Scratch and indentation tests on polyoxymethylene (POM)

Scratch and indentation tests were performed on a polyoxymethylene homopolymer that was molded using three different mold temperatures. The different microstructures that developed during processing were studied by examining two samples for each mold temperature at different depths. During the scratch tests, the normal and the tangential force were recorded. The tests on the “as-molded” surface, in comparison to those that were polished until 1 mm of the material was removed, showed extrema of the normal force at a scratch depth that correspond to the interface of different regimes in the microstructure. The first extremum was considered to be caused by the breaking of the skin layer of the polymer (as a result of the rapid cooling process in the mold). Further extrema correspond to the permeation of the transition zone of the indenter into the spherulitic core of the sample. Indentation tests that were made on the same samples showed that the skin had a slightly lower hardness than the bulk of the polymer and that the difference in hardness decreases with increasing mold temperature. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 66: 1985–1996, 1997     

Oscillatory Potentials in Achromatopsia as a Tool for Understanding Cone Retinal Functions

Achromatopsia (ACHM) is an inherited autosomal recessive disease lacking cone photoreceptors functions. In this study, we characterize the time-frequency representation of the full-field electroretinogram (ffERG) component oscillatory potentials (OPs), to investigate the connections between photoreceptors and the inner retinal network using ACHM as a model. Time-frequency characterization of OPs was extracted from 52 controls and 41 achromat individuals. The stimulation via ffERG was delivered under dark-adaptation (DA, 3.0 and 10.0 cd·s·m⁻²) to assess mixed rod-cone responses. The ffERG signal was subsequently analyzed using a continuous complex Morlet transform. Time-frequency maps of both DA conditions show the characterization of OPs, disclosing in both groups two distinct time-frequency windows (~70–100 Hz and >100 Hz) within 50 ms. Our main result indicates a significant cluster (p < 0.05) in both conditions of reduced relative power (dB) in ACHM people compared to controls, mainly at the time-frequency window >100 Hz. These results suggest that the strongly reduced but not absent activity of OPs above 100 Hz is mostly driven by cones and only in small part by rods. Thus, the lack of cone modulation of OPs gives important insights into interactions between photoreceptors and the inner retinal network and can be used as a biomarker for monitoring cone connection to the inner retina.     

The pipeline bus: An interconnection network for multiprocessor systems

The design of a network switch for synchronously clocked packet switching networks is presented. The switch includes the node interface and logic handling of the arbitration and routing for a large class of network topologies, namely n-dimensional rectangular grids including hypercubes and other highly efficient topologies. In the context of the SUPRENUM project the paper concentrates on two-dimensional meshes. Routing, arbitration, blocking, and fault tolerance issues are discussed.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Cross‐linked Carboxymethyl Potato Starch Ether Gels

Hydrogels were synthesized by cross‐linking of potato starch (PS) with dichloroacetic acid (DCA) in the presence of monochloroacetic acid (MCA) to form etherified carboxymethyl starch (CMS) gels, to be used for ultrasonic medical examinations. By etherification cross‐linked CMS‐hydrogels can be produced, that are stable in contrast to the in the long‐term unstable esterified gels, that were presented in the last paper. The rheological benchmarks for the CMS‐hydrogels were set in comparison with synthetic ultrasonic gels. Gels with potato starch contents in the reaction batch ranging from 12.5% to 20% showed the best compliance with the benchmark parameters. The DS values of these CMS‐hydrogels vary from 0.42 to 0.49, increasing with decreasing amount of starch in the reaction mixture. The free swelling capacities (FSC) vary between 77 g/g for the 12.5% PS‐gel and 34 g/g for 20% PS‐gel, the turbidities of the samples being in the range from 14.5 NTU (Nephelometric Turbidity Units) (12.5% PS) up to 20.5 NTU (20% PS). The variation of the PS fraction in the reaction mixture showed that with an increased amount of PS in the reaction batch the number of cross‐links of the CMS‐gels increases, too. At a higher number of cross‐links the swelling capacity is reduced and the concentration needed to form stable hydrogels is greatly increased. Thus a hydrogel of a polymer concentration of 5 mass‐% from a 12.5% PS batch was produced, that showed the best accordance with the rheological benchmark parameters such as gelatinization time, visco‐elastic and pseudoplastic properties and long‐term stability. The ultrasonic pictures taken with this CMS‐gel were not different from those taken with the synthetic gels. This hydrogel was then subjected to long‐term‐stability measurements performed over one year and to rheological temperature cycle tests. The tests showed that the long‐term stability of the gels is sufficient for their use as ultrasonic gel.     

Hydrodechlorination and hydrogenation of aromatic compounds over palladium on alumina in hydrogen-saturated water

The catalytic transformations of 1,2-dichlorobenzene, chlorobenzene, 4-chlorobiphenyl, γ-hexachlorocyclohexane (Lindane), naphthalene and phenanthrene were studied over palladium on alumina in hydrogen-saturated water (Pd/Al₂O₃/H₂) at room temperature and ambient pressure. The chlorinated benzenes were rapidly hydrodechlorinated and Lindane was dehydrochlorinated to benzene. Partial or complete hydrogenation was observed for biphenyl and the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The phenanthrene ring was cleaved at the 9,10-position. In general dechlorination reactions were faster than hydrogenation reactions.     

Nanosecond pulsed proton microbeam

We show the preparation of a pulsed 20 MeV proton beam at the Munich tandem accelerator which offers a fluence of more than 1 × 10⁹ protons/cm² being deposited in a beam spot smaller than 100 μm in diameter and within a time span of 0.9 ns fwhm. Such a beam is produced by an ECR type proton source using charge exchange in cesium vapor to obtain a beam of negative hydrogen of high brightness that is bunched, chopped, accelerated and then focused by the superconducting multipole lens of the microprobe SNAKE. Single beam pulses are generated in order to irradiate cell samples or tissue and to measure their biological effect in comparison to continuous proton or X-ray irradiation.