Captain Nemo's Dream

Jules Verne's Captain Nemo in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870) was the first marine conservationist, battling against his fellow humans to protect the wildlife of the oceans. Here, the deeply passionate marine ecologist and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Enric Sala enlists the help of his hero to capture what might be in store for ocean life in 2050.     

Synthesis and odour thresholds of mixed halogenated anisoles in water.

Earthy-musty off-flavour compounds in water samples are usually associated with the presence of geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol. However, the presence of 2,3,6- and 2,4,6-trichloroanisoles or other halogenated anisoles can impart objectionable tastes and odours to the water even at very low trace levels. This paper shows the synthesis of non-commercial 2,3,6- and 2,4,6- mixed chloro/bromoanisoles which can be present in bromide rich waters and could also be suspected of imparting earthy-musty off-flavours to the water. All the synthesized compounds were subjected to the flavour profile analysis (FPA) method and their odour threshold concentrations (OTC) in water were carried out giving values in the low ng/L range.     

Characterisation of bottom ash from municipal solid waste incineration in Catalonia

Bottom ash from municipal solid waste incinerator plants in Catalonia was characterised to investigate some alternatives for its utilisation and their potential environmental impact. After a detailed chemical and mineralogical characterisation, physical and geotechnical properties were investigated. The study focused on the use of bottom ash as an aggregate substitute in pavement applications. The results show that this material may be successfully used as a compacted material in unbound road sub‐bases. According to Spanish Specifications for road construction, bottom ash complies with the technical requirements for sub‐bases. Data obtained from the leaching test satisfy the limit values established by Catalan Specifications for bottom ash utilisation. The use of bottom ash in the envisaged application should therefore not result in any environmental impact. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry     

Development and assessment of fire-related risk unavailability matrices to support the application of the maintenance rule in a PWR nuclear power plant

Two methods are presented which serve to incorporate the fire-related risk into the current practices in nuclear power plants with respect to the assessment of configurations. The development of these methods is restricted to the compulsory use of fire probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) models. The first method is a fire protection systems and key safety functions unavailability matrix which is developed to identify structures, systems, and components significant for fire-related risk. The second method is a fire zones and key safety functions (KSFs) fire risk matrix which is useful to identify fire zones which are candidates for risk management actions. Specific selection and quantification methodologies have been developed to obtain the matrices. The Monte Carlo method has been used to assess the uncertainty of the unavailability matrix. The analysis shows that the uncertainty is sufficiently bounded. The significant fire-related risk is localized in six KSF representative components and one fire protection system which should be included in the maintenance rule. The unavailability of fire protection systems does not significantly affect the risk. The fire risk matrix identifies the fire zones that contribute the most to the fire-related risk. These zones belong to the control building and electric penetrations building.     

Polysiloxane Softener Coatings on Plasma‐Treated Wool: Study of the Surface Interactions

Low temperature plasma (LTP) improves the shrink‐resistance of wool fabrics but impairs their softness, so different polysiloxane coatings were applied. Modifications in surface hydrophilicity and topography of fabrics and fibres have been recorded through drop test, contact angle and SEM, respectively. LTP improves the deposition of the polysiloxanes which, depending on their functionalities alter the original hydrophilicity of the wool surface. Softness and shrink‐resist results of the fabrics point out to a possible relationship between hydrophilicity of the wool fibre surface and the shrinkage behaviour of the fabrics. A possible mechanism of interaction between the different polysiloxane groups and the surface of untreated (UT) and LTP‐treated wool is proposed.

     

NH3 molecular doping of silicon nanowires grown along the [112], [110], [001], and [111] orientations

ABSTRACT: : The possibility that an adsorbed molecule could provide shallow electronic states that could be thermally excited has received less attention than substitutional impurities and could potentially have a high impact in the doping of silicon nanowires (SiNWs). We show that molecular-based ex-situ doping, where NH3 is adsorbed at the sidewall of the SiNW, can be an alternative path to n-type doping. By means of first-principle electronic structure calculations, we show that NH3 is a shallow donor regardless of the growth orientation of the SiNWs. Also, we discuss quantum confinement and its relation with the depth of the NH3 doping state, showing that the widening of the bandgap makes the molecular donor level deeper, thus more difficult to activate.     

Nanocrystalline Electroplated Cu–Ni: Metallic Thin Films with Enhanced Mechanical Properties and Tunable Magnetic Behavior

Nanocrystalline 3 µm thick Cu_1–xNi_x (0.45 ≤ x ≤ 0.87) films are electrodeposited galvanostatically onto Cu/Ti/Si (100) substrates, from a citrate‐ and sulphate‐based bath containing sodium lauryl sulphate and saccharine as additives. The films exhibit large values of reduced Young's modulus (173 < E_r < 192 GPa) and hardness (6.4 < H < 8.2 GPa), both of which can be tailored by varying the alloy composition. The outstanding mechanical properties of these metallic films can be ascribed to their nanocrystalline nature—as evidenced by X‐ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy—along with the occurrence of stacking faults and the concomitant formation of intragranular nanotwins during film growth. Due to their nanocrystalline character, these films also show very low surface roughness (root mean square deviation of around 2 nm). Furthermore, tunable magnetic properties, including a transition from paramagnetic to ferromagnetic behavior, are observed when the Ni percentage is increased. This combination of properties, together with the simplicity of the fabrication method, makes this system attractive for widespread technological applications, including hard metallic coatings or magnetic micro/nano‐electromechanical devices.     

Genetic and environmental effects on chemical composition related to sensory traits in common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

The chemical composition determines plant-derived foods’ sensory traits; genetic and environmental effects and their interactions determine chemical composition. Understanding the importance of each factor should help characterise foodstuffs according to the variety and place of cultivation. We studied the effects of variety (five landraces + two checks) and environment (five locations and two years) on some molecules important for beans’ (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) sensory value. The greatest location effects were on protein and starch content and variety effects were due to combinations of traits (mainly sucrose, protein, and malic acid). The variety × location interactions detected in protein, sucrose, citric acid, and malic acid were difficult to associate to the gastronomic success of a particular variety cultivated at a particular location. Our results showed that protected designation of origin (PDO) in beans could be delimited on the basis of chemical composition, derived from the particular environmental characteristics of a region and the genetic characteristics of the varieties admitted.