Oxidation of methane on a Au + SrFeO3−δ//YSZ electrode characterised by mass spectroscopy and 18O2 pulses

A solid state electrochemical reactor is described in which reactants can be oxidised at high temperatures over an anode/catalyst using co-fed oxygen gas as well as electrochemically supplied oxygen. The setup permits injection of isotopic pulses in the reactant streams. The composition and isotopic distribution in the products are recorded with a quadrupole mass spectrometer. The use of the system is exemplified by oxidation of methane over a Au + SrFeO_3?δ//YSZ anode at 800–850°C. Pulses of ¹⁸O₂ in the stream of co-fed O₂ were used to study the reactivity and products of gaseous oxygen as distinguished from the electrochemically supplied oxygen. The results indicate that the anode used supports oxygen pumping, but is only moderately active for methane oxidation. The products are mainly CO and CO₂. The content of ¹⁸O in the products is low, indicating that methane oxidation takes place by ¹⁶O-rich lattice oxygen. In comparison, a reference Au//YSZ electrode was found to be a slower anode for oxygen pumping, but a better catalyst for the reaction between CH₄ and gaseous O₂, seemingly involving adsorbed oxygen.     

Sweden: Small but Foreboding Changes

Politically speaking, the most striking feature of the planned reorganization of Swedish broadcasting is a further decentralization and localization of production.     

Stimulus overselectivity in autism: A review of research.

Reviews a series of investigations that suggest that autistic children show "stimulus overselectivity," a response to only a limited number of cues in their environment, and discusses how such overselectivity may relate to several of the behavioral deficits in autism. These include failure to develop normal language or social behavior, failure to generalize newly acquired behavior to new stimulus situations, failure to learn from traditional teaching techniques that use prompts, and a general difficulty in learning new behaviors. Several studies that suggest possible remedial procedures are discussed, and the concept of stimulus overselectivity is related to the literature on attentional or response deficits in adult schizophrenia, mental retardation, learning disabilities, and autism. (2? p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

How strategic dynamics complicate the framing of alternatives in strategic environmental assessment: the case of the Danish natural gas planning

Unpredictable and complex developments challenge the application of strategic environmental assessment (SEA), for example, in terms of timing, prediction and relevance of assessments. In particular, multi-actor and unstructured strategic-level decision-making processes often seem to be characterised by unpredictable and complex changes. Despite the apparent implications, explorative investigations about how unpredictability influences SEA application in practice are rare. This article aims to shed light on contextual changes and reactions to such changes in practice by a case study of the specific SEA process of the Danish Natural Gas Security of Supply Plan. Special emphasis is given to the framing of alternatives in the SEA process, since alternatives are directly related to the contextual developments. Based on a participative approach, strategic dynamics are mapped and the reactions and concerns in the SEA team are outlined. The contribution of the article is enhanced empirical understanding of strategic dynamics and how it challenges SEA application.     

Perceived susceptibility to and perceived causes of road traffic injuries in an urban and rural area of Tanzania

The aim of the study was to investigate social and behavioral correlates of perceived vulnerability to traffic injuries in an urban and rural setting in Tanzania. In 2002, a sample of 494 adults aged 15 years and above participated in household interviews in Dar es Salaam (urban) and Hai District (rural). The study was part of a population-based survey that collected self-report data on non-fatal injuries. In Dar es Salaam 75 and 82% of males and females, respectively, perceived it as likely that they would experience a traffic injury in general. The corresponding figures in Hai were 63 and 64%. Men rated their road traffic vulnerability similarly to women (OR=0.8, 95% CI 0.5-1.3). Factors associated with high perceived vulnerability as a pedestrian or being injured by a bicycle were amount of road safety information received from health workers and friends, having caused a car to swerve and having crossed a road while talking. Respondents perceived driver recklessness and driver drunkenness as the leading causes of traffic injuries in both areas. Differences were found between the urban and rural setting with respect to perceived risk for traffic injury. The implications of these findings in the context of traffic injury prevention are discussed.     

Non-destructive determination of fat,moisture and protein in salmon fillets by use of near-infrared diffuse spectroscopy

Near infrared (NIR) diffuse spectroscopy was used to determine the fat, moisture and protein contents in whole and ground farmed atlantic salmon fillets. A remote fibre-optic probe was used for NIR measurements on 50 whole salmon fillets. The constituent ranges were: 91-205 g kg^?1 fat, 599-709g kg^?1 moisture and 186-209 g kg^?1 protein. Principal component regression resulted in the following prediction errors for ground salmon fillets, expressed as root mean square error of cross validation: 6.6 g kg-1 fat, 3.8 g kg^?1 moisture and 2.0 g kg^?1 protein. The corresponding prediction errors for non-destructive measurements on whole salmon fillets were 10.8 g kg^?1 fat, 8.5 g kg^?1 moisture and 3.7 g kg^?1 protein. Regression models using the 760-1100 m range gave lower prediction errors than models using the 1100-2500 mm or 760-2500 nm ranges. The results show that fibre-optic probe NIR instruments are suited to determine fat and moisture in whole salmon fillets non-destructively.