Champagne Cork Research Articles

The dynamics of champagne cork popping revisited through high-speed schlieren imaging and computational fluid dynamics simulations

Cork popping represents a rich and complex fluid dynamics process, involving up to three phases (liquid, gas, and solid), three main chemical compounds (ethanol, water, CO2), and a moving cork gradually opening the bottle and blocking the fast progression of the expanding gas. In this work, we used high-speed, high-sensitivity schlieren imaging setups to provide a fresh perspective on this dynamical phenomenon. Our experimental results are systematically compared and interpreted on the basis of new computational fluid dynamics simulations. Our combined experimental and numerical works confirm the establishment of two supersonic expansions during cork popping from a champagne bottle.

Underexpanded gas jets of Mach 2: the changing physical structure and power transmission

ABSTRACT Supersonic jets with excess gas pressure are associated with many phenomena including radio galaxies, protostars, volcanic plumes, rocket exhausts, and champagne cork popping. Some common properties are derived here based on steady uniform hydrodynamic flow from a circular orifice. We present a systematic numerical study over a wide range of parameters for Mach 2 jets, concentrating on simulations of jets with pressures exceeding the ambient pressure. With cylindrical symmetry, we show how the location of the stand-off and following downstream shocks depend not only on the overpressure but also on the density due to a feedback loop, which results in an oscillatory flow pattern. We conclude that rapidly varying and gradually evolving shock patterns arise even from steady uniform jets. This can take the form of turbulent plumes at high overpressures and regular oscillations at low overpressures. We identify where this screeching contributes to noise and sound wave generation, which may aid the regulation of star and galaxy formation. However, the main effect for such low Mach number jets is to drive a circulatory motion in which the ambient medium is driven out along the axial direction while mass and energy flow laterally inwards, setting up a large advection pattern. Once the initial bow shock has propagated out, the noise from the jet is insufficient to significantly alter the environment. High Mach number jets do not follow these conclusions and will be treated separately.

Computational fluid dynamic simulation of the supersonic CO2 flow during champagne cork popping

Behind the iconic “pop!” accompanying the uncorking of a champagne bottle hides a gas flow of surprising complexity. Its modeling is made delicate by its supersonic nature, its interaction with the cork stopper, the eminently unsteady character of the flow escaping from the bottle, and the continuous change of the geometry of the computational flow domain due to the displacement of the cork. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations revealed the formation, evolution, and dissipation of shock wave patterns during the first millisecond following champagne cork popping. A first crown-shaped shock wave pattern develops radially, which is then followed by the formation of a detached shock wave, or bow shock, induced by the presence of the cork in the axial path of the supersonic gas flow. Moreover, the good agreement between the position of the bow shock previously observed through high-speed imaging and that determined through CFD simulations argues in favor of the numerical method used to describe the ejection of the gas mixture expelled from the bottleneck immediately after the cork popping process.

Structure of a bacterial Rhs effector exported by the type VI secretion system

The type VI secretion system (T6SS) is a widespread protein export apparatus found in Gram-negative bacteria. The majority of T6SSs deliver toxic effector proteins into competitor bacteria. Yet, the structure, function, and activation of many of these effectors remains poorly understood. Here, we present the structures of the T6SS effector RhsA from Pseudomonas protegens and its cognate T6SS spike protein, VgrG1, at 3.3 Å resolution. The structures reveal that the rearrangement hotspot (Rhs) repeats of RhsA assemble into a closed anticlockwise β-barrel spiral similar to that found in bacterial insecticidal Tc toxins and in metazoan teneurin proteins. We find that the C-terminal toxin domain of RhsA is autoproteolytically cleaved but remains inside the Rhs 'cocoon' where, with the exception of three ordered structural elements, most of the toxin is disordered. The N-terminal 'plug' domain is unique to T6SS Rhs proteins and resembles a champagne cork that seals the Rhs cocoon at one end while also mediating interactions with VgrG1. Interestingly, this domain is also autoproteolytically cleaved inside the cocoon but remains associated with it. We propose that mechanical force is required to remove the cleaved part of the plug, resulting in the release of the toxin domain as it is delivered into a susceptible bacterial cell by the T6SS.

Antibiotic Resistance Pattern of Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamase Producing Escherichia coli Isolated From Patients With Urinary Tract Infection in Morocco.

