Characterisation of Reaction Products and Mechanisms in Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Deposition of Carbon Films from Ethanol

Atmospheric pressure plasma deposition (APPD) of carbon films from a predominantly ethanol liquid phase was carried out under varying experimental conditions. A solid precipitate formed in the process was characterised by FT-IR and Raman spectroscopy. After each experiment the liquid phase was analysed for by-products by GC-MS. A number of compounds were found and mechanisms for their formation are proposed. These mechanisms involve the production of free radical species under the high energy plasma/discharge conditions of the process. The formation of groups of compounds was found to correlate with the voltage in the cell, but not with any other experimental parameter

Spectroscopic Analysis and Xray Diffraction of Zinnwaldite

This paper describes an X-ray diffraction and spectroscopic study, including infrared, near-infrared and Raman spectroscopy of some selected zinnwaldites. In general, zinnwaldite forms a member of the trioctahedral true micas with characteristically Li in the octahedral positions and low iron contents. Although the infrared spectrum of zinnwaldite has been described before, near infrared and Raman spectroscopy have not been used so far to study this mineral. X-ray diffraction showed that all the samples reported in this study have the 1M structure. The Raman spectra are characterised by a strong band at 700-705 cm-1 plus a broad band associated with the SiO modes around 1100 cm-1. Less intense bands are observed around 560, 475, 403 and 305 cm-1. The corresponding IR spectra show strong overlapping SiO modes around 1020 cm-1 plus less intense bands around 790, 745, 530, 470-475 and 440 cm-1. Two overlapping OH-stretching modes can be observed around 3550-3650 cm-1, in agreement with a broad band in the IR around 3450 cm-1 and a complex band around 3630 cm-1. The near-IR spectra basically reflect combination and overtone bands associated with protons in the zinnwaldite structure. A very broad band observed around 5230 cm-1 is characteristic for adsorbed water while bands around 4530, 4435 and 4260 cm-1 can be ascribed to metal-hydroxyl groups

Observations and a model of undertow over the inner continental shelf

Author Posting. © American Meteorological Society, 2008. This article is posted here by permission of American Meteorological Society for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Physical Oceanography 38 (2008): 2341-2357, doi:10.1175/2008JPO3986.1.Onshore volume transport (Stokes drift) due to surface gravity waves propagating toward the beach can result in a compensating Eulerian offshore flow in the surf zone referred to as undertow. Observed offshore flows indicate that wave-driven undertow extends well offshore of the surf zone, over the inner shelves of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, and North Carolina. Theoretical estimates of the wave-driven offshore transport from linear wave theory and observed wave characteristics account for 50% or more of the observed offshore transport variance in water depths between 5 and 12 m, and reproduce the observed dependence on wave height and water depth. During weak winds, wave-driven cross-shelf velocity profiles over the inner shelf have maximum offshore flow (1–6 cm s−1) and vertical shear near the surface and weak flow and shear in the lower half of the water column. The observed offshore flow profiles do not resemble the parabolic profiles with maximum flow at middepth observed within the surf zone. Instead, the vertical structure is similar to the Stokes drift velocity profile but with the opposite direction. This vertical structure is consistent with a dynamical balance between the Coriolis force associated with the offshore flow and an along-shelf “Hasselmann wave stress” due to the influence of the earth’s rotation on surface gravity waves. The close agreement between the observed and modeled profiles provides compelling evidence for the importance of the Hasselmann wave stress in forcing oceanic flows. Summer profiles are more vertically sheared than either winter profiles or model profiles, for reasons that remain unclear.This research was funded by the Ocean Sciences Division of the National Science Foundation under Grants OCE-0241292 and OCE-0548961

Hybrid organic-inorganic nanoparticles: controlled incorporation of gold nanoparticles into virus-like particles and application in surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy.

A capsid is the protein coat surrounding a virus' genome that ensures its protection and transport. The capsid of murine polyomavirus (muPy) consists of one major (VP1) and two minor (VP2/3) proteins, from which just VP1 is sufficient to form the capsid when expressed recombinantly (1). From a material engineering point of view, viral capsids are of interest because they present a paradigm for complex self-assembly on the nanometer scale. Understanding and controlling these assembly dynamics will allow the construction of nanoscale structures using a self-assembly process. The first step in this direction was the discovery that capsids of several viruses can be reversibly disassembled into their building blocks and reassembled using the same building blocks by simply changing the buffer conditions (2, 3). Such capsids already find applications as targeted in vivo delivery vectors for genes, proteins or small molecular drugs (4, 5), as optical probes for biomedical imaging and sensing purposes with unprecedented resolution and sensitivity and can potentially be used as templates for nanoelectronics (6, 7)

Effects of amodiaquine and artesunate on sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine pharmacokinetic parameters in children under five in Mali

