Electric Conductivity

This study investigated whether changes in the vaginal electrical resistance (VER) of vaginal mucus of weaned sows during the first 7 d post-weaning are associated with time of ovulation. Time of ovulation was determined by ovarian ultrasound carried out from 91 to 146 h after weaning and at different seasons. Vaginal electrical resistance was measured at 20, 44, 68, 91, 96, 102, 115, 120, 126, 140, 146, and 164 h post-weaning and was found to decrease between 120 h and 31 h before ovulation and then increase until 40 to 50 h after ovulation. Duration and timing of the nadir was affected by the season (P < 0.01). Estrus was observed from day 4 after the lowest VER values. Ovulation occurred between late day 5 and late day 6, while VER values were still increasing. Ovulation was earlier in lower parity sows (P < 0.001). Compared to 0 h (ovulation time), VER was significantly lower from 50 to 5 h before ovulation in autumn and from 40 to 21 h in winter, but such differences were...

Using the molecular layering method (ML), nanostructured TiO 2 films have been synthesized that are promising for detecting oxygen over a wide range of concentrations at low operating temperatures of 150-300 °C. It has been shown that an anatase thin film is formed; the particle size is 34.9 ± 3.1 nm. It has been established that it enables the highly responsive detection of oxygen (R O2 /R Ar up to 26.6 at a temperature of 200 °C and O 2 content of 10%). The influence of operating temperature on the response values, and response and recovery time, have been studied. It has been shown that response magnitude slightly depends on humidity, but at 100% humidity response time and signal recovery time increase significantly. A sufficiently high degree of selectivity has been found when detecting oxygen, in comparison with other analyte gases (CO, H 2 , CH 4 and CO 2 ). ) or titanium interstitials (Ti int ) .

Herein, we describe the multi-step synthesis and characterization of monodisperse cubic-structured nanocrystalline diamond particles, showing that they can be easily prepared from graphite flakes under ambient conditions. The above synthesis features the conversion of graphite flakes into graphene oxide (via a modified Hummer's method) and its subsequent transformation into nanodiamond under the action of ultrasonicationinduced cavitation, with the nucleation and growth of nanodiamond particles being strongly influenced by the incorporation of a specific metal oxide spacer material. Overall, the developed method is demonstrated to be superior to conventionally used ones, exhibiting the advantages of simplicity, high yield, and upscaling potential.

The kinetics of the hydrogen diffusivity in synthesized polycrystalline wadsleyite was measured by IR spectroscopy in order to determine the diffusion coefficient of hydrogen in wadsleyite, the major constituent mineral in the mantle transition zone, with the composition of (Mg 0.89 Fe 0.11 ) 2 SiO 4 . The hydration experiments were conducted at 15-16 GPa and temperature range from 900 to 1200 °C with Mg(OH) 2 as the water source by Kawai-type multi-anvil apparatus. The diffusion rate obtained here is considered to be an effective diffusion coefficient with the grain size of ∼9 μm involving contributions both from the lattice diffusion and the grain boundary diffusion. The temperature dependence of diffusion of hydrogen in polycrystalline wadsleyite was determined to be D H = 9.6 × 10 -6 exp [-123 (±32) (kJ mol -1 ) / RT] at 15 GPa. Hydrogen diffusion rate in wadsleyite is roughly consistent with the average diffusivity of hydrogen in olivine. In recent years, several authors have suggested a possibility of the hydrous transition zone, and the distribution and transport properties of water are still debated. On the basis of water-dependence of the electrical conductivity the water content in the mantle transition zone was estimated from the observed conductivity by using the Nernst-Einstein relation. The results obtained here show that the distribution of water should be quite heterogeneous throughout the mantle transition zone.

Thin films of bismuth oxide had been deposited by chemical bath deposition (CBD) and spray pyrolysis (SP) methods. The films were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD) and UV-visible spectrophotometry. Clear changes and differences in the optical and structural characteristics of the prepared films have been observed. The energy band gap was 2.5 eV for the films prepared via chemical bath deposition and 2.3 eV for the films prepared by spray pyrolysis. The FE-SEM results show obvious change in the film structure and the x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that the average grain size was 54.8 and 150.39 nm for the films prepared by chemical bath deposition (CBD) and spray pyrolysis (SP) methods, respectively.

Knowledge on the spatial soil moisture pattern can improve the characterisation of the hydrological response of either field-plots or small watersheds. Near-surface geophysical methods, such as electromagnetic induction (EMI), provide a means to map such patterns using non-invasive and non-destructive measurements of the soil apparent electrical conductivity (EC a . In this study EC a was measured using an EMI sensor and used to characterize spatially the hydrologic response of a cropped field to an intense shower.

