Radiation dose contribution from coal-slags used as structural building material

A significant dose contribution on the population could be derived from coal slags used as isolation material. Extremely high natural activities are measured in the coal slag, derived from the region of the settlement Ajka, Hungary. In some buildings monitored, the elevated -doses were nearly 5–10 times higher than the world average ones. The annual average indoor radon concentrations from the slag exceeded 400 Bq/m³ and in some cases up to 1200 Bq/m³. Due to the elevated exposure and the radon concentrations in the dwellings the annual dose was estimated to 8–24 mSv/y more than 5–10 times of the world average one.     

Differentiable Distance Spaces

The distance function \({\varrho(p, q) ({\rm or} d(p, q))}\) of a distance space (general metric space) is not differentiable in general. We investigate such distance spaces over \({\mathbb{R}^n}\), whose distance functions are differentiable like in case of Finsler spaces. These spaces have several good properties, yet they are not Finsler spaces (which are special distance spaces). They are situated between general metric spaces (distance spaces) and Finsler spaces. We will investigate such curves of differentiable distance spaces, which possess the same properties as geodesics do in Finsler spaces. So these curves can be considered as forerunners of Finsler geodesics. They are in greater plenitude than Finsler geodesics, but they become geodesics in a Finsler space. We show some properties of these curves, as well as some relations between differentiable distance spaces and Finsler spaces. We arrive to these curves and to our results by using distance spheres, and using no variational calculus. We often apply direct geometric considerations.     

CIRCULAR DICHROISM SPECTRA OF SYSTEM I PARTICLES FROM NORMAL CHLOROPLASTS AND CAROTENOID-DEFICIENT MUTANTS OF MAIZE

Abstract— Circular dichroism (CD) spectra were studied in System I particles prepared by digitonin fragmentation of chloroplasts of normal maize and carotenoid-deficient mutants. CD bands of pigment molecules were found to be higher in particles than in solutions. This phenomenon was most pronounced for the particles containing the carotenoid composition of normal chloroplast lamellae. The CD signal of chlorophylls bound to particles of carotenoid-deficient chloroplasts was closer to that found in solutions. This indicates that aggregation and/or binding of chlorophylls in carotenoid-deficient mutants may be less extensive than in normal chloroplasts.     

Design and synthesis of a diverse morpholine template library

Efficient and general procedures have been developed for the solution-phase preparation of substituted morpholine derivatives, and a library has been produced around generic structure 1. This library was designed with proprietary modeling software for use as a general screening library. The 30 R1 reagents were phenols, and the 275 R2 reagents were taken from five different reagent classes, giving a variety of product classes in the final library of 8250 potential products. All of the library members were generated from a common intermediate, mesylate (5), which was synthesized efficiently, in bulk, in three steps from N-benzylethanolamine (2). High-throughput chemistry using robotics was carried out to produce the 7907 library members, which were individually characterized by reversed-phase LC/MS analysis.     

Composition and thermal stability of SiO2-based hybrid materials TEOS-MTEOS system

Hybrid materials with different amounts of organics permanently bound on the inorganic network obtained in the TEOS-MTEOS (tetraethoxysilan-methyltriethoxysilan) system are used for obtaining coatings with different optical and mechanical properties. To study the thermal stability of the mentioned materials, compositions with different molar ratios of the precursors were prepared. The influence of the solvent and water amounts on the gelation process was also investigated. The gels obtained were characterised by IR spectrometry and their decomposition temperatures were determined by DTA/TG. Thermal stability of the gels is rather influenced by their composition than the conditions of the gelation process. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Simultaneous determination of estrogenic and androgenic hormones in water by isotope dilution gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

A rapid gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) analytical method was developed for the simultaneous analysis of 7 estrogenic hormones (17α-estradiol, 17β-estradiol, estrone, mestranol, 17α-ethynylestradiol, levonorgestrel, estriol) and 5 androgenic hormones (testosterone, androsterone, etiocholanolone, dihydrotestosterone, androstenedione) in aqueous matrices. This method is unique in its inclusion of all 12 of these estrogens and androgens and is of particular value due to its very short chromatographic run time of 15 min. The use of isotope dilution for all analytes ensures the accurate quantification, accounting for analytical variabilities that may be introduced during sample processing and instrumental analysis. Direct isotopically labelled analogues were used for 8 of the 12 hormones and satisfactory isotope standards were identified for the remaining 4 hormones. Method detection levels (MDLs) were determined to describe analyte concentrations sufficient to provide a signal with 99% certainty of detection. The established MDLs for most analytes were 1-5 ngL(-1) in a variety of aqueous matrices. However, slightly higher MDLs were observed for etiocholanolone, androstenedione, testosterone, levonorgestrel and dihydrotestosterone in some aqueous matrices. Sample matrices were observed to have only a minor impact on MDLs and the method validation confirmed satisfactory method stability over intra-day and inter-day analyses of surface water and tertiary treated effluent samples.     

Determination of the fragmentation mechanisms of organophosphorus ions by H2O and D2O atmospheric-pressure ionization tandem mass spectrometry

Dimethylmethyl phosphonate (DMMP), dimethyl phosphite (DMPI), trimethyl phosphite (TMPI) and trimethyl phosphate (TMP) were investigated using H₂O and D₂O atmospheric-pressure ionization (API) tandem mass Spectrometry. All daughter ions could be explained by losses of one or a successive number of stable molecules as opposed to losses of radicals such as the hydride, methyl and methoxy species. Losses of neutral methanol and dimethyl ether and of protonated methanol and formaldehyde ions from all four organophosphorus pseudo-molecular ions were observed. The DMMP and DMPI MH⁺ pseudomolecular ions produced the losses of neutral C₂H₆ and water, respectively. Formaldehyde loss was not observed for the MH⁺ ions, but it was well represented in the decomposition pathways of daughter ions. The D₂O reagent gas highlighted the role of the ionizing proton/ deuteron in the various daughter ions, including m/z 95, 79, 65, 49, 33, 31 and 47. The last ion was found to be isobaric in that m/z 47 and 48 both appeared with similar abundances in the D₂O-API daughter ion mass spectra of TMPI and TMP.     

Cobalt-catalyzed intermolecular C-H amination with bromamine-T as nitrene source

Cobalt, supported by porphyrin ligands, is capable of catalyzing intermolecular nitrene insertion of sp(3) C-H bonds with bromamine-T as the nitrene source, forming the desired tosyl-protected amines with NaBr as the by-product.