Dissolved gas and ultrasonic cavitation – A review

The physics and chemistry of nonlinearly oscillating acoustic cavitation bubbles are strongly influenced by the dissolved gas in the surrounding liquid. Changing the gas alters among others the luminescence spectrum, and the radical production of the collapsing bubbles. An overview of experiments with various gas types and concentration described in literature is given and is compared to mechanisms that lead to the observed changes in luminescence spectra and radical production. The dissolved gas type changes the bubble adiabatic ratio, thermal conductivity, and the liquid surface tension, and consequently the hot spot temperature. The gas can also participate in chemical reactions, which can enhance radical production or luminescence of a cavitation bubble. With this knowledge, the gas content in cavitation can be tailored to obtain the desired output.     

Closed loop cavitation control – A step towards sonomechatronics

In the field of sonochemistry, many processes are made possible by the generation of cavitation. This article is about closed loop control of ultrasound assisted processes with the aim of controlling the intensity of cavitation-based sonochemical processes. This is the basis for a new research field which the authors call “sonomechatronics”. In order to apply closed loop control, a so called self-sensing technique is applied, which uses the ultrasound transducer’s electrical signals to gain information about cavitation activity. Experiments are conducted to find out if this self-sensing technique is capable of determining the state and intensity of acoustic cavitation. A distinct frequency component in the transducer’s current signal is found to be a good indicator for the onset and termination of transient cavitation. Measurements show that, depending on the boundary conditions, the onset and termination of transient cavitation occur at different thresholds, with the onset occurring at a higher value in most cases. This known hysteresis effect offers the additional possibility of achieving an energetic optimization by controlling cavitation generation.Using the cavitation indicator for the implementation of a double set point closed loop control, the mean driving current was reduced by approximately 15% compared to the value needed to exceed the transient cavitation threshold. The results presented show a great potential for the field of sonomechatronics. Nevertheless, further investigations are necessary in order to design application-specific sonomechatronic processes.     

Synchrotron quantification of ultrasound cavitation and bubble dynamics in Al–10Cu melts

Knowledge of the kinetics of gas bubble formation and evolution under cavitation conditions in molten alloys is important for the control casting defects such as porosity and dissolved hydrogen. Using in situ synchrotron X-ray radiography, we studied the dynamic behaviour of ultrasonic cavitation gas bubbles in a molten Al–10 wt% Cu alloy. The size distribution, average radius and growth rate of cavitation gas bubbles were quantified under an acoustic intensity of 800 W/cm² and a maximum acoustic pressure of 4.5 MPa (45 atm). Bubbles exhibited a log-normal size distribution with an average radius of 15.3 ± 0.5 μm. Under applied sonication conditions the growth rate of bubble radius, R(t), followed a power law with a form of R(t) = αt^β, and α = 0.0021 & β = 0.89. The observed tendencies were discussed in relation to bubble growth mechanisms of Al alloy melts.     

Lipase-catalyzed polyester synthesis – A green polymer chemistry

This article is a short comprehensive review describing in vitro polyester synthesis catalyzed by a hydrolysis enzyme of lipase, most of which has been developed for these two decades. Polyesters are prepared by repeated ester bond-formation reactions; they include two major modes, ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of cyclic monomers such as cyclic esters (lactones) and condensation polymerization via the reaction between a carboxylic acid or its ester group and an alcohol group. Polyester synthesis is, therefore, a reaction in reverse way of in vivo lipase catalysis of ester bond-cleavage with hydrolysis. The lipase-catalyzed polymerizations show very high chemo-, regio-, and enantio-selectivities and involve various advantageous characteristics. Lipase is robust and compatible with other chemical catalysts, which allows novel chemo-enzymatic processes. New syntheses of a variety of functional polyesters and a plausible reaction mechanism of lipase catalysis are mentioned. The polymerization characteristics are of green nature currently demanded for sustainable society, and hence, desirable for conducting ‘green polymer chemistry’.     

