Method for forming hermetic seals

The firmly adherent film of bondable metal, such as silver, is applied to the surface of glass or other substrate by decomposing a layer of solution of a thermally decomposable metallo-organic deposition (MOD) compound such as silver neodecanoate in xylene. The MOD compound thermally decomposes into metal and gaseous by-products. Sealing is accomplished by depositing a layer of bonding metal, such as solder or a brazing alloy, on the metal film and then forming an assembly with another high melting point metal surface such as a layer of Kovar. When the assembly is heated above the temperature of the solder, the solder flows, wets the adjacent surfaces and forms a hermetic seal between the metal film and metal surface when the assembly cools

Module degradation catalyzed by metal-encapsulation reactions

Four major properties are considered to be relevant in determining service life of a photovoltaic module: (1) Mechanical: creep resistance, modulus, tensile strength; (2) Optical: integrated transmission at 0.4 to 1.1 m wavelength; (3) Chemical: inertness with respect to metals and other components, retention of stabilizers, etc. and (4) Electrical; maintaining effective isolation of conductive components. These properties were measured after exposing polymer specimens to three types of accelerated stress: thermal, ultraviolet radiation and metal catalysts. These conditions give rise to a large number of complex interrelated free-radical reactions that result in the deterioration of polymeric materials

Land use analysis of US urban areas using high-resolution imagery from Skylab

The author has identified the following significant results. The S-190B imagery from Skylab 3 permitted the detection of higher levels of land use detail than any satellite imagery previously evaluated using manual interpretation techniques. Resolution approaches that of 1:100,000 scale infrared aircraft photography, especially regarding urban areas. Nonurban areas are less distinct

Technique for producing bipolar and MOS field effect transistors on a single chip

Several cycles of photoetching, dopant deposition, and drive-in produce selectively-doped regions and semiconductor junctions within a single chip

Status of SEMI's solar-grade substrate standards

A proposal for a standard specifications listing covering requirements for silicon wafers used in solar cell manufacturing is outlined. The specific contents of the general requirements specifications include: ordering information; dimensions and permissible variations; material and manufacture; physical parameters; sampling; test methods; certification; and packaging and marking

Flat-plate solar array project. Volume 5: Process development

The goal of the Process Development Area, as part of the Flat-Plate Solar Array (FSA) Project, was to develop and demonstrate solar cell fabrication and module assembly process technologies required to meet the cost, lifetime, production capacity, and performance goals of the FSA Project. R&D efforts expended by Government, Industry, and Universities in developing processes capable of meeting the projects goals during volume production conditions are summarized. The cost goals allocated for processing were demonstrated by small volume quantities that were extrapolated by cost analysis to large volume production. To provide proper focus and coverage of the process development effort, four separate technology sections are discussed: surface preparation, junction formation, metallization, and module assembly

A report on the USL NASA/RECON project. Part 1: The development of a transportable, university level, IS and R educational program

A project is described which has as its goal the production of a set of system-independent, discipline-independent, transportable college level courses to educate science and engineering students in the use of large-scale information storage and retrieval systems. This project is being conducted with the cooperation and sponsorship of NASA by R and D teams at the University of Southwest Louisiana and Southern University. Chapter 1 is an introduction, providing an overview and a listing of the management phases. Chapter 2 furnishes general information regarding accomplishments in areas under development. Chapter 3 deals with the development of the course materials by presenting a series of diagrams and keys to depict the progress and interrelationships of various tasks and sub-tasks. Chapter 4 presents plans for activities to be conducted to complete and deliver course materials. The final chapter is a summary of project objectives, methods, plans, and accomplishments

Identification of atropine-and P2X1 receptor antagonist-reistant, neurogenic contractions of the urinary bladder

