Absorption Ion Research Articles

Influence of electron–phonon interaction on linear and nonlinear magneto-optical absorption properties in monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides

In this study, we investigate the linear and non-linear magneto-optical properties of TMDC monolayer semiconductors MX2 (M = Mo/W, X = S/Se) in a perpendicular magnetic field by evaluating the magneto-optical absorption coefficients (MOACs) and the refractive index changes (RICs) subject to the influence of electron–phonon interaction (EPI). Our results are achieved by considering the influence of electron couplings with acoustic (AC) and optical (OP) phonons via the absorption (AB) and emission (EM) mechanisms. When compared to the neglected EPI case, the intensity of the linear MOAC and RIC increases about 2.6–4 times and 5.3–10.5 times, respectively. The absorption peaks exhibit the blue-shifts, with the largest blue-shift observed for the OP-EM phonon scatterings, followed by the AC phonons and the smallest for the OP-AB phonon scatterings. Meanwhile, the greatest contribution to MOAC and RIC comes from the OP-AB phonons, which is followed by that of the AC phonons and the OP-EM phonons, respectively. The MoX2 group is more significantly affected by the scattering mechanism compared to the WX2 one. Although the OP-EM phonons contribution for the MoX2 group is much smaller than that of the other two interaction mechanisms, it nevertheless produces a very noticeable blue-shift. Meanwhile, for the WX2 group, all three mechanisms erect comparable results. The biggest (smallest) value of the linear MOAC and RIC are both founded in MoSe2 (MoS2). Notably, the absolute values of the non-linear MOAC and RIC terms increase by tens to hundreds of times, leading to the total MOAC terms being negative, contrary to when EPI is not taken into account, while the characteristics of the non-linear RIC curves also undergo considerable changes. Among the four TMDC materials, MoX2 is more significantly affected by the EPI effect than WX2.

Zn2+ ion doping's impact on the vibration spectroscopic properties of higher absorption ions: application to the determination of optical constant properties: advancements in nanotechnology applications

Zn2+ ion doping's impact on the vibration spectroscopic properties of higher absorption ions: application to the determination of optical constant properties: advancements in nanotechnology applications

Review on Luminescence Spectroscopic Studies on Dy<sup>3+</sup> Doped Nano Phosphors

In order to assess the luminescence spectroscopy experiments on Dy3+ doped nano phosphorus and metal oxides, this work includes a comprehensive literature analysis of final-results and discussion of prior research. In this review work, we take a look at what’s already been written about Dy3+ doped nano phosphorus and metal oxides. The collected sample was analysed by means of Powder X-ray Diffraction (PXRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Optical Absorption (AOD), and Photoluminescence (PL). In metal oxides, Characterization techniques gives information about quality and composition of the samples, they exhibit unique PL spectra depending on impurities, crystal defects and mineral associations. These samples may be used in mining companies to assess the economic viability. Compared to an undoped phosphorus PL spectrum, a Dy3+ doped Nano phosphorus PL spectrum shows a blue emission at 441 nm (2.81 eV). Flux was used in a solid-state reaction to create a phosphor that emits white light and contains Dy3+ ions. Analysis of the manufactured sample was performed using Powder X-ray Diffraction (PXRD), Optical Absorption (AOP), Photoluminescence (PL), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). Intense crystal fields and Zeeman interactions can affect Dy3+ ions, as evidenced by their abundant resonance signals in EPR spectra.

Engajamento no trabalho: uma pesquisa com servidores públicos estaduais

Engajamento no trabalho é um tema emergente na psicologia organizacional e exprime um comportamento fisicamente envolvido, cognitivamente vigilante e emocionalmente conectado com a atividade laboral. Este construto é formado por três dimensões: vigor, dedicação e absorção. Profissionais engajados mostram maior iniciativa e entusiasmo para superar os desafios que as tarefas exigem. Diante deste contexto, o objetivo desta pesquisa foi analisar as características e a intensidade do engajamento no trabalho entre servidores públicos em um instituto no estado do Pará. A metodologia foi exploratória e descritiva, feita na forma de survey, com a utilização do Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-17). A amostra foi formada por 100 servidores, selecionados em amostragem não probabilística por julgamento e o tratamento dos dados utilizou estatística descritiva, correlacional e multivariada. Os resultados mostraram engajamento com intensidade intermediária em todas as dimensões do construto. A análise de agrupamentos revelou três grupos denominados, conforme a intensidade no engajamento, em baixo (25%), médio (61%) e alto engajamento (14%). As conclusões recomendam investimentos em estratégias de gestão de pessoas, especialmente para equilibrar as demandas do trabalho aos recursos pessoais e organizacionais, que é uma forma de aumentar o engajamento e evitar o adoecimento laboral.

