Depolymerization of Turkish lignites. I. Effect of substituted phenols

A lignite (C, 67.4 wt%) was depolymerized with phenol, m>pm>-nitrophenol and m>om>-chlorophenol using sulphuric acid as catalyst. The solubility of the lignite was enhanced by these treatments, with phenol being the most reactive reagent whereas m>pm>-nitrophenol was the least reactive. The distribution of nitro- and chloro-groups in the solubilized products was investigated by infrared spectrometry and it was found that these groups were redistributed among the pyridine- and methanol-soluble materials. It is suggested that benzene-soluble material is produced by self-depolymerization of coal or by degradation of pyridine- and methanol-soluble material.     

Ultrastructural evidence for an innervation of epithelial enterochromaffine cells in the guinea pig duodenum

The innervation of the duodenal enterochromaffine cells (E.C.) of the guinea pig was studied at the electronmicroscopic level. Pretreatment with 5-OH-dopamine was performed to visualize catecholaminergic (CA) nervous elements. Near the basement membrane of all examined E.C. in the crypts, bundles of unmyelinated nerve processes were observed, only partly ensheathed in a Schwann cell cover. At least 4 types of processes could be observed. 1) Boutons containing only small clear vesicles, probably cholinergic fibres; 2) boutons with small clear vesicles, and in addition large (greater than 200 nm) granules with a dense matrix (P-type-fibres); 3) boutons with small electron-dense vesicles, probably CA-fibres; and 4) processes with few vesicles but having the appearance of dendrites. No typical synaptic arrangements were observed, but the minimal distance between the E.C. and the nerve bundles was 150 to 250 nm, thus well within the functional limits of the "autonomic gap". Thus epithelial E.C. may be influenced by several types of nervous elements, including CA-fibres.     

Oxide ceramic laminates with highly textured α-alumina interlayers: I. Texture control and laminate formation

Three kinds of texture-reinforced oxide ceramic laminates with strongly bonded interfaces have been fabricated. All three were based on highly textured α-alumina interlayers, but each with a different oxide laminate matrix and a correspondingly different thermal mismatch between the textured interlayers and the matrix. Alginate-based, aqueous gel casting was used to produce a flexible tape for all the compositions studied. The highly textured alumina (TA) interlayers were derived from gel-cast tapes containing aligned alumina seed platelets. It has been found that the strongest texture derived from 9.1 vol% of the seed platelets in the gelled precursor tape. Using the March–Dollase model for texture analysis, the oriented volume fraction in the highly textured interlayers was estimated to vary from 60 to 80%.     

Interface study on heterostructured GaP-GaAs nanowires

The interface chemical composition of heterostructured GaP-GaAs nanowire segments was studied by the use of energy-dispersive x-ray analysis. An arsenic-rich tail in the GaP segments following GaAs could be minimized by reducing the AsH(3) molar fraction and the growth rate. For the temperature regime used for vapour-liquid-solid growth, we observe the opposite trend on interface sharpness compared to high-temperature layer-by-layer growth, that is, the sharpness of the interface improves with reducing temperature.     

High-intensity laser-driven proton acceleration: influence of pulse contrast

Proton acceleration from the interaction of ultra-short laser pulses with thin foil targets at intensities greater than 10(18) W cm(-2) is discussed. An overview of the physical processes giving rise to the generation of protons with multi-MeV energies, in well defined beams with excellent spatial quality, is presented. Specifically, the discussion centres on the influence of laser pulse contrast on the spatial and energy distributions of accelerated proton beams. Results from an ongoing experimental investigation of proton acceleration using the 10 Hz multi-terawatt Ti:sapphire laser (35f s, 35 TW) at the Lund Laser Centre are discussed. It is demonstrated that a window of amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) conditions exist, for which the direction of proton emission is sensitive to the ASE-pedestal preceding the peak of the laser pulse, and that by significantly improving the temporal contrast, using plasma mirrors, efficient proton acceleration is observed from target foils with thickness less than 50 nm.     

Snowmobile fatalities aspects on preventive measures from a 25-year review

During October 1973 through May 1998, 157 snowmobile fatalities were autopsied in Northern Sweden, including 131 riders, 15 passengers, six occupants with unknown position and five victims pulled by a snowmobile. Most fatalities occurred during March and April (41%), on weekends/holidays (75%), between 18:00 and 02:00 h (59%), during darkness (63%), in clear weather (84%) and at leisure time (94%). The median age was 39 years and 92% were men. The most common causes of death were blunt trauma (53%) and drowning (38%). A total of 64% were inebriated by alcohol, with a mean blood alcohol concentration of 1.7 g/l. More inebriated victims were found during weekends/holidays than on weekdays (75 vs. 51%) and during nighttime than during daytime (92 vs. 52). Driving into water was the most common event (38%) followed by collisions with immobile objects (20%). Alcohol and speeding were the most common contributors to the crashes, while flotation snowmobile suit and helmet use were considered to be the most important injury prevention factors.     

