Investigations of surface characterization of silicone rubber due to tracking phenomena under a.c. and d.c. voltages

In the present work, tracking phenomena has been studied with silicone rubber material under the a.c. and d.c. voltages following IEC-587 standards. The surface condition of the tracked zone was analysed using wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and thermogravimetric differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA) studies. The tracking time was different for a.c. and d.c. voltages.     

Accommodation of a D-Phe residue into a right-handed 3(10)-helix: structure of Boc-D-Phe-(Aib)4-Gly-L-Leu-(Aib)2-OMe, an analogue of the amino terminal segment of antiamoebins and emerimicins

Recently an unstable trinucleotide CTG repeat, located within the 3' untranslated region of a gene on 19q13.3 was discovered in kindreds with myotonic dystrophy (DM). The age-of-onset/severity of DM shows a good correlation with CTG repeat size, and pedigrees and data reported to date have shown a striking trend toward amplification of the size of the CTG repeat during transmission from parent to child. The amplification has been accepted as the biological explanation for anticipation in the clinical severity observed in many families with DM. In this paper we report on 3 families where CTG amplification decreased during transmission from parent to child. In one case there was a gene conversion event, while in the remaining 2 there was a simpler reduction in the size of the repeat length. The changes appear to have been accompanied by a reduction in clinical severity in the child when compared to the parent. These observations are discussed in terms of their clinical implications and the biases that may exist in much of the reported data.     

One-step oxidation of cyclohexane to adipic acid

Liquid-phase oxidation of cyclohexane with Co(III) catalyst and gaseous oxygen was found to be influenced by reaction temperature, catalyst concentration and the duration. Maximum adipic acid product selectivity (77%) with about 85% cyclohexane conversion was attained at 100°C using catalyst: cyclohexane molar ratio 0·08. Under these conditions more than 80% cyclohexane was converted in the first hour, although selectivity to adipic acid continued to increase for the next 5 h. Cyclohexyl acetate and cyclohexyl monoadipate were identified as important intermediates. This study supports the mechanism proposed by Schultz, J. G. D. and Opchenko, A., J. Org. Chem., 38 (21) (1973) 3729.     

Transport properties in a mixed inorganic ion exchanger—zirconium phosphomolybdate—in comparison to its single salt counterparts

Amorphous inorganic ion exchangers zirconium phosphate, zirconium molybdate and zirconium phosphomolybdate have been prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, TGA, FTIR and surface area measurements. The protonic conductivity in these materials were determined at various temperatures and compared. It was found that the mixed material zirconium phosphomolybdate showed maximum conductivity at all temperatures.     

Purity of Aluminum Hydroxide Derived from Triethylaluminum

Aluminum hydroxide obtained by hydrolysis of triethylaluminum is free of uranium and thorium at detection limits of 1 to 9 parts per billion (ppb). Other impurities commonly associated with aluminum oxides are present at low levels (Fe, ∼ 1 ppm; Si, 3 to 6 ppm). When the organoaluminum is intentionally contaminated with an iron salt, purity is restored by a simple distillation.     

Anosognosia in parietal lobe syndrome

Patients with right parietal lesions often deny their paralysis (anosognosia), but do they have "tacit" knowledge of their paralysis? I devised three novel tests to explore this. First, the patients were given a choice between a bimanual task (e.g., tying shoe laces) vs a unimanual one (e.g., threading a bolt). They chose the former on 17 of 18 trials and, surprisingly, showed no frustration or learning despite repeated failed attempts. I conclude that they have no tacit knowledge of paralysis (or, if such knowledge exists, it is not available for this particular task). Second, I used a "virtual reality box" to convey the optical illusion to the patient that she was moving her paralyzed left hand up and down to the rhythm of a metronome, and yet she showed no sign of surprise. Third, I irrigated patient BM's left ear canal with cold water, a procedure that is known to shift that patient's spatial frame of reference by stimulating the vestibular system. Surprisingly, this allowed her "repressed" memory of the paralysis to come to the surface; she said she had been paralyzed continuously for several days. I suggest that the vestibular stimulation produces these remarkable effects by mimicking REM sleep. These patients also employ a whole arsenal of grossly exaggerated Freudian "defense mechanisms" to account for their paralysis. To explain this, I propose that in normal individuals the left hemisphere ordinarily deals with small, local anomalies by trying to impose consistency but, when the anomaly exceeds threshold, an interaction with the right hemisphere forces a "paradigm shift." A failure of this process, in patients with right hemisphere damage, might partially account for anosognosia. Finally, I present a new conceptual framework that may help link several psychological and neurological phenomena such as Freudian defense mechanisms, vestibular stimulation, anosognosia, memory repression, visual illusions, anterograde amnesia, REM sleep, dreaming, and humor.