Ultafast organic nonlinear optical molecules and the realization of mesoscopic photonic devices

In the twentieth century, revolutionary changes took place in the human society and people’s life-style due to the improvement of the optoelectronic information technology based on the second-order nonlinear optical effects, such as the electro-optic effect, the second harmonic generation (SHG), and so on. Along with the rapid development of light information technology, new principles and methods of nonlinear optics are needed, and the third-order nonlinear optical effects attract great attention. The research progress of nonlinear optics is reviewed in this article. Our research work on the third-order nonlinear optical materials, ultrafast and low-power organic all-optical photonic crystal switching are introduced.     

The preparation and application of microbubble contrast agent combining ultrasound imaging and magnetic resonance imaging

Encapsulated gas microbubbles are well known as ultrasound contrast agents （UCAs） for medical ultrasound （US） imaging. With the development of shell materials and preparation technologies, the application of microbubbles has been enormously popular in molecular imaging, drug delivery and targeted therapy, etc. The objective of this study is to develop Fe3O4 nanoparticle-inclusion microbubble construct. The in vitro US imaging experiment indicates that the Fe3O4 nanoparticle-inclusion microbubbles have higher US enhancement than those without Fe3O4 nanoparticle-inclusion. According to the microbubble dynamic theory, the acoustic scattering properties can be quantified by scattering cross-section of the shell. The scattering study on Fe3O4 nanoparticle-inclusion microbubbles of different concentration shows that within a certain range of concentration, the scattering cross-section of microbubble increases with the addition of Fe3O4 nanoparticles. When exceeding the concentration range, the ultrasonic characteristic of microbubbles is damped. On the other hand, since Fe3O4 nanoparticles can also serve as the Magnetic Resonance Imaging （MRI） contrast agent, they can be potentially used as contrast agents for the double-modality （MRI and US） clinical studies. However, it is important to control the concentration of Fe3O4 nanoparticles in the shell in order to realize the combined functions of US and MRI.     

Valence electron structure analysis of refining mechanism of Sc and Ti additions on aluminum

The mechanism of the difference of refining effect between Sc and Ti adding to aluminum can not be explained substantially with traditional theory. Valence electron structures of Al-Ti and Al-Sc alloys have been studied by using the empirical electron theory of solids and molecules (EET). The covalent bond electron numbers and interfacial electron density differences are calculated. The conclusion is that, in the two alloys, different covalent bond electron numbers of nucleation particles, and different electron densities on the interface between the second phase particles and the matrix, fundamentally lead to the difference of refining effect between Sc and Ti adding to aluminum. Supported by the Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China (Grant No. 20050003042)     

Effect of different atmospheres on dry friction behavior of steel sliding against brass at high speed

The atmosphere components have an influence on tribological behaviors of tribo-pairs. Through changing the atmosphere component, the effect of atmosphere component on the tribological behaviors of CrNiMo steel against brass at high sliding velocity was investigated. The wear test was carried out on a high-speed friction and wear test rig whose test atmosphere could be controlled. The tests were performed at four sliding velocities （30, 40, 50, 60 m/s）, one contact pressure （1.33 MPa） and two atmosphere components （N2 or O2）. The morphologies of the worn surfaces of various pins were observed with a scanning electron microscope. The chemical compositions of the surfaces and subsurfaces for steels were determined with an energy dispersion spectroscopy. The results showed that the wear rate of the steel pins were low all the time with the sliding velocity increasing in oxygen atmosphere, and that the wear rate of the steel pin in nitrogen atmosphere was higher than that of the steel pin in oxygen atmosphere. It was found that the thin and compact oxidation layer formed on the worn surface of the steel in oxygen atmosphere played a key role in wear resistance. However, the wear rate of the steel pin increased rapidly with the sliding velocity increasing in nitrogen atmosphere, which was attributed to the thick and loose surface layer formed on the worn surface of the steel.     

Petrographic and geochemical characterization of seep carbonate from Alaminos Canyon,Gulf of Mexico

Seep carbonates were collected from the Alaminos Canyon lease area, Gulf of Mexico. The carbonates are present as slabs and blocks. Bivalve shell and foraminifer are the dominant bioclasts in carbonate. Pores are common and usually filled with acicular aragonite crystals. XRD investigation shows that aragonite is the dominate mineral （98%）. Peloids, clotted microfabirc and botryoidal aragonite are developed in carbonate and suggest a genesis linked with bacterial degradation of the hydrocarbons. The δ^13C value of bioclasts in carbonate is from -4.9‰ to -0.6‰, indicating that the carbon source is mainly from sea water as well as the small portion incorporation of the seep hydrocarbon. The microcrystalline and sparite aragonite shows the δ^13C value from -31.3‰ to -23.4‰, suggesting that their carbon is derived mainly from microbial degradation of crude oil. ^14C analyses give the radiocarbon age of about 10 ka. Rare earth elements （REE） analyses of the 5% HNO3-treated solution of the carbonates show that the total REE content of the carbonates is low, that is from 0.752 to 12.725 μg·g^-1. The shale-normalized REE patterns show significantly negative Ce anomalies. This suggests that cold seep carbonate is most likely formed in a relatively aerobic environment.     

A Note on the Property of ψ-Function

About the accurate value of ψ ( x ) = Γ′ ( x ) / Γ ( x), we know only ψ (1)and ψ (1/ 2).In this paper, by calculating the accurate values of some series expansion of a function and applying some skills of complex analysis, we prove that the expression of the ψ-function admits a finite expression in elementary function for rational number z. As an application, some examples are given.     

Changes in physical features of Glacier No. 1 of the Tianshan Mountains in response to climate change

This study analyzes the changes in glacier zones and snow composition of Glacier No.1 in the Tianshan Mountains of China since 1961,and their possible relations with climate.It is found that precipitation dominated the snow composition and that air temperature and precipitation controlled the distribution of glacier zones,but interannual change in precipitation had a relatively large effect on glacier zones and snow composition during 1963–1981 (P10) and 1963–1989 (P11).However,during 1982–2007 (P20) and 19...     

Evaluation of humic acid removal by a flat submerged membrane photoreactor

A flat submerged membrane combined with a TiO 2 /UV photocatalytic reactor (FSMPR) was employed in batch mode to remove humic acid (HA). HA removal efficiency was characterized by UV 254 absorbance, UV-vis spectra, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration, specific UV absorbance (SUVA), and trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP). The FSMPR process was effective in removing more than 86% of DOC and nearly 100% of UV 254 absorbance, while the THMFPs of samples were reduced to < 19 μ g/L after 150 min of treatment. In addition, changes in transmembrane pressure (TMP) with and without UV were evaluated; TiO 2 /UV was effective at controlling membrane fouling by HA. Analysis of the molecular weight (MW) distributions and three-dimensional excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectra of HAs revealed that the effectiveness in membrane fouling control is a result of changes in HA molecular characteristics. The TiO 2 /UV photocatalytic reactor caused the degradation of high MW, hydrophobic humic-like molecules to low MW, hydrophilic protein-like molecules, although this fraction was not completely removed during 150 min of treatment and was less responsible for membrane fouling.