The hole-pressure problem

There is a need to unify present hypotheses of the nature and role of the hole-pressure,p _e , and thus provide consolidation on which to base future research and understanding. This paper is intended to meet this need. Attention is directed towards the calculation ofp _e from the velocity and stress fields for viscoelastic fluids flowingacross rectangular holes. The constitutive models used are the Newtonian, Second-order and Maxwell models, for values of Reynolds number up to 10 and Weissenberg number up to 0.1.The numerical complications involved are studied through an investigation of the constituent parts ofp _e . Verification of present theory is then sought, from which justification may be derived for the estimation of elasticity fromp _e measurements. Attention is directed towards the predictions of Higashitani and Pritchard and the extension to the Tanner and Pipkin theory for Second-order fluids. The effects of variation of geometric dimensions and flow type uponp _e are also discussed.     

Dynamic magnetic properties of ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic Heusler alloys

Inelastic neutron scattering measurements on a ferromagnetic Heusler alloy, Pd₂MnIn_1?xSn_x at the composition x = 0.75, have established the spin wave dispersion in the three principal symmetry directions. The results have been interpreted using a simple Heisenberg model in which the exchange constants are of long range, extending beyond 12 Å. The Curie temperature, spin wave stiffness constant and the thermal variation of the magnetisation, calculated using the derived exchange parameters are in close agreement with observation.Anomalies in the spin wave dispersion, which are also present to a lesser degree in Pd₂MnSn, have been interpreted as precursor effects associated with the onset of antiferromagnetic ordering, type AF3A, which is the magnetic structure observed in the range 0.2 ? x ? 0.6.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase of Plasmodium falciparum and effects of antimalarials on enzyme activity.

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic technique for the determination of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase in Plasmodium falciparum was developed. The assay was applied to the evaluation of the effects of several antimalarial drugs on the enzyme. Treatment of both the asexual and gametocyte stages of P. falciparum in culture with menoctone, primaquine or the primaquine derivative WR 238605 led to depression of the enzyme activity, although the drugs did not appear to inhibit the enzyme directly.     

Development of an optimal hybrid finite volume/element method for viscoelastic flows

A cell‐vertex hybrid finite volume/element method is investigated that is implemented on triangles and applied to the numerical solution of Oldroyd model fluids in contraction flows. Particular attention is paid to establishing high‐order accuracy, whilst retaining favourable stability properties. Elevated levels of elasticity are sought. The main impact of this study reveals that switching from quadratic to linear finite volume stress representation with discontinuous stress gradients, and incorporating local reduced quadrature at the re‐entrant corner, provide enhance stability properties. Solution smoothness is achieved by adopting the non‐conservative flux form with area integration, by appealing to quadratic recovered velocity‐gradients, and through consistency considerations in the treatment of the time term in the constitutive equation. In this manner, high‐order accuracy is maintained, stability is ensured, and the finer features of the flow are confirmed via mesh refinement. Lip vortices are observed for We>1, and a trailing‐edge vortex is also apparent. Loss of evolution and solution asymptotic behaviour towards the re‐entrant corner are also discussed. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Temperature and flow rate of NH3 effects on nitrogen content and doping environments of carbon nanotubes grown by injection CVD method

Large-scale and vertically aligned nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes were synthesized by pyrolysis of pyridine with ferrocene as the catalysts under either pure NH3 or a mixture of NH3 and argon atmosphere using injection chemical vapor deposition method. Nitrogen content ranges from 4.8 at. % to 8.8 at. % and changes as a function of growth temperature and the flow rate of NH3. NH3 not only increases the nitrogen content of carbon nanotubes but also increases the proportion of pyridine-like N doping in the carbon nanotubes. It suggests that nitrogen concentration and nitrogen doping environments of carbon nanotubes could be controlled by changing the growth temperature or flow rate of NH3.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic assay for thymidylate synthase from the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum

A rapid and highly sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic assay for thymidylate synthase activity is described. The assay is based on the separation of the substrate, deoxyuridylate (dUMP), and its product, deoxythymidylate (dTMP), on a LiChrosorb RP-8 reversed-phase column with 44 mM triethylammonium phosphate (pH 7.0) as mobile phase and a flow-rate of 1.0 ml/min. In addition, using a mu Bondapak C18 reversed-phase column with 10 mM potassium phosphate (pH 4.0) and a gradient of 0-28% methanol, dUMP, dTMP and deoxythymidine (dTdR) are well separated within 30 min. The latter system is also applied to assay thymidine kinase activity with dTdR and dTMP as substrate and product, respectively. This method is sensitive enough to measure dTMP at concentrations as low as 25 pmol, and it was used to show that crude extracts of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum contain thymidylate synthase but not thymidine kinase activity.     

Fast, long-range electron-transfer reactions of a "blue" copper protein coupled non-covalently to an electrode through a stilbenyl thiolate monolayer

A self-assembled monolayer (SAM), formed by the insitu saponification of a stilbenyl thioacetate on a gold electrode, yields fast electron transfer (ET)(the exchange rate at zero driving force exceeds 1600 s-1) with adsorbed molecules of the blue copper protein, azurin, over a distance exceeding 15 angstroms .     

An investigation into detector limitations using evaporative light-scattering detectors for pharmaceutical applications

Evaporative light-scattering detection (ELSD) high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is an alternative technology to low-wavelength UV analysis that is often employed when compounds lack sufficient absorptivity. Although ELSD provides an additional detector option for liquid chromatographers, studies in our laboratory indicate analyte properties may adversely affect the ability to detect certain molecules. In this investigation, a series of low-molecular-weight compounds of pharmaceutical interest are evaluated with two commercially available ELSDs. It is observed that melting point is a useful analyte property to consider in optimizing ELSD detectors. The melting point of the analyte should be significantly higher than what the compound will experience in the nebulizer/evaporator chambers to achieve the best analyte response. It is found that some analytes could not be distinguished from the evaporated mobile phase background when ELSD temperatures exceed the melting point of the compound. Though useful for many applications and of particular interest for compounds that are weak chromophores, ELSD falls short of being a "universal detector" technology. In addition to boiling points of mobile phase components, scientists should also consider the melting point and volatility of the analyte(s) when optimizing ELSD response.