Stacking the Equiangular Spiral

We present an algorithm that adapts the mature Stack and Draw (SaD) methodology for fabricating the exotic Equiangular Spiral Photonic Crystal Fiber. (ES-PCF) The principle of Steiner chains and circle packing is exploited to obtain a non-hexagonal design using a stacking procedure based on Hexagonal Close Packing. The optical properties of the proposed structure are promising for SuperContinuum Generation. This approach could make accessible not only the equiangular spiral but also other quasi-crystal PCF through SaD

An Experimental Investigation on the Effects of Forming Temperature and Sintering Schedule to the Final Characteristics of Fe92Cu7.5Al0.5 Powder Compacts

This paper presents the development of FeCuAl powder compacts through warm compaction process. A lab-scale uni-axial die compaction rig was designed and fabricated which enabled the powder forming at elevated temperature. Iron powder ASC 100.29 was mechanically mixed with other elemental powders, i.e., copper (Cu), and aluminium (Al) for 30 minutes at a rotation of 30 rpm. Green compacts were then generated by forming the prepared feedstock at 30ºC (room temperature), 150ºC, and 200ºC through simultaneous upward and downward axial loadings of 325 MPa. The defect-free green compacts were subsequently sintered in argon gas fired furnace at 800ºC for three different holding times, i.e., 30, 60, and 90 minutes at three different rates, i.e., 5, 10, and 15ºC/min. The final products were characterized for their physical, electrical, and mechanical properties and their microstructures were evaluated. The results revealed that the suitable forming temperature is 150ºC, holding time is 30 minute, and sintering rate is 10ºC/min

Interface-induced heavy-hole/light-hole splitting of acceptors in silicon

The energy spectrum of spin-orbit coupled states of individual sub-surface boron acceptor dopants in silicon have been investigated using scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) at cryogenic temperatures. The spatially resolved tunnel spectra show two resonances which we ascribe to the heavy- and light-hole Kramers doublets. This type of broken degeneracy has recently been argued to be advantageous for the lifetime of acceptor-based qubits [Phys. Rev. B 88 064308 (2013)]. The depth dependent energy splitting between the heavy- and light-hole Kramers doublets is consistent with tight binding calculations, and is in excess of 1 meV for all acceptors within the experimentally accessible depth range (< 2 nm from the surface). These results will aid the development of tunable acceptor-based qubits in silicon with long coherence times and the possibility for electrical manipulation

Characterization of silicon nanowire by use of full-vectorial finite element method.

We have carried out a rigorous H-field-based full-vectorial modal analysis and used it to characterize, more accurately, the abrupt dielectric discontinuity of a high index contrast optical waveguide. The full-vectorial H and E fields and the Poynting vector profiles are described in detail. It has been shown through this work that the mode profile of a circular silicon nanowire is not circular and also contains a strong axial field component. The single-mode operation, vector field profiles, modal hybridness, modal ellipticity, and group velocity dispersion of this silicon nanowire are also presented

An Improved Slant Path Attenuation Prediction Method in Tropical Climates

An improved method for predicting slant path attenuation in tropical climates is presented in this paper. The proposed approach is based on rain intensity data R_0.01 (mm/h) from 37 tropical and equatorial stations; and is validated by using the measurement data from a few localities in tropical climates. The new method seems to accurately predict the slant path attenuation in tropical localities, and the comparative tests seem to show significant improvement in terms of the RMS of the relative error variable compared to the RMS obtained with the SAM, Crane, and ITU-R prediction models

