A study of the vestigial records of cosmic rays in lunar rocks using a thick section technique

An experimental technique has been developed for systematic measurements of fossil tracks along selected planes cut from grains and rocks. With controlled etching, the technique allows successive revelation of tracks in different minerals in the same section, a typical sequence being olivine, anorthite, clinopyroxene. It thus becomes possible to study precisely the cosmic ray track density variations over dimensions much greater than those of individual crystals. The technique also provides accurate information on the relative recording characteristics of different minerals present in a rock and cosmic ray tracks can be studied with a minimum interference of tracks due to spontaneous fission of uranium and transuranic elements. Continuous chains of sections, each section measuring approximately 1 cm., have been cut along several different planes in fifteen rocks from Mare Tranquillitatis, Oceanus Procellarum and Fra Mauro region. The cosmic ray track measurements from these sections have provided dramatic evidence for a number of processes affecting lunar rocks. The statistical, and non-uniform nature of erosion by micrometeorite bombardment can be seen in sections intersecting exposed surface which show regions of very steep track density gradients interspersed with eroded regions having lower track densities. The thick section technique permits determination of the energy spectrum of VH nuclei from track density gradients that extend over distances limited only by the dimensions of the rock, and, more important, in samples of identical orientation. The latter is particularly important in higher energy regions (deeper within the rock) where variations in crystal orientation cause track density differences of the same order as real changes in the gradient. Also in the near surface regions of rocks where low energy particles produce steep track density gradient, the thick section method has proved indispensable since it permits accurate depth determinations not possible in the spot sampling procedure. In this paper the technique of studying track profiles in thick sections is described. Although developed primarily for studying lunar samples, the thick section technique is also useful for similar studies in meteorites, particularly for gas-rich meteorites containing irradiated grains. In contrast to single grain studies, thick sections preserve the grain boundaries and permit accurate depth—density measurements. In addition thick section studies have revealed occasional large uniformly irradiated lithic fragments which would not have been possible to discover by spot sampling methods.     

Substituent effects in selenoxide elimination chemistry

2α-(Arylseleno)cholestan-3-ones (3), 2α-(arylseleno)cholest-4-en-3-ones (4), and 4β-(arylseleno)-24-nor-5β-cholan-3-ones (5) were prepared and their stabilities toward oxidative elimination assessed. Simple competitive experiments demonstrate that electron-withdrawing substituents stabilize arylselenides toward oxidation, while electron-donating groups accelerate the oxidation process. In addition, ab initio and density functional calculations on model systems reveal that selenoxides are relatively insensitive to the nature of substituents on selenium toward elimination, suggesting that the oxidation step is rate-determining during oxidative elimination of selenides. Some results for sulfur and tellurium are also presented.     

7-Selenabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane

Thermolysis of a benzene solution of N-[4-(p-(methoxybenzyl)seleno)cyclohexanoyl]-N,S-dimethyldithiocarbonate affords the hitherto unknown 7-selenabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane in 48% conversion and in 20% yield after chromatography. G3(MP2)-RAD calculations predict a rate constant of 5 × 10(4) s(-1) at 80 °C (3.8 × 10(6) s(-1) at 200 °C) for the intramolecular homolytic substitution process involved in this cyclization.     

Comparison of sulfide-selective electrode and gas-stripping monitors for hydrogen sulfide in effluents

A commercial prototype monitor, in which a sulfide-selective electrode detects hydrogen sulfide with a pH electrode used as the reference electrode in a sample acidified to pH <5, is compared to a monitor in which a solid-state sensor detects hydrogen sulfide stripped from the sample by an air—CO₂ mixture. Each monitor has a detection limit of ?0.005 mg kg^-1 and both monitors performed well over a six-month period in the field, sampling a heavy water plant effluent. Both monitors are simple to operate, calibrate, and maintain, but their accuracies are affected by oil and particulates in the sample. Advantages of using the suifide/glass electrode detection system in acidic solutions are presented.     

Quantitation of hepcidin in serum using ultra‐high‐pressure liquid chromatography and a linear ion trap mass spectrometer

Hepcidin is a peptide hormone that functions as a key regulator of mammalian iron metabolism. Biological levels are increased in end‐stage renal disease and during inflammation but suppressed in hemochromatosis. Thus hepcidin levels have diagnostic importance. This study describes the development of an analytical method for the quantitative determination of the concentration of hepcidin in clinical samples. The fragmentation of hepcidin was investigated using triple quadrupole and linear ion trap mass spectrometers. A standard quantity of a stable isotopically labelled hepcidin internal standard was added to serum samples. Extraction was performed by protein precipitation and weak cation‐exchange magnetic nanoparticles. Chromatography was carried out on sub 2 µm particle stationary phase, using ultra‐high‐pressure liquid chromatography and a linear ion trap for quantitation. The lower limit of quantitation was 0.4 nmol/L with less than 20% accuracy and precision. The mean hepcidin concentration in sera for controls was 4.6 ± 2.7 nmol/L, in patients with sickle cell disease, 7.0 ± 8.9 nmol/L; in patients with end‐stage renal disease, 30.5 ± 15.7 nmol/L; and patients with penetrant hereditary hemochromatosis, 1.4 ± 0.8 nmol/L. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determination of the plastic work converted to heat using radiometry

An improved calibration method for infrared radiometers is developed that has been shown to increase the accuracy of temperature measurement. To validate this new calibration technique, high strain rate compression tests are performed on the aluminum alloy BS 2011 and high strain rate torsion tests are performed on the titanium alloy 90% Ti-6%Al-4%V. The adiabatic temperature rise that occurs during these tests is measured using an infrared radiometer and validated, in the case of the compression tests, using fast response thermocouples. The proportion of plastic work converted to heat, , is found to increase with plastic strain for both materials, which is similar to previous research. These results challenge the classical assumption that has a constant value of approximately 0.95.     

Global Error Estimators for Order 7, 8 Runge–Kutta Pairs

Dormand, Prince and their colleagues [3–5] showed in a sequence of papers that the approximation of an initial value differential system propagated by a Runge–Kutta pair, together with a continuous approximation obtained using additional derivative values could be utilized to obtain estimates of the global error. They illustrated the results using pairs of orders p–1 and p for several values of p. The current authors [13] have developed a more direct representation of the order conditions, characterized families of global error estimators for Runge–Kutta pairs of arbitrary values of p, and showed that efficient global error estimating Runge–Kutta methods are based on the nodes of a Lobatto quadrature formula. Here, formulas for a good 7, 8 pair, interpolants of each of orders 7 and 8, and global error estimators of orders 10 and 12 illustrate how to obtain global error estimates of orders 9, 10, or 11, for arbitrary initial value systems. One set of graphs indicates that the stated order of the global error estimators is achieved numerically, and a second set illustrates the relative efficiency for several global error estimators when the approximation is propagated with a variable stepsize.