Electrochemical characterization of Zn-Sn alloys

En el presente trabajo se analizó el comportamiento electroquímico de probetas de Zn y Sn puros y de aleaciones Zn-Sn con concentraciones en peso de Sn, esto es, Zn3%Sn, Zn10%Sn y Zn50%Sn. Las aleaciones preparadas fueronsolidificadas direccionalmente en forma horizontal con extracción calórica en dos sentidos opuestos, obteniéndose asíen cada una de las probetas la transición de estructura columnar a equiaxial. Los diferentes tipos de estructurasobtenidas, columnar y equiaxial, fueron utilizadas como electrodos de trabajo. El análisis a la resistencia a lacorrosión se realizó mediante ensayos de polarización potenciodinámica cíclica y mediante la técnica deespectroscopía de impedancia (EIS), empleando una celda convencional de tres electrodos, un electrodo de referenciade calomel saturado, un electrodo de platino como contraelectrodo y una solución deaereada de NaCl al 3%, atemperatura ambiente. A partir de las medidas potenciodinámicas cíclicas obtenidas se observó que los potenciales decorrosión de los materiales son ligeramente más nobles conforme el contenido de Sn aumenta en la aleación. Laobservación microscópica de las probetas luego de los ensayos denotó una mayor tendencia a la corrosión por picadocon el aumento del porcentaje en peso de Sn y la disminución de la corrosión generalizada frente al Zn puro. Losespectros de EIS obtenidos fueron ajustados de acuerdo a dos modelos de circuitos eléctricos equivalentes. Losparámetros hallados describen el comportamiento de la capa de óxido formada. Para la estructura columnar, lamuestra de Zn puro es la menos resistente a la corrosión generalizada, aumentando su resistencia con el agregado deSn en las probetas.In the present work was analyzed the electrochemical behavior of Zn 3 % Sn, Zn10 %Sn and Zn50 % Sn alloys (weight percentage), and Zn and Sn pures. The samples were obtained by the horizontally unidirectional solidification method, with extraction of heat in two opposite directions. From each of the samples were obtained the three zones: columnar, equiaxed and columnar-to-equiaxed transition (CET). The different types of structures obtained were cut longitudinally and used like work electrodes. The analysis to the corrosion resistance was realized through potentiodynamic cyclic polarization essays and the EIS technique. For the tests was used a conventional threeelectrode cell, a reference electrode saturated calomel, was used platinum as a counter electrode and a 3% NaCl solution, dereated, at room temperature. From the potentiodynamic measures obtained was observed that the corrosion potential is slightly more noble when in the alloy increases the Sn content. After the tests, the microscopic observation of the samples showed that whit the increase of Sn content, increases the susceptibility of pitting corrosion and decreases the generalized corrosion versus pure Zn. The EIS obtained spectrums were adjusted according two equivalent circuit models. The found parameters described the behavior of the oxide formed film on the top of the material. For the columnar structure, the pure Zn sample is the most susceptible to the corrosion, the resistance increases with the amount of Sn.Fil: Scheiber, V. L.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Mendez, Claudia Marcela. Universidad Nacional de Misiones; ArgentinaFil: Ares, Alicia Esther. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Cs.exactas Químicas y Naturales. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones; Argentin

Customization, extension and reuse of outdated hydrogeological software

Each scientist is specialized in his or her field of research and in the tools that he or she uses during the research in a specified site. Thus, he or she is the most suitable person for improving the tools by overcoming their limitations to realize faster and higher quality analysis. However, most scientists are not software developers. Hence, it is necessary to provide them with an easy approach that enables non-software developers to improve and customize their tools. This paper presents an approach for easily improving and customizing any hydrogeological software. It is the result of experiences with updating several interdisciplinary case studies. The main insights of this approachhave been demonstrated using four examples: MIX (FORTRAN-based), BrineMIX (C++-based), EasyQuim and EasyBal (both spreadsheet-based). The improved software has been proven to be a better tool for enhanced analysis by substantially reducing the computation time and the tedious processing of the input and output data files

