Deconvolution of infrared spectra using various milk proteins as an example

The theory of deconvolution of infra-red spectra is presented and illustrated using milk protein spectra. The advantage of this method is impressively demonstrated and its relevance for dairy farming shown using a simple example, the cooling of milk.     

Induction of favism-like symptoms in the rat: Effects of vicine and divicine in normal and buthionine sulphoximine-treated rats

Rats were fed an adequate or a deficient diet and offered water or buthionine sulphoximine (BSO) solution for 2 weeks, and then the same diets with vicine for another week in experiment 1. BSO in combination with the deficient diet caused a marked decrease in blood glutathione (GSH) and growth retardation but failed to show any effects resulting from supplementation with vicine. In experiment 2 the rats were given an adequate diet and BSO as before, and injected intravenously with divicine (DV). Here again, BSO depressed rat growth, and so did DV. Each of the insults also caused haematological changes, especially a fall in GSH, but the most severe changes appeared in the group treated with both BSO and DV. A decrease in haematocrit and increases in adrenal and spleen weight were also noted. In experiment 3 the rats were injected with different doses of DV, without pretreatment with BSO. The main effect was a drop in blood GSH and haematocrit, and an increase in adrenal and spleen weights, all of which were dose-related. Administration of the higher doses of DV resulted in a severe cyanosis followed by death within a relatively short period of time.     

Information technology support in the chemical process design life cycle

Information technology has been becoming increasingly important in all areas of engineering during the last few years. Much of the progress achieved in chemical engineering would not have been possible without the enabling methods and tools provided by information technology. This trend will continue in the future but most likely with a considerably wider scope. While individual software tools and services have been in focus until recently, their integration into engineering work processes is an emerging and challenging area of research and development. This contribution attempts to highlight state of the art and future trends in supporting the activities during the life cycle of a chemical process by means of information technology. Emphasis will be largely on the process and plant design process rather than on procurement, manufacturing, and distribution of materials in the supply chain.     

Gezielte Nutzung biologischer Systeme

Directed exploitation of biological systems . During the past few decades, our knowledge of molecular process responsible for genetics has increased dramatically. Discovery of the giant molecule deoxyribonucleic acid – abbreviated as DNA – as the carrier of genetic information heralded in a development which nowadays permits us to effect directed changes in the genetic material of an organism. Thus we can provide easily cultured microorganisms with genes which were previously located in a completely different genetic environment. This helps us to obtain high yields of proteins or other substances which were formerly very difficult to obtain. Higher organisms such as animals and plants can also undergo modification of their genetic equipment. This adds a new dimension to the breeding of such species. Above all, genetic engineering provides new insights into the enormously complex interplay of molecules which go to make up a living cell. The resulting understanding of life processes on a molecular level permits recognition of malfunction and therapy of the ensuring disease by new drugs. In addition to these positive aspects, genetic engineering provides scope for conducting experiments whose ethical implications demand very earnest consideration.     

Zur kinetik der acrylnitril-polymerisation

The heterogeneous bulk polymerization of acrylonitrile initiated by AIBN has been studied by means of an improved dilatometric technique and a new method of analysis, where the initial reaction rate (v_w)₀ results from the intercept of a straight line in a \documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$ \frac {\ln \left( 1 \hbox{---} {\rm U} \right)} {{\rm e}^{{- 0,5} {\rm k}_{\rm s}{\rm t} \hbox{---} 1}}$\end{document} versus t plot. It has been found that the initial reaction rate is proportional to the square root of the initial catalyst concentration S₀. The ratio of the rate coefficients of propagation and termination\documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$\frac { {\rm k}_{\rm a} } { {\rm k}_{ {\rm w}^{2} } } $\end{document} could be calculated from the slope of a straight line passing through the origin in a plot of (v_w)₀ versus \documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$\sqrt { {\rm S}_{0} }$\end{document} and yielded a value of 280 mol 1^?1.     

Thermal lensing in silver gallium selenide parametric oscillator crystals

We performed an experimental investigation of thermal lensing in silver gallium selenide (AgGaSe(2)) optical parametric oscillator crystals pumped by a 2-μm laser at ambient temperature. We determined an empirical expression for the effective thermal focusing power in terms of the pump power, beam diameter, crystal length, and absorption coefficient. This relation may be used to estimate average power limitations in designing AgGaSe(2) optical parametric oscillators. We also demonstrated an 18% slope efficiency from a 2-μm pumped AgGaSe(2) optical parametric oscillator operated at 77 K, at which temperature thermal lensing is substantially reduced because of an increase in the thermal conductivity and a decrease in the thermal index gradient dn/dT. Cryogenic cooling may provide an additional option for scaling up the average power capability of a 2-μm pumped AgGaSe(2) optical parametric oscillator.     

