Exploring the common denominator between microplastics and microbiology: a scientometric approach

Scientometrics - At the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (the home institute of this paper), scientists have been exploring the common denominator between microplastics and...     

Sustainability metrics for eco-technologies assessment, Part II. Life cycle analysis

This work presents a sustainability analysis of CO₂ reuse to produce dimethyl carbonate (DMC) via ethylene oxide (ROUTE A) and via urea methanolysis (ROUTE B). Two different technologies are considered in ROUTE A: reaction followed by separation and reactive distillation. Life cycle analyses of the ROUTES are presented employing sustainability analysis performed in HYSYS process simulator, along with WAR Algorithm. Process economical optimization is performed to maximize the processes profitability. A sustainability function, defined as a 2D indicator involving both economical and environmental aspects, is calculated for the optimized processes. Additional sustainability indexes are evaluated: material index, energy index, and ecoefficiency. The results, under both economical and environmental aspects, show that ROUTE A is the most sustainable. The study also points to the relevance of the frontier set between the domains cradle-to-gate and gate-to-gate in assessing process sustainability during LCA.     

Pheromone-based trapping of West Indian sugarcane weevil in a sugarcane plantation

Attraction of Metamasius hemipterus (Oliver) to gallon and bamboo traps baited with insecticide-treated sugarcane, the male-produced pheromone, 4-methyl-5-nonanol, and 2-methyl-4-heptanol is more efficient if ethyl acetate is added. The optimal traps are ground-level gallon traps baited with insecticide-laced sugarcane, pheromone, and ethyl acetate. Capture rates of ground-level gallon traps are doubled by placing an insecticide-laced pad under the trap, but significantly decreased by placing the trap on a stick above ground. The efficiency of ground-level gallon traps is the same as ground level ramp traps. Mass-trapping M. hemipterus in newly planted sugarcane using ground level bamboo traps baited with insecticide-laced sugarcane and pheromone over six months revealed populations were low for the first two months, became maximum at five months, and declined thereafter. Capture rates of traps bordering newly planted and mature sugarcane were not significantly different from capture rates of traps in the interior of the plots. Capture rates of bamboo traps containing only insecticide-laced sugarcane and deployed at 30 traps/ha averaged 6 weevils/trap/week compared with 66 weevils/trap/week for traps additionally containing pheromone lures and deployed at 5 traps/ha. Capture rates for bamboo traps baited with insecticide-laced sugarcane and pheromone and deployed at 10 and 15 traps/ha were 43 and 38 weevils/trap/week, respectively. Total captures were higher in those plots with a higher density of insecticide-laden sugarcane and pheromone baited traps, and the differences were approximately proportional to trap density in the range of 5–15 traps/ha. Capture rates of traps containing insecticide-laced sugarcane and pheromone were always higher than of traps containing only insecticide-laced sugarcane, but in the first two months after planting the differences were much greater than in months 3–6 after planting.     

Analysis of water soluble chloride content in concrete

RILEM Technical CommitteesRILEM TC 178-TMC: ‘Testing and Modelling Chloride Penetration in Concrete’

Analysis of water soluble chloride content in concrete Recommendation     

The role of situation assessment and flight experience in pilots' decisions to continue visual flight rules flight into adverse weather

Visual flight rules (VFR) flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) is a major safety hazard in general aviation. In this study we examined pilots' decisions to continue or divert from a VFR flight into IMC during a dynamic simulation of a cross-country flight. Pilots encountered IMC either early or later into the flight, and the amount of time and distance pilots flew into the adverse weather prior to diverting was recorded. Results revealed that pilots who encountered the deteriorating weather earlier in the flight flew longer into the weather prior to diverting and had more optimistic estimates of weather conditions than did pilots who encountered the deteriorating weather later in the flight. Both the time and distance traveled into the weather prior to diverting were negatively correlated with pilots' previous flight experience. These findings suggest that VFR flight into IMC may be attributable, at least in part, to poor situation assessment and experience rather than to motivational judgment that induces risk-taking behavior as more time and effort are invested in a flight. Actual or potential applications of this research include the design of interventions that focus on improving weather evaluation skills in addition to addressing risk-taking attitudes.     

