Similitude in exploding wires

Conditions for similarity have been derived for phenomena involving an exploding wire, propagation of the resulting shock through a fluid, and inelastic deformation or fracture of a structure. This analysis considers the capacitance, voltage and material properties of the exploding wire, as well as the geometry and material properties of the fluid and structure. Model experiments involving large inelastic deformation of aluminum diaphragms agree well with the theoretical predictions. Comparison of deformations due to chemical explosives and exploding wires has been made in an effort to establish an ‘equivalence’ between chemical and electrical explosions. The purpose of this is to provide a basis for using small-scale experiments with exploding wires to predict the performance of larger systems using chemical explosives. The exploding wire appears to provide a precise loading for small-scale structural-model experiments and explosion-forming experiments.     

Familial aggregation of early-onset myocardial infarction

Although ischemic heart disease tends to cluster in families, previous studies have reported a modest (2-fold increased risk) to strong (10-fold increased risk) contribution of family history to the explanation of disease occurrence. The authors assessed the familial aggregation of early-onset myocardial infarction in 11,307 adults aged <65 years who participated in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Logistic regression was used to obtain odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A parental history was more common in those with (n = 237) than in those without (n = 11,070) a myocardial infarction (19.8 vs. 7.9%, p < or = 0.01). Adults with a parental history were also more likely to have multiple risk factors for cardiovascular disease (OR for four or five risk factors compared with none: 2.9, 95% CI: 1.4, 6.3). After multivariate adjustment, the likelihood of myocardial infarction was more than three times greater among adults with a parental history than among those without (95% CI: 1.7, 6.7). A maternal history of myocardial infarction was strongly associated (OR = 6.1, 95% CI: 2.1, 17.4) with an increased likelihood of myocardial infarction, and a paternal history was associated with a 3-fold (95% CI: 1.5, 6.3) increased likelihood of myocardial infarction after adjustment for cardiovascular disease risk factors. These results suggest a familial aggregation of early-onset myocardial infarction and show that family history is strongly associated with cardiovascular disease risk factors.     

The Woodward Research Institute,Robert Burns Woodward (1917–1979) and Chemistry behind the Glass Door

Certainly a highlight in the career of Nobel Laureate Professor Robert Burns Woodward (1917–1979) was the foundation of the Woodward Research Institute (WRI) at Ciba AG in Basel, Switzerland, in 1963. Woodward's remarkable accomplishments in the development of organic chemistry altered not only our concepts of molecular structure, but also our comprehension of physico‐chemical properties. In his legacy, Woodward devised innovative strategies for natural product syntheses based on brilliant rationale of their properties and an uncanny sense of Nature. The chemistry community benefited not only at Harvard but especially in Basel and Zürich from Woodward's inspiring lectures and the opportunity to learn from the chemistry Meister. This article highlights parts of the chemistry and some personalities that contributed to forefront investigations at the Woodward Research Institute which began at the former Novartis legacy company, Ciba AG, Basel.     

Noncovalent interactions in paired DNA nucleobases investigated by terahertz spectroscopy and solid-state density functional theory

Cocrystallized adenine and thymine derivatives, along with the pure monomeric crystals, were investigated by terahertz spectroscopy and solid-state density functional theory (DFT). The methylated nucleobase derivatives crystallize in planar hydrogen-bonded adenine-thymine pairs similar to the manner found in DNA. The spectra obtained for 1-methylthymine, 9-methyladenine, and the 1:1 cocrystal in the range of 10-100 cm(-1) clearly demonstrate that absorptions in this spectral range originate from the uniquely ordered assembly and the intermolecular interactions found in each individual crystal system. The quality of spectral reproduction for the DFT simulations of each system was clearly improved by the inclusion of an empirical correction term for London-type dispersion forces to the calculations. Notably, it was found that these weak dispersion forces in the adenine-thymine cocrystal were necessary to produce a properly converged crystal structure and meaningful simulation of the terahertz vibrational spectrum.     

