Free vibration of a three-layered sandwich beam using the dynamic stiffness method and experiment

In this paper, an accurate dynamic stiffness model for a three-layered sandwich beam of unequal thicknesses is developed and subsequently used to investigate its free vibration characteristics. Each layer of the beam is idealised by the Timoshenko beam theory and the combined system is reduced to a tenth-order system using symbolic computation. An exact dynamic stiffness matrix is then developed by relating amplitudes of harmonically varying loads to those of the responses. The resulting dynamic stiffness matrix is used with particular reference to the Wittrick-Williams algorithm to carry out the free vibration analysis of a few illustrative examples. The accuracy of the theory is confirmed both by published literature and by experiment. The paper closes with some concluding remarks. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

On The Effect of Giant Planets on the Scattering of Parent Bodies of Iron Meteorite from the Terrestrial Planet Region into the Asteroid Belt: A Concept Study

In their model for the origin of the parent bodies of iron meteorites, Bottke et al proposed differentiated planetesimals that were formed in the region of 1-2 AU during the first 1.5 Myr, as the parent bodies, and suggested that these objects and their fragments were scattered into the asteroid belt as a result of interactions with planetary embryos. Although viable, this model does not include the effect of a giant planet that might have existed or been growing in the outer regions. We present the results of a concept study where we have examined the effect of a planetary body in the orbit of Jupiter on the early scattering of planetesimals from terrestrial region into the asteroid belt. We integrated the orbits of a large battery of planetesimals in a disk of planetary embryos, and studied their evolutions for different values of the mass of the planet. Results indicate that when the mass of the planet is smaller than 10 Earth-masses, its effects on the interactions among planetesimals and planetary embryos is negligible. However, when the planet mass is between 10 and 50 Earth-masses, simulations point to a transitional regime with ~50 Earth-mass being the value for which the perturbing effect of the planet can no longer be ignored. Simulations also show that further increase of the mass of the planet strongly reduces the efficiency of the scattering of planetesimals from the terrestrial planet region into the asteroid belt. We present the results of our simulations and discuss their possible implications for the time of giant planet formation.Comment: 20 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

High-resolution tracking in a GEM-Emulsion detector

SHiP (Search for Hidden Particles) is a beam dump experiment proposed at the CERN SPS aiming at the observation of long lived particles very weakly coupled with ordinary matter mostly produced in the decay of charmed hadrons. The beam dump facility of SHiP is also a copious factory of neutrinos of all three kinds and therefore a dedicated neutrino detector is foreseen in the SHiP apparatus. The neutrino detector exploits the Emulsion Cloud Chamber technique with a modular structure, alternating walls of target units and planes of electronic detectors providing the time stamp to the event. GEM detectors are one of the possible choices for this task. This paper reports the results of the first exposure to a muon beam at CERN of a new hybrid chamber, obtained by coupling a GEM chamber and an emulsion detector. Thanks to the micrometric accuracy of the emulsion detector, the position resolution of the GEM chamber as a function of the particle inclination was evaluated in two configurations, with and without the magnetic fiel

Melting of tantalum at high pressure determined by angle dispersive x-ray diffraction in a double-sided laser-heated diamond-anvil cell

The high pressure and high temperature phase diagram of Ta has been studied in a laser-heated diamond-anvil cell (DAC) using x-ray diffraction measurements up to 52 GPa and 3800 K. The melting was observed at nine different pressures, being the melting temperature in good agreement with previous laser-heated DAC experiments, but in contradiction with several theoretical calculations and previous piston-cylinder apparatus experiments. A small slope for the melting curve of Ta is estimated (dTm/dP = 24 K/GPa at 1 bar) and a possible explanation for this behaviour is given. Finally, a P-V-T equation of states is obtained, being the temperature dependence of the thermal expansion coefficient and the bulk modulus estimated.Comment: 31 pages, 8 figures, to appear in J.Phys.:Cond.Matte

Stability of Terrestrial Planets in the Habitable Zone of Gl 777 A, HD 72659, Gl 614, 47 Uma and HD 4208

We have undertaken a thorough dynamical investigation of five extrasolar planetary systems using extensive numerical experiments. The systems Gl 777 A, HD 72659, Gl 614, 47 Uma and HD 4208 were examined concerning the question of whether they could host terrestrial like planets in their habitable zones (=HZ). First we investigated the mean motion resonances between fictitious terrestrial planets and the existing gas giants in these five extrasolar systems. Then a fine grid of initial conditions for a potential terrestrial planet within the HZ was chosen for each system, from which the stability of orbits was then assessed by direct integrations over a time interval of 1 million years. The computations were carried out using a Lie-series integration method with an adaptive step size control. This integration method achieves machine precision accuracy in a highly efficient and robust way, requiring no special adjustments when the orbits have large eccentricities. The stability of orbits was examined with a determination of the Renyi entropy, estimated from recurrence plots, and with a more straight forward method based on the maximum eccentricity achieved by the planet over the 1 million year integration. Additionally, the eccentricity is an indication of the habitability of a terrestrial planet in the HZ; any value of e>0.2 produces a significant temperature difference on a planet's surface between apoapse and periapse. The results for possible stable orbits for terrestrial planets in habitable zones for the five systems are summarized as follows: for Gl 777 A nearly the entire HZ is stable, for 47 Uma, HD 72659 and HD 4208 terrestrial planets can survive for a sufficiently long time, while for Gl 614 our results exclude terrestrial planets moving in stable orbits within the HZ.Comment: 14 pages, 18 figures submitted to A&

