Time-resolved shock-wave photography above 193-nm excimer laser-ablated graphite surface

Highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) was ablated by a 193-nm ArF excimer laser in air. The fluence was varied in the range 1-25 J/cm². Every laser shot hit a pristine graphite surface. The emerging shock wave was recorded by a nanosecond-resolution photographic arrangement. The velocity of the shock wave as a function of time and laser fluence was measured. The amount of energy that generates the shock wave was determined and found to be about 5-7% of the incident laser energy. The shock wave is already present 10-15 ns after the maximum of the incident laser pulse. These facts imply that, even if high-energy (10-100 eV) ions, atoms, or clusters leave the surface, a layer several 10 nm thick has to be removed during this short period. The temperature of the shock front is ~2500-4000 K, as derived from the measured velocities. Measuring the ablation depth by atomic force microscopy as a function of fluence revealed that the single-shot ablation threshold is 1.4ǂ.2 J/cm², and the effective absorption coefficient is ~1.5᎒⁵ cm^-1.     

Communication performance of d -meshes in molecular dynamics simulation

Communication algorithms, tailored for molecular dynamics simulation on d-meshes, are evaluated in terms of communication efficiency. It has been shown elsewhere that d-meshes are better than other regular topologies, e.g., hypercubes and standard toroidal 4-meshes, when compared in their diameter and average distance among nodes. Collective communication is needed in molecular dynamics simulation for the distribution of coordinates and calculation and distribution of new energies. We show that both collective communication patterns used in molecular dynamics can be efficiently solved with congestion-free algorithms for all-to-all communication based on store-and-forward routing and routing tables. Our results indicate that d-meshes compete with hypercubes in parallel computers. Therefore d-meshes can also be used as a communication upgrade of existing molecular dynamics simulation platforms and can be successfully applied to perform fast molecular dynamics simulation.     

Competitive magnetic immunoassay for protein detection in thin channels

Functional magnetic nanoparticles are prepared and characterized for protein detection in a magnetic separation channel. This detection method is based on a competitive immunoassay of magnetic separation in thin channels using functional magnetic nanoparticles. We used protein A–IgG complex to demonstrate the feasibility. Free IgG and fixed number of IgG-labeled microparticles were used to compete for limited sites of protein A on the magnetic nanoparticles. Several experimental parameters were investigated for protein detection. The deposited percentages of IgG-labeled microparticles at various concentrations of free IgG were determined and used as a reference plot. The IgG concentration in a sample was deduced and determined based on the reference plot using the deposited percentage of IgG-labeled microparticles from the sample. The linear range of IgG detection was from 5.0 × 10⁻⁸ to 1.0 × 10⁻¹¹ M. The detection limit was 3.69 × 10⁻¹² M. The running time was less than 10 min. Selectivities were higher than 92% and the relative errors were less than 7%. The IgG concentration of serum was determined to be 3.6 mg ml⁻¹. This measurement differed by 8.3% from the ELISA measurement. The recoveries of IgG spiked in serum were found to be higher than 94%. This method can provide simple, fast, and selective analysis for protein detection and other immunoassay-related applications.     

On the quadratic two-parameter eigenvalue problem and its linearization

We introduce the quadratic two-parameter eigenvalue problem and linearize it as a singular two-parameter eigenvalue problem. This, together with an example from model updating, shows the need for numerical methods for singular two-parameter eigenvalue problems and for a better understanding of such problems.There are various numerical methods for two-parameter eigenvalue problems, but only few for nonsingular ones. We present a method that can be applied to singular two-parameter eigenvalue problems including the linearization of the quadratic two-parameter eigenvalue problem. It is based on the staircase algorithm for the extraction of the common regular part of two singular matrix pencils.     

Modeling spatio-temporal field evolution

Prediction of spatio-temporal field evolution is based on the extraction of a physical law from joint experimental data. This extraction is usually described by a set of differential equations. If the only source of information is a field record, a method of field generators based on nonparametric modeling by conditional average can successfully replace differential equations. In this article we apply the method of field generators to a two-dimensional chaotic field record that describes the asynchronous motion of high-amplitude striations. We show how to choose the model structure in order to optimize the quality of the prediction process.     

Some equivalence theorems on absolute summability methods

We obtained necessary and sufficient conditions for the equivalence of two general summability methods. Some new and known results are also obtained.     

Synthesis and investigation of cytotoxicity of new N- and S,S-substituted-1,4-naphthoquinone (1,4-NQ) derivatives on selected cancer lines

1,4-Naphthoquinones (1,4-NQ) have been reported to possess a variety of pharma-cological properties including antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anti-artherosclerotic, and anticancer effects. In this study, new N- and S,S-substituted-1,4-NQ derivatives were synthesized in excellent yields and were completely characterized by spectroscopic analysis IR, NMR (¹H and ¹³C), MS and microanalysis. The cytotoxic activities of 1,4-NQ derivatives were examined against to A-549, DU145, HCT-116 and MDA-MB-231 cancer cells. Among these compounds, 2-[4-(2-furoyl)piperazine-1-yl]-3-chloro-1,4-NQ 5 and 2,3-bis(cyclobuthylsulfanyl)-1,4-NQ 17 were identified as the most potent anticancer agents with cytotoxic activity against three cell lines (breast (MDA-MB-231), prostate (DU145), colorectal (HCT-116).     

Direct writing and in-situ material processing by a laser-micromachining projection microscope

The new laser micromachining projection microscope enables a surface to be viewed at high magnification with a built-in facility for micromachining of the same surface according to a predetermined pattern. A XeCl-excimer laser forms part of the device and provides bright viewing illumination in amplified spontaneous emission as well as a small laser spot of sufficient fluence to mark the sample surface. The basic characteristics of image enhancement in the excimer amplifier are presented. The advantage of such a technique for both pattern generation, surface cleaning and mask correction is demonstrated on Al, Cu and W specimens with a spatial resolution better than 3 m.     

Cluster-based analysis of cycle-to-cycle variations: application to internal combustion engines

We define and illustrate a cluster-based analysis of cycle-to-cycle variations (CCV). The methodology is applied to engine flow but can clearly be valuable for any periodically driven fluid flow at large Reynolds numbers. High-speed particle image velocimetry data acquired during the compression stroke for 161 consecutive engine cycles are used. Clustering is applied to the velocity fields normalised by their kinetic energy. From a phase-averaged analysis of the statistics of cluster content and inter-cluster transitions, we show that CCV can be associated with different sets of trajectories during the second half of the compression phase. Conditional statistics are computed for flow data of each cluster. In particular, we identify a particular subset associated with a loss of large-scale coherence, a very low kinetic energy of the mean flow and a higher fluctuating kinetic energy. This is interpreted as a good indicator of the breakdown of the large-scale coherent tumbling motion. For this particular subset, the cluster analysis confirms the idea of a gradual destabilisation of the in-cylinder flow during the final phase of the compression. Moreover, inter-cycle statistics show that the flow states near TDC and in the measurement zone are statistically independent for consecutive engine cycles. It is important to point out that this approach is generally applicable to very large sets of data, e.g. generated by PIV or LES, and independent of the considered type of information (velocity, concentration, etc.).