Experimental and simulation study of neon collision dynamics with a 1-decanethiol monolayer

A study of the energy accommodation of neon colliding with a crystalline self-assembled 1-decanethiol monolayer adsorbed on Au(111) is presented. The intensity and velocity dependencies of the scattered neon as a function of incident angle and energy were experimentally measured. Scattering calculations show good agreement with these results, which allows us to examine the detailed dynamics of the energy and momentum exchange at the surface. Simulation results show that interaction times are, at most, a few picoseconds. Even for these short times, energy exchange with the surface, both normal and in-plane, is very rapid. An important factor in determining the efficiency of energy exchange is the location at which the neon collides with the highly corrugated and structurally dynamic unit cell. Moreover, our combined experimental and theoretical results confirm that these are truly surface collisions in that neon penetration into the organic boundary layer does not occur, even for the highest incident energies explored, 560 meV.     

Active Junctions to Improve Sensitivity and Detection Limit of a Microdevice Based on Coulometry Coupled with Silver Metallization

For achieving miniaturization and coupling with microfluidics, electrochemical devices are advantageous. In particular, coulometry is an effective tool to analyze components in solutions of very small volumes. The sensitivity and detection limit of coulometry can be improved remarkably by converting an analyte into Ag on the same Pt electrode separated in two flow channels and measuring the amount of Ag using coulometry. We demonstrate that the cathodic and anodic potentials of both parts of the Pt electrode can be shifted and reactions can be accelerated by replacing the liquid junction connecting the two flow channels by a metal wire with redox active ends. This in turn improves the sensitivity and detection limit of the device. This effect can also be observed by directly applying a voltage to the solutions in the flow channels. The achieved detection limit for hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) was 2.4 nM.     

Dark–bright optical solitary waves and modulation instability analysis with (2 + 1)-dimensional cubic-quintic nonlinear Schrödinger equation

This paper addresses the (2+1)-dimensional cubic-quintic nonlinear Schrödinger equation (CQNLS) that serves as the model to study the light propagation through nonlinear optical media and non-Kerr crystals. A dark–bright optical solitary wave solution of this equation is retrieved by adopting the complex envelope function ansatz. This type of solitary wave describes the properties of bright and dark optical solitary waves in the same expression. The integration naturally lead to a constraint condition placed on the solitary wave parameters which must hold for the solitary waves to exist. Additionally, the modulation instability (MI) analysis of the model is studied based on the standard linear stability analysis and the MI gain spectrum is got. Numerical simulation and physical interpretations of the obtained results are demonstrated. It is hoped that the results reported in this paper can enrich the nonlinear dynamical behaviors of the CQNLS.     

The effects of a second branched alkyl chain and double chiral centres on the phase transition and spontaneous polarization of a chiral smectic liquid crystal

The effects of a second branched alkyl chain, lateral substitution, and double chiral centres on the phase transition and spontaneous polarization of the ferroelectric liquid crystal having a 2-methylalkanoyl group have been investigated. The introduction of another branched alkyl chain away from the 2-methylalkanoyl group causes a sharp S_C*-S_A transition peak and also enhances the ferroelectric properties in the S_C* phase. Since the order within the layers is liquid-like in the S_C* phase, the alkyl chain branching away from both the chiral centre and a polar group affects the overall motion of the molecule in the S_C* phase. In the system of a compound with double chiral centres, the existence of the chiral centre in the 2-methylalkanoyl group affects the phase transition temperatures and the magnitude of the spontaneous polarization in the S_C* phase. On the other hand, the existence of the chiral centre in the 2-methylbutyl group only affects the stability of a more highly ordered smectic phase appearing below the S_C* phase.     

Ex vivo evaluation of the effects of a white grape juice extract on lymphocytic mitochondrial functions

Abstract

The physio-pathological role of mitochondria in aging and age-related diseases has stimulated the search for compounds able to promote mitochondrial functionality. Our study was designed to evaluate the effect of a white grape juice extract (WGJe) on mitochondrial activity, in an ex vivo experimental model consisting of activated lymphocytes obtained from a younger age group and an older age group of subjects. WGJe steadily decreased the lymphocytic mitochondrial mass in the older subjects, without a relevant effect in their younger counterpart, and significantly enhanced Δψm in both groups investigated. Finally, WGJe reduced the endogenous mitochondrial production of H₂O₂ in all subjects. The results support the potential use of WGJe to improve mitochondrial functionality, thus maintaining human health and slowing down aging.     

