Aggregation pheromone characterization and comparison inDrosophila ananassae andDrosophila bipectinata

(Z)-11-Octadecenyl acetate (Z11–18Ac) and (Z)-11-eicosenyl acetate (Z11–20Ac) were identified as the aggregation pheromones ofDrosophila ananassae, andZ11–20Ac was identified as the aggregation pheromone ofDrosophila bipectinata. Z11–18Ac andZ11–20Ac were not attractive alone; however, in combination with fermenting food odors, the acetates attracted flies of both sexes in a wind-tunnel olfactometer. The pheromones were present in the ejaculatory bulb of sexually mature male flies and transferred to the female during mating. MaleD. bipectinata released little if anyZ11–20Ac to the food; however, recently mated females releasedZ11–20Ac to the surrounding surfaces in just a few hours after mating.D. ananassae males, on the other hand, appeared to release moreZ11–18Ac andZ11–20Ac to the surroundings than mated females. AlthoughD. bipectinata males had noZ11–18Ac, flies were as attracted toZ11–18Ac as to an equal quantity ofZ11–20Ac.D. ananassae were attracted toZ11–18Ac but not toZ11–16Ac orZ11–20Ac. However,Z11–20Ac in combination withZ11–18Ac was significantly more attractive thanZ11–18Ac alone.     

Production of Industrially Useful and Renewable p-Cymene by Catalytic Dehydration and Isomerization of Perillyl Alcohol

We report the dehydration and isomerization of renewable perillyl alcohol to industrially useful p-cymene in 91% yield utilizing 2.0 mol% para-toluenesulfonic acid (pTsOH) catalyst at 110 °C as a 3.0 M solution in toluene. Lower reaction temperatures, catalyst loadings, and/or starting concentrations resulted in lower yields of p-cymene as well as longer reaction times. Conversion of perillyl alcohol to p-cymene yielded atom and carbon economies of 88.1% and 100% as well as an E-factor of 2.7, thereby indicating that the process was both green and sustainable. A lower yield of 86% was observed when the reaction was performed neat, but a lower E-factor of 0.4 indicated that neat conditions were more desirable from an environmental perspective. Application of the optimized parameters to 3.0 M solutions of dl-limonene led predominantly to oligomerization (92%) as opposed to dehydroisomerization (5%), which was attributed to the strong Brønsted acidity of pTsOH. In addition, camphene (44%), terpinene isomers (15%), and limonene (14%) were obtained when dehydroisomerization was attempted on 3.0 M solutions of α- and β-pinene, which was once again attributed to the acidity of the catalyst. Oligomerization was strongly favored when dehydroisomerization of dl-limonene, α- and β-pinene was attempted neat. In summary, synthesis of renewable p-cymene was readily achieved from perillyl alcohol with catalytic pTsOH but competing side reactions suppressed yield when dehydroisomerization of dl-limonene, α- and β-pinene was attempted due to the strong Brønsted acidity of the catalyst.     

A study of diamond synthesis by hot filament chemical vapor deposition on Nc coatings

Deposition of diamond films onto various substrates can result in significant technological advantages in terms of functionality and improved life and performance of components. Diamond is hard, wear resistant, chemically inert, and biocompatible. It is considered to be the ideal material for surfaces of cutting tools and biomedical components. However, it is well known that diamond deposition onto technologically important substrates, such as co-cemented carbides and steels, is problematic due to carbon interaction with the substrate, low nucleation densities, and poor adhesion. Several papers previously published in the relevant literature have reported the application of interlayer materials such as metal nitrides and carbides to provide bonding between diamond and hostile substrates. In this study, the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of polycrystalline diamond on TiN/SiN _x nc (nc) interlayers deposited at relatively low temperatures has been investigated for the first time. The nc layers were deposited at 70 or 400 °C on Si substrates using a dual ion beam deposition system. The results showed that a preliminary seeding pretreatment with diamond suspension was necessary to achieve large diamond nucleation densities and that diamond nucleation was larger on nc films than on bare sc-Si subjected to the same pretreatment and CVD process parameters. TiN/SiN _x layers synthesized at 70 or 400 °C underwent different nanostructure modifications during diamond CVD. The data also showed that TiN/SiN _x films obtained at 400 °C are preferable in so far as their use as interlayers between hostile substrates and CVD diamond is concerned. This paper was presented at the fourth International Surface Engineering Congress and Exposition held August 1–3, 2005 in St. Paul, MN.     

