Rapid crack growth in a thermoelastic solid under mixed-mode thermomechanical loading

A two-dimensional steady-sate analysis of semi-infinite brittlecrack growth at a constant subcritical rate in an unboundedfully-coupled thermoelastic solid under mixed-mode thermomechanicalloading is made. The loading consists of normal and shear tractionsand heat fluxes applied as point sources (line loads in theout-of-plane direction). A related problem is solved exactly in an integral transformspace, and robust asymptotic forms used to reduce the originalproblem to a set of integral equations. The equations are partiallycoupled and exhibit operators of both Cauchy and Abel types,yet can be solved analytically. The temperature change field at a distance from the moving crackedge is then constructed, and its dominant term is found tobe controlled by the imposed heat fluxes. The role of this termis, indeed, enhanced if the heat fluxes serve to render thecrack as a net heat source/sink for the solid, as opposed tobeing a transmitter of heat across its plane. More generally,the influence of the thermoelastic coupling on this field, aswell as other functions, is found to increase with crack speed.     

Studies in the Helicene Series NMR. Evidence of ‘Helicene-like’ Conformations in the cis 1,2-Diarylethylenes. Part XVII

The cis and trans isomers of eight 1,2-diarylethylenes, precursors of helicenes, have been studied by NMR. spectroscopy. The observed differences in chemical shifts, specific solvent effects and steric effects (bromo derivatives) can be explained by the contribution of ‘helicenelike’ conformers in the cis isomers.     

Synthetic magnetic opals

We present studies of novel nanocomposites of BiNi impregnated into the structure of opals as well as inverse opals. Atomic force microscopy and high resolution elemental analyses show a highly ordered structure and uniform distribution of the BiNi filler in the matrix. These BiNi-based nanocomposites are found to exhibit distinct ferromagnetic-like ordering with transition temperature of about 675 K. As far as we know there exists no report in literature on any BiNi compound which is magnetic.     

Eine Stäbchenmethode zur DK-Messung,Anwendung auf (NH4)2H3JO6 bei 3 cm Wellenlänge

Summary The complex permittivity can be measured in the region of centimeter-waves by inseting a cylindrical rod of the specimen across a short-circuited rectangular waveguide in the maximum of the -field. The resulting change in line-impedance is measured with a slotted line. This rod method [16–18] was modified and tested with materials of known dielectric properties (Teflon, Polythene, Plexiglas and water). The conditions for best performance with specimens of high dielectric constants were established. Measurements were made at room temperature with single-crystals of NH₄H₂PO₄ and KH₂PO₄ parallel to thea andc axis.The permittivity _a of diammonium-orthoperiodate (NH₄)₂H₃JO₆ was studied in the temperature range of +20° to –70°C. In the unpolarized and in the antiferroelectric phase the real part of the dielectric constant at 8740 Mc/s is less than half the static value. The results indicate that in ammonium periodate the dispersion requency of _a is in the range of 10⁴Mc/s and that the relaxation time increases with rising temperature above the transition point. This behaviour represents the contrary of what is found with ferroelectrics.     

Kinetics and mechanisms of aqueous ozone reactions with bromide, sulfite, hydrogen sulfite, iodide, and nitrite ions

Reactions of ozone with Br(-), SO(3)(2-), HSO(3)(-), I(-), and NO(2)(-), studied by stopped-flow and pulsed-accelerated-flow techniques, are first order in the concentration of O(3)(aq) and first order in the concentration of each anion. The rate constants increase by a factor of 5 x 10(6) as the nucleophilicities of the anions increase from Br(-) to SO(3)(2-). Ozone adducts with the nucleophiles are proposed as steady-state intermediates prior to oxygen atom transfer with release of O(2). Ab initio calculations show possible structures for the intermediates. The reaction between Br(-) and O(3) is accelerated by H(+) but exhibits a kinetic saturation effect as the acidity increases. The kinetics indicate formation of BrOOO(-) as a steady-state intermediate with an acid-assisted step to give BrOH and O(2). Temperature dependencies of the reactions of Br(-) and HSO(3)(-) with O(3) in acidic solutions are determined from 1 to 25 degrees C. These kinetics are important in studies of annual ozone depletion in the Arctic troposphere at polar sunrise.     

Functional neural network analysis in frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease using EEG and graph theory

Background  

Although a large body of knowledge about both brain structure and function has been gathered over the last decades, we still have a poor understanding of their exact relationship. Graph theory provides a method to study the relation between network structure and function, and its application to neuroscientific data is an emerging research field. We investigated topological changes in large-scale functional brain networks in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) by means of graph theoretical analysis of resting-state EEG recordings. EEGs of 20 patients with mild to moderate AD, 15 FTLD patients, and 23 non-demented individuals were recorded in an eyes-closed resting-state. The synchronization likelihood (SL), a measure of functional connectivity, was calculated for each sensor pair in 0.5–4 Hz, 4–8 Hz, 8–10 Hz, 10–13 Hz, 13–30 Hz and 30–45 Hz frequency bands. The resulting connectivity matrices were converted to unweighted graphs, whose structure was characterized with several measures: mean clustering coefficient (local connectivity), characteristic path length (global connectivity) and degree correlation (network 'assortativity'). All results were normalized for network size and compared with random control networks.