Application Of Physical Methods Research Articles

Government-Funded Development of Innovative Physical Technologies for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Production in Rural Germany through a University–Business Alliance Formation

Purpose: The alliance project “Physics for Food” aims to invent new physical technologies for sustainable agriculture and food production in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, an agrarian region in northern Germany. This article may serve as an example of good practice for regional collaboration and funding acquisition between academia and the industry, especially SMEs, that may be replicated in other rural contexts. Approach: The project consortium consists of a triple-helix setting of scientists from university and research institutes as well as technology suppliers, seed producers, and farmers. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) funds the project in a special program called “WIR!” that addresses innovation and structural transformation of lagging regions in Germany. Findings: The program encourages development of regional innovation concepts and supports confederations that cross disciplinary, industrial, institutional, and administrative boundaries and thrive on civic involvement. Today already, there is huge potential and an increasing demand for the development and the supply of novel non-chemical alternatives in plant and storage protection in agriculture and food production. Originality: The project aims to lay the foundation for startup companies based in the region to act as innovative technology providers and to create jobs in the region while making the new technologies available nationally and internationally. The application of physical methods will decrease costs, conserve resources, and eventually contribute to protecting the environment.

Application of Physical Methods for the Detection of a Thermally Degraded Recycled Material in Plastic Parts Made of Polypropylene Copolymer.

The paper deals with the possibility of applying physical methods to detect a thermally degraded recycled material in plastic parts made of polypropylene. Standard methods of evaluating the mechanical properties of the material under static tensile and bending stress, as well as under dynamic impact stress using the Charpy method, were used for the experimental measurements. The rheological properties of materials were monitored using a method involving measuring the melt flow index, while their thermal properties and oxidative stability were monitored using differential scanning calorimetry. Based on the methods used, it can be clearly stated that the most suitable technique for detecting thermally degraded recycled material in polypropylene is the method involving establishing the melt flow index. The bending test seems to be the most suitable method for detecting recycled material by measuring the material’s mechanical properties. Similarly to the melt volume flow rate (MVR) method, it was possible to unambiguously detect the presence of even a small amount of recycled material in the whole from measuring the material’s bending properties. It is clear from the results that in the short term, there may be no change in the useful properties of the parts, but in the long term the presence of degraded recycled material will have adverse consequences on their lifespan.

The effect of combining microwave and ultraviolet methods of plant materials processing on Salmonella culture inhibition

The research results concerning the application of physical methods of plant raw materials influencing - fresh beetroot - to inhibit microorganisms of Salmonella genus were presented in the work. Pathogenic microorganisms of Salmonella genus pose a threat to humans, being causative agents of typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever and other salmonellosis. The use of effective and available physical methods of influence in the fruit and vegetable processing technology allows us to ensure the maximum conservation of physiologically valuable components of the raw material and its safety. Microwave (microwave field) and ultraviolet radiation were chosen as physical methods for research. The sterilizing effect of the microwave field was clearly expressed - the bacteria survival after such a treatment was 2 or more times less than during heat treatment. Treatment with ultraviolet radiation has a bactericidal effect and is characterized by a minimal effect on the plant materials organoleptic properties. A comparative assessment of the effectiveness of the inhibition of the Salmonella test culture on diced fresh beets after treatment with the selected physical methods was carried out during the study. The samples temperature rose up to 43–46 °C under the influence of a microwave field in the selected mode with a power of 400 W, a duration of 40 s, and a flux density of 0.44 W / cm2. Treatment with ultraviolet (UV) radiation in the C-band (wavelength 253.7 nm) was carried out for 15 min with a dose of 50 kJ / m2 with a total power of ultraviolet lamps equal to 60 V. Processing of fresh chopped beets with UV radiation reduced the number of microorganisms by 5 orders of magnitude from the initial amount. Processing in a microwave field allowed to reduce the initial seed contamination of raw materials by 7 orders of magnitude. Sequential processing in a microwave field and subsequent ultraviolet radiation allowed us to reduce the initial beets seedling by 8 orders of magnitude. The combination of processing methods (microwave + UV) showed the effectiveness of their application to reduce pathogenic microflora.

Overcoming ocular drug delivery barriers through the use of physical forces.