Suppression of carbon monoxide formation in oxide-coated TZM molybdenum X-ray rotating anodes

Higher performance designs for rotating anode X-ray tubes have increased the average rotating anode temperature from below 1100 °C to well above 1300 °C. This temperature increase has accelerated the formation of carbon monoxide by reaction of carbon from the alloy substrate with oxygen from the emissive coating. The dominant carbon source is thought to be Mo₂C grain boundary precipitates in the TZM molybdenum alloy substrate. The dominant oxygen source is thought to be TiO in the emissive coating. Placement of a monocarbide-forming reactive layer between the alloy substrate and the emissive coating has been demonstrated to lower the thermodynamic activity of the carbon source and dramatically reduce the rate of formation of carbon monoxide.     

Chemically functionalized carbon nanotubes and their characterization using thermogravimetric analysis, fourier transform infrared, and raman spectroscopy

This article reports key findings on the chemical functionalization of carbon nanotubes (CNT). The functionalization of chemical vapor-deposited CNT was carried out by treating tubes with polyvinyl alcohol through ultrasonication in water with the aid of a surfactant. The surfactant is expected to promote the unbundling of aggregated CNT. The characterization of functionalized samples using thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy revealed that the CNT were functionalized by the interaction of carboxylic acid and hydroxyl groups. From the characterization studies, it is apparent that there is a strong interaction between these functional groups and the covalently bonded carbon in the CNT network. The functionalization process enabled good CNT dispersion in the solution, and the CNT remained in suspension for many days. To support the effective functionalization of the tubes, the interaction of functionalized CNT with Ni ions is also demonstrated. This paper was presented at the fourth International Surface Engineering Congress and Exposition held August 1–3, 2005 in St. Paul, MN.     

A versatile facility for laboratory studies of viscoelastic and poroelastic behaviour of rocks

Novel laboratory equipment has been modified to allow both torsional and flexural oscillation measurements at sub-microstrain amplitudes, thereby providing seismic-frequency constraints on both the shear and compressional wave properties of cylindrical rock specimens within the linear regime. The new flexural mode capability has been tested on experimental assemblies containing fused silica control specimens. Close consistency between the experimental data and the results of numerical modelling with both finite-difference and finite-element methods demonstrates the viability of the new technique. The capability to perform such measurements under conditions of independently controlled confining and pore-fluid pressure, with emerging strategies for distinguishing between local (squirt) and global (specimen-wide) fluid flow, will have particular application to the study of frequency-dependent seismic properties expected of cracked and fluid-saturated rocks of the Earth's upper crust.     

Bed morphology, flow structure, and sediment transport at the outlet of Lake Huron and in the upper St. Clair River

An integrated multibeam echo sounder and acoustic Doppler current profiler field survey was conducted in July 2008 to investigate the morphodynamics of the St. Clair River at the outlet of Lake Huron. The principal morphological features of the upper St. Clair River included flow-transverse bedforms that appear weakly mobile, erosive bedforms in cohesive muds, thin non-cohesive veneers of weakly mobile sediment that cover an underlying cohesive (till or glacio-lacustrine) surface, and vegetation that covers the bed. The flow was characterized by acceleration as the banks constrict from Lake Huron into the St. Clair River, an approximately 1500-m long region of flow separation downstream from the Blue Water Bridge, and secondary flow connected to: i) channel curvature; ii) forcing of the flow by local bed topography, and iii) flow wakes in the lee side of ship wrecks. Nearshore, sand-sized, sediment from Lake Huron was capable of being transported into, and principally along, the banks of the upper St. Clair River by the measured flow. A comparison of bathymetric surveys conducted in 2007 and 2008 identifies that the gravel bed does undergo slow downstream movement, but that this movement does not appear to be generated by the mean flow, and could possibly be caused by ship-propeller-induced turbulence. The study results suggest that the measured mean flow and dredging within the channel have not produced major scour of the upper St. Clair River and that the recent fall in the level of Lake Huron is unlikely to have been caused by these mechanisms.     

