Improvement of fuel properties of cottonseed oil methyl esters with commercial additives

The low temperature operability and oxidative stability of cottonseed oil methyl esters (CSME) were improved with four anti‐gel additives as well as one antioxidant additive, gossypol. Low temperature operability and oxidative stability of CSME was determined by cloud point (CP), pour point (PP), cold filter plugging point (CFPP), and oxidative stability index (OSI). The most significant reductions in CP, PP, and CFPP in all cases were obtained with Technol®, with the average reduction in temperature found to be 3.9 °C. Gunk®, Heet®, and Howe's® were progressively less effective, as indicated by average reductions in temperature of 3.4, 3.0, and 2.8 °C, respectively. In all cases, the magnitude of CFPP reduction was greater than for PP and especially CP. Addition of gossypol, a polyphenolic aldehyde, resulted in linear improvement in OSI (R² = 0.9804). The OSI of CSME increased from 5.0 to 8.3 h with gossypol at a concentration of 1000 ppm.     

Wavelength dependent laser-induced etching of Cr-O doped GaAs: Morphology studies by SEM and AFM

The laser induced etching of semi-insulating GaAs 〈100〉 is carried out to create porous structure under super- and sub-bandgap photon illumination (h v). The etching mechanism is different for these separate illuminations where defect states play the key role in making distinction between these two processes. Separate models are proposed for both the cases to explain the etching efficiency. It is observed that under sub-bandgap photon illumination the etching process starts vigorously through the mediation of intermediate defect states. The defect states initiate the pits formation and subsequently pore propagation occurs due to asymmetric electric field in the pore. Formation of GaAs nanostructures is observed using scanning electron (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM).     

Compton profile and charge transfer study in intermetallic Ti–Al system

The electronic structure of three intermetallic alloys namely Ti₃Al, TiAl and TiAl₃ in terms of Compton profiles is reported in this work. Directional Compton profiles are calculated for all the three alloys employing CRYSTAL code within the framework of density functional theory. The spherically averaged theoretical values are compared with the measurements made using 59.54 keV gamma-rays from Am²⁴¹ source. The calculations are in overall agreement with measurements in all cases. The measurements are also compared with the superposition of LCAO profiles of elemental solids. For Ti₃Al and TiAl₃ the LCAO values show better agreement whereas for TiAl the synthesized LCAO values are closer to the experiment. Effect of titanium 3d electrons is clearly visible in intermediate range of momentum in the Ti rich alloy. Charge transfer in the three alloys has also been estimated following the superposition of experimental profiles of Ti and Al metals. Comparison of Compton spectra of Ti₃Al, TiAl and TiAl₃ with the superposition of the Compton spectra of elemental constituents suggests a charge transfer of 2.8, 0.9 and 0.6 electron per Al atom, respectively. Such large values seem unreasonable and, therefore, this approach cannot be used for any reliable determination of the charge transfer in this system.     

Heating rate dependent delamination of metal–polymer interfaces: experiments and modeling

Bimaterial interfaces in microelectronics packages are the most common regions of failure under thermo-mechanical excursions. In this work, we report experimentally observed role of heating rate on the delamination initiation and propagation across a metal-polymer interface in a microelectronic package. We observe that the rate of delamination propagation increases with increasing heating rate. When the heating rate increases, in addition to the higher amount of delamination growth per unit time, experimental results suggests that higher growth will also incur per unit temperature (loading). Correspondingly, the temperature at which complete delamination occur decreases. Using finite element modeling with cohesive interfaces, we provide a plausible explanation to this observed phenomenon. The analyses indicate that the mechanical behavior of the bimaterial interface is sensitive to both temperature and thermal rate.     

THERMAL MANAGEMENT OF HIGH TEMPERATURE PULSED ELECTRONICS USING METALLIC PHASE CHANGE MATERIALS

A feasibility study for using metallic solid-liquid phase change materials (PCMs) in periodic power dissipating devices is reported. Thermal enhancement has been studied with PCM enclosed inside microchannels within semiconductor devices. Benchmarking experiments were performed with PCM inside copper microchannels and compared with numerical predictions. PCMs perform well at lower power levels for silicon carbide semiconductor devices, but the use of high thermal conductivity spreaders such as diamond becomes mandatory at the higher power levels projected in future applications. PCM effectiveness and temperature reductions as a function of chip thickness, channel width, and power dissipated are presented. Temperature reductions up to 25°C can be realized with a combination of diamond spreaders and PCM filled microchannels.     

Effects of the Binomial Field Distribution on Collapse and Revival Phenomena in the Jaynes-Cummings Model

Abstract

The dynamical properties of a two-level atom interacting with a single non-decaying mode of an electromagnetic field in a binomial state are studied. The statistical aspects of the field, such as intensity-intensity correlation and squeezing, are also investigated. The binomial state reduces to a pure number state and a pure coherent state in different limits. Hence it enables us to study how the sinusoidal Rabi oscillations in a pure number state develop to give rise to the phenomenon of collapse and revival which has been studied extensively in the coherent-state field. In addition, the binomial state exhibits squeezing for certain values of parameters, but it is not a minimum-uncertainty-product state.     

Sympathetic response to stimulation of the pontine A5 region in conscious rabbits

OBJECT: This study is a retrospective analysis of clinical data obtained in 28 patients affected by obstructive hydrocephalus who presented with signs of midbrain dysfunction during episodes of shunt malfunction. METHODS: All patients presented with an upward gaze palsy, sometimes associated with other signs of oculomotor dysfunction. In seven cases the ocular signs remained isolated and resolved rapidly after shunt revision. In 21 cases the ocular signs were variably associated with other clinical manifestations such as pyramidal and extrapyramidal deficits, memory disturbances, mutism, or alterations in consciousness. Resolution of these symptoms after shunt revision was usually slow. In four cases a transient paradoxical aggravation was observed at the time of shunt revision. In 11 cases ventriculocistemostomy allowed resolution of the symptoms and withdrawal of the shunt. Simultaneous supratentorial and infratentorial intracranial pressure recordings performed in seven of the patients showed a pressure gradient between the supratentorial and infratentorial compartments, with a higher supratentorial pressure before shunt revision. Inversion of this pressure gradient was observed after shunt revision and resolution of the gradient was observed in one case after third ventriculostomy. In six recent cases, a focal midbrain hyperintensity was evidenced on T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging sequences at the time of shunt malfunction. This rapidly resolved after the patient underwent third ventriculostomy. CONCLUSIONS: It is probable that in obstructive hydrocephalus, at the time of shunt malfunction, the development of a transtentorial pressure gradient could initially induce a functional impairment of the upper midbrain, inducing upward gaze palsy. The persistence of the gradient could lead to a global dysfunction of the upper midbrain. Third ventriculostomy contributes to equalization of cerebrospinal fluid pressure across the tentorium by restoring free communication between the infratentorial and supratentorial compartments, resulting in resolution of the patient's clinical symptoms.