Temperature dependent characteristics of La2O2S: Ln [Ln=Eu, Tb] with various Ln concentrations over 5-60 °C

This research is aimed at developing an optical sensor for remotely measuring human skin temperature in electromagnetically hostile environments, such as within a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. In this feasibility study, various concentrations of europium-doped lanthanum oxysulphide (La₂O₂S: Eu—0.1-15 mol% (m/o)) and terbium-doped lanthanum oxysulphide (La₂O₂S: Tb—0.005-50 m/o) have been investigated in terms of crystallinity, photoluminescent (PL) spectral and decay time characteristics. For both phosphors, X-ray diffraction (XRD) has shown that as dopancy increases, the (1 0 0) and (0 0 2) reflections merge and there is a reduction in the c-axis parameter as well as the crystallite size. Photoluminescent characterisation (337 nm excitation) has also shown a dependency to dopant concentration through variance of peak intensity. Temperature dependent decay time measurements were carried out over a low temperature range 5-60 °C. Optimum brightness of these temperature dependent lines is achieved at concentrations of 1 and 10 m/o for La₂O₂S: Eu and La₂O₂S: Tb respectively. However, optimum temperature dependency is achieved at lower concentration for La₂O₂S: Eu, specifically at 0.1 m/o. In comparison to conventional phosphor temperature dependent characteristic, La₂O₂S: Tb showed an increase in decay time with respect to temperature for concentrations above 2 m/o.     

Spectrum planning and performance evaluation between heterogeneous satellite networks

A new network has been recently proposed for the provision of fixed broadband services via high altitude platform stations (HAPS) in the 48/47 GHz band. One of the critical issues of this technology is spectrum sharing with the fixed satellite service. This paper examines the effect of Earth-to-stratosphere co-channel interference produced by ground stations of HAPS network to geostationary orbit (GEO) satellite receivers and proposes an interference-to-noise (I/N) calculation model for the evaluation of the current HAPS ground stations power characteristics set by ITU-R. Analytical and simulation results for archetypal systems in realistic scenarios indicate that efficient use of the spectrum shared between heterogeneous HAPS and Fixed Satellite Networks is feasible. Certain consideration is needed prior to the HAPS network development in suburban areas for latitudes from 55° to 65°, and in rural areas for latitudes from 60° to 75°.     

Stretching of polymer chains by fluctuating flow fields

We investigate polymer stretching by fluctuating flow fields via numerical solutions of the Brownian dynamics of multibead polymer chains taking into account nonlinear elasticity, hydrodynamic interactions and good solvent, excluded volume interaction effects. By varying the scaling exponent of the energy spectrum whilst keeping the same Reynolds and Deborah numbers, as well as microscale length and turnover times, we show that steeper spectra are associated with stronger stretching. We compute the probability density functions of chain length, and explain their main features by examining explicit molecular histories. We quantify the interaction between strain rate tensor structure and chain geometry as a means of understanding better the different stretching mechanisms in mild, moderate and strong polymer stretching regimes.     

Coherent structure formation in turbulent thermal superfluids

By means of numerical calculations, we show that in turbulent thermal superfluids the normal fluid induces coherent bundles of quantized line vortices in the superfluid. These filamentary structures are formed in between the normal fluid vortices, acquiring eventually comparable circulation. They are self-stretched and evolve according to self-regulating dynamics. Their spectrum mimics the normal fluid spectrum with the mutual friction force exciting the large scales and damping the small scales. Strongly interacting triads of them merge sporadically into stronger, braided vortex filaments, inducing strong fluctuations in the system's energetics. A theoretical account of the system's statistical mechanics is proposed.     

Mutual-friction induced instability of normal-fluid vortex tubes in superfluid helium-4

It is shown that, as a result of its interactions with superfluid vorticity, a normal-fluid vortex tube in helium-4 becomes unstable and disintegrates. The superfluid vorticity acquires only a small (few percents of normal-fluid tube strength) polarization, whilst expanding in a front-like manner in the intervortex space of the normal-fluid, forming a dense, unstructured tangle in the process. The accompanied energy spectra scalings offer a structural explanation of analogous scalings in fully developed finite-temperature superfluid turbulence. A macroscopic mutual-friction model incorporating these findings is proposed.     

Interactions between vortex and magnetic rings at high kinetic and magnetic Reynolds numbers

Interactions between magnetic and vortex rings are studied over a wide interval of interaction parameter values ranging from negligible magnetic effects on vorticity structure, to very strong effects. The employed interaction parameter measures the strength of the Lorentz force in units of the inertial force. At small interaction parameters, the vortex ring shapes part of the magnetic ring into a dissipative, curved, magnetic sheet structure. At high interaction parameters, the Lorentz force acts as an agent of proliferation of vortex rings, since it generates two vortex rings adjacent to the original magnetic structure, one of which is pulled (together with the advected magnetic field) into the wake of the original vortex ring, while the other escapes, ready to interact with another magnetic ring. Once within the initial vortex ring wake, both magnetic and vorticity structures are stretched into spirals, whilst the Lorentz force continuously generates new, intense vorticity at high magnetic field sites.     

Enantioselective synthesis of (-)-dihydrocodeinone: a short formal synthesis of (-)-morphine

[reaction: see text] The radical cyclization approach to the morphine alkaloids has been applied in an asymmetric synthesis of (-)-dihydrocodeinone. A chiral cyclohexenol (R-32), from the CBS reduction of the enone, is the source of chirality. The first key step, tandem closure in which stereochemistry is controlled by geometric constraints, (-)-15b --> (+)-16, was followed by an unprecedented reductive hydroamination, completing the synthesis of (-)-dihydroisocodeine ((-)-17) in 13 steps from commercially available materials.     

Stochastic entangled chain dynamics of dense polymer solutions

We propose an adjustable-parameter-free, entangled chain dynamics model of dense polymer solutions. The model includes the self-consistent dynamics of molecular chains and solvent by describing the former via coarse-grained polymer dynamics that incorporate hydrodynamic interaction effects, and the latter via the forced Stokes equation. Real chain elasticity is modeled via the inclusion of a Pincus regime in the polymer's force-extension curve. Excluded volume effects are taken into account via the combined action of coarse-grained intermolecular potentials and explicit geometric tracking of chain entanglements. We demonstrate that entanglements are responsible for a new (compared to phantom chain dynamics), slow relaxation mode whose characteristic time scale agrees very well with experiment. Similarly good agreement between theory and experiment is also obtained for the equilibrium chain size. We develop methods for the solution of the model in periodic flow domains and apply them to the computation of entangled polymer solutions in equilibrium. We show that the number of entanglements Π agrees well with the number of entanglements expected on the basis of tube theory, satisfactorily reproducing the latter's scaling of Π with the polymer volume fraction φ. Our model predicts diminishing chain size with concentration, thus vindicating Flory's suggestion of excluded volume effects screening in dense solutions. The predicted scaling of chain size with φ is consistent with the heuristic, Flory theory based value.