Time course evolution of ventilatory responses to inspiratory unloading in patients

Inspiratory muscle unloading decreases ventilatory drive. In this study, we examined the time course of this effect in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease receiving two modes of ventilatory support: pressure support ventilation (PSV), during which each cycle was assisted, and biphasic positive airway pressure (BIPAP), set up in such a manner that one spontaneous breath took place between two consecutive pressure-assisted breaths. The first breath following the switch from spontaneous breathing to PSV was associated with an increase in tidal volume (VT) and a drop in mean transdiaphragmatic pressure (mean Pdi) and inspiratory work (WI) performed per liter but with unchanged values of esophageal occlusion pressure at 100 ms (Pes 0.1), diaphragmatic electrical activity (EMGdi), and WI performed by breath. The same phenomena were observed for the assisted breath of BIPAP as compared with the preceding spontaneous breath. During the subsequent breaths of PSV, Pes 0.1, EMGdi, and WI performed per breath decreased progressively up to the sixth to eighth breaths, and VT returned to pre-PSV values. We conclude that in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease the decrease in ventilatory drive associated with PSV takes place from the first breath onwards but requires six to eight breaths to be fully achieved. During BIPAP, as a consequence of the kinetics of the PSV-induced downregulation of ventilatory drive, assisted breaths following spontaneous breaths are characterized by an enhanced inspiratory efficiency.     

Benzotriazole as inhibitor for copper with and without corrosion products in aqueous polyethylene glycol

Electrochemical methods, including polarization experiments and impedance spectroscopy, were used to evaluate the effectiveness of benzotriazole (BTA) in an aqueous solution of polyethylene glycol (PEG) in protecting polished archaeological copper or archaeological copper covered with corrosion products. The adsorption of PEG on the polished copper significantly limited the corrosion current. The presence of benzotriazole enhanced the protection of the polished copper, giving maximum protection at a concentration of 10^–2moll^–1 of BTA in 20 vol% PEG 400 solution. On the other hand, PEG solutions caused degradation of the corrosion products of the copper. This degradation increased with time. When BTA was added, the corrosion products were preserved and, the higher the BTA concentration, the more the corrosion current decreased. In PEG 400 solution protection of the corrosion products of the copper by BTA improved over time.     

Conversion mechanisms of a polycarbosilane precursor into an SiC-based ceramic material

The pyrolysis of a PCS precursor has been studied up to 1600 °C through the analysis of the gas phase and the characterization of the solid residue by thermogravimetric analysis, extended X-ray absorption fine structure, electron spectrocopy for chemical analysis, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman and Auger electron spectroscopy microanalyses, as well as electrical conductivity measurements. The pyrolysis mechanism involves three main steps: (1) an organometallic mineral transition (550 < T _p < 800 °C) leading to an amorphous hydrogenated solid built on tetrahedral SiC, Si0₂ and silicon oxycarbide entities, (2) a nucleation of SiC (1000 < T _p < 1200 °C) resulting in SiC nuclei (less than 3 nm in size) surrounded with aromatic carbon layers, and (3) a SiC grain-size coarsening (T _p > 1400 °C) consuming the residual amorphous phases and giving rise simultaneously to a probable evolution of SiO and CO. The formation of free carbon results in a sharp insulator-quasimetal transition with a percolation effect.     

Metal-assisted secondary ion mass spectrometry using atomic (Ga+, In+) and fullerene projectiles

The advantages and drawbacks of using either monatomic or buckminsterfullerene primary ions for metal-assisted secondary ion mass spectrometry (MetA-SIMS) are investigated using a series of organic samples including additive molecules, polyolefins, and small peptides. Gold deposition is mostly performed by sputter-coating, and in some cases, the results are compared to those of thermal evaporation (already used in a previous article: Delcorte, A.; Médard, N.; Bertrand, P. Anal. Chem. 2002, 74, 4955). The microstructure of the gold-covered sample surfaces is assessed by scanning and transmission electron microscopies. The merits of the different sets of experimental conditions are established via the analysis of fragment and parent-like ion yields. For most of the analyzed samples, the highest yields of fragment and parent-like ions are already reached with the sole use of C60+ projectiles. Metallization of the sample does not lead to a significant additional enhancement. For polyethylene and polypropylene, however, gold metallization associated with Ga+/In+ projectiles appears to be the only way to observe large cationized, sample-specific chain segments (m/z approximately 1000-2000). A detailed study of the polypropylene mass spectra as a function of gold coverage shows that the dynamics of yield enhancement by metal nanoparticles is strongly dependent on the choice of the projectile, e.g., a pronounced increase with Ga+ and a slow decay with C60+. The cases of Irganox 1010, a polymer antioxidant, and leucine enkephalin, a small peptide, allow us to investigate the specific influence of the experimental conditions on the emission of parent(like) ions such as M+, (M + Na)+, and (M + Au)+. The results show a dependence on both the type of sample and the considered secondary ion. Using theoretical and experimental arguments, the discussion identifies some of the mechanisms underlying the general trends observed in the results. Guidelines concerning the choice of the experimental conditions for MetA-SIMS are provided.     

UML-RT到一个图形设计环境体系结构的映射

为解决把UML-RT建模模型平滑过渡到实时系统的图形化的软构件设计开发环境的设计模型,本文提出了从UML-RT的结构模型映射到该环境下的体系结构模型的高层设计的映射方法。首先介绍UML-RT结构建模的概念及笔者研制的设计环境,其次给出从UML-RT映射到该设计环境体系结构模型的具体方法、约束和限制。     

Kinetics and mechanisms of the reactions of carbon dioxide with alkanolamines: a discussion concerning the cases of MDEA and DEA

A recent paper by Blauwhoff et al. (1984) has incited us to reexamine some of our previous results concerning the kinetics of reaction of CO₂ with methyldiethanolamine (MDEA). The results can be very satisfactorily interpreted if an amine-catalyzed reaction with a rate constant 3.2 ( ± 1.0) M ^?1 s ^?1 is introduced in the theoretical simulations. This value agrees fairly well with the value obtained by the authors mentioned above (4.8 M ^?1 s ^?1. The influence of the pK_A value of the amine on the theoretical simulation is also examined. The mechanism proposed by Blauwhoff et al. for the diethanolamine (DEA) reaction with CO₂ is discussed and the values of their kinetic constants are compared with our value.     

Double acting reciprocating magnetic refrigerator: first experiments

To obtain better practical knowledge of a possible refrigeration process, we have designed an experimental magnetic refrigerator which operates between 4.2 K and 1.8 K. The design performance was reached with 1/2 W capacity from two 18 cm³ magnetic parts. The static and dynamic losses, thermal efficiency, were measured.