Search

Observation of high energy and very high emission from Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) is crucial to study the gigantic explosion and the underline processes. With a large field-of-view and almost full duty cycle, the Water Cherenkov Detector Array (WCDA), a sub-array of the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO), is appropriate to monitor the very high energy emission from unpredictable transients such as GRBs. Nevertheless, the main issue for an extensive air shower array is the high energy threshold which limits the horizon of the detector. To address this issue a new trigger method is developed in this article to lower the energy threshold of WCDA for GRB observation. The proposed method significantly improves the detection efficiency of WCDA for gamma-rays around the GRB direction at 10-300 GeV. The sensitivity of the WCDA for GRB detection with the new trigger method is estimated. The achieved sensitivity of the quarter WCDA array above 10 GeV is comparable with that of Fermi-LAT. The data analysis process and corresponding fluence upper limit for GRB 190719C is presented as an example.

The extension of the cosmic-ray spectrum beyond 1 petaelectronvolt (PeV; 1015 electronvolts) indicates the existence of the so-called PeVatrons—cosmic-ray factories that accelerate particles to PeV energies. We need to locate and identify such objects to find the origin of Galactic cosmic rays1. The principal signature of both electron and proton PeVatrons is ultrahigh-energy (exceeding 100 TeV) γ radiation. Evidence of the presence of a proton PeVatron has been found in the Galactic Centre, according to the detection of a hard-spectrum radiation extending to 0.04 PeV (ref. 2). Although γ-rays with energies slightly higher than 0.1 PeV have been reported from a few objects in the Galactic plane3–6, unbiased identification and in-depth exploration of PeVatrons requires detection of γ-rays with energies well above 0.1 PeV. Here we report the detection of more than 530 photons at energies above 100 teraelectronvolts and up to 1.4 PeV from 12 ultrahigh-energy γ-ray sources with a statistical significance greater than seven standard deviations. Despite having several potential counterparts in their proximity, including pulsar wind nebulae, supernova remnants and star-forming regions, the PeVatrons responsible for the ultrahigh-energy γ-rays have not yet been firmly localized and identified (except for the Crab Nebula), leaving open the origin of these extreme accelerators. Observations of γ-rays with energies up to 1.4 PeV find that 12 sources in the Galaxy are PeVatrons, one of which is the Crab Nebula.

The prompt emission of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) is a long-standing problem. The spectral-lag phenomenon can provide us with some clues about the emission mechanism. By analogy with the spectral lag of blazars at radio frequencies, we propose using the photosphere in the jet model to interpret the spectral lag of GRBs. Assuming a canonical jet and respecting the scaling laws of both the magnetic field and the number density of radiative particles, the radius of the photosphere and the magnetic field can be predicted. Five long bursts with known redshifts are studied. The prompt emitting regions of these bursts are located at about one or several astronomical units from the jet base. Without strictly constrained parameters, the magnetic fields at the photosphere radius are not well constrained. Taking the median values, the magnetic field is distributed in the range of 104∼107 G, which has no conflicts with the constraints obtained from the synchrotron cooling time.

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are widely believed to be from massive collapsars and/or compact binary mergers, which accordingly, would generate long and short GRBs, respectively. The details on this classification scheme have been in constant debate given more and more observational data available to us. In this work, we apply a series of data mining methods to studying the potential classification information contained in the prompt emission of GRBs detected by the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor. A tight global correlation is found between fluence ($f$), peak flux ($F$) and prompt duration ($T_{90}$) which takes the form of $ \log {\it f}= 0.75 \log T_{90} +0.92 \log F -7.14$. Based on this correlation, we can define a new parameter $L = 1.66\log T_{90} + 0.84 \log {\it f} - 0.46 \log F + 3.24$ by linear discriminant analysis that would distinguish between long and short GRBs with much less ambiguity than $T_{90}$. We also discussed the three subclasses scheme of GRB classification derived from clusters analysis based on a Gaussian mixture model, and suggest that, besides SGRBs, LGRBs may be divided into long-bright gamma-ray bursts (LBGRBs) and long-faint gamma-ray bursts (LFGRBs), LBGRBs have statistical higher $f$ and $F$ than LFGRBs; further statistical analysis found that LBGRBs also have higher number of GRB pulses than LFGRBs., 12 pages, 8 figures. Accepted for Publication in ApJ

