Inactivation of Enterobacter aerogenes in reconstituted skim milk by high- and low-frequency ultrasound

The inactivation of Enterobacter aerogenes in skim milk using low-frequency (20 kHz) and high-frequency (850 kHz) ultrasonication was investigated. It was found that low-frequency acoustic cavitation resulted in lethal damage to E. aerogenes. The bacteria were more sensitive to ultrasound in water than in reconstituted skim milk having different protein concentrations. However, high-frequency ultrasound was not able to inactivate E. aerogenes in milk even when powers as high as 50 W for 60 min were used. This study also showed that high-frequency ultrasonication had no influence on the viscosity and particle size of skim milk, whereas low-frequency ultrasonication resulted in the decrease in viscosity and particle size of milk. The decrease in particle size is believed to be due to the breakup of the fat globules, and possibly to the cleavage of the κ-casein present at the surface of the casein micelles. Whey proteins were also found to be slightly affected by low-frequency ultrasound, with the amounts of α-lactalbumin and β-lactoglobulin slightly decreasing.     

A thin film magnetic field sensor of sub-pT resolution and magnetocardiogram (MCG) measurement at room temperature

We developed a very sensitive high-frequency carrier-type thin film sensor with a sub-pT resolution using a transmission line. The sensor element consists of Cu conductor with a meander pattern (20 mm in length, 0.8 mm in width, and 18 μm in thickness), a ground plane, and amorphous CoNbZr film (4 μm in thickness). The amplitude modulation technique was employed to enhance the magnetic field resolution for measurement of the high-frequency field (499 kHz), a resolution of 7.10×10^?13 T/Hz^1/2 being achieved, when we applied an AC magnetic field at 499 kHz. The phase detection technique was applied for measurement of the low frequency field (around 1 Hz). A small phase change was detected using a dual mixer time difference method. A high phase change of 130°/Oe was observed. A magnetic field resolution of 1.35×10^?12 T/Hz^1/2 was obtained when a small AC field at 1 Hz was applied. We applied the sensor for magnetocardiogram (MCG) measurement using the phase detection technique. We succeeded in measuring the MCG signal including typical QRS and T waves, and compared the MCG with a simultaneously obtained conventional electrocardiogram (ECG) signal.     

Investigation of elastic modes propagating in multi-wire helical waveguides

Elastic guided waves have some potential for non-destructive inspection of civil engineering multi-wire steel cables. However, wave propagation inside such structures is not yet fully understood. This paper investigates multi-wire helical waveguides with special attention to the common seven-wire strand configuration (one straight core surrounded by one layer of six helical wires). A helical coordinate system is first proposed. Though non-orthogonal, this system preserves translational invariance along the helix centreline to explicitly perform a spatial Fourier transform. Then, it is shown that for the analysis of multi-wire helical strands a twisting system—which is a special case of helical systems—is translationally invariant. A semi-analytical finite element method is developed reducing the problem on the cross-section only. A straightforward computation of energy velocity is proposed. Dispersion curves for a single straight wire and a helical wire are first computed to verify the adequacy of the twisting system. Finally the seven-wire strand is analysed using simplified contact conditions. Theoretical dispersion curves are compared to low-frequency magnetostrictive measurements. Good agreement is found for the first compressional-like mode and its associated veering central frequency (‘notch frequency’).     

Measurements and analysis of the acoustic signals produced by partial discharges in insulation oil

This paper focuses on the frequency analysis of acoustic signals produced by partial discharges (PDs) in insulation oil and the positioning of the PD occurrence for application in the diagnosis of oil-insulated transformers. Three types of electrode systems; the needle–plane, the plane–plane, and the wire–wire structures were assembled to simulate the partial discharge in insulation oil. A low-noise amplifier and a de-coupler were designed to detect the acoustic signal with high-sensitivity. The frequency ranges of the acoustic signal were 60–270 kHz in the needle–plane electrode system, 45–250 kHz in the plane–plane electrode system, and 50–180 kHz in the wire–wire electrode system. Their peak frequencies were 145 kHz, 118 kHz and 121 kHz, respectively.The position of the PD occurrence was calculated from the time difference of arrival (TOA) using three acoustic emission (AE) sensors. The position was found within a 1% error in the experimental set-up.     

