Absorbing boundary conditions for reaction-diffusion equations

We treat here of the question of absorbing boundary conditionsfor nonlinear diffusion equations. We use the conditions designedfor the linear equation, we prove them to be well posed forthe nonlinear problem, and through numerical experiments thatthey are well suited for reaction–diffusion equations.     

Monitoring the Transition from Spherical to Polymer‐like Surfactant Micelles Using Small‐Angle X‐Ray Scattering

Despite over a century of modern surfactant science, the kinetic pathways of morphological transitions in micellar systems are still not well understood. This is mainly as a result of the lack of sufficiently fast methods that can capture the structural changes of such transitions. Herein, a simple surfactant system consisting of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in aqueous NaCl solutions is investigated. Combining synchrotron radiation small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS) with fast stopped‐flow mixing schemes allows monitoring the process where polymer‐like micelles are formed from globular micelles when the salt concentration is suddenly increased. The results show that “worm‐like” micelles are formed by fusion of globular micelles and short cylinders in a fashion that bears similarities to a step‐like polymerization process.     

Asphaltene multilayer growth in porous medium probed by SANS

Presence of suspended particles such as asphaltene in crude oils could significantly affect the production by means of deposition in porous media especially near the well bore. We investigate this phenomenon using the ability of Small Angle Neutron Scattering technique to probe directly the asphaltene adsorption process in a porous medium at the nanometer length scale under flow conditions. A device based on a quartz tube filled with SiC particles constitute the porous medium in which an asphaltene solution in a mixture of good (toluene)/bad (heptane) solvent is injected under controlled flow. The contrast matching technique enables to match the porous medium scattering contributions and to measure the signal of the deposit. Such a device can be used for curves surface measurements on a setup originally designed for bulk studies and permit thus the direct comparison with measurements on flat surfaces (neutron reflectivity) and indirect adsorption measurements (adsorption isotherm). We show here that asphaltene in good solvent leads to a monolayer whereas addition of bad solvent results in a multilayer growth which is consistent with the deposition behaviour described in the literature.     

The3He(γ,2p)n reaction for Eγ=80-170MeV

The cross section for the³He(γ, 2p) reaction has been measured in a complete kinematics experiment in the energy rangeE _γ=80–170 MeV, forθ _P1=θ _P2=90°. This configuration was selected in order to investigate the role of proton-proton final state interactions in the three-body breakup process. The measured proton spectra are seen to be consistent with a prediction using the Watson-Migdal formalism. The magnitude of the observed cross section clearly indicates an enhancement over phase space, presumably due to the strong proton-proton interaction in the final state. The experimental results agree, within their limited statistical accuracy, with a theoretical calculation which includes this effect.     

New measurement of the beta decay rate of the16N(0−)-16O(0+) transition

The beta decay rate of the¹⁶N(0^?; 120keV) →¹⁶O(0⁺, G.S.) transition has been remeasured. Our result (Λ _β =0.48±0.024 s^?1) is in excellent agreement with a previous measurement but strongly disagrees with another experimental value. The two agreeing results provide an experimental verification of the importance of meson exchange currents in 0⁺-0^? weak transitions. A value ofg _p/g _A～11–12 can be inferred from the correspondingΛ _μ rate.     

Measurement of the beta spectrum of the 0− (120 keV) state of16N

We have measured the beta spectrum of the 0^?(120 keV,t _1/2=5.25 μs) state of¹⁶N. The response function of our detector has been measured, parameterized and then fitted to known spectral shapes taken under conditions close to those in the actual experiment. Using this response function and subtracting a 56 μs half-life background due to neutron capture in the detector, the measured 0^? spectrum compares well with the allowed shape for the 0^?→0⁺ spectrum plus a small contribution from the allowed 0^?→1^? transition.     

Photochemical properties of selected flavonol dyes: Effects on their separation using capillary electrophoresis

Flavonols are naturally occurring dyes that can be extracted from plants. Because of their antioxidant properties, they are thought to have health benefits. In this study, the photochemical degradation properties of selected flavonols were investigated. Dilute solutions of dyes were exposed to light from a broadband visible light source, and the rate of photodegradation was determined by measuring the decrease in fluorescence of the dyes with respect to time. At pH 9.24, the first-order rate constants for 10?µg?mL^?1 solutions of myricetin, quercetin, kaempferol, and morin were 0.468, 0.162, 0.108, and 0.126?s^?1, respectively. Interestingly, the stability of these historical dyes was also found to be greatly affected by pH. Awareness of the photochemical properties and stability of flavonol dyes is very important for capillary electrophoresis (CE) separations. Photodegradation of the flavonol dyes under the alkaline conditions (pH 9.2) used in CE can have a profound effect on the reproducibility of repeated separations. Even a modest decrease in pH (pH 8.5) greatly improved the stability of these dyes and enabled the successful separation of these flavonol dyes with minimal degradation over time.