We report the discovery of a new unidentified extended $\gamma$-ray source in the Galactic plane named LHAASO J0341+5258 with a pre-trial significance of 8.2 standard deviations above 25 TeV. The best fit position is R.A.$=55.34^{\circ}\pm0.11^{\circ}$ and Dec$=52.97^{\circ}\pm0.07^{\circ}$. The angular size of LHAASO J0341+5258 is $0.29^\circ \pm 0.06^\circ_{stat} \pm0.02^\circ_{sys}$. The flux above 25 TeV is about $20\%$ of the flux of Crab Nebula. Although a power-law fit of the spectrum from 10 TeV to 200 TeV with the photon index $\alpha=2.98 \pm 0.19_{stat} \pm 0.02_{sys}$ is not excluded, the LHAASO data together with the flux upper limit at 10 GeV set by the Fermi LAT observation, indicate a noticeable steepening of an initially hard power-law spectrum %($\alpha \leq 1.75$) spectrum with a cutoff at $\approx 50$ TeV. We briefly discuss the origin of UHE gamma-rays. The lack of an energetic pulsar and a young SNR inside or in the vicinity of LHAASO J0341+5258 challenge, but do not exclude both the leptonic and hadronic scenarios of gamma-ray production., Comment: Accepted by APJL

The detection of the high-energy (∼290 TeV) neutrino coincident with the flaring blazar TXS 0506+056, the first and only 3σ neutrino-source association to date, provides new, multimessenger tests of the weak equivalence principle (WEP) and Lorentz invariance. Assuming that the flight time difference between the TeV neutrino and gamma-ray photons from the blazar flare is mainly caused by the gravitational potential of the Laniakea supercluster of galaxies, we show that the deviation from the WEP for neutrinos and photons is conservatively constrained to have an accuracy of 10 − 6 – 10 − 7 , which is 3–4 orders of magnitude better than previous results placed by MeV neutrinos from supernova 1987A. In addition, we demonstrate that the association of the TeV neutrino with the blazar flare sets limits on the energy scales of quantum gravity for both linear and quadratic violations of Lorentz invariance (LIV) to E QG , 1 > 3.2 × 10 15 – 3.7 × 10 16 GeV and E QG , 2 > 4.0 × 10 10 – 1.4 × 10 11 GeV. These improve previous limits on both linear and quadratic LIV energy scales in neutrino propagation by 5–7 orders of magnitude.

Charge-transfer (CT) is an important enhancement mechanism in the field of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) that typically increases the Raman intensity of molecules by as much as 10-100 times. Herein, a low-cost Ag2O aggregates substrate was prepared via a facile chemical precipitation method, and the calculated CT-based enhancement factor of the uranyl ions adsorbed on it reached as high as 105, a metal-comparable value. The efficient photoinduced CT process from the valence band of Ag2O to the LUMO of uranyl ions under appropriate excitation sources resulted in the repulsion of the axial oxygen atoms of the O U O bond, which enhanced its polarizability, creating a more intense Raman mode. To the best of our knowledge, this study firstly reports such a strong photoinduced CT enhancement of uranyl ions, with concentrations of 10−8 mol L−1 or lower being detected using this Ag2O substrate. Most importantly, this research has shown that the photoinduced CT enhancement also contributes to the SERS of uranyl ions on pure Ag substrates which have often been ascribed to the electromagnetic enhancement in previous studies. In addition, Ag2O can be used to selectively detect uranyl ions without interference from many other molecules or ions because of the energy matching rule of the photoinduced CT process, which was readily available for uranyl detection in the environmental aqueous solution.

In this work, C-In2O3/BiOI composite is synthesized and used as a high performance photocatalyst for photocatalytic degradation of methyl blue (MB) in wastewater. The C-In2O3/BiOI composites demonstrate 5 times higher photocatalytic performance than the pristine BiOI and In2O3 for MB degradation under the irradiation of visible light. Furthermore, the C-In2O3/BiOI composites have excellent cycling stability. Such enhanced photoactivity is due to the significantly enhanced separation efficiency of photogenerated. This work provides some significance in the design and construction of environmentally benign catalysts with excellent photocatalytic degradation of toxic pollutants.

Three (3,4)-connected uranyl-organic frameworks (UOFs) with pto and tbo topologies were synthesized. The UOF with a pto net possesses a 2-fold interpenetrating network and exhibits 2D interconnected channels. The UOF with a tbo net is constructed from two types of ultralarge nanocages. All these compounds can efficiently remove large cationic dye crystal violet (CV) through a cation exchange mechanism.

