Nonlinear optical second harmonic generation in ZnS quantum dots and observation on optical properties of ZnS/PMMA nanocomposites

ZnS quantum dots (QDs) of different sizes are synthesized by a simple chemical co-precipitation method at room temperature, by varying pH value of the reaction mixture. Samples are characterized by an X-ray diffractometer, transmission electron microscope, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, etc. Linear optical properties, including UV-visible absorption and photoluminescence emission characteristics, of as-prepared QDs are measured. Size dependent nonlinear optical property, such as second harmonic generation (SHG) of 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser fundamental radiation in the synthesized ZnS QDs, is reported for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, by using the standard Kurtz-Perry powder method. In not to study the possibility of the synthesized ZnS QDs in different device applications ZnS/PMMA (polymethylmethacrylate) nanocomposites are also synthesized. The presence of weak chemical interaction between the polymer matrix and ZnS QDs is confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Thermal properties of the nanocomposites are studied by differential scanning calorimetry and thermo-gravimetric analysis techniques, which show that the composites are stable up to similar to 300 degrees C temperature. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Discrete time second order sliding mode observer for uncertain linear multi-output system

This paper presents a second order sliding mode observer (SOSMO) design for discrete time uncertain linear multi-output system. The design procedure is effective for both matched and unmatched bounded uncertainties and/or disturbances. A second order sliding function and corresponding sliding manifold for discrete time system are defined similar to the lines of continuous time counterpart. A boundary layer concept is employed to avoid switching across the defined sliding manifold and the sliding trajectory is confined to a boundary layer once it converges to it. The condition for existence of convergent quasi-sliding mode (QSM) is derived. The observer estimation errors satisfying given stability conditions converge to an ultimate finite bound (within the specified boundary layer) with thickness O(T-2) where T is the sampling period. A relation between sliding mode gain and boundary layer is established for the existence of second order discrete sliding motion. The design strategy is very simple to apply and is demonstrated for three examples with different class of disturbances (matched and unmatched) to show the effectiveness of the design. Simulation results to show the robustness with respect to the measurement noise are given for SOSMO and the performance is compared with pseudo-linear Kalman filter (PLKF). (C) 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd. on behalf of The Franklin Institute

First and second law thermodynamic analysis of air and oxy-steam biomass gasification

Gasification is an energy transformation process in which solid fuel undergoes thermochemical conversion to produce gaseous fuel, and the two most important criteria involved in such process to evaluate the performance, economics and sustainability of the technology are: the total available energy (exergy) and the energy conserved (energy efficiency). Current study focuses on the energy and exergy analysis of the oxy-steam gasification and comparing with air gasification to optimize the H-2 yield, efficiency and syngas energy density. Casuarina wood is used as a fuel, and mixture of oxygen and steam in different proportion and amount is used as a gasifying media. The results are analysed with respect to varying equivalence ratio and steam to biomass ratio (SBR). Elemental mass balance technique is employed to ensure the validity of results. First and second law thermodynamic analysis is used towards time evaluation of energy and exergy analysis. Different component of energy input and output has been studied carefully to understand the influence of varying SBR on the availability of energy and irreversibility in the system to minimize the losses with change in input parameters for optimum performance. The energy and exergy losses (irreversibility) for oxy-steam gasification system are compared with the results of air gasification, and losses are found to be lower in oxy-steam thermal conversion; which has been argued and reasoned due to the presence of N-2 in the air-gasification. The maximum exergy efficiency of 85% with energy efficiency of 82% is achieved at SBR of 0.75 on the molar basis. It has been observed that increase in SBR results in lower exergy and energy efficiency, and it is argued to be due to the high energy input in steam generation and subsequent losses in the form of physical exergy of steam in the product gas, which alone accounts for over 18% in exergy input and 8.5% in exergy of product gas at SBR of 2.7. Carbon boundary point (CBP), is identified at the SBR of 1.5, and water gas shift (WGS) reaction plays a crucial role in H-2 enrichment after carbon boundary point (CBP) is reached. Effects of SBR and CBP on the H-2/CO ratio is analysed and discussed from the perspective of energy as well as the reaction chemistry. Energy density of syngas and energy efficiency is favoured at lower SBR but higher SBR favours H-2 rich gas at the expense of efficiency. Copyright (C) 2014, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tailoring the second mode of Euler-Bernoulli beams: an analytical approach