Temporal persistence and stability of surface soil moisture in a semi-arid watershed

Satellite soil moisture products, such as those from Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR), require diverse landscapes for validation. Semi-arid landscapes present a particular challenge to satellite remote sensing validation using traditional techniques because of the high spatial variability and potentially rapid rates of temporal change in moisture conditions. In this study, temporal stability analysis and spatial sampling techniques are used to investigate the representativeness of ground observations at satellite scale soil moisture in a semi-arid watershed for a long study period (March 1, 2002 to September 13, 2005). The watershed utilized, the Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed, has a dense network of 19 soil moisture sensors, distributed over a 150 km² study region. In conjunction with this monitoring network, intensive gravimetric soil moisture sampling conducted as part of the Soil Moisture Experiment in 2004 (SMEX04), contributed to the calibration of the network for large-scale estimation during the North American Monsoon System (NAMS). The sensor network is shown to be an excellent estimator of the watershed average with an accuracy of approximately 0.01 m³/m³ soil moisture. However, temporal stability analysis indicated that while much of the network is stable, the soil moisture spatial pattern, as represented by mean relative difference, is not replicated by the network mean relative difference pattern. Rather, the network is composed of statistical samples. Geophysical aspects of the watershed, including topography and soil type are also examined for their influence on the soil moisture variability and stability. Soil type, as characterized by bulk density, clay and sand content, was responsible for nearly 50% of the temporal stability. Topographic effects were less important in defining representativeness and stability.     

Aircraft based soil moisture retrievals under mixed vegetation and topographic conditions

An unresolved issue in global soil moisture retrieval using passive microwave sensors is the spatial integration of heterogeneous landscape features to the nominal 50 km footprint observed by most low frequency satellite systems. One of the objectives of the Soil Moisture Experiments 2004 (SMEX04) was to address some aspects of this problem, specifically variability introduced by vegetation, topography and convective precipitation. Other goals included supporting the development of soil moisture data sets that would contribute to understanding the role of the land surface in the concurrent North American Monsoon System. SMEX04 was conducted over two regions: Arizona — semi-arid climate with sparse vegetation and moderate topography, and Sonora (Mexico) — moderate vegetation with strong topographic gradients. The Polarimetric Scanning Radiometer (PSR/CX) was flown on a Naval Research Lab P-3B aircraft as part of SMEX04 (10 dates of coverage over Arizona and 11 over Sonora). Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) was observed in both PSR and satellite-based (AMSR-E) observations at 6.92 GHz over Arizona, but no detectable RFI was observed over the Sonora domain. The PSR estimated soil moisture was in agreement with the ground-based estimates of soil moisture over both domains. The estimated error over the Sonora domain (SEE = 0.021 cm³/cm³) was higher than over the Arizona domain (SEE = 0.014 cm³/cm³). These results show the possibility of estimating soil moisture in areas of moderate and heterogeneous vegetation and high topographic variability.     

Dynamic Shape and Appearance Modeling via Moving and Deforming Layers

We propose a model of the shape, motion and appearance of a scene, seen through a sequence of images, that captures occlusions, scene deformations, unconstrained viewpoint variations and changes in its radiance. This model is based on a collection of overlapping layers that can move and deform, each supporting an intensity function that can change over time. We discuss the generality and limitations of this model in relation to existing ones such as traditional optical flow or motion segmentation, layers, deformable templates and deformotion. We then illustrate how this model can be used for inference of shape, motion, deformation and appearance of the scene from a collection of images. The layering structure allows for automatic inpainting of partially occluded regions. We illustrate the model on synthetic and real sequences where existing schemes fail, and show how suitable choices of constants in the model yield existing schemes, from optical flow to motion segmentation and inpainting.