Geo-referenced modeling of zinc concentrations in the Ruhr river basin (Germany) using the model GREAT-ER

Zinc enters surface waters from a variety of different emission sources. The geo-referenced model GREAT-ER (Geo-referenced Regional Exposure Assessment Tool for European Rivers) was applied to simulate spatially resolved zinc concentrations in the Ruhr river basin. The model links geo-referenced emissions (loads) to concentrations at local and regional scales and allows for evaluating the relative importance of emission sources. For each emission from point sources (household, industry, urban runoff) and non-point sources (agriculture, natural background), zinc loads were independently estimated using appropriate reference parameters (number of inhabitants, surface area drained, agricultural area, zinc ore regions). For point emissions from industry and mine drainage loads were taken directly from available data compilations. Simulated total zinc concentrations agree well with monitoring data. The strength of the modeling tool became evident from the unequivocal link that could be established between observed surface water concentrations and the large zinc input from geogenic sources and abandoned mines. These emission sources are regional characteristics of the Ruhr river basin and due to the fact that some regions are relatively rich in zinc ore, which was extracted over a long period of time. Although most of these emissions occur in the upper part of the catchment, they contribute to approximately one-third to the zinc load at the confluence with the Rhine River. Urban emissions from household, traffic (road) and buildings (roof) were shown to be responsible for approximately half of the concentration in the Ruhr at the confluence with the Rhine River.     

整体机身结构纵向裂纹转折与止裂特性分析

对某试验型整体机身壁板纵向裂纹损伤容限试验件的止裂特性和裂纹转折现象进行了计算和分析。借助有限元软件ABAQU S,计算了不同蒙皮纵向裂纹长度下的应力强度因子KⅠ、KⅡ和T-应力等,在此数据基础上,应用线弹性断裂力学准则和线弹性断裂力学加塑性修正准则,计算了剩余强度特征曲线,对2种准则做了对比分析,对两跨裂纹时的止裂特性进行了分析。最后,应用裂纹转折的二阶线弹性理论,对两跨内纵向裂纹在扩展过程中的裂纹转折现象进行了计算和分析。     

My Personal Mobile City Information

A communication system is described which allows a user equipped with a modern programmable mobile phone or PDA to receive information about an object of interest in a city when he approaches this object. For the communication the short range radio communication system “Bluetooth” is used. By a registration process it is possible to charge for the service – independently from the tariffing of existing mobile networks.Markus Jenisch born in 1963, received the Diplom-Ingenieur (BA) degree in Telecommunication Engineering in 1987. Afterwards he joined Alcatel as a hardware and software development engineer for telecommunication systems. In 1994 he joined the Strategy/Network and Business Consulting department, where he worked as a Senior Consultant for Network Operators. Since May 2003, Markus Jenisch is Manager Central Business Development for Alcatel Germany.Harald Orlamünder born in 1952, joined the Research Center of SEL AG (today: Alcatel SEL AG) in Stuttgart in 1979 after a study in Telecommunications at the University of Stuttgart. The first tasks centred around multi-microcomputer systems. In 1985 he changed to the network strategy and standardisation department dealing with the emerging broadband technologies like B-ISDN, ATM, MAN, later IP. The subjects related mainly to networking aspects like architectures, evolution and interworking. During this time he was active in the international standardisation (ETSI, ITU-T). Today he is technical expert in the business deveopment department performing external and internal consulting. He holds several patents and is author and co-author of many publications and books.Nina Köstering was born in 1978 in Munich, Germany. She joined Alcatel for studying telecommunications at Berufsakademie (University of Cooperative Education) Stuttgart. After graduation with a diploma she started in the Network Solution and Consulting department dealing with Web Services, Java technologies and Mobile Applications. In 2003 she joined Central Business Development department.Torsten Brügge Diplomas in Engineering and Business Economics. Employed by Alcatel SEL AG in Germany since 1992. Previously responsible for sales and market research within Transport Automation Group and Telecommunication Division. For the past two years in charge of business development in the field of m-voting and electronic government. Launched the idea of the mobile city network.     

Comparison of the effects of infant handling, isolation, and nonhandling on acoustic startle, prepulse inhibition, locomotion, and HPA activity in the adult rat.

This study examined whether early isolation (EI), early handling (EH), or early nonhandling (NH) in infant rats alters (a) prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle response (ASR) or its disruption by apomorphine, (b) motor activity or its stimulation by amphetamine, or (c) corticosterone activity (because of its modulation of dopamine activity), in adulthood and in comparison with a normal-husbandry postnatal control environment. EI did not affect PPI, reduced PPI disruption by apomorphine in males, and increased amphetamine-stimulated activity in males. NH increased the ASR, reduced activity in the open field, and increased corticosterone reactivity in males. In all paradigms, the effects of EH were similar to those of the control environment. This study provides an important contribution to the evidence on the relationship between postnatal experience and long-term neurobehavioral development in the rat and the relevance of this approach to animal models of neuropsychiatric disorder. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Design of smart sensing components for volcano monitoring

In a volcano monitoring application, various geophysical and geochemical sensors generate continuous high-fidelity data, and there is a compelling need for real-time raw data for volcano eruption prediction research. It requires the network to support network synchronized sampling, online configurable sensing and situation awareness, which pose significant challenges on sensing component design. Ideally, the resource usages shall be driven by the environment and node situations, and the data quality is optimized under resource constraints. In this paper, we present our smart sensing component design, including hybrid time synchronization, configurable sensing, and situation awareness. Both design details and evaluation results are presented to show their efficiency. Although the presented design is for a volcano monitoring application, its design philosophy and framework can also apply to other similar applications and platforms.     

