Middleware and Metrology for the Pervasive Future

Looks at the data and metrology tools developed by The National Institute of Standards and Technology for the research community, including common middleware for distributed sensor data acquisition and processing.     

Some properties of inn films prepared by reactive evaporation

Some optical and electrical properties of degenerate InN films prepared by a reactive evaporation technique are presented. Thermal stability of these easily dissociated samples is discussed and evidence is presented indicating that the partial pressure of atomic nitrogen rather than diatomic nitrogen is a more fundamental parameter for describing thermal equilibrium. This has important implications for the growth of all group III-nitrides.     

Long term oxidation resistance and thermal stability of Ni-aluminide/Fe-aluminide duplex diffusion coatings formed on ferritic steels at low temperatures

A coating with a duplex structure consisting of an outer Ni₂Al₃ layer and an inner Fe₂Al₅ layer was formed on a commercial type of ferritic steel P92 using a two step process of electroless Ni/B plating followed by pack aluminising at 650 °C. Nearly 11,000 h oxidation test in air and more than 13,000 h isothermal annealing test in argon atmosphere were carried out to assess the long term oxidation resistance and thermal stability at 650 °C. The amount of oxidation was only about 0.66 mg/cm² for the coating as compared to 10.3 mg/cm² for the uncoated steel after nearly 11,000 h oxidation test. Inward Al diffusion took place during oxidation test, which led to the transformation of the outer Ni₂Al₃ layer to NiAl and increase in the Al diffusion depth. However, once the outer Ni₂Al₃ layer was completely transformed to NiAl, it stayed stable during the remaining period of oxidation test, providing long term oxidation resistance. Kirkendall voids formed and grew and then finally disappeared in the coating layers due to interdiffusion processes taking place at the oxidizing temperature at the interfaces between different layers of the duplex coating. No spallation was observed in the coating during the entire period of the oxidation or isothermal annealing tests.     

Hydrolysis of fish oils containing polymers of triacylglycerols by pancreatic lipasein vitro

Fish oils containing different levels of polymers of triacylglycerols formed during autoxidation were incubated with pancreatic lipase to establish whether these polymers are substrates for lipase hydrolysis. With oils containing low amounts (less than 4%) of triacylglycerol polymers as substrates, both triacylglycerols and polymers of triacylglycerols were almost completely hydrolyzed, and fatty acid monomers and monoacylglycerols were the major lipid products. Under the same incubation conditions, some triacylglycerols remained intact when highly oxidized oils containing 20 or 30% triacylglycerol polymers were the substrate. The fatty acid composition of these residual triacylglycerols was almost identical to that of triacylglycerols present at the start of the assay. When fish oil containing 30% triacylglycerol polymers was incubated with the lipase, the component triacylglycerols and polymers of triacylglycerols were hydrolyzed at similar rates, and fatty acid dimers were detected as a product. It is concluded that the high molecular weight polymers of triacylglycerols present in oxidized fish oils can be hydrolyzed by pancreatic lipasein vitro.     

Ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene as used in articular prostheses (a molecular weight distribution study)

Currently there is widespread use of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) acetabular components in total joint replacement prostheses. What has been most surprising about the wear of UHMWPE under such circumstances is the occurrence of brittle fracture. Such fracture had not been observed in the usual engineering tests done in the laboratory on UHMWPE. It was only when prosthese which had been removed from patients were examined or run in hip joint simulators with serum or synovial fluid as the lubricant, that brittle fracture was encountered. The problem of environment-enhanced brittle fracture in plastics dates back to 1946. Interestingly, the phenomenon was first described in polyethylene. The prime variables involved are polymer molecular weight, sensitizing environment, stress filed, and temperature. Other things being equal, brittle behavior in polyethylene is extremely sensitive to the amount of low molecular weight polymer present. In the light of the foregoing we have studied the molecular weight distribution in six commercially available UHMWPE components. These were obtained from six different manufacturers. The specimens were characterized both on their bearing (wear) surfaces and in their interior bulk. The results obtained indicate that:

• 1 The UHMWPE components contain substantial amounts of low molecular weight polymer.
• 2 The UHMWPE components differ significantly in molecular weight distribution.
• 3 The UHMWPE components contain substantial amounts of crosslinked polymer.

