Dihydroxy Phenylselenonium p-Toluenesulfonate; Preparation and Use in the Recycling of Selenium Reagents

Dihydroxy phenylselenonium p-toluenesulfonate is prepared by oxidation of diphenyl diselenide with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of p-toluenesulfonic acid. The process which is carried out as a titration has been applied as the key step in a preparation of very pure diphenyl diselenide and in the recycling of benzeneseleninic acid.     

The microwave heating of two-dimensional slabs with small Arrhenius absorptivity

The microwave heating of two-dimensional slabs in a long rectangularwaveguide propagating the TE₁₀ mode is examined. The temperaturedependency of the electrical conductivity and the thermal absorptivityis assumed to be governed by the Arrhenius law, while both theelectrical permittivity and the magnetic permeability are assumedconstant. The governing equations are the forced heat equationand the steady-state version of Maxwell's equation while theboundary conditions take into account both convective and radiativeheat loss. Approximate analytical solutions, valid for smallthermal absorptivity, are found for the temperature and theelectric-field amplitude using the Galerkin method. As the Arrheniuslaw is not amenable analytically, it is approximated by a rational-cubicfunction. At the steady state the temperature versus power relationshipis found to be multivalued; at the critical power level thermalrunaway occurs when the temperature jumps from the lower (cool)temperature branch to the upper (hot) temperature branch ofthe solution. In the steady-state limit the approximate analyticalsolutions are compared with the numerical solutions of the governingequations for various special cases. These are the limits ofsmall and large heat loss and an intermediate case involvingradiative heat loss. Results are also presented for a case wheredifferential cooling occurs on the different sides on the slab.An alternative heating scenario, where one end of the waveguideis blocked by a short, is also considered. The approximate solutionsare found for this geometry and compared in the small Biot-numberlimit to Kriegsmann (1997). Also, a control process is presented,which allows thermal runaway to be avoided and the desired finalsteady state to be reached. Various special cases of the feedbackparameters associated with the control process are examined.     

Prolonged bone marrow T1-relaxation in acute leukaemia. In vivo tissue characterization by magnetic resonance imaging

In vivo tissue characterization by measurement of T1- and T2-relaxation processes is one of the greatest potentials of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This may be especially useful in the evaluation of bone marrow disorders as the MRI-signal from bone marrow is not influenced by the overlying osseous tissue. Nine patients with acute leukaemia, one patient with myelodysplastic syndrome, and ten normal volunteers were included in the study. The T1- and T2-relaxation processes were measured in the lumbar spine bone marrow using a wholebody superconductive MR-scanner operating at 1.5 Tesla. In the patients MRI was done at the time of diagnosis and during follow-up of chemotherapy and related to bone marrow biopsies taken within three days of the MRI. At the time of diagnosis T1-relaxation time was increased two to three times in the patients (range 0.7-3.0 sec.) compared to the controls (range 0.38-0.60 sec.). No significant difference was seen in the T2-relaxation process. In relation to chemotherapy T1 decreased towards the normal range in the patients who obtained complete remission, whereas T1 remained prolonged in the patients who did not respond successfully to the treatment. The results indicate that MRI may be a non-invasive clinically useful tool in the evaluation of acute leukaemia especially as a follow-up control of chemotherapy.     

Crystallographic structure and defects in epitaxial bismuth films grown on mica

Atomic force microscopy is used to image the surface relief of epitaxial Bi films grown on mica substrates. Monatomic terrace steps are readily resolved, which provide detailed information on crystal growth and defect structures. The films grow from the coalescence of isolated three-dimensional islands, however, each island grows layer-by-layer. The islands are triangular in shape and when they coalesce to form a continuous film, their structures are either in-phase, and consequently large crystallites are formed, or they are out-of-phase and defect structures are formed. The most common defects observed are twinning and stacking faults. Images showing the microscopic details of stacking faults, twinning, and grain boundaries are observed as a result of islands coalescing to form a continuous film.     

Using impedance measurements to detect and quantify the effect of air leaks on the attenuation of earplugs

The impedance of a simple artificial ear occluded with an earplug and bypassed with narrow air leaks was measured along with the attenuation of sound through the air leaks. A lumped element model is suggested for the simple occluded artificial ear with an air leak. The suggested model was adapted to the impedance measurements and the attenuation was predicted from the model. The attenuation predictions were compared to the attenuation measurements and were found to be within [-3.5,+3] dB of the measured attenuation over the frequency range of 50-1000 Hz and an attenuation range of -2-38 dB. The average difference between the measured and predicted attenuation for four different leaks in the frequency range of 50-1000 Hz was -0.7 dB, indicating a very slight underestimation of the attenuation.     