Mixing enhancement in a multi-stream injection nozzle

We present quantitative analysis of image sequences of multi-stream injection nozzle flows with several different injection geometries in an experiment simulating mixing in a chemical oxygen-iodine laser. To visualize mixing, image sequences were acquired with planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) in iodine that was injected into the main flow. The injection nozzle consisted of a slot, ejector, and injector block, with rows of ejector and injector holes along the slot length. The ejector flow exits in an underexpanded state so that upon expanding it forces the slot and injector flows together to enhance mixing. For this study, the diameter and geometry of ejector holes were varied to assess their effect on mixing. Two configurations of ejector holes were used, each with two different diameters for a total of four cases with data collected at downstream stations. We carry out a quantitative mixing analysis for these configurations, using two methods to quantify the mixing. The first method considers the statistics of the PLIF image intensity histograms, which are bimodal for poorly-mixed flows and have a single peak in well-mixed flows. The second method quantifies the properties of the mixing interface. Our analysis shows that two injection schemes significantly enhance mixing by stretching the mixing interface.     

The kinetics of the nitrate radical self-reaction

This article describes the first direct determination of the rate coefficient for the self-reaction between two NO₃ radicals. A laser photolysis technique was used to generate NO₃, and time-resolved decays of NO₃ were followed after stopping the photolysis. The products of the reaction are inferred to be NO₂ and O₂. The derived rate coefficient at room temperature for the self-reaction of (2.3 ± 0.8) ×10^?16 cm³ molecule^?1s^?1 is in excellent agreement with the only other data, which were obtained in an indirect study. Consideration is given to the magnitude and influence of secondary chemistry and to the participation of FO in the chemistry of the NO₃ buildup phase. The studies were conducted over a pressure range of 8 to 100 torr in helium. No clear pressure dependence was observed, and some tentative inferences are drawn both from this result and from the absolute magnitude of the rate coefficient about the mechanism of the reaction. There is apparently no role for the reaction in the chemistry of the atmosphere. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Microbiological assay for chemical species of selenium in foods utilizing Escherichia coli formate dehydrogenase

Summary The problems inherent in chemical speciation of selenium in food are being overcome by developing a bioassay which takes advantage of the presence in Escherichia coli of formate dehydrogenase enzymes that require selenium for synthesis. Formate dehydrogenase catalyzes the formation of CO₂ from formic acid, a metabolite of sugar fermentation. Various selenium compounds utilized in formate dehydrogenase production can be quantitated by measuring CO₂ with an Infrared Analyzer. This assay is sensitive at the picomoles/mg level of selenium in food. Linear dose response curves have been generated over several orders of magnitude, extending down to the picomoles/ml range for selenomethionine, selenocystine and sodium selenite. A dose response relationship has been demonstrated to acid hydrolyzates of a wheat gluten reference material (NIST RM 8418) obtained from the National Institute of Standards and Technology.     

EPR PERSISTENCE MEASUREMENTS OF UV-INDUCED MELANIN FREE RADICALS IN WHOLE SKIN

Electron paramagnetic resonance is used to detect the formation of free radicals caused by exposure to ultraviolet radiation in chemically untreated rabbit skin. A fast jump in EPR signal level, occurring over a few seconds, is observed immediately after a skin sample is exposed to UV. This is followed by a slower increase toward an elevated steady-state signal over a period of hours as the skin is continuously exposed to a UV light source. Upon cessation of UV light exposure, EPR signal levels undergo an abrupt drop followed by a slower decay toward natural levels. Elevated free radical concentrations following UV exposure are found to persist for several hours in whole skin. These results are consistent with time-resolved EPR measurements of photoinduced radicals in various natural melanins.     

An algorithm for outerplanar graphs with parameter

For n-vertex outerplanar graphs, it is proven that O(n^2.87) is an upper bound on the number of breakpoints of the function which gives the maximum weight of an independent set, where the vertex weights vary as linear functions of a parameter. An O(n^2.87) algorithm for finding the solution is proposed.