We performed a systematic search for X-ray bursts of the SGR J1935+2154 using the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor continuous data dated from Jan 2013 to October 2021. Eight bursting phases, which consist of a total of 353 individual bursts, are identified. We further analyze the periodic properties of our sample using the Lomb-Scargle periodogram. The result suggests that those bursts exhibit a period of ~ 238 days with a ~ 63.2% duty cycle. Based on our analysis, we further predict two upcoming active windows of the X-ray bursts. Since July 2021, the beginning date of our first prediction has been confirmed by the ongoing X-ray activities of the SGR J1935+2154., Comment: ApJL published; 16 pages, 11 figures, 3 tables

The rapid and efficient identification of uranium oxides is of great significance in the field of nuclear security. A feasible SERS strategy assisted by Ag2O for rapid detection of trace amount of uranium oxides (∼1.8 μg/mL for UO2 and ∼ 3.6 μg/mL for U3O8) was proposed and described. The effects of laser power on the Raman and SERS of uranium oxides were investigated. And the SERS mechanism was discussed by constructing several types of SERS substrates. Uranyl ions produced from hydrolysis and oxidation of uranium oxides are the key components for their SERS, where efficient photoinduced charge transfer process from Ag2O to uranyl ions occurs, resulting in a more intense Raman mode. The easily obtained but clearly distinguished SERS signals allow us to selectively and quickly detect the uranium oxides from mixtures, which may be practically applied to nuclear antiterrorism.

The main scientific goal of the LHAASO WFCTA experiment is to measure the cosmic ray energy spectra and composition from 10 TeV to 1 EeV. Cherenkov photons in the extensive air shower measured by the SiPM camera of Cherenkov telescopes can be used to reconstruct the cosmic ray energy. The absolute calibration of the camera is a crucial step to achieve the accurate measurement of the cosmic ray energy spectrum. A multi-wavelength cylindrical illuminator based on LEDs is developed and mounted inside the telescope to calibrate and monitor the camera, and the illuminator’s stability is better than 0.5% under the temperature variation from -26 to 26 ° C. A portable probe with a single photoelectron resolution of 21.6% is developed. After calibration by National Institute of Metrology, China (NIM), the probe is taken to the LHAASO site to measure the absolute photon density of the cylindrical illuminator inside the telescope. Based on the illuminator with known photon density, the photon conversion factor of the camera can be calibrated, and the overall calibration uncertainty is less than 2.6%.

In this article, a novel method to synthesize graphene quantum dots was developed via thermal treatment of crude graphite oxide (GO) in a dry and alkaline condition to cut the crude GO sheets into small graphene quantum dots (named as aGQDs). The aGQDs are nano-scale reduced graphene oxide pieces with the sizes around 5–10 nm. The aGQDs could disperse in water for their richment of oxygen-containing groups. The fluorescence properties were carefully investigated. The aGQDS aqueous solution shows a bright yellow-green fluorescence under the UV illumination. Besides, the uranyl ions show a strong fluorescence quenching effect on the a aGQD aqueous solution even at a low concentration (~10−7 M) compared with other common ions in natural water-body, which makes that these aGQDs could be applied as a chemosensor for detection of uranyl ions with good sensitivity and selectivity., Analytical chemistry; Environmental science; Materials science; Graphene dots; Uranyl; Detection; Fluorescence quenching

The giant flares of soft gamma-ray repeaters (SGRs) have long been proposed to contribute to at least a subsample of the observed short gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). In this paper, we perform a comprehensive analysis of the high-energy data of the recent bright short GRB 200415A, which was located close to the Sculptor galaxy. Our results suggest that a magnetar giant flare provides the most natural explanation for most observational properties of GRB 200415A, including its location, temporal and spectral features, energy, statistical correlations, and high-energy emissions. On the other hand, the compact star merger GRB model is found to have difficulty reproducing such an event in a nearby distance. Future detections and follow-up observations of similar events are essential to firmly establish the connection between SGR giant flares and a subsample of nearby short GRBs., Comment: ApJ published in August 2020 (Yang et al. 2020, ApJ, 899, 106)

Manganese oxides show strong affinity towards uranium, and have a promising application in uranium immobilization in environmental protection. We successfully synthesized a series of Mn oxide materials of different structures and investigated their U(VI) immobilization performances. The results showed that all Mn oxides share similar sorption capacities per unit surface area, implying similar physical chemistry during immobilization. Among these Mn oxides, α-MnO2 shows the most outstanding performance for uranium uptake (280 mg/g). More detailed studies on interfacial properties of U(VI) on α-MnO2 were performed to elucidate the binding mechanism. The uptake was largely influenced by acidity, but less impacted by ionic strength, indicative of an inner-sphere binding mode. The selectivity for uranium is much higher than other selected metal ions, i.e. Co2+, Ni2+, Eu3+, etc. ATR-FTIR, and EXAFS results showed that in both mild acidic and neutral conditions, U(VI) formed bidentate binuclear structure on α-MnO2, as evidenced by υas(O = U=O) at 912 cm-1 and the number of Mn in U coordination shell. UO2(OH)2 precipitate was found at the molecular level in neutral condition (pH 7-8). The results reveal the physical chemistry in uranium immobilization process on manganese oxide surfaces and helps to better understand the uranium environmental migration. Furthermore, it provides an alternative approach for radioactive water purification.

