Investigation of an energy nonadditivity for nonextensive systems

We investigate the energy nonadditivity relationship E(AαB) = E(A) + E(B) + αE(A)E(B) which is often considered in the development of the statistical physics of nonextensive systems. It was recently found that α in this equation was not constant for a given system in a given situation and could not characterize nonextensivity for that system. In this work, we select several typical nonextensive systems and compute the behavior of α when a system changes its size or is divided into subsystems in different fashions. Three kinds of interactions are considered. It is found by a thought experiment that α depends on the system size and the interaction as expected and on the way we divide the system. However, one of the major results of this work is that, for given system, α has a minimum with respect to division position. Around this position, there is a zone in which α is more or less constant, a situation where the sizes of the subsystems are comparable. The width of this zone depends on the interaction and on the system size. We conclude that if α is considered approximately constant in this zone, the two mathematical difficulties raised in previous studies are solved, meaning that the nonadditive relationship can characterize the nonadditivity of the system as an approximation. In all the cases, α tends to zero in the thermodynamic limit (N→∞) as expected.     

Synthesis of magnetically recoverable visible-light-induced photocatalysts by combination of Fe_3O_4/ZnO with BiOI and polyaniline

Magnetically recyclable photocatalysts with efficient performances under visible light were synthesized by combining Fe_3O_4/ZnO with BiOI and polyaniline(PANI). The FT-IR, XRD, HRTEM, SEM, EDX, XPS, UV–vis DRS,VSM, BET, and PL instruments were utilized for characterization of the as-prepared products. The activity tests exhibited that the superior rate constant in photocatalytic performance was achieved over the Fe_3O_4/ZnO/BiOI/PANI(20%) nanocomposite, which enhanced for more than 59.9, 10.0, and 6.57 times, as compared to those of the Fe_3O_4/ZnO, Fe_3O_4/ZnO/PANI, and Fe_3O_4/ZnO/BiOI photocatalysts in degradation of RhB, respectively.Successful photocatalytic degradations of MO/MB and photo reduction of Cr(VI) were also investigated to confirm the potential application of the photocatalyst in removal of various pollutants. The considerably enhanced activity pointed to a promoting effect of p-n-p heterojunctions formed between PANI, ZnO, and BiOI, and improved textural characteristics, which are benefit for improvement of the photocatalytic performances.     

氧化铁/氧化锌超疏水复合材料的制备及其光催化性能

A facile approach was developed to construct Fe₂O₃-modified ZnO micro/nanostructures with excellent superhydrophobicity and photocatalytic activities. The effects of stearic acid (SA) and Fe₂O₃ on the morphological characteristics, water contact angle (WCA), and photocatalytic degradation were investigated. Superhydrophobicity results showed that WCA increased from 144° ± 2° to 154° ± 2° when the weight of SA increased from 5 to 20 mg because of the formation of a hierarchical or rough structure. Furthermore, Fe₂O₃-modified ZnO micro/nanostructure surfaces before and after SA treatment (20 mg) were chosen to evaluate the photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) dye under the support of visible light. MB degraded after 80 min of irradiation, and its photodegradation efficiencies were 91.5% at the superhydrophobic state and 92% at the hydrophilic state. This improvement in photocatalytic activity at both states might be attributed to an increase in surface area and improvement in charge carrier separation.     

Structural, electrical, dielectric and magnetic properties of Mn-Nd substituted CoFeO3 nano sized multiferroics

A series of Mn x Co_(1-x) Fe_(1-y) Nd_yO_3(where x=0.0–1.0 y=0.0–0.1) multiferroic nanocrystals was synthesized via sol-gel auto-combustion technique. The structure was confirmed by X-ray diffraction(XRD)while morphology was investigated by scanning electron microscopy(SEM). The electrical resistivity was observed to increase from 2.14 * 10~7 to 8.77 * 10~9 Ω-cm and activation energy was found to increase from 0.64 to 0.75 e V, while the drift mobility decreased from 4.75 * 10~(-13) to 1.27 * 10~(-15)cm~2V~(-1)S~(-1) by the substitution of Mn and Nd contents. The dielectric constant, dielectric loss and dielectric loss factor decrease with frequency and Mn-Nd contents. The saturation magnetization was increased from 34 to 70 emu g~(-1) while the coercivity decreased from 705 to 262 Oe with the increase of substituents.The increase in electrical resistivity and saturation magnetization while decrease in dielectric parameters and coercivity make these nanomaterials suitable for applications in microwave devices and longitudinal magnetic recording media.     

