Starter Material Research Articles

Concentration of Charge Carriers, Migration, and Stability in Li3OCl Solid Electrolytes

Recently, a new family of lithium-rich antiperovskites, Li3OA (A = halogen), which presents superionic conductivity, emerged as a promising both safe and commercially applicable solid electrolyte for lithium ion batteries. In this paper we employed classical atomistic quasi-static calculations to obtain the concentration of lithium vacancies and interstitials for stoichiometric samples of Li3OCl. The obtained concentrations as well as vacancy and interstitial migration energies reinforced the assumption that vacancies are the charge carriers in both stoichiometric and divalent metal doped samples, but raise the possibility that the high ionic conductivity in LiCl-deficient samples are in fact driven by interstitials, in opposition to what has been assumed so far. The Li3OCl stability at higher temperatures was investigated based on Gibbs energies of decomposition from 0 K up to 550 K. They are negative in the whole temperature range, which suggests that there exists a high Gibbs energy barrier between Li3OCl and starter materials preventing decomposition.

Modal analysis of the dynamic crack growth and arrest in a DCB specimen

This paper discusses dynamic crack growth and arrest in an elastic double cantilever beam (DCB) specimen, simulated using the Bernoulli–Euler beam theory. The specimen is made from two different materials. The section of interest, where the dynamic crack growth takes place, is made from a material, the fracture energy of which will be denoted \(2\Gamma _1 \). The initial crack grows slowly in a starter material with a fracture energy \(2\Gamma _{0} \;(\Gamma _{0} >\Gamma _1 )\), while opposed displacements on both arms of the specimen are continuously increased. As the crack reaches the material interface at \(\ell =\ell _c \), the loading displacement is instantly suspended, and the crack suddenly propagates through the test zone, until it stops at \(\ell =\ell _A \). During this process, the energy \(2\Gamma _1 (\ell _A -\ell _c )\) is dissipated. The beam motion and the fracture process during the fast crack growth stage are investigated, based on the balance energy associated to the Griffith criterion. The motion equations are approximated using a modal decomposition up to order \(N\) of the beam deflection (the analysis has been performed up to \(N=10\) but in most cases \(N=5\) is sufficient to obtain an accurate solution). This process leads to a set of N second order differential equations whose unknowns are the mode amplitudes and their derivatives, and another equation the unknowns of which are the current crack length \(\ell (t)\), velocity \(\dot{\ell }(t)\) and acceleration \(\ddot{\ell }(t)\). To demonstrate the accuracy of this method, it is first tested on a one dimensional peeling stretched film problem, with an insignificant bending energy. An exact solution exists, accurately approximated by the modal solution. The method is then applied to the DCB specimen described above. Despite the rather crude nature of the Bernoulli–Euler model, the results crack kinematics, and specially the arrest length, correspond well to those obtained by the combined use of finite elements and cohesive zone models, even for a few modes. Moreover, for the basic mode \(N=0\) (also referred to as Mott solution), even if the crack kinematics is not accurately reproduced, the prediction of the crack arrest length remains correct for moderate ratios. Some parametric studies about the beam geometry and the initial crack velocity are performed. The relative crack arrest \(\ell _A /\ell _c \) appears to be almost insensitive to these parameters, and is mainly governed by the ratio \(R=\Gamma _{0} /\Gamma _1 \) which is the key parameter to predict the crack arrest.

Barcoded pyrosequencing analysis of the bacterial community of Daqu for light-flavour Chinese liquor

The bacterial community of Daqu affects its characteristics and functions by their metabolic products, such as amylase, protease, esterase. In this study, barcoded pyrosequencing was used to analyse the bacterial communities of three kinds of Daqu for light-flavour Chinese liquor brewing. A total of 13672 sequences were identified as bacterial sequences. The Shannon index of QC, HX and GT for clusters sharing 97% homology was 5·0, 4·2 and 4·2, respectively, indicating that QC had the highest biodiversity. The Good's coverage index of QC, HX and GT was 88·2, 93·4 and 93%, respectively, indicating that the vast majority of phylotypes have been detected. Among the three kinds of Daqu, the majority of annotated reads were assigned to two phyla (Firmicutes and Actinobacteria). The phylum Firmicutes was the most abundant group in QC (74·2%), HX (81·4%) and GT (98·6%), and the phylum Actinobacteria was the second in QC (23·9%), HX (17·9%) and GT (1·1%). There were many lactic acid bacteria in all three kinds of Daqu QC (45·8%), HX (46·3%) and GT (24·7%). In addition, the most abundant family in GT was Bacillus, accounting for 65·0%, while in HX, the families Thermoactinomycetaceae and Streptomycetaceae accounted for 19·5 and 14·1%, respectively, and in QC, 13·1% were Streptomycetaceae, 12·2% were heterofermentative Leuconostocaceae. There are three kinds of Daqu (starter material) used for famous Chinese light-flavour liquor brewing, that is Qingcha, Hongxin and Houhuo. Since Daqu was fermented in an open environment, the microbiology communities were different with different kind of Daqu. Objective bacterial communities determined by barcoded pyrosequencing help to speculate possible metabolic productions, even to guess the function of many kind of Daqu in light-flavour liquor brewing.

