Variations in vanadium, nickel and lanthanoid element concentrations in urban air

The emission of trace metal pollutants by industry and transport takes place on a scale large enough to alter atmospheric chemistry and results in measurable differences between the urban background of inhalable particulate matter (PM) in different towns. This is particularly well demonstrated by the technogenic release into the atmosphere of V, Ni, and lanthanoid elements. We compare PM concentrations of these metals in large datasets from five industrial towns in Spain variously influenced by emissions from refinery, power station, shipping, stainless steel, ceramic tiles and brick-making. Increased La/Ce values in urban background inhalable PM, due to La-contamination from refineries and their residual products (fuel oils and petcoke), contrast with Ce-rich emissions from the ceramic related industry, and clearly demonstrate the value of this ratio as a sensitive and reliable tracer for many point source emissions. Similarly, anomalously high V/Ni values (> 4) can detect the influence of nearby high-V petcoke and fuel oil combustion, although the use of this ratio in urban background PM is limited by overlapping values in natural and anthropogenic materials. Geochemical characterisation of urban background PM is a valuable compliment to the physical monitoring of aerosols widely employed in urban areas, especially given the relevance of trace metal inhalation to urban health issues.     

Response modification factor of elevated water tanks with reinforced concrete pedestal

A probabilistic method based on FEMA P695 is employed for validating the response modification factor of reinforced concrete pedestals in elevated water tanks. In the current codes and standards, the response modification factor of elevated water tanks is mainly based on engineering judgement. Ten models of elevated water tanks with different tank sizes and pedestal heights are selected for the investigation. Initially, the prototypes are designed based on the current codes and standards. Next, the finite element models of the prototypes are developed. By performing incremental dynamic analysis, the probability of collapse for each prototype is calculated under different seismic loading conditions and system uncertainties. The results of the study validate and confirm the current response modification factor values and show that the tank size has a significant effect on the nonlinear seismic response behaviour of elevated water tanks. In addition, it is revealed that heavy tank sizes that are designed in accordance with codes and guidelines are more vulnerable under seismic loading compared with light and medium tank sizes.     

Sex Pheromones of Two Melittini Species, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Macroscelesia Japona</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">M. Longipes</Emphasis>: Identification and Field Attraction

Two Melittini species, Macroscelesia japona and M. longipes (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae), are native to Japan, but occupy different localities as their host plants seldom grow together. The contents of the sex pheromone gland of adult females of both species, obtained after rearing larvae collected from the field, were investigated by gas chromatograph-electroantennogram detection (GC-EAD) and gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses. Two GC-EAD-active components were found in a crude extract of M. japona female pheromone gland, and identified as (2E,13Z)-2,13-octadecadien-1-ol (E2,Z13-18:OH) and (2E,13Z)-2,13-octadecadienal (E2,Z13-18:Ald). The average ratio of these two components was about 1:10. In the field, M. japona males were attracted to traps baited with E2,Z13-18:Ald alone, but the strongest attraction was observed with a 1:100 mixture of E2,Z13-18:OH and E2,Z13-18:Ald. The same two components were found in extracts of M. longipes females, but in a markedly different ratio. Male M. longipes were attracted most strongly to lures containing a 20:1 mixture of E2,Z13-18:OH and E2,Z13-18:Ald, although some males were also attracted to lures with E2,Z13-18:OH alone. Although the two species do not generally occur in sympatry, our data indicate that, in the event of overlap, cross attraction of the two species is unlikely.     

Influence of ITO patterning on reliability of organic light emitting devices

Indium tin oxide (ITO) films are widely used for a transparent electrode of organic light emitting devices (OLEDs) because of its excellent conductivity and transparency. Two types of ITO substrates with different surface roughness were selected to use as anode of OLEDs. In addition, two types of etching process of ITO substrate, particularly the etching time, were also carried out. It was found that the surface roughness and/or the etching process of ITO substrate strongly influenced on an edge of ITO surface, further affected the operating characteristics and reliability of devices.     

Origin of enhanced electrical and conducting properties in pentacene films doped by molybdenum trioxide

Molybdenum trioxide (MoO₃) doped organic semiconductors have shown attractive applications in organic electric devices. The authors carried out an investigation on the origin of enhanced photoelectric characteristics in MoO₃-doped pentacene films. Electrical properties including charge transport, trap density and conductivity in bulk MoO₃-doped pentacene films were investigated through fundamental measurements of current-voltage characteristics. Electrical structure and conducting mechanism in MoO₃-doped pentacene films were further evaluated by X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. The experimental results suggest that the improved conductivity in MoO₃-doped pentacene film was partly associated with the increased ratio of low Mo oxidation state (Mo⁴⁺) with a fact of better conducting property of MoO₂ than that MoO₃.     

