Method and means for generation of tunable laser sidebands in the far-infrared region

A method for generating tunable far-infrared radiation is described. The apparatus includes a Schottky-barrier diode which has one side coupled through a conductor to a waveguide that carries a tunable microwave frequency; the diode has an opposite side which is coupled through a radiating whisker to a bias source. Infrared light is directed at the diode, and infrared light with tunable sidebands is radiated by the whisker through an open space to a reflector. The original infrared is separated from a tunable infrared sideband by a polarizing Michelson interferometer

Performance of multiplexed Ge:Ga detector arrays in the far infrared

The performance of two multi-element, multiplexed Ge:Ga linear arrays under low-background conditions was investigated. The on-focal switching is accomplished by MOSFET switches, and the integrated charge is made available through MOSFET source followers. The tests were conducted at 106 microns, and the radiation on the detectors was confined to a spectral window 1.25 microns wide using a stack of cold filters. At 4.2 K, the highest responsivity was 584 A/W, the noise equivalent power was 1.0 x 10(exp -16) W/square root of Hz, and the read noise was 6100 electrons/sample. A detailed description of the test setup and procedure is presented

Pineapples internal quality inspection approaches and its potential effects in Malaysia

Pineapple (Ananas Comosus L. Metil) is a tropical plant under Bromeliaceous family that is grown in American tropics, subtropics, and warmer regions (U. Nations 2012). Pineapple is the second harvest tropical fruit after banana in the world (S. Ndungu 2014). Pineapple has spiny skin that will turn into yellowish brown from green when ripe. Pineapple is a non-climatic fruit that will stop ripping once it is harvested. Pineapple is famous not only because its taste but also its nutrients for health (M. Farid Hossain 2015, p.84). It contains nutriet that can supply suffiecient requirement of calcium, sodium, potassium, fibre, vitamin C, and so on. Those nutrients can help to build up healthy and growth of bone, enhance body immune system, and decrease high blood pressure for body system

Radiation-Induced Graft Copolymerization of Methyl Acrylate and Acrylic Acid onto Rubber Wood Fiber

Graft copolymerization of methyl acrylate and acrylic acid monomers onto rubber wood fiber (RWF) was carried out by simultaneous radiation-induced technique. The parameters affecting the grafting reaction were investigated and the optimum conditions for both monomers obtained are as follows: impregnation time, 16 hours; total dose, 30 kGy; methanol:water ratio, 3: 1 ; monomers concentration, 40 v/v% and sulphuric acid concentration, 0.1 mol/L. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Thermogravimetry Analysis (TGA), and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analyses were performed to characterize graft copolymers. The structural investigation by X-ray diffraction (XRD) shows the degree of crystallinity of rubber wood fiber decreased with the incorporation of poly(methyl acrylate) and poly(acrylic acid) grafts which causes partial destruction of the inherent crystallinity in fiber. The sorption behavior of poly(acrylic acid)- grafted RWF resin toward some metal ions was investigated using a batch technique. The binding capacities ofeu, Fe, Zn, Cd and Pb ions were 0.379, 0.795, 0.189, 0.921 and 1.218 mmol/g, respectively. The sorption capacities of poly(acrylic acid)-grafted RWF resin were selectivity toward these metal ions is in the following order: Pb > Cd> Fe > Cu > Zn. Irradiated PP/poly(methyl acrylate)-grafted RWF composite has higher mechanical properties than PP/poly(methyl acrylate)-grafted RWF composite because of EB treatment of PP is a highly efficient technique of creating chemically active sites on PP matrix, which created a better coupling, and can be proved by SEM studies and TGA analysis. Generally, the addition of poly(methyl acrylate)-grafted RWF as coupling agent into the composites reduces the flexural and tensile properties, which, causes poor and incompatible dispersion, which leads to poor filler-matrix interfacial bonding. But, the addition of 1.0 wt % of P(MA)-g-RWF into the blend give an optimum value of flexural and tensile properties

INFLUENCE OF SELF EFFICACY, LOCUS OF CONTROL AND BURNOUT ON EMOTIONAL LABOUR AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN MAKURDI LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA

