Synthesis of Eu3+-activated ZnO superstructures: Photoluminescence, Judd-Ofelt analysis and Sunlight photocatalytic properties

Photoluminescence and photocatalytic properties of Eu-doped ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by facile phyto route. XPS results demonstrated the existence of Eu3+ as dopant into ZnO. Morphologies of the NPs were mainly dependent on Eu3+ and Aloe vera gel. Red shift of energy band gap was due to the creation of intermediate energy states of Eu3+ and oxygen vacancies in the band gap. PL emission of ZnO:Eu3+ (1-11 mol%, 8 ml and 7 mol%, 2-12 ml) exhibit characteristic peaks of D-5(0) -> F-7(2) transitions. From the Judd-Ofelt analysis, intensities of transitions between different.' levels dependent on the symmetry of the local environment of Eu3+ ions. CIE chromaticity co-ordinates confirm reddish emission of the phosphor. Further, NPs exhibit excellent photocatalytic activity for the degradation of Rhodamine B (94%) under Sunlight was attributed to crystallite size, band gap, morphology and oxygen vacancies. In addition, photocatalyst reusability studies were conducted and found that Eu-doped catalyst could be reused several times with negligible decrease in catalytic activity. The present work directs new possibilities to provide some new insights into the design of new phyto synthesized nanophosphors for display devices, photocatalysts with high activity for environmental clean-up and solar energy conversion. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A comprehensive analysis of the chorion locus in silkmoth

Despite more than 40 years of intense study, essential features of the silkmoth chorion (eggshell) are still not fully understood. To determine the precise structure of the chorion locus, we performed extensive EST analysis, constructed a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) contig, and obtained a continuous genomic sequence of 871,711 base pairs. We annotated 127 chorion genes in two segments interrupted by a 164 kb region with 5 non-chorion genes, orthologs of which were on chorion bearing scaffolds in 4 ditrysian families. Detailed transcriptome analysis revealed expression throughout choriogenesis of most chorion genes originally categorized as ``middle'', and evidence for diverse regulatory mechanisms including cis-elements, alternative splicing and promoter utilization, and antisense RNA. Phylogenetic analysis revealed multigene family associations and faster evolution of early chorion genes and transcriptionally active pseudogenes. Proteomics analysis identified 99 chorion proteins in the eggshell and micropyle localization of 1 early and 6 Hc chorion proteins.

Copper oxide nanoparticles: an antidermatophytic agent for Trichophyton spp.

Copper oxide (CuO) is one of the most important transition metal oxides due to its unique properties. It is used in various technological applications such as high critical temperature, superconductors, gas sensors, in photoconductive applications and so on. Recently, it has been used as an antimicrobial agent against various pathogenic bacteria. In the present investigation, we studied the structural and antidermatophytic properties of CuO nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized by a precipitation technique. Copper sulfate was used as a precursor and sodium hydroxide as a reducing agent. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed flower-shaped CuO NPs and X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern showed the crystalline nature of CuO NPs. These NPs were evaluated against two prevalent species of dermatophytes, i.e. Trichophyton rubrum and T. mentagrophytes by using the broth microdilution technique. Further, the NPs activity was also compared with synthetic sertaconazole. Although better antidermatophytic activity was exhibited with sertaconazole as compared to NPs, being synthetic, sertaconazole may not be preferred, as it shows different adverse effects. Trichophyton mentagrophytes is more susceptible to NPs than T. rubrum. A phylogenetic approach was applied for predicting differences in susceptibility of pathogens.

