scholarly journals Probing the early stages of shock-induced chondritic meteorite formation at the mesoscale

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael E. Rutherford ◽  
David J. Chapman ◽  
James G. Derrick ◽  
Jack R. W. Patten ◽  
Philip A. Bland ◽  
...  

Abstract Chondritic meteorites are fragments of asteroids, the building blocks of planets, that retain a record of primordial processes. Important in their early evolution was impact-driven lithification, where a porous mixture of millimetre-scale chondrule inclusions and sub-micrometre dust was compacted into rock. In this Article, the shock compression of analogue precursor chondrite material was probed using state of the art dynamic X-ray radiography. Spatially-resolved shock and particle velocities, and shock front thicknesses were extracted directly from the radiographs, representing a greatly enhanced scope of data than could be measured in surface-based studies. A statistical interpretation of the measured velocities showed that mean values were in good agreement with those predicted using continuum-level modelling and mixture theory. However, the distribution and evolution of wave velocities and wavefront thicknesses were observed to be intimately linked to the mesoscopic structure of the sample. This Article provides the first detailed experimental insight into the distribution of extreme states within a shocked powder mixture, and represents the first mesoscopic validation of leading theories concerning the variation in extreme pressure-temperature states during the formation of primordial planetary bodies.

Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 2234
Author(s):  
Christian Hopmann ◽  
Malte Schön ◽  
Maximilian Mathias Reul ◽  
Martin Facklam

The field of simulation and optimisation of dynamic mixing elements (‘mixers’) is lacking good methods for spatially resolved validation and flow visualisation. For this reason, the authors present an experimental setup that gives better insight into the thermal, distributive and dispersive mixing process by measuring melt temperatures upstream of the mixer and injecting a secondary, visually distinguishable stream of melt upstream. Running extrusion trials for a polyethylene on both a rhomboidal and a Maddock mixer, temperatures, gray scale distribution of images of extrudates and size of dispersed domains in incompatible polystyrene were measured. It was found that temperatures upstream and downstream of the mixer can be quantified. This was used to validate a simulation of thermal mixing. In distributive mixing, good agreement with simulation and an excellent spatial resolution were observed, thereby identifying an area of the rhomboidal mixer in need of geometric improvement. For dispersive mixing, a trend coherent with extrusion theory was found.


Organics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-49
Author(s):  
Lakhdar Benhamed ◽  
Sidi Mohamed Mekelleche ◽  
Wafaa Benchouk

Experimentally, a reversal of chemoselectivity has been observed in catalyzed Diels–Alder reactions of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes (e.g., (2E)-but-2-enal) and ketones (e.g., 2-hexen-4-one) with cyclopentadiene. Indeed, using the triflimidic Brønsted acid Tf2NH as catalyst, the reaction gave a Diels–Alder adduct derived from α,β-unsaturated ketone as a major product. On the other hand, the use of tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane B(C6F5)3 bulky Lewis acid as catalyst gave mainly the cycloadduct of α,β-unsaturated aldehyde as a major product. Our aim in the present work is to put in evidence the role of the catalyst in the reversal of the chemoselectivity of the catalyzed Diels–Alder reactions of (2E)-but-2-enal and 2-Hexen-4-one with cyclopentadiene. The calculations were performed at the ωB97XD/6-311G(d,p) level of theory and the solvent effects of dichloromethane were taken into account using the PCM solvation model. The obtained results are in good agreement with experimental outcomes.


Marine Drugs ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 43
Author(s):  
Marco Mangiagalli ◽  
Marina Lotti

