Single-Shot Preparation of Crystalline Nanoplate LiFePO4 by a Simple Polyol Route

Nanoplate LiFePO4 is synthesized by a polyol route starting from only two reactants, namely, FePO4 and LiOH. The crystalline compound forms by refluxing a tetraethylene glycol solution consisting of FePO4 and LiOH at 335 degrees C without further heating of the reaction product.The nanoplates have average dimensions of 30 nm width and 160 nm length, as measured from transmission electron microscopy micrographs.The surface area of the LiFePO4 sample is 38 m(2) g(-1). Also, the sample is porous with a broadly distributed pore around 50 nm. The electrodes fabricated out of the nanoplate of LiFePO4 exhibit a high electrochemical activity. Discharge capacity values measured are 160 and 100 mAh g(-1) at 0.15C and 3.45C, respectively. A stable capacity of about 155 mAh g(-1) is measured at 0.2C over a 50 charge-discharge cycle. (C) 2010 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/1.3425730] All rights reserved.

Non-destructive discrimination of Bell states by NMR using a single ancilla qubit

Discrimination of Bell states plays an important role in a number of quantum computational protocols such as teleportation and secret sharing. However, most of the protocols dealing with Bell state discrimination in the literature either involve performing correlated measurements or destroying the entanglement of the system. Here, we demonstrate an NMR-based experimental realization of a protocol for Bell state discrimination, following a scheme proposed by Gupta et al (quant-ph/0504183v1, 23 April 2005), which does not destroy the Bell state under consideration. Using the proposed protocol, one can deterministically distinguish the Bell states, without performing a measurement using the entangled basis. State discrimination is performed through two independent measurements on one ancilla qubit, which leaves the Bell states unchanged.

Note: Dynamic point spread function for single and multiphoton fluorescence microscopy

We propose and demonstrate a dynamic point spread function (PSF) for single and multiphoton fluorescence microscopy. The goal is to generate a PSF whose shape and size can be maneuvered from highly localized to elongated one, thereby allowing shallow-to-depth excitation capability during active imaging. The PSF is obtained by utilizing specially designed spatial filter and dynamically altering the filter parameters. We predict potential applications in nanobioimaging and fluorescence microscopy.

Note: Dynamic point spread function for single and multiphoton fluorescence microscopy

We propose and demonstrate a dynamic point spread function (PSF) for single and multiphoton fluorescence microscopy. The goal is to generate a PSF whose shape and size can be maneuvered from highly localized to elongated one, thereby allowing shallow-to-depth excitation capability during active imaging. The PSF is obtained by utilizing specially designed spatial filter and dynamically altering the filter parameters. We predict potential applications in nanobioimaging and fluorescence microscopy.

Single-File Diffusion of Confined Water Inside SWNTs: An NMR Study

We report a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) study of confined water inside similar to 1.4 nm diameter single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). We show that the confined water does not freeze even up to 223 K. A pulse field gradient (PFG) NMR method is used to determine the mean squared displacement (MSD) of the water molecules inside the nanotubes at temperatures below 273 K, where the bulk water outside the nanotubes freezes and hence does not contribute to the proton NMR signal. We show that the mean squared displacement varies as the square root of time, predicted for single-file diffusion in a one-dimensional channel. We propose a qualitative understanding of our results based on available molecular dynamics simulations.

Single-File Diffusion of Water Inside Narrow Carbon Nanorings

We use atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to study the diffusion of water molecules confined inside narrow (6,6) carbon nanorings. The water molecules form two oppositely polarized chains. It is shown that the effective interaction between these two chains is repulsive in nature. The computed mean-squared displacement (MSD) clearly shows a scaling with time similar to t(1/2), which is consistent with single-file diffusion (SFD). The time up to which the water molecules undergo SFD is shown to be the lifetime of the water molecules inside these chains. Simulations of "uncharged" water molecules inside the nanoring show the formation of several water chains and yield SFD. These observations conclusively prove that the diffusion is Fickian when there is a single chain of water and SFD is observed only when two or more chains are present.

Scheduling parallel batch processors with incompatible job families using ant colony optimization

The present work concerns with the static scheduling of jobs to parallel identical batch processors with incompatible job families for minimizing the total weighted tardiness. This scheduling problem is applicable in burn-in operations and wafer fabrication in semiconductor manufacturing. We decompose the problem into two stages: batch formation and batch scheduling, as in the literature. The Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) based algorithm called ATC-BACO algorithm is developed in which ACO is used to solve the batch scheduling problems. Our computational experimentation shows that the proposed ATC-BACO algorithm performs better than the available best traditional dispatching rule called ATC-BATC rule.

