Principles and recent developments in ultrasound contrast agents

The behaviour of gas bubbles and gas encapsulated spheres as echographic contrast agents is reviewed. Compared with rigid spheres, gas bubbles are superior scattering agents and they offer a number of useful properties which can be exploited in a variety of ways. The analysis of their velocity of sound, back-scatter intensity, second harmonic emission and resonant frequency opens up new perspectives in the development of contrast agents for echocardiographic research with potential clinical applications.     

Nonlinear and bistable properties of doped PMMA lightguides

Polymer lightguides of PMMA doped with the azo dyes methyl-red and N, N-dihexyl-4-amino-4'-nitro-azobenzene (DHANA) are investigated with respect to their opto-optical properties. The trans-cis photoisomerisation of the dyes leads to reversible polarization-dependent optically induced refractive index changes. The index changes are anisotropic. Birefringence is measured using index matched lightguides. The changes with respect to each polarization are determined by leaky mode spectroscopy and by using a half-integrated interferometer. These changes are intensity dependent and, with a suitable geometry, bistability at low intensities (3 mW/mm³) can be obtained.     

Analysis of plane and axisymmetric flows of incompressible fluids with the stream tube method: Numerical simulation by trust-region optimization algorithm

New concepts for the study of incompressible plane or axisymmetric flows are analysed by the stream tube method. Flows without eddies and pure vortex flows are considered in a transformed domain where the mapped streamlines are rectilinear or circular. The transformation between the physical domain and the computational domain is an unknown of the problem. In order to solve the non-linear set of relevant equations, we present a new algorithm based on a trust region technique which is effective for non-convex optimization problems. Experimental results show that the new algorithm is more robust compared to the Newton-Raphson method.     

Matrix representation of three-dimensional astigmatic resonators

Three-dimensional astigmatic resonators, typical examples of which are the resonators bounded by cylindrical-spherical mirrors and cylindrical-cylindrical mirrors oriented at an arbitrary crossed angle, are investigated in detail by using a complex curvature tensor concept and generalized tensor ABCD law. Computerized numerical calculations illustrate some interesting characteristics of these astigmatic resonators.     

Surface chemical studies of the influence of In and Al on the decomposition of TEG on GaAs(100)

The interaction of triethylgallium (TEG) with the Ga-stabilized GaAs(100) surface in the presence of In and Al has been investigated using AES (Auger electron spectroscopy), HREELS (high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy) and TDS (thermal desorption spectroscopy) techniques. Al is shown to greatly increase the saturation surface coverage of TEG on the surface and to suppress the desorption of TEG and diethylgallium (DEG). Etching of the surface Al by TEG is observed, resulting in the formation of gas phase Al organic species. Alkyl migration from GA to Al centres occurs, and the presence of Al substantially enhances the irreversible deposition of C. In is found to enhance DEG desorption and to lower the temperature at which absorbed ethyl groups decompose to gas phase ethene. Computer modelling has been carried out to extract kinetic parameters from measured thermal desorption spectra. These parameters are then used to calculate expected partial growth rates of GaAs during the growth of Ga_xAl_1−xAs and Ga_xIn_1−xAs using TEG. The data provide a molecular level understanding of the GaAs pa rtial growth rate variations arising during the deposition of III–V ternary materials.     

Specific carbon-13 labelling of leucine residues in human growth hormone.

Biosynthetic human growth hormone specifically 13C-labelled in the carbonyl positions of all 26 leucine residues has been obtained by recombinant DNA techniques using 13C-labelled leucine and an E. coli strain that requires leucine. It is shown that, on the whole, the labelling is specific with no significant mislabelling as would have been the case had the 13C-labelled leucine been metabolized.     

The fluorite-related anion-excess structure of CeN0.222O0.667F1.333: Ordering of defect clusters

This investigation presents the preparation of CeN_0.222O_0.667F_1.333 by a solid-state reaction from a mixture of CeN:CeF₃:CeO₂ = 1:2:1.5 and its structural investigation. The samples were annealed at 900°C in platinum tubes for different times. The basic structure found by powder neutron diffraction is anion-excess fluorite-related. The unit cell is an orthorhombic distortion of the cubic fluorite cell and has the space group Abm2. The lattice constants are a = 577.71(2) pm, B = 572.76(5) pm, and c = 573.32(6) pm. The structure refined by Rietveld analysis shows that [1:0:2]- defect clusters are present. In samples prepared by longer annealing times an ordering of these clusters to larger aggregates, i.e., toward the vernier phases, was observed. This was deduced from full profile analysis without refining a structural model by comparing the instrumental resolution curves of several models.     

Estimate of the temperature field in a compressible medium

Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, No. 1, pp. 23–26, January–February, 1992.