Method of Creating Ultra-Fine Particles of Materials Using a High-Pressure Mill

A method for creating ultra-fine particles of material using a high-pressure mill is described. The method includes placing a material in a first chamber and subjecting the material to a high-pressure fluid jet to divide it into particles. These particles are then transferred to a second chamber in which they are subjected to cavitation to further divide the particles into relatively smaller particles. These relatively smaller particles are then transferred to a third chamber, in which the particles collide with a collider to still further divide them into ultra-fine particles of the material. The mill of the present invention includes a first chamber having an high-pressure liquid jet nozzle, first and second slurry nozzles, a second cavitation chamber and a third chamber which houses a collider. In one embodiment, the slurry nozzle has an inner surface and sharp edges that project slightly out from the inner surface. Sensors may be located throughout the mill to collect data on the comminution process and to use the data to control the resultant particle size. The product size of the ultra-fine particles made according to the mill of the present invention are preferably less than 15 microns. Further, the particles produced using the mill of the present invention are formed as flakes or platelets which have been broken along nature planes in the material

Measurement and modeling the physical controls of snowmelt in the Pacific Northwest

The physical controls of snowmelt in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) are poorly understood. While there have been numerous field and modeling investigations at the plot and watershed scale, few studies have identified how the snow energy balance (EB) components vary in importance both spatially and temporally. The identification of how dominant EB components vary in space and time will allow us to understand how the snow regime will be affected by environmental change. We apply two physically based snow energy balance models (SNOBAL and ISNOBAL) to two different climate regimes of PNW Cascade Mountains to investigate the spatial and temporal variability of EB components which cause snowmelt. We found that radiation dominated the EB in both the rain-on-snow, Western Cascades environment and in a semi-arid watershed in the Eastern Cascades. Turbulent energy exchanges varied with topographic position, vegetation, and most importantly wind speed. In both modeling scenarios warmer winters led to shallower snowpack accumulation. Shorter snow seasons resulted in lower radiation inputs and higher sensible heat exchanges in the annual EB. Numerical simulation of snowmelt processes has helped to provide an understanding of the anticipated effects of environmental change on the snow regime in the PNW

Effect of Nb and Ti micro-additives and thermo-mechanical treatment of high-manganese steels with aluminium and silicon on their microstructure and mechanical properties

The r esults are based on two experimental high-manganese X98MnAlSiNbTi24-11 and X105MnAlSi24-11 steels subjected to thermo-mechanical treatment by hot-rolling on a semi-industrial processing line. The paper presents the results of diffraction and structural studies using scanning and transmission electron microscopy showing the role of Nb and Ti micro-additives in shaping high strength properties of high-manganese austenitic-ferritic steels with complex carbides. The performed investigations of two experimental steels allow to explain how the change cooling conditions after thermo-mechanical treatment of the analysed steels affects the change of their microstructure and mechanical properties. The obtained results allow assessing the impact of both the chemical composition and the applied thermo-mechanical treatment technology on the structural effects of strengthening of the newly developed steels

Convulsive status epilepticus management in adults and children: Report of the Working Group of the Polish Society of Epileptology

Introduction The Working Group was established at the initiative of the General Board of the Polish Society of Epileptology (PSE) to develop an expert position on the treatment of convulsive status epilepticus (SE) in adults and children in Poland. Generalized convulsive SE is the most common form and also represents the greatest threat to life, highlighting the importance of the choice of appropriate therapeutic treatment. Aim of guideline We present the therapeutic options separately for treatment during the early preclinical (>5–30min), established (30–60min), and refractory (>60min) SE phases. This division is based on time and response to AEDs, and indicates a practical approach based on pathophysiological data. Results Benzodiazepines (BZD) are the first-line drugs. In cases of ineffective first-line treatment and persistence of the seizure, the use of second-line treatment: phenytoin, valproic acid or phenobarbital is required. SE that persists after the administration of benzodiazepines and phenytoin or another second-line AED at appropriate doses is defined as refractory and drug resistant and requires treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU). EEG monitoring is essential during therapy at this stage. Anesthesia is typically continued for an initial period of 24h followed by a slow reversal and is re-established if seizures recur. Anesthesia is usually administered either to the level of the “burst suppression pattern” or to obtain the “EEG suppression” pattern. Conclusions Experts agree that close and early cooperation with a neurologist and anesthetist aiming to reduce the risk of pharmacoresistant cases is an extremely important factor in the treatment of patients with SE. This report has educational, practical and organizational aspects, outlining a standard plan for SE management in Poland that will improve therapeutic efficacy

Proton Motive Force-Dependent Hoechst 33342 Transport by the ABC Transporter LmrA of Lactococcus lactis

