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Impulse characteristics of grounding systems have a great influence on proper evaluation of substation equipment stresses from lightning overvoltages, protection and design points of view. The grounding grid impulse characteristics depend on: grid parameters and soil characteristics as well as on the impulse current shape, magnitude and discharge point. The addition of driven rods to the grid has an action on grounding grid impulse characteristics. This paper presents an experimental study for determining the impedance of grounding grid with and without driven rods. Tests are conducted on three scale models to simulate single-, double- and triple layer soils. Also, the impedance of grounding grid calculated mathematically from the generalized equations which matched the impedance, voltage and current wave shapes. The values of grounding grid impedances determined experimentally and mathematieally are compared. The com parison was closed together and satisfied.

The remote phosphor as a lighting structure has outstanding luminous efficiency compared to other options, such as conformal or in-cup. However, the lack of uniformity in distributed color has prevented remote phosphor from wider development. The answer to the chromatic performance enhancement that has been suggested by numerous researchers is the multi-layer configuration with two or three different types of chromatic phosphor. The research purpose is to select the best configuration for multi-chip white LEDs (WLEDs) to achieve optimal results in color quality scale (CQS), color rendering index (CRI), light output and color homogeneity. WLEDs mentioned in this paper have two distinct color temperatures, 6600 K and 7700 K. Experimental results show that the remote phosphor structure with three phosphor layers is superior in terms of color rendering, chromatic performance, and emitted light. The deviation of correlated color measured in this structure is also low, which means that the color uniformity is greatly enhanced in this multi-layer lighting structure. This result can be demonstrated by analyzing the scattering characteristics of the phosphoric layers using the Mie theory. The research findings have proven the effectiveness of the multi-phosphor configuration and can serve as a guideline to fabricate WLEDs with better performance.

Lightweight architecture, implementing coated fabric and membrane materials, increasingly adopts multiple layer pneumatic cushions in order to guarantee adequate thermal insulation and better indoo...

To enhance color quality of glass-based phosphor-converted white light-emitting diodes (pc-WLEDs) with multi-layer remote phosphor layer structures, two phosphors, green CdS:In and red ZnS:Te,Mn, are integrated into the glass matrix and applied to the dual-layer and triple-layer WLED packages. The attained results were examined with Mie-scattering theory and Lambert-Beer law. The dual-layer showed significant enhancement in color rendering index (CRI), in the range of approximate 80-90. Meanwhile, CRI in the triple-layer was lower and stayed around 66. In terms of color quality scale (CQS), a more overall color evaluating index, triple-layer structure helps the glass-based WLED achieve higher value than the dual-layer. The triple-layer is also beneficial to the luminous efficacy, according to the experimented results. Thus, the triple-layer structure can be used to strengthen the benefit of the glass matrix used in WLED products.

A general term N95 Mask has been widely used by all including the health care personnel. It has been use incorrectly by all and it should be replaced with the term filtering facepiece respirator. There are two types of respirators being used in the world. One is the industrial type whereas the other one is the medical surgical one. The medical surgical masks are an intermediate product between the industrial and the triple layer medical mask. Many other equivalent products like KN95 masks are also available in the market. There is an urgent need of certification because this is the only way quality face masks can be provided to the public in these difficult times of COVID-19. This is essential because of the entry of many counterfeit and uncertified respirators have entered the market.

A SiC/UHTC/SiC triple layer was designed and coated on C/SiC composites by chemical vapor deposition and brushing-sintering techniques to achieve long-term oxidation protection in a wide temperature range. After exposure to 1100 °C and 1300 °C for 114 h, and 1500 °C for 68 h in air, the coated composites exhibited mass losses of only 0.36, 1.65 and 3.45 mg/cm2, respectively. The low mass loss rates can be attributed to the synergistic effects of the ZrB2-based ultra-high temperature ceramic (UHTC) and SiC layers. The oxidation process and protective mechanism at different temperatures were discussed in detail.

