Construction of algorithm for calculation of the flow rate of a gas–liquid mixture in a horizontal pipeline for the microprocessor of an information measurement system

Features of an algorithm for calculation of the flow rate of the liquid phase of a gas–liquid mixture with the use of a variable pressure-drop flow meter with constricting devices are considered. Corresponding dependences for use in calculating the concentration of liquid in a mixture and a correction factor based on the readings of the flow meter for use in determining the flow rate of a single-phase flow are obtained.     

Is hair loss a reality in neuro-interventional radiology?

Reports in the literature of radiation-induced hair loss are becoming increasingly common. This work describes a retrospective dose study of patients (n = 958) undergoing diagnostic (primarily cerebral angiograms) and therapeutic (primarily cerebral embolisation) procedures in a neuro-interventional suite. A comparison of patient doses as dose area product (DAP) readings from a single-plane image intensifier system (mean DAP value of 8772 cGy cm2) were compared with patient doses from a flat panel biplane system (mean DAP value of 7855 cGy cm2). Over 80 % of patients requiring neuro-interventional procedures were found to undergo two procedures or more. An estimated 7 % of therapeutic procedures were found to reach the International Commission on Radiological Protection threshold for temporary epilation.     

Combined buoyancy and viscous effects in liquid–liquid flows in a vertical pipe

This paper presents experimental and numerical results of interfacial dynamics of liquid–liquid flows when an immiscible core liquid is introduced into a continuous liquid flow. The fully developed flow model predicts multiple solutions of the jet diameter over a range of dimensionless numbers: flow rate ratio, viscosity ratio, Bond and Capillary numbers. Experiments have been carried out using Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) and Canola oil to investigate the realizability of the three possible solutions predicted by the fully developed flow model. The measured values of inner fluid radii agree very well with the lower branch of the three branched solution while deviating from the top branch beyond a critical flow ratio value. This deviation is attributed to the fact that the flow develops a non-axisymmetric solution at this critical point. Computational fluid dynamics simulations have also been performed to examine the developing core annular flow and to compare the analytical solution results of liquid jet radius. The results predicted by numerical simulations agree very well with both the lower and upper branches of solution predicted by the analytical theory.     

Is an armed society a polite society? Guns and road rage

BACKGROUND: While concerns about road rage have grown over the past decade, states have made it easier for motorists to carry firearms in their vehicles. Are motorists with guns in the car more or less likely to engage in hostile and aggressive behavior? METHODS: Data come from a 2004 national random digit dial survey of over 2,400 licensed drivers. Respondents were asked whether, in the past year, they (1) made obscene or rude gestures at another motorist, (2) aggressively followed another vehicle too closely, and (3) were victims of such hostile behaviors. RESULTS: Seventeen percent admitted making obscene or rude gestures, and 9% had aggressively followed too closely. Forty-six percent reported victimization by each of these behaviors in the past year. Males, young adults, binge drinkers, those who do not believe most people can be trusted, those ever arrested for a non-traffic violation, and motorists who had been in a vehicle in which there was a gun were more likely to engage in such forms of road rage. CONCLUSION: Similar to a survey of Arizona motorists, in our survey, riding with a firearm in the vehicle was a marker for aggressive and dangerous driver behavior.     

Is China also becoming a giant in social sciences?

At present China is challenging the leading sciento-economic powers and evolving to one of the world’s largest potentials in science and technology. Jointly with other emerging economies, China has already changed the balance of power among the formerly leading nations as measured by scientific production. In the present paper, the evolution of China’s publication activity and citation impact in the social sciences is studied for the period 1997–2006. Besides the comparative analysis of trends in publication and citation patterns and of national publication profiles, an attempt is made to interpret the results in both the regional and global context.     

Intermetallic compound transformation and mechanical strength of Ni–Sn transient liquid phase sinter-bonded joints in an extreme high-temperature environment

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - In this study, the transformation of the intermetallic phase and high-temperature durability of the 30Ni–70Sn (wt%) transient liquid...     

Is subsidizing entry an optimal policy?

Public subsidies in support of new firm foundation are amongthe most frequently used instruments of industrial policy inthe Euro zone. This paper analyses their effectiveness and efficiencyvis-à-vis some features of the overall process of industrydynamics in Italian manufacturing. To this end, the survivaland growth patterns of new small firms are investigated usinga unique dataset on electrical and electronic engineering inItaly. As regards survival, our results confirm the findingsof other studies, namely that the hazard rates are particularlyhigh in the early stages of firm's lifecycle. As far as growthis concerned, the main finding in this study is that Gibrat'sLaw fails to hold in the years immediately following start-up,when smaller firms must ‘rush’ in order to achievea size large enough to enhance their likelihood of survival;conversely, in later stages of a firm's lifecycle this Law cannotbe ignored. These results radically question the use of subsidiesas an optimal policy for the support of new entries, since thesubsidy brings about a major bias in the process of market selection(including substitution and deadweight effects) and hampersthe post-entry scale adjustment of newborn firms.     