Cavitation clusters in lipid systems – Ring-up,bubble population,and bifurcated streamer lifetime

The processing of oils is vital to their ultimate use within the food industry. Control over the physical properties of such materials could be achieved through the application of high-intensity ultrasound (HIU). However, the exact mechanism, centred upon acoustic cavitation, is currently unclear. To investigate the cavitation environment in oils further, the ring-up of a HIU source in an oil media is studied in the presence and absence of a pre-existing bubble population. High-speed imaging and acoustic measurements within the system is demonstrated to be extremely useful in characterising the dynamics present under non steady-state conditions. The behaviour of the clusters generated in the first 1000 ms under these conditions is shown to be significantly different depending on the bubble population. A bifurcated streamer (BiS), originating from a unique bi-cluster event, is only observable in the presence of a bubble population during the ring-up process to higher cluster orders. In addition, the lifetime of this BiS event is highly temperature dependent and is shown to be a good marker for the viscosity of the oil employed.     

A review of: “Comparative crystal chemistry: temperature,pressure, composition and the variation of crystal structure”

By R. M. Hazen and L. W. Finger. Wiley (1982). Price: £19.50 (U.K.)     

The wettability and interfacial characterization between γ-TiAl alloy and ceramic reinforcements

The wettability and interfacial characterization of γ-TiAl alloy on TiC_0.78, TiN_0.87, and VNx substrates were studied using the Sessile Drop method at 1758 K. The equilibrium apparent contact angle of liquid γ-TiAl alloy are 8° on TiC_0.78 substrate, 22° on TiN_0.87, but deficient for VNx substrate because of the gradual appearance of solidification phenomena. The spreading mechanism of γ-TiAl/TiC_0.78 was ascribed to the product control model, which was determined by the new Ti₂AlC formed at the interface. The decreased apparent contact angle of γ-TiAl on TiN_0.87 substrate with the slow rate resulted from the combined effect of Ti adsorption at the interface and the decreased surface tension and viscosity of the liquid. The γ-TiAl/VNx system was a dissolution system. The effect of dissolution on apparent contact angle is reflected in the initial stage and progressed synchronously with the movement of the triple-phase line.     

A correlation for crystallite size of undoped ZnO thin film with the band gap energy – precursor molarity – substrate temperature

Transparent conducting undoped zinc oxide thin films were deposited on glass substrate by ultrasonic spray and spray pyrolysis techniques. The thin films were deposited at different substrate temperatures ranging between 300 and 450 °C with various precursor molarities. The correlation between the structural and optical properties suggests that the crystallites sizes of the films are predominantly influenced by the band gap energy of the thin films. The data of the correlation is suspected of involving some experimental measurement errors and therefore discarded in the development of the present correlation. The coefficient of correction is equal to 0.01, indicating high quality representation of data based on Eq. (1). The correlation also indicates that the crystallites sizes of the films are predominantly influenced by the band gap energy and the precursor molarity of the thin films. The model proposed of undoped ZnO thin film with substrate temperature was investigated.     

Impact of process parameters in the generation of novel aspirin nanoemulsions – Comparative studies between ultrasound cavitation and microfluidizer

In the present investigation, the operating efficiency of a bench-top air-driven microfluidizer has been compared to that of a bench-top high power ultrasound horn in the production of pharmaceutical grade nanoemulsions using aspirin as a model drug. The influence of important process variables as well as the pre-homogenization and drug loading on the resultant mean droplet diameter and size distribution of emulsion droplets was studied in an oil-in-water nanoemulsion incorporated with a model drug aspirin. Results obtained show that both the emulsification methods were capable of producing very fine nanoemulsions containing aspirin with the minimum droplet size ranging from 150 to 170 nm. In case of using the microfluidizer, it has been observed that the size of the emulsion droplets obtained was almost independent of the applied microfluidization pressure (200–600 bar) and the number of passes (up to 10 passes) while the pre-homogenization and drug loading had a marginal effect in increasing the droplet size. Whereas, in the case of ultrasound emulsification, the droplet size was generally decreased with an increase in sonication amplitude (50–70%) and period of sonication but the resultant emulsion was found to be dependent on the pre-homogenization and drug loading. The STEM microscopic observations illustrated that the optimized formulations obtained using ultrasound cavitation technique are comparable to microfluidized emulsions. These comparative results demonstrated that ultrasound cavitation is a relatively energy-efficient yet promising method of pharmaceutical nanoemulsions as compared to microfluidizer although the means used to generate the nanoemulsions are different.     

