Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) Measurements of Ozone in the 280--290 nm Wavelength Region

The differential absorption structure of the ozone spectrum between 250 and 330 nm has been investigated in order to determine the optimal wavelength region to be utilized for active differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) measurements. Considering aspects of atmospheric attenuation and interference from other species as well as the magnitude of the differential absorption cross section, an interval around 283 nm was found to be a good candidate for this application. This result was also verified during 12 months of continuous ozone monitoring in an urban environment

The Stochastic Container Relocation Problem

The Container Relocation Problem (CRP) is concerned with finding a sequence of moves of containers that minimizes the number of relocations needed to retrieve all containers, while respecting a given order of retrieval. However, the assumption of knowing the full retrieval order of containers is particularly unrealistic in real operations. This paper studies the stochastic CRP (SCRP), which relaxes this assumption. A new multi-stage stochastic model, called the batch model, is introduced, motivated, and compared with an existing model (the online model). The two main contributions are an optimal algorithm called Pruning-Best-First-Search (PBFS) and a randomized approximate algorithm called PBFS-Approximate with a bounded average error. Both algorithms, applicable in the batch and online models, are based on a new family of lower bounds for which we show some theoretical properties. Moreover, we introduce two new heuristics outperforming the best existing heuristics. Algorithms, bounds and heuristics are tested in an extensive computational section. Finally, based on strong computational evidence, we conjecture the optimality of the “Leveling” heuristic in a special “no information” case, where at any retrieval stage, any of the remaining containers is equally likely to be retrieved next

De minha vida: Poesia e verdade – sobre a literariedade da autobiografia de Goethe

The article discusses the relevance of Johann Wolfgang Goethe’s autobiography to the literary canon and to the genre of writings about one’s self, analyzing its composition on the basis of the poet’s ideas on morphology and questioning more recent approaches that include the book in the realm of (self)fiction. The discussion is guided by the concept of literariness and its constitutive aspects, poeticism and fictionality.O presente artigo discute a relevância da autobiografia de Johann Wolfgang Goethe no cânone da literatura e da escrita do eu, analisando sua composição baseada nas ideias morfológicas do poeta e questionando abordagens mais recentes que aproximam o livro da (auto-)ficção. A discussão é norteada pelo conceito da literariedade e seus aspectos constitutivos, a poeticidade e a ficcionalidade

Ion Microscopy: A New Approach for Subcellular Localization of Labelled Molecules

Secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) was used to obtain images representing the intracellular distribution of molecules labelled with carbon 14. Deoxyadenosine labelled with carbon 14 was added to a cultured human fibroblast cell medium, and the intracellular distribution of this molecule was studied using three different SIMS instruments: the CAMECA IMS 3F and SMI 300 ion microscopes and the UC-HRL scanning ion microprobe. Carbon 14 distribution images obtained by this method show that deoxyadenosine U-C14 is present in the cytoplasm as well as the nucleus, with a higher concentration in\u27 the nucleoli. Our study clearly demonstrates that ion microscopy is well suited for carbon 14 detection and localization at the subcellular level, permitting a wide variety of microanalytical tracer experiments

Effects of Probiotics Supplementation on Risk and Severity of Infections in Athletes: A Systematic Review

The aim of this review was to appraise the literature on the effects of probiotics supplementation on gastrointestinal (GI) and upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) risk and prognosis in athletes. The search was conducted using the following electronic databases: MEDLINE (PubMed); Web of Science; Scopus; and SPORTDiscus (EBSCO). According to the PRISMA guidelines, randomized controlled studies performed on healthy athletes with a note dose of probiotics supplementation were considered. From the 2304 articles found, after eliminating reviews and studies on animals and unhealthy subjects and after screening of titles and abstracts, 403 studies were considered eligible. From these, in accordance with the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 16 studies were selected, ten of which concerned endurance athletes. The majority of the studies reported beneficial effects of probiotics in reducing the risk of developing the examined infections or the severity of related symptoms. However, due to the differences in formulations used and populations analyzed in the available studies, further research is needed in this field to achieve stronger and more specific evidence

Measurement of Aromatic-hydrocarbons With the DOAS Technique

Long-path DOAS (differential optical absorption spectroscopy) in the ultraviolet spectral region has been shown to be applicable for low-concentration measurements of light aromatic hydrocarbons. However, because of spectral interferences among different aromatics as well as with oxygen, ozone, and sulfur dioxide, the application of the DOAS technique for this group of components is not without problems. This project includes a study of the differential absorption characteristics, between 250 and 280 nm, of twelve light aromatic hydrocarbons representing major constituents in technical solvents used in the automobile industry. Spectral overlapping between the different species, including oxygen, ozone, and sulfur dioxide, has been investigated and related to the chemical structure of the different aromatics. Interference effects in the DOAS application due to spectral overlapping have been investigated both in quantitative and in qualitative terms, with data from a field campaign at a major automobile manufacturing plant