Magnetic phase diagram of Fe1.1Te1-xSex: A comparative study with the stoichiometric superconducting FeTe1-xSex system

We report a comparative study of the series Fe1.1Te1-xSex and the stoichiometric FeTe1-xSex to bring out the difference in their magnetic, superconducting and electronic properties. The Fe1.1Te1-xSex series is found to be magnetic and its microscopic properties are elucidated through Moessbauer spectroscopy. The magnetic phase diagram of Fe1.1Te1-xSex is traced out and it shows the emergence of spin-glass state when the antiferromagnetic state is destabilized by the Se substitution. The isomer shift and quadrupolar splitting obtained from the Moessbauer spectroscopy clearly brings out the electronic differences in these two series.Comment: 6 pages, 9 figure

Ultrasound intensification suppresses the need of methanol excess during the biodiesel production with Lipozyme TL-IM

The synthesis of biodiesel from sunflower oil and methanol based on transesterification using the immobilized lipase from Thermomyces lanuginosus (Lipozyme TL-IM) has been investigated under silent conditions and under an ultrasound field. Ultrasound assisted process led to reduced processing time and requirement of lower enzyme dosage. We found for the first time that ratio 1:3 (oil to methanol) was favoured for the ultrasound assisted enzymatic process which is lower as that favoured for the silent process (ratio of 1.4). Our results indicate that intensification provided by ultrasound suppresses the need of the excess of the methanol reactant during the enzymatic biodiesel production. Ultrasound assisted enzymatic biodiesel production is therefore a faster and a cleaner processes.The authors acknowledge Brenntag India Pvt. Ltd. for kindly providing gift sample of lipase enzyme Lipozyme TL IM to carry out the research work. All authors acknowledge the funding of Department of Science and Technology and Portuguese Science Foundation under the Indo-Portuguese collaborative program

Magnetic excitations of Fe_{1+y}Se_xTe_{1-x} in magnetic and superconductive phases

We have used inelastic neutron scattering and muon-spin rotation to compare the low energy magnetic excitations in single crystals of superconducting Fe1.01Se0.50Te0.50 and non-superconducting Fe1.10Se0.25Te0.75. We confirm the existence of a spin resonance in the superconducting phase of Fe1.01Se0.50Te0.50, at an energy of 7 meV and a wavevector of (1/2,1/2,0). The non-superconducting sample exhibits two incommensurate magnetic excitations at (1/2,1/2,0)\pm(0.18,-0.18,0) which rise steeply in energy, but no resonance is observed at low energies. A strongly dispersive low-energy magnetic excitation is also observed in Fe1.10Se0.25Te0.75 close to the commensurate antiferromagnetic ordering wavevector (1/2-\delta,0,1/2) where \delta \approx 0.03. The magnetic correlations in both samples are found to be quasi-two dimensional in character and persist well above the magnetic (Fe1.10Se0.25Te0.75) and superconducting (Fe1.01Se0.50Te0.50) transition temperatures.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure

Control of layer stacking in CVD graphene under quasi-static condition

The type of layer stacking in bilayer graphene has a significant influence on its electronic properties because of the contrast nature of layer coupling. Herein, different geometries of the reaction site for the growth of bilayer graphene by the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique and their effects on the nature of layer stacking are investigated. Micro-Raman mapping and curve fitting analysis confirmed the type of layer stacking for the CVD grown bilayer graphene. The samples grown with sandwiched structure such as quartz/Cu foil/quartz along with a spacer, between the two quartz plates to create a sealed space, resulted in Bernal or AB stacked bilayer graphene while the sample sandwiched without a spacer produced the twisted bilayer graphene. The contrast difference in the layer stacking is a consequence of the difference in the growth mechanism associated with different geometries of the reaction site. The diffusion dominated process under quasi-static control is responsible for the growth of twisted bilayer graphene in sandwiched geometry while surface controlled growth with ample and continual supply of carbon in sandwiched geometry along with a spacer, leads to AB stacked bilayer graphene. Through this new approach, an efficient technique is presented to control the nature of layer stacking

Mechanical, electrical and thermal properties of graphene oxide-carbon nanotube/ ABS hybrid polymer nanocomposites