A multi-layer sieving machine is of multiplayer and highly efficient sieving machine that retains particles based on the difference in size. This study was carried out to evaluate the performance of a multi-layer electric sieving machine. The performance test of the machine was carried out in the Agricultural department farm of the Federal College of Forestry, Jericho Ibadan. The electrical sieving machine was used to carry out separation operations on a mixture of food crop materials at varying speeds. The machine passed the test of workability; it was able to perform the specific function of sieving and separating food materials of varying sizes. Mixed food materials were poured in the first layer of the mesh assembly and sieved. The time to completely separate the mixture into the three different layers was recorded and the respective weight of each layer was finally measured. Layer 1 had a mean weight gain of 0.42kg; layer 2 had a mean weight gain of 0.14 while layer 3 had a mean weight loss of 0.56kg when sieving was done for 5 minutes; at 7 minutes, Layer 1 had a mean weight gain of 0.1kg; layer 2 had a mean weight gain of 0.18 while layer 3 had a mean weight loss of 0.28kg, while at 10 minutes, the first layer had a mean weight gain of 0.06 kg, second layer also had mean weight gain of 0.02 while the third layer had a mean weight loss 0.08. The mean efficiency was highest at 99% in all the layers when sieving operation was carried out for 10 minutes and lowest at 96% for layer 3 when the machine ran for five (5) minutes. The effect of change in speed suggests that increment in sieving speed above 750rpm or below 300rpm gives a low efficiency.

In this manuscript, we presented a research that enhance the performance of WLED using the multi-phosphor configuration. The phosphor layers in the research are separated from each other to achieved better luminous efficiency, however, it makes controlling color light quality more complex. Another issue is finding out the whether two layers of phosphor or three layers of phosphor is better in improving color quality. The research addressed this issue by analyzing the optical aspects of the respective WLEDs that employ these structure. The studied aspects are quality indicators such as luminous efficacy (LE), and color uniformity, color rendering index (CRI), color quality scale (CQS). The results of the experiments in this research, which come from the employment of WLEDs with 2 color temperatures 5600 K and 8500, suggest that WLED with three phosphor layers is better in CRI, CQS, LE. This type of phosphor structure also limits the color deviation significantly, thus, improves the color uniformity. This results is verifies with Mie theory, therefore, can be applied as reference or guideline for production of better WLEDs

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection appears as a global burden to public health...

Remote phosphor structure has higher luminous efficiency comparing to that of both conformal phosphor and in-cup phosphor structures. However, it is hard to control the color quality of remote phosphor structure, and this issue has become one of the most researchable objectives to many researchers in recent years. Up to now, there are two remote phosphor structures applied to improve the color quality, including dual-layer phosphor configuration and triple-layer phosphor configuration. The purpose of this research is to select one of those configurations to have multi-chip white LEDs (WLEDs) achieved the highest color rendering index (CRI), color quality scale (CQS), luminous efficacy (LE), and color uniformity. In this research, WLEDs with two correlated color temperatures (CCT) of 6600K and 7700K were applied. The obtained results showed that triple-layer phosphor configuration is more outstanding in CRI, CQS, and LE. Moreover, the color deviation has been significantly reduced, which means the color uniformity has been enhanced with the application of triple-layer phosphor configuration. These results can be proven by scattering properties of phosphor layers based on Mie theory. Thus, the researched results have become a reliable and valuable reference for manufacturing higher-quality WLEDs.

The present study was to evaluate the survival rate of free and encapsulated Bifidobacterium bifidum BB28 under simulated gastrointestinal conditions and its stability during storage. Results showed that non-microencapsulated Bifidobacterium bifidum BB28 was more susceptible to simulated gastrointestinal conditions than microencapsulated bacteria. Microencapsulated Bifidobacterium BB28 exhibited a lower population reduction than free cells during exposure to simulated gastrointestinal conditions, the viable count of monolayer microcapsules, double layer microcapsules, and triple layer microcapsules decreased by nine magnitudes, four magnitudes, and one magnitude after 2 h, respectively. The enteric test showed that the microorganism cells were released from the monolayer, double layer, and triple layer microcapsules completely in 40 min. Moreover, the optimum storage times of free Bifidobacterium BB28, monolayer microcapsules, double layer microcapsules, and triple layer microcapsules were 21 days, 21 day...