Ultrasound assisted intensified recovery of lactose from whey based on antisolvent crystallization

The current work deals with understanding the fundamental aspects of intensified recovery of lactose from paneer (cottage cheese) whey using the anti-solvent induced sonocrystallization. Ultrasonic horn (22 kHz) with varying power levels over the range of 40–120 W has been used for initial experiments at 100% duty cycle and two different levels of ultrasonic exposure time as 10 min and 20 min. Similar experiments were also performed using ultrasonic bath for the same time of exposure but with at two ultrasonic frequencies (22 kHz and 33 kHz). It was observed that the lactose recovery as well as purity increased with an increase in ultrasonic power at 100% duty cycle for the case of treatment time as 10 min whereas the lactose recovery and purity increased only till an optimum power for the 20 min treatment. In the case of ultrasonic bath, lactose purity increased with an increase in the ultrasonic frequency from 22 kHz to 33 kHz though the lactose recovery marginally decreased. Overall, it was observed that the maximum lactose recovery was ∼98% obtained using ultrasonic horn while the maximum lactose purity was ∼97%. It was also observed that maximum lactose recovery was ∼94% for the case of ultrasonic bath while the maximum lactose purity was ∼92%. The work has enabled to understand the optimized application of ultrasound so as to maximize both the lactose yield and purity during the recovery from whey.     

Bending effects and temperature dependence of magnetic properties in a Fe-rich amorphous wire

Amorphous wires with composition Fe_77.5Si_7.5B₁₅ exhibit a very peculiar magnetization process characterized by a single and quite large Barkhausen jump. This gives rise to a squared hysteresis loop at a critical magnetic field. The bistable behaviour, widely studied in wires with typical length of 10 cm and diameter of 125 μm, appears above a length of about 7 cm in straight wires and disappears for curvature radius within the range 2–12 cm in bent wires. In this work it is shown that bistability occurs in bent wires, whatever their curvature is, provided the wires are long enough. To this purpose spiral-shaped samples with several turns are considered. However, when the wire length is not a integer number of turns the magnetization reverses through many large Barkhausen jumps. In this condition, varying the measuring temperature can activate the energy barriers for the jumps.     

Controlled fabrication of gallium nitride nano- and micro-wires by dielectrophoretic force and torque

This paper demonstrates the manipulation of neutral dielectric wires with high aspect ratio by a pulsed electric field. Dielectrophoretic (DEP) force and torque were employed to align the randomly positioned GaN nano- and micro-wires. A simulation of the DEP force alignment process confirmed the experimentally observed dependence on alignment yield to frequency and bias of the electric field. Current–voltage measurements of the GaN micro-wires, aligned by DEP force and torque to pre-patterned metal contacts, confirms that the direct manipulation of micro-sized wire with an electric field oscillated at a frequency of 10 kHz–5 MHz.     

Quintuple-period Si atomic wires with alternative double and triple modulations by metal: Mg/Si(557)

The formation of Mg-induced quasi-one-dimensional atomic wires on a Si(557) surface was studied by low energy electron diffraction (LEED), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), and first-principles calculations. The atomic wires were produced on the Si(557) surface without faceting when heated to 330 ?C. The atomic wires had a × 5 period along the wires, as observed by LEED. STM images showed the existence of three kinds of atomic wires in a unit cell: an atomic wire located at the step edge and the others on the terrace. Interestingly, alternative double and triple modulations resulting in the × 5 period was observed at the atomic wire located at the step edge. Among the variety of atomic structure models available, the one based on a honeycomb-chain-channel model, which is that of a metal/Si(111)-(3 × 1) surface, reproduced the STM images well and was relatively stable energetically.     

