Comparative analysis of refrigerant performance between LPG and R134a under subtropical climate

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - In this investigation, a series of experiments were conducted to explore the effects of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) mixture of 60% propane and 40%...     

Tractor beam for fully immersed multiple objects: Long distance pulling,trapping, and rotation with a single optical set‐up

In this article, we have theoretically demonstrated the mechanism of an active tractor beam for multiple fully immersed objects with additional abilities to yielding stable long distance levitation, a controlled rotation and a desired 3D trapping. This is demonstrated with a single optical set‐up by using two coaxial, or even non‐coaxial, superimposed higher order monochromatic Bessel beams of reverse helical nature and different frequencies. The superimposed beams can possess periodic intensity variations both along and around the beam‐axis due to a difference in longitudinal wave‐numbers and beam orders, respectively. The difference in frequencies of the two laser beams makes the intensity pattern to move along and around the beam‐axis in a continuous way without manual ramping of phase, which allows for bidirectional movement of completely immersed multiple particles. The condition for increasing or decreasing the dimension of binding regions is also proposed here to manipulate multiple immersed objects of different sizes under dipole approximation.

     

Design and numerical analysis of a gold-coated photonic crystal fiber based refractive index sensor

Optical and Quantum Electronics - Optical sensors are very attractive in chemical and bio-chemical applications due to some unique characteristics, such as immunity to electromagnetic interference...     

Design of a Simple Integrated Coupler for SPP Excitation in a Dielectric Coated Ag Thin Film

A simple integrated coupler is proposed for the efficient excitation of surface plasmon polariton （SPP） mode in a thin metal film. The SPP mode is generated in a single Ag-dielectric interface by the incident field and coupled with an Ag thin film. The coupling efficiency at different wavelengths using two different dielectrics, gallium lanthanum sulfide （GLS） and aluminum gallium arsenide （AIGaAs） is calculated by analyzing the SPP propagation dynamics with the finite difference time domain method. A maximum coupling efficiency of 70~ is obtained at a wavelength of 46Ohm when GLS is used, whereas the corresponding value obtained for A1GaAs is 60~o at 56Onto. The proposed structure can be used to excite SPPs in a nano-thin film from an external bulky source and is easier to fabricate since a single interface metal-dielectric configuration is used to excite the metal-thin film.     

The Effects of Prolonged Storage on ARPE-19 Cells Stored at Three Different Storage Temperatures

This study aimed to investigate how prolonged storage of adult retinal pigment epithelial (ARPE-19) cell sheets affects cell metabolism, morphology, viability, and phenotype. ARPE-19 cell sheets were stored at three temperatures (4 °C, 16 °C, and 37 °C) for three weeks. Metabolic status and morphology of the cells were monitored by sampling medium and examining cells by phase-contrast microscopy, respectively, throughout the storage period. Cell viability was analyzed by flow cytometry, and phenotype was determined by epifluorescence microscopy after the storage. Lactate production and glucose consumption increased heavily, while pH dropped considerably, through storage at 37 °C compared to 4 °C and 16 °C. During storage, morphology started to deteriorate first at 4 °C, then at 37 °C, and was maintained the longest at 16 °C. Viability of the cells after three weeks of storage was best preserved at 16 °C, while cells stored at 4 °C and 37 °C had reduced viability. Dedifferentiation indicated by reduced expression of retinal pigment epithelium-specific protein 65 (RPE65), zonula occludens protein 1 (ZO-1), and occludin after three weeks of storage was noticed in all experimental groups compared to control. We conclude that storage temperature affects the metabolic status of ARPE-19 cells and that 16 °C reduces metabolic activity while protecting viability and morphology.     

Recyclable grease-proof cellulose nanocomposites with enhanced water resistance for food serving applications

Cellulose - Recyclable cellulose nanofibril (CNF) and lignin-containing cellulose nanofibril (LCNF) coated wood flour composites were fabricated using a vacuum-filtration process for food serving...     

Design and analysis of a gallium lanthanum sulfide based nanoplasmonic coupler yielding 67% efficiency

In this paper, we propose a novel ultra-compact nanoplasmonic coupler using gallium lanthanum sulfide (GLS) which yields an efficiency of 67% at the optical communication wavelength. The analysis has been done numerically using the finite-difference time-domain method. Our proposed coupler can operate at a broad frequency range and easier to fabricate than couplers with multi-section tappers since it is a simple rectangular-shaped coupler with no variation along the whole length.     

Bio-inspired optimization algorithms for optical parameter extraction of dielectric materials: A comparative study

Particle swarm optimization(PSO) and invasive weed optimization(IWO) algorithms are used for extracting the modeling parameters of materials useful for optics and photonics research community. These two bio-inspired algorithms are used here for the first time in this particular field to the best of our knowledge. The algorithms are used for modeling graphene oxide and the performances of the two are compared. Two objective functions are used for different boundary values. Root mean square(RMS) deviation is determined and compared.