X-ray fluorescence in some rare earth and high Z elements excited by 661.6 keV γ-rays

The K-shell X-ray fluorescence cross sections are determined experimentally for 10 elements such as Pb, Hg, Ir, W, Lu, Tm, Dy, Tb, Gd and Nd at excitation energy of 661.6 keV associated with γ-rays of ¹³⁷Cs radioisotope. The technique employed involves the measurement of total intensity of fluorescent K X-rays that follow the photoeffect absorption of a known flux of γ-rays using a well type Nal(Tl) detector. The obtained results are compared with the available theoretical values and other measured values.     

A study of oil droplet coalescence

Oil droplets dispersed in water can be readily studied when they are coated with surfactants, which lower their interfacial tension and enhance their stability. Pure oil droplets are more difficult to study because of their high interfacial tension, which facilitates coalescence and the adsorption of contaminants. In this study, we have characterised the surface charging properties of a water insoluble oil, bromododecane, which has a density close to water. The small density difference allows us to study relatively large drops of this oil and to analyse its coalescence behaviour. The results obtained with this simple, surfactant-free, system suggest that an additional attractive force, such as the long range hydrophobic interaction, might be required to explain oil droplet coalescence behaviour.     

Offline estimation of decay time for an optical cavity with a low pass filter cavity model

This Letter presents offline estimation results for the decay-time constant for an experimental Fabry-Perot optical cavity for cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS). The cavity dynamics are modeled in terms of a low pass filter (LPF) with unity DC gain. This model is used by an extended Kalman filter (EKF) along with the recorded light intensity at the output of the cavity in order to estimate the decay-time constant. The estimation results using the LPF cavity model are compared to those obtained using the quadrature model for the cavity presented in previous work by Kallapur et?al. The estimation process derived using the LPF model comprises two states as opposed to three states in the quadrature model. When considering the EKF, this means propagating two states and a (2×2) covariance matrix using the LPF model, as opposed to propagating three states and a (3×3) covariance matrix using the quadrature model. This gives the former model a computational advantage over the latter and leads to faster execution times for the corresponding EKF. It is shown in this Letter that the LPF model for the cavity with two filter states is computationally more efficient, converges faster, and is hence a more suitable method than the three-state quadrature model presented in previous work for real-time estimation of the decay-time constant for the cavity.     

Pellet freezing of in vitro produced bovine embryos using dry ice

In vitro produced bovine embryos were frozen by pellet freezing or vitrification method. In the pellet freezing method, the embryos were cooled on the dry ice and then frozen as pellets. At warming, the pellets were immersed directly into 0.5 M sucrose. The survival rates of blastocysts frozen by the pellet freezing method were higher (P<0.01) in 40% ethylene glycol (EG) than those in the lower concentrations (20 and 30% EG). Higher survival rates of blastocysts frozen by the pellet freezing method were obtained but the development rates did not differ, as compared with those by the vitrification method. There were no significant differences between the pellet freezing and vitrification method in the frequencies of post-thaw survival of hatched blastocysts. These results demonstrate that the pellet freezing method using dry ice can be used successfully for the cryopreservation of blastocysts.