Detection of electrically charged soot particles in laminar premixed flames

A particle mass spectrometer has been used to investigate the formation of electrically charged species and soot particles in laminar premixed flames. The mass range was from 600–6 × 10⁵ amu and extends from high molecular hydrocarbons to soot particles of 10 nm diameter. The flames were stabilized on cooled porous plate burners. Acetylene/oxygen flames were investigated at low pressure (30 mbar), and ethylene/air flames were investigated at atmospheric pressure. Soot particles could only be detected in flames showing yellow luminosity, i.e. above the critical C/O-ratio for soot formation. Both positively and negatively charged particles were found, the positive charge dominating in the low pressure acetylene/oxygen flames, the negative charge dominating in the atmospheric ethylene/air flames. With the assumption of spherical shape and constant density, the mass spectra were converted to size spectra. Usually, they show a multiple peak structure which is somewhat difficult to interpret. There are indications that particles may carry multiple (1–2) charges, and also that particles of different types may coexist beside polyaromatic and polyhedral species in the early stage of particle inception.     

Monohydroperoxides of linoleic acid in endoplasmic lipids of rats exposed to tetrachloromethane

An accurate method for the quantitative determination of hydroperoxy and hydroxy fatty acids in liver microsomes is presented which involves the use of¹⁸O-labeled internal standards. The method is employed for the determination of hydroperoxides in rat liver microsomes after aerobic incubation with Fe²⁺/ADP and in microsomes from animals exposed to 75 mg tetrachloromethane/kg body weight. The amounts found after artificial microsomal “lipid peroxidation” are almost two orders of magnitude larger than those in microsomes from tetrachloromethaneexposed animals.     

Temperature-Dependent Iron Solubility in Mullite

Sample disks prepared from Al₂O₃ (61 wt%), SiO₂ (28 wt%), and Fe₂O₃(II wt%) powders were sintered at 1270° and 1440°C and then annealed between 1300° and 1670°C. The annealed samples consisted of mullite as the main compound with minor amounts of glass and sometimes magnetite. The iron content of the mullites decreases strongly from ∼ 10.5 wt% Fe₂O₃ at 1300°C to ∼ 2.5 wt% Fe₂O₃ at 1670°C. A complex temperature-controlled exsolution mechanism of iron from mullite is considered.     

Using Parallel Packed Bed within a High Temperature Thermal Energy Storage System for CSP-Plants

In order to optimize the electricity yield of CSP （concentrated solar power） plants, TES （thermal energy storage） systems are regarded as an essential component. Furthermore, for many electricity grid operators, it is important to have spinning reserves in the grid and dispatchable power available, both offered by CSP-plants with integrated thermal energy storage. Enolcon is developing a new TES-system since several years. The system itself was designed to offer a principle simple and robust setup （with regard to execution and operation） and which is reducing the electricity costs of CSP-power plants by the consequent use of state of the art technology. Furthermore, such system shall be open to future developments of CSP-systems with regard to increasing steam temperatures and steam pressure. Such TES-system shall be commercially available for large scale application already in year 2014/2015. The key elements of the enolcon-TES are the open cycle using always ambient air with an air-air-heat exchanger and the arrangement of the storage material in such way to minimize the pressure losses and the own electricity consumption. The development is progressing in a structured way by studies, engineering works, TES-pilot plants, isothermal air flow test plant for the verification of the CFD-calculations, and since end of 2012 by the operation of a high temperature TES-module with all features of the large scale modules.     

Cross‐Magnetron‐Effekt und ITO‐Schichtabscheidung

Cross Magnetron Effect and ITO Film Deposition The large area deposition of TCO films requires a strictly homogeneous lateral distribution of the process parameters at the substrate position. In view of that, Cross Corner Effect (in case of a single magnetron source) and Cross Magnetron Effect (for dual magnetrons) can cause problems. Measurements confirm a distinct influence of these effects on the functional properties of indium tin oxide films. The effect will be discussed in terms of the concentration of the dissociated oxygen in the process gas, which depends on the plasma properties and the oxygen partial pressure.     

Intelligence by mechanics

Research on the biomechanics of animal and human locomotion provides insight into basic principles of locomotion and respective implications for construction and control. Nearly elastic operation of the leg is necessary to reproduce the basic dynamics in walking and running. Elastic leg operation can be modelled with a spring-mass model. This model can be used as a template with respect to both gaits in the construction and control of legged machines. With respect to the segmented leg, the humanoid arrangement saves energy and ensures structural stability. With the quasi-elastic operation the leg inherits the property of self-stability, i.e. the ability to stabilize a system in the presence of disturbances without sensing the disturbance or its direct effects. Self-stability can be conserved in the presence of musculature with its crucial damping property. To ensure secure foothold visco-elastic suspended muscles serve as shock absorbers. Experiments with technically implemented leg models, which explore some of these principles, are promising.     

Tissue Sampling and Homogenization in the Sub-Microliter Scale with a Nanosecond Infrared Laser (NIRL) for Mass Spectrometric Proteomics

It was recently shown that ultrashort pulse infrared (IR) lasers, operating at the wavelength of the OH vibration stretching band of water, are highly efficient for sampling and homogenizing biological tissue. In this study we utilized a tunable nanosecond infrared laser (NIRL) for tissue sampling and homogenization with subsequent liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis for mass spectrometric proteomics. For the first time, laser sampling was performed with murine spleen and colon tissue. An ablation volume of 1.1 × 1.1 × 0.4 mm³ (approximately 0.5 µL) was determined with optical coherence tomography (OCT). The results of bottom-up proteomics revealed proteins with significant abundance differences for both tissue types, which are in accordance with the corresponding data of the Human Protein Atlas. The results demonstrate that tissue sampling and homogenization of small tissue volumes less than 1 µL for subsequent mass spectrometric proteomics is feasible with a NIRL.