The fluorescent compound Hoechst 33342 is a substrate for many multidrug resistance (MDR) transporters and is widely used to characterize their transport activity. We have constructed mutants of the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) binding cassette (ABC)-type MDR transporter LmrA of Lactococcus lactis that are defective in ATP hydrolysis. These mutants and wild-type LmrA exhibited an atypical behavior in the Hoechst 33342 transport assay. In membrane vesicles, Hoechst 33342 transport was shown to be independent of the ATPase activity of LmrA, and it was not inhibited by orthovanadate but sensitive to uncouplers that collapse the proton gradient and to N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, an inhibitor of the F0F1-ATPase. In contrast, transport of Hoechst 33342 by the homologous, heterodimeric MDR transporter LmrCD showed a normal ATP dependence and was insensitive to uncouplers of the proton gradient. With intact cells, expression of LmrA resulted in an increased rate of Hoechst 33342 influx while LmrCD caused a decrease in the rate of Hoechst 33342 influx. Cellular toxicity assays using a triple knockout strain, i.e., L. lactis ΔlmrA ΔlmrCD, demonstrate that expression of LmrCD protects cells against the growth inhibitory effects of Hoechst 33342, while in the presence of LmrA, cells are more susceptible to Hoechst 33342. Our data demonstrate that the LmrA-mediated Hoechst 33342 transport in membrane vesicles is influenced by the transmembrane pH gradient due to a pH-dependent partitioning of Hoechst 33342 into the membrane.

The Lantern Vol. 16, No. 2, December 1947

• A Little Light • Traitor\u27s Son • The Comeback • Wolf-Dog • Lucky Harry • Security or Progress • To Tell a Story • Endless • What Purpose, Life? • I Would Not Say • Adult Farewell • Springtime Fields • M.W. Armstronghttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/lantern/1044/thumbnail.jp

Virulence of Oomycete Pathogens from \u3cem\u3ePhragmites australis\u3c/em\u3e-Invaded and Noninvaded Soils to Seedlings of Wetland Plant Species

Soil pathogens affect plant community structure and function through negative plant-soil feedbacks that may contribute to the invasiveness of non-native plant species. Our understanding of these pathogen-induced soil feedbacks has relied largely on observations of the collective impact of the soil biota on plant populations, with few observations of accompanying changes in populations of specific soil pathogens and their impacts on invasive and noninvasive species. As a result, the roles of specific soil pathogens in plant invasions remain unknown. In this study, we examine the diversity and virulence of soil oomycete pathogens in freshwater wetland soils invaded by non-native Phragmites australis (European common reed) to better understand the potential for soil pathogen communities to impact a range of native and non-native species and influence invasiveness. We isolated oomycetes from four sites over a 2-year period, collecting nearly 500 isolates belonging to 36 different species. These sites were dominated by species of Pythium, many of which decreased seedling survival of a range of native and invasive plants. Despite any clear host specialization, many of the Pythium species were differentially virulent to the native and non-native plant species tested. Isolates from invaded and noninvaded soils were equally virulent to given individual plant species, and no apparent differences in susceptibility were observed between the collective groups of native and non-native plant species

The Lantern Vol. 18, No. 3, Spring 1950

• The Rise and Fall of Mr. Fluff • Thoughts by the Sea • Equality of Men • On Radio Comedians • After Hours • Rain • Morning • Escape from Fear • Book of Red • Poems by a Guy Named Mike • We are the People • Spirit Disrupted • Light • Sonnethttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/lantern/1051/thumbnail.jp

A Basic Framework for the Cryptanalysis of Digital Chaos-Based Cryptography

Chaotic cryptography is based on the properties of chaos as source of entropy. Many different schemes have been proposed to take advantage of those properties and to design new strategies to encrypt information. However, the right and efficient use of chaos in the context of cryptography requires a thorough knowledge about the dynamics of the selected chaotic system. Indeed, if the final encryption system reveals enough information about the underlying chaotic system it could be possible for a cryptanalyst to get the key, part of the key or some information somehow equivalent to the key just analyzing those dynamical properties leaked by the cryptosystem. This paper shows what those dynamical properties are and how a cryptanalyst can use them to prove the inadequacy of an encryption system for the secure exchange of information. This study is performed through the introduction of a series of mathematical tools which should be the basic framework of cryptanalysis in the context of digital chaos-based cryptography.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure

The Lantern Vol. 18, No. 1, Fall 1949

• Want, an Old Freedom Unused • Is History Bunk? • How Things Grow • A Real Gone Poem • Hish Proves Himself • Death? Not Yet! • On the Neglect of Victorian Literature • The Tradition Lives On • To the Other Side • Autumn\u27s Panorama • Autumn Treasure • A Walk • Leaves • The Moment • Dawn • Sentiments • Dustinghttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/lantern/1049/thumbnail.jp