Effect of Co substitution on the structural,dielectric and optical properties of KBiFe2O5

Cobalt (Co)-modified brownmillerite KBiFe2O5 (KBFO; [KBiFe2(1?x)Co2xO5 (x = 0, 0.05)]) polycrystalline is synthesized following the solid-state reaction route. Rietveld refinement of X-ray diffraction data confirmed the phase purity of KBFO and KBiFe1.9Co0.1O5 (KBFCO). The optical bandgap energy (Eg) of KBFO decreased from 1.59 to 1.51 eV because of Co substitution. The decrease in bandgap can be attributed to the tilting of the Fe–O tetrahedral structure of KBFCO. The observed room-temperature Raman peaks of KBFCO shifted by 3 cm?1 toward a lower wavenumber than that of KBFO. The shift in Raman active modes can be attributed to the change in the bond angles and bond lengths of the Fe–O tetrahedral structure and modification in response to oxygen deficiency in KBFO because of Co doping. Compared with that of KBFO, the frequency-dependent dielectric constant and dielectric loss of KBFCO decrease at room temperature, which is a con-sequence of the reduction in oxygen migration and modification in response to vibrational modes present in the sample.     

独蒜兰优质种苗快速培育研究

建立独蒜兰优质种苗快繁体系,为实现独蒜兰植物工业化育苗、保护野生植物资源和发展人工育种技术提供新的途径.本研究从不同基本培养基对独蒜兰种子萌发影响、丛生芽诱导增殖培养和无根苗生根壮苗等方面开展研究.筛选出影响独蒜兰种子萌发的最佳基本培养基为B5,培养30 d统计种子萌发率为92％;丛生芽诱导增殖的最佳培养基为B5+TDZ 2.0 mg/L+KT 0.5 mg/L+200.0 mg/L肌醇+2.0 g/L活性炭+20.0 g/L蔗糖,培养60 d丛生芽率诱导率为98.00％,平均产生丛生芽数为6.80个;最佳生根壮苗培养基为1/2MS+IBA 0.2 mg/L+6-BA 0.1 mg/L+2.0 g/L活性炭+30.0 g/L土豆泥+20.0 g/L蔗糖,培养60 d后统计生根率为100％,平均生根数为3.20条,平均鲜重为21.11 g.     

Dielectric relaxation and conduction mechanism in Aurivillius ceramic Bi5Ti3FeO15

For this study, we synthesized Aurivillius Bi5Ti3FeO15 ceramic using the generic solid-state reaction route and then performed room-temperature X-ray diffraction to confirm that the compound had a single phase with no impurities. The surface morphology of the prepared sample was observed to contain microstructural grains approximately 0.2–2 μm in size. The dielectric properties of the sample were determ-ined as a function of frequency in a range of approximately 100 Hz to 1 MHz at various temperatures (303 K ≤ T ≤ 773 K). Nyquist plots of the impedance data were found to exhibit a semi-circular arc in the high-temperature region, which is explained by the equivalent electrical circuit (R1C1)(R2QC2), where R1 and R2 represent the resistances associated with the grains and grain boundaries, respectively, C1 and C2 are the re-spective capacitances, and Q is the constant phase element (CPE), which accounts for non-Debye type of behavior. Our results indicate that both the resistance and capacitance of the grain boundaries are more prominent than those of the grains. The alternating current (ac) conductiv-ity data were analyzed based on the Jonscher universal power law, which indicated that the conduction process is dominated by the hopping mechanism. The calculated activation energies of the relaxation and conduction processes were very similar (0.32 to 0.53 eV), from which we conclude that the same type of charge carriers are involved in both processes.     

A new twist to the No Miracles Argument for the success of science

J. D. Trout has recently developed a new defense of scientific realism, a new version of the No Miracles Argument. I critically evaluate Trout's novel defense of realism. I argue that Trout's argument for scientific realism and the related explanation for the success of science are self-defeating. In the process of arguing against the traditional realist strategies for explaining the success of science, he inadvertently undermines his own argument.     

Robust model rankings of forecasting performance

This paper investigates robust model rankings in out‐of‐sample, short‐horizon forecasting. We provide strong evidence that rolling window averaging consistently produces robust model rankings while improving the forecasting performance of both individual models and model averaging. The rolling window averaging outperforms the (ex post) “optimal” window forecasts in more than 50% of the times across all rolling windows.     

A New Method of Portfolio Optimization Under Cumulative Prospect Theory

In this paper,the portfolio selection problem under Cumulative Prospect Theory(CPT) is investigated and a model of portfolio optimization is presented.This model is solved by coupling scenario generation techniques with a genetic algorithm.Moreover,an Adaptive Real-Coded Genetic Algorithm(ARCGA) is developed to find the optimal solution for the proposed model.Computational results show that the proposed method solves the portfolio selection model and that ARCGA is an effective and stable algorithm.We compare the portfolio choices of CPT investors based on various bootstrap techniques for scenario generation and empirically examine the effect of reference points on investment behavior.     

Rediscovery of Disepyris semiruber (Kieffer) (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae) in Southern Africa,with first description of the male

Holepyris semiruber Kieffer is redescribed and illustrated based on freshly collected specimens. Holepyris semiruber var. striatipleura Kieffer is considered a colour variant of this species and therefore a junior synonym of H. semiruber syn. nov. This species is transferred to Disepyris, D. semiruber (Kieffer) comb. nov., based on the possession of a short 2r-rs&Rs vein in the fore wing and presence of long flat spine-shaped setae on the outer (posterior) surface of the protarsi. The male is described for the first time from new specimens collected in South Africa. This species is recorded for the first time from Namibia and Zimbabwe. All photographs are available on www.waspweb.org.     

Microbes,mathematics, and models

Microbial model systems have a long history of fruitful use in fields that include evolution and ecology. In order to develop further insight into modelling practice, we examine how the competitive exclusion and coexistence of competing species have been modelled mathematically and materially over the course of a long research history. In particular, we investigate how microbial models of these dynamics interact with mathematical or computational models of the same phenomena. Our cases illuminate the ways in which microbial systems and equations work as models, and what happens when they generate inconsistent findings about shared targets. We reveal an iterative strategy of comparative modelling in different media, and suggest reasons why microbial models have a special degree of epistemic tractability in multimodel inquiry.     

A Novel Routing Method for Social Delay-Tolerant Networks

The lack of continuous connectivity and a complete path from source to destination makes node communication quite difficult in Delay-Tolerant Networks(DTNs). Most studies focus on routing problems in idealized network environments without considering social properties. Communication devices are carried by individuals in many DTNs; therefore, DTNs are unique social networks to some extent. To design efficient routing protocols for DTNs, it is important to analyze their social properties. In this paper, a more accurate and comprehensive metric for detecting the quality of the relationships between nodes is proposed, by considering the contact time, contact frequency, and contact regularity. An overlapping hierarchical community detection method is designed based on this new metric, and a tree structure is built. Furthermore, we exploit the overlapping community structure and the tree structure to provide message-forwarding paths from the source node to the destination node.The simulation results show that our Routing method based on Overlapping hierarchical Community Detection(ROCD) achieves better delivery rate than SimBet and Bubble Rap, the classic routing protocols, without affecting the average delay.