Jets

This is a discussion of concentrated large-scale flows in planetary atmospheres and oceans, argued from the viewpoint of basic geophysical fluid dynamics. We give several elementary examples in which these flows form jets on rotating spheres. Jet formation occurs under a variety of circumstances: when flows driven by external stress have a rigid boundary which can balance the Coriolis force, and at which further concentration can be caused by the beta effect; when there are singular lines like the line of vanishing windstress or windstress-curl, or the Equator; when compact sources of momentum, heat or mass radiate jet-like beta plumes along latitude circles; when random external stirring of the fluid becomes organized by the beta effect into jets; when internal instability of the mass field generates zonal flow which then is concentrated into jets; when bottom topographic obstacles radiate jets, and when frontogenesis leads to shallow jet formation. Essential to the process of jet formation in stratified fluids is the baroclinic life cycle described in geostrophic turbulence studies; there, conversion from potential to kinetic energy generates eddy motions, and these convert to quasibarotropic motions which then radiate and induce jet-like large-scale circulation. Ideas of potential vorticity stirring by eddies generalize the notion of Rossby-wave radiation, showing how jets embedded in an ambient potential vorticity gradient (typically due to the spherical geometry of the rotating planet) gain eastward momentum while promoting broader, weaker westward circulation. Homogenization of potential vorticity is an important limit point, which many geophysical circulations achieve. This well-mixed state is found in subdomains of the terrestrial midlatitude oceans, the high-latitude circumpolar ocean, and episodically in the middle atmosphere. Homogenization expels potential vorticity gradients vertically to the top and bottom of the fluid, and sideways to the edges of flow domains or gyres; in both these ways is jet formation enhanced.     

The effect of out-of-plane restraint on plane-stress solutions near straight boundaries

The existence of out-of-plane displacement restraint where thin photoelastic plates are bonded to relaively rigid boundaries or inclusions will induce transverse stress components whose presence can cause the in-plane stresses to deviate significantly from the plane-stress solution. The extended generalized planestress formulation, which was developed in a previous paper to study the effect of out-of-plane restraint on the through-the-thickness averages of the in-plane stresses and displacements in thin plates, is applied here to obtain correction factors by which the photoelastically determined in-plane stress components at a straight restrained boundary can be multiplied to recover the desired twodimensional solution. Cases of mechanical and thermal loadings which vary sinusoidally in the direction parallel to the restrained boundary are treated. The stress-field alterations due to out-of-lane restraint are shown to depend strongly on Poisson's ratiov and the ratioL/H of the half-wavelength of the load variation to the plate thickness, and can be minimized by choosing a photoelastic material with the smallest values ofv andH possible. The simple asymptotic form of the stress-field alterations for large values ofL/H has enabled us to prescribe simple correction factors in this range. Finally, it is observed that, although the normal stress component which is parallel to the restrained boundary is altered to a greater degree than are the other in-plane stress components, the effect on this stress component penetrates into the plate a distance of only about one plate thickness, whereas the effect on the other components penetrates a distance of approximately one half-wavelength of the load variation.     

Preconditioned iterative methods for coupled discretizations of fluid flow problems

Computational fluid dynamics, where simulations require largecomputation times, is one of the areas of application of highperformance computing. Schemes such as the SIMPLE (semi-implicitmethod for pressure-linked equations) algorithm are often usedto solve the discrete Navier-Stokes equations. Generally theseschemes take a short time per iteration but require a largenumber of iterations. For simple geometries (or coarser grids)the overall CPU time is small. However, for finer grids or morecomplex geometries the increase in the number of iterationsmay be a drawback and the decoupling of the differential equationsinvolved implies a slow convergence of rotationally dominatedproblems that can be very time consuming for realistic applications.So we analyze here another approach, DIRECTO, that solves theequations in a coupled way. With recent advances in hardwaretechnology and software design, it became possible to solvecoupled Navier-Stokes systems, which are more robust but implyincreasing computational requirements (both in terms of memoryand CPU time). Two approaches are described here (band blockLU factorization and preconditioned GMRES) for the linear solverrequired by the DIRECTO algorithm that solves the fluid flowequations as a coupled system. Comparisons of the effectivenessof incomplete factorization preconditioners applied to the GMRES(generalized minimum residual) method are shown. Some numericalresults are presented showing that it is possible to minimizeconsiderably the CPU time of the coupled approach so that itcan be faster than the decoupled one.     

