Examining the Elusiveness of Finality in Arbitration,and the New Avenues of Appeal

In Part 1 of 2, ADR attorney‐neutral Roger Jacobs provides background on the development of arbitration appellate practices that led to rules by leading conflict resolutions organizations. Next month, he will conclude his analysis with the issues that practitioners need to focus on in considering the applicability of using arbitration appeals from the drafting stage through the appellate award.     

A swept frequency multiplication technique for air-coupled ultrasonic NDE

A new technique has been investigated for improving the signals that can be obtained in air-coupled nondestruction evaluation (NDE). This relies on the wide bandwidth available from polymer-filmed capacitive transducers. The technique relies on a swept-frequency "chirp" signal, which is transmitted from a transducer in air. The new technique differs from existing time-domain correlation techniques, such as pulse compression, in that a single multiplication process is performed in the time domain to give a difference frequency signal. This then can be isolated easily in the frequency domain. It will be demonstrated that this new swept frequency multiplication (SFM) approach gives the potential for rapid air-coupled imaging.     

A gain and bandwidth enhanced transimpedance preamplifier for Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

The nature of the ion signal from a 12-T Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer and the electronic noise were studied to further understand the electronic detection limit. At minimal cost, a new transimpedance preamplifier was designed, computer simulated, built, and tested. The preamplifier design pushes the electronic signal-to-noise performance at room temperature to the limit, because of its enhanced tolerance of the capacitance of the detection device, lower intrinsic noise, and larger flat mid-band gain (input current noise spectral density of around 1 pA/√Hz when the transimpedance is about 85 dBΩ). The designed preamplifier has a bandwidth of ~3 kHz to 10 MHz, which corresponds to the mass-to-charge ratio, m/z, of approximately 18 to 61 k at 12 T. The transimpedance and the bandwidth can be easily adjusted by changing the value of passive components. The feedback limitation of the circuit is discussed. With the maximum possible transimpedance of 5.3 MΩ when using an 0402 surface mount resistor, the preamplifier was estimated to be able to detect ~110 charges in a single scan.     

Wood-fiber reinforcement of styrene–maleic anhydride copolymers

Styrene–maleic anhydride (SMA) copolymers containing either 7 or 14% maleic anhydride were filled with either pine flour or dry-process aspen fiber from a medium density fiberboard (MDF) plant. Material properties of the filled and unfilled SMA plastics were compared with those of aspen-fiber-filled and unfilled polystyrene (PS). The fiber-filled SMA composites were equivalent or superior to unfilled SMA in strength, stiffness, and notched Izod impact strength. Filled PS composites outperformed or matched the performance of filled SMA composites in the parameters tested. Unnotched Izod impact strength of filled polymers was generally inferior to that of the unfilled polymers. Water absorption from a 90% relative humidity exposure, a 24-h soak, and a 2-h boil showed mixed results when compared to the unfilled polymers. Dynamic mechanical analysis showed no change in glass transition temperature (T_g) after the addition of filler for either SMA or PS composites. The presence of the anhydride functionality on the polymer backbone did not appear to improve the strength of the composite. No evidence was found for chemical bond formation between the SMA and wood fiber. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 68: 1567–1573, 1998     

Zeolite HNU-87: synthesis, characterization and catalytic properties in the shape-selective conversion of methylnaphthalenes

The synthesis of the high-silica zeolite NU-87 and its physicochemical characterization are reported. The catalytic properties of zeolite HNU-87 were investigated in the conversion of 1- and 2-methylnaphthalene. Both isomerization to the corresponding methylnaphthalene and transalkylation to naphthalene and dimethylnaphthalenes are observed. The influence of reaction temperature and the modified residence time on the product distributions is reported and discussed in terms of shape selectivity effects in the peculiar pore system of NU-87. For comparison, typical results obained with zeolite HMCM-22, which possesses a similar pore architecture, are also included. The results of methylnaphthalene conversion over HNU-87 are compared to those obtained in the alkylation of naphthalene with methanol on the same zeolite catalyst. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Attraction of Mature Ceratitis capitata Females to 2-Heptanone, A Component of Coffee Fruit Odor

In indoor laboratory-cage and outdoor field-cage assays, we evaluated the attraction of released, protein-fed, mature Mediterranean fruit fly females to six volatile compounds emitted by attractive crushed ripe coffee fruit: 3-methyl-1-butanal, decanal, 3-methyl-1-butanol, 2-(Z)-pentenol, 2-(E)-hexenol, and 2-heptanone. Previous tests in a wind tunnel indicated that each of these six compounds was more attractive than clean air to females. In laboratory cage assays, none of the compounds elicited a response significantly greater than that to water. In field-cage assays, 2 or 4 l of 2-heptanone in 5 ml of water (but none of the other compounds at 2 or 4 l in 5 ml of water) consistently attracted protein-fed medflies at significant levels that averaged about five times greater than attraction to water alone, although about 40% less than attraction to odor of coffee fruit extract. All types of mature protein-fed females tested (laboratory-cultured virgin, laboratory-cultured mated, wild mated) in field-cage assays responded similarly to 2-heptanone, whereas same-age (9- to 11-day-old) protein-deprived females did not respond significantly to 2-heptanone. Response of protein-fed females to 2-heptanone increased progressively with increasing dose (1, 2, 4, or 8 l in 5 ml of water). Addition of 2 l of 2-heptanone or 2 l of any of the other compounds tested to 5 ml of water extract of coffee fruit did not enhance attractiveness of the extract. Relative to response to water, protein-fed females consistently exhibited a significant positive response to odor of coffee fruit extract but no significant response to odor of Nulure (a proteinaceous food attractant). Together, our findings suggest that mature protein-fed females were responding to 2-heptanone as though it were an oviposition-site stimulus rather than a feeding-site stimulus.