On-board Processing Architecture of DLR's DBFSAR / V-SAR System

For real-time Synthetic Aperture Radar applications, data must be processed and sent to the ground station efficiently. This paper describes the processing architecture of DLR's DBFSAR system with the aim of presenting recent developments of on-board radar processing. It explains how the low level optimizations were conducted and under which conditions their integration in the SAR imaging process and maritime moving target indication leads to real-time capability

Pressure Dependence of Born Effective Charges, Dielectric Constant and Lattice Dynamics in SiC

The pressure dependence of the Born effective charge, dielectric constant and zone-center LO and TO phonons have been determined for $3C$-SiC by a linear response method based on the linearized augmented plane wave calculations within the local density approximation. The Born effective charges are found to increase nearly linearly with decreasing volume down to the smallest volume studied, $V/V_0=0.78$, corresponding to a pressure of about 0.8 Mbar. This seems to be in contradiction with the conclusion of the turnover behavior recently reported by Liu and Vohra [Phys.\ Rev.\ Lett.\ {\bf 72}, 4105 (1994)] for $6H$-SiC. Reanalyzing their procedure to extract the pressure dependence of the Born effective charges, we suggest that the turnover behavior they obtained is due to approximations in the assumed pressure dependence of the dielectric constant $\varepsilon_\infty$, the use of a singular set of experimental data for the equation of state, and the uncertainty in measured phonon frequencies, especially at high pressure.Comment: 25 pages, revtex, 5 postscript figures appended, to be published in Phys. Rev.

ECInvestigation of NO2 Pollutions on Board of Research Aircraft (Some Results of QUANTIFY and POLARCAT Field Campaigns)

The results of investigation of NO2 pollutions on board of research aircraft Falcon (DLR, Germany) are presented. The measurements have been carried out by chemiluminescent nitrogen dioxide analyzer developed in Central Aerological Observatory (Russia). The data of NO2 distribution have been obtained during QUANTIFY (West Europe, July 2007) and POLARCAT (Greenland, July 2008) field campaigns. NO2 measurements over Greenland during POLARCAT field campaign have been carried out using ACCENT support. Different sources of nitrogen oxides are investigated. Some aspects of nitrogen dioxide distribution and transport are considered. Chemical transformation of nitrogen oxides inside ship plumes is observed and analyzed

Influence of surface atomic structure demonstrated on oxygen incorporation mechanism at a model perovskite oxide

Perovskite oxide surfaces catalyze oxygen exchange reactions that are crucial for fuel cells, electrolyzers, and thermochemical fuel synthesis. Here, by bridging the gap between surface analysis with atomic resolution and oxygen exchange kinetics measurements, we demonstrate how the exact surface atomic structure can determine the reactivity for oxygen exchange reactions on a model perovskite oxide. Two precisely controlled surface reconstructions with (4 × 1) and (2 × 5) symmetry on 0.5 wt.% Nb-doped SrTiO3(110) were subjected to isotopically labeled oxygen exchange at 450 °C. The oxygen incorporation rate is three times higher on the (4 × 1) surface phase compared to the (2 × 5). Common models of surface reactivity based on the availability of oxygen vacancies or on the ease of electron transfer cannot account for this difference. We propose a structure-driven oxygen exchange mechanism, relying on the flexibility of the surface coordination polyhedra that transform upon dissociation of oxygen molecules.Austrian Science Fund (SFB “ Functional Oxide Surfaces and Interfaces ” - FOXSI, Project F 45)European Research Council Advanced Grant (“OxideSurfaces” (Project ERC-2011-ADG_20110209))National Science Foundation (U.S.). Division of Materials Research (CAREER Award Grant No. 1055583

Neoplastic transformation of rat liver epithelial cells is enhanced by non-transferrin-bound iron

