207 research outputs found
Ac conductivity and dielectric properties of CuFe1−xCrxO2 : Mg delafossite
The electrical and dielectric properties of CuFe(1−x)Cr(x)O(2) (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) powders, doped with 3% of Mg and prepared by solid-state reaction, were studied by broadband dielectric spectroscopy in the temperature range from −100 to 150 °C. The frequency-dependent electrical and dielectric data have been discussed in the framework of a power law conductivity and complex impedance and dielectric modulus. At room temperature, the ac conductivity behaviour is characteristic of the charge transport in CuFe1−xCrxO2 powders. The substitution of Fe3+ by Cr3+ results in an increase in dc conductivity and a decrease in the Cu+–Cu+ distance. Dc conductivity, characteristic onset frequency and Havriliak–Negami characteristics relaxation times are thermally activated above −40 °C for x = 0.835. The associated activation energies obtained from dc and ac conductivity and from impedance and modulus losses are similar and show that CuFe1−xCrxO2 delafossite powders satisfy the BNN relation. Dc and ac conductivities have the same transport mechanism, namely thermally activated nearest neighbour hopping and tunnelling hopping above and below −40 °C, respectively
Effects of Fe doping in La1/2Ca1/2MnO3
The effect of Fe doping in the Mn site on the magnetic, transport and
structural properties of polycrystalline La1/2Ca1/2MnO3 was studied. Doping
with low Fe concentration (< 10%) strongly affects electrical transport and
magnetization. Long range charge order is disrupted even for the lowest doping
level studied (~2%). For Fe concentration up to 5% a ferromagnetic state
develops at low temperature with metallic like conduction and thermal
hysteresis. In this range, the Curie temperature decreases monotonously as a
function of Fe doping. Insulating behavior and a sudden depression of the
ferromagnetic state is observed by further Fe doping.Comment: 2 pages, presented at ICM2000, to appear in JMM
Fate of toxic organic compounds during bioconversion of wastewater sludge to value added products
Abstract: Bioconversion of wastewater sludge (WWS) has made a substantial progress over last years. Traditional microbial products from WWS such as compost or methane are well studied, but other value added products (VAPs) such as biopesticides, microbial inoculants or industrial enzymes are now proposed. These WWS based VAPs are low cost biological alternatives that can compete with chemicals or other costly biological products in fructuous markets. However, when WWS is used as a raw material for VAPs production, questions still remain about the occurrence and persistence of toxic organic compounds (TxOCs) within biotransformed WWS, especially their toxic intermediates resulting from partial biodegradation. The microbial strains and techniques used for producing these VAPs can possibly remove these organic pollutants. Some literature findings concerning the impact of value added production on TxOCs removal are discussed in this paper. The potential of "value added producers" to degrade or detoxify TxOCs and toxic intermediates is also discussed. This paper proposes that future value added processes should focus to obtain TxOCs free -WWS based VAPs for preventing environmental contamination as well as favouring commercialization and public acceptance for these novel products
Phenolic composition and antioxidant activity in sparkling wines: Modulation by the ageing on lees
AbstractSparkling wines (SW) have a special biological ageing on lees that is performed using two distinct methods: in the bottle (Champenoise) or in isobaric tanks (Charmat method). The objective of this study was to compare the levels of phenolic compounds, β-Glucosidase and antioxidant activity during the ageing on lees, in samples of SW produced at industrial scale by both methods. The β-Glucosidase activity has been constant over time, showing a close relationship with all the polyphenols studied (resveratrol, piceid, tyrosol, gallic, caffeic and ferulic acids), which were affected by the sur lie time. With these cross-reactions, the biological properties of the SW were also modulated. The results showed that the long period of ageing decreased the antioxidant potential in all samples. This work demonstrates that the sur lie is more important than the production method itself, due to its ability to modulate the necessary changes to achieve the specific objective
A pantropical population genetics study on cashew crop: uncovering genetic diversity and agrobiodiversity hotspots
XIX ENBE Annual Meeting of the Portuguese Association for Evolutionary Biology, 18-19 December 2023, Lisboninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Signal modeling of high-purity Ge detectors with a small read-out electrode and application to neutrinoless double beta decay search in Ge-76
The GERDA experiment searches for the neutrinoless double beta decay of Ge-76
using high-purity germanium detectors enriched in Ge-76. The analysis of the
signal time structure provides a powerful tool to identify neutrinoless double
beta decay events and to discriminate them from gamma-ray induced backgrounds.