Giant flares (GFs) are unusual bursts from soft gamma-ray repeaters (SGRs) that release an enormous amount of energy in a fraction of a second. The afterglow emission of these SGR-GFs or GF candidates is a highly beneficial means of discerning their composition, relativistic speed, and emission mechanisms. GRB 200415A is a recent GF candidate observed in a direction coincident with the nearby Sculptor galaxy at 3.5 Mpc. In this work, we searched for transient gamma-ray emission in past observations by Fermi-LAT in the direction of GRB 200415A. These observations confirm that GRB 200415A is observed as a transient GeV source only once. A pure pair-plasma fireball cannot provide the required energy for the interpretation of GeV afterglow emission and a baryonic poor outflow is additionally needed to explain the afterglow emission. A baryonic rich outflow is also viable, as it can explain the variability and observed quasi-thermal spectrum of the prompt emission if dissipation is happening below the photosphere via internal shocks. Using the peak energy ($E_p$) of the time-resolved prompt emission spectra and their fluxes ($F_p$), we found correlation between $E_p$ and $F_p$ or $E_p$ and isotropic luminosity $L_{\rm iso}$ for GRB 200415A. This supports the intrinsic nature of $E_p$-$E_{\rm iso}$ correlation found in SGRs-GFs, hence favoring a baryonic poor outflow. Our results also indicate a different mechanism at work during the initial spike, and that the evolution of the prompt emission spectral properties in this outflow would be intrinsically due to the injection process., Accepted for publication in RAA

In this paper, a kind of graphene gel loading TBP inside, named as G-TBP-Gel was prepared via by mildly reducing the graphene oxide (GO) sheets in TBP/GO/water emulsion using ascorbic acid, which is facile and time-consuming. The G-TBP-Gel was constructed by approximately spherical pores built by reduced graphene oxide (rGO) sheets disorderly. The TBP droplets are fixed in the pores, and the total volume of TBP occupies nearly 90% volume of the G-TBP-Gel. We studied the capacities and distribution ratios of G-TBP-Gel in the application of uranium extraction under different conditions. Moreover, the G-TBP-Gel could be easily separated from the aqueous phase due to the fixation of the TBP. The residual oxygenated groups on the rGO sheets construct a network of water nano-channels, via which uranyl migrates in the process of extraction or stripping. Compared with traditional liquid-liquid extraction, the rates of extraction or stripping are much slower due to the structural factors, which still need promotion in the future.

We report the synthesis of perhydroxy-cucurbit[6]uril decorated graphene oxide composite [denoted as HO-CB[6]/graphene oxide (GO)] through a self-assembly process in dimethyl sulfoxide solvent. The obtained composite was characterized by transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric and differential temperature analysis, fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, and XRD. HO-CB[6]/GO was used as an adsorbent for the removal of uranium(VI) from aqueous solution. The results showed that HO-CB[6]/GO exhibited a fast sedimentation velocity and a high adsorption capacity to uranium(VI). HO-CB[6]/GO could be a promising candidate as sorbent for uranium-bearing wastewater treatment.

Efficient and sustainable remediation technologies for uranium have recently been gaining more and more interest. Adsorption techniques are facile, effective and universal for kinds of heavy metal ions. In this paper, sandwich-like Mn3O4@reduced graphene oxide (Mn3O4@G) nano-composites were prepared facilely and greenly by adding NaOH solution into crude graphite oxide suspension prepared via the Hummers' method to modify the pH. The Mn3O4@G nanocomposites possess a reasonable maximum equilibrium adsorption quantity 195.6 mg [U] g−1. Moreover, the magnetism of Mn3O4@G makes it easy to remove Mn3O4@G from water by strong magnet field.

U3O8, the most stable state of uranium oxides, is a key intermediate compound for pyroprocessing of used nuclear fuel. However, compared to UO2, the electro-deoxidation mechanism of U3O8 is still cursory due to the complicated U-O intermediate phases. In this paper, the electro-deoxidation processes of U3O8 were investigated via diverse methods. A molybdenum metallic cavity electrode loaded with U3O8 powder was adopted to investigate the electrochemical behavior via cyclic voltammetry and square wave voltammetry. Sintered U3O8 pellets were used as cathodes to obtain electrolytic products with varying applied voltages or duration time. The composition and microstructure of electrolytic products were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive spectrometer. Based on above analysis results, electro-reduction processes of porous U3O8 pellets were proposed. First, U3O8 undergoes a rapid transition to U4O9 (U4O9-y). Then, the intermediate compound was gradually reduced to UO2 from the outer layer to the center of the bulk due to the limited migration rate of O2−. Before the transformation completed, metallic U generated on the surface of the bulk through direct electro-deoxidation and Li metal thermal reduction. With the increase of porosity and the propagation of metal-oxide-electrolyte three-phase interline, the U3O8 pellet was finally reduced to metallic U bulk.

