Fabrication of Er3+/Pr3+ Co-doped soda-lime glass thin films using RF magnetron sputtering method and optical property characterization

Er^3+/Pr³⁺ co-doped soda-lime glass thin films have been fabricated using RF magnetron sputtering method and their structural and optical properties have been studied. Deposition rate, crystallinity, and composition of glass thin films were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and electron probe micro area analysis. Refractive index, birefringence and binding characteristics have been investigated using a prism coupler and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Er³⁺/Pr³⁺ co-doped soda lime glass thin films were prepared by changing substrate temperature (room temp. ∼550^∘C), RF power (90 W–130 W), and Ar/O₂ gas flow ratio at processing pressure of 4 mTorr. Glass thin films could be obtained at the optimized processing condition at 350^∘C, RF power of 130 W, and gas flow of Ar:O₂ = 40:0 with maximum deposition rate of 1.6 μm/h. Refractive index and birefringence increased from 1.5614 to 1.5838 and from 0.000154 to 0.000552, respectively, as the content of Pr³⁺ increased. Binding energy of Pr3d also increased as the content of Pr³⁺ increased.     

Dynamic deformation behavior of ultrafine-grained low-carbon steels fabricated by equal-channel angular pressing

The dynamic deformation behavior of ultrafine-grained low-carbon steels fabricated by equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) was investigated in this study. Dynamic torsional tests, using a torsional Kolsky bar, were conducted on four steel specimens, two of which were annealed at 480 °C after ECAP, and then the test data were compared in terms of microstructures, tensile properties, and adiabatic shear-band formation. The equal-channel angular pressed specimen consisted of very fine, equiaxed grains of 0.2 to 0.3 μm in size, which were slightly coarsened after annealing. The dynamic torsional test results indicated that maximum shear stress decreased with increasing annealing time, whereas fracture shear strain increased. Some adiabatic shear bands were observed at the gage center of the dynamically deformed torsional specimen. Their width was smaller in the equal-channel angular pressed specimen than in the 1-hour-annealed specimen, but they were not found in the 24-hour-annealed specimen. Ultrafine, equiaxed grains of 0.05 to 0.2 μm in size were formed inside the adiabatic shear band, and their boundaries had characteristics of high-angle grain boundaries. These phenomena were explained by dynamic recrystallization due to a highly localized plastic strain and temperature rise during dynamic deformation.     

Fuel coolant interaction experiments in TROI using a UO2/ZrO2 mixture

This paper discusses the results of steam explosion experiments using reactor material carried out under “Test for Real cOrium Interaction with water (TROI)” program. About 4–9 kg of corium melt jet is delivered into a sub-cooled water pool at atmospheric pressure. Spontaneous steam explosions are observed in four tests among six tests. The dynamic pressure, dynamic load, and morphology of debris clearly indicate the cases with steam explosion. The initial conditions and results of the experiments are discussed.     

Modeling and control for a Gough‐Stewart platform CNC machine

In this paper, a complete dynamic model on task space for a 6 degrees of freedom (DOF) Gough‐Stewart platform‐type computer numerical control (CNC) machine is derived. The rotation terms of the legs are included for those inertia effects cannot be negligible in the machine tool applications. The formulation derived by means of the Euler‐Lagrange method is convenient for designing the adaptive control law. Also, the average‐type force model for end milling process is derived and included in the dynamic model and control. A composite adaptive control scheme is developed by use of filtering dynamics technique. An appropriate estimator gain is designed in the parameter adaptation law that is useful for estimating the selected important cutting parameters. Experimental results verify the proposed adaptive control scheme can achieve good tracking performance. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

ANALYSIS OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL MACHINING USING AN EXTENDED OBLIQUE MACHINING THEORY

This paper presents an extended oblique machining theory applicable to the analysis of 3-D machining. Existing theories are evaluated to identify suitable formulations which are used with necessary modifications for predicting various quantities pertaining to cutting conditions of three dimensional machining. Actual chip flow angles extracted from measured forces, to account for the nose radius effect, are used, instead of available models, to predict important quantities such as shear plane angle, effective rake angle and shear flow angle. Experiments are conducted in the realms of conventional and high speed machining using AISI 4140 steel and aluminum 7075-T6 respectively with uncoated carbide inserts, and various process conditions pertaining to the cutting mechanics are calculated. The extended oblique machining theory is experimentally validated in predicting temperatures at the tool-chip interface and shear plane for conventional machining. Simulation results from the finite element modeling are used for verifying the shear stress and shear plane temperature predicted by the extended oblique machining theory.     

