Indoor heterogeneous photochemistry of furfural drives emissions of nitrous acid

People spend approximately 80% of their time indoor, making the understanding of the indoor chemistry an important task for safety. The high surface-area-to-volume ratio characteristic of indoor environments leads the semi-volatile organic compounds (sVOCs) to deposit on the surfaces. Using a long path absorption photometer (LOPAP), this work investigates the formation of nitrous acid (HONO) through the photochemistry of adsorbed nitrate anions and its enhancement by the presence of furfural. Using a high-resolution proton-transfer-reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometer (PTR-TOF-MS), this work also investigates the surface emissions of VOCs from irradiated films of furfural and a mix of furfural and nitrate anions. Among the emitted VOCs, 2(5H)-furanone/2-Butenedial was observed at high concentrations, leading to maleic anhydride formation after UV irradiation. Moreover, the addition of potassium nitrate to the film formed NO_x and HONO concentrations up to 10 ppb, which scales to ca. 4 ppb for realistic indoor conditions. This work helps to understand the high levels of HONO and NO_x measured indoors.     

Tunable blazed gratings

In this paper, we report on the design, fabrication, and characterization of blazed gratings made tunable by electrostatic actuation. We combine KOH etching and deep-reactive ion etching (DRIE) to fabricate tunable blazed gratings (TBGs) on silicon-on-insulator wafers with optical-quality mirror surfaces on {111} crystalline planes. The actuators that are used to position the individual grating elements are designed to reduce rotation to levels acceptable for spectroscopic applications. We characterize the fabricated devices mechanically, verify the rotation-reduction design, and demonstrate the functionality of TBGs as tunable filters.     

Characterization of the chicken and quail homologues of the human gene responsible for the X-linked Kallmann syndrome

The human KAL gene, responsible for the X-linked Kallmann syndrome, was isolated previously. Southern blot analysis using human cDNA probes detected cross-hybridization with DNA from several organisms, including chicken and quail. The entire coding sequences of chicken and quail KAL cDNAs were determined. A comparison of these cDNAs with the human KAL cDNA reveals an overall identity of 73 and 72%, respectively. This results in 76 and 75% identity at the protein level. The highest conservation was found in the WAP four-disulfide core motif and in two of the four fibronectin type III repeats reported in the human protein. These results further support the hypothesis that the KAL protein is an extracellular matrix component with anti-protease and adhesion functions.     

Coupled effect of time and temperature on variations of yield value of highly flowable mortar

In order to enhance the performance of self-consolidating concrete, it is important to have a better understanding of the rheological behavior of the material. The initial rheological parameters and their variations with time are closely affected by material temperature, type and dosage of high range water-reducing admixture (HRWRA), and elapsed time. This paper presents the results of an investigation aimed at evaluating the coupled influence of time and temperature on the variations of yield value with time of mortars made with two types of HRWRA: polynaphtalene sulfonate and polycarboxylate polymer. Four mortars extracted from self-consolidating concrete mixtures proportioned with various binder types and with water-to-binder ratios of 0.42 and 0.53 were prepared at 10 to 30 °C.Test results show that the yield value varies linearly with the coupled effect of time and temperature during the dormant period for mixtures made with polynaphtalene sulfonate-based HRWRA. However, such changes are found to depend on the mixture temperature for mixtures made with polycarboxylate-based HRWRA, which can influence the dispersion efficiency of the polycarboxylate polymer. The threshold temperature of mixtures made with PCP-HRWRA is shown to vary with mixture composition. Below a given threshold temperature, the mortar exhibits a considerable degree of retention or even reduction in yield value over 30% of the dormant period. A sharp increase in yield value is observed beyond 30% of the dormant period. Above this threshold temperature, the yield value is shown to increase linearly with time.     

Linearly bounded infinite graphs

Linearly bounded Turing machines have been mainly studied as acceptors for context-sensitive languages. We define a natural class of infinite automata representing their observable computational behavior, called linearly bounded graphs. These automata naturally accept the same languages as the linearly bounded machines defining them. We present some of their structural properties as well as alternative characterizations in terms of rewriting systems and context-sensitive transductions. Finally, we compare these graphs to rational graphs, which are another class of automata accepting the context-sensitive languages, and prove that in the bounded-degree case, rational graphs are a strict sub-class of linearly bounded graphs.A preliminary version of this article appeared in MFCS 2005.     