Conducting polymers, also known as ''synthetic metals'', have been the subject of wide-spread investigations over the past decade due to their very promising characteristics. It was published earlier that the electrical conductivity of polyaniline (PANI) based polymer composites increases to a significant extent when irradiated to gamma, electron or UV radiation. The aim of the present study was to determine the dose response of PANI samples blended with poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and chlorinated poly(propylene) (PPCl) by measuring the high frequency conductance of these blends irradiated to different doses. In order to find the most suitable composition of these blends the concentration of both the PPCl and PVC, and the PANI base were changed, respectively. These samples were then gamma irradiated and the induced electrical conductivity was measured in the frequency range of 1 kHz-1 MHz in order to find the most sensitive evaluation conditions. After selecting both, the most suitable measuring conditions as well as the blend compositions, the dose response of the samples was determined in the dose range of 10-250 kGy. With respect to potential dosimetry application the effects of electron irradiation, irradiation temperature and the stability of the irradiated samples have also been investigated.

We present transport measurements on a lateral double dot produced by combining local anodic oxidation and electron beam lithography. We investigate the tunability of our device and demonstrate, that we can switch between capacitive and tunnel coupling. In the regime of capacitive coupling we observe the phenomenon of spin blockade in a magnetic field and analyze the influence of capacitive interdot coupling on this effect.

Numerical modeling of land subsidence induced by groundwater extraction considering unsaturated effects and using element-free Galerkin (EFG) method
Document Type : Article

Authors

A. Tourei  1  A. Pak  2  M. A. Iranmanesh 3
1 Civil Engineering Department, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

2 Civil Engineering Department, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran.

3 Civil Engineering Department, Khajeh Nasir Toosi University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

10.24200/j30.2023.59625.3256
Abstract

This study aims to provide a coupled flow-deformation model for simulating land subsidence associated with groundwater extraction in aquifers. For this simulation, we have adopted the element-free Galerkin (EFG) method and considered the unsaturated effects in the aquifers based on the aquifer's hydrologic and geotechnical characteristics. This model gives us a better understanding of the aquifer's hydrogeological characteristics, enabling us to forecast changes in the hydraulic head and land subsidence. To ensure the credibility of our model and to verify the code, we modeled unsaturated hydromechanical benchmark problems. Then, using the EFG method as a numerical tool, we modeled an isotropic aquifer to investigate the effects of groundwater pumping on land subsidence and hydraulic changes in the aquifer. To ascertain the reliability of the modeling, we compared the results obtained from the EFG method with those from the Finite Element Method (FEM). The comparative analysis of EFG and FEM models demonstrates discrepancies of 5.51% in land subsidence and 13.35% in hydraulic head reduction, which are satisfying. The land subsidence and hydraulic head profiles demonstrate that the EFG method is capable of land subsidence simulation caused by water pumping. Furthermore, our findings highlight the nonlinear correlation between groundwater extraction and the subsequent decrease in hydraulic head and land subsidence augmentation. Finally, we conducted a parametric study to better understand the effect of various characteristics of aquifers and observe the effect of the aquifer's parameters, such as hydraulic conductivity, elastic modulus, and Poisson's ratio. We investigated the effect of each parameter on land subsidence increase and hydraulic head decline. The results show that elastic modulus and Poisson's ratio have the most significant effect on land subsidence. Although hydraulic conductivity controls the hydraulic decrement and land subsidence increase time, it slightly affects the ultimate hydraulic head and land subsidence at the steady-state stage. These results highlight the importance of in-situ measurement of elastic modulus and Poisson's ratio paraeters with acceptable accuracy for groundwater extraction projects, as these parameters play a significant role in the feasibility studies.
Keywords

Land subsidence  Groundwater extraction  Numerical modeling  Coupled hydromechanical analysis  Element-free Galerkin (EFG)  Unsaturated effects

This study presented a potentially useful alternative approach to ascertain the presence of subclinical and clinical mastitis in dairy cows using support vector machine (SVM) techniques. The proposed method detected mastitis in a cross-sectional representative sample of Holstein dairy cattle milked using an automatic milking system. The study used such suspected indicators of mastitis as lactation rank, milk yield, electrical conductivity, average milking duration, and control season as input data. The output variable was somatic cell counts obtained from milk samples collected monthly throughout the 15 months of the control period. Cattle were judged to be healthy or infected based on those somatic cell counts. This study undertook a detailed scrutiny of the SVM methodology, constructing and examining a model which showed 89% sensitivity, 92% specificity, and 50% error in mastitis detection.

The Thermal and Electrical Conductivity Probe (TECP) is a component of the Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and Conductivity Analyzer (MECA) payload on the Phoenix Lander. TECP will measure the temperature, thermal conductivity and volumetric heat capacity of the regolith. It will also detect and quantify the population of mobile H2O molecules in the regolith, if any, throughout the polar summer, by measuring the electrical conductivity of the regolith, as well as the dielectric permittivity. In the vapor phase, TECP is capable of measuring the atmospheric H2O vapor abundance, as well as augment the wind velocity measurements from the meteorology instrumentation. TECP is mounted near the end of the 2.3 m Robotic Arm, and can be placed either in the regolith material or held aloft in the atmosphere. This paper describes the development and calibration of the TECP. In addition, substantial characterization of the instrument has been conducted to identify behavioral characteristics that m...

