Effect of Fenton reagent dose on coexisting chemical and microbial oxidation in soil

The ability of modified Fenton reactions to promote simultaneous chemical and biological oxidation in an artificially contaminated soil was studied in batch laboratory slurry reactors. Tetrachloroethene (PCE) and oxalate (OA) were used to distinguish chemical oxidation from aerobic heterotrophic metabolism. PCE was mineralized by Fenton reactions, but OA was not oxidized. Indigenous soil microorganisms did not degrade added PCE aerobically but readily assimilated OA. Fenton reactions were promoted at the natural soil pH (7.6) by adding H2O2 and Fe(III), with nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) as a chelator, at a constant molar ratio of H2O2/Fe(III)/NTA of 50:1:1. The *OH-mediated mineralization of PCE was demonstrated by adding 2-propanol (an *OH scavenger), which inhibited PCE oxidation. In subsequent dosing studies, PCE oxidation served as an indicator of Fenton reactions, while OA assimilation, dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration, and heterotrophic plate counts were indicators of aerobic microbial activity. Increasing Fenton doses to 20 times that required to achieve 95% PCE oxidation only delayed OA assimilation by 500 min and reduced plate counts by 1.5 log units g(-1) soil. Results show that aerobic metabolism can coexist with Fenton oxidation in soils.     

Room preference as a function of architectural features and user activities.

Conducted 3 experiments on preference for model rooms as a function of variations in architectural features (ceiling height, ceiling slope, and wall angle) and variations in presumed user activities (talking, listening, reading, dancing, dining, and no activity specified). 73 undergraduates rated the desirability of simulated rooms on a response scale ranging from –20 to +10. Single-peaked preference functions were obtained for variations in ceiling height and wall angle, whereas a double-peaked function was obtained for ceiling slope. In all instances the data on ceiling height could be modeled by a quadratic equation, in which mean preference was expressed as a function of the logarithm of the ceiling height. In general, Ss preferred ceilings that were higher than those normally encountered in the built environment. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Low Level Beta Scintillation Counter

An automatic scintillation counter for the measurement of low beta activity samples is described. Background is in the order of one (1) count per minute. Efficiency of counting for K-40 betas is thirty (30) per cent. The scintillator is a thin plastic phosphor mounted on the sample which makes a simple, rugged package suitable for automatic sample changing. Photomultiplier tube noise measurements, preamplifier circuit, and the mechanical details are discussed.     

Strain mapping by measurement of the degree of polarization of photoluminescence

A technique is described for the simultaneous measurement of the difference in the normal components of strain and of the shear strain in luminescent III-V material from the degree of polarization (DOP) of photoluminescence. This technique for the measurement of shear strain and of the difference in the normal components of strain in InP was calibrated by applying known external loads on the bars of InP with V grooves etched into the bars and by fitting the experimental results to two-dimensional finite-element simulations. Fits to the difference in the normal components of strain (as opposed to stress) yielded significantly smaller residues. On this basis we conclude that the DOP of luminescence is proportional to the difference in the normal components of strain.     

Copolymerization of dehydrated castor oil with styrene: Determination of reactivity ratios

Dehydrated castor oil (DCO) has been used as a comonomer with styrene to determine reactivity ratios. The polymerization was a free-radical process in benzene, and the product was isolated by evaporation of the reaction mixture and by two precipitations into petroleum ether from benzene. The copolymer composition was determined by a saponification procedure. DCO was found to have a high chain transfer constant and a very low reactivity ratio (estimated at 0.086) compared to styrene (11.6). It was found that copolymerization is difficult to achieve in a system where the DCO concentration in the reaction mixture was above 20 mole-%.     

Consumer Information use and Misuse in Electronic Business: An Alternative to Privacy Regulation

The U.S. government and commercial sector have opted to use privacy regulations to control the problem of consumer information misuse in the E-business environment. the authors argue that this is undesirable because it does not correct the market failure that causes this “information externality.” Using the Coase theorem, the authors propose that the market failure can be corrected using either property rules or liability rules and that liability rules at a federal level are likely to be most socially efficient. Recommendations for voluntary actions by industries and companies are also provided.     

Attachment and representations of peer relationships.

Three studies explored the connection between attachment and peer-related representations. Children heard stories in which a peer with ambiguous intent caused a negative event. Study 1 examined three aspects of peer-related representations in 3.5-yr-olds: representations of (1) peer intent, (2) behavioral responses to the event, and (3) peer feelings. Children's representations of the mother's response to the event were also examined. Study 2 examined the connection between attachment and the same aspects of peer-related representations in kindergarten and 1st-grade children. The proposition implicit in attachment theory that it is children's representations of peer relationships that in part account for the connection between child–parent attachment and relations with peers was also tested. Study 3 focused on representations of peer intent in connection with self-reported maternal and paternal rejection in 5th graders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Visualizing and comparing four facets of scholarly communication: producers, artifacts, concepts, and gatekeepers

This paper extends Borgman’s (Communication Research 16: 583, 1989) three-facet framework (artifacts, producers, concepts) for bibliometric analyses of scholarly communication by adding a fourth gatekeepers. The four-facet framework was applied to the field of Library and Information Science to test for variations in the networks produced using operationalizations of each of these four facets independently. Fifty-eight journals from the Information Science and Library Science category in the 2008 Journal Citation Report were studied and the network proximity of these journals based on Venue-Author-Coupling (producer), journal co-citation analysis (artifact), topic analysis (concept) and interlocking editorial board membership (gatekeeper) was measured. The resulting networks were examined for potential correlation using the Quadratic Assignment Procedure. The results indicate some consensus regarding core journals, but significant differences among some networks. Holistic measures of scholarly communication that take multiple facets into account are proposed. This work is relevant in an assessment-conscious and metrics-driven age.