Mass transfer in polycrystalline ytterbium monosilicate under oxygen potential gradients at high temperatures

Mass transfer in polycrystalline Yb₂SiO₅ wafers with precise composition control was evaluated and analyzed by oxygen permeation experiments at high temperatures using an oxygen tracer. Oxygen permeation proceeded due to mutual grain boundary diffusion of oxide ions and Yb ions without synergistic effects such as acceleration or suppression. The oxygen shielding properties of Yb₂SiO₅ were compared with those of the other line compounds such as Yb₂Si₂O₇ and Al₂O₃ based on the determined mass transfer parameters. It was found that the more preferentially an oxide ion diffuses in the grain boundary compared to the interior of the grain, the greater the effect of suppressing the movement of the oxide ion by applying an oxygen potential gradient becomes.     

Preparation of a Near-Infrared Ray Absorption Film from N-Phenylthiocarbamoyl Chitosan Derivative

We recently observed that the decanoylation of N-phenylthiocarbamoyl chitosan (2) with a mixture of decanoic anhydride and pyridine at 60 °C for 24 h afforded N,N-(decanoyl)phenythiocarbamoyl-/2-isothiocynato chitosan decanoate (3b) rather than the expected product N,N-(decanoyl)phenylthiocarbamoyl chitosan decanoate (3a). This result suggested that some of the N,N-(decanoyl)phenylthiocarmbamoyl groups had been converted to isothiocyanate groups during the decanoylation process. The subsequent reaction of compound 3b with aniline gave N,N-(decanoyl)phenylthiocarbamoyl/N-phenylthiocarbamoyl chitosan decanoate (4) in high yield. A solution of compound 4 in CHCl₃ was then added to a solution of copper decanoate (5) in the same solvent, and the resulting mixture was cast onto a glass plate to give a cast film. The film was annealed at 200 °C in an oven to give a greenish film, which showed good near-infrared absorption characteristic in the range of 800–2200 nm.     

Vapor absorption by LiBr aqueous solution in vertical smooth tubes

Heat and mass transfer in a falling film vertical in-tube absorber was studied experimentally with LiBr aqueous solution. The presented results include the effect of solution flow rate, solution subcooling and cooling water temperature on the absorption in a smooth copper tube 16.05 mm I.D. and 400 mm long. The experimental data in the previous report for a 1200-mm-long tube was also re-examined and compared. It was demonstrated by the observation of the flow in the tube that the break down of the liquid film into rivulets leads to deterioration of heat and mass transfer at lower film Reynolds number or in longer tubes. An attempt to evaluate physically acceptable heat and mass transfer coefficients that are defined with estimated temperature and concentration at the vapor–liquid interface was also presented.     

Gap modulation in MCu[Q1−xQ′x]F (M=Ba, Sr; Q, Q′=S, Se, Te) and related materials

BaCuQF (Q=S, Se, Te) materials exhibit band gaps that allow transmission of much of the visible spectrum. BaCuSF is transparent in thin-film form with a band gap of 3.1 eV. Band gap estimates for powders of the solid solution series BaCuS_1−xSe_xF were obtained from wavelength-dependent diffuse-reflectance measurements using an integrating sphere. The band gap can be tuned by the substitution of Se for S to 2.9 eV for BaCuSeF. The decrease scales almost linearly with the increase in the volume of the tetragonal unit cell, which is determined primarily by the expansion of the a lattice parameter; the overall volume increase is 7.0% from x=0 to 1. Further reduction of the band gap is observed in BaCuSe_1−xTe_xF solid solutions, where a unit cell volume increase of 5.5% produces a band gap of 2.7 eV in BaCuSe_0.5Te_0.5F. Powders and films of BaCuSF exhibit strong red luminescence under ultraviolet excitation, which is suppressed by K doping. Additional tuning of band gap and electrical properties (the materials are p-type conductors) can be achieved by replacing Ba with Sr.     

Capacity enhancement of cellular CDMA by traffic-based control ofspeech bit rate

Variable rate speech coding is now recognized as an important system component for high-capacity cellular networks because it exploits speech statistics to reduce the average bit rate, which results in reduced interference and increased capacity. Once a variable rate capability is available, an additional capacity enhancement can be achieved by introducing network control of the user bit rate in response to changing traffic levels. We introduce the concept of network control of rate and propose a particular network-control method for code-division multiple access (CDMA) systems. Based on an M/M/∞//M queueing model applied to a cell under heavy traffic conditions and a new performance measure called averaged speech quality, we obtain simulation results to demonstrate how network control of rate can achieve improved speech quality or increased capacity for a given quality objective     

Up- and down-regulation of calpain inhibitor polypeptide, calpastatin, in postischemic hippocampus

A dental student developed swelling of the lips and peri-oral urticaria, immediately after placement of a dental rubber dam during a chairside demonstration of clinical dentistry. A provisional diagnosis of a Type I hypersensitivity reaction to natural rubber latex was made and an appointment organised for specialist investigations. The student reported an atopic history and allergy to peanuts. A Radioallergosorbent Test (RAST), to measure Ig-E antibodies to latex, was positive. The dental student was given advice concerning the avoidance of natural rubber latex. Dental staff must be aware of potentially serious reactions to natural rubber latex in the dental surgery.