The objective of this study was an assessment of on-farm storage practices for Bambara groundnut and roselle grains in Niger. It is based on a random sample of 164 farmers producing both crops in the Dosso and Maradi regions using a semi-structured questionnaire. Analysis of the data used Probit regression and budgeting. Fifty four percent of respondents use some type of potentially hermetic container for storage of Bambara groundnut and 46% use that type of container for roselle. Potentially, hermetic containers include metal drums, plastic jugs, and single, double and triple layer plastic bags. About 67% of the quantity of Bambara groundnut stored was in potentially hermetic containers and 58% of roselle. Triple layer Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) bags were used mainly by Bambara groundnut farmers storing larger quantities. While only about 10% of the respondents reported storing Bambara groundnuts in PICS bags. The quantity stored by those respondents is quite large, so about 39% of the total quantity of Bambara groundnut stored by the respondents was stored in PICS bags. For roselle, PICS bags were used by 4% of respondents for only 3% of quantity stored. Profitability of using PICS bags for one or two years is comparable to that achieved with the common practice of storing in woven bags with insecticide. While PICS bags use does not increase profitability substantially compared to insecticide use, it does allow the producer to reduce pesticide exposure and the associated health risks. Key words: Adoption, Bambara groundnut, hermetic storage, profitability, roselle.

Adsorption is the most important geochemical process that regulates trace element concentrations in natural water. The behavior of solutes adsorbed onto mineral surfaces depends on conditions in the solution, including pH, ionic strength, and concentrations of competing components. Surface complexation modeling (SCM) is the commonly accepted way to model the effect of variable solution conditions on adsorption. Extended Triple Layer Model (ETLM) is a SCM for ion adsorption to minerals developed by Prof. Sverjensky group. It considers adsorption reaction on mineral surfaces that contain one type of amphoteric surface hydroxyl, in combination with a triple layer model for the electrostatic interaction. The amphoteric surface hydroxyl represents an average of the actual surface sites. The ETLM implements the site occupancy standard states for the activities of surface species, which enables the direct comparison of the adsorption constants. ETLM has the minimum complexity required to realistically represent adsorption processes with the least number of parameters. The ETLM can provide predictions of adsorption behavior and surface speciation that are consistent with independent spectroscopic observations. Nowadays, ETLM can be used in many conventional geochemical codes. Practical application of ETLM in geochemical modeling will require an expansion of the inter-consistent database for the adsorption of various solutes on minerals. This review describes the theoretical background and conventions needed to estimate inter-consistent ETLM parameters. We review the surface charge characteristics of minerals in general, the experimental acquisition of their surface charges, the theory and conventions associated with the modeling of surface charges in the ETLM, and the procedure used to parameterize them. The acquisition of adequate adsorption data, the theory needed to model solute adsorption, and the procedure for parameterizing adsorption are then described. Finally, we introduce the features of a newly developed program, ETL(MIN)2, that facilitates the application of the ETLM, including model parameterization.

Organic chemistry labs routinely perform NMR in a standard 5 mm NMR tube. NMR sample is prepared by filling the lowermost 4 cm length of a regular 5 mm 0.d. tube that holds approximately 0.55 ml of a deuterated solvent. This is actually a sample dilution procedure as the signal mainly comes from the central part, i.e. 1.8 cm length sample that fits the typical coil length of 1.8 cm in regular NMR spectrometers. The diluted top and bottom part of the sample is away from the coil and contributes less signal. This dilution procedure amplifies the requirement of expensive deuterated solvent and lowers sensitivity. The present study explores a new way of sample preparation which involves sandwiching a small amount of the deuterated solvent (D2O) of length 1.8 cm containing the analyte between two non-deuterated solvents (CCl4 at bottom of length ≈ 1 cm and similarly C6H6 at top), which are immiscible with the former using a regular 5 mm o.d. NMR tube in such a way that total length is still 4 cm as demanded by the magnetic field homogeneity considerations. The analyte now being closer to NMR coil dissolved in 1.8 cm solvent, improves sensitivity and reduces deuterated solvent hitherto required. 13C and 15N spectra from such a set-up display two to three-fold higher signal to noise ratio and hence four to eightfold savings in experimental time or faster data collection.

The angular color uniformity (ACU) with the ability to evaluate chromatic performance of WLED has become an important target to achieve in producing higher-quality WLEDs. This paper studies the ACU enhancing effects of novel triple-phosphor configuration in lighting devices with remote phosphor structure. Moreover, the optical influences of remote phosphor structure with three phosphor layers (TL) on WLEDs properties are calculated and compared to the dual-layer (DL) one for reference. The experiments are applied to devices at 5 distinct correlated color temperature ranging from 5600-8500 K. The results presented that DL structure attains better color rendering index (CRI) than the TL one. Meanwhile, in terms of color quality scales (CQS), TL model shows higher values at all ACCTs, compared to the DL. Moreover, the luminous flux of DL configuration is lower than that of TL structure. In addition, the diversion of color temperature depicts as D-CCT in TL structure is much better than the value in DL structure, especially at high ACCT as 8500 K, which means TL is good for chromatic uniformity of high ACCTs WLEDs. These results proved that the triple-layer structure is superior and more effective to apply for acquiring the enhancement of WLEDs package.

