Evidence for the bulk nature of self-assembled monolayer surface of fluorinated alkyl thiol from hyperthermal energy ion-surface collisions

Kinetic energy distributions of fragment ions from hyperthermal energy collisions of ions with a self-assembled monolayer surface of fluorinated alkyl thiol on gold substrate and a LiF surface (vapor deposited on titanium substrate) have been measured as a function of scattering angle and fragment ion mass. These distributions for the thiol surface show two energetically and angularly distinct pathways for the dissociation of ions while those from LiF show only one peak. A plot of the velocities of the fragment ions as a Newton diagram for these two processes clearly demonstrates that one process is due to the collision of ions with a fraction of the molecular chain of the monolayer surface molecule with scattering over a broader angular range while the other process is due to collision of the projectile ions with the monolayer surface acting as a bulk surface with fragment ions scattering close to the surface parallel and resembles the Newton diagram from the LiF surface.     

Fast decomposition of matrices generated by the boundary element method

A new method to reduce the solution time of matrices generated by the Boundary Element Method is presented here. The method involves converting the fully populated system into a banded system by lumping certain coefficients of the matrix into fictitious nodes and then constraining these nodes to accurately represent each coefficient. The major advantages of lumping over the substructuring method are that lumping can be applied to arbitrarily shaped geometries and infinite-domain problems and that it preserves the diagonal-dominance of the matrix. It is shown here that the proposed algorithm reduces the rate of increase of solution time t of an n-degree-of-freedom problem from t ∝ n³ to t ∝ n². Although the algorithm is for thermal problems, its extension to mechanical problems is straightforward. The procedure can easily be incorporated into existing boundary-element-based packages.     

A general boundary-integral formulation for zoned three-dimensional media

A new boundary-integral formulation is proposed to analyse the heat transfer in zoned three-dimensional geometries. The proposed formulation couples the boundary formula, the gradient of the boundary formula and the exterior formula. An advantage of this method over the traditional methods is that any linear condition at the interface between subdomains may be incorporated into the formulation at the outset. In addition, the new method provides a sparse and well-conditioned matrix of coefficients with a minimum number of equations.     

Correlation of Local Constitutive Properties to Global Mechanical Performance of Advanced High-Strength Steel Spot Welds

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A - Recent results have shown that the strength of resistance spot-welded joints made from advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) do not increase linearly...     

Ternary solubility of mono- and di-tert-butyl ethers of glycerol in supercritical carbon dioxide

Using a continuous flow apparatus, the ternary solubility of mono- and di-tert-butyl ethers of glycerol (MTBG and DTBG, respectively) in supercritical carbon dioxide was measured at the temperatures of 313.15, 333.15, and 348.15 K; a pressure range of 80-200 bar; and an expanded gas flow rate of 180 ± 10 mL min⁻¹ at average laboratory temperature of 300.15 K and pressure of 0.89 bar. The ternary solubility of the ethers at the constant temperatures of 333.15 and 348.15 K increased with increasing pressure up to the crossover point (i.e., 152 bar for MTBG and 170 bar for DTBG). MTBG exhibited a higher solubility than DTBG in scCO₂. The experimental data for the ternary solubility of MTBG and DTBG were correlated using the Bartle equation.     

Theoretical model for evaluating the threshold reduction in roll bonding of Al/Al2O3/Al laminations

Roll bonding is the most important stage of the accumulative roll bonding process, which is used to produce high strength composites. The presence of a particle layer at the interface alters the bonding condition and increases the threshold reduction for the commencement of bonding. In this study, the bonding mechanism in presence of powder at the interface is analyzed and a theoretical model is proposed to predict the required threshold reduction in warm roll bonding of commercially pure aluminum sheets as a function of amount of alumina particles at the interface. The model considers the rolling parameters and the effect of amount and size of particles by defining some constants, which are obtained by experiment. It is shown that the measured values of the threshold reduction are very well predicted by the modeling results.     

