Dependence of pulser driving responses on electrical and motional characteristics of NDE ultrasonic probes

Acoustic performance in ultrasonic transmitters can be improved by means of a suitable electrical driving response and matching/tuning networks. It is important to predict this electrical response, but doing so is not easy because it departs notably from the nominal pattern with the loading probes. In practice, the analysis of HV pulser spikes in NDE applications requires fairly complex models in the transient regime and, in addition, non-linear problems could arise, especially in the case of tuned transmitters. In this paper, the most relevant influences of loading characteristics of NDT ultrasonic probes on the pulser electrical driving responses are evaluated in time and frequency domains. Conventional pulse generators and typical NDE pulsers are considered. Driving responses are analysed across commercial ultrasonic probes and, alternatively, across similar purely electrical loads. Distinct influences on pulser responses from electrical and motional sections of the probes are identified. All these aspects are studied on the basis of experimental and computer results.     

Fortieth Anniversary of the New Brunswick Laboratory

Research sponsored by the Office of Energy Research, U.S. Department of Energy, under Contract DE-AC05-84OR21400 with Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc.     

Temperature-programmed synthesis of micron-sized multi-responsive microgels

A new synthetic protocol for the synthesis of large diameter (2.5 to 5 μm), temperature-, and pH-responsive microgels via aqueous surfactant-free radical precipitation copolymerization is presented. We have found that in this size range, which is not typically attainable using traditional dispersion polymerization approaches, excellent monodispersity and size control are achieved when the synthesis employs a programmed temperature ramp from 45 to 65 °C during the nucleation stage of the polymerization. A combined kinetic and thermodynamic hypothesis for large particle formation under these conditions is described. Particle sizes, volume phase transition temperatures, and pH responsivity were characterized by particle tracking and photon correlation spectroscopy to illustrate their similar behavior to particles made via more traditional routes. These particles have been enabling for various studies in our group where microscopic visualization of the particles is required.     

Self-assembly and gelation of oxidized glutathione in organic solvents.

The oxidized disulfide form of the ubiquitous tripeptide glutathione (gamma-glu-cys-gly) (GSSG) is shown to produce transparent, thermoreversible gels in aqueous solutions of dimethyl sulfoxide, dimethylformamide, and methanol, at GSSG concentrations as low as 1.5 mM. The gels bind Congo Red and exhibit dramatic green birefringence when observed between crossed polarizers, characteristic of amyloid structures. By transmission electron microscopy, the gels appear to consist of a network of fibrous structures about 75 nm in diameter. Several structurally related peptides, including the glutathione isomer glu-cys-gly and the aspartyl analogue of glutathione (beta-asp-cys-gly), failed to produce gels under similar conditions. These results suggest that the interactions which produce gelation are highly specific and that the unusual peptide geometry introduced by gamma-glu-cys linkage is critical to the gelation behavior. (1)H NMR indicates solvent-dependent perturbation of the gamma-glutamyl alpha- and beta-protons and circular dichroism reveals a shift in the geometry of the disulfide bond under conditions producing gelation. We propose that in appropriate organic solvents, GSSG self-assembles into an extended network of beta-sheetlike structures capable of immobilizing bulk solvent. While obviously speculative, it is interesting to consider possible physiological consequences of glutathione self-recognition in such processes as abnormal protein aggregation and the thiol-disulfide exchange which is believed to participate in protein folding.     

Leveraging Electron Transfer Dissociation for Site Selective Radical Generation: Applications for Peptide Epimer Analysis

Traditional electron-transfer dissociation (ETD) experiments operate through a complex combination of hydrogen abundant and hydrogen deficient fragmentation pathways, yielding c and z ions, side-chain losses, and disulfide bond scission. Herein, a novel dissociation pathway is reported, yielding homolytic cleavage of carbon–iodine bonds via electronic excitation. This observation is very similar to photodissociation experiments where homolytic cleavage of carbon–iodine bonds has been utilized previously, but ETD activation can be performed without addition of a laser to the mass spectrometer. Both loss of iodine and loss of hydrogen iodide are observed, with the abundance of the latter product being greatly enhanced for some peptides after additional collisional activation. These observations suggest a novel ETD fragmentation pathway involving temporary storage of the electron in a charge-reduced arginine side chain. Subsequent collisional activation of the peptide radical produced by loss of HI yields spectra dominated by radical-directed dissociation, which can be usefully employed for identification of peptide isomers, including epimers.

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