Depressed clad hollow optical fiber with fundamental LP01 mode cut-off

We propose a depressed clad hollow optical fiber with fundamental (LP01) mode cut-off suitable for high power short-wavelength, especially three-level, fiber laser operation by introducing highly wavelength dependent losses at longer wavelengths. The cut-off characteristic of such fiber structure was investigated. A Yb-doped depressed clad hollow optical fiber laser generating 59.1W of output power at 1046nm with 86% of slope efficiency with respect to the absorbed pump power was realised by placing the LP01 mode cut-off at ~1100nm

Catalytic Performance of Commercial Zeolites Y as Catalyst for Ethylene Production from Ethanol Dehydration

Catalytic dehydration of ethanol into ethylene was studied over commercial Zeolites-Y with different Si:Al ratios between 5.1:1 and 80:1, and temperature from 573 K to 773 K. The physicochemical properties of fresh and spent catalyst of Zeolite Y Si:Al 80:1 (best performing catalyst) were investigated using N2-physisorption, TGA, SEM-EDX, NH3-TPD, FTIR and XRD. Results showed that catalysts with higher Si:Al ratios exhibit better catalytic performance in terms of higher ethanol conversion and higher selectivity to ethylene. Indeed, zeolites-Y with Si:Al ratio 5.1:1 and 12:1 demonstrated low catalytic activity with ethanol conversion of 34% and 2%, respectively. However, ethylene selectivity of NH3-Y (5) was 84%, which was considerably higher than NH3-Y (12) which was 26%, indicated that this catalyst was not promoting the formation of other hydrocarbons i.e. methane and ethane. Albeit all of the catalysts namely H-Y (30), H-Y (60) and H-Y (80) showed favorable performance in ethanol dehydration, H-Y (80) attained almost total selectivity to ethylene and highest conversion of 73.0% among all the tested catalysts

Electromagnetic fields in a 3D cavity and in a waveguide with oscillating walls

We consider classical and quantum electromagnetic fields in a three-dimensional (3D) cavity and in a waveguide with oscillating boundaries of the frequency $\Omega$. The photons created by the parametric resonance are distributed in the wave number space around $\Omega/2$ along the axis of the oscillation. When classical waves propagate along the waveguide in the one direction, we observe the amplification of the original waves and another wave generation in the opposite direction by the oscillation of side walls. This can be understood as the classical counterpart of the photon production. In the case of two opposite walls oscillating with the same frequency but with a phase difference, the interferences are shown to occur due to the phase difference in the photon numbers and in the intensity of the generated waves.Comment: 8 pages revTeX including 1 eps fi

Kinetic Study on Heavy Metal Divalent Ions Removal using Zirconium-Based Magnetic Sorbent

In this research, zirconium-based magnetic sorbent synthesised by chemical co-precipitation method is explored as a potential sorbent for removal of divalent metal ions from aqueous solution. The interaction characteristics between the ions and the sorbent were elucidated by instrumental analyses such as Fourier Transform InfraRed (FT-IR) Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller (BET) surface area analyser. Results show that the sorption rate was increased with an increase in contact time and initial metal ion concentration. Moreover, a two-stage kinetics behaviour was observed, and all the batch experiments achieved an equilibrium state within 4 hours. The evaluation of the adsorption behaviour of heavy metal divalent ions onto the magnetic sorbent was explained using two kinetic models, and it was mostly found to follow the postulate of the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The validity of kinetic models applied in this study is also evaluated by using a normalised standard deviation

Mesoscale magnetism at the grain boundaries in colossal magnetoresistive films

We report the discovery of mesoscale regions with distinctive magnetic properties in epitaxial La$_{1-x}$Sr$_{x}$MnO$_{3}$ films which exhibit tunneling-like magnetoresistance across grain boundaries. By using temperature-dependent magnetic force microscopy we observe that the mesoscale regions are formed near the grain boundaries and have a different Curie temperature (up to 20 K {\it higher}) than the grain interiors. Our images provide direct evidence for previous speculations that the grain boundaries in thin films are not magnetically and electronically sharp interfaces. The size of the mesoscale regions varies with temperature and nature of the underlying defect.Comment: 4 pages of text, 4 figure

Phospho-regulation of the Shugoshin - Condensin interaction at the centromere in budding yeast.

Correct bioriented attachment of sister chromatids to the mitotic spindle is essential for chromosome segregation. In budding yeast, the conserved protein shugoshin (Sgo1) contributes to biorientation by recruiting the protein phosphatase PP2A-Rts1 and the condensin complex to centromeres. Using peptide prints, we identified a Serine-Rich Motif (SRM) of Sgo1 that mediates the interaction with condensin and is essential for centromeric condensin recruitment and the establishment of biorientation. We show that the interaction is regulated via phosphorylation within the SRM and we determined the phospho-sites using mass spectrometry. Analysis of the phosphomimic and phosphoresistant mutants revealed that SRM phosphorylation disrupts the shugoshin-condensin interaction. We present evidence that Mps1, a central kinase in the spindle assembly checkpoint, directly phosphorylates Sgo1 within the SRM to regulate the interaction with condensin and thereby condensin localization to centromeres. Our findings identify novel mechanisms that control shugoshin activity at the centromere in budding yeast

Coupling of magnetic order and charge transport in the candidate Dirac semimetal EuCd2_2As2_2

We use resonant elastic x-ray scattering to determine the evolution of magnetic order in EuCd$_2$As$_2$ below $T_\textrm{N}=9.5$\,K, as a function of temperature and applied magnetic field. We find an A-type antiferromagneticstructure with in-plane magnetic moments, and observe dramatic magnetoresistive effects associated with field-induced changes in the magnetic structure and domain populations. Our \textit{ab initio} electronic structure calculations indicate that the Dirac dispersion found in the nonmagnetic Dirac semimetal Cd$_3$As$_2$ is also present in EuCd$_2$As$_2$, but is gapped for $T < T_\textrm{N}$ due to the breaking of $C_3$ symmetry by the magnetic structure.Comment: Supplemental information attached to preprin