An Alternative Ballistic Limit Equation for the Whipple Shield in the Shatter Regime, Based on Characteristics of the Large Central Fragment

In the shatter regime of a Whipple shield, a large central fragment makes a significant contribution to the damage-causing capacity of the debris cloud. Herein we present a feasible scheme for the identification and measurement of this large central fragment and propose an alternative approach to the ballistic limit equation (BLE) for the Whipple shield, deducing an alternative ballistic limit in the shatter regime based on the large central fragment’s characteristics. This alternative BLE is compared with the phenomenological Whipple BLE, the JSC Whipple BLE and the Ryan curve. Our alternative BLE, modified at the incipient fragmentation and completed fragmentation point, is shown to agree well with experimental results.

“Musil’s Discourse”: Some Aspects of a Linguistic Experiment

The article is devoted to the role of experiment in the process of discourse formation as a linguistic phenomenon. The object of the study is the discourse initiated by the largest Austrian writer of the twentieth century, Robert Musil. The aim of the study is a discursive analysis of the philological and literary-critical interpretations of the novel “A Man Without Qualities”, which is a central fragment of the “Musil’s Discourse”. It is noted that the Musil’s discourse unfolding during the century, is formed by numerous participants representing various groups of subjects: literary scholars, writers, cultural experts, psychologists and literary critics. Particular attention is paid to the bipolar structure of the Musil’s discourse as its main characteristic. It is shown that the leading German critic Marcel Reich- Ranicki set a new direction for the development of Musil’s discourse. The results of the analysis of Musil’s discourse at the level of its content, as well as at the levels of strategies and means of implementation are presented. The main strategies of the studied fragment of the discourse are identified - the deconstruction strategy and the conservation strategy, implemented in the tactics of invective, tactics of positive presentation and tactics of support. It is proved that the idea of the experiment laid down by Musil in the basis of the novel “A Man Without Qualities” is transposed to the Musil’s discourse as a whole and turns it into an object of experiment.

Replacement of the Bacteriophage Mu Strong Gyrase Site and Effect on Mu DNA Replication

ABSTRACT The bacteriophage Mu strong gyrase site (SGS) is required for efficient replicative transposition and functions by promoting the synapsis of prophage termini. To look for other sites which could substitute for the SGS in promoting Mu replication, we have replaced the SGS in the middle of the Mu genome with fragments of DNA from various sources. A central fragment from the transposing virus D108 allowed efficient Mu replication and was shown to contain a strong gyrase site. However, neither the strong gyrase site from the plasmid pSC101 nor the major gyrase site from pBR322 could promote efficient Mu replication, even though the pSC101 site is a stronger gyrase site than the Mu SGS as assayed by cleavage in the presence of gyrase and the quinolone enoxacin. To look for SGS-like sites in the Escherichia coli chromosome which might be involved in organizing nucleoid structure, fragments of E. coli chromosomal DNA were substituted for the SGS: first, repeat sequences associated with gyrase binding (bacterial interspersed mosaic elements), and, second, random fragments of the entire chromosome. No fragments were found that could replace the SGS in promoting efficient Mu replication. These results demonstrate that the gyrase sites from the transposing phages possess unusual properties and emphasize the need to determine the basis of these properties.