study. In the second step, the values of ESD to neonates were indirectly obtained from the tube output in different imaging techniques. The imaging room, incubator, neonates and other components were then simulated in order to obtain the ESD values using the MCNP4C code. Finally, the values of ESD assessed by the three methods were used for calculation of DAP, EI, whole-body dose, effective dose and risk of childhood cancer. The results indicate that the mean ESD per radiograph estimated by the direct, indirect and MC methods are 56.6±4.1, 50.1±3.1 and 54.5±3.3 μGy, respectively. The mean risk of childhood cancer estimated in this study varied between 4.21×10(-7) and 2.72×10(-6).     

MAC-layer channel utilisation enhancements for wireless mesh networks

The authors focus on a wireless mesh network, that is, an ad hoc IEEE 802.11-based network whose nodes are either user devices or Access Points providing access to the mesh network or to the Internet. By relying on some work done within the IEEE 802.11s TG, the network nodes can use one control channel and one or more data channels, each on separate frequencies. Then, some problems related to channel access are identified and a MAC scheme is proposed that specifically addresses the problem of hidden terminals and the problem of coexisting control and data traffic on different frequency channels. An analytical model of the MAC scheme is presented and validated by using the Omnet++ simulator. Through the developed model, we show that our solution achieves very good performance both in regular and in very fragmented mesh topologies, and it significantly outperforms the standard 802.11 solution.     

Simultaneous Determination of Sodium, Potassium, Manganese and Bromine in Tea by Standard Addition Neutron Activation Analysis

Standard addition method was applied for neutron activation analysis of tea leaves. Four brands of tea leaves were analyzed for its Na, K, Mn, and Br contents by this method. The Na, K, Mn, and Br concentrations were found to be in the 90–120 μg/g, 1.8–2.1% w/w, 150–500 and 3–7 μg/g ranges, respectively. The extraction efficiency of these elements, during the infusion, was calculated by analysis of tea leaves before and after the infusion process. It was observed that about 90% of the Na, K, and Br elements were extracted to water during the infusion process. The drinking tea is a rich source of Mn (despite of an extraction efficiency of 50% for this element).     

Wireless mesh networks channel reservation: modelling and delay analysis

In order to overcome the negotiation procedure bottleneck of the standard DCF in wireless mesh networks, the authors propose a new channel reservation function (CRF) that reduces the negotiation overhead of the DCF, which as a result reduces the overall transmission delay effectively without of any extra bandwidth consumption. Furthermore, the authors provide an analytical model for the proposed scheme for which the simulation results measure the amount that the new method can reduce the average total delay for both regular and fragmented mesh topologies demonstrating superiority of the new method over the classic 802.11 solution. Additionally, the authors extend the scheme to multichannel CRF upon which the proposed method can be used for multichannel applications.     

Motion contrast classification is a linearly nonseparable problem

Sensitivity to image motion contrast, that is, the relative motion between different parts of the visual field, is a common and computationally important property of many neurons in the visual pathways of vertebrates. Here we illustrate that, as a classification problem, motion contrast detection is linearly nonseparable. In order to do so, we prove a theorem stating a sufficient condition for linear nonseparability. We argue that nonlinear combinations of local measurements of velocity at different locations and times are needed in order to solve the motion contrast problem.