The electrochemical behavior of Pr(III) and formation process of Pr-Al intermetallics were investigated by different electrochemical methods. The reduction of Pr(III) ion to metallic Pr is an one-step three-electrons reaction. The reversibility of Pr(III)/Pr(0) system was evaluated by cyclic voltammograms with different scan rates. The co-reduction of Pr(III) and Al(III) ions formed three different Pr-Al intermetallics at electrode potentials around −1.40, −1.80, and −1.95 V vs. Ag/AgCl at 723 K, respectively. Open-circuit chronopotentiometry and electromotive force (emf) measurements were carried out to estimate the relative molar Gibbs energies of Pr for the formation of different Pr-Al intermetallics in the temperature range of 723–843 K. The activities of Pr in the Pr-Al intermetallic compounds were calculated.

We report on the facile, reliable fabrication of novel magnetic cucurbit[6]uril/graphene oxide (CB[6]/GO/Fe3O4) composite by using an in-situ co-precipitation method, for which the formation process and possible formation mechanism were also investigated. Moreover, the composite was used as an adsorbent for the removal of uranium(VI) from aqueous solution. Herein, GO nanosheets were chosen as a substrate to immobilize CB[6] and Fe3O4. During the co-precipitation of Fe3O4 nanoparticles on surface of GO nanosheets, CB[6] molecules was fixed through hydrogen bonding simultaneously. The as-prepared composite exhibited a high efficiency of magnetic separability, competitive adsorption performance and acceptable reusability and stability for U(VI) removal, indicating a potential application in uranium-bearing wastewater treatment.

Phosphoramide-modified ordered mesoporous silica (SBA-DEPA) materials were prepared via a two-step process involving: (1) the synthesis of phosphoramide via amidation of phosphoryl chloride with a primary amine and (2) modification of the phosphoramide onto SBA-15. The successful preparation was confirmed by FT-IR and NMR spectroscopy. As indicated by the ICP-AES and XRF analysis results, the phosphoramide group has a grafting ratio as high as 12.5%. The morphological information and N2 adsorption–desorption technique proved the highly ordered structure and large specific area of the material, respectively. An excellent performance for uranium sorption was found with a loading maximum of 311.6 mg g−1, a marked promotion relative to unmodified SBA-15. A strong pH and CO2 dependence suggested that near neutral conditions favored the maximum uranium sorption. To our surprise, the sorption took only 5 min to reach a 90% capacity and 20 min for equilibrium, which is extraordinary when compared to many other sorbent materials. The ionic strength partially influences the sorption, which indicates outer and inner sphere sorption both play parts in the process. A sorption capacity of over 90% of the original indicates the excellent reproducibility of SBA-DEPA. DFT calculations based on cluster models suggested a ‘tri-dentate-like’ structure for the uranyl-surface binding site, which may explain the excellent sorption ability of this material.

This study aims to understand the complexation of U(VI) with oxydiacetic acid (ODA), iminodiacetic acid (IDA) and thiodiacetic acid (TDA) through density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The structures, complexation stabilities and bonding nature were investigated for U(VI)/XDA complexes (XDA is short for the three ligands). The calculations have proved that tridentate structures are more favorable than terminal bidentate ones for all stoichiometries, and steric hindrance is a factor that cannot be ignored especially for 1:2 complexes. The binding stabilities of the ligands and relative binding groups are in the sequences IDA > ODA ≫ TDA and CO > OH− ≫ H2O > X (Oether, N and S), respectively. All of the coordination bonds exhibit typically ionic character. The coordination bonds are mainly contributed by the interactions of U 5f-orbital and O(C)/X p-orbitals. The strength of all coordination bonds follows the order U–O(C) > U–N > U–O(H2) ≈ U–Oether > U–S. U–S interaction was solidly confirmed by MO and AIM analysis, which is found for U(VI)/TDA complexes for the first time. U–X bonds play an important role in U(VI)/XDA coordination.