Field trials were conducted in small-scale farmers' grain stores in an aflatoxin endemic region to assess the effect of storing maize in triple layer hermetic (PICS™) bags on aflatoxin contamination. Shelled maize grain was purchased from farmers, and filled into PICS bags, woven polypropylene (PP) and jute bags and kept in the farmers' own stores for 35 weeks. Grain moisture content, total mould count and mould incidence levels were examined at onset and after every 7 weeks during the 35 weeks of storage. Aflatoxin contamination was examined at onset, and after 14, 28 and 35 weeks. Ambient temperature and r.h. in the trial site and in all the bags, as well as oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the PICS bags were also monitored. Initial moisture content (m.c.) of maize varied from farmer to farmer and ranged between 12.4 and 15.0%. The m.c. of maize stored in PICS bags remained significantly higher (P 14% increased profusely in the three types of bags. Our findings demonstrate that storing maize in PICS bags can prevent accumulation of aflatoxin in rural farmers' stores if grain moisture is

The effect of environmental factors (i.e., reaction time, pH, ionic strength, temperature and initial U(VI) concentration) on the adsorption of U(VI) on graphene oxide (GO) had been investigated by batch techniques. The macroscopic experiments indicated that the adsorption kinetics and adsorption isotherms of U(VI) on GO can be satisfactorily fitted by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir model, respectively. No change of ionic strength indicated that the inner-sphere surface complexation dominated the adsorption of U(VI) on GO over the wide pH range. Three surface complexation models (SCMs), including constant capacitance model (CCM), diffuse layer model (DLM) and triple layer model (TLM), had been given an excellent fits for the adsorption of U(VI) on GO with two inner-sphere surface complexes such as SOUO2+ and (SO)2UO2(OH)22− species.

A SiC/ZrB2-SiC/SiC triple-layer coating was fabricated successively by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), slurry brushing-sintering and CVD for C/SiC composites. To enhance the cyclic ablation resistance, a pre-oxidation treatment on the inner SiC layer was performed. The bonding strength of the coating with pre-oxidation at 1600 °C is significantly improved to 32 MPa, 77.8 % greater than that of the untreated specimen. The coating can endure 5 ablation cycles from 2050 °C to room temperature without peeling off and displays a small spalling area of 18 mm2 after 6 cycles. The cyclic ablation mechanisms are discussed in detail.

This study proposed a triple-layer remote phosphor (TRP) structure to improve the color and luminous flux of white LEDs (WLEDs). TRP structure consists of 3 different phosphor layers: yellow YAG:Ce3+ layer below, red CaMgSi2O6:Eu2+,Mn2+ phosphor on top and green layer Ba2Li2Si2O7:Sn2+,Mn2+ phosphor in the middle. Using red CaMgSi2O6:Eu2+,Mn2+ to control the red light component leads to increased color rendering index (CRI). Utilize the green CaMgSi2O6:Eu2+,Mn2+ phosphor to control the green light component results in the increase in luminous efficacy (LE) of WLEDs. Furthermore, when the concentration of these two phosphors increased, yellow layer concentration YAG:Ce3+ decreased to maintain average correlated color temperatures (ACCTs) in the range from 6000 K-8500K. Besides CRI and LE, color quality scale (CQS) is also analyzed through concentration control of green phosphor and red phosphor. The research results show that the higher the concentration of CaMgSi2O6:Eu2+,Mn2+, the better for CRI. In contrast, CRI decreased significantly when increasing the concentration of Ba2Li2Si2O7:Sn2+,Mn2+. Meanwhile, CQS achieve notable enhancement in the concentration range of 10% -14% CaMgSi2O6:Eu2+,Mn2+, regardless of Ba2Li2Si2O7:Sn2+,Mn2+ concentration. LE, in particular, can also increase by more than 40% along with the improvement of CRI and CQS with the reduction of the backscattered light and addition of green light. Research results are a valuable reference for producers who wish to improve the color quality and enhance the luminous flux of WLEDs. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium provided the original work is properly cited.