海洋平台吸力式基础的研究与进展

吸力式基础平台是近年开发的一种新型海洋平台，由于多种优越性而受到各国石油部门的重视，并引起许多研究人员的关注。对有关吸力式基础的沉贯，稳定性以及与分析密切相关的冰激振动，土的动载下的本构研究进展进行了综述。并在最后针对海洋地区的条件提出了今后研究的重点问题。包括：沉贯阻力特性，动载下基础的软化特性和液化可能性，合适的土动力本构关系和数值方法，实验方法及模型律等。

Influences of Hydration Force and Elastic Strain Energy on the Stability of Solid Film in a Very Thin Solid-on-Liquid Structure

Since hydration forces become very strong at short range and are particularly important for determining the magnitude of the adhesion between two surfaces or interaction energy, the influences of the hydration force and elastic strain energy due to hydration-induced layering of liquid molecules close to a solid film surface on the stability of a solid film in a solid-on-liquid (SOL) nanostructure are studied in this paper. The liquid of this thin SOL structure is a kind of water solution. Since the surface forces play an important role in the structure, the total free energy change of SOL structures consists of the changes in the bulk elastic energy within the solid film, the surface energy at the solid-liquid interface and the solid-air interface, and highly nonlinear volumetric component associated with interfacial forces. The critical wavelength of one-dimensional undulation, the critical thickness of the solid film, and the critical thickness of the liquid layer are studied, and the stability regions of the solid film have been determined. Emphasis is placed on calculation of critical values, which are the basis of analyzing the stability of the very thin solid film.

Characterisation of carbon nano-onions using Raman spectroscopy

Characteristics of the Raman spectrum from carbon onions have been identified in terms of the position of the G peak and appearance of the transverse optic phonon peaks. Five new peaks were observed in the low wavenumber region, at about 1100, 861, 700, 450 and 250 cm(-1). The origins of these peaks are discussed in terms of the phonon density of states (PDOS) and phonon dispersion curves of graphite. The curvature of the graphene planes is invoked to explain the relaxation of the Raman selection rules and the appearance of the new peaks. The Raman spectrum of carbon onions is compared with that of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG). The strain of graphene planes due to curvature has been estimated analytically and is used to account for the downward shift of the G peak. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Image-based localization and pose recovery using scale invariant features

In this paper, we propose a vision based mobile robot localization strategy. Local scale-invariant features are used as natural landmarks in unstructured and unmodified environment. The local characteristics of the features we use prove to be robust to occlusion and outliers. In addition, the invariance of the features to viewpoint change makes them suitable landmarks for mobile robot localization. Scale-invariant features detected in the first exploration are indexed into a location database. Indexing and voting allow efficient recognition of global localization. The localization result is verified by epipolar geometry between the representative view in database and the view to be localized, thus the probability of false localization will be decreased. The localization system can recover the pose of the camera mounted on the robot by essential matrix decomposition. Then the position of the robot can be computed easily. Both calibrated and un-calibrated cases are discussed and relative position estimation based on calibrated camera turns out to be the better choice. Experimental results show that our approach is effective and reliable in the case of illumination changes, similarity transformations and extraneous features. © 2004 IEEE.

Prudentia Iuris, 2008, n° 64-65 (número completo)

Presentación -- Parte I -- Breve relato sobre el Anticristo / Vladimir Soloiev -- Las enseñanzas de la iconografía / Marisa Mosto -- ¿Cómo se hace un ícono? / María Bargalló -- Michel Villey: Destructor de ídolos, creador de íconos / Carlos Raúl Sanz -- La racionalidad al rescate de la Naturaleza y la Ley Natural / María Celestina Donadío Maggi de Gandolfi -- Part II -- El cuadragésimo aniversario de la reforma del Código Civil (ley 17.711) /Carlos Raúl Sanz -- Parte III -- Segundo Encuentro Interuniversitario de Derecho de Familia. Controversias Jurídicas Actuales. Facultad de Derecho de la Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina. Buenos Aires, 4 de junio de 2008 -- Los principios ético-jurídicos del vínculo paterno-filial y familiar por adopción / Catalina Elsa Arias de Ronchietto -- Democratización de la familia y su incidencia en los vínculos jurídico-familiares / Ursula C. Basset -- El derecho del niño a la familia / Julio César Capparelli -- La filiación y sus controversias jurídicas modernas. Un asunto inquietante / Ursula C. Basset -- Impugnación de la paternidad matrimonial. La exclusión de la madre y del pretenso padre biológico / Jorge Oscar Perrino -- Parte IV -- Derecho y retórica. Una aproximación desde la academia estadounidense / Valentín Thury Cornejo -- Notas sobre la asistencia social / José Benjamín Gomez Paz -- La Justicia y el derecho en el pensamiento del Santo Tomás de Aquino y Hans Kelsen / Alberto Silvio Pestalardo -- San Agustín, Dante y la Globalización. Una invitación a la reflexión sobre la globalización y la laicidad / Carlos A. Gabriel Maino -- La esclavitud en la doctrina Aristotélica-Tomista / Sebastián Pierpaulli -- Hegel y la evangelización de la cultura / María Fernanda Balmaseda Cinquina -- Parte V -- Comentarios Bibliográficos -- Parte VI -- Las Enseñanzas del Papa S.S. Benedicto XVI -- Parte VII -- Documentos

