Application of X-ray radioscopic methods for characterization of two-phase phenomena and solidification processes in metallic melts

X-ray attenuation techniques are an important diagnostic tool for investigating liquid metal two-phase flows or solidification studies in metallic alloys. X-ray visualization enables a general, intuitive understanding of flow phenomena or pattern formation in opaque liquid metal systems. Real-time and in-situ observations of the density distribution within thin solidifying samples achieve a spatial resolution of a few microns and contribute significantly to an improved understanding of dendritic growth processes. Moreover, X-ray radioscopy is a useful tool for a non-invasive, in-situ visualization and characterization of gas bubbles in nontransparent melts or for observations of the formation of metal foams. In this paper we consider three different fields of application which are under intensive investigation at HZDR and TUD: the bottom-up solidification of Ga-In alloys under the influence of buoyancy-driven and electromagnetically driven convection, the injection of Ar gas into liquid GaInSn, the study of Al foams with respect to foam formation and the characterization of their internal structure.     

Preheating of a target by laser radiation through plasma and polymer aerogel

Processing of X-ray and optical streak-camera images after brightness amplification 5 proves unambiguously the existence of a preheating of the foil in two-layer targets (polymer aerogel plus Al foil). We observed this effect earlier at the accuracy limit of the experiment. Preheating may be explained by the initial transmission of laser radiation by an inhomogeneous plasma and aerogel remnants. The fraction of laser energy that passed through a microheterogeneous plasma to the foil or shell is small in comparison with the total energy in the pulse, but it comes to the target (foil or shell) at the initial period of the laser pulse and can be significantly affected by the dynamics of plasma and the efficiency of spherical cryogenic thermonuclear targets.     

Actual and virtual dimension of codimension 2 general linear subspaces in $${\mathbb {P}}^n$$ P n

Geometriae Dedicata - In the paper we compute the virtual dimension (defined by the Hilbert polynomial) of a space of hypersurfaces of given degree containing s codimension 2 general linear...     

Quantification of an intact monoclonal antibody, rituximab, by (RP)HPLC/DAD in compliance with ICH guidelines

We studied the quantification of an intact therapeutic monoclonal antibody (mAb), rituximab (RTX), using (reverse-phase) high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection ((RP)HPLC/DAD). To this end, we developed a chromatographic method and validated it as stability-indicating in accordance with the International Conference on Harmonization guidelines (ICH). A 300-Å C8 column (250 mm?×?4.6 mm, 5 μm) was used to perform the analysis, and the temperature was maintained at 70 °C. Although only one mAb was analyzed, it was necessary to apply a gradient to elute it with a complex organic mixture. Chromatograms were registered at several wavelengths, with λ?=?214 nm employed for quantification purposes. The method was developed to quantify marketed RTX under typical hospital administration conditions. Further dilution was avoided in order to prevent additional mAb modification, and in this way the method was shown to be linear from 60 to 5000 mg/L. The precision of the method (repeatability and intermediate precision, estimated as the relative standard deviation, RSD %), was less than 1.0 %. Accuracy, specificity, robustness, and system suitability were also evaluated as specified in the ICH guidelines. We conducted a comprehensive chromatographic analysis by submitting RTX to several informative stress conditions. These forced degradation studies were conducted for two reasons: to estimate the specificity of the method, and to evaluate the robustness of the mAb formulation against external stress factors when handling it in preparation for administration. Thus, we investigated the effects of acid, base, oxidation, ionic strength, temperature, and UV light. Although a slight modification to the intact mAb could not be distinguished chromatographically in the stress studies we conducted, the procedure proposed here to evaluate peak purity enabled us to detect it with a satisfactory level of confidence. The proposed method could therefore be considered stability-indicating for quantyfying the intact mAb since it is qualified to detect its degradation/modification. Finally, the method was used to evaluate RTX in a long-term stability study performed under hospital conditions of use.     

Enantioselective addition of oxindoles to aliphatic α,β-unsaturated aldehydes

A highly enantioselective organocatalytic oxindole addition to α,β-unsaturated aldehydes is reported. The reaction is catalyzed by simple and commercially available chiral secondary amines, affording the corresponding adducts with good yields and with moderate diastereoselectivities.     

Bismuth nanoparticles electrooxidation: theory and experiment

The article presents the findings of microscopic and electrochemical studies of electrooxidation of bismuth particle of varying sizes. Bismuth particles were immobilized on the surface of indifferent carbon containing screen-printed electrodes. The calculations and experimental studies demonstrated that the transition from macroparticles to nanoparticles caused a shift of the maximum current potential of bismuth oxidation into the area with more negative potentials. A positive correlation between experimental and calculated data confirms once again a relevant application of the earlier proposed mathematical model and the possible use of the shift of the maximum current potential of electrooxidation to describe electrochemical activity and energy properties of metal nanoparticles.