β-galactosidases (EC 3.2.1.23) catalyze the hydrolysis of β-galactosidic bonds in oligosaccharides and, under certain conditions, transfer a sugar moiety from a glycosyl donor to an acceptor. Cold-active β-galactosidases are identified in microorganisms endemic to permanently low-temperature environments. While mesophilic β-galactosidases are broadly studied and employed for biotechnological purposes, the cold-active enzymes are still scarcely explored, although they may prove very useful in biotechnological processes at low temperature. This review covers several issues related to cold-active β-galactosidases, including their classification, structure and molecular mechanisms of cold adaptation. Moreover, their applications are discussed, focusing on the production of lactose-free dairy products as well as on the valorization of cheese whey and the synthesis of glycosyl building blocks for the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen D. Silberstein ◽  
Joshua M. Cohen ◽  
Ronghua Yang ◽  
Sanjay K. Gandhi ◽  
Evelyn Du ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Monoclonal antibodies targeting the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) pathway, including the fully humanized monoclonal antibody (IgG2Δa) fremanezumab, have demonstrated safety and efficacy for migraine prevention. Clinical trials include responders and nonresponders; efficacy outcomes describe mean values across both groups and thus provide little insight into the clinical benefit in responders. Clinicians and their patients want to understand the extent of clinical improvement in patients who respond. This post hoc analysis of fremanezumab treatment attempts to answer this question: what is the benefit in subjects who responded to treatment during the two, phase 3 HALO clinical trials? Methods We included subjects with episodic migraine (EM) or chronic migraine (CM) who received fremanezumab quarterly (675 mg/placebo/placebo) or monthly (EM: 225 mg/225 mg/225 mg; CM: 675 mg/225 mg/225 mg) during the 12-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled HALO EM and HALO CM clinical trials. EM and CM responders were defined as participants with a reduction of ≥ 2 or ≥ 4 monthly migraine days, respectively. Treatment benefits evaluated included reductions in monthly migraine days, acute headache medication use, and headache-related disability, and changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Results Overall, 857 participants from the HALO trials were identified as responders (EM: 429 [73.8%]; CM: 428 [56.7%]). Reductions in the monthly average number of migraine days were greater among EM (quarterly: 5.4 days; monthly: 5.5 days) and CM (quarterly: 8.7 days; monthly: 9.1 days) responders compared with the overall population. The proportion of participants achieving ≥ 50% reduction in the average monthly number of migraine days was also greater in responders (EM: quarterly, 59.8%; monthly, 63.7%; CM: quarterly, 52.8%; monthly, 59.0%) than in the overall population. Greater reductions in the average number of days of acute headache medication use, greater reductions in headache-related disability scores, and larger improvements in HRQoL were observed among EM and CM responders compared with the overall populations. Conclusions Fremanezumab responders achieved clinically meaningful improvements in all outcomes. The magnitude of improvements with fremanezumab across efficacy outcomes was far greater in responders than in the overall trial population, providing insight into expected treatment benefits in participants who respond to fremanezumab in clinical practice. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers: NCT02629861 (HALO EM) and NCT02621931 (HALO CM).


1999 ◽  
Vol 607 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Saher Helmy ◽  
A.C. Bryce ◽  
C.N. Ironside ◽  
J.S. Aitchison ◽  
J.H. Marsh ◽  
...  

AbstractIn this paper we shall discuss techniques for accurate, non-destructive, optical characterisation of structures fabricated using quantum well intermixing (QWI). Spatially resolved photoluminescence and Raman spectroscopy were used to characterise the lateral bandgap profiles produced by impurity free vacancy disordering (IFVD) technology. Different features were used to examine the spatial resolution of the intermixing process. Features include 1:1 gratings as well as isolated stripes. From the measurements, the spatial selectivity of IFVD could be identified, and was found to be ∼4.5 μm, in contrast with the spatial resolution of the process of sputtering induced intermixing, which was found to be ∼2.5 μm. In addition, PL measurements on 1:1 gratings fabricated using IFVD show almost complete suppression of intermixing dielectric cap gratings with periods less than 10 microns. Finally, some insight into the limitations and merits of PL and Raman for the precision characterisation of QWI will be presented.


2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manjunath Pappur ◽  
M. M. Khonsari

Abstract This paper deals with a systematic development of theory of powder lubrication with the appropriate formalism based on the fundamentals of fluid mechanics. The theory is capable of predicting flow velocity, fluctuation (pseudo-temperature), powder volume fraction, and slip velocity at the boundaries. An extensive set of parametric simulations covering particle size, surface roughness, volumetric flow, load and speed are performed to gain insight into the performance of a powder lubricated thrust bearing. The results of simulations are compared to the published experimental results. Good agreement between the theory and experiment attests to the capability of the model and its potential for design of powder lubricated bearings.