     

The effects of run‐of‐river dam spill on Columbia River microplankton

Dams, increasingly common in riverine systems worldwide, are particularly prevalent on the Columbia River (CR) in the United States. Hydroelectric projects, including both storage and run‐of‐river (i.e., minimal storage) structures, on the mainstem CR highly manage water flow, often by releasing water over (rather than through) dams as “spill.” To test the effects of run‐of‐river dam spill on microplankton abundance and composition, we sampled above and below two dams in the lower CR before and during spill conditions in spring 2016 and during and after spill conditions in late summer 2007. We tested the effects of location (i.e., above vs. below dams), spill condition (i.e., before, during, and after spill), and their interaction on microplankton abundance. Generally, diatoms were most abundant during springtime, whereas cyanobacteria were most abundant in late summer. Most taxa were not significantly different in abundance above and below dams, regardless of spill status; although cyanobacteria abundance was marginally higher below dams in summer 2007 (p = .04). Abundances of all taxa were significantly different between pre‐spill and spill periods in spring 2016, whereas only diatom and flagellate abundances were significantly different between spill and post‐spill periods in summer 2007. We conclude that spill conditions may influence microplankton abundance, but are not likely to affect microplankton communities on either side of run‐of‐river dams on the CR. This is important information for dam managers concerned about ecosystem impacts of spill.     

Temperature-sensitive mutants of influenza A virus. XIV. Production and evaluation of influenza A/Georgia/74-ts-1[E] recombinant viruses in human adults

The two temperature-sensitive (ts) lesions present in influenza A/Hong Kong/68-ts-1[E] (H3N2 68) virus were transferred via genetic reassortment to influenza A/Georgia/74 (H3N2 74) wild-type virus. A recombinant clone possessing both ts lesions and the shutoff temperature of 38 C of the Hong Kong/68 ts donor and the two surface antigens of the Georgia/74 wild-type virus was administered to 32 seronegative adult volunteers. Thirty-one volunteers were infected, of whom only five experienced mild afebrile upper respiratory tract illness. The wild-type recipient virus was a cloned population that induced illness in five of six infected volunteers. Therfore, the attenuation exhibited by the Georgia/74-ts-1[E] virus could reasonably be assumed to be due to the acquisition of the two ts-1[E] lesions by the Georgia/74 wild-type virus. The serum and nasal wash antibody responses of the ts-1[E] vaccinees were equivalent to those of the volunteers who received wild-type virus. The two ts lesions present in the Hong Kong/68-ts-1[E] virus have now been transferred three times to a wild-type virus bearing a new hemagglutinin, and in each instance the new ts recombination exhibited a similar, satisfactory level of attenuation and antigenicity for adults. It seems likely that the transfer of the ts-1[E] lesions to any new influenza virus will regularly result in attenuation of a recombinat virus possessing the new surface antigens.     

Spectrophotometric determination of diphenhydramine. HC1 in pharmaceutical preparations

A new spectrophotometric method has been developed for determining diphenhydramine. HC1, based on solvent extraction into chloroform of the complex formed with bromocresol green. The complex solution in chloroform showed maximum absorption at 415 nm and obeyed Beer's law over the concentration range of 3.0-12.0 microgram/ml. The molar absorptivity of the complex was 2.02 x 10(4). Complex formation and extraction was complete and quantitative over the pH range from 2 to 5. The ratio of diphenhydramine to bromocresol green was 1:1. Excipients, coloring matter, flavoring agents, and other substances likely to be present in diphenhydramine preparations do not interfere in the determination. Direct determinations in tablet, capsule, sirup, and lotion preparations were carried out satisfactorily, and the average recovery was 100 +/- 1.0%.