Overcoming the physiological barriers in the eye remains a key obstacle in the field of ocular drug delivery. While ocular barriers naturally have a protective function, they also limit drug entry into the eye. Various pharmaceutical strategies, such as novel formulations and physical force-based techniques, have been investigated to weaken these barriers and transport therapeutic agents effectively to both the anterior and the posterior segments of the eye. This review summarizes and discusses the recent research progress in the field of ocular drug delivery with a focus on the application of physical methods, including electrical fields, sonophoresis, and microneedles, which can enhance penetration efficiency by transiently disrupting the ocular barriers in a minimally or non-invasive manner.

The application of physical methods, psychological help and physical exercising in the case of patients with chronic spine pain – hopes and difficulties

The aim of this work is to introduce selected problems connected with the difficulties that occur while using collectively different methods in spine pain therapy at patients provided treatment in the Pain Treatment Clinic. Conclusions and reflections included in this paper make an attempt to look at the specifics of the functioning of the patients with chr onic spine pain. Among the problems that appear during therapeutic cycle a significant role is played by, among others: difficulties in connecting the procedures and inability to harmonise the elements of therapeutic proceeding, non-adequacy of the possibilities of providing help towards the increasing needs. Considerable group of reasons is connected with the specifics of psy chosocial functioning of professionally active persons who face a dilemma of meeting the car eer requirements at lowered (and still lowering) possibilities, caused by widely understood problems with a spine, the difficulties in keeping the balance between taking care of one’s own health and duties towards other family members. The second aim is to draw attention to some mechanisms of analgesic effects of physical methods in the context of a longterm analgesic therapy.

Application of physical methods of pharmacy to improve the properties of dosage forms

It has been shown on the examples of paracetamol, ibuprofen, and salbutamol that the use of mixed water-organic solvents, which are capable of clathrate formation, enables one to obtain high-disperse drug powders that are weakly soluble in water via sublimation drying of frozen solutions. The prepared powders are applicable for direct compression to pellets, have a higher rate of passing into solution for drug compared to initial substances, and can be used to prepare the suspensions for children’s preparations and dosage forms as freon-free aerosols for pulmonary administration.

Advances in Wine Aging Technologies for Enhancing Wine Quality and Accelerating Wine Aging Process

Wine aging is an important process to produce high-quality wines. Traditionally, wines are aged in oak barrel aging systems. However, due to the disadvantages of the traditional aging technology, such as lengthy time needed, high cost, etc., innovative aging technologies have been developed. These technologies involve aging wines using wood fragments, application of micro-oxygenation, aging on lees, or application of some physical methods. Moreover, wine bottling can be regarded as the second phase of wine aging and is essential for most wines. Each technology can benefit the aging process from different aspects. Traditional oak barrel aging technology is the oldest and widely accepted technology. The application of wood fragments and physical methods are promising in accelerating aging process artificially, while application of micro-oxygenation and lees is reliable to improve wine quality. This paper reviews recent developments of the wine aging technologies. The impacts of operational parameters of each technology on wine quality during aging are analyzed, and comparisons among these aging technologies are made. In addition, several strategies to produce high-quality wines in a short aging period are also proposed.

Editorial on the Topical Issue “Neutron Biological Physics”

This special issue brings together a number of original research papers focused on recent developments in biological membrane and membrane model studies by a variety of state-of-the-art biophysical methods. Neutron scattering is especially well represented. Our knowledge of biological macromolecules and their interactions is based on the application of physical methods, ranging from classical thermodynamics to recently developed techniques for the detection and manipulation of single molecules. The role of neutron diffraction and spectroscopy techniques in improving this knowledge has been outstanding and the potential for future developments is remarkable. Many challenges remain for neutron techniques to answer the questions raised by molecular and cellullar biology. The following pages give a flavour of the progress in the field. A report [1] describes time-resolved small angle scattering of light-induced changes in chloroplast thylakoid membranes. In the context of surface functionalization, the structure in different ionic conditions of sodium hyaluronan grafted at a solid-liquid interface was observed by neutron reflectivity [2]. A review of membrane protein studies [3] addresses the difficulties encountered by providing information on the properties of surfactants used to solubilise membrane proteins for contrast variation studies by neutron small angle scattering, as well as on membrane protein deuterium labelling strategies. The thought-provoking Zaccai neutron resilience and site-specific hydration dynamics in a globular protein are discussed in [4]. Membrane raft model structures with tuneable compositions were characterised by neutron diffraction and reflectivity [5], while raft dynamics in large uni-lamellar vesicles in interaction with beta amyloid peptide was observed by the neutron spin echo method combined with small angle scattering [6]. The bending stiffness of biological membranes as determined by neutron spin echo is also presented [7]. Two contributions [8, 9] report on undulation dynamics and shape fluctuations, respectively, in lipid vesicles as a function of lipid composition and other parameters observed by neutron spin echo in combination with other methods like small angle scattering and light scattering. Elastic incoherent neutron scattering was applied to compare dynamics in natural membranes extracted from hyperthermophile and mesophile bacteria in the context of their different biological activities [10]. A molecular dynamics simulation study discusses macromolecular resilience as was defined from neutron spectroscopy experiments. The underlying mechanisms of bioprotection by sugars were explored by using data from Infrared Spectroscopy, Molecular Dynamics simulations, Small Angle X-ray Scattering and Calorimetry [11]. Time resolved small angle X-ray scattering in combination with other biophysical methods can contribute immensely to the study of protein dynamics and a paper presents a new set-up, including a microfluidic continuous-flow mixer, which provided results on unfolding dynamics. And the project of a neutron dynamics data bank is presented in a Perspectives article [12]. The aim of the bank will be to make neutron dynamics data on biological systems widely available to the scientific community.

