Single-pixel camera with hole-array disk

Optical Review - A single-pixel camera is composed of optical coding masks, a photo detector, and a computational decoder as the important feature that it requires no image sensor for imaging, and...     

Acceptable range of speech level in noisy sound fields for young adults and elderly persons

The acceptable range of speech level as a function of background noise level was investigated on the basis of word intelligibility scores and listening difficulty ratings. In the present study, the acceptable range is defined as the range that maximizes word intelligibility scores and simultaneously does not cause a significant increase in listening difficulty ratings from the minimum ratings. Listening tests with young adult and elderly listeners demonstrated the following. (1) The acceptable range of speech level for elderly listeners overlapped that for young listeners. (2) The lower limit of the acceptable speech level for both young and elderly listeners was 65 dB (A-weighted) for noise levels of 40 and 45 dB (A-weighted), a level with a speech-to-noise ratio of +15 dB for noise levels of 50 and 55 dB, and a level with a speech-to-noise ratio of +10 dB for noise levels from 60 to 70 dB. (3) The upper limit of the acceptable speech level for both young and elderly listeners was 80 dB for noise levels from 40 to 55 dB and 85 dB or above for noise levels from 55 to 70 dB.     

On strongly almost trivial embeddings of graphs

We present four new classes of graphs, two of which every member has a strongly almost trivial embedding, and the other two of which every member has no strongly almost trivial embeddings. We show that the property that a graph has a strongly almost trivial embedding and the property that a graph has no strongly almost trivial embeddings are not inherited by minors. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory     

M?ssbauer spectroscopic study on valence-detrapping and trapping of mixed-valence trinuclear iron(III, III, II) fluorine-substituted benzoate complexes

Magnetorheological (MR) fluids are new iron-based materials, whose applications include brakes, dampers, clutches, shock absorbers systems and polishing of optical surfaces (lens and mirrors). They are dependent on the size and shape of particles as the magnetic properties. Interested in the possibility of using iron-rich powders, commonly used in nondestructive testing, ranging in size from a few μm to about 200?μm and lower cost than those commercially used for MR fluids, a study of the structural and magnetic properties of iron-rich metallic particles by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and M?ssbauer spectroscopy (MS) at room temperature has been done. Powders, as received, were separated into particle sizes smaller than 20?μm (sample A) and in the range of 20–38?μm (sample B) because these are the sizes generally required for applications in MR fluids. The particles whose sizes exceed the above values were ground in a high energy planetary mill for 3?h, using different values of rotational speed/time: 200?rpm for one hour, a pause of 10?s, 140?rpm for one hour, pause 10?s and then 175?rpm during the last hour. These powders were sieved to obtain particles smaller than 20?μm (sample C). According XRD results, in all samples, only α-Fe (lattice parameter a = 2,867(2) ?) and Fe₂O₃ (lattice parameter a = 5,037(1) ? and c = 13,755(8) ?) were present. The M?ssbauer spectra were fitted with two sextets. The hyperfine parameters values allowed us to assign the highest relative area spectrum (sextet) corresponding to α-Fe and the second one to Fe₂O₃ in accord to the XRD results. Thus, the preparation method using mechanical milling for diminishing the size of the metallic particles allowed us to get particles with size and magnetic properties that could lead to potentially MR fluids applications.     

Hydrolysis of ionized deoxycholic acid in the aqueous phase and rate analysis for transfer of neutralized deoxycholic acid into the benzene phase across the benzene/water interface

Sodium deoxycholate in water dissociates into sodium cation and deoxycholate anion in the aqueous phase, and then, the latter anions partially hydrolyze to form deionized deoxycholic acids. The acids move into the benzene phase, when liquid benzene is placed upon the aqueous phase, and finally the partition equilibrium is reached. The above processes were traced by pH change in the aqueous phase by a pH meter or the change in [OH-] with time, from which the rate for transfer of neutralized acid to the organic phase was analyzed. From the trace, the rate constants for hydrolysis of acid anion ( kf), neutralization of acid ( kb), transfer of neutralized acid from the aqueous phase to the organic phase ( kin*), and its back-transfer from the organic phase to the aqueous phase ( kut*) were evaluated; kf = 2.18 x 10 (-4) mol (-1) dm (3) min (-1), kb = 1.24 x 10 (5) mol (-1) dm (3) min (-1), kin* = 4.06 x 10 (-1) min (-1) cm (-2), and kout*) = 8.00 x 10 (-2) min (-1) cm (-2). The above values are supported by the partition constant of deoxycholic acid between the benzene phase and the aqueous phase.     

