Asymmetric alumina membranes electrochemically formed in oxalic acid solution

Alumina membranes were fabricated by anodizing aluminium metal in 0.15 M oxalic acid. The growth kinetics of the porous layer were investigated in the temperature range –1 to 16 °C using linear potential scans up to 70 V. The faradaic efficiencies of metal oxidation and of porous layer formation, determined by applying Faraday's law, were found to be independent of both temperature and electrical charge. SEM analysis of the metal-side and solution-side surfaces revealed different morphologies. After dissolution of the barrier layer in phosphoric acid, the metal-side surface showed circular pores whose size of about 90 nm was found to be uniform and independent of temperature. The pore population was also practically independent of temperature and a value of about 4 × 10¹³ pores m^–2 was determined. On the solution-side surface the presence of a deposit partially occluding the mouths of pores was observed. This coating could be removed by chemical etching in NaOH or thermal treatment at 870 °C, where decomposition of oxalate occurs. This supports the hypothesis that the deposit consists of an aluminium salt containing oxalate anions precipitated from the solution. The results show that it is possible to control the morphological characteristics of the anodic alumina membranes by careful choice of experimental conditions.     

Postviral gastroparesis: presentation, treatment, and outcome

We describe the clinical features and long-term outcome of 11 children who had persistent gastroparesis after an acute viral illness, eight of whom tested positive for rotavirus. Gastric emptying was delayed in the 10 children evaluated with scintigraphy. Antroduodenal manometry confirmed postprandial antral hypomotility in 10 subjects. All children recovered within 6 to 24 months.     

Hydrothermal Synthesis of Acicular Lead Titanate Fine Powders

A pure, acicular lead titanate (PbTiO₃) fine powder with a white color has been prepared by hydrothermal synthesis. It is a new phase of PbTiO₃ with I 4 symmetry, cell parameters of a = 12.358 Å and b = 14.541 Å, and a density of 6.80 g.cm⁻³. The influences of pH (12.5 to 14.4), Pb/Ti ratio (1.0 to 1.6) in the feedstock, reaction temperature (130° to 230°C), time (0.25 to 4 h), starting materials, and additives on the formation of acicular PbTiO₃ under hydrothermal conditions have been investigated. The acicular PbTiO₃ with I 4 symmetry, referred to as the PX phase, can be converted to the perovskite-type (PE phase) of PbTiO₃ at about 605°C while its acicular morphology is essentially unchanged. The preferable conditions for preparing pure acicular PX-phase PbTiO₃ are that the pH is 13.0 to 14.0, Pb/Ti ratio is >1.3, reaction temperature is 170° to 200°C, time is 0.5 to 1.0 h, titanium butoxide (Ti[O(CH₂)₃CH₃]₄) is the starting material, and poly(vinyl alcohol) is an additive. The acicular grain of the PX phase is usually less than 100 nm in diameter and more than 1000 nm in length.     

水平井生产测井技术应用

通过技术合作，对水平井生产动态监测测井技术进行了探索，取得了一定效果。介绍了水平井产出剖面测井的关键技术。介绍了将测井仪器送入水平钻穿的地层中的3个传输测井工艺，包括钻杆传输方法、柔性管传输方法和井下牵引输送方法；介绍了所采用的测井系列，重点分析解决油汽水三相分离问题的测井方案；介绍了水平井测井资料的解释和评价技术；通过模拟实验，确定井中4种流体流型，提出持液率关系式和流量测井响应关系式。     

Multiresidue method for pesticides in drinking water using a graphitized carbon black cartridge extraction and liquid chromatographic analysis

A general liquid-solid extraction procedure for the isolation of pesticides from groundwater and drinking water for high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is presented. This simple and rapid procedure involved passing a 2-L sample through a 250-mg graphitized carbon black (Carbopack B) cartridge at a flow rate of 150-160 mL/min. By taking advantage of the presence of positively charged active centers on the Carbopack B surface, a stepwise elution system allowed the complete separation of base-neutral pesticides from acidic ones. After partial solvent removal, the components in the two fractions were separated and quantified by gradient elution, reversed-phase HPLC with ultraviolet (UV) detection. The performance of the Carbopack cartridge was compared with that of a 500-mg C-18 bonded silica cartridge. With the Carbopack cartridge, the grand mean measurement accuracy of the 35 pesticides considered was 95%. With the C-18 cartridge, the grand mean measurement accuracy of the analytes was 76%. Compared to the C-18 cartridge, additional advantages of using a Carbopack cartridge are that the extraction procedure is about 7 times shorter, no pH adjustment of the environmental sample is necessary for trapping acidic compounds, and one cartridge instead of two suffices to extract base-neutral and acidic pesticides, making the Carbopack cartridge more adaptable than the C-18 one for field use. The detection limits by this method of all the pesticides considered were between 0.003 and 0.07 micrograms/L.     