Classical and Quantum Physics in Selected Economic Models

Classical and Quantum Physics in Selected Economic ModelsA growing number of economic phenomena are nowadays described with methods known in physics. The most frequently applied physical theories by economists are: (1) the universal gravitation law and (2) the first and second law of thermodynamics. Physical principles can also be applied to the theory of financial markets. Financial markets are composed of individual participants who may be seen to interact as particles in a physical system. This approach proposes a financial market model known as a minority game model in which securities and money are allocated on the basis of price fluctuations, and where selling is best option when the vast majority of investors tend to purchase goods or services, and vice versa. The players who end up being on the minority side win.The above applications of physical methods in economics are deeply rooted in classical physics. However, this paper aims to introduce the basic concepts of quantum mechanics to the process of economic phenomena modelling. Quantum mechanics is a theory describing the behaviour of microscopic objects and is grounded on the principle of wave-particle duality. It is assumed that quantum-scale objects at the same time exhibit both wave-like and particle-like properties. The key role in quantum mechanics is played by: (1) the Schrödinger equation describing the probability amplitude for the particle to be found in a given position and at a given time, and as (2) the Heisenberg uncertainty principle stating that certain pairs of physical properties cannot be economic applications of the Schrödinger equation as well as the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. We also try to describe the English auction by means the quantum mechanics methods.

Methods in molecular biophysics: structure, dynamics, function

Our knowledge of biological macromolecules and their interactions is based on the application of physical methods, ranging from classical thermodynamics to recently developed techniques for the detection and manipulation of single molecules. These methods, which include mass spectrometry, hydrodynamics, microscopy, diffraction and crystallography, electron microscopy, molecular dynamics simulations, and nuclear magnetic resonance, are complementary; each has its specific advantages and limitations. Organised by method, this textbook provides descriptions and examples of applications for the key physical methods in modern biology. It is an invaluable resource for undergraduate and graduate students of molecular biophysics in science and medical schools, as well as research scientists looking for an introduction to techniques beyond their specialty. As appropriate for this interdisciplinary field, the book includes short asides to explain physics aspects to biologists and biology aspects to physicists.

Analysis of the Potential Energy Surface of 1,3-Dioxane and Its Protonated Form

1,3-Dioxanes are practically important oxygencontaining heteroanalogs of cyclohexane. Protonation of these compounds, as well as of other 1,3- and 1,3,2-heterocycles, gives cyclic oxonium ions. The latter are formed as intermediates in numerous acidcatalyzed heterolytic reactions involving cyclic boron acid esters, 1,3-dioxa-2-silacyclohexanes, and cyclic acetals, which lead to formation of esters, 1,3-diols, and other valuable products of organic and petrochemical synthesis [1–4]. However, oxonium ions could be detected experimentally only at temperatures below –50°C, which strongly restricts the applicability of physical methods for studying fine details of their structure; therefore, such information is lacking in the literature. We thought it reasonable to examine the structure and conformational behavior of such species by quantum-chemical methods. The present communication reports on the results of comparative study of the potential energy surfaces (PES) of unsubstituted 1,3-dioxane (I) and its protonated form II in the gas phase in terms of the STO-3G and 6-31G** nonempirical methods. The calculations were performed using HyperChem software package [5].