We report the detection of the radio afterglow of a long gamma-ray burst (GRB) 111005A at 5-345 GHz, including the very long baseline interferometry observations with the positional error of 0.2 mas. The afterglow position is coincident with the disk of a galaxy ESO 580-49 at z= 0.01326 (~1" from its center), which makes GRB 111005A the second closest GRB known to date, after GRB 980425. The radio afterglow of GRB 111005A was an order of magnitude less luminous than those of local low-luminosity GRBs, and obviously than those of cosmological GRBs. The radio flux was approximately constant and then experienced an unusually rapid decay a month after the GRB explosion. Similarly to only two other GRBs, we did not find the associated supernovae (SN), despite deep near- and mid-infrared observations 1-9 days after the GRB explosion, reaching ~20 times fainter than other SNe associated with GRBs. Moreover, we measured twice solar metallicity for the GRB location. The low gamma-ray and radio luminosities, rapid decay, lack of a SN, and super-solar metallicity suggest that GRB 111005A represents a different rare class of GRBs than typical core-collapse events. We modelled the spectral energy distribution of the GRB 111005A host finding that it is a dwarf, moderately star-forming galaxy, similar to the host of GRB 980425. The existence of two local GRBs in such galaxies is still consistent with the hypothesis that the GRB rate is proportional to the cosmic star formation rate (SFR) density, but suggests that the GRB rate is biased towards low SFRs. Using the far-infrared detection of ESO 580-49, we conclude that the hosts of both GRBs 111005A and 980425 exhibit lower dust content than what would be expected from their stellar masses and optical colours., Comment: Accepted by A&A. 17 pages, 16 figures, 5 tables

A facile surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate based on the self-assembly of silver nanoparticles on the modified silicon wafer was obtained, and for the first time, an advanced SERS analysis method basing on this as-prepared substrate was established for high sensitive and rapid detection of uranyl ions. Due to the weakened bond strength of OUO resulting from two kinds of adsorption of uranyl species ("strong" and "weak" adsorption) on the substrate, the ν1 symmetric stretch vibration frequency of OUO shifted from 871cm-1 (normal Raman) to 720cm-1 and 826cm-1 (SERS) along with significant Raman enhancement. Effects of the hydrolysis of uranyl ions on SERS were also investigated, and the SERS band at ~826cm-1 was first used to approximately define the constitution of uranyl species at trace quantity level. Besides, the SERS intensity was proportional to the variable concentrations of uranyl nitrate ranging from 10-7 to 10-3molL-1 with an excellent linear relation (R2=0.998), and the detection limit was ~10-7molL-1. Furthermore, the related SERS approach involves low-cost substrate fabrication, rapid and trace analysis simultaneously, and shows great potential applications for the field assays of uranyl ions in the nuclear fuel cycle and environmental monitoring.

We performed a statistical analysis of the intrinsic properties and their redshift dependence of long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) mainly detected by Swift satellite. The intrinsic quantities are the (z- and K-corrected) rest-frame duration, T (90,rest), the rest-frame peak energy, E (p,rest), the isotropic equivalent energy, E (iso), and the peak isotropic luminosity, L (iso), of the prompt emission. We find that the distributions of T (90,rest), E (p,rest), E (iso) and L (iso) all span a wide range and their central values are T (90,rest)similar to 10 s, E (p,rest)similar to 500 keV, E (iso)similar to 10(53) erg and L (iso similar to)3x10(52) erg/s. We also show that E (p,rest) and L (iso) are independent with T (90,rest), but E (iso) is correlated with T (90,rest). Moreover, we find the observed peak energy is independent with redshift, but the intrinsic peak energy, the isotropic energy and the peak luminosity all show some dependence on redshift, where the truncation effect is taken into account.

Possible violations of Lorentz invariance (LIV) have been investigated for a long time using the observed spectral lags of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). However, these generally have relied on using a single photon in the highest energy range. Furthermore, the search for LIV lags has been hindered by our ignorance concerning the intrinsic time lag in different energy bands. GRB 160625B, the only burst so far with a well-defined transition from $positive$ lags to $negative$ lags provides a unique opportunity to put new constraints on LIV. Using multi-photon energy bands we consider the contributions to the observed spectral lag from both the intrinsic time lag and the lag by LIV effects, and assuming the intrinsic time lag to have a positive dependence on the photon energy, we obtain robust limits on LIV by directly fitting the spectral lag data of GRB 160625B. Here we show that these robust limits on the quantum gravity energy scales are $E_{\rm QG,1}\geq0.5\times10^{16}$ GeV for the linear, and $E_{\rm QG,2}\geq1.4\times10^{7}$ GeV for the quadratic LIV effects, respectively. In addition, we give for the first time a reasonable formulation of the intrinsic energy-dependent time lag., 6 pages, 4 figures, 1 table. Accepted for publication in ApJ Letters

