Effects of rice cleaning and cooking process on the residues of flutolanil,fenobucarb, silafluofen and buprofezin in rice

We studied the effect of cleaning and cooking on the residues of flutolanil, fenobucarb, silafluofen and buprofezin in rice. The rice had been sprayed in a paddy field in Wakayama city, with 3 kinds of pesticide application protocols: spraying once at the usual concentration of pesticides, repeated spraying (3 times) with the usual concentration of pesticides and spraying once with 3 times the usual concentration of pesticides. The residue levels of pesticide decreased during the rice cleaning process. Silafluofen, which has a higher log Pow value, remained in the hull of the rice. Fenobucarb, which has a lower log Pow value, penetrated inside the rice. The residue concentration of pesticide in polished rice was higher than that in pre-washed rice processed ready for cooking. During the cooking procedure, the reduction of pesticides in polished rice was higher than that in brown rice.     

NEXAFS study of electronic and atomic structure of active layer in Al/indium tin oxide/TiO2 stack during resistive switching

We have studied the stability of the resistive switching process in the Al/(In₂O₃)_0.9(SnO₂)_0.1/TiO₂ assembly grown by atomic layer deposition. Besides electrical characterization the effect of electric field on the atomic electronic structure of the TiO₂ layer was studied using near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy. The region of the current instability in the I-V characteristics was revealed. Presumably this current instability is supported by the amorphous structure of the TiO₂ film but is initiated by the surface morphology of the Al substrate. A formation of the O₂ molecules was established which occurs specifically in the region of the current instability that is a result of electrical Joule heating manifestation.     

Aeronautical and space vehicle control in dynamic sliding manifolds

Multiple loop multiple time scale sliding mode control technique based on dynamic sliding manifold is developed and applied to aeronautical and space vehicle control. Minimum and non-minimum phase output tracking problems for aeronautical and space vehicles are addressed in dynamic sliding manifold. Numerical examples of the flight controller design for controlling minimum and non-minimum phase manoeuvres of an F-16 jet fighter are presented. An example of an attitude controller design for the X-33 technology demonstration reusable launch vehicle using sliding mode control based on dynamic sliding manifold is also considered. Numerical simulations illustrate the effectiveness of the dynamic sliding manifold technique.     

Ultrasonic nebulization-assisted layer-by-layer assembly for spray coating of multilayered, multicomponent, bioactive nanostructures

In this study, we describe a new technique for creating dense, stable, nanolayer coatings on solid substrates using ultrasonic nebulization. Nebulization-assisted layer-by-layer assembly (LbL) is a modification to the well-characterized LbL assembly method. The conventional method of producing electrostatically assembled multilayer films through sequential substrate dipping was compared to the nebulization method, and the resultant film characteristics were investigated. Varied coatings can be generated according to the alterations in deposition parameters, with the most influential being nebulizer distance and time. In addition to employment of polyelectrolytes (PEs), the nebulization method has been extrapolated to generate assemblies containing nanoparticles and a model drug, dexamethasone. It is shown that in comparison with conventional LbL, similar bilayers’ layering thicknesses can be achieved within a much smaller timeframe. Furthermore, PEs and more complex protein and nanoparticle assemblies can be incorporated to influence the surface topography and functionality. The potential to expeditiously assemble multicomponent films has far-reaching implications in many focus areas.     

Confinement effects on the kinetics of formation of sequential semi-interpenetrating polymer networks

Summary Peculiarities of formation kinetics of sequential semi-interpenetrating polymer networks based on crosslinked polyurethane with different cross-linking density and linear polystyrene and polybutylmethacrylate have been studied. Polyurethane networks were synthesized differing in molecular mass M_c of the chains between cross-links. Monomeric styrene and butyl methacrylate were introduced into these networks by swelling them in monomers up to equilibrium. The kinetics of polymerization of monomers in swollen networks was investigated. The experimental data show the dependence of the kinetic parameters of polymerization on M_c, this dependence being different for various monomers. Sharp discrepancy in molecular mass distribution of polymers formed in various matrices has been observed. The differences in dependencies of reaction kinetics and molecular mass distribution are supposed to be connected to various dependence of the chain growth and termination of various monomers on the density of network, i.e. on the confinements imposed by the intranetwork space.     

Generating vegetation leaf area index earth system data record from multiple sensors. Part 1: Theory

The generation of multi-decade long Earth System Data Records (ESDRs) of Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Fraction of Photosynthetically Active Radiation absorbed by vegetation (FPAR) from remote sensing measurements of multiple sensors is key to monitoring long-term changes in vegetation due to natural and anthropogenic influences. Challenges in developing such ESDRs include problems in remote sensing science (modeling of variability in global vegetation, scaling, atmospheric correction) and sensor hardware (differences in spatial resolution, spectral bands, calibration, and information content). In this paper, we develop a physically based approach for deriving LAI and FPAR products from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data that are of comparable quality to the Moderate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) LAI and FPAR products, thus realizing the objective of producing a long (multi-decadal) time series of these products. The approach is based on the radiative transfer theory of canopy spectral invariants which facilitates parameterization of the canopy spectral bidirectional reflectance factor (BRF). The methodology permits decoupling of the structural and radiometric components and obeys the energy conservation law. The approach is applicable to any optical sensor, however, it requires selection of sensor-specific values of configurable parameters, namely, the single scattering albedo and data uncertainty. According to the theory of spectral invariants, the single scattering albedo is a function of the spatial scale, and thus, accounts for the variation in BRF with sensor spatial resolution. Likewise, the single scattering albedo accounts for the variation in spectral BRF with sensor bandwidths. The second adjustable parameter is data uncertainty, which accounts for varying information content of the remote sensing measurements, i.e., Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI, low information content), vs. spectral BRF (higher information content). Implementation of this approach indicates good consistency in LAI values retrieved from NDVI (AVHRR-mode) and spectral BRF (MODIS-mode). Specific details of the implementation and evaluation of the derived products are detailed in the second part of this two-paper series.     

Investigation of Die Stress Profiles During Powder Compaction Using Instrumented Die

The die stress profiles during compaction of commercially pure titanium (Ti) and commercial lubricated iron (Fe) powders were experimentally investigated using an instrumented die. The die was designed to simulate double-action pressing, and a detailed stress profile was measured along the height of the die using multiple custom-made strain gage pins. The stress history shows that residual stress remained in the die in the radial direction after the axial compaction stress was removed from the powder. Also, the stress profile at the maximum axial stress and the residual stress profile were observed to be symmetric across the height of the compact for both powders, but both have a unique shape for each powder. For both the stress profile at the maximum axial stress and the residual stress profile, the unlubricated Ti powder produced a much higher radial stress at the center of the compact with a steep pressure gradient on both top and bottom of the compact, while the lubricated Fe powder produced a rather uniform radial stress distribution along the height of the compact. This article was presented at Materials Science & Technology 2007, Automotive and Ground Vehicles symposium held September 16–20, 2007, in Detroit, MI.