Optimization of the Conventional Bleaching of Wool with Hydrogen Peroxide

The individual and combined influence on the bleaching of wool of the concentration of hydrogen peroxide, temperature and time of treatment have been studied, using a rotatable central design of experiments in which the values of the above variables covered the values used in industry. Mathematical treatment of the values of the optical, chemical and mechanical parameters has enabled equations to be derived, from which the value of any parameter can be computed when the values of the variables are within the range of the plan of experiments, resulting in a good agreement being obtained between experimental and calculated values. Use of these equations facilitates optimization of the process of wool bleaching, and bleaching conditions leading to the whitest wool have been suggested for an allowable chemical degradation (alkali solubilities of 25%and 30%). More severe conditions of bleaching do not necessarily produce a whiter wool, but cause greater chemical and mechanical degradation of the fibre. An excellent linear correlation has been found between the chemical parameters modified by the bleaching operation and between these and the wet tensile strength of the fibre.     

Etude optique,par microscopie electronique,des dislocations dans l'oxysulfure de lanthane I. Dislocations dans le plan de base

Platelets of lanthanum oxysulphide were deformed inside the electron microscope and observed in transmission. Dislocations very mobile along the basal plane and having a Burgers vector in this plane, have been observed. The dislocations are dissociated into ribbons consisting of two partials separated by a stacking fault. Interactions between sets of ribbon dislocations with Burgers vector at 120° resulted in the formation of networks which, because of the low stacking fault energy in this material, consisted of a triangular mosaic pattern. A specific model for these dislocations is presented. It results from translation between adjacent sulfur and [LaO]ⁿ⁺_n sheets.     

Hemangioma of bladder

A twenty-nine-year-old woman had a history of recurring gross, total painless hematuria. The past history and urologic studies supported the diagnosis of hemangioma of the bladder. A partial cystectomy was performed. The pertinent literature is reviewed.     

(Z)-9-tetradecen-1-OL formate

Concentrations in air of (Z)-9-tetradecen-1-ol formate (Z-9-tdf), a mating disruptant ofHeliothis moths, were measured intermittently over a 22-day period in a corn field. The chemical was emitted from laminated plastic (Hercon^®) dispensers arranged in a square grid with 10-m spacing. Measurements were made at three heights near the center of the treated plot and 1 m downwind from disruptant dispensers. Concurrent measurements were made of wind speed, air temperature, and temperature gradient.Z-9-tdf concentrations ranged from below detectable levels to 195 ng/m³ and were generally highest in the horizontal plane of the dispenser. As wind speed decreased near sunset, concentrations increased sharply, then decreased again near midnight. SinceHeliothis moths mate in the evening and early night, the concentration pattern was favorable for mating disruption. Strong temperature inversions within the crop canopy, which occurred daily before sunset, did not apparently affectZ-9-tdf concentrations. Concentrations decreased steadily on successive sampling days after application, and, by day 27, ranged from 0 to 30% of those on day 6. The data suggest that the corn plants and the soil may act as sinks for the chemical vapor at night.     

Existing treatment strategies: does noncompliance make a difference?

Although published literature shows a clear relationship between poor patient compliance with antihypertensive medication and failure to achieve blood pressure control, the association between treatment choices and compliance is less clear. Patient behavior in randomized controlled trials differs from that in actual practice; studies of this difference are therefore required to consider real-world evidence. Studies of actual practice have used a variety of measures of patient behavior, which makes comparisons difficult. In addition, they often have mingled patients receiving antihypertensive treatment for the first time and established hypertensive patients--groups that generally have quite different levels of compliance. This article briefly reviews the literature concerning therapeutic choices and patient compliance with hypertensive medications, including a recent study of persistence using treatment data from the provincial health plan of Saskatchewan, Canada. The Saskatchewan analysis was a rigorous examination of actual practice treatment for hypertension, which demonstrated that angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors were associated with the highest 1- and 4.5-year persistence rates and the lowest discontinuation rates among calcium antagonists, beta-blockers and diuretics. These findings may hold important implications for physicians when choosing an initial antihypertensive therapy, and point to the potential importance of the excellent safety and tolerability profiles of new antihypertensive therapies.     

