X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis of zirconium nitride-like films prepared on Si(100) substrates by ion beam assisted deposition

Thin zirconium nitride films were prepared on Si(l 00) substrates at room temperature by ion beam assisted deposition with a 2 keV nitrogen ion beam. Arrival rate ratios ARR(N/Zr) used were 0.19, 0.39, 0.92, and 1.86. The chemical composition and bonding structure of the films were analyzed with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Deconvolution results for Zr 3d, Zr 3p(3/2), N 1s, O 1s, and C 1s XPS spectra indicated self-consistently the presence of metal Zr-0, nitride ZrN, oxide ZrO2, oxymnide Zr2N2O, and carbide ZrC phases, and the amounts of these compounds were influenced by ARR(N/Zr). The chemical composition ratio N/Zr in the film increased with increasing ARR(N/Zr) until ARR(N/Zr) reached 0.92, reflecting the high reactivity of nitrogen in the ion beam, and stayed almost constant for ARR(N/Zr) >= 1, the excess nitrogen being rejected from the growing film. A considerable incorporation of contaminant oxygen and carbon into the depositing film was attributed to the getter effect of zirconium. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Goethite (alpha-FeOOH) Nanorods as Suitable Antiferromagnetic Substrates

We propose goethite nanorods as suitable anti-ferromagnetic substrates. The great advantage of using these inorganic nanostructures as building blocks comes from the fact that it permits the design and fabrication of colloidal and supracolloidal assemblies knowing first their magnetic characteristics. As a proof of concept, we have developed mix multifunctional systems, driving on the surface of these AFM substrates, cobalt ferrite nanoparticles (the study of bimagnetic systems opens new degrees of freedom to tailor the overall properties and offers the Meiklejohn-Bean paradigm, but inverted), a silica shell (protection purposes, but also as a tailored spacer that permits controlling magnetic interactions), and metallic gold clusters (seeds that can favor the acquisition of optical or catalytic properties).

Preparation and characterization of Cd(2)Nb(2)O(7) thin films on Si substrates

Thin Cd(2)Nb(2)O(7) films were grown on single-crystal p-type SiO(2)/Si substrates by the metallo-organic decomposition (MOD) technique. The films were investigated by X-ray diffraction, X-ray energy-dispersive spectroscopy, and field emission scanning electron microscopy, and showed a single phase (cubic pyrochlore), a crack-free spherical grain structure, and nanoparticles with a mean size of about 68 nm. A Cauchy model was also used in order to obtain the thickness and index of refraction of the stack layers (transparent layer/SiO(2)/Si) by spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE). The dielectric constant (K) of the films was calculated to be about 25 from the capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A rapid and reliable bonding process for microchip electrophoresis fabricated in glass substrates

In this report, we describe a rapid and reliable process to bond channels fabricated in glass substrates. Glass channels were fabricated by photolithography and wet chemical etching. The resulting channels were bonded against another glass plate containing a 50-mu m thick PDMS layer. This same PDMS layer was also used to provide the electrical insulation of planar electrodes to carry out capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection. The analytical performance of the proposed device was shown by using both LIF and capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection systems. Efficiency around 47 000 plates/m was achieved with good chip-to-chip repeatability and satisfactory long-term stability of EOF. The RSD for the EOF measured in three different devices was ca. 7%. For a chip-to-chip comparison, the RSD values for migration time, electrophoretic current and peak area were below 10%. With the proposed approach, a single chip can be fabricated in less than 30 min including patterning, etching and sealing steps. This fabrication process is faster and easier than the thermal bonding process. Besides, the proposed method does not require high temperatures and provides excellent day-to-day and device-to-device repeatability.

