Inelastic deformation and failure of clamped aluminium plates under pulse pressure loading

An experimental and analytical study is presented of the inelastic deformation and failure (rupture) of clamped aluminium plates measuring 0.5 m×0.5 m at the clamped edge by 1 mm thick under pulse pressure loading. The pulse loading was applied by generating a dynamic pressure gradient across the plates using a fast differential pressure device. Both static and dynamic test results are reported together with the results of an investigation of the failure surface using scanning electron microscopy. An assumed-modes, elastic–plastic analysis of the plates using a finite strip model was used to predict the maximum displacement of the plates. A simple uniaxial strain-based failure criterion was used in the analysis to predict the failure pressure of the ruptured plates. The rigid-plastic method was used to estimate the permanent deformation of some of the plates. Reasonable agreement is obtained between the predictions of the simplified elastic–plastic analysis and the experimental results. The rigid-plastic results were less accurate at predicting the permanent deformation of the plates due to the long duration of the loading relative to the fundamental natural period of the plates.     

Oral idarubicin pharmacokinetics--correlation of trough level with idarubicin area under curve

As part of a continuing program aimed at developing nonpolyglutamylatable inhibitors of dihydrofolate reductase that are less toxic and more specific in their action, we herein report the therapeutic efficacy and toxicity of gamma-methylene-10-deazaaminopterin (MDAM) in athymic nude mice bearing advanced human HCT-8 ileocecal xenografts and its antitumor activity in C57BL/6 x DBA/2 F1 (hereafter called B6D2F1) mice bearing P388 murine leukemia. For the xenograft study, MDAM was administered at the maximum tolerated dose by the following dose schedules: (a) 5-day continuous i.v. infusion at 1.0 mg/kg/day (schedule I); and (b) i.v. push, daily for 5 days at 50 mg/kg/day (schedule II). The maximum tolerated dose values for methotrexate (MTX) under these conditions were 0.2 and 1.0 mg/kg/day for schedule I and schedule II, respectively. MTX did not exhibit any significant antitumor activity in this model system by both schedules; however, MDAM induced complete responses of 13 and 25% and partial responses of 25 and 50% by schedules I and II, respectively. MDAM also exhibited antitumor activity significantly superior to that of MTX in the P388 tumor model. One of the enantiomers of MDAM, which possesses the natural configuration at the gamma-methyleneglutamate moiety (l-MDAM), has been shown to be a better inhibitor of human recombinant dihydrofolate reductase and H35 hepatoma cell growth than D,L-MDAM. L-MDAM inhibited the uptake of radiolabeled folinic acid to H35 hepatoma cells eight times more efficiently than MTX. The results indicate that the superior activity of MDAM relative to MTX may be partially due to a combination of enhanced transport to tumor cells and slower deactivation by aldehyde oxidase.     

Growth hormone radiologand assay unresponsive to human prolactin

A specific and sensitive radioligand assay for growth hormone with female rat liver plasma membranes is presented. Growth hormones of different species are able to displace labelled human growth hormone from membrane binding sites with parallel standard curves. Human prolactin V-L-S is not equal to 1 and the international human prolactin standard MRC 71/222 do not affect the assay. Human prolactin preparations with different growth hormone content displace human growth hormone tracer only to the same extent as they contain growth hormone when measured by radioimmunoassay.     

An analytical method for the calculation of the number of units at the arrival instant in a discrete time G/G/1-queueing system with batch arrivals

In this paper, we analyze a G/G/1-queueing system with batch arrivals in the discrete time domain. On the basis of the waiting time distribution, we present an analytical approach for the calculation of the number of units in the queue at the arrival instant. This approach is exact within an ε-environment. In addition, the computing times are low such that a huge set of computations can be performed in a short time. We close our paper with a set of numerical experiments. Our research is motivated through various applications in the field of logistics, where it is of important interest to know the distribution of the number of units waiting to be proceeded at the moment of a new arrival.     

Low-impulse blast behaviour of fibre-metal laminates

This paper presents three dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) models of the low-impulse localised blast loading response of fibre-metal laminates (FMLs) based on an 2024-O aluminium alloy and a woven glass-fibre/polypropylene composite (GFPP). A vectorized user material subroutine (VUMAT) is developed to define the mechanical constitutive behaviour and Hashin’s 3D failure criteria incorporating strain-rate effects in the GFPP. In order to apply localised blast loading, a user subroutine VDLOAD is used to model the pressure distribution over the exposed area of the plate. These subroutines are implemented into the commercial finite element code ABAQUS/Explicit to model the deformation and failure mechanisms in FMLs. The FE models consider FMLs based on various stacking configurations. Both the transient and permanent displacements of the laminates are investigated. Good correlation is obtained between the measured experimental and numerical displacements, the panel deformations and failure modes. By using the validated models, parametric studies can be carried out to optimise the blast resistance of FMLs based on a range of stacking sequences and layer thicknesses.     

Soft chemical synthesis of nanosized zinc aluminate spinel from the thermolysis of different organic precursors

A new method of preparation of nanocrystalline zinc aluminate (ZnAl₂O₄) powder is described in this paper. Different organic acids are used as template material and nitric acid as an oxidant. Single phase ZnAl₂O₄ spinel can be formed at a much lower temperature through this route which gives nanocrystalline powder with uniform particle size and morphology. The powders are characterized by thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), BET surface area analysis and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The average crystallite size of the single phase material was of 20 to 30 nm and the surface area was found to be 21 to 27 m²g^?1.     

Dual-Mechanism Quenched Fluorogenic Probe Provides Selective and Rapid Detection of Cathepsin L Activity**

Cathepsin L (CTL) is a cysteine protease demonstrating upregulated activity in many disease states. Overlapping substrate specificity makes selective detection of CTL activity difficult to parse from that of its close homologue CTV and the ubiquitous CTB. Current probes of CTL activity have limited applications due to either poor contrast or extra assay steps required to achieve selectivity. We have developed a fluorogenic probe, CTLAP, that displays good selectivity for CTL over CTB and CTV while exhibiting low background fluorescence attributed to dual quenching mechanisms. CTLAP achieves optimum CTL selectivity in the first 10 min of incubation, thus suggesting that it is amenable for rapid detection of CTL, even in the presence of competing cathepsins.     

Test measurements with a silicon-lead sandwich calorimeter for electromagnetic showers at energies between 1.5 and 5 GeV

A brief outline of the advantages in using silicon detectors for applications in high energy physics is given. In preparation for investigations at HERA a compact silicon-lead calorimeter for the detection of electromagnetic showers was constructed, calibrated and tested. The experimental results are in good agreement with Monte Carlo calculations. An overall energy resolution of $\text{20.7\%}\text{√E}$ was obtained.