To the application of the emission Mössbauer and positron annihilation spectroscopies for detection of carcinogens

Being the main cause of cancer, almost all chemical carcinogens are strong electrophiles, that is, they have a high affinity for the electron. We have shown that positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) is able to detect chemical carcinogens by their inhibition of positronium (Ps) formation in liquid media. Electrophilic carcinogens intercept thermalized track electrons, which are precursors of Ps, and as a result, when they are present Ps atom does not practically form. Available biophysical data seemingly indicate that frozen solutions model better an intracellular medium than the liquid ones. So it is reasonable to use emission Mössbauer spectroscopy (EMS) to detect chemical carcinogens, measuring the yield of ⁵⁷Fe²⁺ions formed in reactions of Auger electrons and other secondary electrons they produced with ⁵⁷Fe³⁺. These reactions are similar to the Ps formation process in the terminal part the positron track: e⁺+ e^? =>Ps. So EMS and PALS are complementary methods for detection of carcinogenic compounds.     

Tube-wave propagation in a fluid-filled borehole generated by a single point force applied to the surrounding formation

Propagation of tube waves in an infinite fluid-filled borehole, generated by a single-force point source placed in the elastic surrounding formation, is analyzed in the long-wave approximation. Integral representations of the precise solution are obtained both for fast and slow formations. An asymptotic analysis of tube-wave propagation in the fluid-filled borehole is performed on the basis of these two integral representations. The complete asymptotic wave field in the borehole fluid for a fast formation consists of P and SV phases and the lowest eigenmode of the Stoneley wave (tube wave). For a slow formation the conical Stoneley wave (Mach wave) is generated. It appears only behind the critical angle defined by the ratio of the S wave velocity in the formation to the low-frequency Stoneley wave velocity and decays weakly with an offset. Asymptotic wave forms are in good agreement with wave forms obtained by straightforward calculations.     

Aspect-ratio dependent oscillatory thermocapillary convection in the floating half zone

The dependency of the critical Marangoni number on the geometrical aspect ratio of the floating half zone is essential to predict the onset of oscillatory thermocapillary convection.The experimental studies in the microgravity conditions on floating half zones of several centimeters in diameter have predicted that the critical Marangoni number increases with the increasing aspect ratio,and the terrestrial experimental studies have predicted the contradictory conclusion for floating half zones of several mil...     

Photoreflectance study of plasma-etched semi-insulating GaAs substrates treated

Semi-insulating GaAs(100) substrates subjected to ion plasma etching in different regimes have been investigated by photoreflectance spectroscopy. The photoreflectance spectra of the processed samples exhibit Franz-Keldysh oscillations, which indicate a decrease in the defect density in the surface region. On the basis of the experimental data and the results of simulation of the photoreflectance spectra, optimal regimes of sample etching have been found.     

Non-Gravitational Effects with Density-Matching in Evaluating the Influence of Sedimentation on Colloidal Coagulation

The method of density matching between the solid and liquid phases is often adopted to effectively eliminate the effect of sedimentation of suspensions in studies on dynamic behaviour of a colloidal system. However, the associated changes in the solvent composition may bring side effects to the properties investigated and therefore might lead to a faulty conclusion if the relevant correction is not made. To illustrate the importance of this side effect, we present an example of the sedimentation influence on the coagulation rate of suspensions of 2μm （diameter） polystyrene. The liquid mixtures, in the proper proportions of water （H2O）, deuterium oxide （D2O） and methanol （MeOH） as the liquid phase, density-matched and unmatched experiments are performed. Besides the influence of viscosity, the presence of methanol in solvent media, used to enhance the sedimentation effect, causes significant changes （reduction） in rapid coagulation rates compared to that in pure water. Without the relevant corrections for those non-gravitational factors it seems that gravitational sedimentation would retard the coagulation. The magnitude of the contribution from the non-gravitational factor is quantitatively determined, making the relevant correction possible. After necessary the influence of the sedimentation on coagulation rates at corrections for all factors, our experiments show that the initial stage of the coagulation is not observable.