Novel Application of 2D and 3D-Similarity Searches To Identify Substrates among Cytochrome P450 2C9, 2D6, and 3A4

Cytochrome P450 (CYP450) is a class of enzymes where the substrate identification is particularly important to know. It would help medicinal chemists to design drugs with lower side effects due to drug-drug interactions and to extensive genetic polymorphism. Herein, we discuss the application of the 2D and 3D-similarity searches in identifying reference Structures with higher capacity to retrieve Substrates of three important CYP enzymes (CYP2C9, CYP2D6, and CYP3A4). On the basis of the complementarities of multiple reference structures selected by different similarity search methods, we proposed the fusion of their individual Tanimoto scores into a consensus Tanimoto score (T(consensus)). Using this new score, true positive rates of 63% (CYP2C9) and 81% (CYP2D6) were achieved with false positive rates of 4% for the CYP2C9-CYP2D6 data Set. Extended similarity searches were carried out oil a validation data set, and the results showed that by using the T(consensus) score, not only the area of a ROC graph increased, but also more substrates were recovered at the beginning of a ranked list.

Printing colour hard proofs using EFI Colorproof XF v. 3.1 and Photoshop CS3, and production substrates.

EFI Colorproof XF was found to be more convenient from a user’s aspect, and had features which are covered in the ISO 12647-7 standard (e.g. the ability to simulate screening and print margin information), which Photoshop CS3 lacked. None of the proofing systems distinguished itself in a clear way from the other; sometimes, on certain substrates, Photoshop CS3 produced most accurate colours, sometimes EFI Colorproof XF did. Further investigations need to be carried out to tell more exactly which system produce most accurate colours. Only 6 out of 34 simulation-combinations had colours within the tolerances in the standard. The result also shows that the production substrates should not be used as proofing substrates. Instead the proofing papers especially made for ink jet should be used to obtain more colour-accurate prints.

Quali/quantitative characterization of biogas produced in batch digesters supplied with six distinct substrates

Com a finalidade de se analisar quali/quantitativamente o biogás produzido por 6 tipos de substratos, efetuou-se a presente pesquisa no DER/FCAV/UNESP- SP, Brasil. Os substratos utilizados na digestão anaeróbia foram caracterizados como: 1- Esterco de aves de postura (EAP); 2- Esterco de aves de postura triturado (EAPT); 3- Esterco de aves de corte com cama de maravalha (EACM); 4- Esterco de aves de corte com cama de maravalha triturado (EACMT); 5- Esterco de aves de corte com cama de casca de amendoim (EACA), e 6- Esterco de aves de corte com cama de casca de amendoim triturado (EACAT). Dos resultados obtidos, concluiu-se que, em relação à produção acumulada de biogás, o substrato EAPT foi superior aos demais, enquanto EACM apresentou produção acumulada inferior. em geral, os substratos triturados apresentaram maior quantidade de biogás acumulado em relação aos não triturados, exceto o EACAT, com 20,9 m³ inferior ao EACA. O período de produção máxima de biogás teve início entre 45 e 60 dias, começando a decair a partir dos 120 dias. Aos 57 dias após o enchimento dos biodigestores, o gás produzido possuía teores de CH4 superiores a 53%, e a partir dos 99 dias, todos produziram biogás com teores de CH4 superiores a 70%. Os substratos EAP e EAPT apresentaram maiores concentrações de metano no biogás.

Seedlings production of Tabebuia heptaphylla in different substrates and levels of irrigation, in greenhouse conditions

The objective of this research was to evaluate the growth of Tabebuia heptaphylla seedlings in distinct substrates with different amounts of urban waste compost and the relation between this growth and irrigation. A completely randomized experimental design was used, with a factorial arrangement of 15 substrates and 2 irrigation levels. The substrates were composed by the combination of different materials: urban waste, tanned cattle manure, vermiculite, soil and the commercial form Plantmax (R). For the study of the seedlings development, the following characteristics were evaluated: plant height, stem diameter at soil level, number of leaves, above ground dry matter, root system dry matter, relation between plant height and stem base diameter, Dickson quality index and relation between plant height and above ground dry matter. Evaluations of plant height, stem diameter at soil level and number of leaves were made at 75, 90, 105, 120, 135 and 150 days after sowing. According to the results, it was concluded that urban waste compost does not increase plant development. Significant differences in relation to the irrigation levels were found, with better results for the 150% irrigation level compared to 100% evapotranspiration.

