Poly(2-oxazolines) in biological and biomedical application contexts.

Polyoxazolines of various architectures and chemical functionalities can be prepared in a living and therefore controlled manner via cationic ring-opening polymerisation. They have found widespread applications, ranging from coatings to pigment dispersants. Furthermore, several polyoxazolines are water-soluble or amphiphilic and relatively non-toxic, which makes them interesting as biomaterials. This paper reviews the development of polyoxazoline-based polymers in biological and biomedical application contexts since the beginning of the millennium. This includes nanoscalar systems such as membranes and nanoparticles, drug and gene delivery applications, as well as stimuli-responsive systems

Digital analysis of Potomac River Basin ERTS imagery: Sedimentation levels at the Potomac-Anacostia confluence and strip mining in Allegheny County, Maryland

Two simple algorithms for classification of sedimentation levels in water and for delineation of active strip mines are in use as part of the development of a more general resource management information system. ERTS MSS CCT's are processed so that each pixel in each channel is geographically referenced and can be accessed individually during whole frame, multi-channel analysis or partial frame analysis. The sedimentation analysis clearly separates classes representing the turbid Anacostia water, the less disturbed Potomac (really), and mud flats resulting from effluent of a major sewage treatment plant. Mud flats of organic or mineral origin are easily distinguished

Electron effective mass in Al0.72_{0.72}Ga0.28_{0.28}N alloys determined by mid-infrared optical Hall effect

The effective electron mass parameter in Si-doped Al$_{0.72}$Ga$_{0.28}$N is determined to be $m^\ast=(0.336\pm0.020)\,m_0$ from mid-infrared optical Hall effect measurements. No significant anisotropy of the effective electron mass parameter is found supporting theoretical predictions. Assuming a linear change of the effective electron mass with the Al content in AlGaN alloys and $m^\ast=0.232\,m_0$ for GaN, an average effective electron mass of $m^\ast=0.376\,m_0$ can be extrapolated for AlN. The analysis of mid-infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements further confirms the two phonon mode behavior of the E$_1$(TO) and one phonon mode behavior of the A$_1$(LO) phonon mode in high-Al-content AlGaN alloys as seen in previous Raman scattering studies

Sensible and latent heating of the atmosphere as inferred from DST-6 data

The average distribution of convective latent heating, boundary layer sensible heat flux, and vertical velocity are determined for the winter 1976 DST period from GLAS model diagnostics. Key features are the regions of intense latent heating over Brazil, Central Africa, and Indonesia; and the regions of strong sensible heating due to air mass modification over the North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans

Mars: Seasonally variable radar reflectivity

The 1971/1973 Mars data set acquired by the Goldstone Solar System Radar was analyzed. It was established that the seasonal variations in radar reflectivity thought to occur in only one locality on the planet (the Solis Lacus radar anomaly) occur, in fact, over the entire subequatorial belt observed by the Goldstone radar. Since liquid water appears to be the most likely cause of the reflectivity excursions, a permanent, year-round presence of subsurface water (frozen or thawed) in the Martian tropics can be inferred

Fractional ℏ\hbar-scaling for quantum kicked rotors without cantori

Previous studies of quantum delta-kicked rotors have found momentum probability distributions with a typical width (localization length $L$) characterized by fractional $\hbar$-scaling, ie $L \sim \hbar^{2/3}$ in regimes and phase-space regions close to `golden-ratio' cantori. In contrast, in typical chaotic regimes, the scaling is integer, $L \sim \hbar^{-1}$. Here we consider a generic variant of the kicked rotor, the random-pair-kicked particle (RP-KP), obtained by randomizing the phases every second kick; it has no KAM mixed phase-space structures, like golden-ratio cantori, at all. Our unexpected finding is that, over comparable phase-space regions, it also has fractional scaling, but $L \sim \hbar^{-2/3}$. A semiclassical analysis indicates that the $\hbar^{2/3}$ scaling here is of quantum origin and is not a signature of classical cantori.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, Revtex, typos removed, further analysis added, authors adjuste

The state space of short-range Ising spin glasses: the density of states

The state space of finite square and cubic Ising spin glass models is analysed in terms of the global and the local density of states. Systems with uniform and gaussian probability distribution of interactions are compared. Different measures for the local state density are presented and discussed. In particular the question whether the local density of states grows exponentially or not is considered. The direct comparison of global and local densities leads to consequences for the structure of the state space.Comment: 18 pages (including 6 figures); submitted to Z.f.Physik

The Influence of green areas and roof albedos on air temperatures during Extreme Heat Events in Berlin, Germany

The mesoscale atmospheric model COSMO-CLM (CCLM) with the Double Canyon Effect Parametrization Scheme (DCEP) is applied to investigate possible adaption measures to extreme heat events (EHEs) for the city of Berlin, Germany. The emphasis is on the effects of a modified urban vegetation cover and roof albedo on near-surface air temperatures. Five EHEs with a duration of 5 days or more are identified for the period 2000 to 2009. A reference simulation is carried out for each EHE with current vegetation cover, roof albedo and urban canopy parameters (UCPs), and is evaluated with temperature observations from weather stations in Berlin and its surroundings. The derivation of the UCPs from an impervious surface map and a 3-D building data set is detailed. Characteristics of the simulated urban heat island for each EHE are analysed in terms of these UCPs. In addition, six sensitivity runs are examined with a modified vegetation cover of each urban grid cell by -25%, 5% and 15%, with a roof albedo increased to 0.40 and 0.65, and with a combination of the largest vegetation cover and roof albedo, respectively. At the weather stations' grid cells, the results show a maximum of the average diurnal change in air temperature during each EHE of 0.82 K and -0.48 K for the -25% and 15% vegetation covers, -0.50 K for the roof albedos of 0.65, and -0.63 K for the combined vegetation and albedo case. The largest effects on the air temperature are detected during midday