Electrochemical activity and morphology of human erythrocytes at optically transparent ITO electrode

The electrochemical activity of a suspension of human erythrocytes was found at potentials above +0.4 V. The limiting current of electrooxidation was found to linearly depend on the cell concentration in the suspension. The electrochemical activity of an erythrocyte suspension is accompanied by reversible changes in the cell morphology only in non-buffered media.     

A monopole mass filter with a hyperbolic V-shaped electrode

In this article we compare the classical monopole mass filter of von Zahn and the monopole mass filter with a hyperbolic V-shaped electrode. The experimental results and those of computer simulation for both mass spectrometers are presented. We show that the replacement of a conventional 90 degrees V-shaped electrode by an electrode with a hyperbolic profile substantially improves the peak shape of any given mass, and increases the mass resolution by a factor of 3-4 and the abundance sensitivity by a factor of 100. The potential of high analytical performance combined with electroforming techniques for electrode manufacture indicate future practical uses of such instruments. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mathematical model of spiral waves propagating in the aorta

The spiral waves in the viscous incompressible fluid flow within an arterial vessel modeled by a thin elastic isotropic shell are studied. Asymptotic expansions are constructed for two types of spiral waves. The first type is spiral long wall waves generated (owing to the viscous fluid no-slip at the inner shell wall) by the longitudinal and twist harmonic waves that propagate along the wall. For these waves the amplitude distribution over the vessel cross-section has the form of a boundary layer localized near the inner shell surface. The second is short small-amplitude waves that practically fill the entire vessel cross-section. It is shown that for the short waves the transfer mechanismis the steady-state flow, the role of the longitudinal wall waves and the elastic characteristics of the shell being in this case insignificant.     

Small-angle X-Ray analysis of macromolecular structure: the structure of protein NS2 (NEP) in solution

A complex structural analysis of nuclear export protein NS2 (NEP) of influenza virus A has been performed using bioinformatics predictive methods and small-angle X-ray scattering data. The behavior of NEP molecules in a solution (their aggregation, oligomerization, and dissociation, depending on the buffer composition) has been investigated. It was shown that stable associates are formed even in a conventional aqueous salt solution at physiological рН value. For the first time we have managed to get NEP dimers in solution, to analyze their structure, and to compare the models obtained using the method of the molecular tectonics with the spatial protein structure predicted by us using the bioinformatics methods. The results of the study provide a new insight into the structural features of nuclear export protein NS2 (NEP) of the influenza virus A, which is very important for viral infection development.     

Bifurcation of self-similar solutions describing a thermocapillary flow of a fluid in a thin layer

Thermocapillary flows of a fluid in a lamina with a rigid lower wall and a free upper surface, along which the temperature gradient is given in the radial direction, are investigated for large Marangoni numbers. Self-similar solutions which describe the axisymmetric flow regimes of a fluid without the circumferential velocity component are constructed numerically and asymptotically for a system of Prandtl equations. It is shown that a pair of new self-similar flow regimes of a fluid with rotation branches off from the regimes obtained. The new regimes ere calculated numerically and asymptotically. Rostov State University, Rostov-on-Don 344090. Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 40, No. 3, pp. 137–142, May–June, 1999.     

Promising lines of investigations in the realms of laboratory astrophysics with the aid of powerful lasers

The results of work on choosing and substantiating promising lines of research in the realms of laboratory astrophysics with the aid of powerful lasers are presented. These lines of research are determined by the possibility of simulating, under laboratory conditions, problematic processes of presentday astrophysics, such as (i) the generation and evolution of electromagnetic fields in cosmic space and the role of magnetic fields there at various spatial scales; (ii) the mechanisms of formation and evolution of cosmic gamma-ray bursts and relativistic jets; (iii) plasma instabilities in cosmic space and astrophysical objects, plasma jets, and shock waves; (iv) supernova explosions and mechanisms of the explosion of supernovae featuring a collapsing core; (v) nuclear processes in astrophysical objects; (vi) cosmic rays and mechanisms of their production and acceleration to high energies; and (vii) astrophysical sources of x-ray radiation. It is shown that the use of existing powerful lasers characterized by an intensity in the range of 10¹⁸–10²² W/cm² and a pulse duration of 0.1 to 1 ps and high-energy lasers characterized by an energy in excess of 1 kJ and a pulse duration of 1 to 10 ns makes it possible to perform investigations in laboratory astrophysics along all of the chosen promising lines. The results obtained by experimentally investigating laser plasma with the aid of the laser facility created at Central Research Institute of Machine Building (TsNIIMash) and characterized by a power level of 10 TW demonstrate the potential of such facilities for performing a number of experiments in the realms of laboratory astrophysics.