An Overview and Future Perspectives of Aluminum Batteries

A critical overview of the latest developments in the aluminum battery technologies is reported. The substitution of lithium with alternative metal anodes characterized by lower cost and higher abundance is nowadays one of the most widely explored paths to reduce the cost of electrochemical storage systems and enable long‐term sustainability. Aluminum based secondary batteries could be a viable alternative to the present Li‐ion technology because of their high volumetric capacity (8040 mAh cm^?3 for Al vs 2046 mAh cm^?3 for Li). Additionally, the low cost aluminum makes these batteries appealing for large‐scale electrical energy storage. Here, we describe the evolution of the various aluminum systems, starting from those based on aqueous electrolytes to, in more details, those based on non‐aqueous electrolytes. Particular attention has been dedicated to the latest development of electrolytic media characterized by low reactivity towards other cell components. The attention is then focused on electrode materials enabling the reversible aluminum intercalation‐deintercalation process. Finally, we touch on the topic of high‐capacity aluminum‐sulfur batteries, attempting to forecast their chances to reach the status of practical energy storage systems.     

Boundary Spanning and Engineering: A Qualitative Systematic Review

Background

Engineers are often expected to span organizational, cultural, stakeholder, geographic, temporal, and other boundaries. Yet, few studies on boundary spanning have appeared in the engineering education literature, suggesting the need for improved theoretical and conceptual foundations to guide empirical studies of boundary spanning in engineering.

Purpose

To develop a more comprehensive understanding of boundary spanning, this study addresses five research questions: (a) What types of boundaries have been identified as topics of interest? (b) How are boundary spanners and boundary spanning defined? (c) What types of activities and behaviors comprise or have been linked to boundary spanning? (d) What individual competencies and characteristics have been proposed or studied as important for boundary spanning? and (e) What boundary spanning themes are most prominent in studies of engineers and other technical professionals?

Scope/Method

Using a qualitative systematic review process, we identified and analyzed 72 scholarly papers from multiple disciplines. Multiple reviewers coded each paper using a hybrid deductive‐inductive content analysis process to identify key themes related to boundary spanning.

Conclusions

The analysis resulted in a framework consisting of six boundary types, three types of roles and definitions, and five types of activities. Discussion of boundary spanning competencies was limited in the collected works, and only seven papers exclusively focused on engineers. We conclude by proposing boundary spanning as an important meta‐attribute for engineers and a promising lens for investigating engineering practice. We also relate our findings to the engineering education literature and suggest directions for future research.     

Remote sensing of photosynthetic light-use efficiency across two forested biomes: Spatial scaling

Eddy covariance (EC) measurements have greatly advanced our knowledge of carbon exchange in terrestrial ecosystems. However, appropriate techniques are required to upscale these spatially discrete findings globally. Satellite remote sensing provides unique opportunities in this respect, but remote sensing of the photosynthetic light-use efficiency (ε), one of the key components of Gross Primary Production, is challenging. Some progress has been made in recent years using the photochemical reflectance index, a narrow waveband index centered at 531 and 570 nm. The high sensitivity of this index to various extraneous effects such as canopy structure, and the view observer geometry has so far prevented its use at landscape and global scales. One critical aspect of upscaling PRI is the development of generic algorithms to account for structural differences in vegetation. Building on previous work, this study compares the differences in the PRI: ? relationship between a coastal Douglas-fir forest located on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and a mature Aspen stand located in central Saskatchewan, Canada. Using continuous, tower-based observations acquired from an automated multi-angular spectro-radiometer (AMSPEC II) installed at each site, we demonstrate that PRI can be used to measure ? throughout the vegetation season at the DF-49 stand (r² = 0.91, p < 0.00) as well as the deciduous site (r² = 0.88, p < 0.00). It is further shown that this PRI signal can be also observed from space at both sites using daily observations from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectro-radiometer (MODIS) and a multi-angular implementation of atmospheric correction (MAIAC) (r² = 0.54 DF-49; r² = 0.63 SOA; p < 0.00). By implementing a simple hillshade model derived from airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) to approximate canopy shadow fractions (α_s), it is further demonstrated that the differences observed in the relationship between PRI and ε at DF-49 and SOA can be attributed largely to differences in α_s. The findings of this study suggest that algorithms used to separate physiological from extraneous effects in PRI reflectance may be more broadly applicable and portable across these two climatically and structurally different biome types, when the differences in canopy structure are known.