In this paper, we study the inverse mode shape problem for an Euler-Bernoulli beam, using an analytical approach. The mass and stiffness variations are determined for a beam, having various boundary conditions, which has a prescribed polynomial second mode shape with an internal node. It is found that physically feasible rectangular cross-section beams which satisfy the inverse problem exist for a variety of boundary conditions. The effect of the location of the internal node on the mass and stiffness variations and on the deflection of the beam is studied. The derived functions are used to verify the p-version finite element code, for the cantilever boundary condition. The paper also presents the bounds on the location of the internal node, for a valid mass and stiffness variation, for any given boundary condition. The derived property variations, corresponding to a given mode shape and boundary condition, also provides a simple closed-form solution for a class of non-uniform Euler-Bernoulli beams. These closed-form solutions can also be used to check optimization algorithms proposed for modal tailoring.

Quorum Sensing and Biofilm Formation in Mycobacteria: Role of c-di-GMP and Methods to Study This Second Messenger

Bacteria have evolved to survive the ever-changing environment using intriguing mechanisms of quorum sensing (QS). Very often, QS facilitates formation of biofilm to help bacteria to persist longer and the formation of such biofilms is regulated by c-di-GMP. It is a well-known second messenger also found in mycobacteria. Several methods have been developed to study c-di-GMP signaling pathways in a variety of bacteria. In this review, we have attempted to highlight a connection between c-di-GMP and biofilm formation and QS in mycobacteria and several methods that have helped in better understanding of c-di-GMP signaling. (c) 2014 IUBMB Life, 66(12):823-834, 2014

Silicon isotopes: from cosmos to benthos

Silicon is the second most abundant element on the Earth and one of the more abundant elements in our Solar System. Variations in the relative abundance of the stable isotopes of Si (Si isotope fractionation) in different natural reservoirs, both terrestrial (surface and deep Earth) as well as extra-terrestrial (e.g. meteorites, lunar samples), are a powerful tracer of present and past processes involving abiotic as well as biotic systems. The versatility of the Si isotope tracer is reflected in its wide-ranging applications from understanding the origin of early Solar System objects, planetary differentiation, Moon formation, mantle melting and magma differentiation on the Earth, ancient sea-water composition, to modern-day weathering, clay formation and biological fractionation on land as well as in the oceans. The application of Si isotopes as tracers of natural processes started over six decades ago and its usage has seen a sudden increase over the last decade due to improvements in mass spectrometry, particularly the advent of multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometers, which has made Si isotope measurements safe and relatively easy while simultaneously improving the accuracy and precision of measurements.

Transitory second-order reciprocal connection for two surfaces in point contact

This paper investigates the instantaneous spatial higher pair to lower pair substitute-connection which is kinematically equivalent up to acceleration analysis for two smooth surfaces in point contact. The existing first-order equivalent substitute-connection consisting of a Hooke's joint (U-joint) and a spherical joint (S-joint) connected by an additional link is extended up to second-order. A two step procedure is chalked out for achieving this equivalence. First, the existing method is employed for velocity equivalence. In the second step, the two centers of substitution are obtained as a conjugate relationship involving the principal normal curvatures of the surfaces at the contact point and the screw coordinates of the instantaneous screw axis (ISA) of the first-order relative motion. Unlike the classical planar replacement, this particular substitution cannot be done by merely examining the profiles of the contacting surfaces. An illustrative example of a three-link direct-contact mechanism is presented. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pyroelectric and second harmonic responses from LiTaO3 nanocrystallites evolved in a Li2O-B2O3-Ta2O5 glass system

