419 research outputs found
Magnetic properties of Hydrogenated Li and Co doped ZnO nanoparticles
The effect of hydrogenation on magnetic properties of Zn0.85Co0.05Li0.10O
nanoparticles is presented. It was found that the sample hydrided at room
temperature (RT) showed weak ferromagnetism (FM) while that hydrided at 400oC
showed robust ferromagnetism at room temperature. In both cases reheating the
sample at 400oC in air converts it back into paramagnetic state (P) completely.
The characterization of samples by X-ray and electron diffraction (ED) showed
that room temperature ferromagnetism observed in the samples hydrogenated at RT
is intrinsic in nature whereas that observed in the samples hydrogenated at
400oC is partly due to the cobalt metal clusters.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure
Room temperature Ferromagnetism in Th1-xFexO2-d (x = 0.0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20 and 0.25) nanoparticles
Nanocrystalline (Th1-xFex)O2-d particles with different Fe concentrations (x
= 0.0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20 and 0.25) have been prepared by a gel combustion
method. Rietveld refinement analyses of X-ray diffraction data revealed the
formation of an impurity free cubic type Th1-xFexO2-d structure up to x = 0.20.
This observation is further confirmed from the detailed studies conducted on 10
at. percent Fe doped ThO2 using high-resolution transmission electron
microscopy (HRTEM) imaging and indexing of the selected-area electron
diffraction (SAED) patterns. DC Magnetization studies as a function field
indicate that they are ferromagnetic with Curie temperature (Tc) well above
room temperature.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure
The structural and magnetic properties of (In1-xFex)2O3 (0.0 <= x <= 0.25) system : prepared by gel combustion method
(In1-xFex)2O3 polycrystalline samples with x = (0.0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20
and 0.25) have been synthesized by a gel combustion method. Reitveld refinement
analysis of X raydiffraction data indicated the formation of single phase cubic
bixbyite structure without any parasitic phases. This observation is further
confirmed by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) imaging,
and indexing of the selected-area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns, X-ray
Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) and Raman Spectroscopy. DC Magnetization studies
as a function of temperature and field indicatethat they are ferromagnetic with
Curie temperature (TC) well above room temperature.Comment: 9 pages 3 figure
The determinants of election to the United Nations Security Council
This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11127-013-0096-4.The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is the foremost international body responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security. Members vote on issues of global importance and consequently receive perks—election to the UNSC predicts, for instance, World Bank and IMF loans. But who gets elected to the UNSC? Addressing this question empirically is not straightforward as it requires a model that allows for discrete choices at the regional and international levels; the former nominates candidates while the latter ratifies them. Using an original multiple discrete choice model to analyze a dataset of 180 elections from 1970 to 2005, we find that UNSC election appears to derive from a compromise between the demands of populous countries to win election more frequently and a norm of giving each country its turn. We also find evidence that richer countries from the developing world win election more often, while involvement in warfare lowers election probability. By contrast, development aid does not predict election
Xpert MTB/RIF Assay Shows Faster Clearance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA with Higher Levels of Rifapentine Exposure.