Vertical profile of aerosol single scattering albedo over west coast of India during W_ICARB

Altitude profile of aerosol Single Scattering Albedo (SSA), derived from simultaneous in-situ airborne measurements of the coefficients of aerosol absorption and scattering off the west coast of India over the Arabian Sea (AS), during January 2009 is presented. While both the absorption and scattering coefficients decreased with altitude, their vertical structure differed significantly. Consequently, the derived SSA, with a surface value of 0.94, decreased with altitude, illustrating increasing relative dominance of aerosol absorption at higher altitudes. Altitude profile of SSA, when examined in conjunction with that of hemispheric backscatter fraction, revealed that the continental influence on the aerosol properties was higher at higher altitude, rather than the effect of marine environment. During an east-west transect across the peninsular India at an altitude of similar to 2500 m (free troposphere), it was found that the aerosol scattering coefficients remained nearly the same over both east and west coasts. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Optimal Blood Glucose Regulation using Single Network Adaptive Critics

Diabetes is a serious disease during which the body's production and use of insulin is impaired, causing glucose concentration level toincrease in the bloodstream. Regulating blood glucose levels as close to normal as possible, leads to a substantial decrease in long term complications of diabetes. In this paper, an intelligent neural network on-line optimal feedback treatment strategy based on nonlinear optimal control theory is presented for the disease using subcutaneous treatment strategy. A simple mathematical model of the nonlinear dynamics of glucose and insulin interaction in the blood system is considered based on the Bergman's minimal model. A glucose infusion term representing the effect of glucose intake resulting from a meal is introduced into the model equations. The efficiency of the proposed controllers is shown taking random parameters and random initial conditions in presence of physical disturbances like food intake. A comparison study with linear quadratic regulator theory brings Out the advantages of the nonlinear control synthesis approach. Simulation results show that unlike linear optimal control, the proposed on-line continuous infusion strategy never leads to severe hypoglycemia problems.

Non-resonant microwave absorption evidence for intrinsic Josephson coupling in Tl2Ba2CaCu2O8 single crystals

We report the results of our non-resonant microwave absorption (NRMA) studies on single crystals of Tl2Ba2CaCu2O8 (Tl 2212) which reflect the occurrence of intrinsic Josephson coupling in these crystals. We have studied the magnetic field induced microwave absorption at various temperatures from 4.2K to T-c (similar to 104K) using a standard CW EPR spectrometer (H-dc parallel to c). We observe the appearance of a characteristic feature in the NRMA signals similar to the ones observed earlier by us in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 (Bi 2212) starting a few degrees below T-c, which on cooling passes through a maximum in intensity before disappearing at a further low temperature. This behaviour is attributed to the appearance, strengthening and disappearance of Josephson response consequent to the temperature dependence of the viscosity of the Josephson medium between the CuO2 superconducting sheets.

Inelastic Torsional Response of a Single-Story Framed Structure

In this paper, a single-story, bilinear-hysteretic structure, square in plan and supported on four columns, subjected to two horizontal ground motions is studied. The model is assumed to possess three degrees of freedom, viz., translational displacements along the two horizontal orthogonal directions and a rotation about the vertical axis. Interaction of the bending moments in the two perpendicular directions has been considered.

Terahertz Spectroscopy of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes in a Polymer Film: Observation of Low-Frequency Phonons

We investigate the dielectric response of single-walled carbon nanotubes dispersed in poly(vinyl alcohol) matrix by using terahertz time domain spectroscopy. Frequency-dependent real and imaginary parts of the complex dielectric function are measured experimentally in the terahertz regime. The low-frequency phonons of carbon nanotubes, though predicted theoretically, are directly observed for the first time at frequencies 0.26, 0.60, and 0.85 THz. Further, a broad resonance is observed at 1.15 THz associated with the longitudinal acoustic mode of vibration of straight-chain segments of the long polymeric molecules in the film. The latter is observed at 1.24 THz for a pristine polymer film and has been used to derive the size of crystalline lamellae in the film.

As-deposited near-single crystalline high Tc and Jc superconducting thin films by a pulsed lased deposition process

As-deposited high Tc superconducting Y1Ba2Cu3O7−x films with zero resistance temperatures of similar, equals89 K and critical current densities about 0.7×106 A/cm2 at 77 K have been reproducibly fabricated at a substrate holder temperature at 650°C, using pulsed laser deposition, without post-annealing. One key to these results is the injection of gaseous oxygen into laser produced plume just in front of the target. In this way, the correct amount of oxygen is incorporated into the as-grown film so that post-deposition treatment becomes unnecessary. Axial ion channeling in these as-deposit high Tc superconducting films on (100) SrTiO3 and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) on the film surfaces were performed. Angular yield profile near the film surface for Ba, and the surface peak intensity were measured using 3 MeV He ions. For channeling normal to the substrate a minimum yield of 7%, compared to similar, equals3% for single crystals, was obtained. The results of ion channeling and XPS studies indicate that the as-deposited films have good crystallinity as well as toichiometry to within similar, equals1 nm of the film surface. The in-situ growth of such high Tc and Jc films is an important step in the use of the laser deposition technique to fabricate multilayer structures and the surface perfection is of importance in tunneling devices such as Josephson junctions.

Ultrasonic measurement of the elastic constants of sodium p-nitrophenolate dihydrate single crystals

Sodium p-nitrophenolate dihydrate single crystals possess excellent nonlinear optical properties such that they can be used for optical second-harmonic generation. It belongs to the orthorhombic system with the space group Ima2. Slow evaporation or slow cooling techniques can be used to grow good optical quality single crystals from supersaturated solution. All the nine elastic constants of this crystal have been measured using an ultrasonic technique. Samples for measurements have been cut along desired crystallographic axes and the pulse echo overlap technique has been used to measure longitudinal and shear ultrasonic wave velocities along appropriate symmetry directions in the crystal. The McSkimin Delta t criterion has been applied to determine the round trip travel time accurately, from which the nine elastic constants have been evaluated. Temperature variation of selected elastic constants in a limited range have also been measured and reported.