Abstract: A conductivity cell for use in determining ionic concentrations in the gap between two semiconductor substrates or wafers. The wafer gap conductivity cell is composed of two flat electrodes separated by a fixed gap. The electrodes are fabricated from wafers of the same type and dimensions used as semiconductor device substrates. All or a portion of the surfaces of the wafer electrodes are coated with a conductive material. The wafer gap conductivity cell is placed in a wafer cassette or other suitable wafer holder, whose other slots are filled with wafers which are to be cleaned or subjected to another fabrication process. The cell can be used to characterize the processes used during the fabrication of semiconductor devices and assist in investigating the effect on the processes of different process vessel designs.

Abstract: A fiber optic chemical dosimeter system detects the presence of hydrazine fuels and nitrogen tetroxide and nitrogen dioxide gases that are used at rocket launch sites using colorimetric sensors that react selectively with the gases and then absorb laser light communicating through a fiber optic network having a conventional diode laser source transmitting interrogation pulses to a plurality of distributed sensors covering a wide area launch site, the sensor being reactive cladding or distal end types both providing optical reflective returns well suited for reflective near infra-red and visible-red laser interrogation by an optical time domain reflectometry monitor which compares the interrogated laser pulses with sensor returns to determine the extent and location of gas cloud exposures over the distributed wide area.

Abstract: A method of monitoring compliance of a patient that has been placed on a medication maintenance program with a prescribed medication dosage by determining a normalized urine medication concentration. An unadulterated urine sample is obtained from the patient. The urine medication concentration and urine specific gravity are measured. The normalized urine medication concentration is calculated as a function of the measured medication concentration in the urine and the urine specific gravity. The calculated normalized urine medication concentration is compared with an expected medication concentration value for the patient for the maintenance program prescribed to determine any significant differences therebetween as an indication of noncompliance. Alternatively, a urinary-parameter normalized urine medication concentration is calculated as a function of the measured medication concentration in the urine, the urine specific gravity and at least one selected pharmacokinetic parameter of the medication.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of rapidly checking surfaces for the presence of traces of specific compounds such as certain explosives and drugs. A hand-covering such as a cotton glove is used to wipe surfaces to pick up particles of the specific compound which may indicate the presence of larger amounts or previous contact of a surface by a person who has handled the compound. The particles are transferred--unheated--to collection surfaces of a hand-held sample probe by vacuuming of the gloved hand by the battery-operated probe. Heat is then supplied by a source external to the probe to vaporize the particles, and the vapors are analyzed by a suitable technique such as high speed gas chromatography. The method permits checking of surfaces for explosives at processing rates of up to several samples per minute.

Abstract: Nitric oxide, nitrosonium, S-nitrosothiols, and S-nitroso-proteins can be detected in biological samples, using a method which involves injection of samples into a photolysis cell, prior to detection of chemiluminescence generated by the reaction between nitric oxide and ozone. To detect S-nitrosothiols and S-nitroso-proteins separate aliquots of the same samples are subjected to pretreatment with mercurous ion, and a protein-precipitating agent, respectively, and the resulting nitric oxide signals are compared to those generated by untreated samples. This method is useful for monitoring the levels of nitric oxide bioactivity in both normal physiological states, and disease states, such as septic shock, atherosclerosis, thrombosis, hyperhomocysteinemia, pulmonary hypertension, malignancy, infections and central nervous systems disorders.

Abstract: A process is provided for analyzing and detecting in an aqueous based mobile phase sample one or more N-nitroso compounds, which process includes the steps of injecting the aqueous based sample into a high pressure chromatograph to produce a liquid effluent where the nitroso compounds are resolved and separated, mixing the liquid effluent with an inert gas to produce a biphasic gas/liquid mixture, irradiating the biphasic mixture under ultraviolet irradiation to convert the nitroso compounds to nitric oxide gas, and detecting the nitric oxide produced.

Abstract: A method for analyzing total bound nitrogen in a sample and providing an output data of total bound nitrogen and constituent compounds (nitrate and nitrite) is disclosed. The total nitrogen bound method provides a discrete sample through a furnace in the presence of continuous flow of water as carrier as well as oxygen carrier gas, resulting in the oxidation of the nitrogen compounds to nitric oxide. The nitrate method involves a discrete sample with water as a carrier provided to a sparge tank. The nitrite is catalytically reduced to nitric oxide in the presence of tartaric acid and ascorbic acid. The nitrate method involves a first conversion to change the nitrate to a nitrite. The first conversion occurs in the presence of a copper-cadmium catalyst causing the formation of the NO.sub.2. The nitrile is subsequently converted into NO. The nitric oxide produced in each of the three methods is measured in a chemiluminescent nitrogen detector.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for selective, high speed detection of vapors of specific gas-chromatographically-separable compounds. In the disclosed method separate analyses are performed on two portions of a gas sample formed by flash-heating trapped vapors to successively higher temperatures while flowing hydrogen carrier gas over coatings in/on which the vapors are held. Within a total time interval of about twenty seconds 1) two sample portions are formed, 2) each portion is rapidly separated in two series-connected, high speed, temperature-programmed gas chromatographs, and 3) specific compounds are identified by detection of NO gas formed during an oxidative pyrolysis of each separated portion. One application of the described method and apparatus is the rapid, selective, and sensitive detection of nitrogen-containing compounds such as the drugs methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for extracting amine compounds from air samples without loss due to formation of nitrosamine artifacts. The apparatus includes a cartridge having a separation zone between a first port and a second port. The separation zone contains an air pervious packing of a granular, solid phase amine complexing agent. The method includes a first step of driving an air sample through the separation zone of the cartridge from the first port to the second port, and a second step of driving an eluent through the separation zone from the second port to the first port, or backflushing the cartridge. To extract amine compounds, the eluent is a solvent for the amine complexing agent in the separation zone of the cartridge. The method may contain the further step of determining the amine compound concentration of at least a portion of the eluate which passes from the separation zone following the second step of the method.