Iron(II)-substituted LAU-zeotype aluminophosphate molecular sieve (denoted as FeAPO-LAU) was synthesized successfully by using imidazole as template in the solvothermal system. The detemplation process was studied to elucidate the stability and microporous characteristics of FeAPO-LAU. In situ temperature-dependent X-ray diffraction analyses indicated that the framework of FeAPO-LAU possessed higher thermal stability and maintained the framework integrity until 923 K. The organic templates could be removed by stage-temperature-programmed calcination using lower heating rate in O 2 atmosphere, which gave rise to the sample with surface areas of ca. 105 m 2 /g. NH 3 -temperature programmed desorption (NH 3 -TPD) analysis showed that detemplated FeAPO-LAU had a weak acidity. Magnetic measurement revealed that both as-synthesized and detemplated FeAPO-LAU showed antiferromagnetic behaviour.

A novel germanate compound, |[Ni(dien)2]3(H2O)3|[Ge7O13F5]2(designated JU-85, dien = diethylenetriamine), was solvothermally synthesized. The structure of JU-85 was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and further characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, inductively coupled plasma, infrared spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and thermogravimetric analysis. JU-85 has dissymmetric chains constructed from diagonally linked Ge7 building units and various Ni(dien)22+ complexes formed in situ during the synthesis. Compared with its structural analogue, FJ-6, JU-85 contains less complex cations and different host-guest assembly. Besides the diagonal linkage in JU-85, other dissymmetric linkages of Ge7 building units were enumerated, which could be used as the stereogenic centers for the design of novel chiral germanate compounds.

Two divalent-metal-containing aluminophosphates, (C(5)H(14)N(2))[Co(2)Al(4)P(6)O(24)] and (C(5)H(14)N(2))[Zn(2)Al(4)P(6)O(24)] (denoted as MAPO-CJ62; M = Co, Zn), have been hydrothermally synthesized by using N-methylpiperazine as the structure directing agent. Their structures are determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction and further characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, inductively coupled plasma, and thermogravimetric and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy analyses. Both of these two compounds exhibit a new zeolite framework topology. This new zeolite framework contains 1-dimensional 8-ring channels running along the [010] direction. All the metal and P atoms are tetrahedrally coordinated and alternately connected to each other through bridging O atoms. Inductively coupled plasma analysis shows that the molar ratio of M:Al in MAPO-CJ62 is 1:2. The M(2+) ions in MAPO-CJ62 selectively occupy two of the three possible crystallographically distinct positions. A pure aluminophosphate analogue of MAPO-CJ62 without M(2+)-incorporation, denoted as AlPO-CJ62, has not been obtained in our experiment so far. The necessity of introducing M(2+) ions and their ordered distribution in MAPO-CJ62 has been elucidated by analyzing the distortions of Al-centered tetrahedra in the hypothetical framework of AlPO-CJ62.

In order to study the effect of dust extinction on the afterglow of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), we carry out numerical calculations with high precision based on the rigorous Mie theory and the latest optical properties of interstellar dust grains, and analyze the different extinction curves produced by dust grains with different physical parameters. Our results indicate that the absolute extinction quantity is substantially determined by the medium density and metallicity. However, the shape of the extinction curve is mainly determined by the size distribution of the dust grains. If the dust grains aggregate to form larger ones, they will cause a flatter or grayer extinction curve with lower extinction quantity. On the contrary, if the dust grains are disassociated to smaller ones due to some uncertain processes, they will cause a steeper extinction curve with larger amount of extinction. These results might provide an important insight into understanding the origin of the optically dark GRBs.

A new open-framework aluminum-iron phosphate (C4H12N2)(2)[Fe2Al5(PO4)(8)(H2O)] (denoted as FeAPO-CJ51), with mixed-valence iron (II, III) has been hydrothermally synthesized by using piperazine as the template. The three-dimensional framework of FeAPO-CJ51 is constructed by the connection of metal-centered MOn (M = Fe/Al, n = 4, 5, 6) polyhedra and PO4 tetrahedra, which contains interconnecting 8-ring channels along the [010] and [001] directions. Diprotonated piperazine cations locate in the 8-ring channels to compensate the negative charge of the anionic framework. Mossbauer and magnetic susceptibility measurements show that equal amounts of Fe2+ and Fe3+ are present in FeAPO-CJ51, which undergo the long-range antiferromagnetic interactions.

