Changes in ADC caused by tensile loading of rabbit achilles tendon: evidence for water transport

Water diffusion measurements were performed on rabbit Achilles tendons during static tensile loading and tendons in an unloaded state. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) was measured along two directions: parallel and perpendicular to the long axis of the tendon. Tendons were studied after being prepared in two ways: (a) after being stored frozen in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and (b) freshly isolated. Statistically significant directional anisotropy was observed in the ADC in all tendons. The ADC was significantly greater in the direction parallel to the long axis of the tendon than in the perpendicular direction. The anisotropy is attributed to the greater restrictions seen by the water molecules in the perpendicular direction and is consistent with the known geometry of the tendon. Storage in PBS caused tendons to swell. This increased the ADC measured along both directions and reduced the anisotropy. The existence of anisotropy in the ADC was not related to the orientation of the specimen in the magnet. The ADC increased along both directions following the application of a 5-N tensile load; the increase was greatest along the perpendicular axis of the tendon. In order to determine whether load-related changes in the ADC reflected changes in interfibrilar spacing, we used electron microscopy to measure load-related changes in fibril spacing. Load-related changes in fiber spacing could not account for the observed changes in the ADC. The increase in ADC caused by loading was attributed to the extrusion of tendon water into a bulk phase along the outside surface of the tendon. In PBS-stored samples, enough fluid was extruded that it could be visualized. The transient response of the ADC to a 5-N tensile load was also studied. The absolute ADC in both directions increased with loading and recovered to baseline upon unloading. The transient changes in ADC, for both loading and unloading, had a mean time constant of approximately 15 min. The magnitude of the load-induced transient ADC changes was comparable to that seen in the static-loading experiments.     

Evidence of red cell alignment in the magnetic field of an NMR spectrometer based on the diffusion tensor of water

The alignment of human erythrocytes in aqueous suspensions in the magnetic field B(0) (called the z-direction) of an NMR spectrometer was shown by calculating the diffusion tensor for water in the sample. The diffusion was measured using a pulsed-field-gradient spin-echo NMR method. The extent of diffusion anisotropy for water was exemplified by the values of the apparent diffusion coefficients with erythrocytes of normal shape and volume: for a typical experiment the values for the x-, y-, and z-directions were (6.88 +/- 0.17) x 10(-10), (7.07 +/- 0.17) x 10(-10), and (10.20 +/- 0.17) x 10(-10) m(2) s(-1), respectively. Cells in hypo- and hyperosmotic media were also studied and they too showed the anisotropy of the apparent diffusion coefficients but the extents were different. A new method of data analysis was developed using the Standard Add-On Packages in a Mathematica program. The experimental findings support evidence of erythrocyte alignment that was previously obtained with a high-field-gradient q-space method.     

炼油废水再生工艺技术

采用“悬浮载体生物深度处理、臭氧部分氧化及生物活性炭处理”等工序开发了一种新的炼油废水再生工艺技术，深度处理炼油废水。COD、BOD、NH3-N、油、硫化物、SS、细菌等主要污染物被有效去除，总出水清澈，无色无味，可满足工业用新鲜水、生活与办公、绿化等的水质要求，且处理费用低，运行稳定可靠。     

Conductance studies of NaBPh4, NBu4I, NaI, NaCl, NaBr, NaClO4 and the limiting ionic conductance in water + propan-1-ol mixtures at 298.15 K

The electrical conductivities of NaBPh₄, NBu₄I, NaI, NaCl, NaBr and NaClO₄ have been studied in the mixtures of propan-1-ol with water. The obtained results were analysed using the Fuoss–Justice equation. The individual limiting ionic conductivities of Na⁺, NBu₄⁺, BPh₄⁻, I⁻, Cl⁻, Br⁻, ClO₄⁻ ions have been determined using the Fuoss–Hirsch assumption. The dependencies of the limiting molar conductances Λ_o and Walden products Λ_oη versus mixed solvent composition have been discussed.     

Nuclear Physics in Norway, 1933–1955

In the late 1940s and the 1950s, Norwegian nuclear scientists, engineers, and administrators were deeply split over their nation’s goals, organization, politics, and tools for research in nuclear physics. One faction was determined to build a nuclear reactor in Norway, while another fiercely opposed the reactor plans and focused on particle accelerators. The first faction comprised scientific entrepreneurs and research technologists, the second academic scientists, most of whom began their research careers in nuclear physics in the 1930s. To understand this conflict, I trace the development of nuclear research in Norway from the early 1930s to the mid-1950s, placing it within an international context. Roland Wittje is working on his habilitation thesis in the History of Science Unit at the University of Regensburg, Germany.     

CO2-broadened water in the pure rotation and ν2 fundamental regions

The CO₂-broadened water coefficients (half-widths, line shifts, and temperature dependence of the widths) are predicted using a fully complex Robert-Bonamy formulation for the 937 allowed and forbidden perpendicular type transitions of (000)-(000) between 200 and 900 cm⁻¹ in order to facilitate atmospheric remote sensing of Mars and Venus. In addition, empirical Lorentz line widths and pressure-induced frequency-shifts of CO₂-broadened H₂¹⁶O are obtained at room temperature for 257 perpendicular transitions of the (010)-(000) fundamental. For this, calibrated spectra recorded at 0.0054 cm⁻¹ resolution are measured assuming Voigt line shapes. For transitions between 1287 and 1988 cm⁻¹ with rotational quanta up to J = 13 and K_a = 6, the widths vary from 0.045 to 0.212 cm⁻¹ atm⁻¹ at 300 K; the pressure-shifts are quite large and range from −0.0386 to +0.0436 cm⁻¹ atm⁻¹. For the (010)-(000) band, the RMS and mean observed and calculated differences for CO₂-broadened H₂O half-widths are 12% and −1.9%, respectively, while the RMS and mean ratios of the observed and calculated pressure-induced shift coefficients are 1.6 and 0.79, respectively. For pairs of transitions involving K_a = 0 and 1, such as 2_0 2 ← 3_1 3 and 3_1 3 ← 2_0 2, both the calculated and observed pressure induced shifts in positions are opposite in sign and often similar in magnitude. The data are too limited to characterize vibrational dependencies of the widths, however.     