Collaborative Effect of In-Plasma Catalysis with Sequential Na2SO3 Wet Scrubbing on Co-Elimination of NOx and VOCs from Simulated Sinter Flue Gas

Sinter flue gas produced by the iron-ore sinter process in steel plants is characterized by a large gas volume and complex components. Among the major air pollutants, preliminary emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) exhibit an inevitable contribution to secondary aerosol and ozone formation. Herein, oxidation–absorption collaborative technology for in-plasma catalysis with sequential Na2SO3 wet scrubbing, aiming at co-elimination of NOx and VOCs from sinter flue gas, is proposed. Experimental parameters, including plasma discharge status, NO initial concentration, gas feed flux, Na2SO3 concentration, pH value, and absorption ions, were systematically investigated. The VOC and NOx removal performance of the integrated system was further investigated by taking simulated sinter flue gas as model pollutants. The results showed that the collaborative system has satisfactory performance for TVOC and NO removal rates for the effective oxidation of in-plasma catalysis and Na2SO3 absorption. The integration of plasma catalysis with Na2SO3 scrubbing could be an alternative technology for the co-elimination of sinter flue gas multi-compounds.

Energetic Physiology of the Caribbean Estuarine Clam Polymesoda arctata (Deshayes, 1854) Exposed to Different Environmental Conditions under Laboratory

The estuarine clam Polymesoda arctata is one of the commercially important bivalves of the Caribbean, which is currently considered endangered by overexploitation and habitat loss. With the purpose of gain knowledge about its environmental requirements for aquaculture and restocking purposes, its energetic physiology performance was evaluated under laboratory conditions in response to the variation of food concentration and water quality registered in their natural habitat. Different physiological variables, including the rates of filtration (FR), pseudofeces production (RR), ingestion (IR), absorption (AR), oxygen consumption (OCR), and ammonium excretion (UR), as well as absorption efficiency (AE) and scope for growth (SFG), were estimated in five successive experiments, where different concentration levels of food or particulate organic matter (1.8, 4.0, 7.3, and 13.0 mg L−1 equivalent to 2.3, 5.0, 9.3, and 16.6 mg of the microalgae Isochrysis galbana L−1), salinity (5, 15, and 25‰), temperature (27, 29, and 32°C), ammonia concentration (7, 48 and 77 µg NH3-N L−1), and dissolved oxygen saturation (24, 48, and 93%) were tested. Intermediate conditions of food concentration, salinity, and temperature resulted in higher values for most of the physiological variables measured, except for the higher values of OCR and UR obtained at low salinity, as well as the higher values of AE, AR, and SFG measured at low temperatures. Most of the physiological variables increased under conditions of lower ammonia concentrations and higher dissolved oxygen saturation in the water. Although this species exhibited physiological plasticity, tolerance, and enough energy for growth and reproduction under the environmental variations of its habitat, it also showed a high sensitivity to its environment, having the highest SFG values under intermediate conditions of particulate organic matter (7.2 mg L−1 or 9.3 mg of I. galbana L−1), salinity (15‰), and temperature (27–29°C), as well as at low ammonia concentration (7 μg NH3-N L−1) and high dissolved oxygen saturation (93%). Based on our results, we recommended the use of this values for reproductive conditioning of broodstock and juvenile culture in laboratory, and also as an input for selecting areas for aquaculture farming and restocking experiments.

Theoretical spectroscopy for unraveling the intensity mechanism of the optical and photoluminescent spectra of chiral Re(I) transition metal complexes.

