A comparative study of three cryopreservation protocols for effective storage of in vitro-grown mint (Mentha Spp.)

This study was designed to determine the response of diverse mint genotypes to three commonly used cryopreservation techniques. Four mints [Mentha x piperita nothosubsp. citrata (Ehrh.) Briq.; M. canadensis L.; M. australis R. Br, and M. cunninghamii Benth] were cryopreserved using three protocols: controlled rate cooling (CC), encapsulation dehydration (ED) and PVS2 vitrification (VIT). Regrowth of mint species following controlled rate cooling (93 percent) was significantly (P < 0.0001) better than encapsulation dehydration (71 percent) and vitrification (73 percent). All four genotypes responded well to the controlled rate cooling protocol but there was some variability with the other two protocols. Genotype specific response to the individual protocols showed that there were significant differences in the recovery of Mentha x piperita nothosubsp. citrata and M. australis with CC > VIT > ED. There were also significant differences in the recovery of M. cunninghamii and M. canadensis, with CC and ED significantly better than VIT. Regrowth of the shoot tips of these mints ranged from 60 percent to 95 percent for all but one treatment. The overall results of this study compare favorably to other techniques. These improved results may be due to a combination of favorable growth conditions, cold acclimation and recovery medium. Controlled rate cooling was the most successful technique for the storage of these diverse mint genotypes; however recovery of shoot tips from VIT and ED was high and these techniques could also be used for cryogenic storage of mint germplasm.     

Repetition rate multipliers for efficient implementation of multiphoton and pump-probe fluorescence microscopy

With the advances in pulsed laser systems, microscopic imaging techniques such as multiphoton and pump-probe fluorescence microscopy have developed into effective tools for investigating intensity and time-resolved phenomena inside biological systems. However, pulsed lasers used in these techniques usually are commercial systems with repetition frequencies of around 80 MHz. While these systems have proven to be adequate for multiphoton and pump-probe microscopic imaging applications, the temporal separation of the laser pulse train (around 12.5 ns) is long compared to the fluorescence lifetimes of many common fluorescence species. In this work, we present the designs of repetition rate multipliers based on passive optical components that can be used to increase the efficiency in multiphoton and pump-probe fluorescence microscopy. Depending on the lifetime of fluorescence molecules under investigation, the passive repetition rate multiplier can increase the duty cycle of multiphoton or pump-probe microscopy up to fourfold.     

Thermal evolution of defects produced by implantation of H, D and He in Silicon

Despite decades of study, voids in silicon produced by implantation of H or He followed by annealing continue to be a topic of interest. There are two key applications: gettering of heavy metal impurities, and “ion cutting” used in silicon-on-insulator fabrication. Positron annihilation is one of the few techniques that can probe the vacancies and vacancy clusters that are the precursors to void formation. Data from recent studies will be discussed, including (I) isotopic substitution, in which comparisons of H vs. D implantation permit examination of the impact of primary point defects vs. chemical effects. Remarkable differences exist between H and D in blistering of silicon - ion doses 2-3 times higher are required for blistering with D than with H, despite a higher rate of primary defect production for D; (II) the effect of annealing temperature ramp-rate, in which we show that ramp-rate has a significant impact on residual defects, despite which it is so disregarded as to often be omitted from published reports; and (III) comparisons with electron microscopy which suggest that positron annihilation can be insensitive to large voids. In these studies, positron annihilation augments data from techniques including ion channelling, Raman scattering and electron microscopy; the suite of techniques allows elucidation of the interplay between implanted impurities and the vacancies and interstitials created by implantation.     

Quo vadis elasticity imaging?

