Versatile routes toward functional, water-soluble nanoparticles via trifluoroethylester-PEG-thiol ligands

This paper reports the synthesis of a trifluoroethylester-PEG-thiol ligand (TFEE-PEG-SH) and its use to create water-soluble, chemically functional Au metal and FePt magnetic nanoparticles. The trifluoroethylester terminus facilitates attachment of any primary-amine-containing molecule via amide bond formation at room temperature without the use of coupling agents. Three possible routes of nanoparticle functionalization are demonstrated: synthesis of Au nanoparticles in the presence of functionalized R-PEG-SH; ligand-exchange of R-PEG-SH onto both Au and FePt nanoparticles; and exchange of TFEE-PEG-SH onto Au nanoparticles followed by subsequent amide condensation. A series of primary-amine-containing molecules, including biotin and fluorescamine, are easily attached to the water-soluble particles, and the resulting materials are characterized by NMR, UV-visible absorption, and emission spectroscopies.     

Design of high-average-power near-millimeter free electron laseroscillators using short period wigglers and sheet electron beams

The design and feasibility of a 1-MW continuous-wave (CW) free electron laser (FEL) oscillator are reviewed. The proposed configuration includes a short-period (I_w~ 1 cm) planar wiggler, a sheet electron beam, a 0.5-1.0-MV thermionic electron gun, a hybrid waveguide/quasi-optical resonator, commercial DC power supplies, and a depressed collector. Cavity ohmic RF losses are estimated to be extremely low (⩽10-100 W/cm²) at 1/MW output power, while thermal heat transfer studies conservatively indicate that wall cooling up to 1500 W/cm² should be possible. Experiments have convincingly verified theory and simulations which predict that negligible body currents will be achievable with low-emittance low-space-charge sheet beams. High-voltage sheet beam gun design studies indicate that the required beam quality can be achieved with CW compatible devices. The spent beam energy distribution is consistent with highly efficient spent beam energy recovery, and the proposed resonator cavity should provide mode discrimination and beam/RF separation capability     

Fold length of single crystals of polystyrene: A conflict with crystallization theories at high supercoolings

The purpose of the work was to test existing theories of chain folded polymer crystallization over a supercooling range which is much is excess to what could be hitherto realized. This was made possible by the recognition that crystallization of isotactic polystyrene in solution could be conducted over an exceptionally wide range of temperatures in an isothermally controlled manner. The results revealed that the familiar inverse dependence of the fold length on supercooling (the behavior observed and studied in polyethylene) was only displayed at the lowest supercooling; at high supercoolings the fold length reached a constant lowest value unaffected by further lowering of the crystallization temperature. This is in conflict with present theories, which predict a catastrophic upswing in fold length at high supercoolings. It is demonstrated that the observations cannot be made compatible with this prediction by any conceivable adjustment of the numerical parameters. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

The measurement of quality in auditorium acoustics by subjective scaling methods—A review of developments in theory and practice

A review is given of subjective measurement methods in auditorium acoustics. Particular emphasis is laid on research in what may be termed the field of psychometric room acoustics. In the past, traditional psychophysical methods have proved useful for the more limited purpose of determining the effects of physical changes on subjective attributes, but more recent developments in psychometric theory now permit aesthetic characteristics, such as quality, to be evaluated on valid subjective measurement scales. At present there is contention concerning the best approach to adopt in applying such subjective scales to the evaluation of auditoria. Two schools of thought have emerged: one favouring preference comparisons, the other semantic differential ratings. The advantages and disadvantages of both methods are discussed in relation to recent projects. It is suggested that the advantages of these two approaches could be combined to derive a reliable subjective measure for evaluating auditoria in the field.     

Coincidence electroproduction of single neutral pions in the resonance region at q2 = 0.5 (GeV/c)2

Data are presented for the reaction ep → epπ⁰ at a nominal four-momentum transfer squared of 0.5 (GeV/c)². The data were obtained using an extracted electron beam from NINA and two magnetic spectrometers for coincidence detection of the electron and proton. Details are given of the experimental method and the results are given for isobar masses in the range 1.19 – 1.73 GeV/c².     

Asymptotic L-based comparison of Tikhonov regularization and Landweber iteration

The distance between the Tikhonov and Landweber regularized solutions of a linear inverse problem is partly controlled by the L^∞-norm of the difference in their corresponding singular value filters. For large Landweber iteration number, the regularization parameter of the closest Tikhonov filter to a given Landweber filter is determined. This asymptotically computed parameter compares well with the numerically computed value even for moderate sized iteration number. A consequence of the analysis is to determine the range of singular values to which the difference in regularized solutions is most sensitive.     

In situ Raman spectroscopy of H2 interaction with WO3 films

It is well known that WO(3) interacts efficiently with H(2) gas in the presence of noble metals (such as Pd, Pt and Au) at elevated temperatures, changing its optical behaviors; and that its crystallinity plays an important role in these interactions. For the first time, we investigated the in situ Raman spectra changes of WO(3) films of different crystal phases, while incorporating Pd catalysts, at elevated temperatures in the presence of H(2). The Pd/WO(3) films were prepared using RF sputtering and subsequently annealed at 300, 400 and 500 °C in air in order to alter the dominant crystal phase. The films were then characterized using SEM, XRD, XPS, and both UV-VIS and Raman spectroscopy. In order to fundamentally study the process, the measurements were conducted when films were interacting with 1% H(2) in synthetic air at elevated sample temperatures (20, 60, 100 and 140 °C). We suggest that the changes of Raman spectra under such conditions to be mainly a function of the crystal phase, transforming from monoclinic to a mix phase of monoclinic and orthorhombic achieved via increasing the annealing temperature. The as-deposited sample consistently shows similar Raman spectra responses at different operating conditions upon H(2) exposure. However, increasing the annealing temperature to 500 °C tunes the optimum H(2) response operating temperature to 60 °C.     

The Virtual Geoscience Workbench,VGW:Open Source tools for discontinuous systems

In 1989 work began on merging finite and discrete elements. During 1990 algorithmic solutions for the new combined method were developed, together with a C-based implementation known as the Y code. In 2004 these developments and implementations were published as a textbook. Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and Imperial College are currently engaged in a research project to make Y codes in both 2D and 3D available in Open Source format and with mainly geoscience problems in mind. The result is a set of...     

Fast formation of thick and transparent titania nanotubular films from sputtered Ti

Ti films sputtered on transparent fluorine-doped tin oxide glass substrates were anodized in fluoride-containing organic electrolyte in the presence of H₂O. In this work, anodic TiO₂ nanotubes (ATNs) as long as 9.2 ± 0.3 μm were obtained with high growth rate of 0.64 ± 0.3 μm min^?1. We demonstrated the optimum anodization conditions for ATN growth on foreign substrates, were within the range of 0.3–0.5% (wt) NH₄F, with 3–5% (vol) H₂O at 60 V. XPS and ICP-MS were utilized to elucidate the increase of thickness and volume expansion obtained from the sputtered Ti film to their ATN forms. The ATN films exhibited excellent uniformity and adhesion to the substrates.