In this work, a novel triple-layer nanocomposite membrane prepared with polyethersulfone (PES)/carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as the primary bulk material and poly (vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoro propylene) (PcH)/CNTs as the outer and inner surfaces of the membrane by using electrospinning method is introduced. Modified PES with CNTs was chosen as the bulk material of the triple-layer membrane to obtain a high porosity membrane. Both the upper and lower surfaces of the triple-layer membrane were coated with PcH/CNTs using electrospinning to get a triple-layer membrane with high total porosity and noticeable surface hydrophobicity. Combining both characteristics, next to an acceptable bulk hydrophobicity, resulted in a compelling membrane for membrane distillation (MD) applications. The prepared membrane was utilized in a direct contact MD system, and its performance was evaluated in different salt solution concentrations, feed velocities and feed solution temperatures. The results of the prepared membrane in this study were compared to those reported in previously published papers. Based on the evaluated membrane performance, the triple-layer nanocomposite membrane can be considered as a potential alternative with reasonable cost, relative to other MD membranes.

Background: As the number of cases of COVID19 from novel corona virus 2019 rises so are the number of deaths ensuing from it. Doctors have been in front in these calamitous times across the world. India has less number of doctors so doctors are overwhelmed with more number of patients to cater. Thereby they are also fearing that they will be exposed much as they often work in limited resource settings. Methods: An on line survey was to include doctors from eastern states in India for measuring the reasons of their fear and suggest possible solutions based on the results achieved thus. After IEC clearance a semi-structured anonymous questionnaire was sent on google forms as links on known to doctors, working in screening OPDs or flu clinics especially for COVID-19. Results: Out of 59 Doctors majority were provided with sanitizers for practicing hand hygiene. Gloves were provided everywhere but masks particularly N95 and Triple Layer surgical masks were not there for all. Training was not given universally. Fear was dependent on age in our sample. Conclusion: Training and strict adherence to infection control measures along with resources can help in removing the fear.

We report the Raman scattering measurements on the triple-layer ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{2}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{2}{\mathrm{Ca}}_{2}{\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}{\mathrm{O}}_{10+\mathrm{z}}$ (Bi2223) crystals of four different doping levels from slightly overdoped to strongly underdoped regimes. We observed a double pair breaking peak in the antinodal ${B}_{1\mathrm{g}}$ configuration that we attribute to the two antinodal gaps opening on the outer and inner $\mathrm{Cu}{\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ plane (OP and IP) band, respectively. The doping dependence of the pair breaking peak energy was investigated. Considering the difference in doping level between the IP and OP, all the ${B}_{1\mathrm{g}}$ pair breaking peak energies for OP and IP were found to align on a single line as a function of doping, which is consistent with the previous results on the double and monolayer cuprates. Within our experimental accuracy the IP and OP peaks start to appear almost at the same temperature. These findings suggest some sort of interaction between the layers. The observed gap energy is very large, not scaling with ${T}_{\mathrm{c}}$.

In this paper, the influence of the distance between phosphor layers in the dual-layer and triplelayer remote package on luminous flux and color rendering property is presented and analyzed. During the simulation, it is recognized that an appropriate distance can produce higher quality of the multi-chip white LED (MCW-LEDs) through adjusting the distance between two and three phosphor layers. According to the research results, 0.1mm is the outstanding distance between two phosphor layers so that the performance of MCW-LEDs can be accomplished the best optimal effect. In addition, the simulation results show that the dual-layer structure yielded higher optical properties than the triple-layer structure in relation to the distance. The highest lumen output of triple layer-structure can be achieved at the distance of 0.6 mm and dual-layer structure is 0.1 mm. Meanwhile, the color rendering index (CRI) changes insignificantly when the distance increases. Triple layer package is not practical for high power white LEDs due to high cost and low conversion efficiency. Dual-layer remote phosphor package with the distance between two phosphor layers of 0.1mm is an optimal structure of LEDs in improving the luminous efficiency and the color quality.

