Effect of artificial mucus properties on the characteristics of airborne bioaerosol droplets generated during simulated coughing

The effect of viscoelastic properties and surface tension of artificial mucus simulant samples on the size distribution and volume concentration of bioaerosol droplets generated during simulated coughing was investigated through in vitro experiments. The mucus simulant samples had viscoelastic properties in a similar range as those of real human airway mucus. The mucus simulant gels were prepared by mixing various proportions of 0.5–1.7% locust bean gum solution and 0.1 M sodium tetraborate (XLB) solution. Surface tension of one set of samples was varied by adding different amounts of SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate) surfactant while the measurement of surface tension was performed using ADSA (axisymmetric drop shape analysis) method. The viscoelastic properties of the samples were measured using a Bohlin Gemini 200 HR (Malvern, UK) nano-rheometer with peltier plate assembly. An artificial cough machine was used to simulate human cough, generating aerosol droplets in a model trachea attached to the front of the cough machine. The size distribution and volume concentration of the droplets generated through simulated cough were measured using a laser diffraction particle sizer (SprayTec, Malvern, USA). The surface tension was found to have negligible effect on the characteristic of generated droplets within the range of this investigation. The experimental results showed a decrease in particle size as the samples changed from a viscous fluid type to a viscoelastic to an elastic solid type sample. The volume concentration also changed significantly as the viscoelasticity of the samples was varied.     

Fiber-Matrix-Coupling Agent Interactions in Glass-Fiber-Reinforced Polyethylene Composites Under Gamma Irradiation

Mechanics of Composite Materials - Mixtures of a low density-polyethylene (LDPE) with a nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), which is used as a coupling agent in polymer composites, were obtained by...     

Influence of lubricant on the motion of a body in an electromagnetic railgun accelerator. III. Temperature distribution in the armature, rail, and liquid film

The effect of a conducting liquid lubricant on the heating of a rail and projectile (armature) is studied theoretically and experimentally. It is shown that both the Joule and friction heating of the accelerated body can be reduced significantly by using resistive liquid films. When the contact resistance of the film is high, its temperature is determined by two competing processes: Joule heating and heat removal by the moving film. As a result, the dependence of the film temperature on the magnetic Reynolds number, its thickness, and its resistance is nonmonotonic. In the limiting case where the velocity skin effect is completely suppressed and the magnetic Reynolds number is sufficiently high, the film temperature is extremely low. In intermediate cases, however, the film temperature can turn out to be rather high and exceed the melting point of the armature. Viscous dissipation in the liquid film has no significant effect on the temperature of the rail-armature interface until the melting of the armature is determined by Joule heating within it. In the case where the velocity skin effect is strongly suppressed, viscous dissipation along with Joule heating in the resistive film can become one of the major factors controlling the attainable velocity of bodies in railguns. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 69, 117–125 (October 1999)     

Formation of propionitrile and acrylonitrile from acetonitrile and methanol

N. D. Zelinskii Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117913 Moscow. Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 9, pp. 2195–2196, September, 1992.     

Mechanism of reaction of selenium elimination in diacetophenonyl selenide under the action of reduced glutathione

Products of reaction between the organoselenium xenobiotic, diacetophenonyl selenide (1,5-diphenyl-3-selenapenta-1,5-dione), and reduced glutathione at different molar ratios and pH values were studied by HPLC and TLC. Reaction intermediates, S-(acetophenylselenyl)glutathione and glutathione selenodisulfide, and reaction products, acetophenone and hydroselenide anion, were detected. The reaction scheme proposed earlier was confirmed.     

Effect of Gallium Arsenide Charge Carrier Life Time on the Generation and Detection Efficiency of Continuous and Pulsed Terahertz Radiation

Russian Physics Journal - A configuration and test samples of photoconductive dipole antennas based on SI-GaAs:Cr and LT-GaAs for generation and detection of terahertz radiation are developed....     

Estimation of the relaxation parameters of a cholesteric liquid by the parameters of acoustic streaming

The possibility of determining the relaxation time of cholesteric liquid crystals with a large helix pitch from the parameters of acoustic streaming is demonstrated experimentally.