Engineering Papers⌕ Search

Engineering topics

Bai, Yu

Publications and source records attributed to Bai, Yu.

27 records · Page 2

Coordination Architectures of energetic Cd (II) coordination polymers constructed by the bifunctional substituted-tetrazole-carboxylate ligands

Three different tetrazole-carboxylate ligands, monotetrazole-carboxylate H{sub 2}tza (H{sub 2}tza=1,5-tetrazole-diacetic acid), Hpztza (Hpztza=5-(2-pyrazinyl)tetrazole-2(1-methyl)acetic acid), ditetrazole-carboxylate H{sub 2}tzpha (H{sub 2}tzpha=1,3-di(tetrazole-5-yl)benzene-N2,N2′-diacetic acid) have been chosen to react with CdCl{sub 2}·6H{sub 2}O, resulting in the formation of three new compounds [Cd{sub 2}(tza){sub 2}] (1), [Cd(pztza){sub 2}] (2) and [Cd(tzpha)(CH{sub 3}OH){sub 2}] (3). The coordinate sites of the three ligands are major influenced by the different substituted group of tetrazole ring. These compounds have been characterized by elemental analysis, IR and single crystal X-ray diffraction. Compound 1 displays a complex 3D structure; compound 2 shows a 3D network and compound 3 features a 2D layer network. Furthermore, the luminescence properties investigated at room temperature in the solid state showed excellent ligand-centered luminescence. The obvious enhancement in luminescence makes these compounds potential materials for optical use. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric-differential thermogravimetric (TG-DTG) analyses were applied to evaluate the thermal decomposition behavior of such compounds, showing that compounds 2 and 3 can be used as potential energetic materials. The relevant thermodynamic parameters ΔH, ΔS and ΔG were calculated as well. - Graphical abstract: H{sub 2}tza, Hpztza and H{sub 2}tzpha have been prepared. Three novel Cd (II)compounds were synthesized by reactions of CdCl{sub 2}·6H{sub 2}O, namely three dimensional [Cd{sub 2}(tza){sub 2}] (1), three dimensional [Cd(pztza){sub 2}] (2), and two dimensional [Cd(tzpha)(CH{sub 3}O){sub 2}] (3). The luminescences were investigated. Furthermore, the DSC show compounds 1 and 3 can be used as potential explosive materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Polymer‐based monolithic column with incorporated chiral metal–organic framework for enantioseparation of methyl phenyl sulfoxide using nano‐liquid chromatography

A new approach to the preparation of enantioselective porous polymer monolithic columns with incorporated chiral metal–organic framework for nano‐liquid chromatography has been developed. While no enantioseparation was achieved with monolithic poly(4‐vinylpyridine‐co‐ethylene dimethacrylate) column, excellent separations of both enantiomers of (±)‐methyl phenyl sulfoxide were achieved with its counterpart prepared after admixing metal–organic framework [Zn 2 (benzene dicarboxylate)(l‐lactic acid)(dmf)], which is synthesized from zinc nitrate, l ‐lactic acid, and benzene dicarboxylic acid in the polymerization mixture. These novel monolithic columns combined selectivity of the chiral framework with the excellent hydrodynamic properties of polymer monoliths, may provide a great impact on future studies in the field of chiral analysis by liquid chromatography.

Wang, Xin↗

TIME-VARIABLE ALUMINUM ABSORPTION IN THE POLAR AR URSAE MAJORIS, AND AN UPDATED ESTIMATE FOR THE MASS OF THE WHITE DWARF

We present spectra of the extreme polar AR Ursae Majoris (AR UMa), which display a clear Al i absorption doublet, alongside spectra taken less than a year earlier in which that feature is not present. Re-examination of earlier SDSS spectra indicates that the Al i absorption doublet was also present ≈8 years before our first non-detection. We conclude that this absorbing material is unlikely to be on the surface of either the white dwarf (WD) or the donor star. We suggest that this Al i absorption feature arises in circumstellar material, perhaps produced by the evaporation of asteroids as they approach the hot WD. The presence of any remaining reservoir of rocky material in AR UMa might help to constrain the prior evolution of this unusual binary system. We also apply spectral decomposition to find the stellar parameters of the M dwarf companion, and attempt to dynamically measure the mass of the WD in AR UMa by considering both the radial velocity curves of the H {sub β} emission line and the Na i absorption line. Thereby we infer a mass range for the WD in AR UMa of 0.91 M {sub ⊙} < M {sub WD} < 1.24 M {sub ⊙}.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