Effects of inserts on the injection molding process

Injection molds often contain blocks of dissimilar material for improved cooling; they may also contain blocks of movable metal as a means of ejecting large parts from the mold. In this case, the blocks of metal are made of the same material, but the resistance at the interface between them has a marked influence on the cooling in the local area near the interface. In many other cases, inserts may be required because of wear in a particular mold section, or because efficient mold design is needed to produce similar parts. Hence, any mathematical model for analysis of heat transfer in injection molds must be general enough to apply to interfaces with and without gaps (i.e., with and without resistance to the flow of heat at the interface) for similar, as well as dissimilar, materials. A new and accurate model for prediction of heat transfer in heterogeneous (zoned) molds is presented in this paper. Through the solution of real problems with this model, the effects of differing material properties and interfacial thermal resistance are studied and the results are reported. It is observed that inserts have both local and global effects on the injection molding process; the overall ejection time for a part may be shortened, and the surface appearance of a part may be improved by correct placement of inserts.     

Effects of caerulein and CCK antagonists on tolerance induced to morphine antinociception in mice

Different groups of mice received one daily dose (50 mg/kg) of morphine subcutaneously (SC) for 3, 4 or 5 days to develop tolerance to the opioid. The antinociceptive response of morphine (9 mg/kg) was tested in the hot-plate test 24 h after the last dose of the drug. Tolerance to morphine was obtained in all groups. The group of mice that received morphine for 4 days was employed for the rest of the experiments. Pretreatment of animals with a single dose of caerulein (0.025, 0.05, and 0.1 mg/kg, SC) 30 min prior to receiving morphine (50 mg/kg; during the development of tolerance to the opioid) on day 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 of morphine administration potentiate antinociception induced by morphine (test dose of 9 mg/kg). The dose of 0.05 mg/kg of caerulein, used 30 min before morphine administration on day 3, was also used to evaluate the effects of antagonists on caerulein-induced decrease in tolerance. The selective cholecystokinin (CCK) receptor antagonists, MK-329 [1-methyl-3-(2 indoloyl)amino-5-phenyl-3H-1,4-benzodiazepin-2-one; 0.25 and 0.5 mg/kg] or L-365,260 [3R(+)-N-(2,3-dihydro-1-methyl-2-oxo-5-phenyl-1H- 1,4-benzodiazepin-3-yl)-N-(3-methyl-phenyl)urea: 0.25 and 0.5 mg/kg] decreased potentiation of morphine response induced by caerulein. MK-329 or L-365,260, when were injected 35 min before morphine injection during the development of tolerance and on day 3, decreased the tolerance to morphine. A single administration of MK-329 or L-365,260 (in the absence of caerulein) 35 min and 48 h before the test dose of morphine (9 mg/kg) potentiated the antinociception of morphine in nontolerant animals. In conclusion, CCK mechanism(s) may interact with morphine tolerance.     

Interactions between antinociception induced by cholecystokinin antagonists and GABA agonists in the tail-flick test

BACKGROUND: Total joint replacements are high-risk procedures for development of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), therefore, routine pharmacological prophylaxis should be instituted in all cases. Cost-containment has become an important factor with the present changes in health care. This report presents an economic model for DVT prophylaxis after total hip and total knee arthroplasty (THA & TKA) that approximates closely to the current standards in orthopedic practice, and encourages the balance of clinical and economic considerations in patient care management. METHODS: A simplified cost-effectiveness (cost-minimization) analysis, from the consumer's perspective, between Warfarin and Enoxaparin for DVT prophylaxis after THA and TKA, for a total of 15 days, in both inpatient and outpatient settings was used. The costs of drugs, laboratory, and home care services were evaluated through surveying three different providers in each category and obtaining the mean value for each of the services supplied. All providers were located within the Louisville, KY, metropolitan area. Data collection took place in October 1996. RESULTS: The main outcome measure was the difference in cost between the two drugs when all factors associated with therapy were considered. The overall cost of DVT prophylaxis with Enoxaparin was somewhat less expensive ($925.38) when compared to Warfarin ($971.77). CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations of this study Enoxaparin was slightly more cost-effective than Warfarin for venous thromboembolism prophylaxis after total hip and knee arthroplasty.     

A boundary-integral formulation for complex three-dimensional geometries

A new boundary-integral formulation is proposed to analyse the heat transfer in complex three-dimensional geometries. One example of such geometry is the die sets in the injection moulding process. Networks of cooling conduits within the mould and the closely spaced die surfaces require special attention both in formulation and numerical treatment of the integral equations. The proposed formulation couples the boundary formula, the gradient of the boundary formula and the exterior formula. The derivation of the integral equations is presented here along with an efficient method for integration of some of the kernels in these equations and a semi-analytical procedure for the integration of the highly singular integrands which result from differentiating the boundary formula. Although the techniques introduced here are applied to a particular problem in heat transfer, their potential application is much broader.