Photocatalytic degradation of gaseous perchloroethylene in continuous flow reactors: Rate enhancement by chlorine radicals

The degradation of perchloroethylene (PCE) by UV/TiO₂ photocatalysis in gas phase was studied. The degradation efficiency has been compared in different continuous flow reactors: a photocatalytic tangential reactor (PTR) where the air flows tangentially over the catalytic medium and two photocatalytic filtering reactors (PFR) where the air flows through the porous catalytic medium. The degradation rate shows a linear dependence with the concentration of pollutants (up to 350 mg PCE/N m³) for the PTR, but the degradation was negligible for the PFR. The degradation rate was enhanced by accelerating the chlorine radicals’ formation (by adding HCl in catalytic quantity in the air flow or by PCE over-heating). In these conditions, the oxidation rate constant of PCE in the PFR was about five times higher than that in the PTR, although the mass of catalyst involved in the PFR was about 10 times lower and the contact time was about a 1000 times shorter than that of the PTR. Thus, the catalyst is globally more efficiently used in the PFR, as the mass transfer is not limiting. As a result, a degradation mechanism of PCE, involving the generation of free chlorine radicals, as the first limiting step, has been confirmed.     

Conformal proton therapy for prostate carcinoma

The suppression of apoptosis may contribute to the carcinogenicity of the peroxisome proliferators (PPs), a class of non-genotoxic rodent hepatocarcinogens. Our previous work demonstrated that the PP nafenopin suppressed both spontaneous and transforming growth factor beta1 (TGFbeta1)-induced hepatocyte apoptosis both in vivo and in vitro. Here, we extend these observations by demonstrating the ability of nafenopin to suppress apoptosis induced by other major candidates for the signalling of cell death in the liver. Treatment of rat or mouse hepatocyte monolayers with TGFbeta1 or the DNA damaging drugs etoposide or hydroxyurea induced high levels of apoptosis. Western blot analysis did not support a role for either p53 or p21waf1 in etoposide-induced apoptosis in rat hepatocytes. Treatment of mouse hepatocytes with an agonistic anti-Fas antibody also resulted in an induction of high levels of apoptosis. Pre-addition and continued exposure to nafenopin suppressed apoptosis induced by all three stimuli. Overall, our studies demonstrate that the ability of nafenopin to protect hepatocytes from apoptosis is not restricted to species or apoptotic stimulus. It is possible, therefore, that the PPs may suppress apoptosis by acting on diverse signalling pathways. However, it seems more likely that nafenopin suppresses hepatocyte apoptosis elicited by each death stimulus by impinging on a core apoptotic mechanism.     

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: neurophysiologic visual impairments

OBJECTIVE: The predictive value of electrophysiologic visual testing in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) was investigated, and the retinal pathologic findings in three cases are reported. BACKGROUND: The fatal prognosis of CJD, its transmissibility, and the lack of treatment make early diagnosis essential in averting human-to-human transmission. Electroretinogram and visual evoked potentials have been studied in few cases of CJD. METHODS: A visual electrophysiologic examination was performed in 41 consecutive patients referred with suspected CJD. The disease had been diagnosed in 24 patients (CJD group; 15 were confirmed neuropathologically and 9 by clinicolaboratory methods in accordance with diagnostic criteria). The remaining 17 patients were diagnosed with other neurologic disorders, and served as a control group. RESULTS: Flash electroretinogram revealed a significant decrease in the amplitude of the B1 wave (<60 microV) and the B/A ratio (<2) in the CJD group compared with those in the control group. Flash visual evoked potentials revealed no significant difference in latency, but amplitude was increased (>10 microV) in the CJD group, especially in patients with myoclonus. CONCLUSIONS: The visual electrophysiologic abnormalities provide an interesting noninvasive diagnostic tool in idiopathic CJD. The B1-wave decrease is closely correlated with the outer plexiform layer abnormalities observed on neuropathologic examination.