Sonochemical water splitting in the presence of powdered metal oxides

Kinetics of hydrogen formation was explored as a new chemical dosimeter allowing probing the sonochemical activity of argon-saturated water in the presence of micro- and nano-sized metal oxide particles exhibiting catalytic properties (ThO₂, ZrO₂, and TiO₂). It was shown that the conventional sonochemical dosimeter based on H₂O₂ formation is hardly applicable in such systems due to catalytic degradation of H₂O₂ at oxide surface. The study of H₂ generation revealed that at low-frequency ultrasound (20 kHz) the sonochemical water splitting is greatly improved for all studied metal oxides. The highest efficiency is observed for relatively large micrometric particles of ThO₂ which is assigned to ultrasonically-driven particle fragmentation accompanied by mechanochemical water molecule splitting. The nanosized metal oxides do not exhibit particle size reduction under ultrasonic treatment but nevertheless yield higher quantities of H₂. The enhancement of sonochemical water splitting in this case is most probably resulting from better bubble nucleation in heterogeneous systems. At high-frequency ultrasound (362 kHz), the effect of metal oxide particles results in a combination of nucleation and ultrasound attenuation. In contrast to 20 kHz, micrometric particles slowdown the sonolysis of water at 362 kHz due to stronger attenuation of ultrasonic waves while smaller particles show a relatively weak and various directional effects.     

Raman scattering from confined phonons in GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wires

We report on photoluminescence and Raman scattering performed at low temperature (T =  10 K) on GaAs/Al_0.3Ga_0.7As quantum-well wires with effective wire widths ofL =  100.0 and 10.9 nm prepared by molecular beam epitaxial growth followed by holographic patterning, reactive ion etching, and anodic thinning. We find evidence for the existence of longitudinal optical phonon modes confined to the GaAs quantum wire. The observed frequency at ο_L10 =  285.6 cm⁻¹forL =  11.0 nm is in good agreement with that calculated on the basis of the dispersive dielectric continuum theory of Enderleinas applied to the GaAs/Al_0.3Ga_0.7As system. Our results indicate the high crystalline quality of the quantum-well wires fabricated using these techniques.     

Width and temperature dependence of lithography-induced magnetic anisotropy in (Ga,Mn)As wires

In-plane magnetic anisotropy of 40-μm-long (Ga,Mn)As wires with different widths (0.4, 1.0, and 20 μm) has been investigated between 5 and 75 K by measuring anisotropic magneto-resistance (AMR). The wires show in-plane 〈1 0 0〉 cubic and [−1 1 0] uniaxial anisotropies, and an additional lithography-induced anisotropy along the wire direction in narrow wires with width of 0.4 and 1.0 μm. We derive the temperature dependence of the cubic, uniaxial, and lithography-induced anisotropy constants from the results of AMR, and find that a sizable anisotropy can be provided by lithographic means, which allows us to control and detect the magnetization reversal process by choosing the direction of the external magnetic fields.     

Comparison of hydroxyl radical formation in aqueous solutions at different ultrasound frequencies and powers using the salicylic acid dosimeter

Ultrasonic frequencies of 20 kHz, 382 kHz, 584 kHz, 862 kHz (and 998 kHz) have been compared with regard to energy output and hydroxyl radical formation utilising the salicylic acid dosimeter. The 862 kHz frequency inputs 6 times the number of Watts into water, as measured by calorimetry, with the other frequencies having roughly the same value under very similar conditions. A plausible explanation involving acoustic fountain formation is proposed although enhanced coupling between this frequency and water cannot be discounted. Using the salicylic acid dosimeter and inputting virtually the same Wattages it is established that 862 kHz is around 10% more efficient at generating hydroxyl radicals than the 382 kHz but both of these are far more effective than the other frequencies. Also, it is found that as temperature increases to 42 °C then the total dihydroxybenzoic acid (Total DHBA) produced is virtually identical for 382 kHz and 862 kHz, though 582 kHz is substantially lower, when the power levels are set at approximately 9 W for all systems. An equivalent power level of 9 W could not be obtained for the 998 kHz transducer so a direct comparison could not be made in this instance. These results have implications for the optimum frequencies chosen for both Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) and organic synthesis augmented by ultrasound.     

Current carrying capability of HTS Roebel cable

We have developed a numerical technique to estimate the current carrying capability of HTS Roebel cable composed from coated conductor strands. The influence of self-field on the critical current density is studied computationally for a Roebel cable using a realistic field and angle dependence behaviour of critical current. The computations are carried out for N/2 (number of strands/strand width in mm), and N/5 Roebel cable for N = 2–15. The local current distribution in each strand satisfies the self-consistent criteria J = J_c(B(J)) except for a small region where the current density is set to zero to maintain the condition of equal currents in all strands. The variation of critical current with vertical and horizontal separation between the strands is also investigated. Results are compared with the measured values of critical current for some of our cables. The comparison shows an error of up to 10% which we attribute mostly to the model not accounting for the spread in I_c values of the constituent strands.     

