A multigrid method for predicting periodically fully developed flow

The use of multigrid methods in complex fluid flow problems is still under development. In this paper a full multigrid procedure has been incorporated in a finite volume solution for predicting fully developed fluid flow in a streamwise periodic geometry. Steady computations in two-dimensional body fitted co-ordinates have shown considerable savings in computation time by this multigrid method.     

Use of the Apparent Content Curves for the spectrophotometric identification of substances: identification of amphetamines

The possibility of identification of substances which have similar spectral behaviour by means of Apparent Content Curves has been studied. This study is carried out with absorption, excitation and emission spectra of several amphetamines of widespread pharmaceutical use. Results obtained show that amphetamine, phenylpropanolamine, pseudoephedrine, phenylephrine, epinephrine, dopamine and methoxyamphetamine can be identified with a probability of >95%.     

Structural changes in discotic samples during transition from crystal to discotic mesophase as revealed by electron microscopy and diffraction

Classical methods of structural analysis cannot be applied to liquid crystals because higher order reflections disappear during the transition from crystal to liquid crystal due to the reduction in long range orientational and translational correlations. However, in order to relate physical properties to the molecular architecture, it is essential to have information about molecular positions and orientations in the crystalline state as well as in the liquid crystalline state. In this work, the transition from crystalline to liquid crystalline phase is carefully monitored and the relationship between the original lattice and the new molecular positions found using electron diffraction. In addition to this, a new high resolution electron-microscopic technique is described in which the positions of molecules in the crystalline and the quenched discotic phase are directly imaged and the defects observed in the crystalline and LC phase compared and quantitatively analysed.     

Raman spectroscopic investigations of the structure and phase transitions of liquid crystalline lead(II) alkanoates

Lead(II) alkanoates with even chain lengths from octanoate to octadecanoate have been investigated by Raman spectroscopy. In the low frequency region, transverse and longitudinal acoustical modes (TAM, LAM) have been assigned. It was shown that LAM-1 is the vibration of the double chain with the node of the vibration in the Pb²⁺ layer. A fully extended conformation of the chains in the low temperature phase was confirmed. The frequencies and intensities of the LAMs as compared with those of the alkanes and the fatty acids led to an estimate of the force constant and polarizability of the Pb²⁺ -COO^- bond relative to the C-C bond. The defects at the chain ends were investigated in the ρ(CH₃) and v(CC) region. For the intermediate (CM) phase, both the Pb²⁺ layer distance reduction and the chain length independent enthalpy contributions can be attributed mainly to defects at the chain ends.     

Altered protein synthesis in rat kidney cells exposed to semiconductor materials

It is thought that the extensive industrial use of arsenic, gallium and indium, which have applications as the materials for III–V semiconductors, will increase human exposure to these compounds in the near future. We have undertaken the development of new biological indicators for assessing exposure to these elements. Element-specific alterations in protein synthesis patterns were expected to occur following exposure to arsenic compounds. We examined alterations in protein synthesis in primary cultures of rat kidney proximal tubule epithelial cells by sodium arsenite, gallium chloride and indium chloride, utilizing two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. After incubation with the chemicals for 20 h, newly synthesized proteins were labeled with [³⁵S]methionine. A protein with a molecular weight (M_r) of 30 000 was markedly induced on exposure to 10 μM arsenite or 300 μM gallium chloride, and synthesis of proteins with M_r values of 85 000, 71 000, 65 000, 51 000, 38 000 and 28 000 were also increased by exposure to arsenite and gallium chloride. No significant changes were observed upon exposure to indium. Some of these increased proteins could be heat-shock proteins.     

Photoinduced electron transfer variables: rigidity or orientation?

The relatives photoreactives of bridged-ring systems 1, 3, 5-X and 6-X (X ≡ Cl or Br) have been studied at 254 nm in acetic acid. The formation of photosolvolysis product was rationalized in terms of photoinduced intramolecular electron transfer (ET) processes. The relative ease of ET in these donor—bridge—acceptor model system was analyzed in terms of known ET variables including free-energy changes, orientation effects and ridigity effects. The observed relative photoreactivities agreed better with the calculated free-energy changes when relative rigidities of the electron acceptor termini were evaluated. In general, the more rigid system were more photoreactive.     

Fluctuation conductivity in superconducting MgB2

According to the crystal structure of MgB₂ and band structure calculations, quasi-two-dimensional (2D) boron planes are responsible for the superconductivity. We report on critical-field and resistance measurements of 5.6-μm-thick MgB₂ films grown on a sapphire single-crystal substrate. Resistivity measurements yield a temperature dependence of the fluctuation conductivity above the critical temperature, which agrees with the Aslamazov-Larkin and Maki-Thompson theory of fluctuations in layered superconductors, indicating a quasi-two-dimensional nucleation of superconductivity in MgB₂.