Vacuum-u.v. circular dichroism of optically active isotactic poly-α-olefins

Summary Circular dichroism of isotactic samples of poly-(S)-4-methyl-1-hexene and poly-(R)-3,7-dimethyl-1-octene, have been measured in the vacuum ultraviolet spectral region (200-140 nm). The c.d. band at about 160. nm accounts for the optical activity in the visible region and reflects the presence of one screw sense helical conformation of the sample examined.The authors thank Prof. W.C. Johnson, Jr., Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Oregon State University, for allowing them to use the vacuum u.v. spectrometer. This work has been partially supported by a N.A.T.O. grant, and by Ministero Pubblica Istruzione (MPI), Roma — Italy.     

Primary lymphoma of the breast. Three cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Primary and sole breast lymphoma is a very rare disease. With the review of our series of 616 cases operated on for breast cancer, only 3 cases (0.48%) of primary breast non-Hodgkin lymphoma (LNH) have been observed. The authors outline the problems concerning diagnosis and therapy of this rare disease: pathological and immunohistochemical aspects are discussed. They stress the importance of staging in order to plan a correct multidisciplinary approach.     

Spinal reflex pattern to foot nociceptive stimulation in standing humans

We describe here the results of a screening program conducted to discover inhibitors of the type-I interleukin-1 receptor (IL-1RI) from samples of microbial origin. An innovative approach, based on automated, nonradioactive receptor binding assays has been employed. Specially prepared cell-free systems have allowed the use of high concentrations of microbial metabolites in the reaction mixtures with a low percentage of false positives. More than 30,000 microbial samples from different species of soil isolates have been tested and two interesting activities have been purified and characterized. One of these, isolated from Streptomyces sp. GE48009, was identified as niphimycin, an antifungal agent also known as scopafungin. Preliminary evidence suggests that this molecule and azalomycin F, a structural analogue, inhibit IL-IRI by virtue of their long-chain guanidinium moiety. The other activity, isolated from Aspergillus sp. GE49752, was identified as flavipin, a substituted o-phthalaldehyde.     

A new experimental approach to the investigation of contact forces at an interface

The piezoelectric films recently developed permit the design of very efficient thin sensors which are suited to interesting applications in contact problems, not only in industrial robotics but also in experimental research. After a brief introduction exemplifying the electrical principles, the primary aspects of the technique are presented and discussed with reference to possible structural engineering applications. A rather simple example regarding the interaction between a steel bar and a block of concrete is also presented. The bar is excited by dynamic cyclic loads having variable frequency. The reliability of forces detected via a PVDF sensor is evaluated by comparing the results with those obtained in parallel by means of a dynamometer strain-gauge. The comparison is promising, even if some technological problems must be resolved before this experimental technique may be applied extensively.

---

Resume L'étude expérimentale des forces qui se manifestent à une interface équivaut souvent à un problème technique insoluble car chaque appareillage influe de manière significative sur le comportement mécanique. En outre, si l'interface se situe dans un continuum, l'utilisation de transducteurs ou d'extensomètres devient aussi plus complexe. Dans tous les cas, les mesures peuvent se faire éventuellement à proximité de l'interface, mais non à l'interface. Des améliorations techniques récentes dans le domaine de la robotique permettent d'utiliser des films de polymères piézoélectriques (fluoride de polyvinylidène, PVDF). En raison de l'épaisseur de ce capteur qui ne dépasse pas quelques micromètres, le comportement mécanique n'est pas perturbé. Le principle électrique est typique du transducteur piézoélectrique: les charges crées par le film piézoélectrique sollicité sont concentrées sur les surfaces métallisées qui le recouvrent. Cette technique permet d'étudier de nombreux problèmes structurels. S'il s'agit de béton armé, par exemple, il est intéressant d'examiner la répartition de la pression sur un appui de poutre ou bien à la surface d'un boulon d'ancrage, les contraintes interfaciales aussi bien d'une barre d'armature chargée axialement et transversalement, que de goujons dans des structures composites. Un exemple simple montre la fiabilité de la nouvelle technique: une haute barre d'adhérence enrobée dans un bloc de béton est mise sous charge dynamique. On compare la force détectée par le capteur PVDF placé à l'interface barre d'acier-barre d'enrobage avec celle qui est mesurée au moyen du dynamomètre traditionnel placé parallèlement au support. La comparaison, établie à différentes fréquences, est satisfaisante. Cependant, pour utiliser cette nouvelle technique sur une grande échelle, il convient de résoudre quelques problèmes techniques: l'améioration de la conductivité électrique des connexions entre les surfaces métallisées de la couche sensible et les fils d'entrée et de sortie la prévention d'une éventuelle perforation du film par des particules de granulats siliceux qui sont un des constituants de base des mortiers et bétons; l'évaluation de la sensibilité d'un capteur multicouches à l'écrasement inévitable du matériau à proximité d'une barre d'acier, avec une microfissuration locale et un glissement limité. La recherche se poursuit tant au niveau technologique qu'électronique.