The allelopathic mechanisms of dominance in bracken (Pteridium aquilinum) in Southern California

Bracken,Pteridium aquilinum, exerts a strong dominance over associated plants throughout much of its worldwide range. Associated plants are often severely inhibited or even excluded from dense stands of the fern. This study investigated the various aspects of herb suppression in bracken stands and assessed the contribution of the various forms of interference between plants to the establishment and maintenance of bracken dominance. It was shown that competition for soil moisture, light, and nutrients could not account for the lack of herbs in bracken stands. Further, uniformity of soil pH, texture, water-holding capacity, and organic matter content ruled out variability in physical factors as a cause. Baiting and trapping experiments showed that the higher concentration of animal activity inside the bracken stands contributed significantly to the pattern of herb suppression, but only against select species. The maintenance of this pattern in the animal-free Santa Cruz Island stands indicates the importance of another factor, allelopathy. It was found that phytotoxins leached from the dead, standing bracken fronds with the first few rains of the wet season were largely responsible for herb suppression. These toxins were isolated in raindrip and from soil inside the fern stands. Removal of the fronds from the stand before the rains could leach them resulted in reinvasion by the herbs after several seasons, and, conversely, placing fronds over the herbs in the grassland brought about herb inhibition. A number of known allelopathic chemicals were tentatively identified from bracken leachates. The importance of the interaction of allelopathy with other factors of plant interference is illustrated by bracken.     

护肤品的功效性评价方法综述

现代科学技术,尤其是生物技术和计算机技术的飞速发展和广泛应用,给化妆品行业带来了全新的发展机遇,赋予化妆品以一定的功效性是新世纪化妆品发展的重要趋势.近20年来,人们对化妆品的要求已从洁肤、润肤为目的的基础护肤品向美白、祛皱为目的的功效性化妆品方向发展.     

A mixed boundary-value problem of elasticity with parabolic boundary

Summary The mixed boundary-values problem of elasticity with parabolic boundary when the prescribed displacement is parabolic has been reduced to the solution of the non-homogeneous Hilbert problem following the method of complex variable. The result has been compared with that obtained byParia [5] for parabolic boundary with prescribed constant displacement as a particular case.

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Zusammenfassung Das gemischte Randwertproblem der Elastizitätstheorie wird für parabolische Berandung auf die Lösung des inhomogenen Hilbert-Problems unter Benützung der komplexen Methode zurückgeführt. Die Randverschiebung wird durch ein Polynom zweiten Grades dargestellt. Das Ergebnis wird mit dem vonParia [5] verglichen, das als Sonderfall konstante Verschiebungen am parabolischen Rand vorschreibt.

     

Well-defined polymer precursors synthesized by RAFT polymerization of N,N-dimethylacrylamide/N-acryloxysuccinimide: random and block copolymers

N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMA) and N-acryloxysuccinimide (NAS) were copolymerized by the reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization technique, to obtain random and block copolymer precursors onto which different side-groups may be statistically grafted via the reactive NAS units. These reactive copolymers have interesting applications in various fields such as coatings and paints, water purification and biology. Random poly(DMA-co-NAS) copolymer chains were synthesized with a 75/25 molar ratio, high conversion, an excellent molecular weight (MW) control from 5000 to 130 000 g mol⁻¹, and low polydispersity index (M_w/M_n<1.1). Poly(DMA-b-NAS) block copolymers were synthesized by a two step method, in which a poly(DMA) homopolymer was prepared first and then used as macro-chain transfer agent to polymerize NAS. For example, a poly(DMA-b-NAS) sample was obtained with an average molecular weight of 44 300/7400 g mol⁻¹ corresponding to 447 DMA and 44 NAS units. Such block copolymers had not yet been synthesized by any controlled polymerization technique. They can be used to prepare polymers with exactly the same backbone and an increasing number of different side groups (e.g. hydrophobic, ionic or fluorescent).     

Approximation mit Exponentialsummen

Zusammenfassung Für die Approximation mit Exponentialsummen ist die beste Approximation imTschebyscheffschen Sinne eindeutig, abgesehen von bisher nicht erkannten Ausnahmen. Eindeutigkeit liegt dagegen immer bei der Anpassung mit positiven Exponentialsummen vor. Daß diese Familie eine andere Struktur hat als die bekannten Verallgemeinerungen linearer Funktionenfamilien, zeigt sich am Charakter des Alternantenkriteriums.