The Xpert MTB/RIF assay is both sensitive and specific as a diagnostic test. Xpert also reports quantitative output in cycle threshold (CT) values, which may provide a dynamic measure of sputum bacillary burden when used longitudinally. We evaluated the relationship between Xpert CT trajectory and drug exposure during tuberculosis (TB) treatment to assess the potential utility of Xpert CT for treatment monitoring. We obtained serial sputum samples from patients with smear-positive pulmonary TB who were consecutively enrolled at 10 international clinical trial sites participating in study 29X, a CDC-sponsored Tuberculosis Trials Consortium study evaluating the tolerability, safety, and antimicrobial activity of rifapentine at daily doses of up to 20 mg/kg of body weight. Xpert was performed at weeks 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 12. Longitudinal CT data were modeled using a nonlinear mixed effects model in relation to rifapentine exposure (area under the concentration-time curve [AUC]). The rate of change of CT was higher in subjects receiving rifapentine than in subjects receiving standard-dose rifampin. Moreover, rifapentine exposure, but not assigned dose, was significantly associated with rate of change in CT (P = 0.02). The estimated increase in CT slope for every additional 100 μg · h/ml of rifapentine drug exposure (as measured by AUC) was 0.11 CT/week (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.05 to 0.17). Increasing rifapentine exposure is associated with a higher rate of change of Xpert CT, indicating faster clearance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA. These data suggest that the quantitative outputs of the Xpert MTB/RIF assay may be useful as a dynamic measure of TB treatment response
Engineering of quantum dot photon sources via electro-elastic fields
The possibility to generate and manipulate non-classical light using the
tools of mature semiconductor technology carries great promise for the
implementation of quantum communication science. This is indeed one of the main
driving forces behind ongoing research on the study of semiconductor quantum
dots. Often referred to as artificial atoms, quantum dots can generate single
and entangled photons on demand and, unlike their natural counterpart, can be
easily integrated into well-established optoelectronic devices. However, the
inherent random nature of the quantum dot growth processes results in a lack of
control of their emission properties. This represents a major roadblock towards
the exploitation of these quantum emitters in the foreseen applications. This
chapter describes a novel class of quantum dot devices that uses the combined
action of strain and electric fields to reshape the emission properties of
single quantum dots. The resulting electro-elastic fields allow for control of
emission and binding energies, charge states, and energy level splittings and
are suitable to correct for the quantum dot structural asymmetries that usually
prevent these semiconductor nanostructures from emitting polarization-entangled
photons. Key experiments in this field are presented and future directions are
discussed.Comment: to appear as a book chapter in a compilation "Engineering the
Atom-Photon Interaction" published by Springer in 2015, edited by A.
Predojevic and M. W. Mitchel
Photocatalytic hydrogen generation from water using a hybrid of graphene nanoplatelets and self doped TiO2-Pd
Nanohybrids of self doped (Ti doped or reduced TiO -TiOR) TiO-graphene nanoplatelets (TiO R-G) of different compositions are synthesized by a facile soft chemical method. A decrease of bandgap and improved visible light absorption is exhibited by TiOR-G. Based on current-voltage (I-V) measurements, it is concluded that the hybrid material possesses improved electron transport properties compared to TiOR and pure TiO. A detailed characterization of the composites indicated that TiOR exists as a dispersed phase on graphene nanoplatelets (graphene). Among different compositions of the composites, the catalyst containing 3 weight% of graphene (TiOR-3G) shows enhanced photocatalytic activity for hydrogen generation from water compared to both TiO and TiOR. When Pd is used as co-catalyst in this composite, a large increase in the activity is observed. The increased efficiency of the nanocomposite is attributed to factors like: (i) improved visible light absorption promoted by G and Ti dopant (ii) increased lifetime of the charge carriers assisted by the enhanced electron transporting properties of G (iii) increased number of active sites for hydrogen evolution provided by the Pd co-catalyst. This work highlights the role of TiO based hybrid materials as efficient photocatalysts for solar energy utilization. This journal i
The leukoaraiosis is more prevalent in the large artery atherosclerosis stroke subtype among Korean patients with ischemic stroke
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Several studies have suggested that the specific stroke subtype may influence the presence of leukoaraiosis in patients with ischemic stroke. We investigated the association between stroke subtype and leukoaraiosis in Korean patients with ischemic stroke by MRI.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>There were 594 patients included in this study that were classified as large artery disease, lacune and cardioembolic stroke. For large-artery disease, the analysis focused on the intracranial or extracranial location of the stenosis, and the multiplicity of the stenotic lesions. Leukoaraiosis grading was performed according to the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There was a significant association between leukoaraiosis and the stroke subtypes; the large-artery-disease group had a higher prevalence of leukoaraiosis than did the other groups (55.4% in the large-artery-disease group, 30.3% in the lacunar group and 14.3% in the cardioembolic group, P = 0.016 by chi-square test). On the multivariate linear regression analysis, age, the presence of hypertension, previous stroke and stroke subtype were independently associated with the presence of leukoaraiosis. In the sub analysis of the large-artery-disease group, the leukoaraiosis had a tendency to be more prevalent in the mixed and intracranial stenosis group than did the extracranial stenosis group (45.5% in the mixed group, 40.3% in the intracranial group and 26.9% in the extracranial group, P = 0.08 by chi-square test).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The association of leukoaraiosis with large-artery disease in this study might be due to the relatively high prevalence of intracranial occlusive lesions in Korean stroke patients compared to other ethnic groups.</p
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