Extended-spectrum β-lactamases producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-EC) lend resistance to most β-lactam antibiotics. Because of limited treatment options, ESBL-EC infections are generally more difficult to treat, leading to higher hospital costs, reduced rates of microbiological and clinical responses, and a threat to the patient’s life. This study aimed to determine the antibiotic resistance pattern of ESBL-EC isolated from patients with urinary tract infection in Morocco. This retrospective laboratory-based study was conducted at Cheikh Khalifa International University Hospital, Casablanca, from January 2016 to June 2019. A total of 670 urine samples were collected from urinary tract infection patients and processed by standard microbiological methods. In vitro susceptibility testing to different antibiotics of all identified isolates of Escherichia coli (E. coli) was performed following Kirby–Bauer’s disc diffusion method on Mueller–Hinton Agar according to the EUCAST standards. The reviewing of ESBL-EC was confirmed by the appearance of a characteristically shaped zone referred to as a “champagne cork” using the Combined Disk Test. Among a total of 438 E. coli isolated from nonrepetitive urine samples, two hundred fifty-nine (59%) were ESBL-EC, of which 200 (77%) were isolated from adult patients (over the age of 50) and the majority were female. All ESBL-EC isolates were resistant to third-generation cephalosporin and quinolones and sensitive to carbapenem and fosfomycin. Knowledge of antimicrobial resistance patterns in ESBL-EC, the major pathogen associated with urinary tract infection, is indispensable as a guide in choosing empirical antimicrobial treatment.

The application of ion mobility time of flight mass spectrometry to elucidate neo-formed compounds derived from polyurethane adhesives used in champagne cork stoppers

Polyurethane adhesives are used to bond agglomerated cork and natural disk cork to produce cork stoppers that are used in champagne bottles. These adhesives are manufactured by reacting polyols with an excess of diisocyanates. Isocyanates are highly reactive compounds that have a propensity to form non-intentionally added substances (NIAS) in the end product. In this work, ion mobility-time of flight-mass spectrometry was used to elucidate such NIAS, through the comparison of accurate mass spectra with the fragmentation patterns of proposed candidates. Twelve neo-formed compounds, including amines, amides and urethanes, resulting from the reaction of isocyanates with acetic acid and ethanol used as food simulants, were identified. Additionally, markers from champagne vs. champagne after its exposure to the adhesive were investigated using the supervised multivariate analysis method of Orthogonal Projection to Latent Structures – Discriminant Analysis. Four neo-formed compounds, resulting from the reaction of diisocyanates with malic acid or tartaric acid contained in the champagne, were identified for the first time in this work. All of the compounds identified were subsequently quantified using ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography coupled to a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. Limits of detection were below 5 μg/kg in the food simulants and below 30 μg/kg in champagne samples. Migration levels ranged from 70 to 721 μg/kg, with most of them exceeding the specific migration limit established for Cramer class III compound (90 μg/kg).

Under-expanded supersonic CO2 freezing jets during champagne cork popping.

During champagne cork popping, the CO2/H2O gas mixture initially under pressure in the bottleneck freely expands into ambient air and experiences adiabatic cooling. A comparison between the condensation phenomena accompanying cork popping from bottles stored at 20° and 30°C was made. The initial headspace-to-ambient-pressure ratio much exceeded the critical ratio needed for the gas mixture to reach Mach 1, thus forming under-expanded supersonic CO2 freezing jets expelled from the throat of the bottlenecks. It was emphasized that, after adiabatic cooling and with a saturation ratio for gas-phase CO2 about twice higher for the bottles stored at 30°C, dry ice CO2 clusters grow bigger and reach the critical size needed to achieve the Mie scattering of light. Moreover, during the very first millisecond following cork popping, evanescent normal shock waves (or Mach disks) were unveiled in the jets, until the reservoir-to-ambient-pressure ratio goes below a critical ratio.