Direct-write technologies offer the potential for lowcost materials-efficient deposition of contact metallizations for photovoltaics. We report on the inkjet printing of metal organic decomposition (MOD) inks with and without nanoparticle additions. Near-bulk conductivity of printed and sprayed metal films has been achieved for Ag and Ag nanocomposites. Good adhesion and ohmic contacts with a measured contact resistance of 400 µΩ•cm 2 have been observed between the sprayed silver films and a heavily doped n-type layer of Si. Inkjet printed films show adhesion differences as a function of the process temperature and solvent. Silver lines with good adhesion and conductivity have been printed on glass with 100 µm resolution.

Hemocompatibility, anti-inflammation and anti-thrombogenicity of acellular synthetic vascular grafts 34 remains a challenge in biomaterials design. Using electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) fibers as a tem-35 plate, a coating of polypyrrole (PPy) was successfully polymerized onto the fiber surface. The fibers 36 coated with heparin-doped PPy (PPy-HEP) demonstrated better electroactivity, lower surface resistivity 37 (9-10-fold) and better anti-coagulation response (non-observable plasma recalcification after 30 min 38 vs. recalcification at 8-9 min) as compared to fibers coated with pristine PPy. Red blood cell compatibil-39 ity, measured by% hemolysis, was greatly improved on PPy-HEP-coated PCL in comparison to uncoated 40 PCL (3.9 ± 2.1% vs. 22.1 ± 4.1%). PPy-HEP-coated PCL fibers also exhibited higher stiffness values 41 (6.8 ± 0.9 MPa vs. 4.2 ± 0.8 MPa) as compared to PCL fibers, but similar tensile strengths. It was also 42 observed that the application of a low alternating current led to a 4-fold reduction of platelet activation 43 (as quantitated by CD62p expression) for the PPy-HEP-coated fibers as compared to non-stimulated con-44 ditions. In parallel, a reduction in the leukocyte adhesion to both pristine PPy-coated and PPy-HEP-coated 45 fibers was observable with AC stimulation. Overall, a new strategy involving the use of hemocompatible 46 conducting polymers and electrical stimulation to control thrombogenicity and inflammatory responses 47 for synthetic vascular graft designs was demonstrated. 48 Ó 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd. 49 50 comprising the extracellular matrix (ECM) material have shown 64 promising results in pre-clinical studies. These vascular grafts were 65 able to support endothelial cell growth and best matches the 66 compliance values of native vascular tissues [5]. However, the dis-67 advantages of these patient-specific grafts include the time and 68 cost required for the decellularization process [5]. Hence, alterna-69 tive strategies that involve simple processing steps to fabricate 70 synthetic materials with not only desirable bulk properties, but 71 also surface properties that allow for the amelioration of immune 72 response and thrombogenicity are highly desirable. 73 Polycaprolactone (PCL) is currently being investigated 74 extensively for biomedical applications owing to its flexibility, bio-75 compatibility and long-term degradation in vivo [6]. PCL is already 76 used as a bioresorbable material for surgical sutures [6] and has 77 recently gained approval by US FDA for use in a load-bearing bone

The magnetoresistance of a polycrystalline sample of YBa2Cu307 q has been measured by an ordinary resistive method at temperatures from about 1 to 15 K above T, and in magnetic fields up to 12 T. From our experimental results and the theory of Hikami and Larkin, we obtain values of the coherence lengths 0 0 g,b =15.6 A and g, =3.6 A and of the phase-breaking time r&=1.8X10 ' s.

Fault zones are the locations where motion of tectonic plates, often associated with earthquakes, is accommodated. Despite a rapid increase in the understanding of faults in the last decades, our knowledge of their geometry, petrophysical properties, and controlling processes remains incomplete. The central questions addressed here in our study of the Dead Sea Transform (DST) in the Middle East are as follows: (1) What are the structure and kinematics of a large fault zone? (2) What controls its structure and kinematics? (3) How does the DST compare to other plate boundary fault zones? The DST has accommodated a total of 105 km of left-lateral transform motion between the African and Arabian plates since early Miocene ($20 Ma). The DST segment between the Dead Sea and the Red Sea, called the Arava/Araba Fault (AF), is studied here using a multidisciplinary and multiscale approach from the mm to the plate tectonic scale. We observe that under the DST a 35 narrow, subvertical zone cuts through crust and lithosphere. 36 First, from west to east the crustal thickness increases 37 smoothly from 26 to 39 km, and a subhorizontal lower 38 crustal reflector is detected east of the AF. Second, several 39 faults exist in the upper crust in a 40 km wide zone centered 40 on the AF, but none have kilometer-size zones of decreased 41 seismic velocities or zones of high electrical conductivities 42 in the upper crust expected for large damage zones. Third, 43 the AF is the main branch of the DST system, even though it 44 has accommodated only a part (up to 60 km) of the overall 45 105 km of sinistral plate motion. Fourth, the AF acts as a 46 barrier to fluids to a depth of 4 km, and the lithology 47 changes abruptly across it. Fifth, in the top few hundred 48 meters of the AF a locally transpressional regime is 49 observed in a 100 -300 m wide zone of deformed and 50 displaced material, bordered by subparallel faults forming a 51 positive flower structure. Other segments of the AF have a Click Here for

In this paper, we describe the design and the experimental results of our 4K x 1-bit Josephson memory. For high-speed memory, we invented two gates and a cell. These devices are a compact AND gate for the decoder, a high voltage driver gate, and a capacitively coupled single flux quantum memory cell. The 4K memory was designed using these gates and cell, and was fabricated with Nb/AIOX/Nb junctions. The minimum access time was measured as 590 ps, and the total power dissipation was 19 mW.