Enhanced pulse shape discrimination capabilities of "Broad Energy Germanium"
detectors with a small read-out electrode have been recently reported. This
paper describes the full simulation of the response of such a detector,
including the Monte Carlo modeling of radiation interaction and subsequent
signal shape calculation. A pulse shape discrimination method based on the
ratio between the maximum current signal amplitude and the event energy applied
to the simulated data shows quantitative agreement with the experimental data
acquired with calibration sources. The simulation has been used to study the
survival probabilities of the decays which occur inside the detector volume and
are difficult to assess experimentally. Such internal decay events are produced
by the cosmogenic radio-isotopes Ge-68 and Co-60 and the neutrinoless double
beta decay of Ge-76. Fixing the experimental acceptance of the double escape
peak of the 2.614 MeV photon to 90%, the estimated survival probabilities at
Qbb = 2.039 MeV are (86+-3)% for Ge-76 neutrinoless double beta decays,
(4.5+-0.3)% for the Ge-68 daughter Ga-68, and (0.9+0.4-0.2)% for Co-60 decays.Comment: 27 pages, 17 figures. v2: fixed typos and references. Submitted to
JINS
New antibacterial paper made of silver phosphate cellulose fibers: a preliminary study on the elimination of Staphylococcus aureus involved in diabetic foot ulceration
Aim. To evaluate in vitro the antibacterial effect of a paper made of silver phosphate cellulose fibers (SPCF) on Staphylococcus aureus, the most common diabetic foot ulceration (DFU) pathogen when compared with other common commercial products. Methods. The antibacterial activity of SPCF samples was evaluated through time with cell counting on agar plates. SPCF samples were then compared with commercial wound care products currently in use in DFU treatments (Silvercel™, Acticoat 7, and Aquacel Ag ExtraTM) through time on agar plates (growth inhibition zones). Results. After 6 hours, there was no viable bacterial cell detected on either plate (p < 0.05). There was a net growth inhibition zone for SPCF samples but no significant difference between the two silver concentrations. Compared with common commercial products, SPCF paper provides results equal to Acticoat 7 (p < 0.05) and superior to Aquacel AG ExtraTM and Silvercel™ at lower silver concentrations (p < 0.001). Conclusions. These results have shown the efficiency of SPCF paper to eliminate Staphylococcus aureus in these conditions. SPCF papers are effective when compared with other common commercial products and could have an industrial potential in wound care. Infected DFU could benefit from the antibacterial effectiveness of SPCF, but more relevant experimentations related to foot ulcers are needed
Correlation effects on electronic transport through dots and wires
We investigate how two-particle interactions affect the electronic transport
through meso- and nanoscopic systems of two different types: quantum dots with
local Coulomb correlations and quasi one-dimensional quantum wires of
interacting electrons. A recently developed functional renormalization group
scheme is used that allows to investigate systems of complex geometry.
Considering simple setups we show that the method includes the essential
aspects of Luttinger liquid physics (one-dimensional wires) as well as of the
physics of local correlations, with the Kondo effect being an important
example. For more complex systems of coupled dots and Y-junctions of
interacting wires we find surprising new correlation effects.Comment: to appear in "Advances in Solid State Physics" Volume 46, Ed. R. Haug
(Springer, 2006
Pulse shape discrimination studies with a Broad-Energy Germanium detector for signal identification and background suppression in the GERDA double beta decay experiment
First studies of event discrimination with a Broad-Energy Germanium (BEGe)
detector are presented. A novel pulse shape method, exploiting the
characteristic electrical field distribution inside BEGe detectors, allows to
identify efficiently single-site events and to reject multi-site events. The
first are typical for neutrinoless double beta decays (0-nu-2-beta) and the
latter for backgrounds from gamma-ray interactions. The obtained survival
probabilities of backgrounds at energies close to Q(76Ge) = 2039 keV are 0.93%
for events from 60Co, 21% from 226Ra and 40% from 228Th. This background
suppression is achieved with 89% acceptance of 228Th double escape events,
which are dominated by single site interactions. Approximately equal acceptance
is expected for 0-nu-2-beta-decay events. Collimated beam and Compton
coincidence measurements demonstrate that the discrimination is largely
independent of the interaction location inside the crystal and validate the
pulse-shape cut in the energy range of Q(76Ge). The application of BEGe
detectors in the GERDA and the Majorana double beta decay experiments is under
study.Comment: 22 pages, 16 figures, submitted to JINST: JINST_018P_080
Pulse shape discrimination studies with a Broad-Energy Germanium detector for signal identification and background suppression in the GERDA double beta decay experiment
First studies of event discrimination with a Broad-Energy Germanium (BEGe)
detector are presented. A novel pulse shape method, exploiting the
characteristic electrical field distribution inside BEGe detectors, allows to
identify efficiently single-site events and to reject multi-site events. The
first are typical for neutrinoless double beta decays (0-nu-2-beta) and the
latter for backgrounds from gamma-ray interactions. The obtained survival
probabilities of backgrounds at energies close to Q(76Ge) = 2039 keV are 0.93%
for events from 60Co, 21% from 226Ra and 40% from 228Th. This background
suppression is achieved with 89% acceptance of 228Th double escape events,
which are dominated by single site interactions. Approximately equal acceptance
is expected for 0-nu-2-beta-decay events. Collimated beam and Compton
coincidence measurements demonstrate that the discrimination is largely
independent of the interaction location inside the crystal and validate the
pulse-shape cut in the energy range of Q(76Ge). The application of BEGe
detectors in the GERDA and the Majorana double beta decay experiments is under
study.Comment: 22 pages, 16 figures, submitted to JINST: JINST_018P_080
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