EPR of gamma irradiated solid sucrose and UV spectra of its solution. An attempt for calibration of solid state/EPR dosimetry

A simple new approach for independent calibration of solid state/EPR (SS/EPR) dosimetry system is reported. It is based on the fact that: (i) gamma-irradiation of solid sucrose (sugar) induces stable EPR detectable free radicals accompanied by UV detectable brown colour stable in the solid state and in solution; (ii) both the EPR intensity of gamma-irradiated solid sucrose and its solution UV absorbance linearly depend on the absorbed dose high energy radiation and may be independently used for dosimetric purpose; (iii) UV spectrometers are calibrated. The correlation between EPR response and absorbed dose radiation of solid sucrose and UV absorption of its solutions is used in the present communication for calibration purpose. The procedure of sucrose extraction from sucrose-paraffin dosimeters is described. The calibration procedure may be applied to any other (alanine, self-calibrated, etc.) SS/EPR dosimeters, simultaneously irradiated with sucrose.     

Solid–solid transformation route to nanocrystalline sodalite from Al-PILC at room temperature

The present study describes a solid–solid transformation of nanocrystalline sodalite from the solid gel mixture of Al₂O₃-pillared montmorillonite (Al-PILC) with sodium hydroxide at room temperature (25 °C) under an ambient atmosphere. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirms that the X-ray crystalline sodalite products are crystallized after 12 days, whereas infrared absorption (IR) spectra reveal that diagnostic IR absorption peaks due to single four-membered ring of sodalite framework is observed even after 1 day. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) shows that Al-PILC is transformed into discrete nano-sized sodalite particles (∼50 nm). Although the induction period, the time elapsing before nucleation, for the solid–solid transformation takes much longer (12 days), the nanocrystalline sodalite is successfully obtained at this extremely mild synthetic condition through solid–solid transformation.     

Calculation of the solvus temperature of metastable phases in the Al-Mg-Si alloys

A procedure has been proposed for the self-consistent calculation of the solvus temperatures of metastable phase precipitates in Al-Mg-Si alloys and the specific energy of their interface with the aluminum matrix. The procedure is based on the results of experimental studies on the kinetics of formation of these precipitates during decomposition of supersaturated solid solutions of quenched Al-Mg-Si alloys, which were carried out by measuring the Young’s modulus and electrical resistivity. On the basis of the obtained set of solvus temperatures of the β″-phase, an empirical formula has been proposed for calculating this temperature as a function of the chemical composition of the initial solid solution.     

A new approach to synthesize LiAsF6 and other lithium based fluorochemicals for rechargeable lithium cells

A new method to synthesize inorganic lithium based fluorinated compounds like LiAsF₆ (Lithium hexafluoro arsenate) has been developed by a low temperature solid state procedure. LiAsF₆ is used extensively in the lithium cells because of its stability to withstand high voltages during cycling. The procedure developed to synthesize lithium based fluorinated compounds is a single step procedure and fluorination is done in-situ. This is an environmentally friendly method and is less expensive than the other known procedures.     

Fine Needle Aspiration: A Novel Application in Laryngology

Fine needle aspiration (FNA) has had an early start in medicine and has been heavily used in the United States since the 1980s. It is regarded as a highly effective means to sample mass lesions, serving as the first diagnostic procedure in many instances. FNA is safe, less invasive than biopsy, and reduces the risk of scar formation. Its main limitations can be overcome through effective training and practiced technique. In laryngology, the development of new and diversified therapeutic and diagnostic strategies depends on the development of equally appropriate diagnostic tools. FNA has the potential to be a relatively easy procedure that can be performed under local anesthesia, increasing the otolaryngologist's armamentarium. Combining the FNA procedure with technology now available, secondary to advances in genomic science, rather than cytology and H&E stains, provides the means of obtaining clinically useful information about benign and malignant disease for clinicians and researchers. This paper provides a review of the traditional FNA procedure. It offers an introduction to the future applicability of FNA to office-based laryngology. Lastly, this paper familiarizes the reader with the genomic principles being used for this procedure.     