In this work, we present a computational study that is able to predict the optical absorption and photoluminescent properties of the chiral Re(I) family of complexes [fac-ReX(CO)3L], where X is either Cl or I and L is N-heterocyclic carbene extended with π-conjugated [5]-helicenic unit. The computational strategy is based on carefully calibrated time dependent density functional theory calculations and operates in conjunction with an excited state dynamics approach to treat in addition to absorption (ABS) and photoluminescence (PL), electronic circular dichroism (ECD), and circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) spectroscopies, respectively. The employed computational approach provides, an addition, access to the computation of phosphorescence rates in terms of radiative and non-radiative relaxation processes. The chosen molecules consist of representative examples of non-helicenic (NHC) and helicenic diastereomers. The agreement between theoretical and experimental spectra, including absorption (ABS, ECD) and emission (PL, CPL), is excellent, validating a quantitative interpretation of the spectral features on the basis of natural transition orbitals and TheoDore analyses. It is demonstrated that across the set of studied Re(I) diastereomers, the emission process in the case of NHC diastereomers is metal to ligand charge transfer in nature and is dominated by the easy-axis anisotropy of the emissive excited multiplet. On the contrary, in the cases of the helicenic diastereomers, the emission process is intra ligand charge transfer in nature and is dominated by the respective easy-plane anisotropy of the emissive excited multiplet. This affects remarkably the photoluminescent properties of the molecules in terms of PL and CPL spectral band shapes, spin-vibronic coupling, relaxation times, and the respective quantum yields. Spin-vibronic coupling effects are investigated at the level of the state-average complete active space self-consistent field in conjunction with quasi-degenerate second order perturbation theory. It is in fact demonstrated that a spin-vibronic coupling mechanism controls the observed photophysics of this class of Re(I) complexes.

Increased intestinal permeability and downregulation of absorptive ion transporters Nhe3, Dra, and Sglt1 contribute to diarrhea during Clostridioides difficile infection

ABSTRACT Background & Aim Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is the leading cause of hospital-acquired diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis. Two protein toxins, TcdA and TcdB, produced by C. difficile are the major determinants of disease. However, the pathophysiological causes of diarrhea during CDI are not well understood. Here, we investigated the effects of C. difficile toxins on paracellular permeability and apical ion transporters in the context of an acute physiological infection. Methods We studied intestinal permeability and apical membrane transporters in female C57BL/6J mice. Üssing chambers were used to measure paracellular permeability and ion transporter function across the intestinal tract. Infected intestinal tissues were analyzed by immunofluorescence microscopy and RNA-sequencing to uncover mechanisms of transporter dysregulation. Results Intestinal permeability was increased through the size-selective leak pathway in vivo during acute CDI in a 2-day-post infection model. Chloride secretory activity was reduced in the cecum and distal colon during infection by decreased CaCC and CFTR function, respectively. SGLT1 activity was significantly reduced in the cecum and colon, accompanied by ablated SGLT1 expression in colonocytes and increased luminal glucose concentrations. SGLT1 and DRA expression was ablated by either TcdA or TcdB during acute infection, but NHE3 was decreased in a TcdB-dependent manner. The localization of key proteins that link filamentous actin to the ion transporters in the apical plasma membrane was unchanged. However, Sglt1, Nhe3, and Dra were drastically reduced at the transcript level, implicating downregulation of ion transporters in the mechanism of diarrhea during CDI. Conclusions CDI increases intestinal permeability and decreases apical abundance of NHE3, SGLT1, and DRA. This combination likely leads to dysfunctional water and solute absorption in the large bowel, causing osmotic diarrhea. These findings provide insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying diarrhea and may open novel avenues for attenuating CDI-associated diarrhea.

Altered colonocyte differentiation may lead to decreased electrolyte and fluid absorption in the ileocolon of IBD patients by affecting the expression pattern of the responsible ion transporters

Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) characterized by disturbed homeostasis of the immune system, the intestinal mucosa and the microbiome, causing ‘leaky’ intestinal epithelial barrier with altered fluid and electrolyte absorption leading to diarrhea. Fluid absorption in the ileocolonic region is predominantly mediated by the Cl-/HCO3 - exchanger SLC26A3 (DRA) and the Na+/H+ exchanger SLC9A3 (NHE3), while in the distal colon, the epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC) also plays a role. The objective of the current study is to evaluate if the downregulation of specific absorptive ion transporters or general defect of the enterocyte differentiation correlate with the degree of diarrhea and inflammation. For this reason, we have analyzed the mRNA expression and/or protein abundance of DRA, NHE3 and ENaC, as well as a panel of genes that correlate with the differentiation state of the colonic epithelium, in different segments of the ileocolon of healthy individuals and IBD patients with an acute flare or in remission. Endoscopy and histopathologic scoring and TNFα mRNA levels were used to grade inflammation, clinical scores for disease activity and diarrhea. mRNA expression and immunohistochemical staining of DRA and NHE3 in healthy colonic tissue revealed differences in the expression pattern of DRA and NHE3 along the human colon, with DRA being most abundant in the transverse and descending colon and NHE3 in the ascending colon (n=10). The reduction of DRA and NHE3 mRNA expression/abundance in the membrane correlated with the degree of inflammation as well as the diarrhea score (n=42), while in inactive disease the expression and abundance of DRA and NHE3 did not differ from healthy controls (n=13). Furthermore, significant decrease of the ENaC subunit ENaCγ expression was detected in inflamed colon sigmoideum (n=30). Since the addressed ion transporters are expressed on differentiated intestinal epithelial cells, we further investigated if their altered expression is linked to a possible defect of the epithelial differentiation program. It was found that the mRNA expression of the absorptive enterocyte differentiation markers intestinal alkaline phosphatase (iALP), villin and HES1 was significantly decreased in inflamed colon, while the expression of the proliferative marker Ki67, HOPX, BM1 and Claudin2 was significantly increased. However, the expression of the stem cell marker LGR5 was not altered (n=30). The results showed a disrupted transcriptional regulation of the epithelial ion transporters DRA, NHE3 and ENaCγ in the inflamed epithelium of IBD patients, which will lead to their reduced function and cause electrolyte/water accumulation leading to diarrhea. The decreased expression of the epithelial ion transporters could be a consequence of the altered enterocyte differentiation of the inflamed epithelium, most likely due to signaling pathways triggered by the proinflamatory cytokines. Grant Support: DFG SE 460/21-1 and 22-1, and VW Z1953. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2023 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Environmental and energy comparative analysis of expediency of heat-driven and electrically-driven refrigerators for air conditioning application

• Specific life cycle CO 2 emission per 1 kW h of cooling energy was proposed as metric. • Emission from human labor during refrigerator maintenance should be accounted. • Geographic location of refrigerator determines CO 2 emission at cold production. • Waste heat-driven refrigerators emit less CO 2 during LC than vapor compression ones. • Utilization of low-grade heat of 55 °C is inappropriate for heat driven refrigerators. The refrigeration industry is responsible for a sizable contribution to greenhouse gas emission. Heat-driven refrigerators are often declared “environmental-friendly” vs. electrically-driven ones, but for each specific operating condition and application, this statement needs to be confirmed. The modified approach of the eco-energy analysis is proposed to apply to these purposes. Its novelty consists in modifying the existing environmental life cycle metrics by considering the CO 2 emission from human labor (which provides the workers with goods and services) during refrigerator maintenance and the emission during the manufacturing of the power-intensive components of the refrigerator. A comprehensive analysis of the heat-driven absorption (AS) and ejector (ES) refrigerators, as well as the electrically-driven vapor compression (VCS) refrigerators, to assess the practicability of the waste heat utilization for the artificial cold production, was performed within proposed metrics. It was shown that the value of specific life cycle CO 2 emission per 1 kW h of cooling energy em refr for analyzed systems depends greatly on national environmental and energy indicators and varies from (1.29±0.047)∙10 -5 for France to (15.07±0.57)∙10 -5 (kg CO 2 ) kJ -1 for India for VCS. The application of ES and AS vs. VCS is preferable in terms of em refr . For example, for France em refr =(0.526±0.032)∙10 -5 for ES, (0.413±0.025)∙10 -5 for AS, and (1.29±0.047)∙10 -5 (kg CO 2 ) kJ -1 for VCR. The utilization of low-grade heat with its increased energy potential from 55 to 100 °C by additional energy resources is appropriate for heat-driven machines in terms of reduction of em refr value only for countries with low national electricity emission factor. For example, for France for ES when the heat is produced by natural gas combustion em refr =(34.44±2.26)∙10 -5 vs. em refr =(4.46±0.26)∙10 -5 (kg CO 2 ) kJ -1 when heat is produced by the use of additional energy resources; analogously for India em refr = (38.69±2.27)∙10 -5 vs. (52.64±3.20)∙10 -5 (kg CO 2 ) kJ -1 . Emission from human labor makes a significant (up to 20 %) contribution to the em refr . The practical applicability of the proposed metric of em refr consists of simply collecting the initial data, also it is open source, and can be easily extended to the analysis of various refrigeration as well as heat-power systems.