Electrooptics of beta-FeOOH particle in aqueous media 2. Field-strength dependence of decay and steady-state birefringence, and the hydrodynamic and electrooptic properties

Steady-state and decay birefringence, expressed in terms of the optical phase retardation per cell length delta/d, was measured on beta-FeOOH in aqueous ionic media at 633 nm and at 25 degrees C by an electric square-pulse technique over a wide range of field strength E to ca. 6 kV/cm. The field-strength dependence of both delta/d and field-free rotational relaxation time tau was determined at the sample concentrations between 0.0011 and 0.055 g/L and in the 0.02-2.0 mM NaCl concentration range. Extrapolation of both delta/d and tau values to infinitely high fields (E(2)-->infinity) could yield birefringence- and weight-average quantities, respectively. Observed tau values were decreased at weak fields but leveled off to ca. 0.3 ms at very high fields due to a slight polydispersity regarding the length and volume of particles. The weight-average relaxation time tau(w) was calculated with Perrin's expressions theoretically from the length, width, and volume of beta-FeOOH particles estimated in the dried state from electron micrograph. These quantities were variously averaged. The size distribution was discussed in terms of observed discrete histogram and theoretical (Weibull and Lansing-Kraemer) distribution functions. The sign of observed delta/d value was always positive. The infinitely high-field (delta/d)(infinity) values and the reduced optical anisotropy factor Delta g/n were evaluated by fitting to theoretical orientation functions. The intrinsic birefringence (n3-n1) could be estimated with the mean refractive index n(p) reported in the literature. For the spindle-shaped particle with an axial ratio of ca. 4, the sign of Delta g/n is always positive, whereas the quantity (n3-n1) was either negative (n(p) > 2.35) or positive (n(p) < 2.05) in sign or nearly zero (ca. n(p) = 2.26), depending critically on the n(p) values.     

Solubilization of n-alkylbenzenes into decanoyl-N-methylglucamide (Mega-10) solution

Solubilization of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, n-propylbenzene, n-butylbenzene, n-pentylbenzene, and n-hexylbenzene into micelles of decanoyl-N-methylglucamide (Mega-10) was studied, where equilibrium concentrations of the above solubilizates were determined spectrophotometrically at 303.2 K. The concentration of the above solubilizates remained constant below the critical micelle concentration (cmc) and increased linearly with an increase in Mega-10 concentration above the cmc. The Gibbs free energy change of the solubilizates from the aqueous bulk to the liquid solubilizate phase was evaluated from the dependence of their aqueous solubility on the alkyl chain length of the solubilizates, which leads to -3.46 kJ mol-1 for DeltaG(0)(CH), the energy change per CH2 group of the alkyl chain. The first stepwise solubilization constant (K(overline)1 ) was evaluated from the slope of the change of solubilizate concentration versus Mega-10 concentration. The Gibbs free energy change (DeltaG(0,s)) for the solubilization decreased linearly with the carbon number of the alkyl chain of the solubilizates, from which DeltaG(0,s)(CH2) as evaluated to be -2.71 kJ mol-1. The similar values above clearly indicate that the location of the alkyl chain is a hydrophobic micellar core, which is also supported by the absorption spectrum of the solubilized molecules.     

Direction control of chemical wave propagation in self-oscillating gel array

A chemomechanical actuator utilizing a reaction-diffusion wave across gap junction was constructed toward a novel mircoconveyer by micropatterned self-oscillating gel array. Unidirectional propagation of the chemical wave of the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction was induced on gel arrays. In the case of using a triangle-shaped gel as an element of the array, the chemical wave propagated from the corner side of the triangle gel to the plane side of the other gel (C-to-P) across the gap junction, whereas it propagated from the plane side to the corner side (P-to-C) in the case of the pentagonal gel array. Numerical analysis based on the Keener-Tyson model was done for understanding the mechanism of unidirectional propagation in triangle and pentagonal gel arrays. The swelling and deswelling changes of the gels followed the unidirectional propagation of the chemical wave.     

A Programmable Signaling Molecular Recognition Nanocavity Prepared by Molecular Imprinting and Post‐Imprinting Modifications

Inspired by biosystems, a process is proposed for preparing next‐generation artificial polymer receptors with molecular recognition abilities capable of programmable site‐directed modification following construction of nanocavities to provide multi‐functionality. The proposed strategy involves strictly regulated multi‐step chemical modifications: 1) fabrication of scaffolds by molecular imprinting for use as molecular recognition fields possessing reactive sites for further modifications at pre‐determined positions, and 2) conjugation of appropriate functional groups with the reactive sites by post‐imprinting modifications to develop programmed functionalizations designed prior to polymerization, allowing independent introduction of multiple functional groups. The proposed strategy holds promise as a reliable, affordable, and versatile approach, facilitating the emergence of polymer‐based artificial antibodies bearing desirable functions that are beyond those of natural antibodies.