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Summary In this paper we investigate the approximation by sums of exponentials in the sense ofChebyshev. The best approximation is shown to be unique apart from exceptions not previously recognized. However, there is always uniqueness, when only sums of positive exponentials are considered. This family has a structure which is different from that of other generalizations of linear families of functions. This feature is reflected in the criterion on the alternations of the error curve.

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Kernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Institut für Neutronenphysik und Reaktortechnik     

Some theorems of the eddy-current theory

Contents In the paper, theorems for the electric vector potentialT and magnetic scalar potentialU are discussed, which occur in the boundary-value problems for eddy currents induced in a conducting block by an external magnetic field. Uniqueness of the solution is examined. An integral representation of the scalar potentialU is derived for a nonmagnetic conductor. It is shown that for a thin metallic shell the integrodifferential equation results from general formulas related to the block.

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Einige Theoreme der Wirbelstromtheorie

Übersicht In der Arbeit werden drei Theoreme für das elektrische VektorpotentialT und das magnetische SkalarpotentialU beschrieben, die in den Randwertaufgaben für in einem metallischen Block durch das äußere magnetische Feld induzierte Wirbelströme auftreten. Es wird bewiesen, daß eine solche Randwertaufgabe eine eindeutige Lösung hat, wenn das Vektorpotential auf dem Rand gleich Null ist. Eine Integralrepräsentation des Skalarpotentials wird abgeleitet. Es wird gezeigt, daß die Integrodifferentialgleichung für eine dünne metallische Hülle aus allgemeinen, den Block betreffenden Formeln hervorgeht.

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List of principal symbols e coordinate unit vector - H magnetic intensity - J current density - T electric vector potential - U magnetic scalar potential - permeability - conductivity - V boundary of regionV     

Residual encoder-decoder up-sampling for structural preservation in noise removal

Multimedia Tools and Applications - While denoising 3D MRI, structural preservation is a very critical process in the medical region. However, Rician noise in MRI has affected the image quality...     

Korrosion von ölgefeuerten Zentralheizungskesseln

Corrosion of oil-fired domestic boilers Depending on the surface temperature of the flue gas side the corrosion of oil fired domestic boilers proceeds either mainly by acid corrosion or by oxygen corrosion:

• – At surface temperatures of 60°C and higher the corrosion mechanism of acid corrosion prevails and the corrosion rates amount to 0.1–0.3 mm/year (values referred to continuous burner operation). The corrosion products consist of soluble iron(II)- and iron(III)sulfates. Higher corrosion rates can be attributed to an appreciable catalytic formation of sulfur trioxide on the corrosion products formed on the convective heating surfaces.
• – At surface temperatures of 40°C the mechanism of oxygen corrosion already dominates and the corrosion rates are about ten times higher (1.5–3 mm/year, referred to continous burner operation). The high portion of ioron oxide hydrates, especially goethit (α-FeOOH), makes the corrosion products difficult to remove.
• – Distinctly reduced service lives are also expected for the so called reduced temperature boilers (“Niedertemperaturkessel”) and low temperature boiers (“Tieftemperaturkessel”): According to the manufacturers these boilers may be operated at boiler water temperatures well below 60°C, as they are equipped with constructive measures to enhance the surface temperature on the flue gas side. However, these measures are only fully effective under stationary conditions.

Some of the results were obtained from weight loss measurements on test specimen made from St 35.8 and gray cast iron, that were exposed to the flue gases of an oil fired experimental boiler. Other important results come from field measurements of the sulfuric acid content of about 30 boilers that are in practical use.     

A prototype scanning stylus profilometer for rapid measurement of small surface areas

A novel stylus based profiling instrument has been developed for rapid measurement of small surface areas. Outlined in the following paper are some of the key features of the prototype system including the wideband stylus pick-up and the dedicated scanning traverse mechanism. In addition, some preliminary results obtained by scanning the instrument over several different surfaces are presented.