Structural and optical properties of Zn1−xNixTe thin films prepared by electron beam evaporation technique

Zn1-xNixTe thin films with different composition(x=0.0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15 and 0.20) were deposited on glass substrate by electron beam evaporation technique followed by its characterization using advanced structural and optical analysis techniques. Structural properties of the prepared thin films were studied by X-ray diffraction(XRD). The XRD patterns revealed that the binary compounds transformed into a ternary compound with cubic structure having preferred orientation along the c-direction with(111) planes. Composition analysis of the films was determined by energy dispersive analysis of X-rays(EDAX) and found to be in agreement with the precursor composition. Optical properties such as extinction coefficient(k) and band gap energy of these films were examined by using a spectroscopic ellipsometer. It was found that the extinction coefficient(k) increased with the addition of Ni content in the alloy. In comparison, the band gap energy was also determined by using transmission spectra and found to be agreed with that of the ellipsometric results. These analyses confirm that the band gap energy decreases with the increase of Ni content in the alloy.     

X-linked protocadherin 19 mutations cause female-limited epilepsy and cognitive impairment

Epilepsy and mental retardation limited to females (EFMR) is a disorder with an X-linked mode of inheritance and an unusual expression pattern. Disorders arising from mutations on the X chromosome are typically characterized by affected males and unaffected carrier females. In contrast, EFMR spares transmitting males and affects only carrier females. Aided by systematic resequencing of 737 X chromosome genes, we identified different protocadherin 19 (PCDH19) gene mutations in seven families with EFMR. Five mutations resulted in the introduction of a premature termination codon. Study of two of these demonstrated nonsense-mediated decay of PCDH19 mRNA. The two missense mutations were predicted to affect adhesiveness of PCDH19 through impaired calcium binding. PCDH19 is expressed in developing brains of human and mouse and is the first member of the cadherin superfamily to be directly implicated in epilepsy or mental retardation.     

Defects in whirlin,a PDZ domain molecule involved in stereocilia elongation,cause deafness in the whirler mouse and families with DFNB31

The whirler mouse mutant (wi) does not respond to sound stimuli, and detailed ultrastructural analysis of sensory hair cells in the organ of Corti of the inner ear indicates that the whirler gene encodes a protein involved in the elongation and maintenance of stereocilia in both inner hair cells (IHCs) and outer hair cells (OHCs). BAC-mediated transgene correction of the mouse phenotype and mutation analysis identified the causative gene as encoding a novel PDZ protein called whirlin. The gene encoding whirlin also underlies the human autosomal recessive deafness locus DFNB31. In the mouse cochlea, whirlin is expressed in the sensory IHC and OHC stereocilia. Our findings suggest that this novel PDZ domain-containing molecule acts as an organizer of submembranous molecular complexes that control the coordinated actin polymerization and membrane growth of stereocilia.     

Interaction between liquid water and hydroxide revealed by core-hole de-excitation

The hydroxide ion plays an important role in many chemical and biochemical processes in aqueous solution. But our molecular-level understanding of its unusual and fast transport in water, and of the solvation patterns that allow fast transport, is far from complete. One proposal seeks to explain the properties and behaviour of the hydroxide ion by essentially regarding it as a water molecule that is missing a proton, and by inferring transport mechanisms and hydration structures from those of the excess proton. A competing proposal invokes instead unique and interchanging hydroxide hydration complexes, particularly the hypercoordinated OH(-)(H(2)O)(4) species and tri-coordinated OH(-)(H(2)O)(3) that can form a transient hydrogen bond between the H atom of the OH(-) and a neighbouring water molecule. Here we report measurements of core-level photoelectron emission and intermolecular Coulombic decay for an aqueous hydroxide solution, which show that the hydrated hydroxide ion is capable of transiently donating a hydrogen bond to surrounding water molecules. In agreement with recent experimental studies of hydroxide solutions, our finding thus supports the notion that the hydration structure of the hydroxide ion cannot be inferred from that of the hydrated excess proton.