Bhasma : The ancient Indian nanomedicine

Ayurveda and other Indian system of medicine use metals, but their use is also amply described in Chinese and Egyptian civilization in 2500 B.C. Bhasma are unique ayurvedic metallic/minerals preparation, treated with herbal juice or decoction and exposed for Ayurveda, which are known in Indian subcontinent since 7th century A.D. and widely recommended for treatment of a variety of chronic ailments. Animal's derivative such as horns, shells, feathers, metallic, nonmetallic and herbals are normally administered as Bhasma. A Bhasma means an ash obtained through incineration; the starter material undergoes an elaborate process of purification and this process is followed by the reaction phase, which involves incorporation of some other minerals and/or herbal extract. There are various importance of Bhasma like maintaining optimum alkalinity for optimum health, neutralizing harmful acids that lead to illness; because Bhasma do not get metabolized so they don’t produce any harmful metabolite, rather it breakdowns heavy metals in the body. Methods including for Bhasma preparation are parpati, rasayoga, sindora, etc., Bhasma which contain Fe, Cu, S or other manufacturing process plays a specific role in the final product(s). Particle size (1-2 μ) reduced significantly, which may facilitate absorption and assimilation of the drug into the body system. Standardization of Bhasma is utmost necessary to confirm its identity and to determine its quality, purity safety, effectiveness and acceptability of the product. But the most important challenges faced by these formulations are the lack of complete standardization by physiochemical parameters.

Structural and Surface Morphology Studies of La0.67Ba0.33(Mn1−xAlx)O3 Thin Films Prepared by Sol‐Gel Method

Nanocrystalline thin films of La0.67Ba0.33(Mn1−xAlx)O3 (x = 0.00,0.05,0.10, and 0.15) were prepared by sol‐gel method, as a starter material consisting of La2O3, BaNO3, Mn(NO3), and Al(NO3). The molarities of La2O3 and BaNO3 are constant, while molarities of Mn(NO3) and Al(NO3) were calculated based on stoichiometric theory. Thin films were deposited on quartz glass substrate by using spin coating technique and sintered at 700°C. X‐ray diffractometer (XRD) patterns showed that these thin films consist of pure La0.67Ba0.33(Mn1−xAlx)O3 phase where the most prominent peak is observed at (104). All the samples display a rhombohedral structure. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that aggregation of small particles occurred more in doped films than in undoped films. The surface morphology has been studied by using AFM, and the roughness of thin films was analyzed.

Effect of Dissolving Temperature on the Amount of Palladium Dissolved in Borosilicate Glass

To clarify the dissolving behavior of palladium, the effect of temperature on the amount of palladium dissolved in borosilicate glass was investigated. Glass and palladium oxide, selected as a starter material, were mixed and heated at prescribed temperature. The amount of dissolved palladium became higher with temperature increasing up to 850°C, and lower above 850°C. Above 850°C, the reduction of palladium oxide was accelerated. For palladium dissolution in borosilicate glass, not only the viscosity and basicity of the glass but also the decomposition temperature of the initial palladium species seemed to affect the amount of palladium dissolved in glass.

Residual Effect of Composts on Soil Fertility Under Amaranthus-Turmeric Cropping System

In amaranthus-turmeric cropping system, turmeric (var. BSR 2) was raised after amaranthus to assess the residual effect of composts on soil fertility. The experiment was conducted without disturbing the original treatment structure. Significantly higher residual effect was observed in those plots which had received compost of banana pseudostem or sugarcane trash prepared with different starter materials viz., Cow dung and sewage sludge, accelerator ie., Microbial inoculum viz., Pseudomonas and Bacillus sp and Trichoderma viride, accelerator cum enricher materials like Urea and Poultry manure than the raw materials. In general, the performance of Poultry manure enriched microbial inoculum or Trichoderma viride compost of banana pseudostem or sugarcane trash @ 750 kg ha-1 with 75 per cent of the recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) was quite impressive than that of no manure i.e., 100 per cent RDF alone and the absolute control in enhancing available nutrient (N, P and K) status, organic carbon and cation exchange capacity at post harvest stage of residual crop of turmeric. The residual effect of composts prepared with banana pseudostem was considerable than that with sugarcane trash. The highest available N, P, K, organic carbon and cation exchange capacity of 236 kg ha-1, 16.72 kg ha-1, 482 kg ha-1, 0.64 per cent and 20.73 cmol (P+) kg-1 respectively was recorded with the application of poultry manure enriched microbial inoculant compost of banana pseudostem @ 750 kg ha-1 with 75 per cent of the recommended dose of fertilizer.

