Influence of Sm2O3 doping on formation and structure of SrBi2Nb2O9 nanocrystals in lithium borate glasses

New glasses of 16.66SrO–16.66[(1 − x)Bi2O3–xSm2O3]–16.66Nb2O5–50Li2B4O7 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.5, in molar ratio), i.e., the pseudo-binary Sm2O3-doped SrBi2Nb2O9–Li2B4O7 glass system, giving the crystallization of Sm3+-doped SrBi2Nb2O9 nanocrystals are developed. It is found that the thermal stability of the glasses against the crystallization and the optical band gap energy increases with increasing Sm2O3 content. The formation of fluorite-type Sm3+-doped SrBi2Nb2O9 nanocrystals (diameters: 13–37 nm) with a cubic structure is confirmed in the crystallized (530 °C, 3 h) samples from X-ray powder diffraction analyses, Raman scattering spectrum measurements, and transmission electron microscope observations. The effect of Sm3+-doping on the microstructure, Raman scattering peak positions, and dielectric properties of composites comprising of fluorite-type SrBi2Nb2O9 nanocrystals and the Li2B4O7 glassy phase is clarified. It is found that fluorite-type SrBi2Nb2O9 nanocrystals transform to stable perovskite-type SrBi2Nb2O9 crystals with an orthorhombic structure by heat treatments at around 630 °C.

Study of Structural Stability and Electronic Structure of Nonstoichiometric CdS Nano Clusters from First Principles

Structural stability of small sized nonstoichiometric CdS nano clusters between zincblende and wurtzite structures has been investigated using first-principles density functional calculations. Our study shows that the relative stability of these two structures depends sensitively on whether the surface is S-terminated or Cd-terminated. The associated band gap also exhibits non-monotonic behavior as a function of cluster size. Our findings may shed light on contradictory reports of experimentally observed structures of CdS nano clusters found in the literature.

Finite element modelling of lamb wave propagation in prestress concrete and effect of the prestress force on the wave’s characteristic

In order to assess the structural reliability of bridges, an accurate and cost effective Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) technology is required to ensure their safe and reliable operation. Over 60% of the Australian National Highway System is prestressed concrete (PSC) bridges according to the Bureau of Transport and Communication Economics (1997). Most of the in-service bridges are more than 30 years old and may experience a heavier traffic load than their original intended level. Use of Ultrasonic waves is continuously increasing for (NDE) and Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) in civil, aerospace, electrical, mechanical applications. Ultrasonic Lamb waves are becoming more popular for NDE because it can propagate long distance and reach hidden regions with less energy loses. The purpose of this study is to numerically quantify prestress force (PSF) of (PSC) beam using the fundamental theory of acoustic-elasticity. A three-dimension finite element modelling approach is set up to perform parametric studies in order to better understand how the lamb wave propagation in PSC beam is affected by changing in the PSF level. Results from acoustic-elastic measurement on prestressed beam are presented, showing the feasibility of the lamb wave for PSF evaluation in PSC bridges.

Structure of ethyl 1,2,2-tricyano-3-(4-nitrophenyl)-cyclopropane-1-carboxylate

C15HIoN404, monoclinic, P2~/c, a = 10.694(8), b = 11.743 (8), c - 12.658 (8) A, fl = 113.10 (7) °, V = 1462.1 A 3, Z = 4, O m = 1 "38, O c = 1.408 g cm -3, t,t(MoKa, ~, = 0.7107 ]~) = 0.99 cm -i, F(000) = 640. The structure was solved by direct methods and refined to an R value of 0.054 using 1398 intensity measurements. The relative magnitudes of interaction of the substituents and the extent to which a ring can accommodate interactions with substituents are discussed.

Charge distribution, dipole moments and molecular structure of some organogermanium compounds

Formal charge distributions in, and the electric dipole moments of, a few simple organogermanium compounds have been evaluated by the method of R. P. Smith et al. [J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 73(1951) 2263]. The difference between the experimental and calculated moments in the case of alkylhalogermanes is explained in terms of the pπ—dπ back bonding effect outweighing the electron releasing effect. In unsaturated compounds, the differences are attributed to possible mesmeric effects involving the expansion of the germanium valence shell.