Phosphorus-Enriched Hemodialysis for the Treatment of Hypophosphatemia in a Patient with Severe Lithium Poisoning

Severe lithium poisoning requires intensive and prolonged hemodialysis (HD) treatment in addition to supportive therapy. Aggressive dialytic therapy can bring about hypophosphatemia, especially, in those patients who are normo‐ or hypophosphatemic to begin with. We report here the use of phosphorus (P)‐enriched HD in a hypophosphatemic patient with lithium poisoning. A 58‐year‐old woman with a long history of bipolar disorder treated with chronic lithium therapy presented with progressively worsening confusion and incoherent speech. She was noted to be confused with a labile mood. The serum levels were lithium 3.6 mM, creatinine 1.7 mg/dL, Na 136 mM , K 4.2 mM , CO₂ 21 mM , BUN 23 mg/dL, and P 2.1 mg/dL. After a conventional, 4‐h HD session, she became more hypophosphatemic with a P level of 1.8 mg/dL. A P‐enriched dialysate, prepared by adding a Fleet^® oral saline laxative preparation (containing NaH₂PO₄.H₂O and Na₂HPO₄.7H₂O) to the “base concentrate” of a dual concentrate, bicarbonate‐based dialysate generating system to obtain a final dialysate containing 3 mg (0.97 mM ) of P/dL was used. She underwent 3 subsequent HD sessions using this P‐enriched dialysate, followed by normalization of the serum levels of both lithium and P. Our data suggest that hypophosphatemic patients suffering from severe lithium poisoning requiring intensive HD therapy and becoming more hypophosphatemic as a result of the dialysis treatment can be further dialyzed with a P‐enriched dialysate both to treat the lithium poisoning and to rectify the hypophosphatemia. In general, the use of such dialysates can play an important role in the prevention and treatment of dialysis‐induced hypophosphatemia.

Development of a unidirectional cooling technique for synthesizing compound semiconductors in 10 m drop tower

The solidification process and structures of CdTe solidified in microgravity were studied using the unidirectional cooling apparatus in a 10 m drop tower. Since the drop tower provides 1.4 seconds of microgravity, the unidirectional cooling apparatus cools samples rapidly by cooling gas. The system adopts a Pt heater, which accurately heats samples to a maximum of 1300°C. The sample is placed in an ampoule under vacuum conditions. A flat wall in the ampoule divides the inner sealed sample from the outer open side. A nozzle blowing cooling gas is directed on to the outer wall, and cools the sample until solidification. The cooling properties were measured during CdTe solidification in microgravity. The result shows that solidification occurred between 0.9 and 1.3 seconds after release, so solidification is completed in microgravity. Optical microscope (OM) observation of the sample solidified in microgravity revealed that it produces CdTe and Te phases with segregation patterns, and the structures are ordered along the cooling direction, whereas no order is observed in the structures of the terrestrial sample solidified under 1 g.     

Comparative study on strength,sorptivity, and chloride ingress characteristics of air-cured and water-cured concretes modified with metakaolin

This paper reports an investigation in which the performance of plain and metakaolin (MK)-modified concretes were studied under two different curing regimes. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of MK in enhancing the strength and permeation properties of concrete. MK was used to replace 0–20% of Portland cement by weight in concrete with two water-binder (w/b) ratios of 0.35 and 0.55. The change in compressive strength, sorptivity, and chloride ingress with age at all cement replacement levels under both air and water curing are compared with those of the control concrete. The results indicated that the inclusion of MK greatly reduced sorptivity and chloride permeability of concrete in varying magnitudes, depending mainly on replacement level of MK, w/b ratio, curing condition, and chloride exposure period. It was found that under the inadequate or poor curing, MK-modified concretes suffered a more severe loss of compressive strength and permeability-related durability than the plain concretes.     

Sketching the framework for a history and sociology of homosexualities in the Nordic countries

Homosexual acts between women were criminalized in Finland in the 1889 Penal Code which also criminalized men's homosexual acts for the first time explicitly in Finnish legislation. The inclusion of women in the Penal Code took place without much ado. In the article it is argued that the uncomplicated juxtaposing of men and women was due to the legacy of a cultural pattern where man and woman, as categories, were not in an all-pervasive polarity to each other, for example, in sexual subjectivity. A cultural pattern of low gender polarization was typical of preindustrial rural culture, and it can help us apprehend also certain other features in contemporary Finnish social and political life, for example, women obtaining a general franchise and eligibility for the parliament first in the world, in 1906. A modern image of "public man" and "private woman" was only making its way in Finnish society; hence, there was not much anxiety at women's entry in politics, or, for that matter, at their potential for (homo)sexual subjectivity becoming recognized publicly in criminal law.