Electronic structure and optical response in GaxAl1−xN solid alloys

A new method for the calculation of the electronic band structure for the Ga_xAl_1−xN solid alloys is proposed. We present the solid alloy structure as a superposition of two sublattices with the appropriate weighting factors. Both the ab initio norm-conserving pseudo-potential (PP) and LCAO methods give essential disagreement with the experimental data. Only the appropriate correction of the norm-conserving PP method by the orthogonalized LCAO wave functions essentially stabilizes the convergence procedure. To check the reliability of the proposed method we have carried out experimental investigations of the optical functions for two representatives of the investigated wurtzite solid alloys: Ga_xAl_1−xN (x = 0.85 and 0.65). Calculations were performed as a function of the energy cutoff as well as of the Slater screening parameter α. The optical functions at zero frequency give overestimated values compared with the experimental data. The best agreement with experiment can be achieved by using the orthogonalization procedure between the norm-conserving PP and LCAO wave functions. The latter ones help in understanding the solid alloy structure modulations in the compounds mentioned. The possibility is shown of achieving good agreement between the experimental and theoretical data.     

Investigation of the solid-state electrolyte/cathode LiPON/LiCoO<Subscript>2</Subscript> interface by photoelectron spectroscopy

The electronic structure of a solid electrolyte/solid electrode interface (SESEI) of an all-solid-state thin film battery was investigated. The thin film battery consisted of a LiPON solid electrolyte and a LiCoO₂ cathode. The lithium phosphorus oxynitride (LiPON) electrolyte was RF sputtered in a step-by-step procedure onto the cathode and investigated by photoelectron X-ray-induced spectroscopy after each deposition step. An intermediate layer was found—composed of some new species—that differs in its chemical composition from the cathode as well as the LiPON solid electrolyte material and changes with growing layer thickness. In contrast, the electronic structure of the underlying cathode material remained predominantly unchanged.     

Structural and phase transitions in nitrided layers of iron alloys during severe cold deformation

A nanostructuring procedure similar to that proposed previously for iron alloys with carbides, nitrides (γ′-Fe₄N, TiN), and oxides, was implemented for X22 fcc alloy and X18H8 austenitic stainless steel. The procedure is based on the deformation-induced dissolution of disperse CrN nitride particles in the alloy matrices and the formation of supersaturated solid solutions of nitrogen, followed by the precipitation of secondary nanonitrides inhibiting the grain growth in the matrix during heating.     

Peculiarities of the interaction of polycrystalline aluminum with aqueous solutions of gallium

We study the effect of gallium-containing aqueous solutions on polycrystalline aluminum. The procedure for kinetic studies of the selected system is described. It is found that in the reaction of polycrystalline aluminum with gallium-containing aqueous solutions, gallium penetrates along the aluminum grain boundaries, which, upon the application of external stress, leads to failure of the sample. It is found that gallium can penetrate along the aluminum grain boundaries both in the liquid and solid state; the rates of penetration of gallium in the liquid and solid states are determined.     

Cutaneous Heat Transfer and Its Effect on Contact Heat Evoked Brain Potentials

The brain's response to external painful stimuli can be assessed through contact heat evoked cortical potentials that enable the evaluation of the integrity of pain pathways. This work aims to improve the reliability of this diagnostic procedure by decoupling the effects of heat transfer and nerve fiber conduction. It is herein shown experimentally that the latency of the N2 contact heat evoked cortical potentials component is the most stable diagnostic parameter. The contribution of heat transfer to N2 contact heat evoked cortical potentials latency was modeled as a function of the subject's pain threshold, allowing for the separation of nerve fiber pathology from thermodynamic influences.     

Colloidal semiconductor quantum dots: Potential tools for new diagnostic methods

We present and discuss the application of colloidal semiconductor quantum dots for diagnostic purposes, with special emphasis for cancer. We prepared and applied core-shell cadmium sulfide-cadmium hydroxide (CdS/Cd(OH)₂) semiconductor quantum dots in aqueous medium. Tissue and cells labeling was evaluated by laser scanning confocal microscopy as well as by conventional fluorescence microscopy. The procedure presented in this work, shown to be a promising tool for fast, low-cost and precise cancer diagnostic protocols.     

Slow variations of mechanical and electrical properties of dielectrics and nonlinear phenomena at ultrasonic irradiation

The interconnection between variations of elasticity and dielectric permittivity of mesoscopic solid systems under exposure to ultrasound is experimentally observed. A phenomenological theory generalizing Debye’s approach for polar fluids is developed to explain the measured data. The substitution of acoustic measurements by dielectric ones not only simplifies the procedure, but also offers new possibilities to remotely evaluate the mechanical properties of materials and natural media.     