In the past decade, an important field that has emerged as complementary to ultrasonic imaging is that of elasticity imaging. The term encompasses a variety of techniques that can depict a mechanical response or property of tissues. In ultrasound, its premise is built on two important facts: (a) that significant differences between mechanical properties of several tissue components exist and (b) that the information contained in the coherent scattering, or speckle, is sufficient to depict these differences following an external or internal mechanical stimulus. Parameters, such as velocity of vibration, displacement, strain, strain rate, velocity of wave propagation and elastic modulus, have all been demonstrated feasible in their estimation and have resulted in the accurate depiction of stiffer tissue masses, such as tumors, high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) lesions and atherosclerotic plaques. More recently, through the development of ultrafast algorithms tailored to suitable hardware as well as the familiarity of the physician with the sensitivity of the methods used, one elasticity imaging technique in particular, elastography, has been shown applicable in a typical clinical ultrasound setting. In other words, elastograms can currently be obtained at quasi real-time (approximately at a frame rate of 8 frames/s) and with the use of a hand-held transducer (as opposed to the previously used frame-suspended setup) during and simultaneously with an ultrasound exam of, e.g., the breast or the prostate. The higher frame rate available with certain clinical ultrasound scanners has also resulted in the successful application of elasticity imaging techniques on the myocardium and monitoring its deformation over several cardiac cycles for the detection of ischemic regions. As a result, elasticity imaging with its ever increasing number of applications and demonstrated applicability in a typical, clinical ultrasound setting promises to make an important contribution to the ultrasound practice as we know it.     

Control of MBE, MOMBE and CBE growth using RHEED

This article discusses the application of reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) to the control of growth by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), metal-organic MBE (MOMBE) and chemical beam epitaxy (CBE). RHEED can be used to control the growth rate and composition for all three techniques. In addition, it has been used to control substrate temperature using changes in surface structure. It has also been used to obtain important information on the dynamics of the growth process. From this sort of data, a rather complete picture of the epitaxial process has been obtained. This has led to these UHV deposition techniques becoming the most important methods of growth for III-V compound semiconductor thin films.     

Review of ultrasound combinations with hybrid and innovative techniques for extraction and processing of food and natural products

Ultrasound has a significant effect on the rate of various processes in food, perfume, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, bio-fuel, materials, or fine chemical industries, despite some shortcomings. Combination with other conventional or innovative techniques can overcome these limitations, enhance energy, momentum and mass transfer, and has been successfully demonstrated in many recent studies. Various ultrasound combined hybrid and innovative techniques are systematically summarized in this review for the first time. Ultrasound can be combined with diverse conventional techniques including Soxhlet, Clevenger, enzyme, hydrotropes, ionic liquids, Deep Eutectic Solvents (DES) or Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents (NADES), to enhance mixing and micro-mixing, reduced thermal and concentration gradients, and selective extraction. Moreover, combinations of ultrasound with other innovative techniques such as microwave, extrusion, supercritical fluid, subcritical and pressure liquids, Instant controlled pressure drop (DIC), Pulsed Electric Field (PEF), Ultra-Violet (UV) or Infra-Red (IR) radiations, Counter-current chromatography (CCC), or centrifugal partition chromatographs (CPC) can enable reduced equipment size, faster response to process control, faster start-up, increased production, and elimination of process steps. The theories and applications of these ultrasound combined hybrid and innovative techniques as well as their advantages and limitations are compared, and further perspectives are proposed. This review provides new insights into advances in ultrasound combined techniques and their application at research, educational, and industrial level in modern food and plant-based chemistry.     

Oblique schlieren image construction from three-dimensional numerical simulations

The experimental visualisation of compressible flows has undergone significant development to the point that a large number of optical techniques exist for extracting both qualitative and quantitative information from these flow fields. However, the visualisation, and importantly, validation, of three-dimensional flows requires further attention. This work details the development of a novel validation tool for three-dimensional compressible flows. Oblique experimental imaging techniques used to visualise three-dimensional flow features in a compressible medium are computationally simulated, and corresponding images are constructed from numerical models. The construction technique can be used to generate images for optical orientations in roll, yaw, pitch and any combination of these. Both shadowgraphs and schlieren images may be obtained, with the latter used in this work. Results are presented as a comparison of constructed images with experimental images and discussed for cases in which a range of features are simultaneously present in a three-dimensional flow field, thus thoroughly examining the applicability of the technique to a flow field of significant importance in gas dynamics research.     