Single,simultaneous and sequential applications of ultrasonic frequencies for the elimination of ibuprofen in water

The study is about the assessment of single and multi-frequency operations for the overall degradation of a widely consumed analgesic pharmaceutical-ibuprofen (IBP). The selected frequencies were in the range of 20–1130 kHz emissions coming from probes, baths and piezo-electric transducers attached to plate-type devices. Multi-frequency operations were applied either simultaneously as “duals”, or sequentially at fixed time intervals; and the total reaction time in all operations was 30-min. The work also covers evaluation of the effect of zero-valent iron (ZVI) on the efficiency of the degradation process and the performance of the reaction systems. It was found that low-frequency probe type devices especially at 20 kHz were ineffective when applied singly and without ZVI, and relatively more effective in combined-frequency operations in the presence of ZVI. The power efficiencies of the reactors and/or reaction systems showed that 20-kHz probe was considerably more energy intensive than all others, and was therefore not used in multi-frequency operations. The most efficient reactor in terms of power consumption was the bath (200 kHz), which however provided insufficient mineralization of the test chemical. The highest percentage of TOC decay (37%) was obtained in a dual-frequency operation (40/572 kHz) with ZVI, in which the energy consumption was neither low nor exceptionally too high. A sequential operation (40 + 200 kHz) in that respect was more efficient, because it required much less energy for a similar TOC decay performance (30%). In general, the degradation of IBP increased with increased power consumption, which in turn reduced the sonochemical yield. The study also showed that advanced Fenton reactions with ZVI were faster in the presence of ultrasound, and the metal was very effective in improving the performance of low-frequency operations.     

Mg0.9Zr0.1B2/Cu wires were successfully synthesized by SHS method in the air

Mg_0.9Zr_0.1B₂/Cu wires were successfully synthesized by powder-in-tube (PIT) techniques with self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) method. We loaded the mixed of Mg, Zr and B power into Cu tube. The tube was drawn to a wire and each end of the tube was sealed by the sealant, then rolled into solenoid with 1.5 cm diameter. The wire was heated up to 270 °C in a furnace with general air pressure, then, ignited the wire with electric arc from one of the end, the self-propagating reaction was completed in 2.0–2.5 s. Finally, the prepared wire was followed by furnace cooling to room temperature. The sample was examined using XRD, SEM, and magnetization measurements. The experiments show that there are small MgCu₂ and boron-rich phases inner sheath wall of copper tube. The magnesium oxide is small in the sample. So, PIT technologies with SHS method is effective in stopping the volatile and oxidize of magnesium. The J_c results show that Mg_0.9Zr_0.1B₂/Cu wires samples which were synthesized by SHS method are better than those sintered for 1 h and Cu clad pure MgB₂ wire. The highest J_c of the prepared Mg_0.9Zr_0.1B₂/Cu wire by SHS method in the air is 5.1 × 10⁵ A/cm² (5 K, 0.5 T), 1.4 × 10⁵ A/cm² (20 K, 1 T) and 4.3 × 10⁴ A/cm² (30 K, 0.5 T).     

Magnetic properties and Verwey transition of quasi-one-dimensional magnetite nanowire arrays assembled in alumina templates

Magnetite (Fe₃O₄) has been successfully assembled into anodic alumina templates by an electrochemical method followed by a heat-treating process. Here, we report on the magnetic properties of these so formed nanowires and the Verwey transition measured by vibrating sample magnetometer and SQUID. A Mössbauer spectrum was collected to verify the magnetic orientation of the wires, and a tilt of the moment of 45° with respect to the wire axis was found. These wires show perpendicular magnetic anisotropy mainly due to the average easy axis of the grains pointing along the wire axis. The temperature dependence of the coercity, remanence, and the magnetization undergo a major change at 50 K, induced by the Verwey transition, which occurs at a temperature much lower than for bulk materials (120 K). The behavior of the magnetization in the vicinity of 50 K as well as its field-dependent properties was interpreted using the magneto-electronic model.     

