16,387 research outputs found
Encapsulation process sterilizes and preserves surgical instruments
Ethylene oxide is blended with an organic polymer to form a sterile material for encapsulating surgical instruments. The material does not bond to metal and can be easily removed when the instruments are needed
Process for preparing sterile solid propellants Patent
Using ethylene oxide in preparation of sterilized solid rocket propellants and encapsulating material
Plasma physics abstracts, 1 January 1966 through 31 December 1967
Bibliography containing 26 references with abstracts on plasma physics research, 1966-196
Apparent suppression of turbulent magnetic dynamo action by a dc magnetic field
Numerical studies of the effect of a dc magnetic field on dynamo action
(development of magnetic fields with large spatial scales), due to
helically-driven magnetohydrodynamic turbulence, are reported. The apparent
effect of the dc magnetic field is to suppress the dynamo action, above a
relatively low threshold. However, the possibility that the suppression results
from an improper combination of rectangular triply spatially-periodic boundary
conditions and a uniform dc magnetic field is addressed: heretofore a common
and convenient computational convention in turbulence investigations. Physical
reasons for the observed suppression are suggested. Other geometries and
boundary conditions are offered for which the dynamo action is expected not to
be suppressed by the presence of a dc magnetic field component.Comment: To appear in Physics of Plasma
Velocity field distributions due to ideal line vortices
We evaluate numerically the velocity field distributions produced by a
bounded, two-dimensional fluid model consisting of a collection of parallel
ideal line vortices. We sample at many spatial points inside a rigid circular
boundary. We focus on ``nearest neighbor'' contributions that result from
vortices that fall (randomly) very close to the spatial points where the
velocity is being sampled. We confirm that these events lead to a non-Gaussian
high-velocity ``tail'' on an otherwise Gaussian distribution function for the
Eulerian velocity field. We also investigate the behavior of distributions that
do not have equilibrium mean-field probability distributions that are uniform
inside the circle, but instead correspond to both higher and lower mean-field
energies than those associated with the uniform vorticity distribution. We find
substantial differences between these and the uniform case.Comment: 21 pages, 9 figures. To be published in Physical Review E
(http://pre.aps.org/) in May 200
A Self-Consistent Marginally Stable State for Parallel Ion Cyclotron Waves
We derive an equation whose solutions describe self-consistent states of
marginal stability for a proton-electron plasma interacting with
parallel-propagating ion cyclotron waves. Ion cyclotron waves propagating
through this marginally stable plasma will neither grow nor damp. The
dispersion relation of these waves, {\omega} (k), smoothly rises from the usual
MHD behavior at small |k| to reach {\omega} = {\Omega}p as k \rightarrow
\pm\infty. The proton distribution function has constant phase-space density
along the characteristic resonant surfaces defined by this dispersion relation.
Our equation contains a free function describing the variation of the proton
phase-space density across these surfaces. Taking this free function to be a
simple "box function", we obtain specific solutions of the marginally stable
state for a range of proton parallel betas. The phase speeds of these waves are
larger than those given by the cold plasma dispersion relation, and the
characteristic surfaces are more sharply peaked in the v\bot direction. The
threshold anisotropy for generation of ion cyclotron waves is also larger than
that given by estimates which assume bi-Maxwellian proton distributions.Comment: in press in Physics of Plasma
Maternal smoking during pregnancy and appetite control in offspring
Aims: Intrauterine exposure to tobacco smoke products has been associated with long-term neurobehavioral effects. Modified appetite control might explain the recently observed association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and obesity in offspring. Methods: Some 10,557 British adults aged 42 years born between 3-9 March 1958 were followed up in a birth cohort study (NCDS). The main outcome measure was self-reported poor appetite at age 42 years and main exposure was maternal smoking during pregnancy. Results: The proportion of offspring with poor appetite increased with maternal smoking during pregnancy: nonsmoking 4.5%; (4.0% - 5.0%), medium smoking 5.6%; (4.5 % - 6.8 %), variable smoking 6.8 %; (4.9 % - 9.1 %) and heavy smoking 7.7 %; (6.3 % - 9.4 %). The unadjusted odds ratios for maternal smoking during pregnancy (ever/never) and poor appetite is 1.49 (1.25 - 1.77) and after adjustment for BMI at 42 years and other potential confounding factors it is 1.22 (1.07 - 1.48). Conclusions: Offspring of mothers who smoked during pregnancy were more likely to report a poor appetite independent of a number of potential confounding factors. Although not in the expected direction, the results suggest maternal smoking during pregnancy may influence appetite perception through a developmental influence or through confounding by social factors
Low magnetic Prandtl number dynamos with helical forcing
We present direct numerical simulations of dynamo action in a forced Roberts
flow. The behavior of the dynamo is followed as the mechanical Reynolds number
is increased, starting from the laminar case until a turbulent regime is
reached. The critical magnetic Reynolds for dynamo action is found, and in the
turbulent flow it is observed to be nearly independent on the magnetic Prandtl
number in the range from 0.3 to 0.1. Also the dependence of this threshold with
the amount of mechanical helicity in the flow is studied. For the different
regimes found, the configuration of the magnetic and velocity fields in the
saturated steady state are discussed.Comment: 9 pages, 14 figure
Asymptotic defectiveness of manufacturing plants: an estimate based on process learning curves
The paper describes a method for a preliminary estimation of asymptotic defectiveness of a manufacturing plant based on the prediction of its learning curve estimated during a p-chart setting up. The proposed approach provides process managers with the possibility of estimating the asymptotic variability of the process and the period of revision of p-chart control limits. An application of the method is also provided
Small scale structures in three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic turbulence
We investigate using direct numerical simulations with grids up to 1536^3
points, the rate at which small scales develop in a decaying three-dimensional
MHD flow both for deterministic and random initial conditions. Parallel current
and vorticity sheets form at the same spatial locations, and further
destabilize and fold or roll-up after an initial exponential phase. At high
Reynolds numbers, a self-similar evolution of the current and vorticity maxima
is found, in which they grow as a cubic power of time; the flow then reaches a
finite dissipation rate independent of Reynolds number.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
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