CHANDRA ACIS SURVEY OF X-RAY POINT SOURCES: THE SOURCE CATALOG

The Chandra archival data is a valuable resource for various studies on different X-ray astronomy topics. In this paper, we utilize this wealth of information and present a uniformly processed data set, which can be used to address a wide range of scientific questions. The data analysis procedures are applied to 10,029 Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer observations, which produces 363,530 source detections belonging to 217,828 distinct X-ray sources. This number is twice the size of the Chandra Source Catalog (Version 1.1). The catalogs in this paper provide abundant estimates of the detected X-ray source properties, including source positions, counts, colors, fluxes, luminosities, variability statistics, etc. Cross-correlation of these objects with galaxies shows that 17,828 sources are located within the D {sub 25} isophotes of 1110 galaxies, and 7504 sources are located between the D {sub 25} and 2 D {sub 25} isophotes of 910 galaxies. Contamination analysis with the log N –log S relation indicates that 51.3% of objects within 2 D {sub 25} isophotes are truly relevant to galaxies, and the “net” source fraction increases to 58.9%, 67.3%, and 69.1% for sources with luminosities above 10{sup 37}, 10{sup 38}, and 10{sup 39} erg s{sup −1}, respectively. Among the possible scientific uses of this catalog, we discuss the possibility of studying intra-observation variability, inter-observation variability, and supersoft sources (SSSs). About 17,092 detected sources above 10 counts are classified as variable in individual observation with the Kolmogorov–Smirnov (K–S) criterion ( P {sub K–S} < 0.01). There are 99,647 sources observed more than once and 11,843 sources observed 10 times or more, offering us a wealth of data with which to explore the long-term variability. There are 1638 individual objects (∼2350 detections) classified as SSSs. As a quite interesting subclass, detailed studies on X-ray spectra and optical spectroscopic follow-up are needed to categorize these SSSs and pinpoint their properties. In addition, this survey can enable a wide range of statistical studies, such as X-ray activity in different types of stars, X-ray luminosity functions in different types of galaxies, and multi-wavelength identification and classification of different X-ray populations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Fabrication and characterization of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} /Si composite nanodome structures for high efficiency crystalline Si thin film solar cells

We report on our fabrication and characterization of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/Si composite nanodome (CND) structures, which is composed of Si nanodome structures with a conformal cladding Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} layer to evaluate its optical and electrical performance when it is applied to thin film solar cells. It has been observed that by application of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}thin film coating using atomic layer deposition (ALD) to the Si nanodome structures, both optical and electrical performances are greatly improved. The reflectivity of less than 3% over the wavelength range of from 200 nm to 2000 nm at an incident angle from 0° to 45° is achieved when the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} film is 90 nm thick. The ultimate efficiency of around 27% is obtained on the CND textured 2 μm-thick Si solar cells, which is compared to the efficiency of around 25.75% and 15% for the 2 μm-thick Si nanodome surface-decorated and planar samples respectively. Electrical characterization was made by using CND-decorated MOS devices to measure device’s leakage current and capacitance dispersion. It is found the electrical performance is sensitive to the thickness of the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} film, and the performance is remarkably improved when the dielectric layer thickness is 90 nm thick. The leakage current, which is less than 4x10{sup −9} A/cm{sup 2} over voltage range of from -3 V to 3 V, is reduced by several orders of magnitude. C-V measurements also shows as small as 0.3% of variation in the capacitance over the frequency range from 10 kHz to 500 kHz, which is a strong indication of surface states being fully passivated. TEM examination of CND-decorated samples also reveals the occurrence of SiO{sub x} layer formed between the interface of Si and the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} film, which is thin enough that ensures the presence of field-effect passivation, From our theoretical and experimental study, we believe Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} coated CND structures is a truly viable approach to achieving higher device efficiency.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

TWO CANDIDATE OPTICAL COUNTERPARTS OF M82 X-1 FROM HST OBSERVATIONS

Optical counterparts can provide significant constraints on the physical nature of ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs). In this Letter, we identify six point sources in the error circle of a ULX in M82, namely M82 X-1, by registering Chandra positions onto Hubble Space Telescope images. Two objects are considered as optical counterpart candidates of M82 X-1, which show F658N flux excess compared to the optical continuum that may suggest the existence of an accretion disk. The spectral energy distributions of the two candidates match well with the spectra for supergiants, with stellar types as F5-G0 and B5-G0, respectively. Deep spatially resolved spectroscopic follow-up and detailed studies are needed to identify the true companion and confirm the properties of this BH system.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