Graph-based representations and techniques for image processing and image analysis

In this paper we will discuss the use of some graph-based representations and techniques for image processing and analysis. Instead of making an extensive review of the graph techniques in this field, we will explain how we are using these techniques in an active vision system for an autonomous mobile robot developed in the Institut de Robòtica i Informàtica Industrial within the project “Active Vision System with Automatic Learning Capacity for Industrial Applications (CICYT TAP98-0473)”. Specifically we will discuss the use of graph-based representations and techniques for image segmentation, image perceptual grouping and object recognition. We first present a generalisation of a graph partitioning greedy algorithm for colour image segmentation. Next we describe a novel fusion of colour-based segmentation and depth from stereo that yields a graph representing every object in the scene. Finally we describe a new representation of a set of attributed graphs (AGs), denominated function-described graphs (FDGs), a distance measure for matching AGs with FDGs and some applications for robot vision.     

The role of inferior parietal and inferior frontal cortex in working memory.

Verbal working memory involves two major components: a phonological store that holds auditory-verbal information very briefly and an articulatory rehearsal process that allows that information to be refreshed and thus held longer in short-term memory (A. Baddeley, 1996, 2000; A. Baddeley & G. Hitch, 1974). In the current study, the authors tested two groups of patients who were chosen on the basis of their relatively focal lesions in the inferior parietal (IP) cortex or inferior frontal (IF) cortex. Patients were tested on a series of tasks that have been previously shown to tap phonological storage (span, auditory rhyming, and repetition) and articulatory rehearsal (visual rhyming and a 2-back task). As predicted, IP patients were disproportionately impaired on the span, rhyming, and repetition tasks and thus demonstrated a phonological storage deficit. IF patients, however, did not show impairment on these storage tasks but did exhibit impairment on the visual rhyming task, which requires articulatory rehearsal. These findings lend further support to the working memory model and provide evidence of the roles of IP and IF cortex in separable working memory processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Xurography: rapid prototyping of microstructures using a cutting plotter

This paper introduces xurography, or "razor writing," as a novel rapid prototyping technique for creating microstructures in various films. This technique uses a cutting plotter traditionally used in the sign industry for cutting graphics in adhesive vinyl films. A cutting plotter with an addressable resolution of 10 /spl mu/m was used to cut microstructures in various films with thicknesses ranging from 25 to 1000 /spl mu/m. Positive features down to 35 /spl mu/m and negative features down to 18 /spl mu/m were cut in a 25 /spl mu/m thick material. Higher aspect ratios of 5.2 for positive features and 8 for negative features were possible in a 360 /spl mu/m thick material. A simple model correlating material properties to minimum feature size is introduced. Multilayered microstructures cut from pressure sensitive and thermal activated adhesive films were laminated in less than 30 min without photolithographic processes or chemicals. Potential applications of these microstructures are explored including: shadow masking, electroplating, micromolds for PDMS, and multilayered three-dimensional (3-D) channels. This inexpensive method can rapidly prototype microfluidic devices or tertiary fluid connections for higher resolution devices. [1488].     

Labs of the World, Unite!!!

eScience is rapidly changing the way we do research. As a result, many research labs now need non-trivial computational power. Grid and voluntary computing are well-established solutions for this need. However, not all labs can effectively benefit from these technologies. In particular, small and medium research labs (which are the majority of the labs in the world) have a hard time using these technologies as they demand high visibility projects and/or high-qualified computer personnel. This paper describes OurGrid, a system designed to fill this gap. OurGrid is an open, free-to-join, cooperative Grid in which labs donate their idle computational resources in exchange for accessing other labs’ idle resources when needed. It relies on an incentive mechanism that makes it in the best interest of participants to collaborate with the system, employs a novel application scheduling technique that demands very little information, and uses virtual machines to isolate applications and thus provide security. The vision is that OurGrid enables labs to combine their resources in a massive worldwide computing platform. OurGrid is in production since December 2004. Any lab can join it by downloading its software from .