Study of fast target protons in high energy hadron-nucleus collisions

Intranuclear cascade model calculations are carried out on the recent measurements (WA80 Collaborations) for the multiplicity, energy and angular distributions of singly charged target fragments of energy in the range 30 E < 400=" mev=" (the=" so-called=" grey=" particles)=" produced=" in=" proton-nucleus=" interactions=" at=" 200=" gev/c.=" it=" is=" shown=" that=" these=" distributions=" are=" reasonably=" well=" understood=" in=" terms=" of=" the=" intranuclear=" cascade=" model=" which=" considers=" that=" grey=" particles=" are=" only=" produced=" in=" the=" first=" two=" generations=" of=" the=" cascade.=" the=" obtained=" distributions,=" mean=" values=" and=" target=" mass=" dependence=" are=" more=" consistent=" with=" the=" experimental=" data=" than=" other=" models=" using=" monte=" carlo=">     

Comparison of microwave digestion procedures for the determination of some elements in asphaltite ash using ICP-AES

A microwave digestion procedure for asphaltite ash was developed in an attempt to facilitate routine analysis and obtain reproducible conditions or comparable results. The conditions of the most effective procedure for 0.1 g asphaltite ash samples are 1 ml of HNO3 + 3 ml of HCl + 1 ml of HF + 1 ml of deionized water as acid mixture and 15 min for digestion time. The digestion was accomplished in five stages applying continuously 90% to 20% of the microwave power and 20 to 100 psi of the pressure for 10 min of total time. Concentrations of selected elements, Cr, Co, Fe, Mn, Ni and Zn were measured using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy. The proposed method of digestion provided precise results with relative standard deviations generally less than 3% for investigated elements. Results for fly ash as standard reference material was in good agreement with certified values.     

Back titration with mercuric nitrate in alkaline medium analysis of tertiary mixtures of mercury(II) with some other metals

Summary Tertiary mixtures each containing mercury(II) were analysed by simple procedures involving combination between the recent method of back titration with mercuric nitrate in alkaline medium, and the volumetric methods which make use of masking agents as cyanide. The content of mercury(II) in most mixtures is determined potentiometrically with potassium iodide using the silver amalgam as indicator electrode. End points are attended with fair accuracy within 0.02 ml titrant and with reasonable jumps from 60 to 90 mv per 0.1 ml of mercuric nitrate solution or from 170 to 200 mv per 0.1 ml of potassium iodide solution.     

Evaluation of lead(II) and nickel(II) toxicity in NaCl and NaClO4 solutions by using MicrotoxR bioassay

The toxicity of nickel and lead compounds has been evaluated in NaCl and NaClO₄ solutions by using the Microtox^R bioassay. The aim of this work was to assess the toxicity of the different species in solution when varying the concentration of the medium. A modified Microtox protocol which enables the pH to be constant in all the cuvettes during analysis has been used. The positively charged species (Ni²⁺, Pb²⁺, PbCl⁺) were found to contribute more to the toxicity of Ni and Pb in NaCl while in NaClO₄ solutions free metal was the responsible species. In all media studied, Pb compounds were the most toxic and provoked a quick response of the bacteria. Received: 25 July 1997 / Revised: 9 September 1997 / Accepted: 20 September 1997     

Direct measurement of the binding force between microfabricated particles and a planar surface in aqueous solution by force-sensing piezoresistive cantilevers

