Synthesis and structure of nanomaterials in the system K2O-Nb2O5-SiO2

The aim of the present work is synthesis of ferroelectric nanomaterials, in the K2O-Nb2O5-SiO2 system via solgel method and studying the processes of formation and structure of the synthesized ferroelectric nanomaterials. The structure of synthesized materials has been studied by means of the following methods: EDS, XRD, FT-IR, SEM and AFM. The results obtained showed that the structure of the investigated compositions does not depend on the niobium content and all the samples keep their amorphous nature at room temperature. The surface structure shows random distribution of different kinds of aggregates with dimensions about 200–500 nm. The presence of a hybrid nanostructure with well-defi ned nanounits having special geometry is clearly observed

Abnormal Domain Switching in Pb(Zr, Ti)O\u3csub\u3e3\u3c/sub\u3e Thin Film Capacitors

Observation of abnormal (against the applied electric field) domain switching in Pb(ZrxTi1−x)O3 films by piezoresponse force microscopy is reported. In some grains polarization orients opposite to the external field in the presence of the applied field, while the rest of the film volume switches in a normal way. This effect is observed in thin film capacitors which excludes charge injection effect and spontaneous backswitching due the built-in field, which is the possible reason for this behavior. The abnormal switching behavior is attributed to the charge compensation effect at the boundaries of the grains with rhombohedral structure

Optimization of brandy base wine production technique using ginger pomace

In this work, the effects of ginger pomace/water ratio, yeast strain selection, sugar and yeast addition, fermentation temperature on the physicochemical properties and sensory evaluation of ginger brandy and its base wine was investigated to optimize production technique. It was found that the pH and total acidity of ginger brandy base wine were mainly influenced by ginger pomace/water ratio, yeast strain, sugar and yeast addition, fermentation temperature. Gingerol content was mostly affected by ginger pomace/water ratio. The results of electronic nose analysis showed that main aroma components of ginger pomace brandy were mainly affected by ginger pomace/water ratio. In general, the optimized production technique was ginger pomace/water ratio at 1:3, 3# yeast strain, sugar and yeast addition (102 g/L and 0.40 g/L), fermentation temperature (18°C). Ginger brandy base wine made by above technique after second full distillation could produce ginger brandy with typical, strong and balanced ginger aroma, mellow and full-bodied taste, and long aftertaste

Genetic and structural characterisation of 20 autosomal STR loci from the Henan Han population of Central China

Aim: This study was designed to investigate the genetic polymorphisms and forensic parameters of the 20 autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) loci included in the PowerPlex® 21 System (Promega, USA) in the Henan Han population with a view to expand the genetic information available for this population in human genome databases. Subjects and methods: We evaluated the genetic polymorphisms from 20 autosomal STR loci using DNA typing based on 2995 individuals from the Henan Han population in Central China and then used this information to investigate the genetic relationships between this population and 10 other Han populations across China. These comparisons included genetic distance, phylogenetic trees, and principal component analysis (PCA). Results: We identified a total of 290 alleles and 1343 genotypes within the Henan Han population, with none of these loci deviating from their Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE). The population comparisons revealed that geographically close populations demonstrated closer genetic relationships. Thus, the Henan Han population was shown to be close to both the Beijing Han and Tianjin Han populations, creating a single cluster. In addition, these 20 STR loci exhibited a high degree of genetic polymorphisms, making them suitable for individual identification and parentage testing. Conclusions: The results of this study will enrich the forensic databases of Chinese Han populations and serve as a resource for further studies in these populations