Active incremental Support Vector Machine for oil and gas pipeline defects prediction system using long range ultrasonic transducers

This work proposes a long range ultrasonic transducers technique in conjunction with an active incremental Support Vector Machine (SVM) classification approach that is used for real-time pipeline defects prediction and condition monitoring. Oil and gas pipeline defects are detected using various techniques. One of the most prevalent techniques is the use of “smart pigs” to travel along the pipeline and detect defects using various types of sensors such as magnetic sensors and eddy-current sensors. A critical short coming of “smart pigs” is the inability to monitor continuously and predict the onset of defects. The emergence of permanently installed long range ultrasonics transducers systems enable continuous monitoring to be achieved. The needs for and the challenges of the proposed technique are presented. The experimental results show that the proposed technique achieves comparable classification accuracy as when batch training is used, while the computational time is decreased, using 56 feature data points acquired from a lab-scale pipeline defect generating experimental rig.     

Charge storage performance of lithiated iron phosphate/activated carbon composite as symmetrical electrode for electrochemical capacitor

In this study, a symmetric electrochemical capacitor was fabricated by adopting a lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO₄)-activated carbon (AC) composite as the core electrode material in 1.0 M Na₂SO₃ and 1.0 M Li₂SO₄ aqueous electrolyte solutions. The composite electrodes were prepared via a facile mechanical mixing process. The structural properties of the nanocomposite electrodes were characterised by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis. The electrochemical performances of the prepared composite electrode were studied using cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge–discharge (CD) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The experimental results reveal that a maximum specific capacitance of 112.41 F/g was obtained a 40 wt% LiFePO₄ loading on an AC electrode compared with that of a pure AC electrode (76.24 F/g) in 1 M Na₂SO₃. The improvement in the capacitive performance of the 40 wt% LiFePO₄–AC composite electrode is believed to be attributed to the contribution of the synergistic effect of the electric double layer capacitance (EDLC) of the AC electrode and pseudocapacitance via the intercalation/extraction of H⁺, OH⁻, Na⁺ and SO₃²⁻ and Li⁺ ions in LiFePO₄ lattices. In contrast, it appears that the incorporation of LiFePO₄ into AC electrodes does not increase the charge storage capability when Li₂SO₄ is used as the electrolyte. This behaviour can be explained by the fact that the electrolyte system containing SO₄²⁻ only exhibits EDLC in the Fe-based electrodes. Additionally, Li⁺ ions that have lower conductivity and mobility may lead to poorer charge storage capability compared to Na⁺ ions. Overall, the results reveal that the AC composite electrodes with 40 wt% LiFePO₄ loading on a Na₂SO₃ neutral electrolyte exhibit high cycling stability and reversibility and thus display great potential for electrochemical capacitor applications.     

Optical Solitons and Stability Analysis in Ring-Cavity Fiber System with Carbon Nanotube as Saturable Absorber

This paper addresses the ring-cavity fiber laser system. A class of gray and black soliton solutions of the model are reported by adopting an appropriate envelope ansatz. Further more, the modulation instability (MI) of the equation is studied using the linear-stability analysis (LSA) technique and the MI gain spectrum is derived. Some physical interpretations and analysis of the results obtained are also presented.     

Kinetic evaluation of various isospecific active sites on MgCl2-supported Ziegler catalysts

The formation, variation and conversion of isospecific active sites were investigated, based on the isotacticity distribution of the polypropenes analyzed by the temperature rising elution fractionation (TREF) method. Stopped-flow polymerization of propene was carried out with a MgCl₂-supported Ziegler catalyst in the absence or presence of an internal or external electron donor so that the effects and roles of the electron donors could be clarified. The results showed that various kinds of active sites with different isospecificities, including the highest isospecific active sites responsible for producing the highest isotactic fraction (elution temperature: > 112°C) existed, even in the electron donor-free catalyst system. The isospecificity of the active sites in the donor-free catalyst might have originated from a surface monolayer multinuclear titanium species, namely an “island” of titanium species. The addition of the external electron donor converted a part of the aspecific and/or low isospecific active sites into the second highest isospecific active sites, but showed no effect on the formation of the highest isospecific active sites, whereas the addition of an internal donor played an important role in creating the highest isospecific active sites as well as suppressing the formation of the aspecific active sites.