We propose a force measurement method for evaluating the binding force between microscale flat surfaces in an aqueous solution. Using force-sensing piezoresistive cantilevers with sub-nanonewton force resolution, we have directly measured binding forces between SiO2-SiO2 microcontacts, which were created by gravity-driven random collision between microfabricated SiO2 cylindrical particles and a planar SiO2 substrate in a HCl solution. First, to examine our method we measured the pH dependence of the binding force. The binding forces were 12 and 5.8 nN at pH 1.0 and 2.0, respectively. As the pH increased, the binding force decreased and became zero at pH greater than 3.0. We confirmed that the bindings were based on the van der Waals' (VDW) force at pH 2.0 or less whereas a repulsive double-layer force acted between the surfaces at pH 3.0 or more. Second, the binding forces were categorized into a friction force or an adhesion force between the particles and the substrate. In the measurement, the friction force between the particle and the substrate was measured in the case when the particle slid on the substrate. On the contrary, the adhesion force was measured when the particle came off the substrate. Whether the particle slid or came off depended on the aspect ratio of the particle. We fabricated cylindrical particles with an aspect ratio of 0.03-2.0 and distinguished the friction force from the adhesion force by changing the aspect ratio of the particles. As a result, the friction force per unit contact area between SiO2-SiO2 flat surfaces was found to be 330 pN/microm2 +/- 20% when we used particles with a low aspect ratio (<0.1), and the adhesion force per unit contact area was 90 pN/microm2 +/- 20% for particles with a high aspect ratio (>0.4). For fluidic self-assembly that utilizes microscale surface contact in a liquid, our measurement method is an effective tool for studying and developing systems.     

The reaction of isothiocyanates with 2-cyanoethanoic acid hydrazide. A novel synthesis of 1,3,4-thiadiazoles

Benzoyl and ethoxycarbonyl isothiocyanates reacted with 2-cyanoethanoic acid hydrazide 2 to afford 1-cyanoacetyl-4-substituted thiosemicarbazide ( 5a,b ). Compound 5a afforded the pyrazolo[1,5-a]-s-triazine derivative 6 on treatment with 5% potassium hydroxide, and cyclised to 2-benzoylamino-5-cyanomethyl-1,3,4-thiadiazole ( 8 ) when boiled under reflux in glacial acetic acid. Compound 8 condensed with aromatic aldehydes to yield the corresponding arylidene derivatives 9a-c . It undergoes coupling with aromatic diazonium salts to afford the hydrazones 11a-c . Similarly, it coupled with diazotised aminopyrazole to afford the cyclic product 12 .     

Computational schemes for modeling proton transfer in biological systems: Calculations on the hydrogen bonded complex [CH3OH · H · NH3]+

Different schemes are explored for the calculation of the proton transfer process in the hydrogen bonded cation [CH₃OH · H · NH₃]⁺. Results from ab-initio calculations with the STO-3G, 3-21G and 4-31G basis sets, are compared in search for an efficient reliable scheme to study the potential energy curves for the proton transfer. The curve constructed from the lowest energies calculated with the frozen optimized geometries of the two possible pairs of proton donor and acceptor fragments, (i.e., CH₃OH/NH₃ and CH₃OH/NH) is in good agreement with that obtained when all the fragments of the hydrogen bonded complex are completely optimized simultaneously.     

Significance of β-sheet formation for micellization and surface adsorption of surfactin

It was found that surfactin, an anionic lipopeptide biosurfactant, forms large rod-shaped micelles (micellar weight, 179 000, aggregation number n = 173) having a critical CMC of 9.4 × 10⁻⁶ M and a surface tension at the CMC γ_CMC of 30 mN m⁻¹ in 0.1 M NaHCO₃ (pH 8.7). This excellent surface-active behaviour was attributed to the ease of piling of surfactin molecules organized by β-sheet formation. Surfactin also showed a possible organization between molecules due to β-sheet structure at the air-water interface under forced experimental conditions.     

Low-noise fiber optics receiver with super-beta bipolar transistors

A low-noise wideband optical fiber receiver has been successfully designed using super-beta bipolar transistors (BJTs) at the front end. Even with commercially available super-beta devices, which are not optimized for our application, the obtainable input sensitivity for medium- and high-bandwidth optical receivers is comparable or superior to the best FET design. To demonstrate this concept, a 10-MHz analog receiver was built with a super-beta BJT at the input stage. This receiver achieved an expected average input noise current density of less than 0.4 PA/√Hz over the full bandwidth for a transresistance of 500 kΩ. Detailed design procedures are given in this paper. The noise characteristics of a 50-MHz receiver using super-beta BJTs are also obtained.