Hyperpolarized carbon-carbon intermolecular multiple quantum coherences

Intermolecular multiple quantum coherences (iMQCs) can provide unique contrast with sub-voxel resolution. However, the characteristic growth rate of iMQCs mostly limits these effects to either hydrogen or hydrogen-coupled systems for thermally polarized samples. Hyperpolarization techniques such as dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) allow for significant increases in the carbon signal (even more signal than that from hydrogen), making carbon iMQCs achievable. We present the first intermolecular multiple quantum signal between two carbon nuclei.     

Raman spectroscopy and support vector machines for quick toxicological evaluation of titania nanoparticles

With the rapid development of nanotechnology products, there is a significant concern on the adverse effects that might be associated with them. Traditional biological assays are typically used to asses the toxicity in vitro. There are, however, questions regarding the suitability of these assays for this purpose, mainly due to the potential interaction of the particles with the utilized dyes. In addition, this process can be costly and time consuming, as a large number of different assays have to be used. To address some of these issues, Raman spectroscopy is used in this study to investigate the particle‐cell interactions. The spectrum of a living cell is a very complex and rich collection of data directly related to its chemical composition. To enhance the data resolution and make the detection of toxicity more robust, data‐mining techniques have been deployed. Furthermore, data‐mining techniques enable full automation of the entire process, minimizing user input. The Raman spectroscopy successfully evaluated the toxicity of TiO₂ nanoparticles by both the peak‐by‐peak analysis and with the implementation of support vector machines. The particles were found to display cytotoxicity after 36 h of exposure. The results were confirmed by MTT (3‐(4,5‐Dimethylthiazol‐2‐Yl)‐2,5‐Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide) assay and are in agreement with the existing literature on the subject. Overall, Raman spectroscopy appears to be among the very few techniques that exhibit low levels of interferences (obscuration, fluorescence, emission, etc.) from the particle addition. Since it does not rely on biomarkers, it can be used in situ for an extended period with minimal effects on the cellular biochemistry. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The solid-liquid interface free-energy of Pb: comparison of theory and experiments

The solid-liquid interface free-energy γ(sl) is a key parameter controlling nucleation and growth during solidification and other phenomena. Different experimental techniques are available for its evaluation but results are often widely scattered and strongly depend on the technique used. One of the best examples in this sense is the case of elemental Pb, with values for γ(sl) differing by as much as 150% between nucleation rate experiments and contact angle data. Even using simple many-body potentials, theoretical calculations of γ(sl) can exceed this level of accuracy and thus be employed to assess the present experimental data. To this purpose, atomistic calculations are performed in conjunction with two different many-body potentials for Pb. These show good agreement with nucleation rate and depression of melting point experiments and support the case for a reassessment of the measurements reported from contact angle data. Possible sources of errors that might have affected these experiments are critically discussed, showing how the magnitude of the anisotropy in the interfacial free energies can be important in closing the gap between the different sets of experimental data.     

Analysis of multiple scattering for (e, 2e) experiments on thin films

The coincidence rate for (e, 2e) scattering from thin films has significant contributions from multiple collisions in contrast to (e, 2e) experiments on gas targets where the multiple scattering rate is negligible. The most likely multiple scattering events involve one or more small angle collisions in addition to the wide angle (e, 2e) scattering. The total coincidence rate can be written as the convolution of a “smearing function” with the (e, 2e) cross section. The smearing function is an infinite series of multiple order, small-angle scattering events and can be determined from the measured, small-angle cross section of the particular material. The (e, 2e) cross section can be deconvoluted from the smearing function by standard techniques. A general expression for the smearing function is derived in this paper and is evaluated for the specific case of amorphous carbon. As an example in applying this analysis, (e, 2e) data on amorphous carbon are deconvoluted from the smearing function by two different methods.     

