Fourier transform infrared synchrotron ellipsometry for studying the anisotropy of small organic samples

An experimental setup for polarization-dependent and spectroscopic ellipsometric measurements was developed that utilizes the brilliance of synchrotron infrared radiation at the electron storage ring at BESSY II for investigations of small samples and sample areas. During commissioning of the beamline and the experimental setup, a 1 mm2 piece of a well-characterized polyimide film was studied to show the benefits of Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) synchrotron ellipsometry. The band shapes are interpreted with respect to the anisotropic distribution of transition dipole moments within the film. In comparison to a globar source, the signal intensity has been improved by more than one order of magnitude for this example.     

Elucidating the routes of exposure for organic chemicals in the earthworm,Eisenia andrei (Oligochaeta)

Earthworms take up organic compounds through their skin as well as from their food, but the quantitative contribution of each route is unclear. In this contribution, we experimentally validate an accumulation model containing a separate compartment for the gut. Uptake from the gut is modeled as passive diffusion from the dissolved phase in the gut contents. For the experiments, we exposed Eisenia andrei in artificial soil spiked with tetrachlorobenzene, hexachlorobenzene, and PCB 153. Apart from the standard accumulation and elimination experiments, we ligatured the worm (using tissue adhesive) to prevent feeding. Model fits were good, thus supporting the validity of the model. The contribution of the gut route increased with increasing hydrophobicity of the chemical, and for PCB 153 the gut route clearly dominated. Despite the importance of the gut route, the final steady-state body residues did not exceed equilibrium partitioning predictions by more than 25%. Rate constants for exchange across the skin and the gut wall could be separately identified. The rate constant across the skin decreases with K(ow) but was generally higher than data derived from water-only exposure. The relationship with hydrophobicity was less clear for the rate constant across the gut wall.     

Cellulose bound chlorophenols II: Preparation and characterization of phenyloxycarbonylpentanoyl celluloses dependence of substitution on chlorophenol structure

New types of polymeric phenols (including the fungicide PCP) are prepared by linking phenol and different chlorophenols to cellulose via ester bonds using adipic acid as bridging molecule. Monophenylesteracid chlorides of adipic acid are prepared as intermediates. The yield of esterification of cellulose with these compounds depends in a complicated manner on size and chlorosubstitution pattern of the phenolic substituents. It is tentatively assumed that hydrogen bonding between chlorophenol and cellulose is an important factor. The polymeric PCP ester showed fungicidal activity in an agar plate test.     

Method for objective assessment of physical work load at the workplace

In Miyagi Prefecture, mass screening for cervical cancer was initiated in 1961. We organized the project in cooperation with the Miyagi Cancer Society. Because cases detected in mass screening were treated earlier, their prognoses were better than cases diagnosed in outpatient clinics. A high proportion of patients detected in stage 0 and I showed improved prognoses. In 1983, the central government established the first Health and Medical Services Law for the Aged to support the project. The standardized death rate of cervical cancer in Miyagi Prefecture fell from 12.1 per 100,000 in 1961 to 4.0 per 100,000 in 1994. A case-control study revealed that women who were screened, compared with women who had no prior screening, had an odds ratio for invasive cervical cancer of 0.14. The time interval of following the last negative smear was assessed, and we found that an odds ratio for a one-year interval was 0.09. However, there still remain problems, such as the lack of a further increase in the screening rate, fixation of examinees, and increase in the incidence of young women. Uterine body cancer is one of the increasing malignancies in Japan, as well as worldwide. Its epidemiological characteristics are as follows; 1) over 50 years old, 2) infertile and irregular menstruation, 3) post-menopause, and 4) atypical genital bleeding. Screening for uterine body cancer was started in 1987 under the second Health and Medical Services Law for the Aged. The target of the screening is limited to cases with the high-risk factors above described. We reported the results of mass screening in Miyagi Prefecture, elucidated the characteristics of uterine cancer detected by mass screening, and indicated the problems.     

Group measure of locus of control.

Gave the Gruen, Korte, Stephens Internal-External Scale, a new measure of locus of control designed for use with children of differing socioeconomic and ethnic status, to a total of 1,100 black, white, and Spanish, moderately disadvantaged children from Grades 2, 4, and 6. The white children were compared to a sample of 155 affluent white children. As predicted, older children made more internal responses than younger children and the affluent children made more internal responses than the disadvantaged. Also, white children made more internal responses than either black or Spanish children. Among black Ss there was a significant sex difference, females being more internal than males. Further analyses with another sample of 50 white 2nd graders revealed that the locus of control scores were significantly related to grade point averages, but not significantly related to scores on the Otis-Lennon Mental Ability Test or the Crandall Social Desirability Scale. The scores on the measure of locus of control were generally skewed toward the internal end of the scale but were most discriminative at the 2nd-grade level. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability estimates for Gruen, Korte, Stephens Internal-External scores were moderately high. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Determination of the mechanical properties of Bionate 80A and Bionate 75D for the stress analysis of cushion form bearings

Two biomedical grade polyurethanes, currently under investigation as an alternative tibial bearing for a total knee replacement, are analysed. Extensive mechanical testing has been performed on these materials to determine the mechanical properties in terms of strain energy density functions for use in the finite element package MSC.Marc 2001 that do not rely on linear elasticity. A variation in Poisson's ratio in the fourth decimal place can lead to significant errors in the magnitude and distribution of stresses in a linear elastic analysis. As large variations in this parameter (up to the first decimal place) were determined experimentally, it is concluded that a linear elastic approach to the stress analysis of these materials is not valid.     

The Persistence of the Pastoral

Architect, animator and educator Nic Clear challenges the contemporary notion of the pastoral to go beyond the simplistic binary opposites of the untainted rural idyll and the industrialised city. He explores how the narratives of the pastoral have provided a mainstay for science fiction and how this can be used to re-imagine nature itself with the aid of advanced biotechnologies to create new architectures for the 21st century.