Critical Examination of Game Theory as Applied to Conflict and Negotiation

MANY scholars and politicians have sug gested negotiation as a solution for South Africa's problems. Although the subject of negotiation has been eclectic in the absorp tion of Insights from other disciplines, it is only fairly recently that communicologists have become interested in the topic. Today there are various theoretical approaches underlying the study of negotiation. The Theory of Games (or Game Theory) is one of the earlier approaches -one however which is still popular in some quarters. This article overviews the literature on Game Theory as applied to conflict and negotiation, and the writer concludes that though useful initially, it is no longer suitable for the study of real-life conflict and negotia tion situations. The communicologist will have to find a less behaviouristic approach if he hopes to understand (and apply) the com plexities of negotiation. Only then can we begin to talk of solutions

Nasal epithelial cell culture fluorescence recovery after photobleaching predicts cystic fibrosis therapeutic response.

Human nasal epithelial (HNE) cells can be sampled noninvasively and cultured to provide a model of the airway epithelium that reflects cystic fibrosis (CF) pathophysiology. We hypothesised that in vitro measures of HNE cell physiology would correlate directly with in vivo measures of lung physiology and therapeutic response, providing a framework for using HNE cells for therapeutic development and precision medicine. We sampled nasal cells from participants with CF (CF group, n=26), healthy controls (HC group, n=14) and single CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) mutation carrier parents of the CF group (CR group, n=16). Participants underwent lung physiology and sweat chloride testing, and nuclear imaging-based measurement of mucociliary clearance (MCC) and small-molecule absorption (ABS). CF participants completed a second imaging day that included hypertonic saline (HS) inhalation to assess therapeutic response in terms of MCC. HNE measurements included Ussing chamber electrophysiology, small-molecule and liquid absorption rates, and particle diffusion rates through the HNE airway surface liquid (ASL) measured using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP). Long FRAP diffusion times were associated with increased MCC response to HS in CF. This implies a strong relationship between inherent factors affecting ASL mucin concentration and therapeutic response to a hydrating therapy. MCC decreased with age in the CR group, which had a larger range of ages than the other two groups. Likely this indicates a general age-related effect that may be accentuated in this group. Measures of lung ABS correlated with sweat chloride in both the HC and CF groups, indicating that CFTR function drives this measure of paracellular small-molecule probe absorption. Our results demonstrate the utility of HNE cultures for assessing therapeutic response for hydrating therapies. In vitro measurements of FRAP were particularly useful for predicting response and for characterising important properties of ASL mucus that were ultimately reflected in lung physiology.

Adjustment and quantification of UV-visible spectrophotometry analysis: an accurate and rapid method for estimating Cladosporium spp. spore concentration in a water suspension.

Cladosporium spp. are among the most important plant pathogens, plant endophytes, insect parasites and human pathogens in nature. The aim of this study was to increase the speed and accuracy of Cladosporium spp. spore counting using UV-visible spectrophotometry based on the regression model in a water suspension. Spores of C. ramotenellum AM55, C. limoniforme Br15, C. tenuissimum K15 and C. cladosporioides Ld13 fungi were diluted in sterile distilled water several times. Spore concentration/ml (SC) was counted with a hemocytometer. The spectrophotometer visible light absorption (ABS) was measured under 14 wavelengths from 300 to 950nm for each dilution. The results showed that the morphological variation of the spores greatly affect the determination of the suitable wavelength. 650, 750, 500 and 400nm wavelengths had the highest coefficient of determination (R2) values respectively for C. ramotenellum AM55, C. limoniforme Br15, C. tenuissimum K15 and C. cladosporioides Ld13 on the linear regression model. R2 values were 0.9874, 0.9647, 0.8856 and 0.9711 respectively, for the 650, 750, 500 and 400nm wavelengths. The linear equation of SC = 107 × ABS-133,040 with the highest R2 value of 0.9532 had the best fit under a combinatorial regression model where SC and ABS of all Cladosporium spp. were presented. The proposed linear regression models can be used under in vivo and in vitro conditions for medicine or plant pathology studies which certainly increase the accuracy and speed of the future experiments compared to the hemocytometer method.