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), functionalized carbon nanotubes (FCNTs) and graphene oxide-carbon nanotube (GCNTs) hybrid Bucky paper (BP) reinforced acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) composites are prepared via vacuum filtration followed by hot compression molding. The nanomechanical, electrical and thermal properties of these BP reinforced ABS composites are studied. The nanoindentation hardness and elastic modulus of GCNTs-ABS hybrid composites reached to 389.98 +/- 91.79 MPa and 7669.6 +/- 1179.12 MPa respectively. Other nanomechanical parameters such as plastic index parameter, elastic recovery, the ratio of residual displacement after load removal and displacement at maximum load are also investigated. The improved nanomechanical properties are correlated with Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It is found that GCNTs and their composites showed the higher value of defect density. The maximum value of defect density range for GCNTs and GCNTs-ABS is (297.4 to 159.6) and (16.0 to11.6), respectively. The higher defect density of GCNTs indicates that the interfacial interaction between the ABS, which was further correlated with electrical and thermal properties. Additionally, the through-plane electrical conductivities of MWCNTs, FCNTs and GCNTs based ABS composites were 6.5 +/- 0.6, 4.5 +/- 0.7 and 6.97 +/- 1.2 S/cm respectively and thermal conductivities of MWCNTs, FCNTs and GCNTs reinforced ABS composites; 1.80, 1.70 and 1.98 W/mK respectively. These GCNTs-ABS composites with this value of thermal conductivity can be used in various applications of efficient heat dissipative materials for electronic devices

One-pot synthesis of multifunctional ZnO nanomaterials: study of superhydrophobicity and UV photosensing property

ZnO nanomaterials are synthesized using one-pot synthesis method. Equimolar solution of Zinc Nitrate hexahydrate (Zn(NO3)(2).6H(2)O) and Hexamethylenetetramine (C6H12N4) is used as a precursor for ZnO formation. Different nanostructures of ZnO are achieved by controlling the pH of the growth solution in the range 2-12 (acidic to alkali). ZnO nanostructures are evaluated for hydrophobic property using static contact angle measurement setup and UV photosensing activity. Surface morphology, structural properties and compositional analysis of ZnO nanostructures are examined by field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), high-resolution transmission electron microscope (FEG-TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements. Existence of ZnO wurtzite structure is confirmed from XRD study and is analyzed by Rietveld refinement method. Nanomaterials are characterized using Raman spectroscopy which confirms highest oxygen deficiency in ZnO nanorods. The material shows remarkable superhydrophobic and UV photosensing property and hence the name multifunctional. Among all morphologies grown at different pH values, ZnO nanorods show superhydrophobic nature with contact angle more than 170 degrees. Total surface energy value of ZnO nanostructures is calculated using Wendt two-component theory. Different ZnO nanostructures (with variation of pH value) are used to study UV photosensing property. Responsivity and photocurrent show a strong dependence on the morphology of ZnO

High energy X-γ ray spectrometer on the Chandrayaan-1 mission to the Moon

The Chandrayaan-1 mission to the Moon scheduled for launch in late 2007 will include a high energy X-ray spectrometer (HEX) for detection of naturally occurring emissions from the lunar surface due to radioactive decay of the 238U and 232Th series nuclides in the energy region 20-250 keV. The primary science objective is to study the transport of volatiles on the lunar surface by detection of the 46.5 keV line from radioactive 210Pb, a decay product of the gaseous 222Rn, both of which are members of the 238U decay series. Mapping of U and Th concentration over the lunar surface, particularly in the polar and U-Th rich regions will also be attempted through detection of prominent lines from the U and Th decay series in the above energy range. The low signal strengths of these emissions require a detector with high sensitivity and good energy resolution. Pixelated Cadmium-Zinc-Telluride (CZT) array detectors having these characteristics will be used in this experiment. Here we describe the science considerations that led to this experiment, anticipated flux and background (lunar continuum), the choice of detectors, the proposed payload configuration and plans for its realizatio

Enteral lactoferrin supplementation for very preterm infants: a randomised placebo-controlled trial