Deconvolution of vibroacoustic images using a simulation model based on a three dimensional point spread function

Vibro-acoustography (VA) is a medical imaging method based on the difference-frequency generation produced by the mixture of two focused ultrasound beams. VA has been applied to different problems in medical imaging such as imaging bones, microcalcifications in the breast, mass lesions, and calcified arteries. The obtained images may have a resolution of 0.7–0.8 mm. Current VA systems based on confocal or linear array transducers generate C-scan images at the beam focal plane. Images on the axial plane are also possible, however the system resolution along depth worsens when compared to the lateral one. Typical axial resolution is about 1.0 cm. Furthermore, the elevation resolution of linear array systems is larger than that in lateral direction. This asymmetry degrades C-scan images obtained using linear arrays. The purpose of this article is to study VA image restoration based on a 3D point spread function (PSF) using classical deconvolution algorithms: Wiener, constrained least-squares (CLSs), and geometric mean filters. To assess the filters’ performance on the restored images, we use an image quality index that accounts for correlation loss, luminance and contrast distortion. Results for simulated VA images show that the quality index achieved with the Wiener filter is 0.9 (when the index is 1.0 this indicates perfect restoration). This filter yielded the best result in comparison with the other ones. Moreover, the deconvolution algorithms were applied to an experimental VA image of a phantom composed of three stretched 0.5 mm wires. Experiments were performed using transducer driven at two frequencies, 3075 kHz and 3125 kHz, which resulted in the difference-frequency of 50 kHz. Restorations with the theoretical line spread function (LSF) did not recover sufficient information to identify the wires in the images. However, using an estimated LSF the obtained results displayed enough information to spot the wires in the images. It is demonstrated that the phase of the theoretical and the experimental PSFs are dissimilar. This fact prevents VA image restoration with the current theoretical PSF. This study is a preliminary step towards understanding the restoration of VA images through the application of deconvolution filters.     

Investigation of size effects in the electrical resistivity of single electrochemically fabricated gold nanowires

Single gold nanowires with diameters ranging between 80 and 300 nm were fabricated by electrochemical deposition in single-pore membranes. The wires were contacted by means of a macroscopic planar electrode on each membrane side. The resistance-versus-diameter behavior was measured and is discussed considering finite-size effects, i.e., additional electron scattering both at the wire surface and at grain boundaries. Resistance-versus-temperature curves display characteristics like a bulk metal that shows a linear behavior down to about 70 K and finally approaches a limited value below 40–50 K with a residual resistivity ratio ρ_300 K/ρ_20 K≈2.5. The temperature-dependent resistivity data of wires with diameters larger than 200 nm fit well with the model of Mayadas and Shatzkes for grain-boundary scattering, thus confirming that surface scattering is negligible in this range.     

Magnetic anticrossing of 1D subbands in ballistic double quantum wires

We study the low-temperature in-plane magnetoconductance of vertically coupled double quantum wires. Using a novel flip-chip technique, the wires are defined by two pairs of mutually aligned split gates on opposite sides of a  ≤ 1 micron thick AlGaAs/GaAs double quantum well heterostructure. We observe quantized conductance steps due to each quantum well and demonstrate independent control of each 1D wire. A broad dip in the magnetoconductance at  ∼ 6 T is observed when a magnetic field is applied perpendicular to both the current and growth directions. This conductance dip is observed only when 1D subbands are populated in both the top and bottom constrictions. This data is consistent with a counting model whereby the number of subbands crossing the Fermi level changes with field due to the formation of an anticrossing in each pair of 1D subbands.     

Sonoelectrochemical degradation of triclosan in water

The sonoelectrochemical degradation of triclosan in aqueous solutions with high-frequency ultrasound (850 kHz) and various electrodes was investigated. Diamond coated niobium electrode showed the best results and was used as standard electrode, leading to effective degradation and positive synergistic effect. The influence of different parameters on the degradation degree and energy efficiency were evaluated and favorable reaction conditions were found. It could be shown that 92% of triclosan (1 mg L⁻¹ aqueous solution) was degraded within 15 min, following pseudo-first order kinetics.