Nqr experiments on Sc-Y alloys at very low temperatures

We have performed Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance (NQR) experiments on an alloy of scandium and yttrium. We find that the characteristic resonance frequencies in zero external field are 50 percent larger than in pure scandium. This increase in frequency makes the Sc-Y alloy a better candidate for absolute thermometry below 500 µK. However, the spin-lattice relaxation time of this alloy is more than an order of magnitude longer than in the pure scandium. In addition, we have observed an abrupt increase in the Korringa constant for temperatures below 5mK.     

Efficient computation of the steady-state response of periodicnonlinear microwave circuits using a convolution-based sample-balancetechnique

The authors describe an efficient and robust approach to the computation of the steady-state response of periodic nonlinear microwave circuits. The problem of solving a set of differential equations is converted into that of solving a system of nonlinear algebraic equations using a technique called convolution-based sample balance. Although exact in all cases for which harmonic-balance techniques are exact, this technique does not require the use of discrete Fourier transforms, and calculating the Jacobian is straightforward. For the solution of the resulting system of nonlinear equations, an efficient and yet robust algorithm has been developed. In the examples given, savings in computational effort of over 85% are reported when this algorithm is compared with Newton's method     

Investigation of Boundary Shear Stress and Pollutant Detachment from Impervious Surface during Simulated Urban Storm Runoff

Pollutant detachment rates have been determined for four chloride salts during simulated urban storm runoff. Under rainfall and/or overland flow conditions, chloride mass flux was measured and related to boundary shear stress of the test surface. Washoff coefficients, presumed to depend only on pollutant characteristics, were computed based on the slopes of dimensionless mass flux versus dimensionless time plots. Washoff coefficients were found to vary among and between the chloride compounds studied. In general, higher overland flow rates produced lower boundary shear and lower washoff coefficients. The combination of simulated rainfall and overland flow resulted in an increased boundary shear and an increased washoff coefficient. An empirical washoff coefficient based on a load characteristic curve derived from an exponential washoff relationship was also computed from the runoff data and compared with the previous washoff coefficient. A linear correlation between these two washoff coefficients was observed. The magnitude of the latter coefficient under simulated rainfall was consistent with reported values obtained from field data.     

Time-dependent modelling and asymptotic analysis of electrochemical cells

A (time-dependent) model for an electrochemical cell, comprising a dilute binary electrolytic solution between two flat electrodes, is formulated. The method of matched asymptotic expansions (taking the ratio of the Debye length to the cell width as the small asymptotic parameter) is used to derive simplified models of the cell in two distinguished limits and to systematically derive the Butler–Volmer boundary conditions. The first limit corresponds to a diffusion-limited reaction and the second to a capacitance-limited reaction. Additionally, for sufficiently small current flow/large diffusion, a simplified (lumped-parameter) model is derived which describes the long-time behaviour of the cell as the electrolyte is depleted. The limitations of the dilute model are identified, namely that for sufficiently large half-electrode potentials it predicts unfeasibly large concentrations of the ion species in the immediate vicinity of the electrodes. This motivates the formulation of a second model, for a concentrated electrolyte. Matched asymptotic analyses of this new model are conducted, in distinguished limits corresponding to a diffusion-limited reaction and a capacitance-limited reaction. These lead to simplified models in both of which a system of PDEs, in the outer region (the bulk of the electrolyte), matches to systems of ODEs, in inner regions about the electrodes. Example (steady-state) numerical solutions of the inner equations are presented.     

Development of consumer probiotics for the US market

Curiosity about probiotic bacteria is high. This is not surprising given the rapid growth of the natural products market in the USA, which was 22% in 1995 (New Hope Natural Media, Boulder, CO). Although probiotic cultures are only one component of that market, this trend shows that consumers in the USA are increasingly taking a pro-active stance towards their health and are purchasing products not only to eliminate what is perceived as dietary negatives but to increase the levels of dietary positives (Wrick, 1995). This shift in consumer attitude bodes well for the development of the American probiotic market. This article describes the composition, promotion and labelling of probiotic-containing products, discusses attributes of commercial probiotic bacteria, and estimates the size of the probiotic market in the USA. This market information was obtained from several published (Anon, 1996a,b) and unpublished but commercially available (SPINS Information Services, San Francisco, CA and New Hope Natural Media, Boulder, CO) sources.     

Dependence of muscle VO2 on blood flow dynamics at onset of forearm exercise

The hypothesis that the rate of increase in muscle O2 uptake (VO2mus) at the onset of exercise is influenced by muscle blood flow was tested during forearm exercise with the arm either above or below heart level to modify perfusion pressure. Ten young men exercised at a power of approximately 2.2 W, and five of these subjects also worked at 1.4 W. Blood flow to the forearm was calculated from the product of blood velocity and cross-sectional area obtained with Doppler techniques. Venous blood was sampled from a deep forearm vein to determine O2 extraction. The rate of increase in VO2mus and blood flow was assessed from the mean response time (MRT), which is the time to achieve approximately 63% increase from baseline to steady state. In the arm below heart position during the 2.2-W exercise, blood flow and VO2mus both increased, with a MRT of approximately 30 s. With the arm above the heart at this power, the MRTs for blood flow [79.8 +/- 15.7 (SE)s] and VO2mus (50.2 +/- 4.0 s) were both significantly slower. Consistent with these findings were the greater increases in venous plasma lactate concentration over resting valued in the above heart position (2.8 +/- 0.4 mmol/l) than in the below heart position (0.9 +/- mmol/l). At the lower power, both blood flow and VO2mus also increased more rapidly with the arm below compared with above the heart. These data support the hypothesis that changes in blood flow at the onset of exercise have a direct effect on oxidative metabolism through alterations in O2 transport.