This study proposed the triple-layer remote phosphor (TRP) structure to enhance the color quality and the emitted luminous flux of white LEDs (WLEDs). The TRP structure consists of three different phosphor layers that are arranged as follows: the yellow YAG:Ce3+ phosphor at the bottom, the red phosphor layer CaMgSi2O6:Eu2+,Mn2+ at the top and the green Ba2Li2Si2O7:Sn2+,Mn2+ phosphor between these two ones. The aim to use the red CaMgSi2O6:Eu2+,Mn2+ phosphor is to control the red light component so that the color rendering index (CRI) could be increased. While the green Ba2Li2Si2O7:Sn2+,Mn2+ phosphor is applied to manage the green light component, leading to the rise in luminous efficacy (LE) of WLEDs. Moreover, when the concentrations of these two phosphors are raised, that of the yellow phosphor YAG:Ce3+ has to be decreased to remain the average correlated color temperatures (ACTTs) in a range from 6000 K to 8500 K. Furthermore, not only the CRI and LE but the color quality scale (CQS) is also analyzed by controlling the two green and red phosphor concentrations. The researched results show that the higher the concentration of CaMgSi2O6:Eu2+,Mn2+, the more enhancements in the CRI will be made. In contrast, when the Ba2Li2Si2O7:Sn2+,Mn2+ concentration increases, the CRI significantly decreases. Meanwhile, CQS is likely to considerably rise in a concentration range from 10% to 14% of CaMgSi2O6:Eu2+,Mn2+, regardless of the presence of Ba2Li2Si2O7:Sn2+,Mn2+ concentration. Especially, in parallel with the improvement of CRI and CQS, the LE could be also increased by more than 40% due to the decline in back-scattering lights and the green lights supplement. From these details, the results of this study are valuable references for manufacturers to achieve the goals of enhancing color quality and luminous efficiency of WLEDs.

International audience; In the context of more electrical aircraft and reduction of fuel consumption, aircraft manufacturers are moving towards more complex and transient ice protection systems. The operating of these systems involves several unsteady heat and mass transfer phenomena. Modelling and numerical simulation play an important role in the investigation of these unsteady phenomena. In this paper, a model for unsteady ice build-up and melting is presented. The model is based on a triple layer assumption. In addition, a tailored numerical methodology for solving the governing partial differential equations is also described. It is based on a Galerkin finite element method and a Gauss-Seidel like implicit time marching scheme. The global method is validated and its capabilities are demonstrated on several cases.

We present a combined experimental and theoretical study of resonant Raman spectroscopy in single- and triple-layer MoTe$_2$. Raman intensities are computed entirely from first principles by calculating finite differences of the dielectric susceptibility. In our analysis, we investigate the role of quantum interference effects and the electron-phonon coupling. With this method, we explain the experimentally observed intensity inversion of the $A^\prime_1$ vibrational modes in triple-layer MoTe2 with increasing laser photon energy. Finally, we show that a quantitative comparison with experimental data requires the proper inclusion of excitonic effects., Main Text (5 Figures, 1 Tables) + Supporting Information (6 Figures)

Pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.] seed stored in triple layer Purdue Improved Cowpea Storage (PICS) bags for eight months retained germination and seed integrity significantly better than seed stored in traditional gunny bags. PICS bags prevented major damage caused by bruchids (Callosobruchus maculatus F.), while grain stored in gunny bags suffered severe losses. The aflatoxin levels in stored seed were low and not significantly different between the two storage systems. The levels of O2 in PICS bags artificially infested with C. maculatus dropped rapidly during the first month of storage while the levels of CO2 increased. Even in absence of bruchids (noninfested seed) PICS bags preserved seed germination for extended periods of time better than gunny bags; possibly due to the higher and more stable relative humidity inside the PICS bags. Higher seed germination would result in improved plant stands in the field and subsequent higher yields and increased productivity. Thus, PICS bags have shown potential to positively impact the economy of pigeonpea farmers in the semi-arid tropics.

Microperforated panels are light, clean and tunable sound absorbers, which fundamentals were already established in the previous century. They consist of a distribution of minute holes of diameter d on a panel of thickness t with perforation ratio ϕ in front of an air layer of thickness D. Therefore, the frequency band of absorption of a single-layer microperforated panel depends on (d, t, ϕ, D ). In noise control applications, such a simple structure provides absorption in the frequency range of interest if holes are of sub-millimetric diameter. The former single-layer microperforated panels had two main weaknesses: narrow frequency band of absorption and a high manufacturing cost. However, nowadays these deficiencies can be easily surpassed. The absorption frequency band can be drastically increased by means of multiple-layer structures. The manufacturing cost may be reduced with the application of techniques currently used in the advanced circuitry industry. This is illustrated by the design of a triple-layer microperforated panel yielding absorption in almost four and a half octaves. The parameters of the triple-layer microperforated panel are optimised by Simulated Annealing to provide maximum absorption within a prescribed frequency band.

