Cassini's Compositae genera: A nomenclatural and taxonomic assessment

Work on the Global Compositae Checklist has highlighted uncertainties and errors in the nomenclatural parameters of many genera and subgenera described by Henri Cassini. Problems concern rank (subgenus vs. genus); type designation; correct place of valid publication; alternative names; and other miscellaneous issues. An annotated list with correct nomenclatural information for 391 generic names or designations is provided, including types (newly designated here for 17 names) and one new combination (Gyptis tanacetifolia). The current taxonomic disposition of Cassini's genera and the accepted names for the listed typonyms are consistently mentioned. The familiar names Felicia and Chrysopsis, already conserved, are threatened by unlisted earlier synonyms, and currently used Fulcaldea turns out to be illegitimate. Proposals to deal with these problems by conservation are being presented separatel

Colorectal cancer screening: benefit, burden and opportunities

Meijer, G.A. [Promotor]Brug, J. [Promotor]Coupé, V.M.H. [Copromotor

The 10 Tesla muSR instrument: detector solutions

Solutions to the detector system of the High-Field muSR instrument at the Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI) in Switzerland are presented. The strict technical requirements are fulfilled through the application of Geiger-mode Avalanche Photodiodes.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

A new Australian species of Luffa (Cucurbitaceae) and typification of two Australian Cucumis names, all based on specimens collected by Ferdinand Mueller in 1856

As a result of his botanical explorations in northern Australia, Ferdinand von Mueller named several Cucurbitaceae that molecular data now show to be distinct, requiring their resurrection from unjustified synonymy. We here describe and illustrate Luffa saccata F. Muell. ex I.Telford, validating a manuscript name listed under L. graveolens Roxb. since 1859, and we lectotypify Cucumis picrocarpus F. Muell. and C. jucundus F. Muell. The lectotype of the name C. jucundus, a synonym of C. melo, is mounted on the same sheet as the lectotype of C. picrocarpus, which is the sister species of the cultivated C. melo as shown in a recent publication

Current Localization, Non-Uniform Heating, and Failures of ZnO Varistors

Metal oxide varistors have highly nonlinear electrical characteristics and are widely used as devices for over-voltage protection. Varistor applications range from the use of small varistors to protect delicate electronic components to the use of much larger varistors for the protection of electrical-power-distribution systems. Non-uniform heating of ZnO varistors by electrical pulses occurs on three different spatial scales: (1) microscopic (sub-micron), (2) intermediate (sub-millimeter), and (3) macroscopic (of order of millimeters or centimeters). Heating on these scales has different origins and different consequences for device failure in large and small varistors. On the microscopic scale, the heating localizes in strings of tiny hot spots. They occur at the grain boundaries in a conducting path where the potential is dropped across Schottky-type barriers. These observations are interpreted by applying transport theory and using computer simulations. It is shown that the heat transfer on a scale of the grain size is too fast to permit temperature differences that could cause a varistor failure. On an intermediate size scale, the heating is most intense along localized electrical paths. The high electrical conductivity of these paths has microstructural origin, i.e., it derives from the statistical fluctuations of grain sizes and grain boundary properties. Current localization on the intermediate size scale appears to be significant only in small varistors. On the macroscopic scale, current localization in large blocks can be attributed to inhomogeneities in the electrical properties which originate during ceramic processing. The resulting non-uniform heating is shown to cause destructive failures of large varistor blocks