Preparation, structural analysis and dielectric properties of Bi x La1−x FeO3 perovskite

Rare earth element substituted bismuth ferrites (BiFeO₃) are of enormous importance as magnetoelectric materials. The polycrystalline samples of Bi _x La_1−x FeO₃ (x=0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8) were prepared by solid-state reaction using standard ceramic method. The single-phase formation of these compounds was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies. The samples with x=0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 are found to be orthorhombic while the sample with x=0.8 is triclinic. The dielectric constant (ε′) and dissipation factor (tan δ) were measured in the frequency range 100 Hz to 1 MHz at room temperature and as a function of temperature at certain fixed frequencies (1 kHz, 10 kHz, 100 kHz, 1 MHz). All the samples showed dielectric dispersion. The dielectric constant with temperature shows a broad peak; the peak temperature shifts with frequency which reflects the relaxor-type behavior. The peak above 600 K in the measured temperature range corresponds to antiferromagnetic ordering temperature (Néel temperature). The broadness of the peak changes with composition. The ac conductivity as well as ε′ are found to be maximum for the sample x=0.2 at room temperature.     

Fiber-Optic biosensor for urea based on sensing of ammonia gas

A fiber-optic biosensor for urea is described. This biosensor is based on the immobilization of urease at the sensing tip of a fluorescence-based ammonia gas-sensing fiber-optic chemical sensor. Urease is immobilized on a Teflon membrane by the well known bovine serum albumin (BSA)/glutaraldehyde cross-linking method. The indicator solution for this biosensor is composed of 0.145 M sodium chloride, 5.00 mM ammonium chloride, 9.4 μM 2′,7′-bis(carboxyethyl)-5 (and 6)-carboxyfluorescein and 0.9 μM 5 (and 6)-carboxyfluorescein. The steady-state and dynamic response properties of the sensor have been established. Results show that the urease/BSA protein layer has a significant effect on sensor response and recovery times. Also, the fluorescence-based sensor has been found to be faster than a conventional potentiometric ammonia gas-sensing electrode. In addition, the fluorescence sensor responds significantly quicker than a similar absorbance-based fiber-optic urea biosensor. The utility of the resulting urea biosensor for the determination of urea in diluted serum samples is demonstrated.     

Impurity analysis of gentamicin bulk samples by improved liquid chromatography-ion trap mass spectrometry

Several gentamicin bulk samples from different origins were investigated using an LC/MS method.LC equipped with ion trap MS with positive ionization was performed on a Capcell Pak C18(AQ) column with the mobile phase containing 50 mM trifluoroacetic(TFA) and methanol.Impurities present in batches of gentamicin bulk samples were elucidated and compared according to their fragmentation behavior.In total seventeen impurities present in samples,five impurities were not elucidated and two compounds were identifi...     

Determination of ammonia in untreated serum with a fiber-optic ammonia gas ensor

A fluorescence-type fiber-optic ammonia gas sensor has been developed for the determination of ammonia in untreated serum. An internal solution has been designed to provide both the selectivity and limit of detection required for this measurement. Selectivity over carbon dioxide is accomplished by adjusting the level of ammonium chloride in the internal solution. A sub-micromolar detection limit is obtained by using a combination of 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescein and 5-carboxy-2′,7′-dichlorofluorescein as the indicator dyes. The limit of detection for the resulting sensor is 0.09 μM and response times range from 2 to 6 min. When applied to the determination of ammonia in eighteen untreated serum samples, the results from the sensor compare favorably with those from the conventional glutamate dehydrogenase assay.