Electron densities in the lower ionosphere deduced from partial reflection measurements

History, theory, and experiments for determining electron densities in lower ionosphere from partial reflection measurement

Application of 14N NQR to the Study of Sulfanilamide, Piroxicam, and Nifedipine Polymorphism

14N NQR is a new method in pharmacy that has a potential to establish itself as an additional and valuable analytical tool for characterizing solid state of a substance [1]. [...

X-ray powder diffraction line broadening analysis and magnetism of interacting ferrite nanoparticles obtained from acetylacetonato complexes

A study of the microstructures and magnetic properties of nanosize Zn ferrite (ZnFe2O4), Mn ferrite (MnFe2O4), and the cation deficit Zn-Mn ferrites Zn0.70Mn0.23Fe1.89O4 (S1), Zn0.41Mn0.50Fe1.84O4 (S2) and Zn0.18Mn0.67Fe1.85O4 (S3) was performed. The crystallite size for all samples was determined by x-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) analysis using four different methods, and was close to the particle size found from transmission electron microphotography. Among different methods of XRPD line broadening analysis it seems that the cubic harmonic function method is more precise and reliable than the Warren-Averbach and simplified integral breadth methods. M(T) and M(H) magnetization curves at different fields/temperatures indicate superparamagnetic behaviour of the samples. Asymmetric hysteresis loops and differences in coercive fields, H-C-(FC)-H-C- (ZFC), are discussed by both the core/shell model of nanoparticles and spin canting. The magnetic measurements with a maximum in the FC magnetization branches, the difference in M/M-S versus H/T curves above T-max, (temperature of maximum in ZFC magnetization), the nonlinearity in H-C versus T-1/2, the remanence/saturation ratio value, M-R/M-S and observation of the Almeida/Thouless line for low-field magnetization data (T-max versus H-2/3) indicate that the samples consist of an interacting ferrite nanoparticle ensemble

Surveillance and control of communicable diseases related to passenger ships in Europe

This study was conducted within the European SHIPSAN (ship sanitation) project and aims at exploring the legislative framework and current practices related to surveillance of communicable diseases and response aboard passenger ships in Europe. A detailed questionnaire was disseminated and completed by 59 competent authorities in 27 European countries. The majority of competent authorities used national legislation without special provisions for passenger ships. Only 20% had specific provisions for ships regarding quarantine, while a smaller proportion of new Member States (MS) have specific legislation in comparison with old MS (p = 0.01). The Maritime Declaration of Health (MDH) was the main reporting tool used. About 30.5% of the competent authorities declared that they require submission of MDH by all arriving ships, but 28.8% only from affected areas, and 11.9% never require MDH. A total of 45 outbreaks or incidents (36 gastrointestinal, 1 incident of legionellosis, 3 respiratory, and 1 influenza-like illness outbreak, occupational tuberculosis, varicella, scabies, and meningitis) were reported to EU competent authorities during 2006. About 75% of the responders stated that there are gaps in the surveillance and control of communicable diseases. A diversity of approaches in EU countries, and gaps regarding surveillance and response and training needs of personnel were identified