Band Engineering in Cooper-Pair Box: Dispersive Measurements of Charge and Phase

Low-frequency susceptibility of the split Cooper-pair box (SCPB) is investigated for use in sensitive measurements of external phase or charge. Depending on the coupling scheme, the box appears as either inductive or capacitive reactance which depends on external phase and charge. While coupling to the source-drain phase, we review how the SCPB looks like a tunable inductance, which property we used to build a novel radio-frequency electrometer. In the dual mode of operation, that is, while observed at the gate input, the SCPB looks like a capacitance. We concentrate on discussing the latter scheme, and we show how to do studies of fast phase fluctuations at a sensitivity of 1 mrad/$\sqrt{Hz}$ by measuring the input capacitance of the box.Comment: LT24 invited paper, 4 page

Accessing nanomechanical resonators via a fast microwave circuit

The measurement of micron-sized mechanical resonators by electrical techniques is difficult, because of the combination of a high frequency and a small mechanical displacement which together suppress the electromechanical coupling. The only electromagnetic technique proven up to the range of several hundred MHz requires the usage of heavy magnetic fields and cryogenic conditions. Here we show how, without the need of either of them, to fully electrically detect the vibrations of conductive nanomechanical resonators up to the microwave regime. We use the electrically actuated vibrations to modulate an LC tank circuit which blocks the stray capacitance, and detect the created sideband voltage by a microwave analyzer. We show the novel technique up to mechanical frequencies of 200 MHz. Finally, we estimate how one could approach the quantum limit of mechanical systems

Utilization of sludge-based alginate beads for the application of rare earth elements (REEs) recovery from wastewater : A waste to resource approach

The main purposes of this research work were to realize the potential of sludge valorization by converting the sludge into adsorbents and to investigate the performance of sludge-based adsorbents for rare earth elements (REEs) recovery from dilute aqueous solutions. Hydrochloric acid and Fenton reagents were employed as pretreatment procedures to enhance the surface area and adsorption yield. Following this, sludge-based alginate beads were prepared by using HCl treated (HT) and Fenton treated (FT) sludge materials. The chemical composition and surface chemistry of sludge-based adsorbent beads were thoroughly analyzed by state-of-the-art analytical techniques, such as Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis. The prepared beads were then investigated for the recovery of REEs. The batch adsorption studies revealed that the FT sludge beads performed better in comparison to the HT sludge beads. Among REEs, the HT- and FT-sludge beads demonstrated higher affinity towards Sm3+ ions, displaying the maximum adsorption capacities of 2.83 mg/g and 4.16 mg/g, respectively, in a multi-component system (C o = 25 ppm of each REE; pH = 5, t = 24 h and dosage = 5 g/L). In conclusion, the results from this work showed that the prepared sludge-based alginate beads can be used for REEs recovery from diluted waste streams and the tested sludge treatment options were also found effective in converting the waste to resource i.e., sludge to adsorbent for REEs recovery.Peer reviewe

Measurement of permethrin, deltamethrin and malathion pesticides in the wheat flour and breads and probabilistic health risk assessment: A case study from Kermanshah, Iran

Abstract: This study was conducted to investigate the residues of pyrethroid and organophosphorus pesticide in flour and breads which were collected from local markets in Kermanshah province, Iran. Four different types of breads and two types of flour samples with high distribution were taken from market and their residues of pesticides were measured. A simple dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) method with solidification of floating organic drop was developed for the measurement. The health risk of these pesticide on adults and children was assessed by target hazard quotient (THQ) using Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) method. About, 15% and 11.1% of total samples contained detectable levels of deltamethrin and malathion, respectively. None of the tested samples, showed any permethrin residue..

Mechanochemical Ni-Catalysed Arylation of Ortho-Hydroxyarylenaminones : Synthesis of Isoflavones

This work describes two new synthetic methods for the preparation of isoflavones following the Ni-catalysed domino arylation reactions of the vast range of ortho-hydroxyarylenaminones utilising aromatic bromides as well as carboxylic acids. The presented protocols tolerated significant variation of all coupling partners and enabled synthesis of isoflavone library of twenty-three representatives. This is the first communicated precedent where the mechanic energy was utilised in the synthesis of isoflavones following the domino cyclisation mode.Peer reviewe