Herein, we have reported the synthesis, characterization, and ionic conductivity analysis of fluorescent poly(1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone-co-acrylonitrile) and its salts with 10% HCl and HNO3 in solid state. The synthesized polymers and their polysalts were characterized using Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy, UV-visible, Cyclic Voltammetry, Thermogravimetric analysis, Differential Scanning Calorimetric, X-ray diffraction, and spectrofluorometric techniques. The AC conductivities were measured in the frequency ranging from 42 Hz to 1 MHz and temperature from 30°C to 70°C in solid state. Ionic conductivities of the salts of the copolymer with hydrochloric acid and nitric acid were found to be 2.145×10−5 and 2.349×10−5 S cm −1, respectively, which are nearly 1000 times more than that of poly(1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone-co-acrylonitrile). The activation energies for the copolymer and the polyelectrolytes were found to be 0.454, 0.6288, and 0.659 eV, respectively. The transport number of t...

Isolated Malpighian tubules of the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti spontaneously secrete NaCI, KCI and water across an epithelium of modest transepithelial resistance (40-80 ~cm 2) and high transepithelial voltage (30-70 mV, lumen positive). Transepithelial electrochemical potentials indicate that Na and K are secreted by active and CI by passive transport mechanisms. The addition of synthetic leucokinin-VIII (LK-VIII, insect myotropic peptide) to the peritubular bath significantly increases the rates of transepithelial NaC1, KC1 and water secretion. In parallel, LK-VIII depolarizes the transepithelial voltage from 59.3 to 5.7 mV, decreases the transepithelial resistance from 57.7 to 9.9 ~cm 2, and renders the basolateral and apical membrane voltages nearly equipotential (--90 mV). Unilateral step changes of the [CI] in the peritubular bath or tubule lumen elicit small transepithelial C1 diffusion potentials in the absence of LK-VIII but large transepithelial C1 diffusion potentials, up to 85% of Nernst equilibrium potentials, in the presence of LK-VIII. In Malpighian tubules treated with dinitrophenol for estimates of the shunt resistance R~h, LK-VIII reduces Rsh from 52.5 to 5.8 ~cm 2. Bilateral reductions of the CI concentration in tubule lumen and peritubular bath fully restore Rsh to 55.8 l~cm 2 in the presence of LK-VIII. LK-VIII has no effects when presented from the luminal side. These results suggest that LK-VIII increases the CI conductance of the epithelial shunt via a receptor located at the basolateral side of the epithelium.

Mutations in the human skeletal muscle Na+channel underlie the autosomal dominant disease hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HPP). Muscle fibers from affected individuals exhibit sustained Na+currents thought to depolarize the sarcolemma and thus inactivate normal Na+channels. We expressed human wild-type or M1592V mutant α-subunits with the β1-subunit in Xenopus laevis oocytes and recorded Na+currents using two-electrode and cut-open oocyte voltage-clamp techniques. The most prominent functional difference between M1592V mutant and wild-type channels is a 5- to 10-mV shift in the hyperpolarized direction of the steady-state activation curve. The shift in the activation curve for the mutant results in a larger overlap with the inactivation curve than that observed for wild-type channels. Accordingly, the current through M1592V channels displays a larger noninactivating component than does that through wild-type channels at membrane potentials near −40 mV. The functional properties of ...

Several agents are known to improve sleep induction and/or maintenance in patients with insomnia disorder. These include the benzodiazepine (BZD) and non-BZD receptor allosteric modulators, the melatonin receptor agonist ramelteon, low-dose doxepin, and suvorexant. One of the drawbacks of the BZDs is their known reduction in both N3 sleep [also known as slow wave sleep or delta sleep and characterized by the occurrence of slow high amplitude delta (0.5-2 Hz) waves] and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Low-dose doxepin has shown similar association with decrease in REM sleep. By contrast, suvorexant increases REM sleep. The available evidence tends to indicate that irrespective of their mechanisms of action, the selective serotonin 5-HT 2A receptor antagonists and inverse agonists, including volinanserin, pruvanserin, and nelotanserin, when given in isolated administration, increases slow wave sleep in laboratory animals. Wakefulness and REM sleep were decreased in some studies. Moreover, subjects with normal sleep showed significant increase in N3 sleep following the administration of eplivanserin, nelotanerin, and pimavanserin . Nelotanserin has also been shown to augment N3 sleep in patients with chronic insomnia disorder. N2 sleep tended to decrease in most of these studies, while REM sleep showed no significant changes. Taken together, these evidences suggest that the coadministration of a selective 5-HT 2A receptor antagonist or inverse agonist with a hypnotic drug could be a valid clinical strategy for normalizing sleep induction and maintenance and for promoting N3 sleep in patients with insomnia disorder. Additionally, the 5-HT 2A receptor agents may have a potential value for improving the cognition and memory deficits in patients with a chronic insomnia disorder as well as elderly patients who show reductions in N3 sleep.