Stress analysis of Si1−xGex embedded source/drain junctions

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of the geometry of embedded Si_1−xGe_x source/drain junctions on the stress field. Stress simulations were performed using TSUPREM4 2D software to further investigate the elastic strain relaxation as a function of Si_1−xGe_x alloy active size, in the regime where no plastic relaxation is present. Moreover, the role of the epilayer thickness and the Ge content on the stress levels is also discussed. The work is complemented with experimental Raman spectroscopy.     

Inline amplifier transmission experiments over 4500 km at 2.5 Gb/s

An inline amplifier system was constructed with erbium-doped fiber amplifiers spaced at 100 km and 80 km intervals. The system transmits 2.5 Gb/s signals over 2500 km with continuous-phase frequency-shift-keying heterodyne detection and over 4500 km with intensity-modulation direct detection. With respect to amplifier output signal power levels, it is experimentally shown that there exists a dynamic range within which long-distance signal transmission can be achieved with only small receiver sensitivity degradation. The range's upper and lower limits are determined by fiber nonlinearities and amplifier noise characteristics, respectively     

Texture and graphitization behaviour of fluid coke

The texture, its changes with heat-treatments and with oxidation, and the graphitization behaviour of the fluid coke were investigated using polarized light microscopes, scanning electron microscopes and X-ray diffraction. The fluid coke as received had the homogeneous particle size of 0·1–0·2 mm. It consisted of two kinds of particles in almost equal amounts: one type with relatively smooth surfaces and showing crossed extinction contours for cross cuts, and the second type with very rough surfaces and radial extinction contours. In the former ones, the graphite-like layers seem to align approximately concentrically like that of onions. In the latter ones, regions with large graphite-like layers are highly oriented but those with small layers orient randomly being arranged like in a chrysanthemum flower. Formation of cracks in the particles heat-treated under normal pressure was observed and is explained as due to the texture. The graphitizability of the coke is very poor, c₀-spacing decreasing only to 6·78 Å after 2780°C-treatment under normal pressure and only to 6·82–6·84 Å after 2000°C-treatment under 5 kbar. The characteristic textures of the particles, onion- and chrysanthemum-like are still retained after heat-treatment under 5 kbar.     

Usefulness of argyrophilic nucleolar organizer staining for predicting prognosis of patients with recurrent soft tissue sarcoma

Local recurrence of tumor is a common phenomenon in soft tissue sarcoma (STS) and may be accompanied by an increase in malignant potential. In the present study, an increase of proliferative activity in recurrent tumors compared to primary tumors was observed using a silver stain for nucleolar organizer regions (AgNOR), and its implication for predicting prognosis is assessed. 44 patients with STS showing local tumor recurrence were selected. Local recurrence was defined as new tumor growth more than 2 months after the initial surgery in the same region where the primary tumor occurred. All patients received surgery, followed in 11 patients by adjuvant radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy. The histologic subtype was malignant fibrous histiocytoma in 22 cases, synovial sarcoma in 5, leiomyosarcoma in 4, liposarcoma in 3, malignant schwannoma in 3, and others in 7. The interval between initial surgery and local recurrence ranged from 2 to 72 months. No patients changed from one histological subtype to another. Histological changes included an increase in mitosis, cellularity, and sclerosis in 43.2, 31.8, and 27.3%, respectively. The AgNOR count (mean +/- SD) in recurrent tumors (7.22 +/- 2.59) was significantly higher than that in primary tumors (5.58 +/- 2.28; p < 0.0057), clearly showing a tendency for an increase in proliferative activity during recurrence. The 5-year survival rate of patients with a marked increase (> 4) in AgNOR count (16.7%) was worse than with minor to moderate increases (60.0%; p < 0.02). Marked AgNOR increase was more frequently observed in the tumors located in the head and neck and retroperitoneum (40%) than in other sites (9%). Irrespective of the primary site of tumors, a marked AgNOR increase resulted in an unfavorable prognosis. Multivariate analysis of change in histologic factors including AgNOR, cellularity, mitotic counts, pleomorphism, myxoid change, necrosis, sclerosis, and tumor size showed that increase of AgNOR counts was significant (p < 0.05). The present findings suggest that AgNOR counts can be used as a prognostic factor in recurrent STS.