A 2.5-GHz DDFS-PLL With 1.8-MHz Bandwidth in 0.35-$mu$m CMOS

A wideband frequency synthesizer architecture is presented. The proposed topology employs a direct digital frequency synthesizer (DDFS) to control the output frequency of an offset-PLL. In this way, the synthesizer features a very fine frequency resolution, 24 Hz, as in delta-sigma fractional-N PLLs, but without being affected by the quantization-induced phase noise. This, in turn, allows enlarging the loop bandwidth. The frequency synthesizer is designed to be employed as a direct modulator for Bluetooth transmitter in a low-cost 0.35-mum CMOS technology. At 2.5GHz it achieves 1.8-MHz bandwidth, while the settling time within 30ppm for an 80-MHz step is 3 mus. The integrated phase noise gives less than 1 degree of rms phase error and the worst-case spur is 48dBc at 1 MHz, well below the specifications. Power dissipation is 120 mW for the PLL core, 50 mW for the DDFS plus DACs, and 19 mW for the GFSK modulator.     

Screening self-assembled monolayers as Cu diffusion barriers

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are investigated as potential Cu diffusion barriers for application in back-end-of-line (BEOL) interconnections. A screening of SAMs derived from molecules with different head group (SiCl₃, Si(OCH₃)₃, Si(OCH₃)Cl₂) bonding to the dielectric substrate, chain lengths (n = 3-21) and terminal group (CH₃, Br, CN, NH₂, C₅H₄N and SH) bonding to the Cu overlayer are compared in terms of inhibition of interfacial Cu diffusion and promotion of Cu-SiO₂ adhesion. SAM barrier properties against Cu silicide formation are examined upon annealing from 200 to 400 °C by visual inspection, sheet resistance measurements (Rs) and X-ray Diffraction Spectroscopy (XRD). Cu/SAM/SiO₂ adhesion is evaluated by tape test and four-point probe measurements. Results indicate that NH₂-SAM derived from 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane is the most promising for Cu diffusion barrier application. Silicide formation is inhibited to at least 400 °C, essential stability for BEOL integration. However, the 2.9 Gc (J/m²) adhesion of the layer compared with 3.1 Gc (J/m²) on SiO₂ does need improvement.     

Fun and fear: The banalization of nuclear technologies through display

How do nuclear technologies become commonplace? How have the borders between the exceptional and the banal been drawn and redrawn over the last 70 years in order to make nuclear energy part of everyday life? This special issue analyzes the role of fun and display, broadly construed, in shaping the cultural representation and the material circulation (or non‐circulation) of nuclear technologies. Four case studies, covering the United States, Great Britain, Portugal, Spain, and Ukraine from the 1950s to the 2000s, explore how specific forms of public display and playful practices of cultural production were used as means to banalize (or de‐banalize) nuclear energy. This introduction addresses the main theoretical and historiographical signposts of the special issue and outlines the different ways in which the articles explore them.     

BMS Derivatives C7-Linked to β-Cyclodextrin and Hyperbranched Polyglycerol Retain Activity against R5-HIV-1NLAD8 Isolates and Can Be Deemed Potential Microbicides

Amides from indole-3-glyoxylic acid and 4-benzoyl-2-methylpiperazine, which are related to entry inhibitors developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), have been synthesized with aliphatic chains located at the C7 position of the indole ring. These spacers contain an azido group suitable for the well-known Cu(I)-catalyzed (3+2)-cycloaddition or an activated triple bond for the nucleophilic addition of thiols under physiological conditions. Reaction with polyols (β-cyclodextrin and hyperbranched polyglycerol) decorated with complementary click partners has afforded polyol-BMS-like conjugates that are not cytotoxic (TZM.bl cells) and retain the activity against R5-HIV-1_NLAD8 isolates. Thus, potential vaginal microbicides based on entry inhibitors, which can be called of 4^th generation, are reported here for the first time.