Fibre optic monitoring of a deep circular excavation

This paper describes part of the monitoring undertaken at Abbey Mills shaft F, one of the main shafts of Thames Water's Lee tunnel project in London, UK. This shaft, with an external diameter of 30 m and 73 m deep, is one of the largest ever constructed in the UK and consequently penetrates layered and challenging ground conditions (Terrace Gravel, London Clay, Lambeth Group, Thanet Sand Formation, Chalk Formation). Three out of the twenty 1-2 m thick and 84 m deep diaphragm wall panels were equipped with fibre optic instrumentation. Bending and circumferential hoop strains were measured using Brillouin optical time-domain reflectometry and analysis technologies. These measurements showed that the overall radial movement of the wall was very small. Prior to excavation during a dewatering trial, the shaft may have experienced three-dimensional deformation due to differential water pressures. During excavation, the measured hoop and bending strains of the wall in the chalk exceeded the predictions. This appears to be related to the verticality tolerances of the diaphragm wall and lower circumferential hoop stiffness of the diaphragm walls at deep depths. The findings from this case study provide valuable information for future deep shafts in London. © ICE Publishing: All rights reserved.

Gut contents of bighead carp (Aristichthys nobilis) and the processing and digestion of algal cells in the alimentary canal

Bighead carp is one of the most important freshwater filter-feeding fish of Chinese aquaculture. In recent decades, there have been a number of contradictory conclusions on the digestibility of algae by bighead carp based on the results from gut contents and digestive enzyme analysis or radiolabelled isotope techniques. Phytoplankton in the gut contents of bighead carp (cultured in a large net cage in Lake Donghu) were studied during March-May. In biomass, the dominant phytoplankters in the fore-gut contents were the centric diatom Cyclotella (average 54.5%, range 33.8-74.3%) and the dinoflagellate Cryptomonas (average 22.8%, range 6.8-55.8%). Phytoplankton in water samples were generally present in proportionate amounts in samples from the fore-guts of bighead carp. The size of most phytoplankton present in the intestine of bighead carp was between 8 and 20 mum in length. Bighead carp was also able to collect particles (as small as 5-6 mum) much smaller than their filtering net meshes, suggesting the importance of mucus in collecting small particles, Examination of the change in the integrity of Cyclotella on passage through the esophagus of bighead carp indicated that disruption of the algal cell walls is principally by the pharyngeal teeth, explaining the previous contradictory conclusions. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Gut contents of silver carp, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, and the disruption of a centric diatom, Cyclotella, on passage through the esophagus and intestine

The digestibility of algae by stomachless filter-feeding fish has been debated for decades. Results from gut contents and digestive enzyme analysis suggest poor utilization, while the measurement of food assimilation using radiolabeled isotope techniques indicate reasonable assimilation efficiency. Phytoplankton in the gut contents of the planktivorous filter-feeding silver carp were studied during March-May. The fish were cultured in a large net cage in a shallow, hypertrophic subtropical Chinese lake, Lake Donghu. In terms of biomass, the dominant phytoplankton in the fore-gut contents were Cyclotella (average 77.8%, range 69.7-93.5%) and Cryptomonas (average 9.57%, range 0-20.4%). The Ivlev's electivity index E of silver carp was much higher for Cyclotella (1.54) than for Cryptomonas (0.56). The majority of the phytoplankton found in the intestines of silver carp were 8-20 mu m, but they were also able to collect particles as small as 4.5-10 mu m, smaller than their filtering net meshes, suggesting that the secretion of mucus may play an important role in collecting such small particles. We conclude that disruption of cell walls is principally by the pharyngeal teeth, explaining previous contradictory conclusions. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Mode Simulation for Midinfrared Microsquare Resonators With Sloped Sidewalls and Confined Metals

EQUILATERAL-TRIANGLE; MU-M; LASERS; MICROLASERS; MICRODISK Abstract: Mode characteristics for midinfrared microsquare resonators with sloped sidewalls and confined metal layers are investigated by finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) techniques. For a microsquare with a side length of 10 mu m, the mode quality (Q)-factors of 8329, 4772, and 2053 are obtained for TM5,7 mode at wavelength 7.1 mu m by three-dimensional FDTD simulations, as the tilting angles of the side walls are 90 degrees, 88 degrees, and 86 degrees, respectively. Furthermore, microsquare resonators laterally surrounded by SiO2 and metal layers are investigated by the two-dimensional FDTD technique for the metal layers of Au, Ti-Au, Ag-Au, and Ti-Ag-Au, respectively.

Domain wall resistance in perpendicular (Ga,Mn) As: Dependence on pinning

We have investigated the domain wall resistance for two types of domain walls in a (Ga,Mn)As Hall bar with perpendicular magnetization. A sizeable positive intrinsic DWR is inferred for domain walls that are pinned at an etching step, which is quite consistent with earlier observations. However, much lower intrinsic domain wall resistance is obtained when domain walls are formed by pinning lines in unetched material. This indicates that the spin transport across a domain wall is strongly influenced by the nature of the pinning.

