Structure and conformational analysis of CFC-113 by density functional theory calculations and FTIR spectroscopy

Altitude-resolved volume mixing ratio profiles of CFC-113 have recently become available on a global scale with the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE) satellite mission. However, the accuracy of the retrieval is currently limited by the uncertainties on the spectroscopic parameters of CFC-113. This paper reports on the geometrical structure, harmonic frequencies and intensities in the mid-infrared region of the two conformers of CFC-113 and the evaluation of whether theoretical calculations reproduce measurements. The calculations are performed using density functional theory at the B3LYP/6-311+G(3df) level. The molecular geometry parameters, the enthalpy difference and the potential barrier between conformers are calculated. The harmonic frequency of the normal modes of vibration are presented and accurately compared to experimental data. Overtones and combination bands are assigned in the 1200-2500 cm⁻¹ region.     

Application of the ISO 13472-1 in situ technique for measuring the acoustic absorption coefficient of grass and artificial turf surfaces

This paper presents the applicability of an in situ technique based on ISO 13472-1 standard for measuring the acoustic absorption coefficient of grass and artificial turf surfaces for normal incidence from a sound source. The in situ method is based on acoustic impulse response measurement of the material surface. A maximum length sequence (MLS) signal is played through a loudspeaker and the acoustic response from the surface is recorded using a single microphone. The fast Hadamard transform and fast Fourier transform based digital signal post-processing algorithm provides the acoustic absorption coefficient of the surface under test. The normal incidence acoustic absorption coefficient of a commercial artificial quash surface of Dow Co. obtained from this method was compared with the results from the ASTM E1050 impedance tube method for the same surface. The acoustic absorption coefficients of a test-site grass surfaces were measured for 30 mm and 100 mm length of grass blades in wet and dry soil conditions. Substantial difference in the acoustic absorption coefficient was observed for a similar grass-like artificial surface used for estimating sound power of commercial garden equipments and lawnmowers. The advantage of the in situ method lies in its ability to measure the normal incident acoustic absorption coefficient of any planar surface as installed or in situ. Additionally a quick testing time of less than a minute with the use of a laptop sound card based inexpensive data acquisition system is the main feature of this robust method.     

Noise-enhanced human balance control

Noise can enhance the detection and transmission of weak signals in certain nonlinear systems, via a mechanism known as stochastic resonance. Here we show that input noise can be used to improve motor control in humans. Specifically, we show that the postural sway of both young and elderly individuals during quiet standing can be significantly reduced by applying subsensory mechanical noise to the feet. We further demonstrate with input noise a trend towards the reduction of postural sway in elderly subjects to the level of young subjects. These results suggest that noise-based devices, such as randomly vibrating shoe inserts, may enable people to overcome functional difficulties due to age-related sensory loss.     

Pulsed EPR spectrometer with injection-locked UCSB free-electron laser

We describe the first free-electron laser (FEL)-based pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) system designed to study spin dynamics and structure changes of proteins in aqueous solution with nano-second of time resolution. This novel approach opens up the possibility for high-power sub-THz and THz pulsed EPR spectroscopy.     

Time evolution of a fractal distribution: Particle concentrations in free-surface turbulence

Steady-state turbulence is generated in a tank of water and the trajectories of particles forming a compressible system on the surface are tracked in time. The initial uniformly distributed floating particles coagulate and form a fractal structure, a rare manifestation of a strange attractor observable in real space. The surface pattern reaches a steady state in approximately 1 s. Measurements are made of the fractal dimensions D_q(t) (q=1 to 6) of the floating particles starting with the uniform distribution D_q(0)=2 for Taylor Microscale Reynolds number Re_λ?160. Focus is on the time evolution of the correlation dimension D₂(t) as the steady state is approached. This steady state is reached in several large eddy turnover times and does so at an exponential rate.     

Non-reciprocal transmission via phase conjugation in multimode optical fibres

We demonstrate phase conjugate correction of modal distortion of a single mode beam on double-passing a passive highly multimode fibre. Phase conjugation is achieved in a self-pumped photorefractive BaTiO₃ crystal which conjugates only the e-polarised input component. We show that only a small fraction of the multimode fibre output is required to faithfully conjugate the single mode input beam. This technique enables the demonstration of a novel non-reciprocal transmission device, which for example has immediate application in gain-grating holographic resonator designs with multimode fibres as the active gain medium.     

Nanosized metal deposits on titanium dioxide for augmenting gas-phase toluene photooxidation

The build-up of intermediate species on the surface of TiO₂ during gas-phase toluene (C₇H₈) photodegradation has been observed to deactivate the photocatalyst. Nanosized metallic deposits on the TiO₂ surface may enhance the photocatalytic process and improve photocatalyst performance. In this study, noble (Ag, Au) and platinum group (Pt, Pd, Rh) metals, at a nominal loading of 0.5 at.%, were deposited onto Degussa P25 TiO₂ to enhance photocatalyst performance and inhibit deactivation. Pd, Rh and Au deposits delayed photocatalyst deactivation by a factor of 2, while Pt deposits delayed photocatalyst deactivation by a factor of 20, when compared with neat TiO₂. Ag deposits did not improve photocatalyst activity. Metal deposit performance was related to the work function of each metal, however, the Pt finding suggested that these effects are not governed solely by this aspect, but factors such as deposit characteristics and/or thermal catalytic properties of the metals may be influential.     

Cryptanalysis and Improvement in Multi-Party Quantum Key Distribution Protocol with New Bell States Encoding Mode

International Journal of Theoretical Physics - Ma et al. [Int. J. Theor. Phys. (2021): 1328–1338] proposed a multi-party quantum key distribution (MQKD) protocol using Bell states, in which...