Experimental Electronuclear Setup at the Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics

The purpose and current construction status, at the Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics, of an experimental electronuclear setup, combining a pulsed proton linear accelerator (36 MeV, 0.5 mA) and a subcritical blanket thermal-power assembly 100 kW, are discussed. The main equipment is already available or is being built in industry. The setup can be used to investigate the dynamics of the interaction of a linac–driver and a subcritical reactor and problems concerning the accelerator–driver and the target–blanket assembly. The proton beams and neutron fluxes will be used for applied purposes. In the future it will be possible to increase substantially the current and energy of the proton beam.     

VBÉR-300 reactor system and power-generating units for regional nuclear power production

The basic design solutions and characteristics of the VBéR-300 reactor system for the power-generating units of 150–300 MW(e) nuclear power plants and regional nuclear heat-and-electricity plants are described. The reactor system implemented as a unit is based on the technologies and solutions used for marine nuclear power systems, which have been corroborated by experience in operating nuclear-powered icebreakers. The technical-economic advantages of floating power-generating units are substantiated. __________ Translated from Atomnaya énergiya, Vol. 102, No. 1, pp. 35–39, January, 2007.     

Does India need to harmonize the law of patent exhaustion and parallel imports?

The amendment of patent law of India in 2005 to fulfill her international obligation under the TRIPS Agreement (World Trade Organization Agreement on Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights) was an outcome of an attempt to balance the competing interests of several stakeholders, including indigenous pharmaceutical companies, multi-national pharmaceutical companies, non-governmental organizations and civil society groups concerned with access to affordable drugs. The adverse consequence of this delicate balancing is introduction of some provisions in the Act whose compatibility with the TRIPS Agreement is questionable, and which therefore are prone to litigations. Section 107A(b) of the amended patent law dealing with parallel imports is one such provision, which, if interpreted word for word could have significant connotations for the rights of a patent owner. This article aims to examine the inconsistencies intrinsic in Section 107A(b) and discusses the divergences in the Indian patent law associated with the doctrine of exhaustion and parallel imports. This article also proposes legal amendments with a view to eliminate inconsistencies intrinsic in the section and enlarge the ambit of the exhaustion principle conceptualized therein, while concurrently remaining compliant with the TRIPS Agreement.     

Vinyl carbazole (VC) functionalized mesoporous silica polymer nanocomposites (SBA/VC) for the antibacterial activity studies

Vinyl carbazole (VC) functionalized ordered mesoporous silica polymer nanocomposites (SBA/VC) were synthesized by in situ radical polymerization of monomers inside the mesoporous framework and characterized for the antibacterial activity studies against gram positive and gram negative bacteria. Powder X-ray diffraction and N₂ adsorption isotherms of SBA/VC nanocomposites showed the presence of mesoporous nature. The antimicrobial activity results showed increasing trend with the increase in the concentration of vinyl carbazole (VC) and the maximum antibacterial activity was achieved with SBA/VC₆₄ nanocomposites.     

Reactor units developed by OKBM Afrikantov for low- and medium-capacity nuclear power plants

A system of requirements for low- and medium-capacity nuclear power-generating units with guaranteed market demand is presented. OKBM Afrikantov has developed designs for reactor units for low- and medium-capacity nuclear power plants that can be used as power sources in floating nuclear power plants for supplying heat and power in remote regions in the coastal zone, power-generating units as components of nuclear water desalination complexes and for supplying power for marine oil drilling platforms, stationary nuclear power plants for supplying heat and power in separate regions, large industrial enterprises, and cities. ABV, KLT, RITM, VBER, and HTGR reactor units for power sources of this type are reviewed and their characteristic features as well as those of nuclear power plants based on them are indicated.     

The effect of self-organizing vinyl siloxane nanolayers on the corrosion behavior of aluminum in neutral chloride-containing solutions

The methods of quartz crystal microbalance, atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform IR spectroscopy, and X-ray structural microanalysis were is used to show that adsorption of vinyl silane on an aluminum surface from an aqueous solution results in formation of a uniform, self-organizing protective vinyl siloxane nanolayer covalently bound with surface metal groups. Its thickness can be controlled by variation of application conditions. The effect of a vinyl siloxane nanolayer on dissolution of aluminum is studied in chloride-containing solutions. It is found that an ordered vinyl siloxane nanolayer with a thickness of up to 5 molecular layers causes efficient inhibition of uniform and local corrosion of aluminum. It is shown that the vinyl siloxane nanolayer is preserved on the surface of aluminum after 10 days of corrosion tests, which indicates its stability at exposure to water and corrosive components.     

Improving the Anticorrosion Characteristics of Polymer Coatings in the Case of Their Modification with Compositions Based on Organosilanes

Protection of Metals and Physical Chemistry of Surfaces - The effect of a series of organosilanes and their mixtures with corrosion inhibitors on the anticorrosion properties of polymer and paint...     

A study of the initial stages of iron passivation in neutral solutions using the quartz crystal resonator technique

The initial period of growth of a passive film of iron in borate solutions (pH 7.4 and 6.7) is studied using the quartz crystal resonator technique (EQSN) and pulsed chronoamperometry. Dependences of the surface layer thickness on time are obtained at the metal passivation and prepassivation potentials. Regions corresponding to different stages of passive layer formation are found in anodic current transients, which allowed the ambiguous effect of atomic hydrogen on kinetics of hydrogenated iron dissolution to be explained. It is shown that the iron hydrogenation promoter prevents formation of a primary passive film by accelerating iron dissolution at prepassivation potentials.     

The Effect of Organosilanes on Protective Properties of Polymer Coatings for Underground Pipelines. Inhibition of Cathodic Peeling-off of Polymer Coatings from Metal

Protection of Metals and Physical Chemistry of Surfaces - Protective properties of polymer coatings are mainly determined by their adhesion properties. Organosilanes represent the most commonly...     

Synthesis and Characterization of Magnetite/Polyvinyl Alcohol Core–Shell Composite Nanoparticles

Magnetite (Fe₃O₄)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) core–shell composite nanoparticles were successfully synthesized using a coprecipitation of ferrous and ferric chloride followed by coating with PVA. The resulting nanoparticles were characterized using X‐ray diffraction, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy, X‐ray photo electron spectroscopy, Zeta potential measurements, UV–Vis spectroscopy, Thermogravimetric Analysis, and Vibrating Sample Magnetometry (VSM). The average particle size was 13 nm. The presence of characteristic functional groups of PVA around the core of magnetite nanoparticles was confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy while the amount of PVA (%) bound to it was estimated by TGA analysis. Zeta potential measurements made by dispersing dilute sonicated samples in a Phosphate Buffer Saline (PBS pH 7.4) confirmed that the particles were negatively charged. The stability and retention of the coating material PVA in PBS (pH7.4) over a period of time were substantiated by UV–Vis spectroscopy. Room‐temperature magnetic measurements were made with a VSM which demonstrated the superparamagnetic nature of the particles with higher saturation magnetization of 56.41 emu/g. Furthermore, in vitro cytocompatibility testing of Fe₃O₄/PVA core–shell composite nanoparticles was carried out on human cervix cancer cells. This confirmed a 97% cell viability with no significant cytotoxicity and thereby substantiated their biocompatibility.