Sparing the ortho‐position in nucleophilic aromatic substitution‐specific displacement of the 4‐SePh group in 2,4‐bis(phenylseleno)nitrobenzene

Upon treatment of o‐ and p‐(phenylseleno)nitrobenzenes with sodium methoxide quantitative exchange reactions took place, affording the corresponding methoxynitrobenzenes. Upon reaction between 2,4‐bis(phenylseleno)nitrobenzene 2 and sodium methoxide, an unusual regiopure formation of 4‐methoxy‐2‐(phenylseleno)nitrobenzene 3 was observed. This product remained unreactive toward an excess of sodium methoxide, thus preventing the formation of 2,4‐dimethoxynitrobenzene 6 . The nature of the reactants and of the intermediate Meisenheimer complexes was examined by synthetic investigations, x‐ray crystallography, and DFT calculations. We found that the observed selectivity can be understood in terms of traditional resonance considerations. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 20:101–108, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/hc.20519     

Bi-directional modulation of AMPA receptor unitary conductance by synaptic activity

Background  

Knowledge of how synapses alter their efficiency of communication is central to the understanding of learning and memory. The most extensively studied forms of synaptic plasticity are long-term potentiation (LTP) and its counterpart long-term depression (LTD) of AMPA receptor-mediated synaptic transmission. In the CA1 region of the hippocampus, it has been shown that LTP often involves a rapid increase in the unitary conductance of AMPA receptor channels. However, LTP can also occur in the absence of any alteration in AMPA receptor unitary conductance. In the present study we have used whole-cell dendritic recording, failures analysis and non-stationary fluctuation analysis to investigate the mechanism of depotentiation of LTP.     

A finite element formulation for laminar flow of a fluid with microstructure

A finite element formulation for the steady laminar flow of an incompressible fluid with microstructure has been developed. The particular fluids considered are commonly known as micropolar fluids, in which case suspended particulate microstructures are modelled by an ‘extended’ continuum formulation. The particle microspin is a new kinematic variable which is independent of the classical vorticity vector and thereby allows relative rotation between particles and the surrounding fluid. This formulation also gives rise to couple stresses in addition to classical force or traction stresses. The finite element formulation utilizes a variational approach and imposes conservation of mass through a penalty function. A general boundary condition for microspin has been incorporated whereby microspin at a solid boundary is constrained to be proportional to the fluid vorticity. The proportionality constant in this case can vary from zero to unity. Sample solutions are presented for fully developed flow through a straight tube and compared with an analytical solution. Results are also generated for flow through a constricted tube and compared with a Newtonian fluid solution.     

Effects of recombinant human erythropoietin on the haemopoietic bone marrow monitored by magnetic resonance spectroscopy in patients with end-stage renal disease

Volume selective magnetic resonance (MR) proton spectroscopy was used to investigate changes in the haemopoietic bone marrow in patients with end-stage renal disease undergoing treatment with recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO). Significant changes could be detected in the spectra 14 days after the beginning of treatment, before any response was seen in the haemoglobin concentration of peripheral blood. The spectral changes indicate an alteration in cellular composition of haemopoietic bone marrow with an increase in the amount of haemopoietic active tissue. One patient showed a major change in the spectrum four days after treatment began, indicating that MR spectroscopy may detect early changes in the cellular composition of the bone marrow. This noninvasive method may be useful in evaluating treatment effects of recombinant human haemopoietic growth factors in the bone marrow, as well as investigating bone marrow response from different modes of rHuEPO administration.     

A versatile spectrometer for secondary x-ray fluorescence excitation

Inexpensive research equipment for secondary x-ray fluorescence excitation is described. The primary beam from a high-powered x-ray tube is collimated onto the targets, six of which may be easily and safely interchanged. A collimator system ensures that the detector receives radiation from well defined areas of the sample. The geometry minimizes radiation from Compton scattering, the twice-scattered continuum radiation from the x-ray tube, and the characteristic lines from the secondary target. The unit is designed for use with standard x-ray tubes and generators, and is part of an energy-dispersive spectrometer used for multielement analysis. The performance of the system with a variety of samples is described.