Positron annihilation in polycrystalline metals

The empirical relation θ _p ⁶ /I _p=aK (where θ _p is the limiting angle of the parabolic component in the angular distributions of annihilation photons in metals, I _p is the integrated contribution of this component, K=1, 2, 3, ... is an integer, and a is a constant independent of the type of metal) observed earlier has been tested on magnesium, aluminum, copper, zinc, lead, and bismuth samples. The validity of this relation has been substantiated. The value of the dimensionless constant a has been determined and was found to coincide within experimental error with the result obtained in previous measurements. It is shown that the value of K for the same metal but for different samples may be different. It is conjectured that this may be due to different defect concentrations in samples. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 600–602 (April 1998)     

Novel pattern formation in the collapse process of floating monolayer at the air-water interface

We have observed a remarkable two-armed spiral in the collapse process of a floating monolayer at the air-water interface by phase contrast microscopy. This demonstrates that the floating monolayer as a form of soft condensed matter reorganizes itself due to a certain kind of macroscopic or collective behavior of molecules as it collapses. This pattern formation is caused by the breakdown of a critical dynamical balance between the deformation of solid domain and the applied surface pressure. The fragility as well as the flexibility of the floating monolayer can be associated with the observed pattern growth. There are also observed interesting, periodically arranged collections of molecules in numerous collapsed regions. Received: 8 July 1997 / Accepted: 4 November 1997     

Electrical and optical characteristics of inert-gas plasmas in spatially nonuniform electrode systems

The characteristics of unipolar and bipolar corona discharges in mixtures He/Ar/Kr, He/Ar/Xe, and He/Kr/Xe at atmosphere pressures in electrode systems of the point-plane and point-grid type distributed along the length. It is shown that bipolar corona discharges can be used in the preionization systems of high-pressure inert-gas-atom lasers. The spectral characteristics of the plasma are investigated, and the dependence of the relative intensity of the radiation in the lines Ar(4s-4p), Kr(5s-5p), and Xe(6s-6p) on the composition and pressure of the working mixtures and on the value of the corona discharge current are determined. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 67, 15–18 (November 1997)     

Time-harmonic response of a vertical crack in plates

A technique for the characterization of an interior crack perpendicular to the surface of the plates is presented. A time-harmonic line load is applied on the upper surface of the plate. The scattered displacement field is calculated by using the strip element method. It is found that there are additional superimposed oscillations in the curve of the absolute values of the displacement in the region between the load and the crack. The mean value of the peaks of the additional oscillations increases with the crack length, and is less dependent on the distance from the load to the crack. The crack position is determined from the displacement distribution curve and the crack length is determined from the mean value of the peaks of the additional oscillations. Approximate polynomial formula of degree four for predicting the length of interior vertical cracks in isotropic homogeneous plates is also proposed. Numerical examples are given to demonstrate the present technique.     

Field optimized initial state based control of photodissociation

A new scheme for controlling photodissociation through preparation of a variationally optimized linear superposition of field free vibrational eigenstates is applied for selective control of IBr and HI dissociation. The dependence of photodissociation on various field parameters and initial conditions is examined to investigate the mechanistic basis of selective control. The parametric equations of motion approach for determining vibrational dynamics as a function of field parameters without having to solve the time dependent Schrödinger equation explicitly for each field parameter separately is outlined and its use to identify field characteristics which will provide the requisite population mix represented by the optimal linear superposition of vibrational states is advocated.     

Determination of tyrosine traces by adsorption voltammetry of its copper (II) complex

The electrochemical behavior of the copper-tyrosine complex has been studied by linear-sweep adsorption voltammetry. In 0.02 mol/L Na₂HPO₄ buffer solution (pH=9.6), the complex can be adsorped on a hanging mercury drop electrode and reduced at a peak potential of about –0.42 V (vs. SCE). The secondary derivative peak height is linear proportional to the concentration of tyrosine in the range 1.0×10^–7–5.0×10^–5 mol/L. The detection limit is 5×10^–8 mol/L.Project supported by the Provincial Science Foundation of Shandong Province     

Microencapsulation of DNA Within alginate microspheres and crosslinked chitosan membranes for in vivo application

Calf thymus DNA was microencapsulated within crosslinked chitosan membranes, or immobilized within chitosan-coated alginate microspheres. Microcapsules were prepared by interfacial polymerization of chitosan, and alginate microspheres formed by emulsification/ internal gelation. Diameters ranged from 20 to 500 Μm, depending on the formulation conditions. Encapsulated DNA was quantifiedin situ by direct spectrophotometry (260 nm) and ethidium bromide fluorimetry, and compared to DNA measurements on the fractions following disruption and dissolution of the microspheres. Approximately 84% of the DNA was released upon core dissolution and membrane disruption, with 12% membrane bound. The yield of encapsulation was 96%. Leakage of DNA from intact microspheres/capsules was not observed. DNA microcapsules and microspheres were recovered intact from rat feces following gavage and gastrointestinal transit. Higher recoveries (60%) and reduced shrinkage during transit were obtained with the alginate microspheres. DNA was recovered and purified from the microcapsules and microspheres by chromatography and differential precipitation with ethanol. This is the first report of microcapsules or microspheres containing biologically active material (DNA) being passed through the gastrointestinal tract, with the potential for substantial recovery.     

Variations of constants and red-shift in 6D cosmology

On the basis of the general class of solutions of 6D vacuum Einstein equations and using well-known results of the 6D geometric model of electroweak and gravitational interactions, the variations of fundamental physical constants and their influence on the observed red-shift of galaxies are investigated. By considering the interpretation of extra components of the 6D metric as reproducing the properties of matter in the 4D curved space-time, the effective quantities of matter are obtained. In particular, the states of dust and radiation are shown. The corresponding 5D models were also investigated.