PIV and LDA velocity measurements near walls and in the wake of a delta wing

Velocity measurements in flow regions with high turbulent intensities can be performed with high accuracy by means of optical methods. Despite the validity ranges of these methods, great care must be used in taking measurements near solid walls, where high noise levels are present due to the scattering of the light on the wall, and in flows with high vorticity regions like the ones in the wake of a finite wing. In this paper, Laser Doppler Anemometry (LDA) and Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) velocity measurement techniques are used in these two experimental situations and their results compared. This comparison shows that good measurements can be obtained from both techniques and that the resulting data sets do not provide alternative but rather complementary information.     

Electron and nuclear spin dynamics in antiferromagnetic molecular rings

We study theoretically the spin dynamics of antiferromagnetic molecular rings, such as the ferric wheel Fe10. For a single nuclear or impurity spin coupled to one of the electron spins of the ring, we calculate nuclear and electronic spin correlation functions and show that nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electron spin resonance (ESR) techniques can be used to detect coherent tunneling of the Néel vector in these rings. The location of the NMR/ESR resonances gives the tunnel splitting and its linewidth an upper bound on the decoherence rate of the electron spin dynamics. We illustrate the experimental feasibility of our proposal with estimates for Fe10 molecules.     

晶体生长角和凝固速率对贵金属电子束区域熔炼晶体生长的作用

基于电子束区域熔炼中熔区上力的平衡关系式, 计算获得了基座法、等径区熔法两种工艺下稳定成形熔区高度的表达式, 探讨了试样尺寸、晶体生长角和凝固速率等参数对六种贵金属稳定成形熔区高度的影响. 结果发现, 区熔相同尺寸试样时, 六种贵金属能够稳定成形熔区高度大小依次排序为 Ru> Pd> Ir> Pt> Ag> Au. 同时获得了这六种贵金属的晶体生长角在8.4°-10.7°之间, 而实际的晶体生长角与界面生长机制有关. 在基座法中, 连续生长机制所能支撑的熔区高度最小, 而等径区熔法中连续生长机制支撑的熔区高度大于位错生长机制和小面生长机制. 这三种晶体界面生长机制中连续生长方式对晶体生长角和区熔熔区高度影响较小, 有利于贵金属区熔单晶制备. 另外当凝固速率达到2.4 mm·min^-1, 位错和小面生长机制对区熔熔区高度的影响也变得很小, 预测的工艺参数与Ir和Ru单晶区熔实验报道结果基本符合.     

The application of the QSSA via reaction lumping for the reduction of complex hydrocarbon oxidation mechanisms

The quasi-steady-state approximation (QSSA) has been widely applied for the purposes of chemical kinetic model reduction. Although it is essentially a low-order approximation, it can be shown to lead to significant reductions in the number of fast variables within a mechanism without significant loss of accuracy for model predictions. Due to the couplings between QSSA expressions, the species are commonly solved for using numerical inner iteration techniques. Therefore, although the stiffness of the model system can be reduced, there is a computational overhead in solving the often nonlinear QSSA equations. Greater computational savings can be made where QSS species can be removed from the chemical model via explicit analytical expressions. In many cases these expressions are equivalent to reaction lumping. Where such reaction lumping can be achieved, a reduced mechanism in standard kinetic form can be developed, which contains new lumped reaction rate coefficients, but leads to the removal of QSS species. This paper describes such an approach for mechanisms describing the oxidation of the hydrocarbon fuels n-heptane and cyclohexane, and shows that significant reductions in both species and reactions can be achieved, leading to substantial computational speed-ups. The resulting schemes clearly demonstrate the main atomic flux patterns within the oxidation process. Patterns related to the time-scales of hydrocarbon radical species within alkane oxidation mechanisms are discussed, as well as the potential significance of non-QSS radicals in determining ignition behaviour.     

Laser time-resolved spectroscopy studies of host-sensitized energy transfer in Bi4Ge3O12 : Er3+ crystals

Laser-excited, time-resolved spectroscopy techniques were used to investigate host-sensitized energy transfer in bismuth germanate crystals doped with erbium. The transfer characteristics at room temperature are consistent with a thermally-activated migration process. The transfer rate decreases exponentially as temperature is lowered and reaches a minimum near 75 K. An increase in the transfer rate is observed as temperature is lowered further and the transfer characteristics become consistent with a single step dipole-dipole interaction process. This low temperature behavior is correlated with the observations in undoped bismuth germanate at these temperatures of a significant shift to lower energy of the fluorescence peak position and a significant increase in the fluorescence lifetime. A trapped exciton model is proposed to explain these results.     