Structural changes in ScCeSZ–NiO ceramics in a high-temperature hydrogen environment

It is shown that, in a solid oxide cell with ceramic Ni-containing anodes, in the first working cycle, the anode material is reduced in hydrogen, which causes changes in its microstructure and properties. We analyze structural changes in the anode material with different contents of NiO from the nonreduced (ScCeSZ–NiO) to the reduced (ScCeSZ–Ni) state, which are connected with its electric conductance.     

Is there a golden age in publication activity?—an analysis of age-related scholarly performance across all scientific disciplines

Scientometrics - We examined whether the publication characteristics of various scientific disciplines exhibit age-related trends. Our analysis was based on two large data sets comprising all major...     

Measuring Young’s modulus of biological objects in a liquid medium using an atomic force microscope with a special probe

A special probe with a 5-μm-diameter ball fixed at the end is developed for an atomic force microscope (AFM), with the use of which it is possible to obtain more correct values of the Young’s moduli of biological objects in liquid media and eliminate the risk of damaging the sample surface. In particular, the AFM measurements with this probe in situ revealed an increase in the Young’s modulus of rat blood vessel under the action of chlorhexidine.     

How is a fully penetrated state formed in an anisotropic superconductor?

The fully penetrated state of anisotropic superconductors which are extended in thec-axis direction is analyzed using a model to describe the current distributions. Based on magnetooptical investigations on a rectangular single crystal and on a cubic melt-processed YBa₂Cu₃O_7– sample, the current distributions found in (a, b)-planes and (a, c)-planes with the external magnetic field perpendicular to the plane are discussed. The easy flux penetration along the CuO₂ layers is shown to have important consequences for the analysis of angledependent magnetization or torque measurements inc-axis direction extended samples.     

Is the university model an organizational necessity? Scale and agglomeration effects in science

In this paper we argue that the emergence of the dominant model of university organization, which is characterized by a large agglomeration of many (often loosely affiliated) small research groups, might have an economic explanation that relates to the features of the scientific production process. In particular, we argue that there are decreasing returns to scale on the level of the individual research groups, which prevent them from becoming to large, while we argue for positive agglomeration effects on the supra-research-group-level inside the university. As a consequence an efficient university organization would precisely consist of tying together many small individual research groups without merging them. Basing our empirical analysis on a multilevel dataset for German research institutes from four disciplines we are able to find strong support for the presence of these effects. This suggests that the emergence of the dominant model of university organization may also be the result of these particular features of the production process, where the least we can say is that this model is under the given circumstances highly efficient.     

Structural characteristics of a gas–liquid flow in a microchannel with a T-shaped mixer

The results of experimental studies of the structural characteristics of a nitrogen–water mixture flow in a horizontal microchannel provided with a T-shaped mixer are presented. The experiments are performed in a channel with a rectangular cross section of 250 × 315 μm under the conditions of a dominating influence of capillary forces. Structural characteristics of the flow are determined using the two-beam laser scanning and high-speed video capture at a distance of 500 calibers from the inlet in a wide range of reduced gas- and liquid-flow rates. A new method for the identification of flow regimes is proposed based on the statistical treatment of the laser-scanning data, and a map of flow patterns is constructed.     

Is hepcidin‐25 a predictor of atherosclerosis in hemodialysis patients?

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is an important cause of mortality and morbidity in hemodialysis patients. Iron accumulation in arterial wall macrophages is increased in atherosclerotic lesions. Hepcidin is a key hepatic hormone regulating iron balance. It inhibits iron release from macrophages and iron absorption from enterocytes by binding and inactivating the cellular iron exporter ferroportin. The aim of this study is to investigate the relation of hepcidin‐25, iron parameters, and atherosclerosis measured by carotid intima media thickness (CIMT) in hemodialysis patients. Eighty‐two hemodialysis patients were enrolled in this cross‐sectional study. Predialysis blood samples were centrifuged at 1500 g and 4°C for 10 minutes and stored at ?80°C for the measurement of hepcidin‐25. DRG hepcidin enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay kit was used for the measurement of hepcidin‐25. Ultrasonographical B‐mode imaging of bilateral carotid arteries was performed with a high‐resolution real‐time ultrasonography (Mindray DC7). Mean age of the study population was 57.90 ± 16.08 years and 43.9% were men. Total study population was grouped into two according to median value of hepcidin‐25. There was no difference between groups with respect to age, dialysis vintage, and C‐reactive protein. CIMT was found to be statistically significantly higher in low hepcidin‐25 group. In correlation analysis, CIMT was found to be correlated with age (P < 0.01, R = 0.33) and hepcidin‐25 (P < 0.01, R = 0.46). In linear regression analysis, age (β = 0.31) and hepcidin‐25 (β = 0.44) were found to be the determinants of CIMT in hemodialysis patients. Our results implicate that hepcidin may take part in pathophysiology of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease in hemodialysis patients.