This paper investigates the effect of processing parameters on the microstructure and the ac electrical conductivity of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/indium tin oxide (ITO) nanocomposites. The PMMA/ ITO composites were fabricated by hot pressing ITO-coated PMMA powders and confining the ITO nanoparticles to the perimeter of the polymer phase. Correlations between the microstructure and the measured ac conductivity were determined by comparing scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of fractured cross sections of the composites and the ac conductivity determined from impedance spectroscopy measurements. It was found that the microstructure of the PMMA/ITO composites consists of polyhedralshaped matrix particles, which are affected by the starting amount of powder and compaction pressure used to form the composites. The critical frequency f c , which determines the transition from frequency-independent to frequency-dependent ac conductivity, was observed to increase as the steady state conductivity increased. When higher compaction pressures were used, the specimens had lower conductivities and the fractured surfaces showed deformed polyhedral shapes with combinations of rough and smooth regions. These changes in the microstructure of the composites were easily detected by the ac electrical conductivity measurements. The SEM images of the fractured cross-sections indicated that these changes in the ac conductivity were related to the local concentration of the ITO nanoparticles in the PMMA matrix. This study demonstrates that impedance spectroscopy is an excellent tool for examining structure-property relationships in polymer-matrix composites that possess phase-segregated microstructures.

Electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction is a sustainable pollutant remedy tool and offers wider application for green ammonia production. The overall electrochemical reaction mostly depends on the electrode material, which thus requires a highly active and efficient electrocatalyst that is both green and cost-effective. Here, we show electropolymerized cobalt porphyrin-containing tetrakis-biphenyl-bis(bithiophene) entities as efficient electrocatalysts for ammonia production via electrochemical nitrate reduction. The newly developed electrocatalyst was able to achieve a high Faradaic efficiency of 92.7% at-0.4 V vs. Ag/AgCl for ammonia production with very low production of other side products and exhibited long-term durability without any significant physical and chemical deterioration. Experimental findings were wellsupported by DFT calculations.

Introduction
Due to the high rate of respiration, strawberry is prone to water loss, mechanical damage and fungal decay post-harvesting, which may reduce its shelf life (Yan et al., 2019). Food waste is an important global challenge that estimated about 30% of the world's agricultural land. Every year, about 9.5 million tons of food is lost in the post-harvest phase of agriculture crops (Bishop et al., 2021). Post-harvest storage of strawberry at low temperature without using other combined treatments may reduce its shelf life due to its highly perishable nature. Therefore, in addition to low temperature storage, other post-harvest techniques have also been reported to increase the shelf life of strawberry fruits after harvest. One of these techniques is using chemicals (Kahramanoglu et al., 2019).Glutathione is present in various plant tissues in concentrations of 2 to 3 mM and plays an important role in many cellular processes such as cell differentiation, enzyme regulation, cell signaling and cell death and acts as an antioxidant. (Diaz-Vivancos et al., 2015). During the experiment, spraying GSH on strawberry plants increased the amount of total flavonoids and ascorbic acid in the harvested fruits, and the results showed that the application of GSH can increase the shelf life of strawberries. (Ge et al., 2019). It has been reported that application of glutathione after harvesting okra has reduced browning and prevented its weight loss, which has created a suitable market for it, also GSH has increased the level of total phenol and the activity of ascorbate peroxidase enzyme and reduced the level of ROS and malondialdehyde, which can increase the shelf life of okra in cold storage after harvesting (Li et al., 2023).
Materials and Methods
Sabrina strawberry fruit was obtained from a commercial greenhouse located in Urmia in the full maturity stage. The fruits were transported to the laboratory of Horticultural Sciences Department of Urmia University, observing the necessary precautions to prevent mechanical damage. The fruits were separated in terms of size and uniformity, so that the fruits were divided into 5 groups of 15, one group as a control group and 4 groups treated with different concentrations of L-glutathione (4, 16, 32 and 64 mM respectively). After drying, the treated fruits were placed in zipped nylon bags and stored for 15 days in a cold room at ± 0.5 °C and a relative humidity of 90-95%. Also, three biological replicates at each time interval were included in the analysis. Samples obtained at each of specified time were placed to evaluate skin color, titratable acidity, soluble solids, taste index, pH, weight loss, total antioxidant capacity, total phenol content, and polyphenol oxidase enzyme activity.
Results and Discussion
The results of variance analysis showed that the effect of GSH treatment after harvesting, the effect of storage and the interaction between them  differently affect each of the studied indicators. In terms of color, no significant effect was found. The effect of storage (p≤0.01) and post-harvest treatment (p≤0.05) were significant on TA trait and its highest value was observed in 10 days of storage with 32 mM. In terms of antioxidant capacity (p≤0.05) and PPO activity (p≤0.01), the effect of GSH treatment after harvest was significant, and the highest amount was observed in 16 and 64 mM treatment, respectively. Also, the effect of storage time (p≤0.05) and the effect of GSH treatment after harvesting (p≤0.01) were significant in the trait of total phenol content, and the highest amount was observed in 15 days of storage and 64 mM treatment. However, both the storage (p≤0.01) and the post-harvest GSH treatment (p≤0.05) effects on fruit weight reduction were significant and the lowest weight loss was observed in 5 days of storage and 64 mM treatment. There were no significant changes in indices such as TSS, taste index and pH.
Conclusion
According to the obtained results, the treatment of 64 mM GSH is the best concentration of GSH to increase the shelf life of harvested strawberry fruits in cold storage.

