V. Vani

Coexistence curve of acetonitrile and cyclohexane liquid system

The paper reports a detailed determination of the coexistence curve for the binary liquid system acetonitrile+cyclohexane, which have very closely matched densities and the data points get affected by gravity only for t=(Tc−T)/ Tc[approximately-equal-to]10−6. About 100 samples were measured over the range 10−6<t<5×10−1. The order parameter exponent is found to be 0.322±0.004 and the value of Delta is nearly 0.50±0.05 as expected theoretically. There is also a definite anomaly in the diameter which is carefully examined with reference to the predictions of the various theories. The data, when expressed in terms of the volume fraction as the composition variable and analyzed in the asymptotic region, give an exponent of 0.9 for the diameter in keeping with the (1−alpha) exponent theoretically predicted, the value of alpha being 0.11 in binary liquids. The extrapolation properties of the Wegner expansion procedure is somewhat inferior to the extrapolation obtained using a renormalization group (RG) crossover expansion. The use of the new variables proposed by Johnston et al. and Vnuk in making the coexistence curve appear symmetric in the new variables is pointed out. The Journal of Chemical Physics is copyrighted by The American Institute of Physics.

DECT evaluation of noncalcified coronary artery plaque

PURPOSE Composition of the coronary artery plaque is known to have critical role in heart attack. While calcified plaque can easily be diagnosed by conventional CT, it fails to distinguish between fibrous and lipid rich plaques. In the present paper, the authors discuss the experimental techniques and obtain a numerical algorithm by which the electron density (ρ(e)) and the effective atomic number (Z(eff)) can be obtained from the dual energy computed tomography (DECT) data. The idea is to use this inversion method to characterize and distinguish between the lipid and fibrous coronary artery plaques. METHODS For the purpose of calibration of the CT machine, the authors prepare aqueous samples whose calculated values of (ρ(e), Z(eff)) lie in the range of (2.65 × 10(23) ≤ ρ(e) ≤ 3.64 × 10(23)/cm(3)) and (6.80 ≤ Z(eff) ≤ 8.90). The authors fill the phantom with these known samples and experimentally determine HU(V1) and HU(V2), with V1,V2 = 100 and 140 kVp, for the same pixels and thus determine the coefficients of inversion that allow us to determine (ρ(e), Z(eff)) from the DECT data. The HU(100) and HU(140) for the coronary artery plaque are obtained by filling the channel of the coronary artery with a viscous solution of methyl cellulose in water, containing 2% contrast. These (ρ(e), Z(eff)) values of the coronary artery plaque are used for their characterization on the basis of theoretical models of atomic compositions of the plaque materials. These results are compared with histopathological report. RESULTS The authors find that the calibration gives ρ(e) with an accuracy of ±3.5% while Z(eff) is found within ±1% of the actual value, the confidence being 95%. The HU(100) and HU(140) are found to be considerably different for the same plaque at the same position and there is a linear trend between these two HU values. It is noted that pure lipid type plaques are practically nonexistent, and microcalcification, as observed in histopathology, has to be taken into account to explain the nature of the observed (ρ(e), Z(eff)) data. This also enables us to judge the composition of the plaque in terms of basic model which considers the plaque to be composed of fibres, lipids, and microcalcification. CONCLUSIONS This simple and reliable method has the potential as an effective modality to investigate the composition of noncalcified coronary artery plaques and thus help in their characterization. In this inversion method, (ρ(e), Z(eff)) of the scanned sample can be found by eliminating the effects of the CT machine and also by ensuring that the determination of the two unknowns (ρ(e), Ze(ff)) does not interfere with each other and the nature of the plaque can be identified in terms of a three component model.

Scattering of light by a periodic structure in the presence of randomness IV. Limit of detection by curve fitting

In the context of scattering of light, we determine the extent of randomness within which a hidden periodic part can still be detected. The detection is carried out using a technique called the extended matched filtering, first introduced by us in this context. The earlier prediction, before our technique was introduced, had placed the limit of detection, by intensity measurements alone, at (r0/Λ) ∼ 0.33, where r0 is the coherence length of light for scattering by the rough part of the surface and Λ is the wavelength of the periodic part of the surface. In our earlier works we have shown that by intensity measurements alone, the limit of detection can be taken to a much lower value of (r0/Λ), when the extended matched filtering method is employed. In this paper we follow the extended matched filtering method, and try to reach the lowest possible value of detection in (r0/Λ) by fitting the data to a polynomial. It is concluded by our numerical work that the lowest possible limit for detection from intensity measurements alone is (r0/Λ) = 0.11.

Interfacial tension and critical wetting phenomena of the binary liquid mixture cyclohexane-acetonitrile near the critical solution temperature

The determination of the capillary parameter for the partially miscible binary liquid system acetonitrile + cyclohexane has been reported. The system has closely matched densities and the data points are affected by gravity only when the fractional change of the temperature from the critical temperature is about 10−6. The system also exhibits very interesting wetting properties. The interfacial tension has been fitted to a power law σ=0.061 (Tc-T)1.26. The effect of doping with water and the instability of the wetting layer, which crucially depends on the interfacial tension, are studied.

Search for the effect of pressure on liquid-liquid critical phenomena

The coexistence curve of methanol + cyclohexane has been reanalyzed using an intrinsically simpler equation to study the influence of pressure on its asymmetry. The results confirm that no pressure dependence is discernible in the coexistence curve. Suggestions for future work in this direction are made.

The dielectric constant of the binary liquid systemn. heptane + methanol near its critical temperature

The electrical capacitance of the binary liquid mixturen. heptane + methanol at its critical composition is studied in both one-phase and two-phase regions. The two-phase capacitance data are used with the known functional forms for the order parameter and the diameter to obtainTc andcc with greater precision. This helps in reducing the number of unknown parameters in the functional form for the one-phase capacitance. The data show consistency with an alpha (α) exponent for dc/dt in the one phase region.

Some features of the perturbing effects of gravity near the gas liquid critical point

The effect of gravity on various thermodynamic properties near the gas-liquid critical point has been calculated. Using a simple equation satisfying scaling requirements, an analytic expression for density profile is obtained, using which the effect on different thermodynamic properties can be easily calculated.