Nuclear lifetime measurements of some excited states in 187Re

Earlier measurements on half-lives of the 686 keV, 625 keV and 618 keV levels in ¹⁸⁷Re have shown remarkable disagreements. The main object of this investigation has been to remeasure these half-lives by means of the delayed coincidence method utilizing a long-lens electron-electron spectrometer. The half-lives of these levels were measured as being: 686 keV level: $\text{T}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>1</mtext><mtext>2</mtext>}}\text{= 10±3}\text{ps}\text{; 625 keV}$ level: $\text{T}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>1</mtext><mtext>2</mtext>}}\text{= 548 ± 20}\text{ps}\text{; 618 keV}$ level: $\text{T}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>1</mtext><mtext>2</mtext>}}\text{<50}\text{ps}$.     

Controlled drug release from gels using lipophilic interactions of charged substances with surfactants and polymers

The aim of this article was to study interactions between different gel forming polymers and amphiphilic drugs and surfactants with the intention of finding interactions that can be used for designing controlled release formulations. The release from gels was measured by detecting the UV-absorbance of drugs released from 6 mL gel into 250 mL release medium in a dissolution bath. The rheological behavior of gels was characterized using a controlled rate rheometer. The diffusion coefficient of alprenolol was 6.3 x 10(-6) cm(2)/s when formulated in a 1% poly(acrylic acid) gel (PAA) and 2.8 x 10(-6) cm(2)/s in a lipophilically modified gel (LM-PAA). The addition of alprenolol to 1% LM-PAA increased the elasticity, G', from 123 to 182 Pa. Increased gel strength was also observed for a number of other amphiphilic drugs. The addition of 1% Brij 58 to LM-PAA decreased the diffusion coefficient of alprenolol to 2.3 x 10(-6) cm(2)/s. It was possible to sustain the release of charged drugs with high log P by adding surfactant micelles. However, the effect was small and only useful for drugs with adequate lipophilicity. The interaction between LM-PAA and amphiphilic drugs could be seen using rheology and was used for designing controlled release gel formulations. In this way surfactants can be avoided, thus decreasing toxicity problems.     

Identification of the major tautomer for an etheno adduct of 2,6-diaminopurine by determination of the sign of (n)J(H,C)

The major of two solution-state tautomers observed for an etheno product of 2,6-diaminopurine was identified as the tautomer H-1 on the basis of the recognition of the two-bond coupling between the NH proton and C-9a and the three-bond coupling between the NH proton and C-3a. The couplings were distinguished as being over two- or three bonds by determination of the sign of the coupling using two-dimensional heteronuclear NMR, negative in the former case and positive in the latter case. [structure: see text]     

Electro- and photoinduced spallation reactions on27Al and51V at intermediate energies

Cross sections for some electro- and photoinduced spallation reactions on²⁷Al and⁵¹V have been measured in the energy region 130–580 MeV with the activation method. The cross sections per photon are compared to Monte-Carlo calculations based on a cascade-evaporation model. The electrodisintegration cross sections are compared to calculations based on the Dalitz formalism for virtual photon spectra.     

Helicobacter pylori determination in non-municipal drinking water and epidemiological findings

BACKGROUND: Studies conducted in Europe as well as in North and South America have tried to link Helicobacter pylori colonization with the drinking water supply, especially since H. pylori is known to survive quite well in water. METHODS: In 2000, a cohort of 1884 grade-two children from two rural counties surrounding the city of Leipzig, Germany (77.4% of the 1991/1992 birth cohort) were tested for H. pylori colonization using the [13C]urea breath test. A parent-completed questionnaire elicited details on living conditions and lifestyle habits including questions on the children's drinking water from sources other than public water supplies, swimming in natural waters, etc. In a second independent study, samples of well water, taken from 157 private wells still used in the two counties, were being tested for the presence of H. pylori, using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method to determine relevant target DNA fragments of H. pylori. RESULTS: In county I, 5.7% of the children and in county II 6.6% tested H. pylori-positive. Cluster analyses of the questionnaire data in both counties pointed to 'drinking water from other than municipal sources', as the closest H. pylori-associated cluster variable. The cluster estimations were supported by odds ratio (OR) calculations with an OR=16.4 (95% confidence interval (CI) 3.1,...,88.5) for county I and OR=4.0 (95% CI 1.3,...,12.4) for county II. The PCR analyses showed H. pylori DNA fragments in 10.8% of the wells in county I and 9.2% in county II. The detection limit was set at 10 DNA copies corresponding to 125 bacteria/L, the average infestation of these wells was 931 bacteria/L. CONCLUSION: Despite the fact that the microbiological and epidemiological data do not correspond except that both studies were conducted in the same geographical areas, the independent findings of H. pylori in well water in the same general areas where children do seem to drink water other than from the public water supply suggests that water may be an important source of H. pylori infection.     

All-optical phase-change memory in a single gallium nanoparticle

We report on the first demonstration of a quaternary-logical resonatorless optical memory element with information encoded in the structural phase of a single 80 nm gallium nanoparticle. The size of the memory element is comparable with bits in next-generation hard disks, and radically smaller than previously suggested memories exploiting optical resonators. Furthermore, the energy required for switching the nanoparticle is an order of magnitude less than needed in DVD, DVR, or hard disk technologies.     

Temporal temperature measurement on burning biomass pellets using phosphor thermometry and two-line atomic fluorescence

We report accurate in-situ optical measurements of surface temperature, volatile gas temperature, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission over the whole burning history of individual biomass pellets in various combustion atmospheres. Two biomass fuels, wood and straw, were prepared in cylindrical pellets of ～300 mg. The pellets were burned in a well-controlled combustion atmosphere provided by a laminar flame burner with temperature ranging from 1390 K to 1840 K, and oxygen concentration from zero to 4.5%. The surface temperature of burning biomass pellets was accurately measured, for the first time, using phosphor thermometry, and the volatile gas temperature was measured using two-line atomic fluorescence thermometry. PAH emission was monitored using two-dimensional laser-induced fluorescence. During the devolatilization stage, a relatively low surface temperature, ～700 K, was observed on the burning pellets. The volatile gas temperature was ～1100 K and ～1500 K 5 mm above the top of the pellets in a gas environment of ～1800 K with 0.5% and 4.5% oxygen, respectively. PAH mainly released when the temperature of the pellet exceeded ～600 K with the highest concentration close to the surface and being consumed downstream. The weight of the released PAH molecules shifted towards lighter with a reduction of gas environment temperature. The wood and straw pellets had almost the same surface and volatile gas temperature but different compositions in the released volatile gases. The temperature information provided in the present work aids in revealing the reactions in the burning biomass fuels regarding species release, such as various hydrocarbons, nitrogen compounds, and potassium species, and is valuable for further development of biomass thermal conversion models.     

MTO and OsO4: an efficient catalytic couple for mild H2O2-based asymmetric dihydroxylation of olefins

A novel and robust system for osmium-catalyzed asymmetric dihydroxylation of olefins by aqueous H2O2 with methyltrioxorhenium (MTO) as electron transfer mediator (ETM) has been developed. The MTO is catalyzing the H2O2 oxidation of the chiral ligand to its mono-N-oxide, which in turn reoxidizes OsVI to OsVIII. Thus the (DHQD)2PHAL plays a dual role serving as the chiral inductor as well as the tertiary amine generating the N-oxide required for the recycling of osmium. The present catalytic system gives vicinal diols in good isolated yields and high enantiomeric excess (up to 99 % ee).