Study on the Algae Contamination and Its Effects on the Properties of RTV-Coated Insulators

The surface of organic insulating materials such as room temperature vulcanized silicone rubber (RTV) coatings often has serious contamination deposition. In humid areas such as the Southwest region of China, algae contamination layers are present on the surface of the insulators. In this study, the geographical and creeping distribution of algae contamination on the surfaces of RTV insulators were studied by investigating and sampling various substations in the Southwest region. The main components of soluble salts in the contamination were studied by atomic absorption spectroscopy and ion chromatography. The algal genome was extracted by the cetyltrimethylammonium bromide method, and the species of algae and other microorganisms in the contamination layer were determined. The effects of algae or their secretions on the surface resistance and hydrophobicity were studied by quantitatively inoculating algae and smearing extracellular secretions on the RTV surface. The damage of the algae contamination layer to the microstructure of the silicone rubber was investigated by microscopic observation and thermogravimetric analysis. Results showed that the growth of algae was positively correlated with the surface contamination of RTV. The extracellular secretion of algae destroys the surface microstructure of RTV and causes the removal of alumina hydroxide, leading to the reduction of siloxane. Therefore, the resistance and hydrophobicity of the RTV surface were reduced. It is of great significance to study the characteristics and effects of the algae contamination layer for RTV maintenance.

Switchable metamaterials for broadband absorption and generation of vector beams

Metamaterial (MM) based on double-split resonator and vanadium dioxide (VO2) in terahertz (THz) region is proposed in this paper, which integrates broadband absorption (ABS) and generation of vector beams. Simulation results show that by tuning the VO2 into metallic phase, the ABS of proposed MMs achieves over 90% in 1.35–2.18 THz. The physical mechanism of broadband ABS is clarified by introducing the impedance matching theory and distributions of electric field. Moreover, ABS characteristics of the designed MMs at different polarization angles and incident angles are also studied, respectively. While VO2 is in insulated state, simulation results indicate that the radial polarized beam and the angular polarized beam can be generated when the incident wave is x-polarization and y-polarization, respectively. The polarization conversion rate over 90% is realized between 1.37 THz and 2.20 THz within the incident angle of 10°. The bi-functional MMs proposed in this paper has promising applications in modulators, imaging and sensors.

Simulation of innovative hybridizing M-cycle cooler and absorption-refrigeration for pre-cooling of gas turbine intake air: Including a case study for Siemens SGT-750 gas turbine

Higher compressor intake-air temperature not only significantly reduces the performance of the gas turbine (GT), but also increases the NOx emissions. Absorption (AB) refrigeration, which is powered by heat, is a promising option for cooling GT intake air. M-cycle technology is a unique water-based indirect evaporative cooler (IEC) providing sub wet-bulb temperature. In novel hybrid pre-cooler, the air is cooled down to near dew-point temperature by the M-cycle first and then further cooled by the AB. Both AB and M-cycle coolers consume very little electricity and the main required sources (heat for AB refrigeration and water for the M-cycle IEC) are provided by waste heat from GT and condensed water from AB meaning almost zero-energy pre-cooler for GT intake air. The dependency of the intake mass flow and GT power output on the intake air temperature is first identified and correlated using experimental data provided by Siemens company, and then the required physical/mathematical modelling is presented and developed using Engineering Equation Solver. Finally, the GT performance is comprehensively discussed for a wide range of climate conditions when the AB and M-cycle work solely or jointly as a GT intake air pre-cooler. The hybrid pre-cooler was found to be a cost-effective way to boost the GT power output by 29%, however, this enhancement for GT using AB refrigeration and M-cycle IEC was around 17% and 15% in average respectively.

Performance of Concrete Pavement Incorporating Portland Limestone Cement in Cold Weather

The City of Winnipeg (COW) and the University of Manitoba (UM), Canada, have partnered since 2015 to conduct research on the use of portland limestone cement (PLC), comprising up to 15% limestone filler, in transportation infrastructure such as pavements and bridges. Laboratory tests have substantiated the equivalent or superior resistance of concrete made from PLC, relative to that made from general use (GU) cement (Type I) to durability exposures including acids, sulfate salts and chloride-based deicing salts. Subsequently, a field trial was done in 2018, which involved casting two concrete pavement sections made from PLC and GU cement in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The current paper reports on the construction and long-term (three years/winter seasons) properties of these pavement sections including fresh properties, strength, absorption and chloride ions penetrability, as well as microstructural features. Cores were taken from mid-slabs and at joints, which are the most vulnerable locations to damage in concrete pavements. The field trial results showed that concrete pavement sections made with PLC had equivalent or superior performance compared with those made of GU in terms of fresh, hardened and durability properties. Thus, it presents a viable option for sustainable construction of concrete flatwork in cold regions.

