Laser-induced acoustic wave generation/propagation/interaction in water in various internal channels

Short pulsed laser-induced single acoustic wave generation, propagation, interaction within a water-filled internal channel are experimentally and numerically studied. A large-area, short-duration, single-plane acoustic wave was generated by the thermoelastic interaction of a homogenized nanosecond pulsed laser beam with a liquid–solid interface and propagated at the speed of sound in water. Laser flash Schlieren photography was used to visualize the transient interaction of the plane acoustic wave in various internal channel structures ((a) sudden expansion and contraction channels, (b) bifurcating channels, (c) gradual contraction wall channels and (d) a cylinder). Fairly good agreement between the experimental results and numerical simulation is observed.     

The formation of sub-10 nm nanohole array on block copolymer thin films on gold surface using surface neutralization based on O2 plasma treatment and self-assembled monolayer

Blockcopolymer (BCP) lithography is an emerging nanolithography technique for fabrications of various nanoscale devices and materials. In this study, self-assembled BCP thin films having cylindrical nanoholes were prepared on gold by surface neutralization using self-assembled monolayer (SAM). Oxygen plasma treatment was investigated as a way to enhance the functionality of Au surface toward SAM formation. After surface neutralization, well-ordered nanoholes with 9 to 20 nm diameters were formed inside BCP thin films on Au surfaces through microphase separation. The effects of oxygen plasma treatment on the formation of BCP nanopattern were investigated using surface analysis techniques including X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and water contact angle measurement. Au nanodot arrays were fabricated on gold film by utilizing the BCP nanotemplate and investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM).     

Half-metallicity at the non-polar surfaces of rock-salt and zinc-blende MgN

We discuss the electronic properties of non-polar surfaces of MgN rock-salt and zinc-blende crystals. We studied the (001) surface of the rock-salt and the (110) surface of the zinc-blende MgN with the use of an ab initio full-electron linearized augmented plane wave method within density functional theory. The structural parameters of the two surfaces were optimized by relaxing the position of the atoms in the unit cells in the force directions. The results of the calculations indicate that both rock-salt MgN (001) and ZB MgN (110) demonstrate half-metallic properties. The zinc-blende MgN (110) surface is electronically more stable as a half-metal than the rock-salt MgN (001) surface. The magnetic properties of the two systems are tailored mainly by the spin-polarization of electrons of N atoms.     

Chemical and physical characteristics of self-fabricated radiophotoluminescent glass dosimeter

Thermoluminescent dosimeters are widely applied in the measurement of radiation dose. Since the luminescent centers are not lost during the reading process, radiophotoluminescent glass dosimeters (RPLGDs) can be repeatedly readout. The aims of this study were to make RPLGD and to analyze its physical and chemical properties. This study used chemical compounds such as Na₃PO₄, AlPO₄, AgCl, AgNO₃, B₂O₃, H₃PO₄ and P₂O₅ as the main ingredients. Depending on the self-fabricated glass compounds, the melting temperatures were between 1100 and 1500 °C. When the 0.1 mol% of silver was added, the radiation detection of self-fabricated RPLGD reached to the highest sensitivity. However, when silver concentration was larger than 0.1 mol%, the radiation detection sensitivity plummets rapidly. Excess amounts of silver and aluminum decreased the penetrate capability of ultraviolet spectrum. Based on our study, we found that chemical compound concentrations and melting process, which all affect radiation sensitivity and stability of self-fabricated RPLGD.     

Rapid decolorization of azo dyes in aqueous solution by an ultrasound-assisted electrocatalytic oxidation process

In this study, we developed a novel ultrasound-assisted electrocatalytic oxidation (US–EO) process to decolorize azo dyes in aqueous solution. Rhodamine B was decolorized completely within several minutes in this developed US–EO system. Oxidation parameters such as applied potentials, power of the ultrasound, initial pH of the solution, and initial concentration of RhB were systematically studied and optimized. An obvious synergistic effect was found in decolorization of RhB by the US–EO process when comparing with either ultrasound (US) process or electrocatalytic oxidation (EO) one. Additionally, the decolorization of other azo dyes, such as methylene blue, reactive brilliant red X-3B, and methyl orange, were also effective in the US–EO system. The results indicated that US–EO system was effective for the decolorization of azo dyes, suggesting its great potential in dyeing wastewater treatment.     