We report transport measurements through a single-molecule magnet, the Mn12 derivative [Mn12O12(O2C-C6H4-SAc)16(H2O)4], in a single-molecule transistor geometry. Thiol groups connect the molecule to gold electrodes that are fabricated by electromigration. Striking observations are regions of complete current suppression and excitations of negative differential conductance on the energy scale of the anisotropy barrier of the molecule. Transport calculations, taking into account the high-spin ground state and magnetic excitations of the molecule, reveal a blocking mechanism of the current involving non-degenerate spin multiplets.

A sensor based on a Conductive Polymer Composite (CPC), fully compatible with a textile substrate and its general properties, has been developed in our laboratory, and its electromechanical characterization is presented herein. In particular the effects of strain rate (from 10 to 1,000 mm/min) and of repeated elongation cycles on the sensor behaviour are investigated. The results show that strain rate seems to have little influence on sensor response. When submitted to repeated tensile cycles, the CPC sensor is able to detect accurately fabric deformations over each whole cycle, taking into account the mechanical behaviour of the textile substrate. Complementary information is given concerning the non-effect of aging on the global resistivity of the CPC sensor. Finally, our sensor was tested on a parachute canopy during a real drop test: the canopy fabric deformation during the critical inflation phase was successfully measured, and was found to be less than 9%.

The heterogeneity of agro-climatic, social and economic situation in the Brazilian semi-arid land requires some local adaptations of water resources and conservation technologies. For the reason, there are many alternatives for the acquisition of clean water. Among those we can outline the rational exploration of underground alluvial reservoirs, which, in the present situation of water necessity in the region, are as important as any major underground reservoir. In this work, an approach was made about one alternative being the construction of subsurface dams in the Northeast region of Brazil, specifically in the state of Pernambuco, where the water qualitative of the alluvial reservoir was analyzed.

Silicon nitride thin films for use as passivation layers in solar cells and organic electronics or as gate dielectrics in thin-film transistors were deposited by the Hot-wire chemical vapor deposition technique at a high deposition rate (1-3 Ǻ/s) and at low substrate temperature. Films were deposited using NH 3 /SiH 4 flow rate ratios between 1 and 70 and substrate temperatures of 100º C and 250ºC. For NH 3 /SiH 4 ratios between 40 and 70, highly transparent (T ~ 90%), dense films (2.56 -2.74 g/cm 3 ) with good dielectric properties and refractive index between 1.93 and 2.08 were deposited on glass substrates. Etch rates in BHF of 2.7 Ǻ/s and <0.5 Ǻ/s were obtained for films deposited at 100ºC and 250ºC, respectively. Films deposited at both substrate temperatures showed electrical conductivity ~ 10 -14 Ω -1 cm -1 and breakdown fields >10 MV cm -1 .

A new class of antenna based on magnetohydrodynamic technique is presented. Magnetohydrodynamic Antenna, using electrically conducting fluid, such as NaCl solution under controlled electromagnetic fields is formulated and developed. Fluid resonator volume and electric field with magnetic field decides the resonant frequency and return loss respectively to make the antenna tuneable in the frequency range 4.5 to 9 GHz. The Maxwell's equations, Navier Stokes equations and equations of mass conservation for the conducting fluid and field have been set up. These are expressed as partial differential equations for the stream function electric and magnetic fields, these equations are first order in time. By discretizing these equations, we are able to numerically evaluate velocity field of the fluid in the near field region and electromagnetic field in the far field region. We propose to design, develop, formulate and fabricate an prototype MHD antenna [1-3]. Formulations of a rotating fluid frame, evolution of pointing vector, permeability and permittivity of MHD antenna have been worked out. Proposed work presents tuning mechanism of resonant frequency and dielectric constant for frequency agility and configurability. Measured results of prototype antenna possess return loss up to -51.1dB at 8.59 GHz resonant frequency. And simulated resonant frequency comes out to be10.5GHz.

Polyimide–based membranes containing calcium synthetic ionophores and different type plasticizers were characterized in terms of surface morphology, glass transition temperature (Tg), a. c. impedance, and thermo gravimetric behaviour. The study aimed to identify correlations between structural parameters and ion–selective performances of polyimide when introduced in macro and micro ion–selective devices.