Background Infections acquired in hospital are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in very preterm infants. Several small trials have suggested that supplementing the enteral diet of very preterm infants with lactoferrin, an antimicrobial protein processed from cow's milk, prevents infections and associated complications. The aim of this large randomised controlled trial was to collect data to enhance the validity and applicability of the evidence from previous trials to inform practice. Methods In this randomised placebo-controlled trial, we recruited very preterm infants born before 32 weeks' gestation in 37 UK hospitals and younger than 72 h at randomisation. Exclusion criteria were presence of a severe congenital anomaly, anticipated enteral fasting for longer than 14 days, or no realistic prospect of survival. Eligible infants were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either enteral bovine lactoferrin (150 mg/kg per day; maximum 300 mg/day; lactoferrin group) or sucrose (same dose; control group) once daily until 34 weeks' postmenstrual age. Web-based randomisation minimised for recruitment site, gestation (completed weeks), sex, and single versus multifetal pregnancy. Parents, caregivers, and outcome assessors were unaware of group assignment. The primary outcome was microbiologically confirmed or clinically suspected late-onset infection (occurring >72 h after birth), which was assessed in all participants for whom primary outcome data was available by calculating the relative risk ratio with 95% CI between the two groups. The trial is registered with the International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number 88261002. Findings We recruited 2203 participants between May 7, 2014, and Sept 28, 2017, of whom 1099 were assigned to the lactoferrin group and 1104 to the control group. Four infants had consent withdrawn or unconfirmed, leaving 1098 infants in the lactoferrin group and 1101 in the sucrose group. Primary outcome data for 2182 infants (1093 [99·5%] of 1098 in the lactoferrin group and 1089 [99·0] of 1101 in the control group) were available for inclusion in the modified intention-to-treat analyses. 316 (29%) of 1093 infants in the intervention group acquired a late-onset infection versus 334 (31%) of 1089 in the control group. The risk ratio adjusted for minimisation factors was 0·95 (95% CI 0·86–1·04; p=0·233). During the trial there were 16 serious adverse events for infants in the lactoferrin group and 10 for infants in the control group. Two events in the lactoferrin group (one case of blood in stool and one death after intestinal perforation) were assessed as being possibly related to the trial intervention. Interpretation Enteral supplementation with bovine lactoferrin does not reduce the risk of late-onset infection in very preterm infants. These data do not support its routine use to prevent late-onset infection and associated morbidity or mortality in very preterm infants. Funding UK National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme (10/57/49)

Enteral lactoferrin supplementation for very preterm infants: a randomised placebo-controlled trial

Background Infections acquired in hospital are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in very preterm infants. Several small trials have suggested that supplementing the enteral diet of very preterm infants with lactoferrin, an antimicrobial protein processed from cow's milk, prevents infections and associated complications. The aim of this large randomised controlled trial was to collect data to enhance the validity and applicability of the evidence from previous trials to inform practice. Methods In this randomised placebo-controlled trial, we recruited very preterm infants born before 32 weeks' gestation in 37 UK hospitals and younger than 72 h at randomisation. Exclusion criteria were presence of a severe congenital anomaly, anticipated enteral fasting for longer than 14 days, or no realistic prospect of survival. Eligible infants were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either enteral bovine lactoferrin (150 mg/kg per day; maximum 300 mg/day; lactoferrin group) or sucrose (same dose; control group) once daily until 34 weeks' postmenstrual age. Web-based randomisation minimised for recruitment site, gestation (completed weeks), sex, and single versus multifetal pregnancy. Parents, caregivers, and outcome assessors were unaware of group assignment. The primary outcome was microbiologically confirmed or clinically suspected late-onset infection (occurring >72 h after birth), which was assessed in all participants for whom primary outcome data was available by calculating the relative risk ratio with 95% CI between the two groups. The trial is registered with the International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number 88261002. Findings We recruited 2203 participants between May 7, 2014, and Sept 28, 2017, of whom 1099 were assigned to the lactoferrin group and 1104 to the control group. Four infants had consent withdrawn or unconfirmed, leaving 1098 infants in the lactoferrin group and 1101 in the sucrose group. Primary outcome data for 2182 infants (1093 [99·5%] of 1098 in the lactoferrin group and 1089 [99·0] of 1101 in the control group) were available for inclusion in the modified intention-to-treat analyses. 316 (29%) of 1093 infants in the intervention group acquired a late-onset infection versus 334 (31%) of 1089 in the control group. The risk ratio adjusted for minimisation factors was 0·95 (95% CI 0·86–1·04; p=0·233). During the trial there were 16 serious adverse events for infants in the lactoferrin group and 10 for infants in the control group. Two events in the lactoferrin group (one case of blood in stool and one death after intestinal perforation) were assessed as being possibly related to the trial intervention. Interpretation Enteral supplementation with bovine lactoferrin does not reduce the risk of late-onset infection in very preterm infants. These data do not support its routine use to prevent late-onset infection and associated morbidity or mortality in very preterm infants. Funding UK National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme (10/57/49)