Determination of the Boltzmann constant with cylindrical acoustic gas thermometry: new and previous results combined.

We report a new determination of the Boltzmann constant kB using a cylindrical acoustic gas thermometer. We determined the length of the copper cavity from measurements of its microwave resonance frequencies. This contrasts with our previous work (Zhang et al 2011 Int. J. Thermophys.32 1297, Lin et al 2013 Metrologia50 417, Feng et al 2015 Metrologia52 S343) that determined the length of a different cavity using two-color optical interferometry. In this new study, the half-widths of the acoustic resonances are closer to their theoretical values than in our previous work. Despite significant changes in resonator design and the way in which the cylinder length is determined, the value of kB is substantially unchanged. We combined this result with our four previous results to calculate a global weighted mean of our kB determinations. The calculation follows CODATA's method (Mohr and Taylor 2000 Rev. Mod. Phys. 72 351) for obtaining the weighted mean value of kB that accounts for the correlations among the measured quantities in this work and in our four previous determinations of kB. The weighted mean k̂B is 1.380 6484(28) × 10-23 J K-1 with the relative standard uncertainty of 2.0 × 10-6. The corresponding value of the universal gas constant is 8.314 459(17) J K-1 mol-1 with the relative standard uncertainty of 2.0 × 10-6.

Detecting leaks in gas-filled pressure vessels using acoustic resonances.

We demonstrate that a leak from a large, unthermostatted pressure vessel into ambient air can be detected an order of magnitude more effectively by measuring the time dependence of the ratio p/f(2) than by measuring the ratio p/T. Here f is the resonance frequency of an acoustic mode of the gas inside the pressure vessel, p is the pressure of the gas, and T is the kelvin temperature measured at one point in the gas. In general, the resonance frequencies are determined by a mode-dependent, weighted average of the square of the speed-of-sound throughout the volume of the gas. However, the weighting usually has a weak dependence on likely temperature gradients in the gas inside a large pressure vessel. Using the ratio p/f(2), we measured a gas leak (dM/dt)/M ≈ - 1.3 × 10(-5) h(-1) = - 0.11 yr(-1) from a 300-liter pressure vessel filled with argon at 450 kPa that was exposed to sunshine-driven temperature and pressure fluctuations as large as (dT/dt)/T ≈ (dp/dt)/p ≈ 5 × 10(-2) h(-1) using a 24-hour data record. This leak could not be detected in a 72-hour record of p/T. (Here M is the mass of the gas in the vessel and t is the time.).

Experimental model for study of anorectal sphincter musculature by manometry and computerized tomography in piglets.

There seems to be controversy on the anorectal sphincter presentation and anatomical division, as well as on its functional representation. Evaluation of the anorectal sphincter musculature has been achieved through several methods, including anorectal manometry and computerized tomography, but to date there is no experimental model allowing a detailed manometric study of this muscle complex. In this work, we have developed such a model, which should enable the manometric and radiographic study of the anatomical features and functional mechanisms of sphincteric injuries, as well as the assessment of drug effects on the anorectal musculature upon incontinence and constipation. Twenty-two piglets (aged 25-30 days, weighing 5-7 kg) were studied by anorectal manometry (rectoanal inhibitory reflex and vector volume) and computerized tomography (anorectal angle and anal canal length). The data obtained for the rectoanal inhibitory reflex, represented here as the average and standard deviation, were the following: relaxation duration = 14.75 +/- 3.62 s, sphincter basal pressure = 41.58 +/- 8.20 mmHg, relaxation index = 87.26 +/- 11.52%, speed of relaxation = 5.90 +/- 2.10 mm/s, and speed of relaxation recovery = 4.03 +/- 1.78 mm/s. As for the vector volume, results were as follows: vector volume = 2692.32 +/- 1298.12 mm Hg2 cm, sphincter length = 11.82 +/- 2.74 mm, high pressure zone length = 5.09 +/- 1.34 mm, maximum pressure = 61.50 +/- 20.58 mmHg, and asymmetry index = 43.50 +/- 10.03%. Radiographic evaluation led to the following results: anal canal length = 9.61 +/- 2.14 mm and anorectal angle = 137.91 +/- 7.75 degrees . The experimental model designed here allows both anorectal manometry and computerized tomography to be carried out in the same way it is performed in human beings, as long as animal sedation is strictly controlled.