Recently we have introduced a novel methodology for efficient transport of heavy oil via a triple-layer core-annular flow. Pumping pressures are significantly reduced by concentrating high shear rates to a lubricating layer, while ideas from visco-plastic lubrication were used to eliminate the possibility of interfacial instabilities. Specifically, we purposefully position a shaped unyielded skin of a visco-plastic fluid between the transported oil and the lubricating fluid layer. The shaping of the skin layer allows for lubrication forces to develop as the core settles under the action of transverse buoyancy forces: adopting an eccentric position where buoyancy and lubrication forces balance. In later work we have explained how to sculpt the interface in a stable controlled way to achieve a desired shape. Here we show an explicit advantage of the proposed method: namely that we are able to produce stable core-annular flows in regimes where conventional core-annular flows are unsuitable, i.e. either dispersed phases or instability result. Essentially the method can give stable flows for a very wide range of fluid input ratio, although not all will produce the desired reduction in frictional pressure losses. Keywords: Stable core-annular flow, Yield stress, Oil pipelining, Pressure gradient reduction

We perform all-atom molecular dynamics simulations to study a pure oleic acid (OA) membrane in water that results in a triple-layer structure. We compute the pressure profiles to examine the hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions, and to estimate the surface tension (≈34.5 mN/m), which is similar to those of lipid membranes. We observe that the membrane of OAs having a large diffusion coefficient (0.4 × 10(-7) cm(2)/s) along the normal to the membrane is an ideal model to study oleic acid flip-flop. In the model, the membrane contains a middle layer serving as an intermediate for water and OAs to easily migrate (flip-flop) from one to other leaflets. Water molecules surrounding OA head-groups help to reduce the barriers at the hydrophobic interface to trigger flip-flop events. Within 500 ns, we observe 175 flip-flop events of OAs and 305 events of water traversing the membrane. The ratio of water passing rate (k(H(2)O) = 0.673 ns(-1)) to OA flip-flop rate (k(OA) = 0.446 ns(-1)) is 3/2. The ratio of the totally correlated water-OA events to the totally uncorrelated water-OA events, n(cor)/n(uncor), is also 3/2. The probability of the totally and partially correlated events is 69%. The results indicate that the trans-membrane movement of water and OAs is cooperative and correlated, and agrees with experimentally measured absorption rates. They support the idea that OA flip-flop is more favorable than transport by means of functional proteins. This study might provide further insight into how primitive cell membranes work, and how the interplay and correlation between water and fatty acids may occur.

We report a novel three-terminal device fabricated on MgZnO/ZnO/MgZnO triple-layer architecture. Because of the combined barrier modulation effect by both gate and drain biases, the device shows an unconventional I–V characteristics compared to a common field effect transistor. The photoresponse behavior of this unique device was also investigated and applied in constructing a new type ultraviolet (UV) photodetector, which may be potentially used as an active element in a UV imaging array. More significantly, the proper gate bias-control offers a new pathway to overcome the common persistent photoconductivity (PPC) effect problem. Additionally, the MgZnO:F as a channel layer was chosen to optimize the photoresponse properties and the spectrum indicated a gate bias-dependent wavelength-selectable feature for different response peaks, which suggests the possibility to build a unique dual-band UV photodetector with this new architecture.

In this paper, we propose and demonstrate a novel guided-mode resonant filter based on a metallic grating sandwiched between two dielectric layers for TE polarization. A theoretical model based on rigorous coupled wave analysis has been developed. The transmission spectra of the grating-based structure show a high transmission band with the corresponding amplitude up to 70% inside the infra-red region. Moreover, the observed optical properties can be exactly tuned by the structural parameters. These properties allow using such structures as compact optical filters, and their spectral characteristics can be easily tuned and scaled.

