Micro-fibre and ultra-micro-fibre cloths, their physical characteristics, cleaning effect, abrasion on surfaces, friction, and wear resistance

The properties of 12 micro-fibre cloths and two ultra-micro-fibre cloths were studied and compared with conventional cleaning methods. The cloths made from micro-fibre and ultra-micro-fibre had very good cleaning effect. Scrubbing Plexiglas caused pitting and scratch marks on the Plexiglas surface with the largest damage being caused in dry condition. All the cloths tested were wear resistant. Most of the cloths showed high friction against the surfaces in damp condition. Micro- and ultra-micro-fibre cloths are good alternatives to conventional methods for cleaning interior surfaces. Furthermore, good cleaning results can be achieved without any use of polluting cleaning chemicals.     

Organic Phenolic Configurationally Locked Polyene Single Crystals for Electro‐optic and Terahertz Wave Applications

We investigate a configurationally locked polyene (CLP) crystal 2‐(3‐(4‐hydroxystyryl)‐5,5‐dimethylcyclohex‐2‐enylidene)malononitrile (OH1) containing a phenolic electron donor, which also acts as a hydrogen bond donor. The OH1 crystals with orthorhombic space group Pna2₁ (point group mm2) exhibit large second‐order nonlinear optical figures of merit, high thermal stability and very favorable crystal growth characteristics. Higher solubility in methanol and a larger temperature difference between the melting temperature and the decomposition temperature of OH1 compared to analogous CLP crystals, are of advantage for solution and melt crystal growth, respectively. Acentric bulk OH1 crystals of large sizes with side lengths of up to 1 cm with excellent optical quality have been successfully grown from methanol solution. The microscopic and macroscopic nonlinearities of the OH1 crystals are investigated theoretically and experimentally. The OH1 crystals exhibit a large macroscopic nonlinearity with four times larger powder second harmonic generation efficiency than that of analogous CLP crystals containing dimethylamino electron donor. A very high potential of OH1 crystals for broadband THz wave emitters in the full frequency range of 0.1–3 THz by optical rectification of 160 fs pulses has been demonstrated.     

On Multiple Scattering of Radiation by an Infinite Grating of Dielectric Circular Cylinders at Oblique Incidence

A rigorous analytical representation for the multiple scattering coefficients of the fields radiated by an infinite grating of dielectric circular cylinders excited by an obliquely incident plane electromagnetic wave is derived in terms of the “well-known scattering coefficients of an isolated dielectric cylinder at oblique incidence” and “Schlömilch series”. In addition, a generalized sum-integral grating equation is acquired for the multiple scattered amplitude of a cylinder at oblique incidence in the grating in terms of the scattering coefficients of the insulating dielectric circular cylinder at oblique incidence.     

Einfluss des Verlustfaktors auf die Schalldämmung von Lochsteinmauerwerk

Effect of loss factor on the sound insulation of hollow block masonry. Sound insulation is known to depend on the loss factor. In solid construction elements the loss factor is largely determined by the energy transfer to adjacent construction elements via the edges, so that the installation conditions influence the sound insulation. This effect is taken into account in the calculation models of EN 12354 through the so‐called in‐situ correction, whereby the overall loss factor of a component tested in the laboratory is converted to an expected loss factor in a real building. This paper illustrates how the loss factor correction should be applied for vertically perforated bricks with possible resonance frequencies from around 800 Hz. It was found that the correction can basically be applied in the same way as for homogeneous masonry, but only up the first resonance frequency of the brick. For higher frequencies the sound insulation was found to be independent of the installation conditions, so that in this range no loss factor correction should be applied.     

