ToF-SIMS depth profile of the surface film on pure magnesium formed by immersion in pure water and the identification of magnesium hydride

Time of Flight-Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) was used to examine the film formed on pure magnesium by immersion for 2 min in ultra pure water. The ToF-SIMS data indicates that there is magnesium hydride within the surface film. The presence of MgH₂ is a result of the Mg corrosion mechanism.     

Licensing of nuclear power plants: The case of Sweden in an international comparison

Efficient power plant licensing procedures are essential for the functioning of deregulated electricity markets. The purpose of this paper is to review and analyse the licensing process for nuclear power plants in Sweden, and in part contrast the Swedish case with the corresponding approaches in a selection of other countries. This approach permits a discussion of how licensing processes can be altered and what the benefits and drawbacks of such changes are. The paper highlights and discusses a number of important legal issues and implications, including, for instance: (a) the role of political versus impartial decision-making bodies; (b) the tension between national policy goals and implementation at the local level; (c) public participation and access to justice; (d) consistency and clarity of the legal system; and (e) the introduction of license time limits.     

QUANTIFICATION OF BITUMEN PARTICLES IN AEROSOL AND SOIL SAMPLES USING HP-GPC

ABSTRACT

A method for identifying and quantifying bitumen particles, generated from the wear of roadway asphalts, in aerosol and soil samples has been developed. Bitumen is found to be the only contributor to airborne particles containing organic molecules with molecular weights larger than 2000 g pr. mol. These are separated and identified using High Performance Gel Permeation Chromatography (HP-GPC) with fluorescence detection. As an additional detection method Infra Red spectrometry (IR) is employed for selected samples, The methods have been used on aerosol, soil and other samples.     

关于参数化主义 尼尔·里奇与帕特里克·舒马赫的对谈

在对谈里,帕特里克·舒马赫把＂参数化主义＂设想为继文艺复兴、巴洛克及现代主义之后一种新的时代风格,捍卫了＂参数化主义＂作为21世纪全球化风格的观点。对他而言,＂参数化主义＂的定义与讨论基于其导致的结果,而非其采用的技术。因而,风格这一概念被重新阐释,作为构建和推动参数化主义全球运动的因素。为推动参数化主义从先锋成为主流,舒马赫借由尼克拉斯·卢曼的社会系统理论衍生出一种基于普遍社会理论的普遍建筑理论——建筑自组织系统理论,＂参数化主义＂正是基于此理论。这一理论把社会理解为一个交流系统,一切建筑设计相应地成为交流系统的设计。以＂参数化符号学＂为议题,交流系统设计可通过与智能体群聚模型的结合在设计过程中具体操作实现。     

Formation of environmentally relevant brominated dioxins from 2,4,6,-tribromophenol via bromoperoxidase-catalyzed dimerization

Polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PBDD) are emerging environmental pollutants with structural similarities to the highly characterized toxicants polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins. The geographical and temporal variations of PBDD in biota samples from the Baltic Sea do not display features that are normally related to anthropogenic sources such as incineration, and therefore the natural formation of PBDDs has been suggested. This study of the bromoperoxidase mediated oxidative coupling of 2,4,6-tribromophenol (an abundant substance that is naturally formed in marine systems) identified the formation of ppb-level yields of 1,3,6,8-tetrabromodibenzo-p-dioxin (1,3,6,8-TeBDD) through direct condensation. Additional TeBDDs (1,3,7,9-TeBDD, 1,2,4,7-TeBDD, and/or 1,2,4,8-TeBDD) and tri-BDDs (1,3,7-TrBDD and 1,3,8-TrBDD) were frequently formed but at lower yields. The formation of these TeBDDs probably proceeds via bromine shifts or Smiles rearrangements, whereas the TrBDDs may result from subsequent debromination processes. Because all of the congeners formed by oxidative coupling and subsequent reactions are also found in Baltic Sea biota, the results support the theory that PBDDs are formed from natural precursors.     