Dendritic growth of trigonal and square bipyramidal structures of LiTaO3 nanocrystallites, of 19-30 nm size, was observed when 1.5Li(2)O-2B(2)O(3)-0.5Ta(2)O(5) glasses were subjected to controlled heat treatment between 530 degrees C and 560 degrees C/3 h. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectral studies carried out on the heat-treated samples confirmed the formation of a LiTaO3 phase along with a minor phase of ferroelectric Li2B4O7. The sample that was heat-treated at 550 degrees C/3 h was found to possess similar to 26 nm sized crystallites which exhibited a pyroelectric coefficient as high as 15 nC cm(-2) K-1 which is in the same range (23 nC cm(-2) K-1) as that of single crystalline LiTaO3 at room temperature. The corresponding figures of merit that were calculated for the fast pulse detector (F-i), the large area pyroelectric detector (F-v) and the pyroelectric point detector (F-D) were 0.517 x 10(-10) m V-1, 0.244 m(2) C-1 and 1.437 x 10(-5) Pa-1/2, respectively. Glass nanocrystal composites comprising similar to 30 nm sized crystallites exhibited broad Maker fringes and the second harmonic intensity emanated from these was 0.5 times that of KDP single crystals.

A modified approach to numerical solution of Fredholm integral equations of the second kind

A modified approach to obtain approximate numerical solutions of Fredholin integral equations of the second kind is presented. The error bound is explained by the aid of several illustrative examples. In each example, the approximate solution is compared with the exact solution, wherever possible, and an excellent agreement is observed. In addition, the error bound in each example is compared with the one obtained by the Nystrom method. It is found that the error bound of the present method is smaller than the ones obtained by the Nystrom method. Further, the present method is successfully applied to derive the solution of an integral equation arising in a special Dirichlet problem. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Micro-satellite angular rate estimation using second-order sliding mode observer

Development of computationally efficient and accurate attitude rate estimation algorithm using low-cost commercially available star sensor arrays and processing unit for micro-satellite mission is presented. Our design reduces the computational load of least square (LS)-based rate estimation method while maintaining the same accuracy compared to other rate estimation approaches. Furthermore, rate estimation accuracy is improved by using recently developed fast and accurate second-order sliding mode observer (SOSMO) scheme. It also gives robust estimation in the presence of modeling uncertainties, unknown disturbances, and measurement noise. Simulation study shows that rate estimation accuracy achieved by our LS-based method is comparable with other methods for a typical commercially available star sensor array. The robustness analysis of SOSMO with respect to measurement noise is also presented in this paper. Simulation test bench for a practical scenario of satellite rate estimation uses moment-of-inertia variation and environmental disturbances affecting a typical micro-satellite at 500km circular orbit. Comparison studies of SOSMO with 1-SMO and pseudo-linear Kalman filter show that satisfactory estimation accuracy is achieved by SOSMO.

A C-0 Interior Penalty Method for a Fourth-order Variational Inequality of the Second Kind

In this article, we propose a C-0 interior penalty ((CIP)-I-0) method for the frictional plate contact problem and derive both a priori and a posteriori error estimates. We derive an abstract error estimate in the energy norm without additional regularity assumption on the exact solution. The a priori error estimate is of optimal order whenever the solution is regular. Further, we derive a reliable and efficient a posteriori error estimator. Numerical experiments are presented to illustrate the theoretical results. (c) 2015Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Structural evolution and second harmonic properties of lithium niobate-tantalate nanocrystals embedded in a borate glass

Nano-crystals of LiNbxTa1 (-) O-x(3) were evolved by subjecting melt-quenched 1.5Li(2)O-2B(2)O(3)-xNb(2)O(5)-(1 - x)Ta2O5 glasses (where x = 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1.00) to a controlled 3-h isothermal heat treatment between 530 and 560 degrees C. Detailed X-ray diffraction and Raman spectral studies confirmed the formation of nano-crystalline LiNbxTa1 (-) O-x(3) along with a minor phase of ferroelectric and non-linear optic Li2B4O7. The sizes of the nanocrystals evolved in the glass were in the range of 19-37 nm for x = 0-0.75 and 23-45 nm for x = 1.00. Electron microscopic studies confirmed a transformation of the morphology of the nano-crystallites from dendritic star-shaped spherulites for x = 0 to rod-shaped structures for x = 1.00 brought about by a coalescence of crystallites. Broad Maker-fringe patterns (recorded at 532 nm) were obtained by subjecting the heat-treated glass plates to 1064 nm fundamental radiation. However, an effective second order non-linear optic coefficient, d(eff), of 0.45 pm/V, which is nearly 1.2 times the d(36) of KDP single crystal, was obtained for a 560 degrees C/3 h heat-treated glass of the representative composition x = 0.50 comprising 37 nm sized crystallites. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Structural evolution and second harmonic properties of lithium niobate-tantalate nanocrystals embedded in a borate glass