Oral cancer secretome: Identification of cancer-associated proteins

This study aims to identify cancer-associated proteins in the secretome of oral cancer cell lines. We have successfully established four primary cell cultures of normal cells with a limited lifespan without human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) immortalization. The secretome of these primary cell cultures were compared with that of oral cancer cell lines using 2DE. Thirty five protein spots were found to have changed in abundance. Unambiguous identification of these proteins was achieved by MALDI TOF/TOF. In silico analysis predicted that 24 of these proteins were secreted via classical or nonclassical mechanisms. The mRNA expression of six genes was found to correlate with the corresponding protein abundance. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) core analysis revealed that the identified proteins were relevant in, and related to, cancer development with likely involvements in tumor growth, metastasis, hyperproliferation, tumorigenesis, neoplasia, hyperplasia, and cell transformation. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that a comparative study of the secretome of cancer versus normal cell lines can be used to identify cancer-associated proteins.Article Link: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/elps.201300126/abstrac

Preparation and Characterization of Polymer Electrolyte of Glycidyl Methacrylate-Methyl Methacrylate-LiClO 4

In the present investigation, we study the properties of the plasticized polyglycidyl methacrylate P(GMA) copolymerized with polymethyl methacrylate P(MMA)-LiClO4 polymer electrolyte prepared by solution casting technique. The electrolyte was characterized using impedance spectroscopy (EIS), Fourier transforms infrared (FTIR), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The conductivity was improved from 1.3×10−12 S cm−1 to 8.7×10−6 S cm−1 upon the addition of 25 wt.% LiClO4 salt into P(GMA-MMA). The conductivity was improved from 1.4×10−6 S cm−1 to 3.0×10−4 S cm−1 upon the addition of 80 wt.% EC into P(GMA-MMA)-LiClO4 The band that belongs to C–O–C is shifted farther than the band of C=O upon the addition of LiClO4 into P(GMA-MMA). The band of C–O–C stretching is shifted to lower wavenumber upon the addition of EC into P(GMA-MMA)-LiClO4. Upon the addition of EC into P(GMA-co-MMA), the intensity of the peaks decreases, implying the amorphous nature of the electrolyte increases with the concentration of the plasticizer. The electrolyte is electrochemically stable at 3.8 V, making it suitable for dye-sensitized solar cell application

Structure of the Deformed 7075 Aircraft Al - Alloy with Material Analysis Using Diffraction (MAUD)

This work aims to study the effect of plastic deformation on the 7075 Al - alloy using Material Analyses Using Diffraction (MAUD). Plastic deformation produces dislocation defects. Using a hydraulic press, samples were deformed up to 25%. The XRD was measured for each degree of deformation. The MAUD program was used to analyze the data, and mathematical methods were deployed to understand the various behaviors observed. The lattice parameter, crystallite size, average internal stress, micro-strain, and dislocation density of the 7075Al-alloy were calculated. As the deformation degree increased, there was a progressive decline in the crystallite size as an increase in the micro-strain and dislocation density. The flow stress changes from 5.8 to 49 MPa and the stored dislocation energy varies from 2.62 to 185 kPa

Synthetic Brassica napus L.: Development and Studies on Morphological Characters, Yield Attributes, and Yield

Brassica napus was synthesized by hybridization between its diploid progenitor species B. rapa and B. oleracea followed by chromosome doubling. Cross with B. rapa as a female parent was only successful. Among three colchicine treatments (0.10, 0.15, and 0.20%), 0.15% gave the highest success (86%) of chromosome doubling in the hybrids (AC; 2n = 19). Synthetic B. napus (AACC, 2n = 38) was identified with bigger petals, fertile pollens and seed setting. Synthetic B. napus had increased growth over parents and exhibited wider ranges with higher coefficients of variations than parents for morphological and yield contributing characters, and yield per plant. Siliqua length as well as beak length in synthetic B. napus was longer than those of the parents. Number of seeds per siliqua, 1000-seed weight and seed yield per plant in synthetic B. napus were higher than those of the parents. Although flowering time in synthetic B. napus was earlier than both parents, however the days to maturity was little higher over early maturing B. rapa parent. The synthesized B. napus has great potential to produce higher seed yield. Further screening and evaluation is needed for selection of desirable genotypes having improved yield contributing characters and higher seed yield