Which Constituent Quark Model Is Better?

A comparative study has been done by calculating the effective baryon-baryon interactions of the 64 lowest channels consisting of octet and decuplet baryons with three constituent quark models: the extended quark gluon exchange model, the Goldstone boson exchange model and the quark gluon meson exchange hybrid model. We find that these three models give similar results for 44 channels. Further tests of these models are discussed.Comment: 6pp., 3 figs., Asia-Pacific Few-Body Conf. II (Shanghai, Aug.25-30 2002), to appear in MPLA; references adde

Tagging the p n -> d phi reaction by backward protons in p d -> d phi p_{sp} processes

The reaction p d -> d phi p_{sp} is studied within the Bethe-Salpeter formalism. Under special kinematical conditions (slow backward spectator proton p_{sp} and fast forward deuteron) relevant for forthcoming experiments at COSY, the cross section and a set of polarization observables factorize in the contribution of the pure subprocess p n -> d phi and a contribution stemming from deuteron quantities and kinematical factors. This provides a theoretical basis for studying threshold-near processes at quasi-free neutrons

Degradation aspects of water formation and transport in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell: A review

This review paper summarises the key aspects of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) degradation that are associated with water formation, retention, accumulation, and transport mechanisms within the cell. Issues related to loss of active surface area of the catalyst, ionomer dissolution, membrane swelling, ice formation, corrosion, and contamination are also addressed and discussed. The impact of each of these water mechanisms on cell performance and durability was found to be different and to vary according to the design of the cell and its operating conditions. For example, the presence of liquid water within Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA), as a result of water accumulation, can be detrimental if the operating temperature of the cell drops to sub-freezing. The volume expansion of liquid water due to ice formation can damage the morphology of different parts of the cell and may shorten its life-time. This can be more serious, for example, during the water transport mechanism where migration of Pt particles from the catalyst may take place after detachment from the carbon support. Furthermore, the effect of transport mechanism could be augmented if humid reactant gases containing impurities poison the membrane, leading to the same outcome as water retention or accumulation. Overall, the impact of water mechanisms can be classified as aging or catastrophic. Aging has a long-term impact over the duration of the PEMFC life-time whereas in the catastrophic mechanism the impact is immediate. The conversion of cell residual water into ice at sub-freezing temperatures by the water retention/ accumulation mechanism and the access of poisoning contaminants through the water transport mechanism are considered to fall into the catastrophic category. The effect of water mechanisms on PEMFC degradation can be reduced or even eliminated by (a) using advanced materials for improving the electrical, chemical and mechanical stability of the cell components against deterioration, and (b) implementing effective strategies for water management in the cell

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data