Efecto de la incorporación de abonos verdes y dos niveles de biofertilizantes sobre el cultivo de fresa (Fragaria spp) variedad britget en Las Sabanas, Madriz

Los pequeños productores de fresa del municipio Las Sabanas, Madríz, han venido desarrollando en conjunto con la Universidad Nacional Agraria, algunos trabajos que les han permitido incrementar la producción orgánica del cultivo de fresa (Fragaria spp.); sin embargo, las principales limitantes se centran sobre el manejo de plagas y enfermedades, fertilidad de los suelos, introducción y evaluación de genotipos, entre otros. En el presente se planteó evaluar momentos de incorporación de abonos verdes y biofertilizantes en el cultivar de fresa Britget. Para esto se utilizó un Diseño de Bloques Completos al Azar (BCA) con arreglos en Parcelas Subdivididas en el que se estudiaron especies de leguminosas: caupí(Vigna unguiculata L.) y mungo (Vigna radiataL.), y su incorporación en el suelo (12, 24 y 36 dds (días después de la siembra), y niveles de biofertilizantes (200 y 400 l ha-1) sobre tres réplicas. Las variables fueron sujetas a un análisis de varianza (ANDEVA) y agrupación de medias mediante LSD (8=0.05). El diámetro, espesor y longitud el fruto fueron afectados significativamente por las leguminosas incorporadas al suelo. De igual manera, los resultados obtenidos indicaron que los abonos verdes y sus momentos de incorporación al suelo, así como los niveles de biofertilizantes foliar tuvieron efecto significativo sobre el rendimiento total, no así en las interacciones conformadas. Los mayores valores promedios en los efectos principales se presentaron en caupí (1,490 kg ha-1) a los 12 dds de incorporados al suelo (1,409 kg ha-1) y 400 l ha-1 de biofertilizante foliar (1,318 kg ha-1). Los mejores tratamientos conformados fueron el caupí incorporado al suelo a los 12 y 24 días después de la siembra con 400 l ha-1 de biofertilizante, con totales de 2,000 y 2,100 kg ha-1, respectivamente.

Ensayo regional de híbridos experimentales de sorgos (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench.), durante el año 2001

La siembra de sorgo en monocultivo, en Centroamérica, ocupa un 39% de su superficie cultivada, lo cual significa unas 11 O 000 ha. Casi en su totalidad, este sistema de cultivo se realiza utilizando semilla híbrida. La semilla utilizada para la siembra, es importada por no poderse producir en la región debido a que los progenitores no tienen adaptación tropical. Esta situación hace que la semilla no este accesible a todos los productores. El presente vivero permitirá seleccionar híbridos que se puedan reproducir en la región y que las empresas locales puedan ponerlos accesibles. El vivero incluyó 29 híbridos experimentales más un testigo local. El diseño utilizado fue látice simple 6 x 5 con 4 repeticiones, área experimental y parcela útil fue de 7 m2• Las variables a medir fueron: rendimiento de grano, altura de planta, días a floración, largo y exerción de panoja, días a madurez fisiológica, tolerancia a plagas, enfermedades y acame. Los ensayos se enviaron a cuatro localidades .. Solamente se recibieron datos de San Andrés (El Salvador) y CNIA (Nicaragua). Se realizó un análisis de varianza por localidad y un combinado de las dos localidades. En San Andrés, el híbrido ATX 623 x 96 A 635, de grano blanco, produciendo 861 O kg ha· 1 , fue el mejor. En el análisis combinado de ambas localidades, los híbridos: ATC 629 x 86EO 361 (7758 kg ha·') y ATX 623 x 96CA635 (7445 kg ha·1), ambos de grano blanco, fueron los mejores, rindiendo un 21% más que el testigo local. La media general fue de 5783 kg ha·, y el coeficiente de variación de 18.5%.