Simulation of two‐phase flow–body interaction problems using direct forcing/fictitious domain–level set method

In the present paper, a direct forcing/fictitious domain (DF/FD)–level set method is proposed to simulate the twophase flow–body interaction. The DF/FD does not sacrifice accuracy and robustness by employing a discrete δ (Dirac delta) function to transfer quantities between the Eulerian nodes and Lagrangian points explicitly as the immersed boundary method. The advantages of this approach are the simple concept, the easy implementation and the utilization of original governing equation without modification. The main idea is to combine DF/FD method with the level set method in the Cartesian coordinates. We present the results of a number of test cases to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method for single‐phase flow–body interaction problem and the two‐phase flows with a stationary body. Eventually, the simulations of various water entry problems have been conducted to validate the capability and the accuracy of the present method on solving the twophase flow–body interaction. Consequently, the present results are found to be in good agreement with those of previous studies. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Continuous flow electrolytic cold vapor generation atomic fluorescence spectrometric determination of Hg in water samples

The determination of trace concentrations of Hg in water samples by the use of electrolytic cold vapor generation (ECVG) system and AFS was studied. Several buffer solutions were used and the detection limits with these systems were found to be by a factor of 1–2 lower than in the conventional electrolytic cold vapor generation system. Comparing with the traditional inorganic acid, phosphate buffer solution (PBS) increased the signal intensity of Hg vapor from electrolytic generation on Pt cathode and reduced the impact of cathode erosion on the stability of signal intensity. Moreover, buffer solution has better interference tolerance. The effects of the electrolytic conditions and interference ions on the ECVG have been studied. Under optimized conditions and with PBS as catholyte the detection limit for Hg was found to be 0.27 ng L⁻¹. The relative standard deviation was 2.8% for 11 consecutive measurements of 1 μg L⁻¹ Hg. This method has been applied in the determination of inorganic Hg in Yangtze River water.     

Application of diffusion‐edited NMR spectroscopy for selective suppression of water signal in the determination of monomer composition in alginates

Alginate is a linear copolymer of 1‐4 linked β‐D ‐mannuronic acid (M) and 1‐4 linked α‐L ‐guluronic acid (G). The physical properties of these polysaccharides such as gel properties and viscosity are largely correlated to the monomer composition (M/G ratio), the sequence of the polymer and the molecular weight. Determination of the M/G ratio is therefore important and NMR spectroscopy is among the most common methods used to accurately obtain this ratio. Instead of using time consuming, possibly sample altering, acid hydrolysis to reduce the viscosity of the alginate sample prior to analysis, samples of low concentrations can be used. However, this results in a water peak in the NMR spectrum that is several orders of magnitude larger than the alginate signals and water suppression is required. In this article, a diffusion‐edited NMR experiment that suppresses the water peak while retaining the signals of interest has been used to enable correct M/G ratio determination. This approach exploits the difference in translational diffusion between the larger alginate molecules and the smaller water molecules. Using this method, the monomer composition of 20 different alginate powders was determined. The diffusion parameters were optimized to allow measurement for samples covering a large range of M/G ratios and viscosities. Thus, such method should be useful for analyzing large numbers of unknown alginate samples using, for example, automation procedures. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Solubilization of C60 by micellization with a thermoresponsive block copolymer in water: Characterization,singlet oxygen generation,and DNA photocleavage

Water‐soluble diblock copolymer, poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide)‐block‐poly(N‐vinyl‐2‐pyrroridone) (PNIPAM_m‐b‐PNVP_n), was found to associate with fullerene (C₆₀), and thus C₆₀ can be solubilized in water. The 63C₆₀/PNIPAM_m‐b‐PNVP_n micelle formed a core‐shell micelle‐like aggregate comprising a C₆₀/PNVP hydrophobic core and a thermoresponsive PNIPAM shell. The C₆₀‐containing polymer micelle formation and its thermoresponsive behavior were characterized using light scattering and ¹H NMR techniques. The hydrodynamic radius (R_h) of the C₆₀‐bound polymer micelle increased with increasing temperature, which was ascribed to the hydrophobic association between dehydrated PNIPAM shells above lower critical solution temperature (LCST). ¹H NMR data suggest that the motion of the PNIPAM block is restricted above LCST due to the dehydration of the PNIPAM shell in water. The generation of singlet oxygen by photosensitization by the C₆₀‐bound polymer micelle was confirmed from photooxidation of 9,10‐anthracenedipropionic acid. Furthermore, DNA was found to be cleaved by visible light irradiation in the presence of the C₆₀‐bound polymer micelle. Therefore, there may be a hope for a pharmaceutical application of the C₆₀‐bound polymer micelle to cancer photodynamic therapy. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011.