Relationship between structure parameters and chemical properties in some MPS3 layered phases

Cationic thermal motions in the MPS₃ have been related to substitution abilities in this layer family. They have also been correlated to the crystal field stabilization energy. These considerations explain why some MPS₃ materials may or may not undergo a low temperature substitution intercalation reaction. From interatomic distances comparisons, the bond between (PS₃) groups in the anionic (P₂S₆)^4? octahedra, is found to be easily stretched upon cation substitution. Cationic radii follows the expected variation according to their high spin configuration in octahedral sulfur environment.     

The preparation of high purity Mg2Ni

The intermetallic compound Mg₂Ni has been prepared by the vapour exchange/diffusion reaction of the elements sealed in a stainless steel container. The product has been characterised by powder X-ray diffractometry with Mo-K_α radiation, using step-scanning and profile refinement techniques. The hexagonal unit cell has constants a = 5.2117(4), $\text{c}\text{= 13.2538(9)}\text{A}\text{?}$.     

Olfactory discrimination of individual littermates in rats (Rattus norvegicus).

Tested the ability of 4 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats to use odors in discrimination among littermates living as a group. Ss were trained in a Y-maze to discriminate the presence of a littermate from its absence. Results from transfer of training in 3 subsequent testing periods indicated that the animals were capable of distinguishing among individuals when relatedness and familiarity were held constant, that this ability was not due to training, and that performance was based solely on odor cues. Results suggest that laboratory rats exhibit odor sensitivities conmensurate with very complex social processes. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Silver impregnation applied to striated muscle: The sarcoplasmic reticulum

The classical black reaction developed by Camillo Golgi is shown to impregnate the tubules and fenestrations of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) in striated muscle. This is a double impregnation of chromate and silver, which usually fills extracellular spaces. The method is difficult insofar as long incubation times are required, and location of the successfully “stained” SR in plastic-embedded tissue blocks is unpredictable. The light microscope is absolutely necessary to find the good regions which can then be cut from the blocks in 1-μm-thick sections and examined in the electron microscope. Stereo pairs give the best results since these resolve overlap problems common to thick sections. A variety of artifacts are illustrated which can help avoid erroneous interpretations. The Golgi-“stained” SR shows this elusive network with unsurpassed contrast and should benefit the morphological studies of muscle-membrane enthusiasts.     

Efficient compensation for frequency-dependent errors in analog reconstruction filters used in IQ modulators

In a direct-conversion transmitter system, the nonideal transfer characteristics of practical analog subsystems can have significant adverse effects on the performance of the transmitter system. While a significant body of research exists on correcting static errors (including gain imbalance, phase errors, and DC offsets) in the analog subsystems, relatively little attention has been paid to the impact of nonideal frequency-dependent characteristics in the analog reconstruction filters that are employed in direct-conversion structures. This paper presents a new computationally efficient and numerically robust method for automatic digital compensation for nonideal frequency-dependent characteristics in the signal reconstruction filters of a quadrature (IQ) modulator structure. The new compensation technique is used in conjunction with existing compensation approaches that compensate for static errors.     

An efficient Newton-type method for the computation of ML estimators in a uniform linear array

In the problem of estimating the angles of arrival to a uniform linear array, we present an efficient method to compute Maximum Likelihood (ML) estimations, based on the Modified Variable Projection (MVP) algorithm. In contrast to methods like Iterative Quadratical Maximum Likelihood (IQML) or the Iterative Method of Direction Estimation (IMODE), it is not based on a polynomial parameterization but on directly exploiting the Vandermonde structure through analytical tools like the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), the geometric series summation formula, and Horner's synthetic division. The computational burden of the proposed method is significantly smaller than the burden of IMODE and of the Relaxation (RELAX) algorithm. Besides, it is shown that the computation of the ML estimation can be divided in a preliminary step in which a few FFTs are computed and an iterative step with a complexity that is independent of the array size.     

Evaluating the application of a decision support system in identifying adequate wastewater treatment for small communities. A case study: the Fluvia River Basin.

The identification of adequate wastewater treatment for small communities is a complex problem since it demands a combination of data from different sources, such as aspects of the community and landscape, the receiving environment and the available wastewater treatment technologies. The Catalan Water Agency (Agència Catalana de l'Aigua) considered using an EDSS (Environmental Decision Support System) as a tool to help water managers select the most adequate treatment for the urban wastewater of nearly 3,500 small communities in Catalonia (Spain). From that moment, EDSS was applied to all the river basins in Catalonia. In this paper the authors present the results obtained for the 76 small communities located in one of these river basins: the Fluvia River Basin. The characteristics of the community used in the reasoning process of the EDSS, the list of selected wastewater treatment alternatives, the technical environmental justification for the selected treatments and the reasons for discarding, favouring or disadvantaging them are presented. Finally, some results for the Fluvia River Basin are compared with those obtained in other Catalan river basins with different characteristics in order to evaluate which are the significant features in identifying adequate wastewater treatments.     

Hydrologic regionalisation impacts on wet-weather control selection.

Continuous simulation is performed using the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) to evaluate regional differences around the United States in hydrologic and water quality performance of wet-weather controls. Controls are characterised as being limited by peak inflow rate (i.e. any device with little or no storage, such as screens, filters and some proprietary devices) or by storage capacity (e.g., ponds, tanks). For flow-limited devices, results are presented in the form of percentage of annual runoff volume captured (passing through the device) for a given inflow capacity. For storage-limited devices, results are presented in two forms: percentage of annual runoff volume captured as a function of unit basin size and drawdown (drain) time, and as a percentage of total suspended solids captured, for the same two variables. Regional differences are apparent, driven mainly by variations in rainfall patterns around the country.     

Optimal ensemble construction via meta-evolutionary ensembles

In this paper, we propose a meta-evolutionary approach to improve on the performance of individual classifiers. In the proposed system, individual classifiers evolve, competing to correctly classify test points, and are given extra rewards for getting difficult points right. Ensembles consisting of multiple classifiers also compete for member classifiers, and are rewarded based on their predictive performance. In this way we aim to build small-sized optimal ensembles rather than form large-sized ensembles of individually-optimized classifiers. Experimental results on 15 data sets suggest that our algorithms can generate ensembles that are more effective than single classifiers and traditional ensemble methods.     

Effect of nisin on the storage of sous vide processed Korean seasoned beef

Seasoned beef called Jangzorim in Korea is produced by boiling in soy sauce, and is a popular food in Korea. The aim of this study is to evaluate the microbial safety and physical qualities of sous vide processed seasoned beef, and the effect of nisin during storage. Sous vide processed packages with or without nisin (100 IU or 500 IU) were stored at 4 °C or 25 °C for 60 days, and samples measured for quality at regular intervals throughout this storage period. In the case of 25 °C storage, the number of mesophilic microorganisms in seasoned beef packages without nisin increased markedly, but with nisin there was no observed increase. Psychrotrophic microorganisms, anaerobic microorganisms, and B. cereus cells showed similar trends, although C. perfringens was not detected in all samples. At 25 °C storage, changes in the cutting force of packages containing nisin showed no significant change, packages without nisin decreased markedly. The colour of packages without nisin showed a drastic decrease in lightness (‘L’) while no changes were observed in packages with nisin.