AN UPDATED ULTRAVIOLET CATALOG OF GALEX NEARBY GALAXIES

The ultraviolet (UV) catalog of nearby galaxies compiled by Gil de Paz et al. presents the integrated photometry and surface brightness profiles for 1034 nearby galaxies observed by GALEX. We provide an updated catalog of 4138 nearby galaxies based on the latest Genral Release (GR6/GR7) of GALEX. These galaxies are selected from HyperLeda with apparent diameters larger than 1′. From the surface brightness profiles accurately measured using the deep NUV and FUV images, we have calculated the asymptotic magnitudes, aperture (D25) magnitudes, colors, structural parameters (effective radii and concentration indices), luminosities, and effective surface brightness for these galaxies. Archival optical and infrared photometry from HyperLeda, 2MASS, and IRAS are also integrated into the catalog. Our parameter measurements and some analyses are consistent with those of Paz et al. The (FUV − K) color provides a good criterion to distinguish between early- and late-type galaxies, which can be improved further using the concentration indices. The IRX–β relation is reformulated with our UV-selected nearby galaxies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

SPECTROSCOPIC STUDIES OF AN ULTRALUMINOUS SUPERSOFT X-RAY SOURCE IN M81

Ultraluminous supersoft X-ray sources (ULSs) exhibit supersoft X-ray spectra with blackbody temperatures below 0.1 keV and bolometric luminosities above 10{sup 39} ergs s{sup −1}. In this Letter, we report the first optical spectroscopic observations of a ULS in M81 using the LRIS spectrograph on the Keck I telescope. The detected Balmer emission lines show a mean intrinsic velocity dispersion of 400 ± 80 km s{sup −1}, which is consistent with that from an accretion disk. The spectral index of the continuum on the blue side is also consistent with the multi-color disk model. The H{sub α} emission line exhibits a velocity of ∼180 km s{sup −1} relative to the local stellar environment, suggesting that this ULS may be a halo system in M81 belonging to an old population. No significant shift is found for the H{sub α} emission line between two observations separated by four nights.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Enhancing the role of veterinary vaccines reducing zoonotic diseases of humans: Linking systems biology with vaccine development

The aim of research on infectious diseases is their prevention, and brucellosis and salmonellosis as such are classic examples of worldwide zoonoses for application of a systems biology approach for enhanced rational vaccine development. When used optimally, vaccines prevent disease manifestations, reduce transmission of disease, decrease the need for pharmaceutical intervention, and improve the health and welfare of animals, as well as indirectly protecting against zoonotic diseases of people. Advances in the last decade or so using comprehensive systems biology approaches linking genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics, and biotechnology with immunology, pathogenesis and vaccine formulation and delivery are expected to enable enhanced approaches to vaccine development. The goal of this paper is to evaluate the role of computational systems biology analysis of host:pathogen interactions (the interactome) as a tool for enhanced rational design of vaccines. Systems biology is bringing a new, more robust approach to veterinary vaccine design based upon a deeper understanding of the host pathogen interactions and its impact on the host's molecular network of the immune system. A computational systems biology method was utilized to create interactome models of the host responses to Brucella melitensis (BMEL), Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis (MAP), Salmonella enterica Typhimurium (STM), and a Salmonella mutant (isogenic *sipA, sopABDE2) and linked to the basis for rational development of vaccines for brucellosis and salmonellosis as reviewed by Adams et al. and Ficht et al. [1,2]. A bovine ligated ileal loop biological model was established to capture the host gene expression response at multiple time points post infection. New methods based on Dynamic Bayesian Network (DBN) machine learning were employed to conduct a comparative pathogenicity analysis of 219 signaling and metabolic pathways and 1620 gene ontology (GO) categories that defined the host's biosignatures to each infectious condition. Through this DBN computational approach, the method identified significantly perturbed pathways and GO category groups of genes that define the pathogenicity signatures of the infectious agent. Our preliminary results provide deeper understanding of the overall complexity of host innate immune response as well as the identification of host gene perturbations that defines a unique host temporal biosignature response to each pathogen. The application of advanced computational methods for developing interactome models based on DBNs has proven to be instrumental in elucidating novel host responses and improved functional biological insight into the host defensive mechanisms. Evaluating the unique differences in pathway and GO perturbations across pathogen conditions allowed the identification of plausible host pathogen interaction mechanisms. Accordingly, a systems biology approach to study molecular pathway gene expression profiles of host cellular responses to microbial pathogens holds great promise as a methodology to identify, model and predict the overall dynamics of the host pathogen interactome. Thus, we propose that such an approach has immediate application to the rational design of brucellosis and salmonellosis vaccines.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