Acetylcholine and ATP are excitatory cotransmitters in parasympathetic nerves. We used P2X1 receptor antagonists to further characterize the purinergic component of neurotransmission in isolated detrusor muscle of guinea pig urinary bladder. In the presence of atropine (1 μm) and prazosin (100 nm), pyridoxalphosphate-6-azophenyl-2′,4′-disulfonic acid (PPADS) (0.1–100 μm) and suramin (1–300 μm) inhibited contractions evoked by 4 Hz nerve stimulation in a concentration-dependent manner (IC50 of 6.9 and 13.4 μm, respectively). Maximum inhibition was 50–60%, which was unaffected by coadministration of the ectonucleotidase inhibitor ARL67156 (6-N,N-diethyl-d-β,γ-dibromomethyleneATP) (100 μm). The remaining responses were abolished by tetrodotoxin (1 μm). PPADS and suramin also reduced contractions to exogenous ATP (300 μm) by 40–50%, but abolished those to the P2X1 agonist α,β-methyleneATP (α,β-meATP) (1 μm). The P2X1 antagonists reactive blue 2, NF279 (8,8′-[carbonylbis(imino-4,1-phenylenecarbonylimino-4,1-phenylenecarbonylimino)] bis-1,3,5-naphthalenetrisulfonic acid), MRS2159 (pyridoxal-α5-phosphate-6-phenylazo-4′-carboxylic acid) (100 μm), and NF449 [4,4′,4,4-(carbonylbis(imino-5,1,3-benzenetriylbis(carbonylimino)))tetrakis-benzene-1,3-disulfonic acid] (3 μm) abolished contractions to α,β-meATP (1 μm; n = 4–5), but only reduced contractions evoked by 4 Hz nerve stimulation by ∼40–60% (n = 4–6) and ATP by 30–60% (n = 4–7). However, prolonged exposure to α,β-meATP (50 μm) abolished contractions evoked by all three stimuli (n = 5–12). PPADS (100 μm) and suramin (300 μm) reduced the peak neurogenic contraction of the mouse urinary bladder to 30–40% of control. At the same concentrations, the P2X1 antagonists abolished the nonadrenergic, purinergic component of neurogenic contractions in the guinea pig vas deferens (n = 4–5). Thus, P2X1 receptor antagonists inhibit, but do not abolish, the noncholinergic component of neurogenic contractions of guinea pig and mouse urinary bladder, indicating a second mode of action of neuronally released ATP. This has important implications for treatment of dysfunctional urinary bladder, for which this atropine- and P2X1 antagonist-resistant site represents a novel therapeutic target

Genomic organization and chromosomal localization of the murine 2 P domain potassium channel gene Kcnk8: conservation of gene structure in 2 P domain potassium channels.

A 2 P domain potassium channel expressed in eye, lung, and stomach, Kcnk8, has recently been identified. To initiate further biochemical and genetic studies of this channel, we assembled the murine Kcnk8 cDNA sequence, characterized the genomic structure of the Kcnk8 gene, determined its chromosomal localization, and analyzed its activity in a Xenopus laevis oocyte expression system. The composite cDNA has an open reading frame of 1029 bp and encodes a protein of 343 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of 36 kDa. Structure analyses predict 2 P domains and four potential transmembrane helices with a potential single EF-hand motif and four potential SH3-binding motifs in the COOH-terminus. Cloning of the Kcnk8 chromosomal gene revealed that it is composed of three exons distributed over 4 kb of genomic DNA. Genome database searching revealed that one of the intron/exon boundaries identified in Kcnk8 is present in other mammalian 2 P domain potassium channels genes and many C. elegans 2P domain potassium channel genes, revealing evolutionary conservation of gene structure. Using fluorescence in situ hybridization, the murine Kcnk8 gene was mapped to chromosome 19, 2B, the locus of the murine dancer phenotype, and syntenic to 11q11-11q13, the location of the human homologue. No significant currents were generated in a Xenopus laevis oocyte expression system using the composite Kcnk8 cDNA sequence, suggesting, like many potassium channels, additional channel subunits, modulator substances, or cellular chaperones are required for channel function