Procedural Synthesis using Vortex Particle Method for Fluid Simulation

We propose a fast and effective technique to improve sub‐grid visual details of the grid based fluid simulation. Our method procedurally synthesizes the flow fields coming from the incompressible Navier‐Stokes solver and the vorticity fields generated by vortex particle method for sub‐grid turbulence. We are able to efficiently animate smoke which is highly turbulent and swirling with small scale details. Since this technique does not solve the linear system in high‐resolution grids, it can perform fluid simulation more rapidly. We can easily estimate the influence of turbulent and swirling effect to the fluid flow.     

Selective Coloration of Melanin Nanospheres through Resonant Mie Scattering

Black melanin inks are prepared to selectively exhibit colors under strong light, inspired by human hair. High absorbance of melanin suppresses multiple scattering, causing resonant Mie scattering predominant. Various colors can be developed as the resonant wavelength dictated by nanosphere diameter. Therefore, the melanin inks can be used to encrypt and selectively disclose multicolor patterns for anticounterfeiting applications.     

TGFβ-Treated Placenta-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Selectively Promote Anti-Adipogenesis in Thyroid-Associated Ophthalmopathy

Orbital fibroblasts (OFs) in thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) are differentiated from pre-adipocytes and mature adipocytes; increased lipid and fat expansion are the major characteristics of ophthalmic manifestations. Human placental mesenchymal stem cells (hPMSCs) were reported to immunomodulate pathogenesis and suppress adipogenesis in TAO OFs. Here, we prepared transforming growth factor β (TGFβ, 20 ng/mL)-treated hPMSCs (TGFβ-hPMSCs) in order to enhance anti-adipogenic effects in vitro and in TAO mice. TAO OFs were grown in a differentiation medium and then co-cultured with hPMSCs or TGFβ-hPMSCs. TAO OFs were analyzed via quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, Oil red O staining, and western blotting. The results showed that TGFβ-hPMSCs reduced the expression of adipogenic, lipogenic, and fibrotic genes better than hPMSCs in TAO OFs. Moreover, the adipose area decreased more in TAO mice injected with TGFβ-hPMSCs compared to those injected with hPMSCs or a steroid. Further, TGFβ-hPMSCs inhibited inflammation as effectively as a steroid. In conclusion, TGFβ-hPMSCs suppressed adipogenesis and lipogenesis in vitro and in TAO mice, and the effects were mediated by the SMAD 2/3 pathways. Furthermore, TGFβ-hPMSCs exhibited anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic functions, which suggests that they could be a new and safe method to promote the anti-adipogenic function of hPMSCs to treat TAO patients.     

Optimizing Chain Topology of Bottle Brush Copolymer for Promoting the Disorder-to-Order Transition

The order-disorder transitions (ODT) of core-shell bottle brush copolymer and its structural isomers were investigated by dissipative particle dynamics simulations and theoretically by random phase approximation. Introducing a chain topology parameter λ which parametrizes linking points between M diblock chains each with N monomers, the degree of incompatibility at ODT ((χN)ODT; χ being the Flory–Huggins interaction parameter between constituent monomers) was predicted as a function of chain topology parameter (λ) and the number of linked diblock chains per bottle brush copolymer (M). It was found that there exists an optimal chain topology about λ at which (χN)ODT gets a minimum while the domain spacing remains nearly unchanged. The prediction provides a theoretical guideline for designing an optimal copolymer architecture capable of forming sub-10 nm periodic structures even with non-high χ components.