Dielectric and impedance spectroscopy of barium orthovanadate ceramics

Barium orthovanadate (Ba₃V₂O₈), a derivative of perovskite family has been prepared using a mixed-oxide technique. The room temperature X-ray diffraction analysis has confirmed the formation of a single phase compound in trigonal crystal structure. The study of microstructure by scanning electron microscopy shows that the compound has well defined grains, distributed uniformly throughout the surface. The studies of dielectric parameters (ε_r and tan δ) of the compound as a function of temperature at three different frequencies (100, 500, 1,000 kHz) exhibit that they are almost temperature independent at low and medium temperature ranges. Detailed studies of impedance and related parameters exhibit that the electrical properties of the material are strongly dependent on temperature, and bear a good correlation with its microstructures. The bulk resistance, evaluated from complex impedance spectra, is found to be decreasing with rise in temperature. It shows that the material has negative temperature co-efficient of resistance similar to that of semiconductors. The same behaviour has also been observed in the study of I–V characteristics of the material. The complex electric modulus analysis indicates the possibility of hopping conduction mechanism in the system with non-exponential type of conductivity relaxation. The nature of variation of dc conductivity with temperature confirms the Arrhenius behavior of the material. The ac conductivity spectra show a typical signature of an ionic conducting system, and are found to obey Jonscher’s universal power law.     

Experimental study of paddy drying in a vortex chamber

The intensification of interfacial mass, heat, and momentum transfer makes vortex chambers potentially interesting for the efficient drying of paddy, allowing shorter drying times and/or more compact equipment. The presence of a shell introduces particular challenges. Intraparticle diffusion limitations are strong and may reduce the advantage from intensified interfacial mass and heat transfer and the efficiency of air usage. Furthermore, high shear and normal stresses in the fast rotating particle bed may cause damage to the paddy shell, posing problems for transport and storage. With these specific aspects in mind, the use of vortex chambers for paddy drying is experimentally evaluated.     

In vitro cellular response and hydrothermal aging of two-step sintered Nb2O5 doped ceria stabilized zirconia ceramics

Niobia (1 mol. %) doped Ceria Stabilized Zirconia (NbCSZ) powders were synthesized using a co-precipitation method. The synthesized powders were uniaxially compacted and sintered in air. The two-step sintering method was adopted to sinter the samples, and the sintering schedule was optimized based on density, grain size, the phase present, and the hardness of the sintered sample. It was observed that the two-step sintering method effectively suppressed the grain growth of NbCSZ samples and helped in achieving a finer grain size of 1.57 μm along with the hardness of 1195 HV10 and optimum fracture toughness value 6.20 MPa m^1/2. The Low-Temperature Degradation (LTD) behavior of the sintered samples was estimated through an accelerated hydrothermal aging test, which revealed that the samples are highly resistant to LTD and shown no phase change even after 150 h of study. Moreover, the cytocompatibility of the NbCSZ was tested by culturing MG63 cells on the samples for 7 days. The NbCSZ was found to be highly biocompatible as evident from cell viability and metabolic activity assay.     

Si/SiC-based DD hetero-structure IMPATTs as MM-wave power-source: a generalized large-signal analysis

A full-scale, self-consistent, non-linear, large-signal model of double-drift hetero-structure IMPATT diode with general doping profile is derived. This newly developed model, for the first time, has been used to analyze the large-signal characteristics of hexagonal SiC-based double-drift IMPATT diode. Considering the fabrication feasibility, the authors have studied the large-signal characteristics of Si/SiC-based hetero-structure devices. Under small-voltage modulation (～ 2%, i.e. small-signal conditions) results are in good agreement with calculations done using a linearised small-signal model. The large-signal values of the diode's negative conductance (5 × 10⁶S/m²), susceptance (10.4 × 10⁷ S/m^2}), average breakdown voltage (207.6 V), and power generating efficiency (15%, RF power: 25.0 W at 94 GHz) are obtained as a function of oscillation amplitude (50% of DC breakdown voltage) for a fixed average current density. The large-signal calculations exhibit power and efficiency saturation for large-signal (> 50%) voltage modulation and thereafter decrease gradually with further increasing voltage-modulation. This generalized large-signal formulation is applicable for all types of IMPATT structures with distributed and narrow avalanche zones. The simulator is made more realistic by incorporating the space-charge effects, realistic field and temperature dependent material parameters in Si and SiC. The electric field snap-shots and the large-signal impedance and admittance of the diode with current excitation are expressed in closed loop form. This study will act as a guide for researchers to fabricate a high-power Si/SiC-based IMPATT for possible application in high-power MM-wave communication systems.     