We have fabricated simple triple-layer blue-emitting phosphorescent organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) using different thicknesses of N,N`-dicarbazolyl-3,5-benzene (mCP) host layers doped with bis[(4,6-di-fluorophenyl)-pyridinate-N,]picolmate (FIrpic) guest materials. The thicknesses of mCP:FIrpic layers were 5, 10, and 30 nm. Driving voltage, current and power efficiencies were investigated. The current efficiency was higher in the 10 nm thick mCP:FIrpic device, resulting from the better electron-hole balance. The device with 10 nm mCP:FIrpic layer exhibited the maximum current efficiency of 22.5 cd/A and power efficiency of 7.4 lm/W at a luminance of 1000 cd/.

The objective of present investigation was to develop venlafaxine hydrochloride-layered tablets for obtaining sustained drug release. The tablets containing venlafaxine hydrochloride 150 mg were prepared by wet granulation technique using xanthan gum in the middle layer and barrier layers. The granules and tablets were characterized. The in vitro drug dissolution study was conducted in distilled water. The tablets containing two lower strengths were also developed using the same percentage composition of the middle layer. Kinetics of drug release was studied. The optimized batches were tested for water uptake study. Radar diagrams are provided to compare the performance of formulated tablets with the reference products, Effexor XR capsules. The granules ready for compression exhibited good flow and compressibility when xanthan gum was used in the intragranular and extragranular fractions. Monolayer tablets failed to give the release pattern similar to that of the reference product. The drug release was best explained by Weibull model. A unified Weibull equation was evolved to express drug release from the formulated tablets. Lactose facilitated drug release from barrier layers. Substantial water uptake and gelling of xanthan gum appears to be responsible for sustained drug release. The present study underlines the importance of formulation factors in achieving same drug release pattern from three strengths of venlafaxine hydrochloride tablets.

We have developed the transparent passivation layer for top emission organic light emitting diodes using CsCl thin film by the thermal evaporation method. The CsCl film was deposited on the Ca/Ag semitransparent cathode. The optical transmittance of Ca/ Ag/CsCl triple layer is higher than that of Ca/Ag double layer in the visible range. The device with a structure of glass/Ni/2-TNATA/a-NPD/Alq3:C545T/BCP/Alq3/Ca/Ag/CsCl results in higher efficiency than the device without CsCl passivation layer. The device without CsCl thin film shows a current efficiency of 7 cd/A, whereas the device passivated with CsCl layer shows an efficiency of 10 cd/A. This increase of efficiency isresulted from the increased optical extraction by the CsCl passivation layer.

Interface-enhanced high-temperature superconductivity in one unit-cell (UC) FeSe films on SrTiO3(001) (STO) substrate has recently attracted much attention in condensed matter physics and material science. By combined in-situ scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) and ex-situ scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) studies, we report on atomically resolved structure including both lattice constants and actual atomic positions of the FeSe/STO interface under both non-superconducting and superconducting states. We observed TiO2 double layers (DLs) and significant atomic displacements in the top two layers of STO, lattice compression of the Se-Fe-Se triple layer, and relative shift between bottom Se and topmost Ti atoms. By imaging the interface structures under various superconducting states, we unveil a close correlation between interface structure and superconductivity. Our atomic-scale identification of FeSe/STO interface structure provides useful information on investigating the pairing mechanism of this interface-enhanced high-temperature superconducting system.

A novel SOI high-voltage LDMOS with a triple-layer top silicon (TLTS) is investigated. The top silicon layer of the TLTS LDMOS consists of n− silicon with a p-top layer, p− silicon in the middle, and n+ silicon on the interface. On the condition of high-voltage blocking state, the electric fields of the drift region and BOX are modulated and optimised by the triple-layer top silicon, respectively, which induces a high BV of 624 V for the TLTS LDMOS with a thin buried oxide layer (BOX) of 0.4 µm. Compared with several SOI devices, the proposed TLTS LDMOS has a higher figure-of-merit.

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This paper presents the microstructures and mechanical and absorbing properties of double and triple layer, cement-based, composite panels. The results obtained show that the frequency range in 2-18GHz had less than −10dB effective bandwidth, which correlates with 3.7and 10.8GHz in double and triple layer cement-based composite panels. Furthermore, the double layer panel's compressive strength at 7 and 28 days was 40.2 and 61.2MPa, respectively. For the triple layer panel, the strength values were 35.6MPa and 49.2MPa. The triple layer panel's electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorbing properties were superior compared to the properties of the double layer panel. However, the triple layer panel's mechanical performance was inferior to that of the double layer panel. This study proposes that carbon nanotubes can effectively improve the compressive strength and interface structure of cement-based composite panels.