Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of fresh garlic and aged garlic by-products extracted with different solvents

Food Science and Biotechnology - This study aims to investigate antioxidative and antibacterial properties of fresh garlic (non-aged, NG) and aged garlic (AG) by-products extracted with distilled...     

Mullite (3Al2O3·2SiO2)–Aluminum Phosphate (AlPO4), Oxide, Fibrous Monolithic Composites

Mullite–AlPO₄ fibrous monolithic composites were fabricated by a co-extrusion technique using ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) as a binder. Processing routes such as mixing formulation, extrusion sequence, binder removal cycle, pressing, and sintering procedures are described. An effort to make tougher composites was conducted by modifying the microstructures of the composites. Different kinds of monolithic composites were fabricated by changing the number of filaments, and the composition and thickness of interphase layers, and their microstructural and mechanical properties were characterized. To make the interphase more porous and to facilitate debonding and fiber pullout in the composite, graphite was added as a fugitive "space filler" into the interphase material and then removed. A fibrous monolithic composite with a sintered interphase thickness of 5–10 μm and an interphase composition of 50 vol% graphite and 50 vol% AlPO₄ had a three-point bend strength and a work of fracture of 129 ± 2 MPa and 0.86 ± 0.05 kJ/m², respectively. This corresponded to 42% of the strength but 162% of the work of fracture when compared with the values for a single-phase mullite. Two-layer, mixed 50% two-layer:50% three-layer, and three-layer fibrous monoliths were fabricated and their microstructural and mechanical properties were studied. The difference in the sintering behaviors of the two-layer and three-layer composites is described.     

Image processed tracking system of multiple moving objects based on Kalman filter

This paper presents a development result for image processed tracking system of multiple moving objects based on Kalman filter and a simple window tracking method. The proposed algorithm of foreground detection and background adaptation (FDBA) is composed of three modules: a block checking module (BCM), an object movement prediction module (OMPM), and an adaptive background estimation module (ABEM). The BCM is processed for checking the existence of objects. To speed up the image processing time and to precisely track multiple objects under the object’s mergence, a concept of a simple window tracking method is adopted in the OMPM. The ABEM separates the foreground from the background in the reset simple tracking window in the OMPM. It is shown through experimental results that the proposed FDBA algorithm is robustly adaptable to the background variation in a short processing time. Furthermore, it is shown that the proposed method can solve the problems of mergence, cross and split that are brought up in the case of tracking multiple moving objects.     

Impact of floating gate dry etching on erase characteristics in NOR flash memory

We report the effects of plasma process-induced damage during floating gate (FG) dry-etching process on the erase characteristics of NOR flash cells. As compared to flash cells processed in a stable plasma condition, it is found that flash cells processed in the nonoptimized ambient show significantly degraded erase characteristics under a negative gate Fowler-Nordheim (FN) bias, exhibiting a fast-erasing bit in the distribution of erased bits. However, little differences are found in their tunneling characteristics under a positive gate biasing. The gate bias polarity dependence of FN tunneling indicates that positive charges are created near the poly-Si/SiO/sub 2/ interface during the FG dry-etching, prior to the backend processes such as metal- or via-etch.     

Modified polyvinyl alcohol layer with hydrophobic surface for the passivation of pentacene thin-film transistor

We modified the surface of a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) layer by self assembly monolayer technique using a fluorine substituted silane compound (1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyl-trichlorosilane: FTS) to protect a pentacene thin-film transistor (TFT) from O2 and H2O. Surface modified PVA showed very low surface energy with water contact angle of 106.2 degrees. Surface treatment of PVA layer on pentacene TFT device was done in toluene solvent and we did not observe any damage to the PVA layer or pentacene TFT devices during surface modification process. Pentacene TFT with surface modified PVA passivation layer exhibited very stable TFT operation with almost no field effect mobility drop or threshold voltage shift up to 400 hrs. The performance of unpassivated OTFTs exponentially degraded and almost failed in 290 hrs. We propose that modified PVA layer can be used as a good passivation layer for oxygen and water in OTFT.     

Rashba Effect in Functional Spintronic Devices

Exploiting spin transport increases the functionality of electronic devices and enables such devices to overcome physical limitations related to speed and power. Utilizing the Rashba effect at the interface of heterostructures provides promising opportunities toward the development of high-performance devices because it enables electrical control of the spin information. Herein, the focus is mainly on progress related to the two most compelling devices that exploit the Rashba effect: spin transistors and spin–orbit torque devices. For spin field-effect transistors, the gate-voltage manipulation of the Rashba effect and subsequent control of the spin precession are discussed, including for all-electric spin field-effect transistors. For spin–orbit torque devices, recent theories and experiments on interface-generated spin current are discussed. The future directions of manipulating the Rashba effect to realize fully integrated spin logic and memory devices are also discussed.     

