Scattered-light flow-optic relations adaptable to three-dimensional flow birefringence

The scattered-light method has been studied with the aim of developing a flow-optic relation which can be used for the analysis of three-dimensional flow problems of Newtonian fluids utilizing flow birefringence. A set of flow-optic relations which potentially can be adapted to three-dimensional scattered-light birefringent analysis has been developed on a phenomenological basis for the aqueous suspensions of Milling Yellow. Good agreement with theoretical solutions was obtained when these relations were applied to flows through channels of three different geometries.     

Development of Organic Dye‐Based Molecular Materials for Use in Fullerene‐Free Organic Solar Cells

This personal account describes the pursuit of non‐fullerene acceptors designed from simple and accessible organic pi‐conjugated building blocks and assembled through efficient direct (hetero)arylation cross‐coupling protocols. Initial materials development focused on isoindigo and diketopyrrolopyrrole organic dyes flanked by imide‐based terminal acceptors. Efficiencies in solution‐processed organic solar cells were modest but highlighted the potential of the material design. Materials performance was improved through structural engineering to pair perylene diimide with these organic dyes. Optimization of active layer processing and solar cell device fabrication identified the perylene diimide flanked diketopyrrolopyrrole structure as the best framework, with fullerene‐free organic solar cells achieving power conversion efficiencies above 6 %. This material has met our criteria for a simple wide band gap fullerene alternative for pairing with a range of donor polymers.     

Zeros of the Whittaker function associated to Coulomb waves

The zeros in the complex z plane of the Whittaker function W_c/z,µ(z),closely related to spherical waves in the quantum-mechanicalCoulomb problem, are investigated for varying real values ofthe parameters c and µ     

Infrared absorptivity of the 9.6 μm ozone band as a function of spectral resolution and abundance

The i.r. absorptivity of the R-branch maximum (9.48 μm) of gaseous ozone was determined at 25°C as a function of spectral resolution and absorbance a/a total pressure of 735 torr of dry air. Ozone samples produced by a high voltage discharge in oxygen, and measured accurately by either a pressure or volume change, were spectroscopically measured in a 57741. environmental chamber at paths up to 69.17 m. A linear relation between spectral slit (Δv) and the ratio of the absorbances (R_v/p) of the observed absorption minimum between the R and Q branches to the absorption maximum of the R-branch was found for cm^-1 < Δv < 10cm^-1 and for absorption up to 48%. The i.r. absorptivity varied approx. 20% (from 3.9 to 4.8 cm^-1 STP) over the range of values for R_v/p studied. Absorptivity was weakly dependent on ozone abundance (w) for w?0.03 cm STP.     

A mathematical model of aging-related and cortisol induced hippocampal dysfunction

Background  

The hippocampus is essential for declarative memory synthesis and is a core pathological substrate for Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common aging-related dementing disease. Acute increases in plasma cortisol are associated with transient hippocampal inhibition and retrograde amnesia, while chronic cortisol elevation is associated with hippocampal atrophy. Thus, cortisol levels could be monitored and managed in older people, to decrease their risk of AD type hippocampal dysfunction. We generated an in silicomodel of the chronic effects of elevated plasma cortisol on hippocampal activity and atrophy, using the systems biology mark-up language (SBML). We further challenged the model with biologically based interventions to ascertain if cortisol associated hippocampal dysfunction could be abrogated.