A wireless implantable passive microdosimeter for radiation oncology

Wireless measurement of ionizing radiation in close proximity or/and within an irradiated solid tumor is extremely valuable for dose verification and quality control in radiation oncology. For such applications, it is preferable to manufacture such sensors using passive components since high levels of ionizing radiation can damage active electronics. In addition, passive implementation can reduce the cost associated with fabrication and assembly. This paper reports on the development of an implantable micro-machined passive LC transponder for in situ radiation measurement. Dose measurement is performed by monitoring the resonance frequency change associated with the decay of surface change of an electret upon exposure to radiation. This is achieved through a micromachned capacitor with a movable plate that is partially filled with a Teflon electret and connected in parallel with an inductor, thus forming a passive LC tank circuit. For an implantable prototype encapsulated in a glass capsule (2.5 mm in diameter, 2.8 cm in length), test results show that a dose of 30 Gy (from a Co60 source) can produce 1.46 MHz frequency shift resulting in a sensitivity of 49 kHz/Gy.     

Aqueous solutions of ionic liquids: study of the solution/vapor interface using molecular dynamics simulations

We performed a detailed molecular dynamics study of the interfacial structure of aqueous solutions of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate in order to explain the anomalous dependence of the surface tension on concentration. At low concentrations the surface tension decreases with concentration. At higher concentrations the surface becomes saturated; a plateau is observed in simulations with a non-polarizable force field while a possible increase is detected in simulations with a polarizable force field. The structure is characterized by a surplus of cations at the surface (with hydrophobic butyl chains pointing toward vacuum) which at low concentrations is only partly compensated by the anions because of asymmetric solvation. A more hydrophobic 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate is also simulated for comparison.     

Selective oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides using 30% hydrogen peroxide catalyzed with a recoverable silica-based tungstate interphase catalyst

Various types of aromatic and aliphatic sulfides are selectively oxidized to sulfoxides and sulfones in good to excellent yields using 30% H2O2 in the presence of catalytic amounts of a novel recoverable silica-based tungstate interphase catalyst at room temperature. The catalyst can be recovered and reused for at least eight reaction cycles under the described reaction conditions without considerable loss of reactivity. [reaction: see text]     

One-pot regio- and stereoselective cyclization of 1,2,n-triols

A simple and efficient process to cyclize triols containing a 1,2-diol functionality with a pendant hydroxyl group is presented. The one-pot procedure converts the 1,2-diol into an ortho ester in situ, which upon treatment with a Lewis acid generates a cyclic acetoxonium intermediate. This intermediate is subsequently trapped by the pendant hydroxyl group to generate a cyclic ether. The stereochemistry of the 1,2-diol is transferred to the product with complete fidelity (inversion at the site of cyclization), and the reaction proceeds with high regioselectivity. The process is akin to the Lewis acid-catalyzed intramolecular ring-opening of epoxides with hydroxyl groups yielding cyclic ethers of various sizes with regio- and stereochemical control.     

β-Cyclodextrin as an efficient catalyst for the one-pot synthesis of 1-aminophosphonic esters in water

A simple, efficient, and general method has been developed for the one-pot synthesis of α-aminophosphonic esters in water using β-cyclodextrin as an efficient catalyst. α-Aminophosphonic esters were obtained in good yields (45-82%) and purity under mild conditions by the reaction of diethyl phosphite with a mixture of aldehyde and amine in water at reflux.     

High-frequency conductivity of a two-dimensional electron gas with impurity electron states

The high-frequency conductivity tensor for a two-dimensional electron gas with short-range-acting impurity atoms has been computed. Spatial dispersion of the conductivity was taken into account. The threshold and maxima of the dissipative part of the conductivity arising from ionization of the impurity atoms by the field of electromagnetic waves were found. Numerical calculations of the conductivity were carried out for semiconductor structures with a two-dimensional electron gas. Khar’kov State University. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 7, pp. 91–94, July, 1997.     

An optimized content delivery approach based on demand–supply theory in disruption-tolerant networks

Telecommunication Systems - Disruption-tolerance networks (DTNs) are suitable for applications that may lack continuous network connectivity. Examples of such applications include coupon...     

α,β-Unsaturated ketones based on allobetulone

Crotonization of allobetulone with aromatic and heteroaromatic aldehydes gave a number of new α,β-unsaturated ketones of the lupane series, and their steric structure was determined by X-ray analysis of (E)-4-[(3-oxoallobetulan-2-ylidene)methyl]benzonitrile as an example.