Molecular and crystal structure of deoxyguanosine 5'-phosphate

RECENT crystallographic studies of the dinucleosides ApU (ref. 1) and GpC (ref. 2) have given experimental proof for the base pairing arrangement proposed by Watson and Crick for the DNA double helix3. Another striking feature of this structure relates to the torsional angle about the C5'-C4' bond in the phosphate−sugar backbone chain. In the Crick and Watson model4, this conformation is gauche−trans (GT). Crystal structures of 5'-nucleotides, dinucleosides and dinucleotides so far studied, however, have shown only the gauche−gauche (GG) conformation about this bond. The GG conformer is also the only one found in the refined models of the proposed structure of the double helical nucleic acids and polynucleotides5−7. The only nucleotide with a GT conformation is 6-azauridine-5'-phosphate8 which is not a normal monomer unit of nucleic acids. It is also reported that 5'-dGMP assumes preferentially GT conformation in solution9.

Population genetics of Australian white sharks reveals fine-scale spatial structure, transoceanic dispersal events and low effective population sizes

Despite international protection of white sharks Carcharodon carcharias, important conservation parameters such as abundance, population structure and genetic diversity are largely unknown. The tissue of 97 predominately juvenile white sharks sampled from spatially distant eastern and southwestern Australian coastlines was sequenced for the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region and genotyped with 6 nuclear-encoded microsatellite loci. MtDNA population structure was found between the eastern and southwestern coasts (F-ST = 0.142, p < 0.0001), implying female reproductive philopatry. This concurs with recent satellite and acoustic tracking findings which suggest the sustained presence of discrete east coast nursery areas. Furthermore, population subdivision was found between the same regions with biparentally inherited micro satellite markers (F-ST = 0.009, p < 0.05), suggesting that males may also exhibit some degree of reproductive philopatry; 5 sharks captured along the east coast had mtDNA haplotypes that resembled western Indian Ocean sharks more closely than Australian/New Zealand sharks, suggesting that transoceanic dispersal, or migration resulting in breeding, may occur sporadically. Our most robust estimate of contemporary genetic effective population size was low and close to thresholds at which adaptive potential may be lost. For a variety of reasons, these contemporary estimates were at least 1, possibly 2, orders of magnitude below our historical effective size estimates. Population decline could expose these genetically isolated populations to detrimental genetic effects. Regional Australian white shark conservation management units should be implemented until genetic population structure, size and diversity can be investigated in more detail.

The non-planar peptide unit II. Comparison of theory with crystal structure datastar, open

The theoretical results derived in Part I (Ramachandran, G.N., Lakshminarayan, A.V. and Kolaskar, A.S. (1973) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 303, 8–13) that the three bonds of the peptide unit meeting at N can have a pyramidal structure is confirmed by an analysis of 14 published crystal structures of small peptides. It is shown that the dihedral angles θN and Δω are correlated, while θC, is small and is uncorrelated with Δω, showing that the non-planar distortion at C′ is generally small.

Parametric Study of Flood Wave Propagation

A parametric study of the flood wave propagation problem is made, based on numerical solution of the nondimensionalized unsteady flow equations of open channels. The propagation of a sinusoidal flood wave in a prismatic channel is studied for uniform initial flow. The governing parameters (initial uniform flow Froude number, wave amplitude, wave duration, channel width parameter and side slope) are varied over a wide range. In all, 49 cases are studied. Effects of these governing parameters on the subsidence of stage and discharge and the speed of the wave peak are described in detail. The relative wave amplitude is found to vary linearly with F0, the initial uniform flow froude number, for lower F0 values. Wave duration has a very pronounced effect on subsidence with greater subsidence at lower wave duration values.

Unusual effects of anisotropic bonding in Cu(II) and Ni(II) oxides with K2NiF4 structure