Ultrafast dynamics of four-state magnetization reversal in (Ga,Mn)As

The ultrafast dynamics of in-plane four-state magnetization reversal from compressively strained (Ga,Mn)As film was investigated by magneto-optical Kerr rotation measurement. The magnetization reversal signal was dramatically suppressed upon pumping, and recovered slowly with time evolution. The low switching field H-c1 increased abruptly from 30 to 108 G on the first several picoseconds and recovered back to the value before optical pumping within about 500 ps, whereas the high switching field H-c2 did not change obviously upon pumping, implying a domain-wall nucleation/propagation at low fields and coherent magnetization rotation at high fields in the magnetization reversal process.

Magnetic ordering and irreversible magnetization between ZFC and FC states in RCo5Ga7 compounds

The magnetic properties of RCo5Ga7 (R = Y, Tb, Dy, Ho and Er) compounds which crystallize in the ScFe6Ga6-type structure have been studied. The compounds with R, Y, Tb, Dy, Ho and Er display behaviour similar to semiconductors. The Co transition metal sublattice is ferrimagnetic with a very low spontaneous magnetization. The ferrimagnetic ordering observed for R = Y, Tb, Dy, Ho and Er is due to the transition metal sublattice with transition temperatures at about 295 K. At low temperatures, the magnetic ordering for R Tb, Dy, Ho and Er is due to the rare-earth sublattice, which is ferromagnetic with a Curie temperature below 5 K. By fitting the linear part of the inverse magnetization, the effective magnetic moment of the R ion is found to be close to its expected theoretical value, with paramagnetic Curie temperatures below 5 K. Due to the paramagnetic nature of the R sublattice above 60 K, the ferrimagnetic ordering temperature of the Co sublattice does not vary with the type of rare-earth ion. The irreversibility of the magnetization of YCo5Ga7, as measured in zero-field cooled (ZFC) and field cooled (FC) states, is attributed to movement of domain walls. Application of a large enough applied field completes the movement of the domain wall from the low-temperature to the high-temperature one at 5 K. With a very low magnetic field 100 Oe, the difference between the ZFC and the FC shrinks. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Quasi-aligned ZnO nanotubes grown on Si substrates

Quasi-aligned ZnO nanotubes have been grown on silicon substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition without using any catalyst. Two kinds of ZnO nanotubular structures were found: Nanotubes with single walls and nanotubes with double walls. The nanotubes were grown along the [001] direction. Room-temperature photoluminescence measurements of the ZnO nanotubes indicate strong ultraviolet emission and weak green emission. A new growth mode for these ZnO nanotubes is proposed, which can be used to prepare other nanotubular structures. (c) 2005 American Institute of Physics.

Metal catalysis-free, direction-controlled planar growth of single-crystalline alpha-Si3N4 nanowires on Si(100) substrate

Single-crystalline alpha-Si3N4 nanowires are controlled to grow perpendicular to the wet-etched trenches in the SiO0.94 film on the plane of the Si substrate without metal catalysis. A detailed characterization is carried out by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The photoluminescence at 600 nm from alpha-Si3N4 nanowires is attributed to the recombination at the defect state formed by the Si dangling bond N3 equivalent to Si-center dot. The growth mechanism is considered to be related to the catalysis and nitridation of SiO nanoclusters preferably re-deposited around the inner corner of the trenches, as well as faster Si diffusion along the slanting side walls of the trenches. This simple direction-controlled growth method is compatible with the CMOS process, and could facilitate the fabrication of alpha-Si3N4 nanoelectronic or nanophotonic devices on the Si platform.

Boundary conditions at the solid-liquid surface over the multiscale channel size from nanometer to micron

The boundary condition at the solid surface is one of the important problems for the microfluidics. In this paper we study the effects of the channel sizes on the boundary conditions (BC), using the hybrid computation scheme adjoining the molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and the continuum fluid mechanics. We could reproduce the three types of boundary conditions (slip, no-slip and locking) over the multiscale channel sizes. The slip lengths are found to be mainly dependent on the interfacial parameters with the fixed apparent shear rate. The channel size has little effects on the slip lengths if the size is above a critical value within a couple of tens of molecular diameters. We explore the liquid particle distributions nearest the solid walls and found that the slip boundary condition always corresponds to the uniform liquid particle distributions parallel to the solid walls, while the no-slip or locking boundary conditions correspond to the ordered liquid structures close to the solid walls. The slip, no-slip and locking interfacial parameters yield the positive, zero and negative slip lengths respectively. The three types of boundary conditions existing in "microscale" still occur in "macroscale". However, the slip lengths weakly dependent on the channel sizes yield the real shear rates and the slip velocity relative to the solid wall traveling speed approaching those with the no-slip boundary condition when the channel size is larger than thousands of liquid molecular diameters for all of the three types of interfacial parameters, leading to the quasi-no-slip boundary conditions.