Celebrating eccentric chemistry graduation traditions

Cap, gown, and uranium glass? Ah, graduation season. The caps and gowns, the seemingly endless ceremonies, the backyard celebrations for family and friends. For Ph.D. chemists, there are different graduation traditions that unite people who spent many—maybe too many—hours in the lab together. A Twitter query from @cenmag in December asked what traditions chemists have to celebrate this momentous occasion. Not surprisingly, alcohol featured in many of the festivities. Several labs ask graduates to sign commemorative champagne bottles—after they consumed the contents, of course. Mark Lorch of the University of Hull remembers that his graduate lab would allow everyone to fire a champagne cork at the ceiling and then sign the mark it left behind. “During the duller moments of the post-grad degree one would gaze upwards and select the spot you wanted on the ceiling,” he says. It’s a lucky student who graduates from Kyle Plunkett’s lab at Southern

Recovery, and: Oxy, and: Relapse

Recovery, and: Oxy, and: Relapse John Amen (bio) Recovery A hand stretches from deep space& taps you on the shoulder.You've been through this routineenough times that you no longer turn.You reach forward, into red light & bells.This is your take on Hollywood,a confession offered to the books.You elbow someone whom you vaguely recognize.He offers to modify his routine.He offers to perform the wedding.You stand on the deck of the Mother Louise,your return voyage through manic straits,watching the hull carve through waves,thinking you've revised the print,you're a new man w/a new karma.But causality dissolves at this point,each scenario starts at a different port,occurs in a different room, even if alltake place in a single beachfront buildingfated for demolition. Goodbye passport o≈ce.Goodbye Department of Romantic Processes.Department of the Death Wish.Who you were can never meet who you arecan never meet who you'll be.In any case, horns should be blowing.This is night-club, cocktail jazz, sexy.You've always liked the ideathat something larger, broader plays you [End Page 31] like an oboe, squeezing out yourgolden notes, an exotic scale worthy of prime time.Here's your defining moment, & this timeyou get the joke: there's no way to take credit.Don't be surprised if you feel relieved.The Department of Regrets has closed.The Department of Egoic Affairs has downsized.Even the Department of Transcendent Concernshas reduced its hours. Soon the building will bequiet & dark. Soon you'll be alone,which you'll love & hate. Thenyour real work will begin. Oxy Oxy is patient, waiting in vials,in drawers, stuffed behind a shelf,secrets incarnate. There's a room,always. The Judas room. Oxy likemodel skin. Pulchritude that kills.I gorged the Sunday feed in a baron Magazine St. I ordered an oxysizzle, I changed my mind, I wasleft w/the news, strangers divingfrom a roof, fast food on the moon,Wall Street in flames. 10 witchesburned, 10 witches canonized, theoxy witch now an oxy saint, & myprayer in dirty spikes, each worda taper, kindling for a bonfire I cannever snuff. I keep apartments in7 oxy cities, stashing the crimesI've amassed over a decade. I lovemy Rasputin yellow. Borgia gray. [End Page 32] Pilate brown. I'm the king of oxy,tangled in the world's dry dream.Each capsule of hope, I gulp my 1shot at replacing the 1 god, death& immortality are interchangeable. Relapse If you had to sit in a windowless roomprocessing fingerprints from 7 to 7,you'd want some action too.You'd dream of seducing a superherooutside the Salad Express.Not that Monday was exotic.Not that anyone with clout was dreaming of waterlilies.I signed up for the raffle.I needed new shoes, especially for the fire drill.See, I've always been a pragmatist.The wolf said, we should go somewhere cold,he packed the Subaru & drove us north,hitting the flask at every ramp.Get used to being thirsty, the bear said.Get used to having blood on your hands, the wolf said.From Levine's open mic to Shaquilla's kitchen,I've seen drama, buddy, & these distractions don't work w/me.You're talking to someone who regardsbills & newspapers as vaudevillian props.I was there when the Camco ice machinespit fire during Belladonna's happy hour.I recall the citywide spike in psychotherapy,that feverish crowd marching into the sea.I saw a champagne cork take out a moon.I saw basic math dissolveon the slippery slope of "1 final blowout." [End Page 33] I know how it feels for Jupiter's vacuumto sweep through your plans.You'll find a Chippendale on Cooper's Bermin the Kentucky blue & jagged stones,I left a cigarette smoldering in a cereal bowl,the latest issue of Fanfare open to my favorite page.I know you'll make it when the frost clears.You'll be...