Geometric constraints present in A2BO4 compounds with the tetragonal-T structure of K2NiF4 impose a strong pressure on the B---OII---B bonds and a stretching of the A---OI---A bonds in the basal planes if the tolerance factor is t congruent with RAO/√2 RBO < 1, where RAO and RBO are the sums of the A---O and B---O ionic radii. The tetragonal-T phase of La2NiO4 becomes monoclinic for Pr2NiO4, orthorhombic for La2CuO4, and tetragonal-T′ for Pr2CuO4. The atomic displacements in these distorted phases are discussed and rationalized in terms of the chemistry of the various compounds. The strong pressure on the B---OII---B bonds produces itinerant σ*x2−y2 bands and a relative stabilization of localized dz2 orbitals. Magnetic susceptibility and transport data reveal an intersection of the Fermi energy with the d2z2 levels for half the copper ions in La2CuO4; this intersection is responsible for an intrinsic localized moment associated with a configuration fluctuation; below 200 K the localized moment smoothly vanishes with decreasing temperature as the d2z2 level becomes filled. In La2NiO4, the localized moments for half-filled dz2 orbitals induce strong correlations among the σ*x2−y2 electrons above Td reverse similar, equals 200 K; at lower temperatures the σ*x2−y2 electrons appear to contribute nothing to the magnetic susceptibility, which obeys a Curie-Weiss law giving a μeff corresponding to S = 1/2, but shows no magnetic order to lowest temperatures. These surprising results are verified by comparison with the mixed systems La2Ni1−xCuxO4 and La2−2xSr2xNi1−xTixO4. The onset of a charge-density wave below 200 K is proposed for both La2CuO4 and La2NiO4, but the atomic displacements would be short-range cooperative in mixed systems. The semiconductor-metallic transitions observed in several systems are found in many cases to obey the relation Ea reverse similar, equals kTmin, where varrho = varrho0exp(−Ea/kT) and Tmin is the temperature of minimum resistivity varrho. This relation is interpreted in terms of a diffusive charge-carrier mobility with Ea reverse similar, equals ΔHm reverse similar, equals kT at T = Tmin.

The role of BoFLC2 in cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis L.) reproductive development

In agricultural species that are sexually propagated or whose marketable organ is a reproductive structure, management of the flowering process is critical. Inflorescence development in cauliflower is particularly complex, presenting unique challenges for those seeking to predict and manage flowering time. In this study, an integrated physiological and molecular approach was used to clarify the environmental control of cauliflower reproductive development at the molecular level. A functional allele of BoFLC2 was identified for the first time in an annual brassica, along with an allele disrupted by a frameshift mutation (boflc2). In a segregating F2 population derived from a cross between late-flowering (BoFLC2) and early-flowering (boflc2) lines, this gene behaved in a dosage-dependent manner and accounted for up to 65% of flowering time variation. Transcription of BoFLC genes was reduced by vernalization, with the floral integrator BoFT responding inversely. Overall expression of BoFT was significantly higher in early-flowering boflc2 lines, supporting the idea that BoFLC2 plays a key role in maintaining the vegetative state. A homologue of Arabidopsis VIN3 was isolated for the first time in a brassica crop species and was up-regulated by two days of vernalization, in contrast to findings in Arabidopsis where prolonged exposure to cold was required to elicit up-regulation. The correlations observed between gene expression and flowering time in controlled-environment experiments were validated with gene expression analyses of cauliflowers grown outdoors under 'natural' vernalizing conditions, indicating potential for transcript levels of flowering genes to form the basis of predictive assays for curd initiation and flowering time.

Structure of a new crystal form of 2-{[3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]amino}benzoic acid (flufenamic acid)

C14Ht0F3NO2, P2.Jc, a = 12.523 (4), b = 7.868(6), c = 12.874 (3)A, fl = 95.2 (2) ° , O,,, = 1.47 (4), D e = 1.47 Mg m -3, Z = 4. Final R = 0.074 for 2255 observed reflections. The carboxyl group and the phenyl ring bearing the carboxyl group are nearly coplanar whereas the two phenyl rings are inclined with respect to each other at 52.8 ° . The difference between the two polymorphs of flufenamic acid lies in the geometrical disposition of the [3-(trifluoromethyl)- phenyl]amino moiety with respect to the benzoic acid moiety. As in other fenamate structures, the carboxyl group and the imino N atom are connected through an intramolecular hydrogen bond; also, pairs of centrosymmetrically related molecules are connected through hydrogen bonds involving carboxyl groups.

Residential tariff structure and battery energy storage impact in queensland LV network

Distributed renewable energy has become a significant contender in the supply of power in the distribution network in Queensland and throughout the world. As the cost of battery storage falls, distribution utilities turn their attention to the impacts of battery storage and other storage technologies on the low voltage (LV) network. With access to detailed residential energy usage data, Energex's available residential tariffs are investigated for their effectiveness in providing customers with financial incentives to move to Time-of Use based tariffs and to reward use of battery storage.