Pulsed-Field-Gradient Measurements of Time-Dependent Gas Diffusion

Pulsed-field-gradient NMR techniques are demonstrated for measurements of time-dependent gas diffusion. The standard PGSE technique and variants, applied to a free gas mixture of thermally polarized xenon and O₂, are found to provide a reproducible measure of the xenon diffusion coefficient (5.71 × 10⁻⁶m²s⁻¹for 1 atm of pure xenon), in excellent agreement with previous, non-NMR measurements. The utility of pulsed-field-gradient NMR techniques is demonstrated by the first measurement of time-dependent (i.e., restricted) gas diffusion inside a porous medium (a random pack of glass beads), with results that agree well with theory. Two modified NMR pulse sequences derived from the PGSE technique (named the Pulsed Gradient Echo, or PGE, and the Pulsed Gradient Multiple Spin Echo, or PGMSE) are also applied to measurements of time dependent diffusion of laser polarized xenon gas, with results in good agreement with previous measurements on thermally polarized gas. The PGMSE technique is found to be superior to the PGE method, and to standard PGSE techniques and variants, for efficiently measuring laser polarized noble gas diffusion over a wide range of diffusion times.     

Fluorinated tropylium ions in the mass spectra of some polyfluoroaromatic compounds

The most prominent ion in the mass spectra of C₆F₅CH₂X (X ? H, Br, CH:CH₂, COCl, and CH₂C₆F₅) is C₇F₅H₂⁺, formulated as the pentafluorotropylium cation. This ion is also found, in an amount comparable to the parent ion, in the spectrum of (C₆F₅)₂CH₂. The heptafluorotropylium cation is found similarly in the spectrum of C₆F₅CF₃. The mass spectra of (C₆F₅)₂CHBr and [(C₆H₅)₂CH]₂ exhibit an ion C₁₃F₁₀H⁺ as the base peak, which is probably a pentafluorophenylpentafluorotropylium cation. The alcohol (C₆F₅)₂CHOH shows loss of C₆F₅, followed by 2H, as a major breakdown pathway. The mode of formation, and the subsequent fragmentation, of the major ions in these spectra, are discussed.     

Diffusion NMR methods applied to xenon gas for materials study

We report initial NMR studies of (i) xenon gas diffusion in model heterogeneous porous media and (ii) continuous flow laser-polarized xenon gas. Both areas utilize the pulsed gradient spin-echo (PGSE) techniques in the gas phase, with the aim of obtaining more sophisticated information than just translational self-diffusion coefficients--a brief overview of this area is provided in the Introduction. The heterogeneous or multiple-length scale model porous media consisted of random packs of mixed glass beads of two different sizes. We focus on observing the approach of the time-dependent gas diffusion coefficient, D(t) (an indicator of mean squared displacement), to the long-time asymptote, with the aim of understanding the long-length scale structural information that may be derived from a heterogeneous porous system. We find that D(t) of imbibed xenon gas at short diffusion times is similar for the mixed bead pack and a pack of the smaller sized beads alone, hence reflecting the pore surface area to volume ratio of the smaller bead sample. The approach of D(t) to the long-time limit follows that of a pack of the larger sized beads alone, although the limiting D(t) for the mixed bead pack is lower, reflecting the lower porosity of the sample compared to that of a pack of mono-sized glass beads. The Pade approximation is used to interpolate D(t) data between the short- and long-time limits. Initial studies of continuous flow laser-polarized xenon gas demonstrate velocity-sensitive imaging of much higher flows than can generally be obtained with liquids (20-200 mm s-1). Gas velocity imaging is, however, found to be limited to a resolution of about 1 mm s-1 owing to the high diffusivity of gases compared with liquids. We also present the first gas-phase NMR scattering, or diffusive-diffraction, data, namely flow-enhanced structural features in the echo attenuation data from laser-polarized xenon flowing through a 2 mm glass bead pack.     

1H and 13C NMR signal assignment of cucurbitacin derivatives from Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrader and Ecballium elaterium L. (Cucurbitaceae)

2D NMR-derived 1H and 13C NMR signal assignments of six structurally closely related cucurbitacin derivatives are presented. The investigated 2-O-beta-D-glucopyranosylcucurbitacins I, J, K, and L were obtained from Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrader whereas the aglyca cucurbitacin E and I were isolated from Ecballium elaterium L.     

A hybrid nanofluid analysis near a parabolic stretched surface

Two dimensional incompressible steady viscous nano-fluid flow with the impacts of heat generation and porous medium is examined numerically. For this objective Ti₆Al₄v are taken as nano-particles dispersed in different base fluids such as methanol, engine oil and water. Basically in this study we will compare three different nano-fluids to assess their flow behaviour and thermal performance. The flow model is developed under certain assumptions. The two dimensional non-linear PDEs are converted into non-linear ODEs with suitable transformation. The numerical procedure is adopted to find the results by using Bvp4c technique in MATLAB. Moreover, graphs are generated for various parameters against the temperature and velocity profiles. The fluid behaviour for different parameter is examined on velocity and temperature profile. It is depicted that for high values of volume fraction and curvature parameter nano-particles leads to high velocity and temperature profile. Moreover, velocity profile decreases for permeability parameter, while temperature profile enhances for heat generation parameter. The influence of Nusselt number and skin friction also assessed. The model of entropy generation is also presented.     

Experimental realization of one-way quantum computing with two-photon four-qubit cluster states

We report an experimental realization of one-way quantum computing on a two-photon four-qubit cluster state. This is accomplished by developing a two-photon cluster state source entangled both in polarization and spatial modes. With this special source, we implemented a highly efficient Grover's search algorithm and high-fidelity two-qubit quantum gates. Our experiment demonstrates that such cluster states could serve as an ideal source and a building block for rapid and precise optical quantum computation.     

A chemometric method to identify enzymatic reactions leading to the transition from glycolytic oscillations to waves

In the present work we demonstrate that FTIR-spectroscopy is a powerful tool for the time resolved and noninvasive measurement of multi-substrate/product interactions in complex metabolic networks as exemplified by the oscillating glycolysis in a yeast extract. Based on a spectral library constructed from the pure glycolytic intermediates, chemometric analysis of the complex spectra allowed us the identification of many of these intermediates. Singular value decomposition and multiple level wavelet decomposition were used to separate drifting substances from oscillating ones. This enabled us to identify slow and fast variables of glycolytic oscillations. Most importantly, we can attribute a qualitative change in the positive feedback regulation of the autocatalytic reaction to the transition from homogeneous oscillations to travelling waves. During the oscillatory phase the enzyme phosphofructokinase is mainly activated by its own product ADP, whereas the transition to waves is accompanied with a shift of the positive feedback from ADP to AMP. This indicates that the overall energetic state of the yeast extract determines the transition between spatially homogeneous oscillations and travelling waves.     

Magneto-Structural analysis of rotating electrical machines

The vibrations of the stator core of a rotating electrical machine induce acoustic noise. These oscillations of the stator yoke are excited of the force density due to the magnetic field in the air gap. This requires a transient magnetic field analysis coupled with a dynamic mechanical analysis. Coupling these two different physical fields results in a high numerical effort and usually one direction of the interaction is disregarded. This paper presents a method to calculate the vibrations of a stator core under design operating conditions. For this purpose, harmonic electromagnetic excitation forces have been calculated in a linear magnetic field analyses using the finite element method. The resulting forces have been applied to a linear structural dynamic FE model in the frequency domain. The results of the calculations are harmonic velocities specified by amplitude and phase from the structural surface of the stator core. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)