A case of commotio retinae following champagne cork injury

A 29‐year‐old woman presented with reduced vision and flickering lights in her left eye when looking up, two days following a high‐velocity impact of a champagne cork ejected approximately three me...

Unveiling CO2 heterogeneous freezing plumes during champagne cork popping

Cork popping from clear transparent bottles of champagne stored at different temperatures (namely, 6, 12, and 20 °C) was filmed through high-speed video imaging in the visible light spectrum. During the cork popping process, a plume mainly composed of gaseous CO2 with traces of water vapour freely expands out of the bottleneck through ambient air. Most interestingly, for the bottles stored at 20 °C, the characteristic grey-white cloud of fog classically observed above the bottlenecks of champagne stored at lower temperatures simply disappeared. It is replaced by a more evanescent plume, surprisingly blue, starting from the bottleneck. We suggest that heterogeneous freezing of CO2 occurs on ice water clusters homogeneously nucleated in the bottlenecks, depending on the saturation ratio experienced by gas-phase CO2 after adiabatic expansion (indeed highly bottle temperature dependent). Moreover, and as observed for the bottles stored at 20 °C, we show that the freezing of only a small portion of all the available CO2 is able to pump the energy released through adiabatic expansion, thus completely inhibiting the condensation of water vapour found in air packages adjacent to the gas volume gushing out of the bottleneck.

Eye trauma in Laurel and Hardy movies - another nice mess.

One of the characteristics in Laurel and Hardy films is a lot of physical violence. The present study examines the occurrence of eye trauma in Laurel and Hardy movies and discusses the impact they could have been had if the films were set in reality. All 92 movies starring Laurel and Hardy as a pair in leading roles were watched together by the authors and were scored for any eye trauma. Eighty-eight eye traumas happened, of which 48% were directed at Hardy. The eye poke was the most frequently occurring eye trauma and the traumatic corneal abrasion was very likely the most frequently occurring injury. Among the most serious causes of eye trauma were the pin of a door handle, a stick, a champagne cork, a tree branch and tacks. Without a doubt, if their films had been reality, especially Hardy but also Laurel and several other people, would have suffered from serious eye injuries caused by the 88 eye traumas. The findings of the present study might reflect the personality, character and intellectual capacity of both Laurel and Hardy as 'Two Minds Without a Single Thought'.

Real-time video imaging as a new and rapid tool for antibiotic susceptibility testing by the disc diffusion method: A paradigm for evaluating resistance to imipenem and identifying extended-spectrum β-lactamases

The disc diffusion method has long been considered the standard technique for antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) in clinical microbiology laboratories because of its simplicity, reproducibility and low cost compared with commercial automated microdilution systems that are usually more rapid but less sensitive for detecting important mechanisms of resistance. Here we measured reading zone diameters around antibiotics in a series of 25 well-characterised Gram-negative bacteria by the disc diffusion technique in real-time using an Advencis Bio-System instrument consisting of a real-time high-resolution video imager in a dedicated incubator. The susceptibility of wild-type Gram-negative bacteria to imipenem, determined by reading the diameter of inhibition, was detectable as early as 3.5h (mean time 3.7±0.45h), whereas carbapenemase-producing Gram-negative bacteria could be correctly categorised as early as 3h (mean time 4.2±0.8h) of incubation. Similarly, the characteristic champagne cork aspect of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) could be detected by the system as early as 3.5h. Moreover, we present here for the first time video movies of the appearance of the diameter of inhibition by disc diffusion in real-time. This preliminary study using a new and innovative technology provides for a renewed interest for microbiologists who wish to continue to use the disc diffusion method as a reference method for AST. New video imaging technology presents a proof of concept that could improve the real-time management of patients with AST within a very rapid turnaround time and can provide a large financial saving for hospitals.

Cork: a strategic material.

Cork: a strategic material.

Chaperonin-mediated Protein Folding

We have been studying chaperonins these past twenty years through an initial discovery of an action in protein folding, analysis of structure, and elucidation of mechanism. Some of the highlights of these studies were presented recently upon sharing the honor of the 2013 Herbert Tabor Award with my early collaborator, Ulrich Hartl, at the annual meeting of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in Boston. Here, some of the major findings are recounted, particularly recognizing my collaborators, describing how I met them and how our great times together propelled our thinking and experiments.