The afterglows of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have commonly been assumed to be due to shocks sweeping up the circum-stellar medium. However, most GRBs have been found in dense star-forming regions where a significant fraction of the prompt X-ray emission can be scattered by dust grains. Here we revisit the behavior of dust scattering of X-rays in GRBs. We find that the features of some X-ray afterglows from minutes to days after the gamma-ray triggers are consistent with the scattering of prompt X-ray emission from GRBs off host dust grains. This implies that some of the observed X-ray afterglows (especially those without sharp rising and decaying flares) could be understood with a dust-scattering--driven emission model., Comment: ApJ, in press

The aim of this study was to compare the roles of dihydropyridine calcium antagonists nifedipine, nitrendipine, amlodipine on doxorubicin (DXR)-induced nephrotoxicity in rats using biochemical, histopathological and immunohistochemical approaches. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five experimental groups: control; DXR; DXR+nifedipine (15 mg/kg); DXR+nitrendipine (10 mg/kg); DXR+amlodipine (5 mg/kg). Results showed that treatment with DXR alone caused significant changes in the levels of urinary protein, serum creatinine (SCr), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN). Co-administration with amlodipine effectively reversed the effect of DXR on these parameters. In contrast, nifedipine and nitrendipine either had no effect or worsened DXR induced changes in the levels of urinary protein, SCr and BUN. Furthermore, DXR treatment caused significant increases in the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO), nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and significant decreases in the levels of reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), and superoxide dismutase (SOD). These effects were significantly reduced by co-administration with amlodipine but not affected by nifedipine and worsened by nitrendipine. In addition to the biochemical changes, histopathological studies showed that DXR caused significant structural damages in the kidneys. Glomerular cell apoptosis, a decrease in Bcl-2 expression and an increase in Bax expression were observed in all rats treated with DXR. Co-administration with amlodipine effectively reversed the effect of DXR while nifedipine and nitrendipine had no effect. In conclusion, this study clearly indicated that amlodipine protected against DXR-induced nephrotoxicity while nifedipine and nitrendipine had no effect.

The new title compound is hydrothermally synthesized from an aqueous mixture of FeCl2, Al(O-iPr)3, H3PO4, (COOH)2, and piperazine as the structure-directing agent (autoclave, 180 °C, 3 d).

The prompt localization of gamma-ray burst (GRB) 050525A by {\em Swift} allowed the rapid follow-up of the afterglow. The observations revealed that the optical afterglow had a major rebrightening starting at $\sim 0.01$ days and ending at $\sim 0.03$ days, which was followed by an initial power-law decay. Here we show that this early emission feature can be interpreted as the reverse shock emission superposed by the forward shock emission in an interstellar medium environment. By fitting the observed data, we further constrain some parameters of the standard fireball-shock model: the initial Lorentz factor of the ejecta $\gamma_0>120$, the magnetic energy fraction $\epsilon_B>4\times10^{-6}$, and the medium density $n, Comment: 11 pages, 1 figure, accepted for publication in ApJ

We carry out a systematical study of the spectral lag properties of 50 single-pulsed Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) detected by Fermi/GBM. By dividing the light curves into multiple consecutive energy channels we provide a new measurement of the spectral lag which is independent on energy channel selections. We perform a detailed statistical study of our new measurements. We find two similar power-law energy dependencies of both the pulse arrival time and pulse width. Our new results on the power-law indices would favor the relativistic geometric effects for the origin of spectral lag. However, a complete theoretical framework that can fully account for the diverse energy dependencies of both arrival time and pulse width revealed in this work is still missing. We also study the spectral evolution behaviors of the GRB pulses. We find that the GRB pulse with negligible spectral lag would usually have a shorter pulse duration and would appear to have a "hardness-intensity tracking" (HIT) behavior and the GRB pulse with a significant spectral lag would usually have a longer pulse duration and would appear to have a "hard-to-soft" (HTS) behavior., 21 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

Violations of Lorentz invariance can lead to an energy-dependent vacuum dispersion of light, which results in arrival-time differences of photons arising with different energies from a given transient source. In this work, direction-dependent dispersion constraints are obtained on nonbirefringent Lorentz-violating effects, using the observed spectral lags of the gamma-ray burst GRB 160625B. This burst has unusually large high-energy photon statistics, so we can obtain constraints from the true spectral time lags of bunches of high-energy photons rather than from the rough time lag of a single highest-energy photon. Also, GRB 160625B is the only burst to date having a well-defined transition from positive lags to negative lags, which provides a unique opportunity to distinguish Lorentz-violating effects from any source-intrinsic time lag in the emission of photons of different energy bands. Our results place comparatively robust two-sided constraints on a variety of isotropic and anisotropic coefficients for Lorentz violation, including first bounds on Lorentz-violating effects from operators of mass dimension ten in the photon sector., 6 pages, 3 figures, 1 table. Accepted for publication in ApJ