The Newest Developments Of Load-Unload Response Ratio (Lurr)

The Load Unload Response Ratio (LURR) method is an intermediate-term earthquake prediction approach that has shown considerable promise. It is inspiring that its predictions using LURR have been improving. Since 2004 we have made a major breakthrough in intermediate-term earthquake forecasting of the strong earthquakes on the Chinese mainland using LURR and successfully predicted the Pakistan earthquake with magnitude M 7.6 on October 8, 2005. The causes for improving the prediction in terms of LURR have been discussed in the present paper.

Comparison Between Lurr And State Vector Analysis Before Strong Earthquakes In Southern California Since 1980

There are seven strong earthquakes with M >= 6.5 that occurred in southern California during the period from 1980 to 2005. In this paper, these earthquakes were studied by the LURR (Load/Unload Response Ratio) method and the State Vector method to detect if there are anomalies before them. The results show that LURR anomalies appeared before 6 earthquakes out of 7 and State Vector anomalies appeared before all 7 earthquakes. For the LURR method, the interval between maximum LURR value and the forthcoming earthquake is 1 to 19 months, and the dominant mean interval is about 10.7 months. For the State Vector method, the interval between the maximum modulus of increment State Vector and the forthcoming earthquake is from 3 to 27 months, but the dominant mean interval between the occurrence time of the maximum State Vector anomaly and the forthcoming earthquake is about 4.7 months. The results also show that the minimum valid space window scale for the LURR and the State Vector is a circle with a radius of 100 km and a square of 3 degrees 3 degrees, respectively. These results imply that the State Vector method is more effective for short-term earthquake prediction than the LURR method, however the LURR method is more effective for location prediction than the State Vector method.

Fast Computing For Lurr Of Earthquake Prediction

The LURR theory is a new approach for earthquake prediction, which achieves good results in earthquake prediction within the China mainland and regions in America, Japan and Australia. However, the expansion of the prediction region leads to the refinement of its longitude and latitude, and the increase of the time period. This requires increasingly more computations, and the volume of data reaches the order of GB, which will be very difficult for a single CPU. In this paper, a new method was introduced to solve this problem. Adopting the technology of domain decomposition and parallelizing using MPI, we developed a new parallel tempo-spatial scanning program.

Control biologico de malezas en Cuba. Estudio de casos practicos

Durante los años 1997-2000 se realizó un estudio de la flora arvense en las principales zonas cafetaleras de Cuba, evaluándose 120 cafetales en las 2 épocas del año, de 22 municipios y 7 pro - vincias (711.2 ha). Se recorrie - ron cafetales a los cuales se les evaluó la composición de especies y su grado de enyer - bamiento y los patógenos pre - sentes en las arvenses con posibilidades de ser usados como biocontroles y/o que tengan alguna relación directa con el cultivo. Para el estudio de los patógenos, en 123 espe - cies de plantas arvenses se procesaron 350 muestras, de estas al 64% se les determinó el agente causal, algunas con más de uno. Se reportan 41 patógenos de las arvenses por primera vez para Cuba y se obtuvieron dos aislados de hongos del género Cercospora , con los cuales se obtuvieron resultados alentadores, como agente de biocon - trol contra Syngonium podophyllum Schott (Familia: Araceae )