Flammenpyrolytische Silikatbeschichtung bei Normaldruck als Alternative zu Vakuumverfahren. Combustion CVD of silica as an alternative method to vakuum treatment

In advancement of Pyrosil®‐technology a new kind of precursor delivery was developed, build and tested on real substrates. A Lab‐demonstrator was build to demonstrate the resources of the technology.     

Peripheral nerve stimulation by time-varying magnetic fields

PURPOSE: A study was performed to assess the stimulation threshold for healthy adults using sinusoidally oscillating gradients. METHOD: One hundred thirteen healthy adults were examined in the study. ECG and physiological parameters were measured. All measurements were performed of both the head and the abdomen. The subjects were measured in the supine position with the region of interest positioned in the center of the gradient coils. The measurement was performed for three orthogonal, four oblique, and double oblique orientations. RESULTS: No volunteer reported painful, severe stimulation. The mean thresholds for peripheral stimulation in head and body measurement were similar: 85.5% of stimulation during examination of the head and 87.6% during measurements of the abdomen were reported when the y-gradient was used. CONCLUSION: The greatest frequency of reported stimulations occurs when the y-gradient is used. This was confirmed by the results and supports the hypothesis that orthogonal to the y-axis the body has its largest conductive loop, resulting in the strongest peripheral stimulation.     

Intracavitary afterloading therapy as a new technique of boost irradiation in anal canal carcinoma

PURPOSE: There are different techniques of boost irradiation in the treatment of patients with anal carcinoma. A new system of applicators is presented, which can be used for an intracavitary afterloading therapy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Three different applicators are available, the first with a central catheter (K1), a second with 5 semicircular fixed catheters (K2) and an eccentric shield, a third with 8 circular fixed catheters and a central shield (K3). RESULTS: The adequate choice of applicator and catheters takes into consideration the individual localisation and extension of anal carcinoma in planning therapy. Thus, in circular growing tumors, an irradiation of the whole circumference of the anal canal is possible. In non-circular growing tumors, the dose applied in the non-affected part of the anal canal can be reduced to a quarter of the dose applied at the tumor. CONCLUSION: The new system of intracavitary afterloading therapy is a good alternative to previous techniques of boost irradiation in the treatment of anal carcinoma. By means of this technique, irradiation can be highly individualized, the tumor better included and non-affected sections of the anal canal saved.     

A subunit interaction in chloroplast ATP synthase determined by genetic complementation between chloroplast and bacterial ATP synthase genes

F1F0-ATP synthases utilize protein conformational changes induced by a transmembrane proton gradient to synthesize ATP. The allosteric cooperativity of these multisubunit enzymes presumably requires numerous protein-protein interactions within the enzyme complex. To correlate known in vitro changes in subunit structure with in vivo allosteric interactions, we introduced the beta subunit of spinach chloroplast coupling factor 1 ATP into a bacterial F1 ATP synthase. A cloned atpB gene, encoding the complete chloroplast beta subunit, complemented a chromosomal deletion of the cognate uncD gene in Escherichia coli and was incorporated into a functional hybrid F1 ATP synthase. The cysteine residue at position 63 in chloroplast beta is known to be located at the interface between alpha and beta subunits and to be conformationally coupled, in vitro, to the nucleotide binding site > 40 A away. Enlarging the side chain of chloroplast coupling factor 1 beta residue 63 from Cys to Trp blocked ATP synthesis in vivo without significantly impairing ATPase activity or ADP binding in vitro. The in vivo coupling of nucleotide binding at catalytic sites to transmembrane proton movement may thus involve an interaction, via conformational changes, between the amino-terminal domains of the alpha and beta subunits.     

Growth structure investigation of MgF2 and NdF3 films grown by molecular beam deposition on CaF2(111) substrates

The growth structure of MgF₂ and NdF₃ films grown on polished CaF₂(111) substrates deposited by molecular beam deposition has been investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of microfractographical and surface replications as well as cross-sectional TEM, atomic force microscopy, packing density, and absorption measurements. It has been shown that by taking advantage of ultrahigh vacuum environments and a special stratification property of MgF₂ and NdF₃ films, the preparation of nanocrystalline films of high packing density and low optical absorption is possible at a substrate temperature of 425 K.     

The on-line texture analysis of steel strips

A new on-line texture-analyzing system and its application to nondestructive r value determination is discussed. In addition to providing a brief theoretical background and describing the instrumental set-up, the article presents off-line measurements with this equipment and demonstrates the high accuracy of the determined r-values. A special feature of the unit is the possibility to simultaneously measure the most important r values—r₀, r₄₅, r₉₀, and r_m.     

Formation of GaAsP interface layers monitored by reflectance anisotropy spectroscopy

Reflectance anisotropy spectroscopy (RAS) has been used to study As-by-P exchange during metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. The study focuses on the processes occurring during switching from GaAs to GaInP, especially the effect of purging PH₃ over a GaAs surface. GaAsP/GaAs superlattices of different periodicity were grown and the P-content was determined by high-resolution x-ray diffraction and correlated to the RAS spectra. From the temperature dependence of the P-content, an activation energy of 0.56 eV was estimated for the incorporation mechanism. In addition to the insights into the processes at mixed group-V heterointerfaces, our study demonstrates the reproducibility of RAS transients that thus can be used for process monitoring.     

Transition metal- chalcogen systems XI: the platinum- selenium phase diagram

The platinum-selenium phase diagram was investigated by differential thermal analysis, metallography, and X-ray powder diffraction methods. The two previously known intermediate phases, Pt₅Se₄ and PtSe₂, both melt congruently: Pt₅Se₄ at ∼1070 °C and PtSe₂ (under its own vapor pressure) at 1245 ± 10 °C. Pt₅Se₄ forms a eutectic with Pt at 1065 ± 2 °C and ∼42 at % Se and another one with PtSe₂ at 1067 ± 2 °C and somewhat below 45 at.% Se. On cooling, Pt and PtSe₂ form a metastable eutectic at 1037 ± 2 °C and ∼43 at % Se. Between PtSe₂ and Se, a degenerate eutectic was found at 221 °C, which also indicates negligible solubility of platinum in solid selenium.