This study examined the influence of self efficacy, locus of control and burnout on emotional labour among secondary school teachers in Makurdi. The ex post facto research design was employed for the study. Self efficacy, locus of control burnout and emotional labour scales were used to collect data from 494 respondents made up of 237(48.0%) males and 253 (51.2%) females while 4 (.8%) respondents did not indicate their sex. Correlation, hierarchical multiple regression analysis and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) were used for data analyses. Findings from the study revealed a significant positive relationship between self-efficacy and teachers emotional labour which is consistent with hypothesis one of the study. Hypothesis two found a significant positive difference between internal and external locus of control on emotional labour among teachers in Makurdi. Also, hypothesis three revealed a significant positive relationship between burnout and emotional labour among the teachers in Makurdi. Finally, it was found that self-efficacy, locus of control and burnout significantly predicted emotional labour among teachers in Makurdi. The study concluded that self-efficacy, locus of control and burnout are significant predictors of emotional labour among teachers in Makurdi. It was therefore recommended among other things that schools aiming to improve students’ performance should focus on hiring the right kinds of people, training them on effective self efficacy techniques, and creating a climate in which teachers understand the display rule requirements and feel supported by their organisations

Genetic Studies of Stevioside Content and Other Agronomic Characters and Their Responses to Cloning in Stevia Rebaudiana Bert.

Stevia rebaudiana Bert. produce s the sweetener stevioside, which is 300 times sweeter than cane sugar. However, the Mean stevioside content of commercial cultivars was gene rally low and among the better cultivars the average stevioside content was in the region of seven percent. Studies were set up to investigate the genetic system temofstevio side content and other traits, the effects of cloning and the relationship of stevioside content to the other traits. Three segregating population, where up on 18 lines were selected for studying the effects of cloning

Organochlorine Pesticides and Degradation Products in Soil around a Former Formulation Plant in Morogoro Municipality, Tanzania

The levels and compositions of organochlorine pesticides and degradation products in soil samples collected from a former formulation plant in Morogoro municipality, Tanzania, were determined. Extraction was performed by pressurized fluid extraction using n-hexane:acetone (75:25) mixture. Clean-up of extracts was conducted by using silica gel and alumina with 3% H2O and the extracts were eluted with hexane and dichloromethane (1:1). Additional clean-up was performed by using C18 SPE cartridges using acetonitrile as the eluting solvent. The samples were spiked with labelled internal standards for identification and quantification. Analysis of the analytes was performed using a high resolution gas chromatograph coupled to a high resolution mass spectrometer (GC–MS). 27 organochlorine pesticides and degradation products were detected. The concentrations of total DDT and total HCH ranged 300–152000 and 2–8300 mg/kg dry weight (dw), respectively. The concentrations for other compounds were up to 1400 mg/kg dw. The results indicated old contamination by technical mixtures and lack of significant degradation. It is recommended that clean-up and proper disposal of contaminated soil should be carried out

Analyzing Binary Black hole Spacetimes

With the first ever detection of gravitational waves from merging black-hole binaries by LIGO (Laser Interferometer GravitationalWave Observatory), a new era of gravitational wave astronomy was started. With its increased sensitivity, LIGO will see many more black-hole binaries in the future. To detect the gravitational waves and elucidate the properties of their sources, one needs theoretical waveform templates. These, in turn, require solving Einstein field equations, at least approximately. Approximate techniques like post-Newtonian theory and black-hole perturbation theory can produce waveforms that are accurate for certain phases of binaries evolution. Numerical relativity, on the other hand, can in principle produce accurate waveforms models for the full binary evolution. However, such simulations are computationally very expensive for the slow inspiral phase. To overcome this issue, we hybridized numerical relativity obtained by solving the Einstein field equations during the late-inspiral, plunge, and ringdown phase and post-Newtonian waveforms for the early-inspiral phase. Here we focus on hybridizing waveforms for precessing black-hole binaries. In this work we also developed a new tool to test the accuracy limits of approximate a binary black-hole spacetimes constructed using analytical approximate techniques. Our method is based on direct comparison to a numerically generated solution to the Einstein field equations