A novel electrochemical process for the production of ammonium perchlorate

Perchloric acid, HCLO₄, and ammonium perchlorate, NH₄ClO₄, of high purity have been produced by electrolysis of chloric acid and subsequent reaction with high purity ammonium hydroxide to produce ammonium perchlorate. The process involves no alkali metals, chlorides or transition metals such as chromates, and thus produces propellant and explosive grade ammonium perchlorate of high purity and with no associated instability or pollution problems. The products can be recovered by solution crystallization-drying or direct spray-drying, respectively.     

Deterministic and stochastic Petri net models of protection schemes

The authors establish the relevance of Petri net modeling to protection studies. They illustrate how the different Petri net models capture the information that is of importance to both qualitative and quantitative evaluation of protection schemes. The marked Petri nets allow one to evaluate the qualitative performance measures of conservativeness, safeness, and properness. Time Petri nets are able to represent the timing parameters of protection schemes, and serve as a tool for the establishment of relationships between these parameters, in order that the coordination between primary and backup protection is ensured. An alternative means of representing timing information is the timed Petri net, which is useful in the computation of the cycle times of the operational cycles of protection schemes. Stochastic Petri nets adequately represent the stochastic nature of protection. Their advantage over simulation techniques as a means of computing the mean sojourn time and the steady-state probability of occupancy of each state of the protection scheme is demonstrated     

Impact and penetration by L/D ≤ 1 projectiles

Calculations of steel target penetration by L/D ≤ 1 tungsten and tungsten alloy projectiles have been extended to L/D = 1/32 over the velocity range 1.5 to 5 km/s. The ratio of crater to projectile diameter tends to 1 as L/D decreases over this entire velocity range. For impact velocities of 1.5 and 3 km/s, penetration depth normalized by projectile length, P/L, increases with decreasing projectile L/D up to a maximum value and then decreases for still lower L/D. Experiments at impact velocities of 2 and 3 km/s confirm these results. For 5 km/s impact velocity, the calculations show P/L increasing with decreasing projectile L/D over the entire range 1/32 ≤ L/D ≤ 1. The projectile L/D for which the maximum P/L occurs appears to depend on the impact velocity. P/L generally scales with impact velocity as P/L v^f(L/D) where f(L/D) ranges from 0 for a long rod to, we believe, 2 in the limit as projectile L/D approaches zero. The calculations show for 1/8 ≤ L/D ≤ 1/2, P/L v^0.9; for L/D = 1/16, P/L v^1.5; and for L/D = 1/32, the new results give P/L v^1.9.     

Intracellular magnesium and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor: molecular mechanisms of interaction, physiology and pharmacology

Mass media--friend or foe? Radio, television, and/or the printed word regularly enter most of the world's households. With a better understanding between health workers and those who produce what we hear, see and read, positive messages could do much to change the habits the jeopardize health. Clear, accurate information is the first step towards improvement.     

Postoperative analgesia. Simple methods for improvements exist

An improved, combined staining method for myofibrillar ATPase (m-ATPase) and for acetylcholinesterase activity is described. This method allows the observations, on the same slide, of the classical histochemical m-ATPase profile following the Brooke and Kaiser technique and the neuromuscular junction morphology. Thus the pattern of innervation, nerve ending structure and number of nerve endings along the fibres is shown simultaneously for the basic differentiation between slow and fast fibres. The use of acidic and alkaline preincubation allows better visualization of endplate morphology and avoids the masking effect of a positive m-ATPase reaction. The technique has been validated on skeletal muscles from avian and mammalian species.     

Inhibiting effects of serotonin and serotonin antagonists on the migration of mononuclear leucocytes

The effect of serotonin and the serotonin antagonists ketanserin, methiotepine and ICS-205-930 on the migration of leucocytes was studied by using the sealed capillary migration technique. The migration of mononuclear leucocytes was inhibited by serotonin at 10(-4) and 10(-6)-10(-10)mol/l. An inhibition of the mononuclear leucocyte migration was also caused by ICS-205-930 at 10(-4)mol/l, ketanserin at 10(-4) and 10(-8)-10(-10)mol/l and methiotepine at 10(-4) and 10(-6)-10(-8)mol/l. No inhibiting effects of serotonin or the serotonin antagonists were found on the migration of polymorphonuclear leucocytes. Thus, both serotonin and serotonin antagonists may inhibit mononuclear leucocyte migration.