Influence of ceria addition on thermal properties and local structure of bismuth germanate glasses

Bismuth germanate glasses are interesting materials due to their physical properties and their unique structural characteristics caused by the coordination changes of bismuth and germanium atoms. Glasses of the bismuth germanate system were prepared by melting/molding method and were investigated concerning their thermal and structural properties. The structural analysis of the samples was carried out by micro-Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopes. It was observed that the glass structure is formed basically by GeO(4) tetrahedral units also having the formation of the GeO(6) octahedral units. BiO(2) was considered a network former by observing the presence of octahedral BiO(6) and pyramidal BiO(3) groups in the local structure of the samples. An absorption band observed at 1103 cm(-1) in the IR spectrum of the undoped glass was attributed to the Bi-O-Ge and/or Bi-O-Bi linkage vibration. The said band shifted to lower wavenumbers after the CeO(2) addition thus reflecting changes in the glass network. Cerium oxide was an efficient oxidant agent to prevent the darkening of the glasses which was probably associated to the reduction of Bi ions. However, CeO(2) was incorporated as a local network modifier in the glass structure even at concentrations of 0.2 mol%. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Thermal lens spectrometry in pyroelectric lithium niobate crystals

In this work, the light-induced lens effect due to thermal and/or photorefractive processes was studied in pyroelectric (undoped and Fe(2+)-doped) lithium niobate crystals (LiNbO(3)) using thermal lens spectrometry with a two-beam (pump-probe) mode-mismatched configuration. The measurements were carried out at two pump beam wavelengths (514.5 and 750 nm) to establish a full understanding of the present effects in this material (thermal and/or photorefractive). We present an easy-to-implement method to determine quantitative values of the pyroelectric coefficient (dPs/dT), its contribution to the thermal effect and other thermo-optical parameters like thermal diffusivity (D), thermal conductivity (K) and temperature coefficient of the optical path length change (ds/dT). These measurements were performed in LiNbO(3) and LiNbO(3): Fe (0.1 ppm Fe(2+)) crystals with c axis along the direction of laser propagation.

Fluorescent AlPO(4) gels and glasses doped with Rhodamine 6G: Preparation, structural and optical characterization

Fluorescent AlPO(4) xerogels doped with different amounts of Rhodamine 6G (Rh6G) laser dye were prepared by a one-step sal-gel process. In addition, mesoporous AlPO(4) glasses obtained from undoped gels were loaded with different amounts of Rh6G by wet impregnation. Optical excitation and emission spectra of both series of samples show significant dependences on Rh6G concentration, revealing the influence of dye molecular aggregation. At comparable dye concentrations the aggregation effects are found to be significantly stronger in the gels than in the mesoporous glasses. This effect might be attributed to stronger interactions between the dye molecules and the glass matrix, resulting in more efficient dye dispersion in the latter. The interaction of Rh6G with the glassy AlPO(4) network has been probed by (27)Al and (31)P solid-state NMR techniques. New five- and six-coordinated aluminum environments have been observed and characterized by advanced solid-state NMR techniques probing (27)Al-(1)H and (27)Al-(31)P internuclear dipole couplings. The fractional area of these new Al sites is correlated with the combined fractional area of two new Q(3Al)((0)) and Q(2Al)((0)) phosphate species observed in the (31)P MAS NMR spectra. Based on this correlation as well as detailed composition dependent studies, we suggest that the new signals arise from the breakage of Al-O-P linkages associated with the insertion process. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Influence of neodymium ions on photocatalytic activity of TiO(2) synthesized by sol-gel and precipitation methods

Titanium dioxide with and without the addition of neodymium ions was prepared using sol-gel and precipitation methods. The resulting catalysts were characterized by thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction and BET specific surface area. Neodymium addition exerted a remarkable influence on the phase transition temperature and the surface properties of the TiO(2) matrix. TiO(2) samples synthesized by precipitation exhibit an exothermic event related from the amorphous to anatase phase transition at 510 degrees C, whereas in Nd-doped TiO(2) this transition occurred at 527 degrees C. A similar effect was observed in samples obtained using sol-gel method. The photocatalytic reactivity of the catalysts was evaluated by photodegradation of Remazol Black B (RB) under ultraviolet irradiation. Nd-doped TiO(2) showed enhanced photodegradation ability compared to undoped TiO(2) samples, independent of the method of synthesis. In samples obtained by sol-gel, RB decoloration was enhanced by 16% for TiO(2) doped with 0.5% neodymium ions. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Palliativ omvårdnad i hemmet - de anhörigas upplevelse av delaktighet : En litteraturstudie

