A boule of BiVO4 single crystal was grown by Czochralski technique and annealed for 24 hours at 500°C. The Laue and conoscopic image techniques were used to determine the crystallographic axes of BiVO4 single crystal. The Raman spectrum of c(bb)c̄ geometry of monoclinic BiVO4 was obtained and the Ag symmetry mode appearing at 56 cm-1 at room temperature was softened as the temperature approached to the ferroelastic-paraelastic phase trasition point (255°C). The disappearing of soft Ag mode at phase transition temperature indicates that it is closely related to the ferroelastic strain which controlles the phase transition, i.e., ferroelastic-paraelastic phase transition in BivO4.

Low temperature photoluminescence (PL) measurements were carried out to investigate optical transition characteristics of ZnO nanowires, Ni nanodot, and NiO coated ZnO nanowires (NWs). PL emission spectra show emission peaks of distinctive bound exciton to neutral donor (DX0) and to acceptor (AX0) transition. The authors found that the optical quenching was drastic with increasing temperature and the activation energies are unusually small. The major PL emission peak for ZnO NW was switched from DX0 to AX0 for Ni–ZnO nanodot NWs. This is due to the reason that diffused hydrogen atoms into ZnO NWs during thermal annealing played as acceptors.

Nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of 51V (I=7/2) in ferroelastic BiVO4 single crystals grown by the Czochralski method have been investigated by employing a wide-line Varian spectrometer. The seven line structure due to the quadrupole interaction was measured at a fixed frequency of 15 MHz in three mutually perpendicular crystal planes at room temperature and 77 K, well below its ferroelastic Curie temperature of 523 K. From the experimental data the quadrupole coupling constant, e 2 q Q/h, and asymmetry parameter, η, are determined: e 2 q Q/h=4.856 MHz and η=0.380 at room temperature, and 5.062 MHz and 0.459, respectively, at 77 K. The principal axes of the electric field gradient tensor are X=c, Y=a, and Z=b, where a,b, and c are crystal axes with β=90.38°. The twin structure of some of the crystals is also observed.

In an alexandrite single crystal four sets of NMR spectra for 27 A1 (7=5/2) were observed in the crystallographic ab, be, and ca planes. The AI (I) center has four magnetically inequivalent Al sites, whereas the AI (II) center has two. The nuclear quadrupole coupling constant and asymmetry parameter of A1(I) and AI (II) in an alexandrite crystal were determined. Within the experimental accuracy, our parameters turned out to have the same values as those of a chrysoberyl crystal.

Assays of clinical diagnosis and species identification using molecular markers are performed according to a quantitative method in consideration of sensitivity, cost, speed, convenience, and specificity. However, typical polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay is difficult to quantify and have various limitations. In addition, to perform quantitative analysis with the quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) equipment, a standard curve or normalization using reference genes is essential. Within the last a decade, previous studies have reported that the digital PCR (dPCR) assay, a third-generation PCR, can be applied in various fields by overcoming the shortcomings of typical PCR and qRT-PCR assays. We selected Stilla Naica System (Stilla Technologies), Droplet Digital PCR Technology (Bio-Rad), and Lab on an Array Digital Real-Time PCR analyzer system (OPTOLANE) for comparative analysis among the various droplet digital PCR platforms currently in use commercially. Our previous study discovered a molecular marker that can distinguish Hanwoo species (Korean native cattle) using Hanwoo-specific genomic structural variation. Here, we report the pros and cons of the operation of each dPCR platform from various perspectives using this species identification marker. In conclusion, we hope that this study will help researchers to select suitable dPCR platforms according to their purpose and resources.