Application of Physical Methods for Reducing Plutonium Hexafluoride

The exploding-wire method, the photochemical method of irradiation with a light flux from a high-pressure mercury lamp, a high-intensity spark discharge, and irradiation by a CO2 laser are used to reduce plutonium hexafluoride and to separate it from uranium hexafluoride. The dependence of the reduction of plutonium hexafluoride on the wire material, the mass of the reduced product, and the amount of input energy is investigated. It is shown that the methods presented for reducing plutonium hexafluoride and separating it from uranium hexafluoride can be used under static and dynamic conditions for preparative purposes and on a large scale.

C. K. Ingold at University College London: educator and department head

The outstanding scientific work of Christopher Kelk Ingold (1893–1970) was the focus of considerable discussion, celebration and evaluation during the year of the centenary of his birth. In addition to understanding his prolific and highly original scientific output as a pioneer in the application of physical methods to organic chemistry and, indeed, as a founder of physical organic chemistry, it is also important to examine other aspects of Ingold's career, in particular his role in shaping the institutional context in which he developed his work. From 1930 until his death, Ingold was attached to a major international centre, the Chemistry Department of University College London. From 1937 to 1961, as its Head and Director of Laboratories, continuing the policies of his predecessor on chemical education and the organization of research, he developed a very distinctive chemistry department.

Site directed mutagenis and the application of physical methods for studying, the structure/function relationship in blue copper proteins.

Site directed mutagenis and the application of physical methods for studying, the structure/function relationship in blue copper proteins.

Structure Elucidation of the Peptide Antibiotics Herbicolin A and B

AbstractThe structures of the amphiphilic peptide antibiotics herbicolin A and B were determined by application of physical methods, chemical degradation, and partial syntheses. Herbicolin B is a lipodepsinonapeptide with the sequence DH‐Abu‐L‐Thr‐D‐aThr‐D‐Leu‐Gly‐D‐Gln‐Gly‐N‐Me‐L‐aThr‐L‐Arg (DH‐Abu = 2,3‐dehydro‐α‐aminobutyric acid). The C‐terminal Arg residue forms a lactone ring with the hydroxy group of L‐Thr, while the N‐terminus is acylated by an (R)‐3‐hydroxytetradecanoic acid residue. The main component herbicolin A differs from herbicolin B in an additional D‐glucose moiety linked in an 1‐α‐glycosidic bond to the 3‐hydroxytetradecanoic acid residue. Thus herbicolin A constitutes the first glycolipodepsinonapeptide antibiotic known so far.

An application of physical methods to the computer aided design of electronic circuits

Certaines methodes et algorithmes utilises dans les simulations de phenomenes physiques sont appliques a la conception automatisee des circuits integres ou imprimes. Exemples obtenus a l'aide de ces algorithmes. Ils montrent que l'arrangement des composants et des connexions d'un circuit integre peut etre considere comme le passage d'un etat desordonne a un etat partiellement ordonne. Cette comparaison conduit a une methode efficace qui permet d'obtenir un placement optimum des composants et un trace des connexions

Application of physical methods in the investigations of crystal-related arthropathies.

Application of physical methods in the investigations of crystal-related arthropathies.

Thione Photochemistry: The Peri Cyclization of some Polycyclic Aromatic Thiones

A number of polycyclic aromatic thiones have been prepared from the corresponding ketones. Several of the thiones in which there is a free peri position cyclize, on excitation in the π* ← n band, to give thiophene derivatives. The structures of these were proven by application of physical methods and by desulfurization to the corresponding benzyl derivatives. The formal hydrogen 1,3 migration involved was, in one case, shown to be intermolecular by the incorporation of deuterium, from deuterium oxide, during the irradiation. In the case of the α-naphthyl derivative, the mechanism of the reaction has been investigated and it has been concluded that the n,π* singlet is the responsible entity.

Application of physical methods in studies of corrosion of steels Cr18Ni9 and Cr18Ni10Ti in boiling aqueous solutions of a mixture of formic and acetic acids

Application of physical methods in studies of corrosion of steels Cr18Ni9 and Cr18Ni10Ti in boiling aqueous solutions of a mixture of formic and acetic acids

Some New Applications of Physical Methods in Chemistry

Some New Applications of Physical Methods in Chemistry