2007 ◽  
pp. 109-117
Author(s):  
Jovan Miljkovic ◽  
Mladjan Popovic ◽  
Milanka Djiporovic-Momcilovic ◽  
Ivana Gavrilovic-Grmusa

This research was based on presumption that the changes in size and shape of wood particles are expected to have certain impact on the particleboard quality in general. Since the conventional particleboard (PB) and oriented strand board (OSB) were built of the quite diverse wood particles, they present interesting specimens in the comparison tests. In this work, the influence of the wood particles type on the edge screw holding performance of conventional particleboard and OSB was investigated. Those tests were obtained with the screw diameters of 4.0 mm, 4.5 mm and 5 mm. Depth of embedment was 30 mm for all tests and with the pilot-hole diameter kept in the range of 80-90% in respect of the screw root diameter. Additional tests of the thickness density profile and tensile strength perpendicular to the surface of the board were conducted. Since the middle layer structure of the particleboard embeds the screw body, both mentioned parameters are considered important in the aspect of the quality of the edge screw holding performance. In order to have further insight into the conformation of the middle layer the image survey was obtained on the split board section presenting the surface of the middle layer. Significant differences in the SWR performance of OSB and PB was recorded at all screw diameters. For the screw withdrawal tests parameters OSB samples showed 56-73% superior mean values then conventional PB. On the other hand, the OSB showed wider dispersions of measured withdrawal forces at all screw diameters, which might present some of the problems in certain engineering and project calculations.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna E Backhaus ◽  
Ashleigh Lister ◽  
Melissa Tomkins ◽  
Nikolai M. Adamski ◽  
James Simmonds ◽  
...  

Spikelets are the fundamental building blocks of Poaceae inflorescences and their development and branching patterns determine the various inflorescence architectures and grain yield of grasses. In wheat, the central spikelets produce the most and largest grains, while spikelet size gradually decreases acro- and basipetally, giving rise to the characteristic lanceolate shape of wheat spikes. The acropetal gradient correlates with the developmental age of spikelets, however the basal spikelets are developed first and the cause of their small size and rudimentary development is unclear. Here, we adapted G&T-seq, a low-input transcriptomics approach, to characterise gene expression profiles within spatial sections of individual spikes before and after the establishment of the lanceolate shape. We observed larger differences in gene expression profiles between the apical, central and basal sections of a single spike than between any section belonging to consecutive developmental timepoints. We found that SVP MADS-box transcription factors, including VRT-A2, are expressed highest in the basal section of the wheat spike and display the opposite expression gradient to flowering E-class SEP1 genes. Based on multi-year field trials and transgenic lines we show that higher expression of VRT-A2 in the basal sections of the spike is associated with increased numbers of rudimentary basal spikelets. Our results, supported by computational modelling, suggest that the delayed transition of basal spikelets from vegetative to floral developmental programmes results in the lanceolate shape of wheat spikes. This study highlights the value of spatially resolved transcriptomics to gain new insights into developmental genetics pathways of grass inflorescences.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 3
Author(s):  
Salah Daoud ◽  
Abdelhakim Latreche ◽  
Pawan Kumar Saini

The bulk and surface acoustic wave velocities of Aluminum phosphide (AlP) semiconducting material under pressure up to 9.5 GPa were studied. The structural parameters and the elastic constants used in this work are taken from our previous paper published in J. Optoelec-tron. Adv. M. 16, 207 (2014). The results obtained at zero-pressure are analyzed and compared with other data of the literature. In addition, the acoustic Grüneisen parameter and the Vickers and Knoop microhardness are predicted and analyzed in detail. Our calculated results are in good agreement with the experimental and other theoretical data of literature.   


Author(s):  
Zlatko Nedelko ◽  
Vojko Potocan ◽  
Nikša Alfirević

The purpose of this chapter is to examine the role of personal values for social responsibility (SR) of higher education. Besides the core mission of higher education to create, transfer and preserve knowledge in society, the idea of SR has gained its importance also in institutions of higher education. SR has many drivers, among which personal values are considered as one of the key building blocks for SR. For enhancing SR, higher education institutions should also develop stronger ties with the community. The chapter provides an insight into discussion about community involvement of higher education, into the role of personal values for shaping SR of higher education institutions and explain how personal values can help to enhance community and social involvement of higher education. Findings may be a starting point for re-thinking and/or establishing strategies for achieving higher level of SR in higher education institutions and enhancing the link with the community.


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