Nano-crystals of LiNbxTa1 (-) O-x(3) were evolved by subjecting melt-quenched 1.5Li(2)O-2B(2)O(3)-xNb(2)O(5)-(1 - x)Ta2O5 glasses (where x = 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1.00) to a controlled 3-h isothermal heat treatment between 530 and 560 degrees C. Detailed X-ray diffraction and Raman spectral studies confirmed the formation of nano-crystalline LiNbxTa1 (-) O-x(3) along with a minor phase of ferroelectric and non-linear optic Li2B4O7. The sizes of the nanocrystals evolved in the glass were in the range of 19-37 nm for x = 0-0.75 and 23-45 nm for x = 1.00. Electron microscopic studies confirmed a transformation of the morphology of the nano-crystallites from dendritic star-shaped spherulites for x = 0 to rod-shaped structures for x = 1.00 brought about by a coalescence of crystallites. Broad Maker-fringe patterns (recorded at 532 nm) were obtained by subjecting the heat-treated glass plates to 1064 nm fundamental radiation. However, an effective second order non-linear optic coefficient, d(eff), of 0.45 pm/V, which is nearly 1.2 times the d(36) of KDP single crystal, was obtained for a 560 degrees C/3 h heat-treated glass of the representative composition x = 0.50 comprising 37 nm sized crystallites. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Regulation of Growth, Cell Shape, Cell Division, and Gene Expression by Second Messengers (p)ppGpp and Cyclic Di-GMP in Mycobacterium smegmatis

The alarmone (p)ppGpp regulates transcription, translation, replication, virulence, lipid synthesis, antibiotic sensitivity, biofilm formation, and other functions in bacteria. Signaling nucleotide cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP) regulates biofilm formation, motility, virulence, the cell cycle, and other functions. In Mycobacterium smegmatis, both (p) ppGpp and c-di-GMP are synthesized and degraded by bifunctional proteins Rel(Msm) and DcpA, encoded by rel(Msm) and dcpA genes, respectively. We have previously shown that the Delta rel(Msm) and Delta dcpA knockout strains are antibiotic resistant and defective in biofilm formation, show altered cell surface properties, and have reduced levels of glycopeptidolipids and polar lipids in their cell wall (K. R. Gupta, S. Kasetty, and D. Chatterji, Appl Environ Microbiol 81:2571-2578, 2015, http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/AEM.03999-14). In this work, we have explored the phenotypes that are affected by both (p) ppGpp and c-di-GMP in mycobacteria. We have shown that both (p) ppGpp and c-di-GMP are needed to maintain the proper growth rate under stress conditions such as carbon deprivation and cold shock. Scanning electron microscopy showed that low levels of these second messengers result in elongated cells, while high levels reduce the cell length and embed the cells in a biofilm-like matrix. Fluorescence microscopy revealed that the elongated Delta rel(Msm) and Delta dcpA cells are multinucleate, while transmission electron microscopy showed that the elongated cells are multiseptate. Gene expression analysis also showed that genes belonging to functional categories such as virulence, detoxification, lipid metabolism, and cell-wall-related processes were differentially expressed. Our results suggests that both (p) ppGpp and c-di-GMP affect some common phenotypes in M. smegmatis, thus raising a possibility of cross talk between these two second messengers in mycobacteria. IMPORTANCE Our work has expanded the horizon of (p) ppGpp and c-di-GMP signaling in Gram-positive bacteria. We have come across a novel observation that M. smegmatis needs (p) ppGpp and c-di-GMP for cold tolerance. We had previously shown that the Delta rel(Msm) and Delta dcpA strains are defective in biofilm formation. In this work, the overproduction of (p) ppGpp and c-di-GMP encased M. smegmatis in a biofilm-like matrix, which shows that both (p) ppGpp and c-di-GMP are needed for biofilm formation. The regulation of cell length and cell division by (p) ppGpp was known in mycobacteria, but our work shows that c-di-GMP also affects the cell size and cell division in mycobacteria. This is perhaps the first report of c-di-GMP regulating cell division in mycobacteria.