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine, in combination with artesunate or amodiaquine, is recommended for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria and is being evaluated for intermittent preventive treatment. Yet, limited data is available on pharmacokinetic interactions between these drugs.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In a randomized controlled trial, children aged 6-59 months with uncomplicated <it>falciparum </it>malaria, received either one dose of sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine alone (SP), one dose of SP plus three daily doses of amodiaquine (SP+AQ) or one dose of SP plus 3 daily doses of artesunate (SP+AS). Exactly 100 μl of capillary blood was collected onto filter paper before drug administration at day 0 and at days 1, 3, 7, 14, 21 and 28 after drug administration for analysis of sulphadoxine and pyrimethamine pharmacokinetic parameters.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Fourty, 38 and 31 patients in the SP, SP+AQ and SP+AS arms, respectively were included in this study. The concentrations on day 7 (that are associated with therapeutic efficacy) were similar between the SP, SP+AQ and SP+AS treatment arms for sulphadoxine (median [IQR] 35.25 [27.38-41.70], 34.95 [28.60-40.85] and 33.40 [24.63-44.05] μg/mL) and for pyrimethamine (56.75 [46.40-92.95], 58.75 [43.60-98.60] and 59.60 [42.45-86.63] ng/mL). There were statistically significant differences between the pyrimethamine volumes of distribution (4.65 [3.93-6.40], 4.00 [3.03-5.43] and 5.60 [4.40-7.20] L/kg; <it>p = 0.001</it>) and thus elimination half-life (3.26 [2.74 -3.82], 2.78 [2.24-3.65] and 4.02 [3.05-4.85] days; <it>p < 0.001</it>). This study confirmed the lower SP concentrations previously reported for young children when compared with adult malaria patients.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Despite slight differences in pyrimethamine volumes of distribution and elimination half-life, these data show similar exposure to SP over the critical initial seven days of treatment and support the current use of SP in combination with either AQ or AS for uncomplicated <it>falciparum </it>malaria treatment in young Malian children.</p

Low Energy Nuclear Reaction Aircraft- 2013 ARMD Seedling Fund Phase I Project

This report serves as the final written documentation for the Aeronautic Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) Seedling Fund's Low Energy Nuclear Reaction (LENR) Aircraft Phase I project. The findings presented include propulsion system concepts, synergistic missions, and aircraft concepts. LENR is a form of nuclear energy that potentially has over 4,000 times the energy density of chemical energy sources. It is not expected to have any harmful emissions or radiation which makes it extremely appealing. There is a lot of interest in LENR, but there are no proven theories. This report does not explore the feasibility of LENR. Instead, it assumes that a working system is available. A design space exploration shows that LENR can enable long range and high speed missions. Six propulsion concepts, six missions, and four aircraft concepts are presented. This report also includes discussion of several issues and concerns that were uncovered during the study and potential research areas to infuse LENR aircraft into NASA's aeronautics research

Beyond outputs: pathways to symmetrical evaluations of university sustainable development partnerships

As the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005–2014) draws to a close, it is timely to review ways in which the sustainable development initiatives of higher education institutions have been, and can be, evaluated. In their efforts to document and assess collaborative sustainable development program outcomes and impacts, universities in the North and South are challenged by similar conundrums that confront development agencies. This article explores pathways to symmetrical evaluations of transnationally partnered research, curricula, and public-outreach initiatives specifically devoted to sustainable development. Drawing on extensive literature and informed by international development experience, the authors present a novel framework for evaluating transnational higher education partnerships devoted to sustainable development that addresses design, management, capacity building, and institutional outreach. The framework is applied by assessing several full-term African higher education evaluation case studies with a view toward identifying key limitations and suggesting useful future symmetrical evaluation pathways. University participants in transnational sustainable development initiatives, and their supporting donors, would be well-served by utilizing an inclusive evaluation framework that is infused with principles of symmetry

The effects of customer equity drivers on loyalty across services industries and firms

Customer equity drivers (CEDs)—value equity, brand equity, and relationship equity—positively affect loyalty intentions, but this effect varies across industries and firms. We empirically examine potential industry and firm characteristics that explain why the CEDs–loyalty link varies across services industries and firms in the Netherlands. The results show that (1) some previously assumed industry and firm characteristics have moderating effects while others do not and (2) firm-level advertising expenditures constitute the most crucial moderator because they influence all three loyalty strategies (significant for value equity and brand equity; marginally significant for relationship equity), while three industry contexts (i.e., innovative markets, visibility to others, and complexity of purchase decisions) each influence two of the three loyalty strategies. Our results clearly show that specific industry and firm characteristics affect the effectiveness of specific loyalty strategies

Deposition of Nano-Crystalline Graphite Films by Cathodic Plasma Electrolysis

Atmospheric pressure plasma deposition (APPD) of nano-crystalline graphite films on titanium substrate from a predominantly ethanol liquid phase was carried out under varying applied voltage. A thorough study of the plasma electrolytic deposition mechanisms has been performed. The investigation of the composition, structural properties, and the morphology of these graphite coatings have been performed by visible and UV Raman spectroscopy, X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy and EDAX elemental analysis. The experimental evidence of the reduction of the work function and the enhancement of the plasma intensity with the presence of the carbon film has been reported. These properties make such nano-crystalline graphite coatings very attractive for the production of inexpensive cold cathodes for electronics and plasma devices

Development of a Novel Cathodic Plasma/Electrolytic Deposition Technique Part 2: Physico-chemical Analysis of the Plasma Discharge

A novel plasma system has been developed recently for the deposition of carbon and titanium thin films on metal and metal alloy substrates. Unlike other deposition techniques, the process occurs in liquid precursors and a plasma discharge is created and confined around the cathode in a superheated vapour sheath surrounded by the liquid phase. This paper presents a detailed analysis on the physico-chemical mechanisms underlying this process. A correlation has then been carried out between the voltage / current characteristics of the process and the consecutive physical phenomena occurring during the process (vapour phase formation, plasma discharge initiation and evolution). A description of the different coatings (graphite and titanium dioxide) deposited with this technique has been carried out with an attempt to correlate the structure and composition of these films with the composition and physical characteristics of the plasma discharge. This analysis allowed the construction of a first dissociation and deposition mechanism for this new plasma system