Are Changes in the Percentage of Specific Leukocyte Subpopulations Associated with Endogenous DNA Damage Levels in Testicular Cancer Patients?

Chemoresistance of germ cell tumors (GCTs) represents an intensively studied property of GCTs that is the result of a complicated multifactorial process. One of the driving factors in this process is the tumor microenvironment (TME). Intensive crosstalk between the DNA damage/DNA repair pathways and the TME has already been reported. This study aimed at evaluating the interplay between the immune TME and endogenous DNA damage levels in GCT patients. A cocultivation system consisting of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from healthy donors and GCT cell lines was used in an in vitro study. The patient cohort included 74 chemotherapy-naïve GCT patients. Endogenous DNA damage levels were measured by comet assay. Immunophenotyping of leukocyte subpopulations was performed using flow cytometry. Statistical analysis included data assessing immunophenotypes, DNA damage levels and clinicopathological characteristics of enrolled patients. The DNA damage level in PBMCs cocultivated with cisplatin (CDDP)-resistant GCT cell lines was significantly higher than in PBMCs cocultivated with their sensitive counterparts. In GCT patients, endogenous DNA damage levels above the cutoff value were independently associated with increased percentages of natural killer cells, CD16-positive dendritic cells and regulatory T cells. The crosstalk between the endogenous DNA damage level and specific changes in the immune TME reflected in the blood of GCT patients was revealed. The obtained data contribute to a deeper understanding of ongoing interactions in the TME of GCTs.     

Experimental investigation of mineral diesel fuel, GTL fuel, RME and neat soybean and rapeseed oil combustion in a heavy duty on-road engine with exhaust gas aftertreatment

The effects of mineral diesel fuel, gas-to-liquid fuel, rapeseed methyl ester, neat soybean and neat rapeseed oil on injection, combustion, efficiency and pollutant emissions have been studied on a compression ignition heavy duty engine operated near full load and equipped with a combined exhaust gas aftertreatment system (oxidation catalyst, particle filter, selective catalytic NO_x reduction). In a first step, the engine calibration was kept constant for all fuels which led to differences in engine torque for the different fuels. In a second step, the injection duration was modified so that all fuels led to the same engine torque. In a third step, the engine was recalibrated in order to keep the NO_x emissions at an equal level for all fuels (injection pressure, injection timing, EGR rate). The experiments show that the critical NO_x emissions were higher (even behind the exhaust gas aftertreatment systems) for oxygenated fuels in case of the engine not being recalibrated for the fuel. GTL and the oxygenated fuels show lower emissions for some pollutants and higher efficiency after recalibration to equal NO_x levels.     

Reevaluating encoding-capacity limitations as a cause of the attentional blink.

A number of researchers have emphasized the role of distractors intervening between successive targets as the primary determinant of the attentional blink (AB) phenomenon. They argued that the AB is abolished when 3 or more targets are displayed as temporally contiguous items in rapidly presented serial sequences. In 3 experiments, the authors embedded 1-, 2-, or 3-digit targets among letter distractors in rapidly presented visual sequences. Across the experiments, both the number of targets and the lag between them were manipulated, producing different proportion of trials in which 3 temporally contiguous targets were presented in the test session. Evidence of an AB affecting the targets that followed the first target in these sequences was found in each experiment when the probability of a given target report was conditionalized on a correct response to the preceding targets, thus reinforcing the notion that some form of capacity limitation in the encoding of targets plays a central role in the elicitation and modulation of the AB effect. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

SATU86 — Simulationsrahmen zur dynamischen Prozeßsimulation für den industriellen Einsatz

Simulation framework for dynamic process simulation for industrial purposes. After a brief treatment of the general requirements of simulation software, the article presents the simulation program SATU86 developed at Hoechst AG. SATU86 permits modular model construction, has a clear user surface and allows a wide range of simulations and identifications, with facilities of tabular and graphic output both during and after simulation. An example of a project serves to illustrate the essential characteristics of SATU86. Apart from development of calculational models in SATU86 the main uses are identification, simulation, and presentation of results.