Droplet-based microfluidics with nonaqueous solvents and solutions

In droplet-based ("digital") microfluidics, liquid droplets in contact with dielectric surfaces are created, moved, merged and mixed by applying AC or DC potentials across electrodes patterned beneath the dielectric. We show for the first time that it is possible to manipulate droplets of organic solvents, ionic liquids, and aqueous surfactant solutions in air by these mechanisms using only modest voltages (<100 V) and frequencies (<10 kHz). The feasibility of moving any liquid can be predicted empirically from its frequency-dependent complex permittivity, epsilon*. The threshold for droplet actuation in air with our two-plate device configuration is /epsilon*/>8x10(-11). The mechanistic implications of these results are discussed, along with the greatly expanded range of applications for digital microfluidics that these results suggest are now feasible.     

Nucleation efficiency of R134a as a sensitive liquid for superheated drop emulsion detector

Superheated emulsion detector is known to detect neutrons, γ-rays and other charged particles. The present work includes the study of nucleation efficiency of superheated drops of one of the CFC-free liquids, R134a (C₂H₂F₄), to fast neutrons, its response to γ-rays from ²⁴¹Am and ¹³⁷Cs and compare its nucleation efficiency with that of R12. The observation indicates that because of the presence of hydrogen, the nucleation efficiency is less in R134a than in R12 in the present neutron energy range of consideration. R134a is one of the most environment-friendly, commercially available liquid that is suitable for superheated drop detector, specially in neutron dosimetry and one needs to investigate it in detail.     

Design of medium energy beam transport line between the RFQ and the Linac in the radioactive ion beam facility at VECC,Kolkata

The design of a medium energy beam transport (MEBT) line comprising of a re-buncher and four quadrupoles, two upstream and the other two downstream of the re-buncher, has been presented. The design was done to ensure almost 100% transport of heavy-ion beams of about 99 keV/u energy from RFQ having a q/A not less than 1/14 through the re-buncher and then through IH Linac of about 0.6 m length in which beam would be accelerated to about 185 keV/u. The re-buncher has been designed to operate at 37.8 MHz, the resonating frequency of both the RFQ and the IH Linac. The entire beam line has been installed and recently O⁵⁺ beam from RFQ has been transported through the re-buncher and subsequently accelerated in the IH Linac successfully.     

Franck-Condon factors and r-centroids of B-X, C-X and C-A band systems of AlO molecule

Using the high resolution Fourier transform spectrometer the B²Σ⁺-X²Σ⁺ band system of AlO molecule has been recorded. The rotational structure of eighteen bands belonging to B²Σ⁺-X²Σ⁺ transition of AlO have been analyzed which led to accurate rotational and vibrational constants of ground and excited states. A few bands, viz. (2, 1), (3, 2), (4, 3), (2, 3), (3, 4), (4, 5), and (5, 6) were analyzed for the first time. Using these constants, the Franck-Condon factors and r-centroids were computed for the bands of B-X, C-X and C-A band systems for the v′ = 0-8; v″ = 0-8 matrix using the method developed by Jarmain and Nicholls. The F-C factors and r-centroids obey the established relationships.     

Structural damage assessment in a cantilever beam with a breathing crack using higher order frequency response functions

Vibration measurements offer an effective, inexpensive and fast means of non-destructive testing of structures and various engineering components. There are mainly two approaches to crack detection through vibration testing; open crack model with emphasis on changes in modal parameters and secondly, the breathing crack model focusing on nonlinear response characteristics. The open crack model based on linear response characteristics can identify the crack only at an advanced stage. Researchers have shown that a structure with a breathing crack behaves more like a nonlinear system, similar to that of a bilinear oscillator and the nonlinear response characteristics can very well be investigated to identify the presence of the crack. In the present study, the bilinear restoring force is approximated by a polynomial series and a nonlinear dynamic model of the cracked structure is developed using higher order frequency response functions. The effect of crack severity on the response harmonic amplitudes are investigated and a new procedure is suggested whereby the crack severity can be estimated through measurement of the first and second harmonic amplitudes.     

Determinant Representation for Some Transition Probabilities in the TASEP with Second Class Particles

We study the transition probabilities for the totally asymmetric simple exclusion process (TASEP) on the infinite integer lattice with a finite, but arbitrary number of first and second class particles. Using the Bethe ansatz we present an explicit expression of these quantities in terms of the Bethe wave function. In a next step it is proved rigorously that this expression can be written in a compact determinantal form for the case where the order of the first and second class particles does not change in time. An independent geometrical approach provides insight into these results and enables us to generalize the determinantal solution to the multi-class TASEP.     

Solid-phase synthesis of 1,3-azole-based peptides and peptidomimetics

[reaction: see text] We report highly efficient two-step procedures for the synthesis of 1,3-oxazole-, thiazole-, and imidazole-containing peptides on solid phase from dipeptides composed of C-terminal threonine, serine, cysteine, or diaminopropionic acid by using different cyclodehydration procedures followed or preceded by oxidation. The methods are compatible with Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis conditions and with N-Fmoc, N-Boc, N-Cbz, and N-Alloc protecting groups.     

Elliptic flow of thermal photons in relativistic nuclear collisions

We predict the transverse momentum (p(T)) dependence of elliptic flow of thermal photons for Au + Au collisions at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. We model the system hydrodynamically, with a thermalized quark-gluon plasma at early times followed by hadronization and decoupling. Photons are emitted throughout the expansion history. Contrary to hadron elliptic flow, which increases monotonically with p(T), the elliptic flow nu2(p(T)) of thermal photons is predicted to first rise and then fall again. Photon elliptic flow at high p(T) reflects the quark momentum anisotropy at early times when it is small, while at low p(T) it mirrors the large pion momentum anisotropy during the late hadronic emission stage. An interesting structure is predicted at intermediate p(T) approximately 0.4 GeV/c, where photon elliptic flow reflects the momenta and the (compared to pions) reduced nu2 of heavy vector mesons in the late hadronic phase.     

In-situ and ex-situ study of crystallization behaviour of magnetron sputtered Ni63Zr37 amorphous thin film

ABSTRACT

The stages of crystallization of magnetron sputter-deposited Ni₆₃Zr₃₇ film with mostly amorphous structure have been investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and in-situ annealing at 300°C by use of heating stage on a high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM). These results have been further confirmed by grazing incidence X-ray diffraction analyses of thin film specimens annealed ex-situ at 300°C for various durations. The temperature for crystallization found by DSC has been found to increase from 371°C to 434°C with an increase in heating rate from 3°C/min to 10°C/min, and the apparent activation energy for amorphous to crystalline transformation has been found as ～260.2?kJ/mol from the Kissinger plot. Studies on HRTEM using in-situ heating stage have shown the crystallization to occur on annealing at 300°C for ～10?min. Crystallization at a temperature lower than that found by DSC is attributed to structural relaxation with reduction of free volume due to thermal activation. It has been observed that Ni₃Zr forms first due to its large negative enthalpy of formation, and is followed by the formation of Ni-rich solid solution (Ni_ss) grains. HRTEM studies have shown grain rotation with the formation of partial dislocations at Ni₃Zr-Ni_ss interfaces as well as twinning followed by detwinning with dislocation formation in the Ni_ss matrix possibly to reduce the interfacial energy.