A new approach for design of organic electrochromic devices with inter-digitated electrode structure

We present a new approach for design of organic electrochromic devices (ECD) with inter-digitated electrode (IDE) structure and three-electrode dynamic operation. The advantages of the IDE design include the ability to produce fast and homogenous color change over large areas. In addition, it enables fabrication of multi-color devices. Our method involves photolithographic etching of ITO followed by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) and mechanical compression of porous titania to produce finely patterned electrodes with high surface area. The titania layer is chemically modified by new stable and reversible electrochromic viologen derivatives involving phenylphosphonic acid anchoring moiety. The new device demonstrates reversible and strong color change from colorless to deep blue and yellow.     

Compatibilization efficiency of styrene‐butadiene block copolymers as a function of their block number

Effect of block number in linear styrene‐butadiene (SB) block copolymers (BCs) on their compatibilization efficiency in blending polystyrene (PS) with polybutadiene (PB) was studied. Di‐, tri‐, or pentablocks of SB copolymers as well as their combinations were blended with the mentioned homopolymers; supramolecular structure determined by small angle X‐ray scattering method (SAXS), morphology using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) combined with image analysis (IA), and stress transfer characteristics of the blends were chosen as criteria of compatibilization efficiency of the copolymers used. It was proved that the addition of SB BCs led to remarkably finer phase structure and substantially higher toughness of PS/PB blends. Triblock copolymer showed to be the compatibilizer with higher efficiency than diblock, pentablock, and the di/triblock copolymer mixture. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Methanation of Carbon Dioxide on Ni Catalysts on Mesoporous ZrO2 Doped with Rare Earth Oxides

About 20–40 mol% Ni/ZrO₂ catalysts doped with Ce and Sm were synthesized by an ultrasound-assisted method and characterized by a number of physico-chemical methods (XRD, HR TEM, BET, XPS). It was demonstrated that the synthesized catalysts had a mesoporous structure, where ca. 10 nm size Ni nanoparticles were incorporated into the rare earth metal modified tetragonal zirconium oxide. The Ni particles formed during the reduction treatment could support the porous structure in the supports, and thus the porous properties of the catalysts were related to the Ni-loading. The maximum porous volume and size were obtained for the catalyst with a 30 mol% Ni loading, which coincidentally exhibited the highest catalytic activity for the methanation of CO₂. After an oxidation–reduction pretreatment, the catalytic activity could be further improved. The increase in the catalytic activity was attributed to the formation of additional active centers on the catalysts’ surface.     

Electromechanical Imaging and Spectroscopy of Ferroelectric and Piezoelectric Materials: State of the Art and Prospects for the Future

Piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) has emerged as a powerful and versatile tool for probing nanoscale phenomena in ferroelectric materials on the nanometer and micrometer scales. In this review, we summarize the fundamentals and recent advances in PFM, and describe the nanoscale electromechanical properties of several important ferroelectric ceramic materials widely used in memory and microelectromechanical systems applications. Probing static and dynamic polarization behavior of individual grains in PZT films and ceramics is discussed. Switching spectroscopy PFM is introduced as a useful tool for studying defects and interfaces in ceramic materials. The results on local switching and domain pinning behavior, as well as nanoscale fatigue and imprint mapping are presented. Probing domain structures and polarization dynamics in polycrystalline relaxors (PMN-PT, PLZT, doped BaTiO₃) are briefly outlined. Finally, applications of PFM to dimensionally confined ferroelectrics are demonstrated. The potential of PFM for studying local electromechanical phenomena in polycrystalline ferroelectrics where defects and other inhomogeneities are essential for the interpretation of their macroscopic properties is illustrated.     

Enhanced Antibacterial Activity of Nanocrystalline ZnO Due to Increased ROS‐Mediated Cell Injury

An innovative study aimed at understanding the influence of the particle size of ZnO (from the microscale down to the nanoscale) on its antibacterial effect is reported herein. The antibacterial activity of ZnO has been found to be due to a reaction of the ZnO surface with water. Electron‐spin resonance measurements reveal that aqueous suspensions of small nanoparticles of ZnO produce increased levels of reactive oxygen species, namely hydroxyl radicals. Interestingly, a remarkable enhancement of the oxidative stress, beyond the level yielded by the ZnO itself, is detected following the antibacterial treatment. Likewise, an exposure of bacteria to the small ZnO nanoparticles results in an increased cellular internalization of the nanoparticles and bacterial cell damage. An examination of the antibacterial effect is performed on two bacterial species: Escherichia coli (Gram negative) and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram positive). The nanocrystalline particles of ZnO are synthesized using ultrasonic irradiation, and the particle sizes are controlled using different solvents during the sonication process. Taken as a whole, it is apparent that the unique properties (i.e., small size and corresponding large specific surface area) of small nanometer‐scale ZnO particles impose several effects that govern its antibacterial action. These effects are size dependent and do not exist in the range of microscale particles.