Development of electronic materials from industrial waste red mud

The current research work presents the preparation and characterization of some new electronic materials using bismuth oxide (Bi₂O₃) and industrial waste red mud in different proportion by weight using a cost-effective mixed-oxide technique. Preliminary X-ray structural analysis exhibits the formation of compounds with structure analogous to that of BiFeO₃ compound along with some impurity phases. Studies of dielectric parameters (ε_r and tanδ) of these compounds as a function of temperature and frequency exhibit that they are almost temperature independent in the low temperature range and possess high relative permittivity with low loss in the high temperature range. Detailed studies of impedance and related parameters exhibit that the electrical properties of these materials are strongly dependent on temperature, and bear a good correlation with their microstructures. The bulk resistance, evaluated from complex impedance spectra, is found to be decreasing with rise in temperature, exhibiting a typical negative temperature co-efficient of resistance (NTCR)—type behavior similar to that of semiconductors. Studies of electric modulus indicate the presence of hopping conduction mechanism in the system with non-exponential type of conductivity relaxation. The low leakage current and NTCR behavior of the sample have been verified from I–V characteristics. The nature of variation of dc conductivity with temperature confirms the Arrhenius and NTCR behavior in the material. The ac conductivity spectra show a typical-signature of an ionic conducting system, and are found to obey Jonscher’s universal power law.     

Some relationships between skills in word-category recall and factors in adults' aphasia

It has long been recognized that a basic dimension to the lexical organization of the brain is semantic, and some brain mapping studies have indicated that the brain fields are distinctly different from some grammatical classes. Findings from the present investigation showed consistent relationships between 29 aphasic adults' performances on tasks involving graphic and gestural skills and those involving sequential recall of spoken words from different word categories. Each adult received the Porch Index of Communication Abilities which relies upon the physical manipulation of objects to assess verbal, gestural, and graphic abilities. Scores on a test requiring recall of word strings of nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, or prepositions were used to predict the subscale scores from the Graphic and Gestural factors of the index. Recall scores for verb and preposition were predictive of the aphasic subjects' performances on the Graphic subscale, and noun and preposition scores were predictors of subjects' scores on the Gestural subscale. The results are related to other research showing that verb and preposition skills are predictive of fine motor abilities of children with communication disorders and brain-mapping studies. Some discussion centers on possible overlapping functions of brain activity involving word categories, language, and fine motor skills.     

Radiation-induced enhanced proliferation of human squamous cancer cells in vitro: a release from inhibition by epidermal growth factor

Ionizing radiation is believed to stimulate the repopulation of squamous carcinoma cells that survive the early portion of a fractionated course of radiotherapy. To characterize any intrinsic radiation-induced adaptive response and to examine whether epidermal growth factor (EGF) influences this response, A431 and 183A cells were irradiated with repeated daily exposures of 0.5-0.75 Gy and then grown in monolayer culture for 7 days with or without EGF at a 1 ng/ml concentration. Cell numbers were quantified using a microtiter dye-reduction assay. EGF alone caused approximately 70% and 30% growth inhibition of human SC A431 and 183A cells, respectively. Although radiation alone did not affect proliferative rates in these conditions, radiation eliminated the EGF-related growth inhibition in both cell lines. This effect was dose dependent in single radiation exposure experiments. Cell cycle analyses indicated that EGF initially promoted entry into S-phase 3 days after treatment but caused a G1-S block after 7 days. Treatment with radiation recruited cells into S-phase and G2-M, an effect which was sustained 7 days after treatment, overriding the influence of EGF. Radiation-induced modulation of the response of human squamous carcinoma cells to EGF in vitro after single and repeated radiation exposures suggests a proliferation response that may underlie enhanced repopulation of tumor clonogens in vivo.