Effect of diuron on germ cells of mice

Diuron in both, acute (340 and 170 mg/kg body wt) and chronic (3400 ppm) doses induced dominant lethal mutations in male Swiss albino mice. The results suggest that diuron is mutagenic in dominant lethal test system.     

Influence of the composition of vacuum residues as oxidation feedstock on the performance characteristics of road asphalts

The hydrocarbon-group composition of short residues having different values of the specific viscosity was studied. The influence of the hydrocarbon-group composition of short residues from West Siberian crude oils on the properties of petroleum air-blown road asphalts was examined.     

Self-propagating high-temperature synthesis for immobilization of high-level waste in mineral-like ceramics: 1. Synthesis and study of titanate ceramics based on perovskite and zirconolite

Preparation of ceramics based on synthetic perovskite and zirconolite (analogs of titanate minerals) using self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) was studied. Ceramics was prepared as matrix material for immobilization of high-level waste (HLW). Using model HLW, the optimal synthetic conditions were determined which allow preparation of compact low-porosity material (in the form of cylindrical blocks) exhibiting high strength and low rate of leaching of Cs, Sr, Y, Ce, and La into double-distilled water. The phase composition and micro structure of the resulting materials were studied. As found, immobilization of Cs is accompanied by significant loss of this element.     

Production of commutator bars for critical applications

The use of a series of progressive technical and technological measures has allowed the Kamensk-Ural’skii Nonferrous Metals Plant to significantly improve the service characteristics of commercial batches of electrical-grade semifinished bars used in key applications — commutator bars of trapezoidal cross section made of cadmium bronze BrKd1 and copper-silver alloy MS0.1. The bars are used to make commutators for electrical machinery that are subjected to large mechanical and electrical loads.     

Methods for measuring amplitudes of signals from Cherenkov counters

Measurements of the pulse heights in the T0 start trigger detector of the ALICE experiment are necessary both for time-amplitude offline correction of start signal T0 used in the time-of-flight TOF detector and for monitoring the state of the Cherenkov counters in the detector. A high amplitude resolution is not required for these tasks; what is needed is fast encoding and interfacing with the data readout system in which only time channels are available. Therefore, amplitudes are measured in the detector by pulse-height-to-time conversion using two independent methods, one of which involves quasi-logarithmic charge-to-time converter (QTC) and the other employs two—leading-edge (LED) and constant-fraction (CFD)—timing discriminators. The main characteristics of both methods and results of calibrations of the appropriate devices using a pulsed laser are presented.     

A study of the zirconium-oxygen interaction in silicon

The energy levels created by zirconium in silicon (0.65, 0.52, and 0.32 eV) were determined from the photoconductivity data. The oxygen solubility in zirconium-doped silicon was studied. It was established that zirconium affects the solubility of interstitial oxygen.     

Textural and structural transformations in nonoriented electrical steel

The structure and texture in sheets of nonoriented electrical steel of different chemical composition have been studied at different stages of technological processing. It has been shown that the use of prerecrystallization annealing between the cold-rolling passes leads to an increase in the average size of grain in the finished steel.