Fascia Lata for Endoscopic Reconstruction of High‐Flow Leaks: The Champagne Cork Technique

Fascia Lata for Endoscopic Reconstruction of High‐Flow Leaks: The Champagne Cork Technique

Integrated environmental analysis of the main cork products in southern Europe (Catalonia – Spain)

Abstract This study presents an environmental analysis of the cork sector by integrating and evaluating the production of the products that are most commonly made of cork: natural cork stoppers, champagne cork stoppers, white cork granulate and black cork granulate, in order to propose environmental strategies that could contribute to minimising the potential impacts of the cork sector. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was the methodology used in order to assess the potential environmental impacts of the cork sector and its main products. Inventory was supported by 15 companies in Catalonia. Different environmental midpoint impact categories were reported and analysed according to CML 2001 method such as Abiotic Depletion (ADP), Acidification Potential (AP), Eutrophication Potential (EP), and many other. Also, the Global Warming Potential (GWP 100 years), was assessed, and it was found that the cork sector contributed to fixing carbon dioxide and consequently can help to mitigate climate change, besides generating cork products. Specifically, 3.4 tonnes of CO2 eq. were emitted to convert a tonne of raw cork from the forest into products, while 18 tonnes of CO2 are fixed per tonne as a result of the existence of cork oak forests; the resulting balance was that 14.6 tonnes of CO2 are fixed. A sensitivity analysis was carried out of the distribution of environmental impacts between products; it was observed that allocation rules were an important point of the assessment. The use of cork, a natural, renewable and local material, can help to reduce the environmental impact of products. The use of cork stoppers contributes to reducing the carbon footprint of beverages such as wines, champagnes, beers, ciders, brandies and many other beverages.

Champagne cork popping revisited through high-speed infrared imaging: The role of temperature

Champagne cork popping out of standard 75cL bottles was examined through high-speed infrared imaging for three various champagne temperatures (namely, 4, 12, and 18°C). The cloud of gaseous CO2 gushing out of the bottleneck while cork popping (invisible in the visible light spectrum) was visualized. Both the volume of gaseous CO2 gushing out of the bottleneck, and its overall dynamic behavior were found to depend on the champagne temperature. The velocity of the cork popping out of the bottleneck was also measured, and found to logically increase with the champagne temperature. By considering that gases under pressure in the bottleneck experience adiabatic expansion while cork popping, a thermodynamic model was built that accounts for the major physical parameters that influence the volume of gaseous CO2 gushing out of the bottleneck, its drop of temperature, and its total energy released while cork popping. Only a small fraction of the total energy released while cork popping was found to be converted into the form of cork’s kinetic energy (only about 5%), whatever the champagne temperature.

Listlessness in the Archive

Listlessness in the Archive

Environmental analysis of the production of champagne cork stoppers

Champagne cork stoppers are a product made basically from cork, a natural and renewable resource extracted from cork oak forests in western Mediterranean regions. Each stopper is made up of an agglomerated cork body and two natural cork discs. In 2009, 60% of the world’s champagne cork stoppers were produced in Catalonia, due to the importance of cava, champagne and other sparkling wines in neighbouring areas. The aim of this research was to provide environmental reference data on champagne cork stoppers production, and identify the industrial stages and operations that made the greatest impact. This research was carried out using life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology, and five of the most representative producers were analysed. The system considered all the processes involved in production after the forest management stage and one million champagne cork stoppers were taken as a functional unit (FU). Results showed that 53,886 kg of CO 2 eq. were emitted to produce the FU. It was observed that the champagne cork stopper manufacture stage represented between 57 and 67% of the environmental impact, depending on the category. Specifically, between 25 and 47% of the environmental impacts associated with this stage were caused by the body agglomeration operation, and between 21 and 29% were caused by the gluing of discs. On the other hand, some of the production stages such as the transport of raw cork and intermediate products, cork slab preparation or end of life stages represented a very small part of the total environmental impact of the product, less than 2%. Furthermore, it was observed that a champagne cork stopper produced by the most impacting company presented a higher impact, between 10 and 27% above the sector average, depending on the impact category; while the least impacting company presented between 12 and 32% less impact. These differences indicate that some companies can improve their production by adopting technology and production practices that some of their competitors have already put in place.