The Mre11-Rad50-Nbs1 complex mediates activation of TopBP1 by ATM

The activation of ATR-ATRIP in response to double-stranded DNA breaks (DSBs) depends upon ATM in human cells and Xenopus egg extracts. One important aspect of this dependency involves regulation of TopBP1 by ATM. In Xenopus egg extracts, ATM associates with TopBP1 and thereupon phosphorylates it on S1131. This phosphorylation enhances the capacity of TopBP1 to activate the ATR-ATRIP complex. We show that TopBP1 also interacts with the Mre11-Rad50-Nbs1 (MRN) complex in egg extracts in a checkpoint-regulated manner. This interaction involves the Nbs1 subunit of the complex. ATM can no longer interact with TopBP1 in Nbs1-depleted egg extracts, which suggests that the MRN complex helps to bridge ATM and TopBP1 together. The association between TopBP1 and Nbs1 involves the first pair of BRCT repeats in TopBP1. In addition, the two tandem BRCT repeats of Nbs1 are required for this binding. Functional studies with mutated forms of TopBP1 and Nbs1 suggested that the BRCT-dependent association of these proteins is critical for a normal checkpoint response to DSBs. These findings suggest that the MRN complex is a crucial mediator in the process whereby ATM promotes the TopBP1-dependent activation of ATR-ATRIP in response to DSBs

Cytokine and chemokine response in children with the 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus infection

We report the systemic cytokine and chemokine response in children with the 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus infection. In patients with pneumonia, the serum levels of IFN-γ and IL-5 were significantly higher than those in patients without pneumonia. This tendency was also present for IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-13, and MCP-1 in patients with pneumonia. Among patients with pneumonia, the levels of MCP-1 were significantly higher in the group of patients with pneumonia with severe respiratory failure than patients with mild pneumonia

Utjecaj sadržaja lijeka i veličine aglomerata na tabletiranje i oslobađanje bromheksin hidroklorida iz aglomerata s talkom pripremljenih kristalokoaglomeracijom

The objective of the investigation was to study the effect of bromhexine hydrochloride (BXH) content and agglomerate size on mechanical, compressional and drug release properties of agglomerates prepared by crystallo-co-agglomeration (CCA). Studies on optimized batches of agglomerates (BXT1 and BXT2) prepared by CCA have showed adequate sphericity and strength required for efficient tabletting. Trend of strength reduction with a decrease in the size of agglomerates was noted for both batches, irrespective of drug loading. However, an increase in mean yield pressure (14.189 to 19.481) with an increase in size was observed for BXT2 having BXH-talc (1:15.7). Surprisingly, improvement in tensile strength was demonstrated by compacts prepared from BXT2, due to high BXH load, whereas BXT1, having a low amount of BXH (BXH-talc, 1:24), showed low tensile strength. Consequently, increased tensile strength was reflected in extended drug release from BXT2 compacts (Higuchi model, R2 = 0.9506 to 0.9981). Thus, it can be concluded that interparticulate bridges formed by BXH and agglomerate size affect their mechanical, compressional and drug release properties.Cilj rada bio je praćenje utjecaja sadržaja bromheksidin hidroklorida (BXH) i veličine aglomerata na mehanička svojstva, kompresivnost i oslobađanje ljekovite tvari iz aglomerata pripravljenih kristalokoaglomeracijom (CCA). Optimizirani pripravci aglomerata (BXT1 i BXT2) pripravljeni CCA metodom pokazuju adekvatnu sferičnost i čvrstoću potrebnu za učinkovito tabletiranje. U oba pripravka se smanjenjem veličine aglomerata smanjivala i čvrstoća, neovisno o količini ljekovite tvari. Međutim, povećanje prosječnog tlaka s povećanjem veličine čestica primijećeno je u pripravku BXT2 s omjerom BXH-talk 1:15,7. Iznenađuje da su kompakti pripravljeni iz BXT2, s visokim sadržajem BXH, imali veću vlačnu čvrstoću, dok su BXT1 s niskim sadržajem BXH (BXH-talk, 1:24) imali manju čvrstoću. Veća vlačna čvrstoća imala je za posljedicu produljeno oslobađanje ljekovite tvari iz BXT2 (Higuchijev model, R2 = 0,9506 do 0,9981). Može se zaključiti da mostovi među česticama BXH i veličina aglomerata utječu na njihova mehanička i kompresivna svojstva te na oslobađanje ljekovite tvari

Fatal encephalitis associated with novel influenza A (H1N1) virus infection in a child

A 4-year-old girl presented with fever, coughing, and vomiting; followed by unconsciousness. Magnetic resonance imaging showed hyperintense changes in the thalami bilaterally, brain stem, cerebellum, and subcortical cortex. Novel influenza A (H1N1) virus was identified by polymerase chain reaction in patient’s nasopharyngeal swab specimen. We reported a rare case of clinically severe, novel influenza A-associated encephalitis. Novel influenza A should be considered in the differential diagnosis in patients with seizures and mental status changes, especially during an influenza outbreak