Characterization of pink diamonds of different origin: Natural (Argyle,non-Argyle), irradiated and annealed,treated with multi-process,coated and synthetic

One of the commercial challenges today in the gem industry is to quickly identify the origin of color in pink diamonds — natural, treated and synthetic by use of standard and advanced gemological instruments.An analytical technique that is used by many gem labs involves UV fluorescence. The principle factors in the technique are the excitation wavelengths and the emission spectra. No systematic study of fluorescence of pink natural diamonds, pink treated and pink synthetic diamonds has been undertaken. This study is mainly focused on using fluorescence techniques to characterize pink diamonds and to compile a reference library of emission spectra. Longwave (LW) and shortwave (SW) fluorescence of 365, 254 and 220 nm illumination were used in a custom built microscope with a fluorescence camera to record images and a spectrometer to record spectral data with which to establish a correlation with the cause of color.Other advanced instruments (CL imaging, UV–VIS–NIR, FTIR, PL spectroscopy and electrical conductance) were used to establish additional criteria for distinguishing natural, treated and synthetic pink diamonds and to find a correlation with the “EGL USA CIS (Cross-reference Identification System) fluorescence method”.     

Analyzing numerical responses: A model and its application to examples from personnel and organizational management.

We analyze the structure of the numerical responses of persons connected with money and present a mental model together with its connection to fuzzy theory. The numerical response is one single number containing information about the value and the exactness of a variable. We test the rules describing the process, generating these responses experimentally as well as using examples from a questionnaire, and provide further empirical evidence. The simultaneous determination of the value and exactness of a response resulting in one number causes severe problems in using these responses as input to decision models. We propose a pre-analysis of the data with the rules provided in this paper. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The location of inhibitory specificities in human mucus proteinase inhibitor (MPI): separate expression of the COOH-terminal domain yields an active inhibitor of three different proteinases

Human mucus proteinase inhibitor (MPI) consists of 107 aminoacids arranged in two domains showing high homology to eachother. This protein is an inhibitor of different serine proteinasesincluding trypsin, chymotrypsin, leukocyte elastase and cathepsinG. On the basis of sequence comparisons it has been suggestedthat the first domain inhibits trypsin, whereas the second onewas thought to be active against chymotrypsin and elastase.To prove the location of the different inhibitory activitiesgene fragments for both domains have been cloned separatelyand expressed in Escherichia coli. Inhibition assays with theisolated recombinant domains showed that the second domain isactive against chymotrypsin, neutrophil elastase and trypsin,whereas for the first domain only a weak activity against trypsincould be detected. These results suggest that the inhibitoryactivities of the native molecule towards these three proteinasesare all located in the second domain.     

Trading goods versus sharing money: An experiment testing whether fairness and efficiency are frame dependent.

Systematic experiments with distribution games have shown that participants are strongly motivated by considerations of fairness and efficiency. This evidence, however, results mainly from experimental designs in which money is shared directly. Furthermore, fairness does not necessarily require equal payoffs, but may instead require equal allocations. We investigate experimentally the frame dependency of reaching equal (commodity or payoff) splits by systematically comparing net-trade proposals and payoff proposals for the same exchange economy with two traders, two commodities and multi-period negotiations. We can confirm the hypothesis that asking participants to allocate money directly, rather than more naturally via the allocation of commodities, is far from being harmless and likely overstates fairness and efficiency concerns. What is more, we try to apply the insights gained from our experiment to management problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Development of Fluorescence Intensity Standards

The use of fluorescence as an analytical technique has been growing over the last 20 years. A major factor in inhibiting more rapid growth has been the inability to make comparable fluorescence intensity measurements across laboratories. NIST recognizes the need to develop and provide primary fluorescence intensity standard (FIS) reference materials to the scientific and technical communities involved in these assays. The critical component of the effort will be the cooperation between the Federal laboratories, the manufacturers, and the technical personnel who will use the fluorescence intensity standards. We realize that the development and use of FIS will have to overcome many difficulties. However, as we outline in this article, the development of FIS is feasible.     

Selecting Agricultural Best Management Practices for Water Conservation and Quality Improvements Using Atanassov’s Intuitionistic Fuzzy Sets

Improper agricultural practices can affect ground water through leaching, surface water through runoff, algae infestations, deforestation, and air quality through burning operations and ammonia emissions. These effects may be mitigated through the institution of best management practices. The utility of best management practices (BMPs) is recognized and being actively promoted by agricultural agencies; however, identifying a set of mandatory BMPs is inappropriate given variations between climactic, demographic and geographic regions as well as differences in farming practices. In this study, a multi-criteria decision making model based on Attanassov’s Intuitionistic Fuzzy Set (A-IFS) theory is introduced and its utility to rank agricultural best management practices is illustrated using a case-study from South Texas. Implementation of the A-IFS MCDM method to the South Texas region resulted in “irrigation scheduling” being ranked as the most preferred alternative, while “brush control/management” was the least preferred. The A-IFS MCDM approach was particularly suitable for prioritizing and ranking agricultural best management practices because decision makers often tend to have both likes and dislikes with regards to specific BMPs and for a given evaluation attribute. Not only does the A-IFS MCDM method provide a single composite score to rank the BMP alternatives, but the output of the A-IFS MCDM method also includes upper and lower bounds that help identify the uncertainties in the decision making process.     

Bio-methanol: How energy choices in the western United States can help mitigate global climate change

Converting available biomass from municipal, agricultural and forest wastes to bio-methanol can result in significant environmental and economic benefits. Keeping these benefits in mind, one plausible scenario discussed here is the potential to produce energy using bio-methanol in five states of the western United States. In this scenario, the bio-methanol produced is from different biomass sources and used as a substitute for fossil fuels in energy production. In the U.S. West, forest materials are the dominant biomass waste source in Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington, while in California, the greatest amount of available biomass is from municipal wastes. Using a 100% rate of substitution, bio-methanol produced from these sources can replace an amount equivalent to most or all of the gasoline consumed by motor vehicles in each state. In contrast, when bio-methanol powered fuel cells are used to produce electricity, it is possible to generate 12–25% of the total electricity consumed annually in these five states.As a gasoline substitute, bio-methanol can optimally reduce vehicle C emissions by 2–29 Tg of C (23–81% of the total emitted by each state). Alternatively, if bio-methanol supported fuel cells are used to generate electricity, from 2 to 32 Tg of C emissions can be avoided. The emissions avoided, in this case, could equate to 25–32% of the total emissions produced by these particular western states when fossil fuels are used to generate electricity. The actual C emissions avoided will be lower than the estimates here because C emissions from the methanol production processes are not included; however, such emissions are expected to be relatively low. In general, there is less carbon emitted when bio-methanol is used to generate electricity with fuel cells than when it is used as a motor vehicle fuel.In the state of Washington, thinning “high-fire-risk” small stems, namely 5.1–22.9 cm diameter trees, from wildfire-prone forests and using them to produce methanol for electricity generation with fuel cells would avoid C emissions of 3.7–7.3 Mg C/ha. Alternatively, when wood-methanol produced from the high-fire-risk wood is used as a gasoline substitute, 3.3–6.6 Mg C/ha of carbon emissions are avoided. If these same “high-fire-risk” woody stems were burned during a wildfire 7.9 Mg C/ha would be emitted in the state of Washington alone. Although detailed economic analyses of producing methanol from biomass are in its infancy, we believe that converting biomass into methanol and substituting it for fossil-fuel-based energy production is a viable option in locations that have high biomass availability.