Fabrication of Silicon-Based Template-Assisted Nanoelectrode Arrays and Ohmic Contact Properties Investigation

A convenient fabrication technology for large-area, highly-ordered nanoelectrode arrays on silicon substrate has been described here, using porous anodic alumina (PAA) as a template. The ultrathin PAA membranes were anodic oxidized utilizing a two-step anodization method, from Al film evaporated on substrate. The purposes for the use of two-step anodization were, first, improving the regularity of the porous structures, and second reducing the thickness of the membranes to 100 similar to 200 nm we desired. Then the nanoelectrode arrays were obtained by electroless depositing Ni-W alloy into the through pores of PAA membranes, making the alloy isolated by the insulating pore walls and contacting with the silicon substrates at the bottoms of pores. The Ni-W alloy was also electroless deposited at the back surface of silicon to form back electrode. Then ohmic contact properties between silicon and Ni-W alloy were investigated after rapid thermal annealing. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations showed the structure characteristics, and the influence factors of fabrication effect were discussed. The current voltage (I-V) curves revealed the contact properties. After annealing in N-2 at 700 degrees C, good linear property was shown with contact resistance of 33 Omega, which confirmed ohmic contacts between silicon and electrodes. These results presented significant application potential of this technology in nanosize current-injection devices in optoelectronics, microelectronics and bio-medical fields.

SIMULATION OF LATERAL CONFINEMENT IN VERY NARROW CHANNELS

A theoretical study is presented of the lateral confinement potential (CP) in the very narrow mesa channels fabricated in the conventional two-dimensional (2D) electron gas in GaAs-AlxGa1-xAs heterostructures. The ID electronic structures are calculated in the framework of the confinement potential: V(x) = m* omega0(2)x2/2 for Absolute value of x walls are more realistic than this complex potential. The experimental result for a wire of W(str) = 250 nm cannot be explained within the composite-well model including these two cases. Thus how to explain the experiment for this wire remains an open question.

On the soft wall guiding potentials in realistic quantum waveguides

A transfer matrix method is presented for the study of electron conduction in a quantum waveguide with soft wall lateral confinement. By transforming the two-dimensional Schrodinger equation into a set of second order ordinary differential equations, the total transfer matrix is obtained and the scattering probability amplitudes are calculated. The proposed method is applied to the evaluation of the electron transmission in two types of cavity structure with finite-height square-well confinement. The results obtained by our method, which are found to be in excellent agreement with those from another transfer matrix method, suggest that the infinite square-well potential is a good approximation to finite-height square-well confinement for electrons propagating in the ground transverse mode, but softening of the walls has an obvious effect on the electron transmission and mode-mixing for propagating in the excited transverse mode. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.

Fluorescence Hydrogen Peroxide Probe Based on a Microstructured Polymer Optical Fiber Modified with a Titanium Dioxide Film

A highly sensitive microstructured polymer optical fiber (MPOF) probe for hydrogen peroxide was made by forming a rhodamine 6G-doped titanium dioxide film on the side walls of array holes in an MPOF. It was found that hydrogen peroxide only has a response to the MPOF probe in a certain concentration of potassium iodide in sulfuric acid solution. The calibration graph of fluorescence intensity versus hydrogen peroxide concentration is linear in the range of 1.6 x 10(-7) mol/L to 9.6 x 10(-5) mol/L. The method, with high sensitivity and a wide linear range, has been applied to the determination of trace amounts of hydrogen peroxide in a few real samples, such as rain water and contact lens disinfectant, with satisfactory results.

Research on the mechanics of underwater supersonic gas jets

An experimental research was carried out to study the fluid mechanics of underwater supersonic gas jets. High pressure air was injected into a water tank through converging-diverging nozzles (Laval nozzles). The jets were operated at different conditions of over-, full-and under-expansions. The jet sequences were visualized using a CCD camera. It was found that the injection of supersonic air jets into water is always accompanied by strong flow oscillation, which is related to the phenomenon of shock waves feedback in the gas phase. The shock wave feedback is different from the acoustic feedback when a supersonic gas jet discharges into open air, which causes screech tone. It is a process that the shock waves enclosed in the gas pocket induce a periodic pressure with large amplitude variation in the gas jet. Consequently, the periodic pressure causes the jet oscillation including the large amplitude expansion. Detailed pressure measurements were also conducted to verify the shock wave feedback phenomenon. Three kinds of measuring methods were used, i.e., pressure probe submerged in water, pressure measurements from the side and front walls of the nozzle devices respectively. The results measured by these methods are in a good agreement. They show that every oscillation of the jets causes a sudden increase of pressure and the average frequency of the shock wave feedback is about 5-10 Hz.