Perfect impedance-matched left-handed behavior in combined metamaterial

Matching the impedance of a medium to free space, which is usually not available in natural materials, is an important advance in metamaterials. In this paper, we present a simple mechanism for a perfect impedance-matched left-handed metamaterials, that reveals a nearly zero reflection over operating frequency. This finding is based on the independent manipulation of the electric response without any effect on the magnetic one.     

Performance studies of a full-length prototype for the CASTOR forward calorimeter at the CMS experiment

The Time-Of-Flight detector (TOF) of the ALICE experiment at the CERN LHC is based on Multi-gap Resistive Plate Chambers (MRPCs). The TOF detector consists of 152928 readout channels covering a total area of 141 m². In this paper the results of the calibration with cosmic-ray data collected during 2009 are presented.     

Quantitative analyses of shape-selective intercalation of isomeric mixtures of muconates into [LiAl2(OH)6]Cl.yH2O layered double hydroxide

Quantitative investigation of the shape selectivity for the competitive intercalation reaction of isomeric mixtures in the interlayer of LDH was achieved by analyzing the solid phases synthesized by the reaction of [LiAl(2)(OH)(6)]Cl.yH(2)O with various compositional mixtures of (E,E)- and (Z,Z)-muconates. The apparent partition constant K' for the anion-exchange reaction between (E,E)- and (Z,Z)-muconates was quite dependent on the mole fraction of muconates in solution. The only single phase saturated with [LiAl(2)(OH)(6)](2)[(E,E)-C(6)H(4)O(4)].zH(2)O could be obtained in the range of the initial mole fraction of (E,E)-muconate larger than 0.6 in the starting solution, while mixed phases intercalated with (E,E)- and (Z,Z)-muconates could be obtained at lower mole fractions of (E,E)-muconate. The shape selectivity for the competitive reaction of two muconates on the [LiAl(2)(OH)(6)](+) lattice could be ascribed to thermodynamic processes, and the conditions under which that pure (E,E)-muconate was efficiently separated from isomeric mixtures of two muconates were successfully evaluated.     

Improved expression by cytomegalovirus promoter/enhancer and behavior of vascular endothelial growth factor gene after myocardial injection of naked DNA

Direct injection of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene plasmid DNA into the myocardium was shown to induce development of new blood vessels to increase the circulation in the heart of patients with coronary artery diseases. However, such angiogenic gene therapy (via naked DNA) was limited by low level of gene expression. Furthermore, the temporal and spatial characteristics of VEGF gene transfer in the heart are not known. In this study, we demonstrated that a plasmid vector, containing the human cytomegalovirus immediate early (HCMV IE) promoter and enhancer, induces greater expression of gene in the rat heart monitored by gene fused to the chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) reporter, than four different viral and cellular promoters. Interestingly, expression of VEGF121 protein showed an earlier peak, a shorter duration, and a wider distribution than that of CAT only. Therefore, a plasmid vector with an HCMV IE promoter/enhancer provides clear advantages over other previously developed plasmids. Furthermore, expression profile of VEGF121 gene may provide useful information in the design of angiogenic gene therapy in the heart.     

Quantitative TOF-SIMS analysis of oligomeric degradation products at the surface of biodegradable poly(alpha-hydroxy acid)s

This paper reports the development of a new method for quantification of the hydrolytic surface degradation kinetics of biodegradable poly(alpha-hydroxy acid)s using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS). We report results from static SIMS spectra of a series of poly(alpha-hydroxy acid)s including poly(glycolic acid), poly(L-lactic acid), and random poly(D,L-lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) hydrolyzed in various buffer systems. The distribution of the most intense peak intensities of ions generated in high mass range of the spectrum reflects the intact degradation products (oligomeric hydrolysis products) of each biodegradable polymer. First, a detailed analysis of the oligomeric ions is given based on rearrangement of the intact hydrolysis products. The pattern of ions can distinguish both degradation-generated intact oligomers and their fragment ion peaks with a variety of combinations of each repeat unit. Then, the integration and summation of the area of all ion peaks with the same number of repeat units is proposed as a measurement that provides a more accurate MW average than the typically used method which counts only the most intense peak. The multiple ion summation method described in this paper would be practical in the improvement of quantitative TOF-SIMS studies as a better data reduction method, especially in the surface degradation kinetics of biodegradable polymers.