Rotating beamforming – motion-compensation in the frequency domain and application of high-resolution beamforming algorithms

A method is presented for the location of rotating sound sources by a microphone array. In contrast to other methods which are formulated in the time domain, this method works completely in the frequency domain and allows the application of advanced, high resolution beamforming techniques. Following the work by Lowis and Joseph for ducted sources, it is shown that a generalized cross-spectral matrix in the rotating frame of reference can be calculated which can serve as a starting point for advanced beamforming techniques. The Green's function of a moving point source under free space conditions is expressed in spherical coordinates, which are, for numerical reasons, more convenient than cylindrical coordinates. The microphones on the array have to be arranged in a ring. As a practical example high resolution beamforming deconvolution methods are applied to simulated data and measured data from rotating sources.     

Potentiometric flow-injection system for determination of alkaline phosphatase in human serum

A flow-injection system for detection of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in human serum samples has been developed. As a specific and inexpensive ALP substrate for this kinetic assay monofluorophosphate (MFP) was applied. For detection of fluoride ions, generated in the course of the biocatalytic hydrolysis of MFP, conventional fluoride ion-selective electrode based on LaF₃-crystalline membrane was applied. After optimization the system allows analysis of human serum with high selectivity and relatively short time of analysis (5–6 samples h⁻¹). Volume of serum required for analysis is 0.05 mL. The system is useful for determination of the enzyme activity in human serum samples at physiological and pathological levels as well as for detection of isoenzymatic forms of ALP.     

Selective Apoptotic Effect of Plasma Activated Liquids on Human Cancer Cell Lines

Plasma medicine is a new field focusing on biomedical and clinical applications of cold gas plasmas, including their anticancer effects. Cold plasmas can be applied directly or indirectly as plasma-activated liquids (PAL). The effects of plasma-activated cell growth medium (PAM) and plasma-activated phosphate buffered saline (PAPBS) were tested, using a plasma pen generating streamer corona discharge in ambient air, on different cancer cell lines (melanoma A375, glioblastoma LN229 and pancreatic cancer MiaPaCa-2) and normal cells (human dermal fibroblasts HDFa). The viability reduction and apoptosis induction were detected in all cancer cells after incubation in PAL. In melanoma cells we focused on detailed insights to the apoptotic pathways. The anticancer effects depend on the plasma treatment time or PAL concentration. The first 30 min of incubation in PAL were enough to start processes leading to cell death. In fibroblasts, no apoptosis induction was observed, and only PAPBS, activated for a longer time, slightly decreased their viability. Effects of PAM and PAPBS on cancer cells showed selectivity compared to normal fibroblasts, depending on correctly chosen activation time and PAL concentration, which is very promising for potential clinical applications. This selectivity effect of PAL is conceivably induced by plasma-generated hydrogen peroxide.     

Sensitivity study of the contact situation between the brake pad and the disc

The contact situation between the brake pad and the disc during the braking process is of particular importance concerning the squeal behavior of brake systems. After the braking process, the surface topography of brake pads can be measured using a confocal microscope. An algorithm to calculate the contact between two surfaces has been developed at the Institute of Dynamics and Vibrations. The algorithm calculates the deflection of asperities under a normal load regarding an elastic material behavior. A normal load is applied to a measured surface topography of the brake pad; the counter body (brake disc) is represented by a flat surface. The potential contact area, the locally distributed forces, deflections and normal stiffness of the pad are computed. Since there is an uncertainty in the relative position between the pad and the disc and hence the real contact situation during the braking process is not known, different contact situations must be considered during the simulations. Concerning various tilt angles of the pad that can arise during the vibrations of the brake system, a sensitivity study has been carried out. (© 2011 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A simple and effective synthesis of activated vinylphosphonates from 3-methoxy-2-diethoxyphosphorylacrylate

A facile, efficient and general one-step procedure for the synthesis of 3-substituted 2-diethoxyphosphorylacrylates from 3-methoxy-2-diethoxyphosphorylacrylate 1b and nitrogen, carbon and phosphorus nucleophiles is presented. Reaction of 1b with 3,5-dimethoxyphenol in the presence of trifluoromethanesulfonic acid yields 3-diethoxyphosphoryl-5,7-dimethoxychromen-2-one.     

Asymptotic Stability of Landau Solutions to Navier–Stokes System

It is known that the three-dimensional Navier–Stokes system for an incompressible fluid in the whole space has a one parameter family of explicit stationary solutions that are axisymmetric and homogeneous of degree −1. We show that these solutions are asymptotically stable under any L ²-perturbation.     

Ion acceleration from aluminium plasma generated by a femtosecond laser in different conditions

Non-equilibrium plasma was obtained by irradiating Al foils in vacuum with a femtosecond (fs) laser at intensities of the order of 10¹⁸ W/cm². Protons and other light ions were accelerated in the forward direction by using the target-normal-sheath acceleration regime. Time-of-flight technique was employed to measure the ions' kinetic energy using SiC detectors placed at known distances and angles. The ion acceleration was monitored under different conditions of laser focal position, laser pulse energy, and laser contrast. The target was irradiated using different thicknesses and anti-reflecting graphene films. By optimizing the laser parameters, irradiation conditions, and target properties, it was possible to accelerate up to 2.3 MeV per charge state, as will be presented and discussed.     

Thermodynamic dissociation constants of silychristin, silybin, silydianin and mycophenolate by the regression analysis of spectrophotometric data

Mixed dissociation constants of four drug acids, i.e. silychristin, silybinin, silydianin and mycophenolate at various ionic strengths I of range 0.01 and 0.30 and at temperatures of 25 and 37 °C were determined using the SQUAD(84) regression analysis program applied to pH-spectrophotometric titration data. The proposed strategy of an efficient experimentation in a protonation constants determination, followed by a computational strategy for the chemical model with a protonation constants determination, is presented on the protonation equilibria of silychristin. The thermodynamic dissociation constant pK_a^T was estimated by non-linear regression of {pK_a, I} data at 25 and 37 °C: for silychristin pK_a,1^T=6.52(16) and 6.62(1), pK_a,2^T=7.22(13) and 7.41(5), pK_a,3^T=8.96(9) and 8.94(9), pK_a,4^T=10.17(7) and 10.03(8), pK_a,5^T=11.89(4) and 11.63(7); for silybin pK_a,1^T=7.00(4) and 6.86(5), pK_a,2^T=8.77(11) and 8.77(3), pK_a,3^T=9.57(8) and 9.62(1), pK_a,4^T=11.66(3) and 11.38(1); for silydianin pK_a,1^T=6.64(7) and 7.10(6), pK_a,2^T=7.78(5) and 8.93(1), pK_a,3^T=9.66(9) and 10.06(11), pK_a,4^T=10.71(7) and 10.77(7), pK_a,5^T=12.26(5) and 12.14(5); for mycophenolate pK_a^T=8.32(1) and 8.14(1). Goodness-of-fit tests for various regression diagnostics enabled the reliability of parameter estimates to be found.