Multicenter study on measurement of the natural pH of the skin surface

Characterization of the skin's natural state is very important for understanding skin functions and describing disturbances of skin function. In the field of cosmetics and dermatologicals the natural pH of the skin surface plays an important role in the development of products with a skin neutral pH. In a multicenter study the natural pH of the skin surface (exception of underarm and genital areas), was to be measured. It was to be determined whether gender-specific differences in the pH occur. The skin surface pH was measured on the inside of the forearms in 222 volunteers (147 female, 75 male) using the skin pH meters of the respective institutes. The pH was measured in triplicate on adjacent areas 24 h after the last contact of the measuring site with water, topical applications and an intensive washing procedure. The values of the skin surface pH were 4.9 (arithmetic mean). The 95% interval was between 4.1 and 5.8. The pH on the forearm of the male volunteers was slightly lower than that of the females. The difference was statistically significant (p < 0.01; 4.8 to 5.0). The authors suggest that the GDCh recommendations for the claims >>skin neutral pH«, >>ideal pH« or >>skin-friendly pH« should be revised and propose a pH range of 4.1 to 5.8 for the main body areas excluding the underarm and genital areas.     

Batch Tests for Optimisation of Solvent Composition and Process Flexibility of the CHALMEX FS-13 Process

ABSTRACT

Studies have been performed with the purpose of determining the optimal solvent composition of a Chalmers grouped actinide extraction (CHALMEX) solvent for the selective co-extraction of transuranic elements in a novel Grouped ActiNide EXtraction (GANEX) process. The solvent is composed of 6,6’-bis(5,5,8,8-tetramethyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-benzo-[1,2,4]-triazin-3-yl)-[2,2’]-bipyridine (CyMe₄-BTBP) and tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP) in phenyl trifluoromethyl sulfone (FS-13). The performance of the system has been shown to significantly depend on the ratios of the two extracting agents and the diluent to one another. Furthermore, the performance of the determined optimal solvent (10 mM CyMe₄-BTBP in 30% v/v TBP and 70% v/v FS-13) on various simulated PUREX raffinate solutions was tested. It was found that the solvent extracts all transuranic elements with high efficiency and good selectivity with regard to most other elements (fission products/activation products) present in the simulated PUREX raffinate solutions. Moreover, the solvent was found to extract a significant amount of acid. Palladium, silver, and cadmium were co-extracted along with the TRU-radionuclides, which has also been observed in other similar CHALMEX systems. The extraction of plutonium and uranium was preserved for all tested simulated PUREX raffinate solutions compared to experiments using trace amounts.     

Multilayer Fresnel zone plate for soft X-ray microscopy resolves sub-39nm structures

Best resolutions in X-ray focusing are obtained to date by using diffractive lenses called Fresnel zone plates (FZPs). Their further improvement is nevertheless hindered by fundamental limitations in the employed manufacturing techniques. Here, we show a novel method to fabricate FZPs based on multilayer deposition with atomic layer deposition (ALD) and subsequent sectioning with focused ion beam (FIB). For the first time a multilayer FZP working in the soft X-ray range was prepared and could achieve the best resolution obtained so far for multilayer FZPs by resolving features below 39 nm in size in a scanning soft X-ray microscope. The new technique presents high potential for high resolution microscopy in both the soft and hard X-ray range.     

Human placenta barrier remodelling under different type of hypoxia

The stereological investigation was performed on intermediate and terminal villi of placenta obtained from each of the following conditions: high altitude (up to 2800 m), maternal anemia and EPH-gestosis. These conditions were taken to represent hypoxic, anemic and ischemic hypoxia, respectively. In each situation there was a trend for both the volume of trophoblast and stroma to be lower than in controls with accompanying increase in the volume fraction of fetal capillaries, although the differences were statistically significant only for cases of hypoxic and anemic hypoxia. The capillary diameter was higher in EPH-gestosis group. There was no evidence of "hypercapillarization" of the villi because the relative capillary length was constant in all the groups. The harmonic mean thickness in anemia and altitude groups was reduced. As a result a specific and morphometric (per 1 kg of fetal weight) diffusing capacity was maintained at the control level, but at the altitude group it was even higher. These results suggest that placenta barrier remodelling is the principal mechanism of adaptation to different forms of hypoxia.