A new multi-model coding algorithm based on MBE and spectral amplitude correlation between successive frames

1IntroductionTheMulti-BandExcitation(MBE)codinga1gorithmwasproposedbyGrifffandLim[1].IntheMBEmodelthemethodofthequantizationofthemagnitudespectrumisthekeypointofcompressingthecodingrateandimprovingthequalityofthecodingspeech.TherearetwomainmethodstoquantizethemagnitudespectrumintheMBEmodel.Oneisexploitingthecorrelationofthespectrumbetweensuccessiveframes,thedlfferenceofthen1agnitudespectrumbetweensuccessivefranlesisquantizedwithVectorQuantization(VQ)l'].Theotherisexploitingthecorrelati…     

Dynamics of laser-induced cavitation bubble during expansion over sharp-edge geometry submerged in liquid – an inside view by diffuse illumination

Laser ablation in liquids is growing in popularity for various applications including nanoparticle production, breakdown spectroscopy, and surface functionalization. When laser pulse ablates the solid target submerged in liquid, a cavitation bubble develops. In case of “finite” geometries of ablated solids, liquid dynamical phenomena can occur inside the bubble when the bubble overflows the surface edge. To observe this dynamics, we use diffuse illumination of a flashlamp in combination with a high-speed videography by exposure times down to 250 ns. The developed theoretical modelling and its comparison with the experimental observations clearly prove that this approach widens the observable area inside the bubble. We thereby use it to study the dynamics of laser-induced cavitation bubble during its expansion over a sharp-edge (“cliff-like” 90°) geometry submerged in water, ethanol, and polyethylene glycol 300. The samples are 17 mm wide stainless steel plates with thickness in the range of 0.025–2 mm. Bubbles are induced on the samples by 1064-nm laser pulses with pulse durations of 7–60 ns and pulse energies of 10–55 mJ. We observe formation of a fixed-type secondary cavity behind the edge where low-pressure area develops due to bubble-driven flow of the liquid. This occurs when the velocity of liquid overflow exceeds ~20 m s⁻¹. A re-entrant liquid injection with up to ~40 m s⁻¹ velocity may occur inside the bubble when the bubble overflows the edge of the sample. Formation and characteristics of the jet evidently depend on the relation between the breakdown-edge offset and the bubble energy, as well as the properties of the surrounding liquid. Higher viscosity of the liquid prevents the generation of the jet.     

Contribution of stress wave and cavitation bubble in evaluation of cell–cell adhesion by femtosecond laser-induced impulse

When an intense femtosecond laser is focused in a cell culture medium, shock wave, stress wave, and cavitation bubble are generated at the laser focal point. Cell–cell adhesion can be broken at the cellular level by the impacts of these factors. We have applied this breaking of the adhesion to an estimation of the cell–cell adhesion strength. In this application, it is important to identify which of these factors is the dominant factor that breaks the adhesion. Here we investigated this issue using streptavidin-coated microbeads adhering to a biotin-coated substrate as a mimic of the cell–cell adhesion. The results indicated that the break was induced mainly by the stress wave, not by the impact of the cavitation bubble.     

Network correlation between investor’s herding behavior and overconfidence behavior

It is generally accepted that herding behavior and overconfidence behavior are unrelated or even mutually exclusive.However,these behaviors can both lead to some similar market anomalies,such as excessive trading volume and volatility in the stock market.Due to the limitation of traditional time series analysis,we try to study whether there exists network relevance between the investor’s herding behavior and overconfidence behavior based on the complex network method.Since the investor’s herding behavior is based on market trends and overconfidence behavior is based on past performance,we convert the time series data of market trends into a market network and the time series data of the investor’s past judgments into an investor network.Then,we update these networks as new information arrives at the market and show the weighted in-degrees of the nodes in the market network and the investor network can represent the herding degree and the confidence degree of the investor,respectively.Using stock transaction data of Microsoft,US S&P 500 stock index,and China Hushen 300 stock index,we update the two networks and find that there exists a high similarity of network topological properties and a significant correlation of node parameter sequences between the market network and the investor network.Finally,we theoretically derive and conclude that the investor’s herding degree and confidence degree are highly related to each other when there is a clear market trend.     

A reaction–diffusion model for market fluctuations – A relation between price change and traded volumes

Two decades ago Bak et al. (1997) [3] proposed a reaction–diffusion model to describe market fluctuations. In the model buyers and sellers diffuse from opposite ends of a 1D interval that represents a price range. Trades occur when buyers and sellers meet. We show analytically and numerically that the model well reproduces the square-root relation between traded volumes and price changes that is observed in real-life markets. The result is remarkable as this relation has commonly been explained in terms of more elaborate trader strategies. We furthermore explain why the square-root relation is robust under model modifications and we show how real-life bond market data exhibit the square-root relation.     