Algae as a biofuel starter material: A review of US patent documents

Algae as a biofuel starter material: A review of US patent documents

국 또는 개량 누룩으로 제조한 술덧을 감압 또는 상압으로 증류한 소주의 휘발성 성분

본 연구는 국 또는 개량 누룩을 사용하여 제조한 술덧을 감압 또는 상압에서 증류하여 제조한 증류식 소주의 휘발성 성분을 분석하여 적절한 술덧 제조 원료와 증류방법을 검토하기 위함이다. Acetaldehyde는 상압 증류하였을 때에 감압 증류하였을 때보다 그 함량이 2～3배 많았다. Furfural은 상압 증류법으로 제조한 소주에서만 검출되었다. Ester류는 전체적으로 감압 증류하였을 때에 상압 증류하였을 때보다 더 많이 검출되었으며, 특히 ethyl pelargonate는 상압 증류하였을 때에 감압 증류하였을 때보다 2배 이상 높았다. 대부분의 alcohol류는 감압 증류하였을 때에 상압 증류하였을 때보다 약간 더 많았으며, methanol은 국을 사용한 경우보다 개량 누룩을 사용한 경우 더 많이 검출되었다. 고급 알코올류인 isoamyl alcohol과 2-phenyl ethanol만이 증류 방법에 의한 차이가 있었다. 특히 2-phenyl ethanol은 상압 증류하였을 때에 감압 증류하였을 때보다 2배 이상 많이 검출되었다. Methanol은 국을 사용한 술덧이 개량 누룩을 사용한 술덧에 비해 적게 검출되었다. 본 연구 결과 소주에 부정적 영향을 미치는 휘발성 성분을 줄이기 위해서는 국을 사용한 술덧을 감압 증류함으로써 증류식 소주의 품질을 향상시킬 수 있을 것으로 판단된다.

Assessing yield and yield stability of remnant populations of Cenchrus ciliaris L. in arid Tunisia: developing a blueprint for initiating native seed production

AbstractNative seed needs to be sourced locally yet contain ample genetic variation. A blueprint is developed for assembling and assessing native plant material at one eco‐geographical site prior to seed multiplication for restoring degraded drylands of North Africa. To satisfy the ‘local yet ample’ criterion, the feasibility of selecting a limited number of high‐yielding genotypes within one starter collection of Cenchrus ciliaris L. in Presaharian Tunisia (100–200 mm annual rainfall) was tested and compared to outcomes with similar work on its ecological complement, Stipa lagascae R. & Sch. Results showed that a limited number of high‐yielding genotypes can easily produce quality native seed because of the high genetic diversity of the starter material. Results also showed that there was a high potential to increase the rain‐use efficiency of degraded drylands using this seed. Seven ground rules are suggested when building the starter collection: (i) carefully delimit the region for sourcing seed; (ii) work with individual plants; (iii) carefully choose the collection site; (iv) replicate plant material as much as is feasible; (v) match evaluation methods to resource constraints; (vi) wait for conditions of maximum resource availability before culling; and (vii) apply a two‐tiered selection strategy.

Enhancing performance in anaerobic high-solids stratified bed digesters by straw bed implementation

Anaerobic high-solids single-stage stratified bed digesters have been found to be simple and flexible design candidates for small-scale reactors located in medium- to low-technology environments. In the present study, wheat straw was used as the starter material for the stratified bed. Upon green mass feeding, the anaerobically stabilised straw bed functioned both as a biofilm support and as a particulate filter. It enabled a direct onset of 7 kg VS m −3 batch loads, added twice a week, and permitted a low but consistent bed permeability during feeding at an average superficial flow velocity of 1 m d −1 to be achieved. Fed-batch tests with sugar beet tops in pilot- and laboratory-scale setups at an average loading rate of 2 kg VS m −3 d −1 resulted in average biogas production rates of 1.2–1.4 m 3 m −3 d −1 and methane yields of 0.31–0.36 m 3 kg −1 VS added. At the end of the laboratory-scale feeding trial, the 200 day old straw bed had compacted to 50% of its initial volume, without any negative effects on performance being detectable.

CATHODOLUMINESCENCE AND PHOTOLUMINESCENCE CHARACTERISTICS OF RUBY

The ruby samples were grown by the Czochralski technique. We used as starter materials Al 2 O 3 powder of 99.99% doped with 1% of Cr 2 O 3. The monocrystals obtained were clived to form samples of 5× 5× 2 mm3 size. The X-ray diffraction pattern shows a rhombohedral structure type. The elemental composition was determined by EDS. The samples were irradiated with a power from 0 to 15 KV to observe the different impurities levels of emission and the saturation power. The photoluminescence spectra showed two band at 697 and 772 nm, respectively.

