The influence of the reaction gas composition during the DC magnetron sputtering process on the structural, chemical and optical properties of Ce-oxide thin films was investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies confirmed that all thin films exhibited a polycrystalline character with cubic fluorite structure for cerium dioxide. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses revealed that cerium is present in two oxidation states, namely as CeO2 and Ce2O3, at the surface of the films prepared at oxygen/argon flow ratios between 0% and 7%, whereas the films are completely oxidized into CeO2 as the aforementioned ratio increases beyond 14%. Various optical parameters for the thin films (including an optical band gap in the range of 2.25–3.1 eV) were derived from the UV–Vis reflectance. A significant change in the band gap was observed as oxygen/argon flow ratio was raised from 7% to 14% and this finding is consistent with the high-resolution XPS analysis of Ce 3d that reports a mixture of Ce2O3 and CeO2 in the films. Density functional theory (DFT+U) implemented in the Cambridge Serial Total Energy Package (CASTEP) was carried out to simulate the optical constants of CeO2 clusters at ground state. The computed electronic density of states (DOSs) of the optimized unit cell of CeO2 yields a band gap that agrees well with the experimentally measured optical band gap. The simulated and measured absorption coefficient (α) exhibited a similar trend and, to some extent, have similar values in the wavelength range from 100 to 2500 nm. The combined results of this study demonstrate good correlation between the theoretical and experimental findings.
Abstract
A sensitive, precise and reliable indirect spectrophotometric method for the determination of chlordiazepoxide (CDE) in pure and pharmaceutical dosage forms is described. The method is based on oxidative coupling reaction between amino group resulting from acidic decomposition of CDE with phenothiazine in the presence of sodium periodate to produce an intense green soluble dye that is stable and shows a maximum absorption at 602 nm. The calibration plot indicates that Beer’s law is obeyed over the concentration range of 0.1?50 µg/mL, with a molar absorptivity of 1×104 L/mol cm and correlation coefficient of 0.9994.All the conditions that affecting on the stability and sensitivity of the fo
... Show MoreIn this paper, tunable optical band-pass filters based on Polarization Maintaining Fiber –Mach Zehnder Interferometer presented. Tunability of the band-pass filter implemented by applying different mechanical forces N on the micro-cavities splicing regions (MCSRs). The micro-cavity formed by using three variable-lengths of single-mode polarization-maintaining fiber with (8, 16, 24) cm lengths, splice between two segments of (SMF-28) with (26, 13) cm lengths, using the fusion splicing technique. Ellipsoidal shape micro-cavities experimentally achieved parallel to the propagation axis having dimensions between (12-24) μm of width and (4-12) μm of length. A micro-cavity with width and length as high as 24 μm and 12 μ
... Show MoreThe study objectives were to 1) explore the real-world experience of hospital pharmacists with the differences in effectiveness safety, and interchangeability between biosimilar medicines and their reference biological counterparts, 2) reveal pharmacist recommendations to enhance the safety of biopharmaceutical medicines in public hospitals.
The study has a mixed-method design where the core component was qualitative (interviews) and the supplemental component was quantitative (adverse drug reaction, ADR, reports). This qualitative component included semi-structured (mostly face-to-face) interviews involving hospital pharmacists from different hospitals with experience with biological or biosimilar medicines. The interviews were c
... Show MoreOptimization of gas lift plays a substantial role in production and maximizing the net present value of the investment of oil field projects. However, the application of the optimization techniques in gas lift project is so complex because many decision variables, objective functions and constraints are involved in the gas lift optimization problem. In addition, many computational ways; traditional and modern, have been employed to optimize gas lift processes. This research aims to present the developing of the optimization techniques applied in the gas lift. Accordingly, the research classifies the applied optimization techniques, and it presents the limitations and the range of applications of each one to get an acceptable level of accura
... Show MoreIn the field of research in the investment of gas fields, this requires that we first look at the center of the contracting parties in terms of the guarantee means granted to them under the contract, which constitute a means of safety and motivation to enter as major parties in the investment project. In turn, we will discuss the minimum guarantees, which are the most important guarantees granted to each of the two parties to the contract, namely the national party and the investor.
Cover crops (CC) improve soil quality, including soil microbial enzymatic activities and soil chemical parameters. Scientific studies conducted in research centers have shown positive effects of CC on soil enzymatic activities; however, studies conducted in farmer fields are lacking in the literature. The objective of this study was to quantify CC effects on soil microbial enzymatic activities (β-glucosidase, β-glucosaminidase, fluorescein diacetate hydrolase, and dehydrogenase) under a corn (Zea mays L.)–soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) rotation. The study was conducted in 2016 and 2018 in Chariton County, Missouri, where CC were first established in 2012. All tested soil enzyme levels were significantly different between 2016 and 2018
... Show MoreThis work is divided into two parts first part study electronic structure and vibration properties of the Iobenguane material that is used in CT scan imaging. Iobenguane, or MIBG, is an aralkylguanidine analog of the adrenergic neurotransmitter norepinephrine and a radiopharmaceutical. It acts as a blocking agent for adrenergic neurons. When radiolabeled, it can be used in nuclear medicinal diagnostic techniques as well as in neuroendocrine antineoplastic treatments. The aim of this work is to provide general information about Iobenguane that can be used to obtain results to diagnose the diseases. The second part study image processing techniques, the CT scan image is transformed to frequency domain using the LWT. Two methods of contrast
... Show MoreThe developments and transformations taking place in the era and the growth of knowledge economies and communication technology led this development to compel higher education institutions in Iraq to reconsider their objectives to keep pace with development. And one of the most important tools of development was the application of e-learning standards and its long-term impact on the performance of the educational institution. Performance auditing plays an important role in verifying the extent to which these institutions have implemented their activities and programs that auditing performance by adopting e-learning standards helps the institutions’ management by providing appropriate information on the extent to which they achieve thei
... Show MoreBecause of the quick growth of electrical instruments used in noxious gas detection, the importance of gas sensors has increased. X-ray diffraction (XRD) can be used to examine the crystal phase structure of sensing materials, which affects the properties of gas sensing. This contributes to the study of the effect of electrochemical synthesis of titanium dioxide (TiO2) materials with various crystal phase shapes, such as rutile TiO2 (R-TiO2NTs) and anatase TiO2 (A-TiO2NTs). In this work, we have studied the effect of voltage on preparing TiO2 nanotube arrays via the anodization technique for gas sensor applications. The results acquired from XRD, energy dispersion spectro
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