MYCELIAL DEVELOPMENT of Lentinula edodes IN CULTURE MEDIA WITH DIFFERENT ORGANIC SUBSTRATES

The radial mycelial growth of Lentinula edodes (Berk) Pegler, strain LE-96/13, was studied in culture media prepared with organic residues extract, by using substrates prepared with pineapple (Ananas comosus (L.) Merril) crown, Astrocaryum aculeatum Meyer peel, Theobroma grandiflorum Schum shell, Musa sp. (genomic group AAB, subgroup Pacovan) peel, and Musa sp. (genomic group AAB, subgroup Praia) peel, with three supplementation levels with wheat bran (0, 10 and 20%), and incubated at 25 degrees C. The experimental design was totally randomized, in a 5x3 factorial scheme, adding up 15 treatments with 4 repetitions, and each repetition corresponding to a Petri dish. The diameter of the colony was evaluated daily during nine days of incubation. After that period, it was verified that the highest mycelial growth averages of strain LE-96/13 of L. edodes were found in culture media prepared with T. grandiflorum Schum shell (whose supplementation with wheat bran was favorable for Mushroom development) and A. aculeatum Meyer peel (whose supplementation did not favor the mycelial growth of L. edodes in relation to the medium not supplemented).

Growth of populations and the fungus garden of Atta sexdens rubropilosa (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) response to foraged substrates

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Feeding substrates to black coconut bunch weevil, Homalinotus coriaceus (Gyllenhal) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), rearing in laboratory

A broca do cacho do coqueiro, Homalinotus coriaceus (Gyllenhal), é uma praga limitante da produção de coco no Brasil, sendo que tanto as larvas como os adultos provocam a queda das flores femininas e dos frutos imaturos, pela interceptação do fluxo de seiva ou pela alimentação direta nas estruturas reprodutivas. em virtude da escassez de informações sobre sua biologia, realizou-se esse trabalho com o objetivo de desenvolver uma metodologia mais adequada para a criação da praga em laboratório. Foram utilizados os parâmetros biológicos para avaliação e comparação dos sistemas de criação estudados.Toletes de cana-de-açúcar foram utilizados como substrato para alimentação dos adultos coletados no campo e obtenção dos ovos. As larvas foram criadas em três substratos alimentares no Laboratório de Entomologia da Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA)-CPATC (Centro de Pesquisa Agropecuária dos Tabuleiros Costeiros), em Aracaju, SE. Os substratos alimentares estudados foram: o mesocarpo do coco, dieta para criação da broca dos citros e dieta para criação da broca do olho do coqueiro, sendo esta a que proporcionou o melhor desenvolvimento larval num menor tempo, com boa viabilidade, maior facilidade no preparo e manutenção.

Chemical deposition of La0.7Ca0.3MnO3±δ films on ceramic substrates

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Effect of the microwave oven on structural, morphological and electrical properties of SrBi4Ti4O15 thin films grown on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates by a soft chemical method

Thin films of SrBi4Ti4O15 (SBTi), a prototype of the Bi-layered-ferroelectric oxide family, were obtained by a soft chemical method and crystallized in a domestic microwave oven. For comparison, films were also crystallized in a conventional method at 700 degrees C for 2 h. Structural and morphological characterization of the SBTi thin films were investigated by Xray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), respectively. Using platinum coated silicon substrates, the ferroelectric properties of the films were determined. Remanent polarization P-r and a coercive field E-c values of 5.1 mu C/cm(2) and 135 kV/cm for the film thermally treated in the microwave oven and 5.4 mu C/cm(2) and 85 kv/cm for the film thermally treated in conventional furnace were found. The films thermally treated in the conventional furnace exhibited excellent fatigue-free characteristics up to 10(10) switching cycles indicating that SBTi thin films are a promising material for use in non-volatile memories. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.