Magnetic susceptibility of zinc and brass between room temperature and 1.2°K

Measurements have been carried out on bulk zinc and brass between room temperature and 1.2°K. The susceptibility values of Zn agree with those of other authors. The diamagnetic brass becomes paramagnetic at low temperatures. This paramagnetism does not obey a Curie or Curie-Weiss law. At low temperatures saturation appears.     

Discrimination between malignant and benign thyroid tumors by diffusion-weighted imaging – A systematic review and meta analysis

PurposeMagnetic resonance imaging is used to stage thyroid tumors. Diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) can be used to reflect tumor microstructure. Our aim was to compare ADC values of malignant and benign thyroid lesions based on a large sample.MethodsMEDLINE library, EMBASE and SCOPUS databases were screened for the associations between ADC values and thyroid lesions up to August 2021. The primary endpoint of the systematic review were ADC values of benign and malignant thyroid lesions. In total, 29 studies were suitable for the analysis and were included into the present study.ResultsThe included studies comprised a total of 2137 lesions, 1118 (52.3%) benign and 1019 (47.7%) malignant lesions. The pooled mean ADC value of the benign thyroid lesions was 1.88 × 10⁻³ mm²/s [95% CI 1.77–2.0] and the pooled mean ADC value of malignant thyroid lesions was 1.15 × 10⁻³ mm²/s [95% CI 1.04–1.25].ConclusionsADC can well discriminate benign and malignant thyroid tumors. Therefore, DWI should be implemented into the presurgical diagnostic work-up in clinical routine.     

The correlation between aromaticity and stability in planar N2X2 (X = O,S, Se,and Te) Species

Five isomers of N₂O₂ and a series of planar alternate four-membered ring N₂X₂ (X?=?O, S, Se, and Te) species have been examined with both the B3LYP and the CCSD methods. The 6-311?+?G* basis set is used for O, S, Se and the SDD pseudo potential basis set is used for the heavier atom Te. The aromaticity, the stability, and the relationship between them, are discussed in terms of the nucleus independent chemical shifts (NICS), the transition state (TS) barriers. Little correlation is observed between aromaticity and stability of the present species.     

A method to predict the orientation relationship,interface planes and morphology between a crystalline precipitate and matrix: part II – application

A model based on near coincidence of diffraction intensity-weighted reciprocal lattice spots was used to study the orientation relationships between a precipitate and matrix in various alloys. The model was used to calculate the orientation relationship and interface orientations between phases including body-centred cubic, body-centred tetragonal, face-centred cubic and hexagonal close-packed crystals. Comparison of calculated results with those reported from various experimental observations demonstrate that in most cases the model can predict the orientation relationship between two phases with an accuracy of a few degrees or better. Calculation of the interface orientation was found to be very sensitive to the exact orientation relationship and therefore, in some cases, showed significant deviation from experimental observations.     

Hydrodynamic cavitation for micropollutant degradation in water – Correlation of bisphenol A degradation with fluid mechanical properties

The present work addresses the correlation of bisphenol A (BPA) degradation by hydrodynamic cavitation with the fluid mechanical properties of the cavitating jet in the reactor. The effects of inlet pressure and two orifices were investigated. The fluid mechanics conditions during the reaction were evaluated by optical measurements to determine the jet length, bubble volume, number of bubbles, and bubble size distribution. In addition, chemiluminescence of luminol is used to localize chemically active bubbles due to the generation of hydroxyl radicals in the reactor chamber. The correlation between the rate constants of BPA degradation and the mechanical properties of the liquid is discussed. Here, linear dependencies between the degradation of BPA and the volume expansion of the bubble volume and chemiluminescence are found, allowing prediction of the rate constants and the hydroxyl radicals generated. BPA degradation of 50% was achieved in 30 min with the 1.7 mm nozzle at 25 bar. However, the 1 mm nozzle has been demonstrated to be more energetically efficient, achieving 10% degradation with 30% less power per 100 passes. There is a tendency for the number of small bubbles in the reactor to increase with smaller nozzle and increasing pressure difference.