Measurement of Convection and Temperature Profiles in Liquid Samples

This paper describes a method for measuring the rate of convective flow in a liquid sample used for high-resolution NMR. The measurement is straightforward and achieves a clean separation of convection from other effects such as diffusion and relaxation. Convection results from temperature gradients within the sample, and it is shown how these can be measured with the aid of a simple chemical shift imaging experiment of a sample whose spectrum shows a strong and well characterized temperature dependence. The use of these two methods is illustrated by showing how the rate of convection and the temperature profile depend on the solvent, temperature, and gas flow rate of the temperature regulating system. It is also shown that broadband (13)C decoupling results in significant temperature gradients and associated convection.     

Experimental source characterization techniques for studying the acoustic properties of perforates under high level acoustic excitation

This paper discusses experimental techniques for obtaining the acoustic properties of in-duct samples with non-linear acoustic characteristic. The methods developed are intended both for studies of non-linear energy transfer to higher harmonics for samples only accessible from one side such as wall treatment in aircraft engine ducts or automotive exhaust systems and for samples accessible from both sides such as perforates or other top sheets. When harmonic sound waves are incident on the sample nonlinear energy transfer results in sound generation at higher harmonics at the sample (perforate) surface. The idea is that these sources can be characterized using linear system identification techniques similar to one-port or two-port techniques which are traditionally used for obtaining source data for in-duct sources such as IC-engines or fans. The starting point will be so called polyharmonic distortion modeling which is used for characterization of nonlinear properties of microwave systems. It will be shown how acoustic source data models can be expressed using this theory. Source models of different complexity are developed and experimentally tested. The results of the experimental tests show that these techniques can give results which are useful for understanding non-linear energy transfer to higher harmonics.     

Numerical analysis for four-wave mixing based wavelength conversion of differential phase-shift keying signals

We numerically investigate the main constrains for high efficiency wavelength conversion of differential phase-shift keying （DPSK） signals based on four-wave mixing （FWM） in highly nonlinear fiber （HNLF）. Using multi-tone pump phase modulation techniques, high efficiency wavelength conversion of DPSK signals is achieved with the stimulated BriIlouin scattering （SBS） effects effectively suppressed. Our analysis shows that there is a compromise between conversion efficiency and converted idler degradation. By optimizing the pump phase modulation configuration, the converted DPSK idler＇s degradation can be dramatically decreased through balancing SBS suppression and pump phase modulation degradation. Our simulation results also show that these multi-tone pump phase modulation techniques are more appropriate for the future high bit rate systems.     

Simultaneous effects on vowel duration in American English: a covariance structure modeling approach

The powerful techniques of covariance structure modeling (CSM) long have been used to study complex behavioral phenomenon in the social and behavioral sciences. This study employed these same techniques to examine simultaneous effects on vowel duration in American English. Additionally, this study investigated whether a single population model of vowel duration fits observed data better than a dual population model where separate parameters are generated for syllables that carry large information loads and for syllables that specify linguistic relationships. For the single population model, intrinsic duration, phrase final position, lexical stress, post-vocalic consonant voicing, and position in word all were significant predictors of vowel duration. However, the dual population model, in which separate model parameters were generated for (1) monosyllabic content words and lexically stressed syllables and (2) monosyllabic function words and lexically unstressed syllables, fit the data better than the single population model. Intrinsic duration and phrase final position affected duration similarly for both the populations. On the other hand, the effects of post-vocalic consonant voicing and position in word, while significant predictors of vowel duration in content words and stressed syllables, were not significant predictors of vowel duration in function words or unstressed syllables. These results are not unexpected, based on previous research, and suggest that covariance structure analysis can be used as a complementary technique in linguistic and phonetic research.