At many excitatory and inhibitory synapses throughout the nervous system, postsynaptic currents become faster as the synapse matures, primarily owing to changes in receptor subunit composition. The origin of the developmental acceleration of AMPA receptor (AMPAR)-mediated excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) remains elusive. We used patch-clamp recordings, electron microscopic immunogold localization of AMPARs, partial three-dimensional reconstruction of the neuropil and numerical simulations of glutamate diffusion and AMPAR activation to examine the factors underlying the developmental speeding of miniature EPSCs in mouse cerebellar granule cells. We found that the main developmental change that permits submillisecond transmission at mature synapses is an alteration in the glutamate concentration waveform as experienced by AMPARs. This can be accounted for by changes in the synaptic structure and surrounding neuropil, rather than by a change in AMPAR properties. Our findings raise the possibility that structural alterations could be a general mechanism underlying the change in the time course of AMPAR-mediated synaptic transmission.

Geothermal and solar heat can be directly converted into electricity by using thermoelectric generators. Perovskite-type metal oxides are potential materials to improve the efficiency of these devices. Cobaltates with p-type conductivity and n-type manganates are considered for the development of a ceramic thermoelectric converter. Sintered pellets and thin PLD films with the composition La 1Àx Ca x MO 3Àd (x ¼ 0, 0.3, 0.4) (M ¼ Co, Mn) were synthesised and characterised concerning their thermoelectric properties in a broad temperature range. It was found that similar to polycrystalline samples the electrical conductivity of LaCoO 3 increases significantly with 40% Ca-substitution due to the formation of Co 4+ ions while the thermopower decreases. The thermopower values of the La 0.8 Ca 0.2 MnO 3Àd films have a negative sign, but become large and positive at temperatures of 1000 K.

Voltage-dependent artificial ion channels 3 and 4 were synthesized. Two cholic acid derivatives were connected through a m-xylylene dicarbamate unit at 3-hydroxyl groups. Asymmetries were introduced by terminal hydrophilic groups, carboxylic acid and phosphoric acid for 3 and hydroxyl and carboxylic acid for 4. Under basic conditions, these headgroups in 3 and 4 are expected to be dissociate into -1/-2 (pH 8.2) and 0/-1 (pH 7.2), respectively. Single ion channel properties were examined by a planar bilayer lipid membrane method under symmetrical 500 mM KCl at pH 8.2 or 7.2. When 3 and 4 were introduced into the bilayer membrane under application of positive voltage (a positive-shift method), the current values at positive applied voltage were larger than the corresponding ones at the negative applied voltage. The current-voltage plots were fitted by curves through a zero point to show clear rectification properties. The direction of rectification could be controlled by positive-or negative-shift methods. Vectorial alignment of terminal headgroup charges by the voltage-shift incorporation is essential for giving voltage-dependent rectified ion channels.

P o s s i b l e a p p l i c a t i o n s o f . $he quantum "Bloch" o s c i ll a t i o n s of the frequency fg=(I-V/R)/h in Josephson junc t i o n s w i t h v e r y small capacitance C (e2/2C>>kgT) a r e discussed. The most n a t u r a l a p p l i c a t i o n of t h i s e f f g c t could be a fundamental standard of t h e d c c u r r e n t : I= 2efm, where f i s an external radiation frequency and m i s a n i n t e g e r . Of t h e o t h e r a p p l i c a t i o n s , a p o s s i b i l i t y to develop a sub-picowatt superconducting transistor seems t h e most a t t r a c t i v e . Analog p r o p e r t i e s o f . t h e small j u n c t i o n s and pltospects of their use in microwave receivers are also discussed briefly. Conditions of experiment a l o b s e r v a t i o n and practical applications of the Bloch o s c i l l a t i o n s a r e f o r m u l a t e d and t h e main apparent prob-10. E. Cohen and B.N. Taylor, "Concordance of t h e Fundamental Constants",

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has been modified by addition of (C + MnO 2 ).The addition is 5% and 20% by weight. (C + MnO 2 ) act as a reducing agent and used in dry cells.Short circuit and air gap thermally stimulated conductivity have been studied in the temperature range 303K to 383K. It has been observed that conductivity of (C + MnO 2 ) added PVC is higher than undoped PVC but it is higher for 5 wt. % than 20 wt. % of (C + MnO 2 ).Activation energy values were determined from the slope of log σ vs 1000/T plot and represent electronic conduction in modified PVC and ionic in undoped PVC.

The rapid growth of deformable and stretchable electronics calls for a deformable and stretchable power source. We report a scalable approach for energy harvesters and self-powered sensors that can be highly deformable and stretchable. With conductive liquid contained in a polymer cover, a shape-adaptive triboelectric nanogenerator (saTENG) unit can effectively harvest energy in various working modes. The saTENG can maintain its performance under a strain of as large as 300%. The saTENG is so flexible that it can be conformed to any three-dimensional and curvilinear surface. We demonstrate applications of the saTENG as a wearable power source and self-powered sensor to monitor biomechanical motion. A bracelet-like saTENG worn on the wrist can light up more than 80 light-emitting diodes. Owing to the highly scalable manufacturing process, the saTENG can be easily applied for large-area energy harvesting. In addition, the saTENG can be extended to extract energy from mechanical motion...