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Iron overload is associated with liver toxicity, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma in humans. While most iron circulates in blood as transferrin-bound iron, non-transferrin-bound iron (NTBI) also becomes elevated and contributes to toxicity in the setting of iron overload. The mechanism for iron-related carcinogenesis is not well understood, in part due to a shortage of suitable experimental models. The primary aim of this study was to investigate NTBI-related hepatic carcinogenesis using T51B rat liver epithelial cells, a non-neoplastic cell line previously developed for carcinogenicity and tumor promotion studies.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>T51B cells were loaded with iron by repeated addition of ferric ammonium citrate (FAC) to the culture medium. Iron internalization was documented by chemical assay, ferritin induction, and loss of calcein fluorescence. Proliferative effects were determined by cell count, toxicity was determined by MTT assay, and neoplastic transformation was assessed by measuring colony formation in soft agar. Cyclin levels were measured by western blot.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>T51B cells readily internalized NTBI given as FAC. Within 1 week of treatment at 200 μM, there were significant but well-tolerated toxic effects including a decrease in cell proliferation (30% decrease, p < 0.01). FAC alone induced little or no colony formation in soft agar. In contrast, FAC addition to cells previously initiated with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) resulted in a concentration dependent increase in colony formation. This was first detected at 12 weeks of FAC treatment and increased at longer times. At 16 weeks, colony formation increased more than 10 fold in cells treated with 200 μM FAC (p < 0.001). The iron chelator desferoxamine reduced both iron uptake and colony formation. Cells cultured with 200 μM FAC showed decreased cyclin D1, decreased cyclin A, and increased cyclin B1.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results establish NTBI as a tumor promoter in T51B rat liver epithelial cells. Changes in cyclin proteins suggest cell cycle disregulation contributes to tumor promotion by NTBI in this liver cell model.</p

Differential Stress-Induced Neuronal Activation Patterns in Mouse Lines Selectively Bred for High, Normal or Low Anxiety

There is evidence for a disturbed perception and processing of emotional information in pathological anxiety. Using a rat model of trait anxiety generated by selective breeding, we previously revealed differences in challenge-induced neuronal activation in fear/anxiety-related brain areas between high (HAB) and low (LAB) anxiety rats. To confirm whether findings generalize to other species, we used the corresponding HAB/LAB mouse model and investigated c-Fos responses to elevated open arm exposure. Moreover, for the first time we included normal anxiety mice (NAB) for comparison. The results confirm that HAB mice show hyperanxious behavior compared to their LAB counterparts, with NAB mice displaying an intermediate anxiety phenotype. Open arm challenge revealed altered c-Fos response in prefrontal-cortical, limbic and hypothalamic areas in HAB mice as compared to LAB mice, and this was similar to the differences observed previously in the HAB/LAB rat lines. In mice, however, additional differential c-Fos response was observed in subregions of the amygdala, hypothalamus, nucleus accumbens, midbrain and pons. Most of these differences were also seen between HAB and NAB mice, indicating that it is predominately the HAB line showing altered neuronal processing. Hypothalamic hypoactivation detected in LAB versus NAB mice may be associated with their low-anxiety/high-novelty-seeking phenotype. The detection of similarly disturbed activation patterns in a key set of anxiety-related brain areas in two independent models reflecting psychopathological states of trait anxiety confirms the notion that the altered brain activation in HAB animals is indeed characteristic of enhanced (pathological) anxiety, providing information for potential targets of therapeutic intervention

Law, Environment, and the “Nondismal” Social Sciences

Over the past 30 years, the influence of economics over the study of environmental law and policy has expanded considerably, becoming in the process the predominant framework for analyzing regulations that address pollution, natural resource use, and other environmental issues. This review seeks to complement the expansion of economic reasoning and methodology within the field of environmental law and policy by identifying insights to be gleaned from various “nondismal” social sciences. In particular, three areas of inquiry are highlighted as illustrative of interdisciplinary work that might help to complement law and economics and, in some cases, compensate for it: the study of how human individuals perceive, judge, and decide; the observation and interpretation of how knowledge schemes are created, used, and regulated; and the analysis of how states and other actors coordinate through international and global regulatory regimes. The hope is to provide some examples of how environmental law and policy research can be improved by deeper and more diverse engagement with social science