Separation dynamics of hydrogen isotope gas in mesoporous and microporous adsorbent beds at 77 K: SBA-15 and zeolites 5A,Y, 10X

The separation of a hydrogen isotope mixture on porous materials was studied using equilibrium and breakthrough experiments. The adsorption equilibria of H₂ and D₂ on SBA-15 with mesopores and molecular sieves 5A, Y, and 10X with micropores were measured at 77 K using the volumetric method. The breakthrough experiments of a H₂ and D₂ mixture in each adsorbent bed were carried out at various conditions of flow rate and pressure. The equilibrium ratio of D₂ to H₂ on mesoporous molecular sieves was larger than the ratio on microporous molecular sieves (SBA-15 > 10X > Y > 5A), but the difference among the adsorbents decreased with increases in pressure. On the other hand, the order of breakthrough separation factor showed the opposite result (SBA-15 < 10X < Y < 5A). The breakthrough separation factors for zeolite 10X was approximately equal to the equilibrium ratio of D₂ to H₂ at the corresponding partial pressures, whereas zeolites 5A and Y showed higher breakthrough separation factors than their equilibrium ratios. In SBA-15, the separation factors from breakthrough results were even smaller than the corresponding equilibrium ratio. In the microporous adsorbent with a limited pore size (zeolite 5A in the study), the diffusion mechanism contributed to the separation of hydrogen isotope gases as one of key factors.     

Characteristics of Gadolinium Oxide Nanoparticles as Contrast Agents for Terahertz Imaging

For the application of gadolinium oxide (Gd₂O₃) nanoparticles as terahertz contrast agents, their optical properties in a solvent were studied using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. The power absorption and refractive index of the samples were measured with various concentrations of nanoparticles. The power absorption was extremely large, as much as three orders of magnitude higher than that of water, so that a few ppms of Gd₂O₃ nanoparticles were distinguished in terms of their power absorption capacity. The results show that the interaction between the terahertz electromagnetic waves and the Gd₂O₃ nanoparticles is strong enough to allow their exploitation as contrast agents for terahertz medical imaging.     

High pressure and high temperature annealing on nitrogen aggregation in lab-grown diamonds

Diamond single crystals were grown by a high-pressure high-temperature gradient method using a molten Fe–Ni catalyst in a split-sphere apparatus at a pressure of 5.5 GPa and a temperature of 1473–1873 K. The as-grown crystals, ranging in size from 0.2 to 0.6 g, were generally deep yellow in color because of intake of nitrogen impurity during the process. Two different annealing methods were used to change their color to light and vivid yellow. One method involved annealing at 5.5 GPa and 2193–2473 K within the split-sphere apparatus. The other involved annealing of E-beam irradiated crystals at 1773 K in a high-vacuum furnace at 10⁻⁶ Torr. Distribution of C-center nitrogen, single substitutional nitrogen, and A-center nitrogen defects, a pair of nearest-neighbor nitrogen, were thoroughly studied by FT–IR spectroscopy. Upon annealing, C-center nitrogen defects decreased by 10–60%, while A-center nitrogen defects increased by 5–70%. It was confirmed that the irradiation process and intake of nickel impurity enhanced the nitrogen aggregation rate, which followed the second order kinetics. Measured activation energies were in the range of 2.88–3.01 eV, which were not strongly affected by the irradiation process. The results indicate that the nitrogen aggregation rate was enhanced by vacancies and interstitials introduced by E-beam irradiation.     

Effects of processing parameters on elastic deformation of the coil during the thin-strip coiling process

It is well known that axial inhomogeneity of the stress distribution within a thin-strip causes defects such as edge waves and center buckling during the thin-strip coiling process. In the current study, an analytical model was utilized to investigate the effects of processing parameters such as strip crown, spool geometry, and coiling tension on the elastic stress distribution and deformation of the strip during the coiling process. In the present investigation, the elastic modulus was introduced as a function of temperature and axial distance for better simulation of the process. According to the present analyses, it was found that improvement of the strip flatness might be achieved by suppressing the strip crown, increasing the thickness of the spool with the shape of a swollen hollow cylinder, and lowering the coiling tension with transient increase at the beginning stage of the coiling process only. This study will be helpful for better understanding of identifying the proper processing parameters during the coiling process.