The effect of oxygen impurities and structural imperfections on the coherent on-chain quantum conductance of poly(3-hexylthiophene) is calculated from first principles by solving the scattering problem for molecular structures obtained within density functional theory. It is found that the conductance drops substantially for polymer kinks with curvature radii smaller than 17 Å and rotations in excess of about 60 ı . Oxidation of thiophene group carbon atoms drastically reduces the conductance, whereas the oxidation of the molecular sulfur barely changes the coherent transport properties. Also isomer defects in the coupling along the chain direction are of minor importance for the intrachain transmission.

Preparation of pure and doped amorphous silicon (a-Si) by thermal evaporation is presented. In- vestigations into the electrical and optical properties of doped a-Si with difFerent dopant percen- tages of boron (B) and phosphorus (P) stressed the role of impurity on the conductivity and energy gap. EfFects of substrate and annealing temperatures on electrical conductivity and energy gap Eg are also obtained. It is found that a-Si doped with 3.0 wt. %%u o Bor Pha s th ehighes t conductivity, mobility, and photoconductivity. Low-temperature conductivity measurements emphasized the role of impurities on decreasing the localized density of states.

Daily tetanization of the Schaffer collaterals (kindling) in the rat hippocampus induces a persistent epileptogenic focus in area CAl. Neurons were enzymatically isolated from the focal region one day or six weeks after seven class V generalized seizures had been evoked. Calcium currents were measured under voltage-clamp conditions in the whole-cell patch configuration. One day after kindling, as well as six weeks later, the amplitudes of a slow-inactivating (r = 90 ms) and a non-inactivating calcium current component were, in comparison to controls, enhanced by 30 and 40%, respectively. This enhancement was therefore related to the kindled state of enhanced excitability. The enhancement of the calcium current was independent of the steady-state intracellular calcium concentration. Fast calcium-dependent inactivation was provoked with double-pulse protocols that conditioned the neuron with a defined calcium-influx in the first pulse. Despite the larger calcium current during the conditioning pulse, the relative calcium-dependent inactivation of the sustained current component was reduced in neurons from the kindled focus. Repetitive depolarizations, once every second, evoked a cumulative calcium-dependent inactivation. Nothwithstanding the larger calcium current, kindling also persistently reduced this slow inactivation of both transient and sustained high threshold calcium current. The reduction in calcium-dependent inactivation cannot be responsible for the increased current, but can certainly enhance the calcium influx during prolonged activation or seizures. The changes can be explained by assuming that additional calcium channels are recruited at a location that prevents calcium-dependent inactivation.

In mammalian nonpigmented ciliary epithelial (NPE) cells, hyposmotic stimulation leading to cell swelling activates an outwardly rectifying Cl– conductance (ICl,swell), which, in turn, results in regulatory volume decrease. The aim of this study was to determine whether increased trafficking of intracellular ClC-3 Cl channels to the plasma membrane could contribute to the ICl,swell following hyposmotic stimulation. Our results demonstrate that hyposmotic stimulation reversibly activates an outwardly rectifying Cl– current that is inhibited by phorbol-12-dibutyrate and niflumic acid. Transfection with ClC-3 antisense, but not sense, oligonucleotides reduced ClC-3 expression as well as ICl,swell. Intracellular dialysis with 2 different ClC-3 antibodies abolished activation of ICl,swell. Immunofluorescence microscopy showed that hyposmotic stimulation increased ClC-3 immunoreactivity at the plasma membrane. To determine whether this increased expression of ClC-3 at the plasma membrane ...

The parent compounds of iron-arsenide superconductors, AFe2As2 (A=Ca, Sr, Ba), undergo a tetragonal to orthorhombic structural transition at a temperature TTO in the range 135 to 205 K depending on the alkaline earth element. Below TTO the free standing crystals split into equally populated structural domains, which mask intrinsic, in-plane, anisotropic properties of the materials. Here we demonstrate a way of mechanically detwinning CaFe2As2 and BaFe2As2. The detwinning is nearly complete, as demonstrated by polarized light imaging and synchrotron X-ray measurements, and reversible, with twin pattern restored after strain release. Electrical resistivity measurements in the twinned and detwinned states show that resistivity, ρ, decreases along the orthorhombic ao-axis but increases along the orthorhombic bo-axis in both compounds. Immediately below TTO the ratio ρ bo /ρao = 1.2 and 1.5 for Ca and Ba compounds, respectively. Contrary to CaFe2As2, BaFe2As2 reveals an anisotropy in the nominally tetragonal phase, suggesting that either fluctuations play a larger role above TTO in BaFe2As2 than in CaFe2As2, or that there is a higher temperature crossover or phase transition.

The aim of this study was to speed up the composting process of municipal solid wastes, piles of material were inoculated with a mixed of endogenous microorganism. The bacteria identified were Bacillus subtillis and Pseudomonas fluorescens and one fungus, Aspergillus fumigatus. An inoculant was prepared in a concentration of 1x10 7 UFC/ml for each microorganism and was applied through aspersion, 2 L m -3 . The following parameters were evaluated: Physical aspect, temperature, moisture content, pH, C:N ratio, organic matter, electric conductivity and cation exchange capacity. The results showed that inoculated piles reached the stability and maturity, four weeks earlier than the control pile without inoculation. These results suggested that the inoculant was useful to accelerate the composting process in the urban wastes.