Studies on tape ketan–an Indonesian fermented rice food

Preparation of a tape ketan starter material called ragi tape was described by using pure cultures of A. rouxii, S. cerevisiae, P. anomale (HA 122) and P. anomale (HA 893) grown on rice. In a fermentation experiment this self-produced ragi tape was compared with a commercial available ragi tape (NKL). In addition to that, the growth of fungi, yeast and bacteria as well as the biochemical changes during the fermentation process of tape ketan were monitored. To do this, samples were taken periodically after 0, 5, 10, 15, 24, 36, 48 and 60 h fermentation with a commercially available starter (Tebu) at 30°C. Samples were analysed for DM, ash, total N, soluble N, glucose before and after hydrolysis, ethanol, lactic acid, pH and viable cell count. Results show that a palatable product was ready for consumption after 48 h. Finally, tape ketan was prepared using two different samples of Indonesian ragi tape (Tebu) as inoculum and the products were compared by their nutritional constituents.

Preparation of ceramic fibre TEM cross‐sections using ultramicrotomy and ion beam thinning methods

The preparation of specimens for detailed TEM microanalysis of micrometre‐diameter, ceramic fibre cross‐sections is described. The starter material is ceramic fibre in powder form and both ultramicrotomy‐based and ion beam thinning‐based methods are described. Requirements for specimens of uniform and adequate thinness, for easy selection of representative fibre cross‐sections within the same specimen and for a reliable and time‐efficient preparation method, resulted in choice of the ultramicrotomy‐based method and the associated development of a novel extrusion and sedimentation technique of embedding the fibres to provide necessary pre‐alignment and packing.

The influence of ferrous and ferric iron on the Mn +2 partitioning ratio and ESR signal of synthetic dolomite

In order to obtain a tractable model with which to evaluate the relationships between the presence of iron, the Mn +2 partitioning ratio of dolomite (Mn PR = [(Mn) Mg-site (Mn) Ca-site] ) , and its Mn +2 ESR signal, dolomite was synthesized in hydrothermal bombs with Fe +2 or Fe +3 in 50 ppm or 1250 ppm amounts in starter material with 1 1 and 1 2 Mg +2 Ca +2 ratios. The ESR spectra generated from both Fe +2 and Fe +3 enriched dolomite are Type 1, i.e., similar to non-iron synthetic dolomites. Thus, the peak broadening in Type 2 ESR signals is not due to iron. We now suspect that the peak broadening is due to the presence of manganese in excess of 800 ppm. Large amounts of either or both iron and manganese can cause the background slope observed in some Mn +2 ESR spectra from dolomite. The synthetic dolomite containing Fe +2 had Mn PR's ranging from 5 to 24, whereas in Fe +3 samples they ranged from 5 to 14. Both Fe +2 and Fe +3 enriched synthetic dolomites prepared in two to three day runs had low Mn PR's and high calcium content, whereas samples prepared for three to ten days had similar Mn PR's but were near stoichiometric. Fe +2 samples plotted closer to the Group B field than Fe +3 data but not as close as samples prepared at 250°C without iron.

フィリピン産餅麹ブボッドおよび米酒の微生物相

Ricw wine of Southeast Asia is made from Chinese Starter materials, in which molds, yeasts and bacteria coexist, and saccharification and fermentation are carried out by these organisms. Thirtysix strains of mold, 62 strains of acid-producing bacteria and 100 strains of yeast were isolated from Philippine “Bubod” and “Tapuy”. It was found by identification tests that 3 types of mold, Mucor cirnelloides, Mucor grisecyanus and Rhizopis cohnii, and 2 types of yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae responsible for alcohol fermentation and filamentous yeast Sacchromycopsis fibuligera, were dominant. The saccharification activity of the S. fibuligera isolated was higher than that of Rhizopus sp. Therefore, it was concluded that genus Sacchromycopsis plays the main role in saccharification and genus Saccharomyces in alcohol fermentation. Thus, the rice wine made in Philippine mountainous district was made through the parallel fermentation by these 2 yeast genera.

Reaction velocity constants for batch methane fermentation on farms, notably in the tropics

The gas production in batch fermentation of vegetable matter found on farms is shown to lend itself to the application of monomolecular equations providing an active and well-developed starter material is used for initiating the fermentations. The reaction velocity constants as established for a common material found in the tropics, namely elephant grass, would seem to be some two to five times lower than that previously reported for sewage sludge. The higher rate of decomposition of the sewage sludge is attributed to its more favourable physical condition and possibly also to its greater content of more easily fermentable substances.