Evaluation of lignin waste as potential carriers for phosphate solubilizing bio-fertilizers: A zero waste technology

Purpose Incineration of plant biomass and refusing lignin rich effluent from paper industry to water bodies were seen as usual practice. This product-oriented research had a promising solution for recycling agro waste. Likewise, high quality handmade papers from dead-dry leaves of Ficus citrifolia, Swietenia mahagoni, Pinus roxburgii and Musa acuminate were obtained. Lignin was found to improve soil fertility and nutrient reservoir for microbial growth. So, this research managed and utilized lignin as liquid carriers to phosphate solubilizing bio-fertilizers (PSBs)- Meyerozyma gullerimondi and Providencia rettgeri. Method Handmade papers made were checked for quality by determining breaking length, burst factor, and gram per square meter (GSM). The essential nutrients in lignin waste were analyzed using FESEM-EDX (Field emission scanning electron microscope- energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy). This confirmed suitability of lignin as fermenting carrier media for phosphate solubilizing biofertilizer (PSBs). After fermentation, nutrients were quantified using Carbon Hydrogen Nitrogen Sulphur (CHNS analyzer), Inductively Coupled Plasma- Atomic Emission Spectroscopy and Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy. The nutritional uptake studies of lignin PSBs were done on Vigna unguiculata (L) Walp. Results Musa acuminate produced handmade papers with the highest breaking length and burst factor (1160 m, 10.43 kg/cm2) followed by Ficus citrifolia (960 m, 7.2 kg/cm2), Swietenia mahagoni (480 m, 13.75 kg/cm2) and Pinus roxburgii (546 m, 4.0 kg/cm2) leaves. This lignin PSBs increased the growth of Vigna unguiculata (L) plant. Conclusion High quality handmade papers were made from waste leaves. The lignin spent from pulping industry could be utilized as carriers to phosphate solubilizers.

Benefits of using TiO2 Quantum Dots in producing low-cost and high-quality white LEDs

Quantum dots (QDs) is considered as a potential material for the improvement of light-emitting diodes (LEDs). However, different from the traditional phosphor materials, they have unique scattering and absorption properties affected by their several nanometers sizes, which makes their application in the production of LED confronts more challenges. In addition to this, the influence of QDs on QDs-converted LEDs (QCLEDs) is barely studied. In order to propose solutions for those problems, in this article, we carried out experimental and theoretical investigation of the effect of TiO 2 QDs’ scattering and absorption on the optical performance of QCLEDs by comparing their properties with the traditional yttrium aluminum garnet phosphors’. The results showed that the strong absorption (reabsorption) of QDs is the cause of low radiant efficacy and stability of QCLEDs, and their weak scattering ability results in a low color homogeneity. For achieving high efficiency and stability white LEDs, we highly suggest using a low QD concentration to get reductions in the reabsorption loss and the total internal reflection loss. With 0.05 concentration of TiO 2 NPs, the white LEDs can achieve a high CCT of ∼ 7500 K and a high CRI of ∼ 85 simultaneously. Moreover, this TiO 2 concentration can also increase the luminous intensity by ∼ 31%. Therefore, we believe that the study can propose a potential approach to the production of low-cost CDs-based LEDs with high performance in a near future.

Vibrationally resolved absorption and emission spectral shapes of one 5-carbohelicene derivative: A theoretical study

In this work, we present a theoretical study on the vibrationally resolved absorption (ABS) and emission (EMI) spectra of a methoxy-substituted 5-carbohelicene (MeO-HeliIm). To analyze the optical properties of MeO-HeliIm from theoretical perspective, herein, we adopt different computational methods and theoretical models, accounting for Franck-Condon (FC), Herzberg-Teller (HT), temperature effects and Duschinsky mixing. Therefore, time-independent (TI) and time-dependent (TD) approaches have been used to compute the vibronic spectra, Adiabatic Hessian (AH) and Vertical Hessian (VH) models have been applied to build the PESs, HTi and HTf have been compared to check the accuracy of linear approximation of dipole moment. The different methods and models present with similar results, all in nice agreement with the experiment. This confirms the reliability and accuracy of our theory and results. We show that the temperature effect leads to a reduced resolution and a broader spectral width. FC plays a dominant role in reproducing the spectral shape, relative height of different bands and spectral width. However, HT causes a broader spectral width to EMI. Detailed analysis by comparing among the results obtained by AH, Adiabatic Shift and Frequencies (ASF), and Adiabatic Shift (AS) models, we find that the slight overestimation of Duschinsky enlarges the spectral width.