Bakgrund: Tack vare en mer avancerad hemsjukvård har den palliativa vården utvecklats, vilket gör det möjligt för fler människor att dö i det egna hemmet. Palliativ vård handlar inte endast om patienten, utan involverar även de anhöriga. Det övergripande målet för palliativ vård är att patienten och den anhörige upplever god livskvalitet till livets slut. De anhörigas närvaro är betydelsefull, inte endast för patienten utan även för vårdarna. De anhöriga befinner sig i en mycket påfrestande situation och det är viktigt att vårdare har kunskap om vad de anhöriga upplever och hur man kan stötta de anhöriga i deras situation. Syfte: Att belysa anhörigas upplevelser av delaktighet i samband med palliativ omvårdnad i hemmet. Metod: En litteraturstudie baserad på 11 vetenskapliga artiklar av kvalitativ ansats. Resultat: 2 kategorier framkom ur studien. Delaktighet ger anhöriga upplevelsen av att få vardagen att fungera och Anhörigas delaktighet bidrar till personcentrerad vård. Det blev en drastisk förändring i livet för de anhöriga. Det var inte bara hemmet som förändras i och med all teknisk utrustning och hjälpmedel som patienten behövde. De anhörigas livsförändringar gjorde att det sociala livet fick lida. Tankar kring existentiella frågor dök upp när man levde så nära inpå döden och det var viktigt för de anhöriga att vårdarna kunde se och lyssna även på deras behov. En god kommunikation var viktigt för att de anhöriga skulle våga prata om sina egna behov, tankar och åsikter. Slutsats: Det viktigaste för de anhöriga var att kommunikationen, stödet och informationen fungerade mellan alla parter. Fungerade dessa delar så byggdes en god relation mellan parterna och man fick en god tillit till vården. Samarbetet blev bättre och de anhöriga kände sig som en i teamet.

Effect of fat replacement by insulin or lupin-kernal fibre on sausage patty acceptability, post-meal perceptions of satiety and food intake in men

The present study examined whether replacing fat with inulin or lupin-kernel fibre influenced palatability, perceptions of satiety, and food intake in thirty-three healthy men (mean age 52 years, BMI 27·4 kg/m²), using a within-subject design. On separate occasions, after fasting overnight, the participants consumed a breakfast consisting primarily of either a full-fat sausage patty (FFP) or a reduced-fat patty containing inulin (INP) or lupin-kernel fibre (LKP). Breakfast variants were alike in mass, protein and carbohydrate content; however the INP and LKP breakfasts were 36 and 37 % lower in fat and 15 and 17 % lower in energy density respectively compared with the FFP breakfast. The participants rated their satiety before breakfast then evaluated patty acceptability. Satiety was rated immediately after consuming the breakfast, then over the subsequent 4·5 h whilst fasting. Food consumed until the end of the following day was recorded. All patties were rated above ‘neither acceptable or unacceptable’, however the INP rated lower for general acceptability (P=0·039) and the LKP lower for flavour (P=0·023) than the FFP. The LKP breakfast rated more satiating than the INP (P=0·010) and FFP (P=0·016) breakfasts. Total fat intake was 18 g lower on the day of the INP (P=0·035) and 26 g lower on the day of the LKP breakfast (P=0·013) than the FFP breakfast day. Energy intake was lower (1521 kJ) only on the day of the INP breakfast (P=0·039). Both inulin and lupin-kernel fibre appear to have potential as fat replacers in meat products and for reducing fat and energy intake in men.

Photocatalytic activity of manganese-doped ZnO nanocrystalline powders

ZnO nanocrystalline powders doped with up to 5 at% manganese were synthesized and their photocatalytic activity was studied. Doped ZnO powders were prepared using a sol-gel process. The crystal structure and grain size of the particles were characterized by X-ray diffractometry and optical properties were studied using UV-Vis spectroscopy. The photoactivity of undoped and doped ZnO nanocrystalline powders was evaluated by monitoring the photo-bleaching of the aqueous solutions of Rhodamine B dye in the presence of ZnO under simulated sunlight. The results showed that up to 3 at% manganese were successfully doped into the nanocrystalline ZnO and that manganese-doping reduced the photocatalytic activity of ZnO.

Optimization of polymerization conditions and thermal degradation of conducting polypyrrole coated polyester fabrics

PET fabric is coated with conducting polypyrrole (PPy) by oxidative polymerization from an aqueous solution of Py using ferric chloride hexahydrate (FeCl3) as oxidant and p-toluene sulphonate (pTSA) as dopant. The optimum concentrations for Py, FeCl3 and pTSA were found to be 0.11, 0.857 and 0.077 mol/l respectively, which yielded a conductive fabrics with resistivity as low as 72 Ω/sq. PPy fabric gained resistivity less than one order of magnitude when aged for 18 months at room temperature. The stabilizing effect of the dopant pTSA against thermal degradation was demonstrated; the undoped samples reached resistivity of around 40 kΩ, whereas doped samples reached less than 2 kΩ at the same temperature and time.

Evaluation of the intercultural understanding field trial

In 2011, the Innovation and Next Practice Division (INP) of the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) conducted a field trial on intercultural understanding in partnership with a research and evaluation team from the University of Melbourne and La Trobe University. The field trial was sponsored by the Languages, English as another Language (EAL) and Multicultural Education Division of DEECD.

On the origin of exciton formation in dye doped Alq(3) OLEDs

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

Rare earth centers properties and electron trapping in SnO2 thin films produced by sol-gel route

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Magnetic field effects on the conductivity of organic bipolar and unipolar devices at room temperature

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

Influence of pH of Colloidal Suspension on the Electrical Conductivity of SnO2 thin Films Deposited Via Sol-Gel-Dip-Coating

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Structural and Electronic Effects of Incorporating Mn in TiO2 Films Grown by Sputtering: Anatase versus Rutile

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

Synthesis and characterization of Fe(III)-doped ceramic membranes of titanium dioxide and its application in photoelectrocatalysis of a textile dye

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