Electron density from time resolved stark profiles in ablation plasmas

A time-resolving X-ray crystal spectrograph is used to study the emission of high lying Lyman states in order to determine the electron density in a laser target plasma. The results are analyzed for a number of experiments and the sensitivity of the technique is shown. The ability of the diagnostic procedure to yield accurate densities is compared with the usual time-integrated diagnostic procedures.     

Resizing buffer rods for ultrasound testing of food products with acoustic noise considerations

Buffer rods can be used to perform non-destructive and on-line analysis of food and beverage products. These rods, usually solid cylinders, can be long and heavy for certain applications. In this paper, a resizing analytic procedure is described. Buffer rods designed following this new procedure can be several times shorter than the conventionally designed ones, optimising thus their weight and cost. The signal to noise ratio (SNR) of the resized buffers is also studied in order to determine their practical usability. To this effect, simulations and experiments are conducted using metal and plastic buffer rod materials appropriate for food and beverage testing such as aluminium and polyethylene.     

Simple relations between correlation functions in a closed system

From conservation of total momentum of a general closed system relations between certain correlation functions are derived. The procedure is then applied to express the electrical conductivity of an arbitrary solid or liquid by the dynamics of its nuclei. The possibility to get the wanted information about nuclear motion from inelastic thermal neutron scattering is discussed. For a solid the dynamics of the nuclei are calculated in the harmonic approximation.     

Interferometric determination of refraction and dispersion of a birefringent material: numerical procedure

Air, liquid and solid sample interferometric gaps of the same thickness and simultaneously enclosed in a wedge interferometer are used to produce fringes of equal chromatic order. A mica sample of dimensions 2×5 mm² and an immersion liquid of the same refractive index are used. A single shot interferogram containing fringes in the three gaps is sufficient to deduce the needed experimental data. Locations of fringe maxima are introduced in a numerical procedure to retrieve the sample and liquid refractive indices across the visible spectrum. The numerical procedure is based on a simple dispersion function of wavelength and wavenumber. A modified two-term Sellmeier dispersion formula has been used for fitting the experimental data and deducing the needed dispersion parameters.     

Optical properties of black liquor and refractometric methods for monitoring the solid residue concentration in sulfate cellulose production

Measurements of the refractive index, its temperature dependence, and the optical transmission of black liquors produced during sulfate pulping are reported for soluble solid residue concentrations up to k ≅ 60 %. The design features of a commercial refractometer for monitoring the concentration of black liquor are examined briefly. A procedure is proposed for laboratory calibration of commercial sensors that employs black liquor solutions in highly refractive organic liquids as reference samples.     

Simultaneous planar measurements of soot structure and velocity fields in a turbulent lifted jet flame at 3 kHz

We describe a newly developed combustion diagnostic for the simultaneous planar imaging of soot structure and velocity fields in a highly sooting, lifted turbulent jet flame at 3000 frames per second, or two orders of magnitude faster than “conventional” laser imaging systems. This diagnostic uses short pulse duration (8 ns), frequency-doubled, diode-pumped solid state (DPSS) lasers to excite laser-induced incandescence (LII) at 3 kHz, which is then imaged onto a high framerate CMOS camera. A second (dual-cavity) DPSS laser and CMOS camera form the basis of a particle image velocity (PIV) system used to acquire 2-component velocity field in the flame. The LII response curve (measured in a laminar propane diffusion flame) is presented and the combined diagnostics then applied in a heavily sooting lifted turbulent jet flame. The potential challenges and rewards of application of this combined imaging technique at high speeds are discussed.     

Carbon auger electron line shape after beam-foil excitation of molecular ions

Auger electrons of beam-foil excited C-projectiles and C-fragments of Coulomb exploding molecular CO-projectiles at 83 keV/u yield information on the excitation mechanisms and the interaction with the solid. A numerical procedure is developed to calculate the mean energy of the Coulomb explosion, the charge states of the fragment ions and their angular straggling behaviour inside the solid. The calculated results are compared with experimental data. From a detailed line shape calculation the magnitude of directional effects induced by the Wake-potential can be predicted.     

Finite element mapping for spring network representations of the mechanics of solids

We present a general finite element mapping procedure for defining spring network representations of solid mechanics. The procedure is rigorous and equally suitable for setting regular and unstructured spring network models of generally anisotropic solids. We use the procedure to define close-packed triangular and simple cubic lattice spring models of isotropic 2D and 3D elastic media, respectively. We extend the study to heterogeneous solids and show that the mapped spring network approach constitutes an appealing route for incorporating subelement level constitutive equations.