Decomposition products of oxygen scavengers and their effect on corrosion of steam generator materials – I. Diethyl-hydroxylamine and carbohydrazide

Hydrazine used as oxygen scavenger in the secondary circuit of pressurized water reactors is hazardous to the environment and potentially carcinogenic, thus, suitable replacement chemicals for it are actively sought. In the present paper, decomposition products of two potential replacements – carbohydrazide and diethyl-hydroxylamine – are analyzed, and their effect on secondary water chemistry and corrosion of the main steam generator materials – carbon steel 22 K, stainless steel 0X18H10T and Alloy 690 – is studied by in-situ electrochemical techniques complemented by ex-situ analyses of the formed oxides by spectroscopic and microscopic methods. Quantitative interpretation of the electrochemical impedance data with the Mixed-Conduction Model allowed for the estimation of oxidation and corrosion release rates depending on scavenger formulation, alloy type and temperature. Conclusions on the extent of interaction of decomposition products with construction materials are drawn based on the experimental and calculational results.<br/

High real-space resolution measurement of the local structure of Ga_1-xIn_xAs using x-ray diffraction

High real-space resolution atomic pair distribution functions (PDF)s from the alloy series Ga_1-xIn_xAs have been obtained using high-energy x-ray diffraction. The first peak in the PDF is resolved as a doublet due to the presence of two nearest neighbor bond lengths, Ga-As and In-As, as previously observed using XAFS. The widths of nearest, and higher, neighbor pairs are analyzed by separating the strain broadening from the thermal motion. The strain broadening is five times larger for distant atomic neighbors as compared to nearest neighbors. The results are in agreement with model calculations.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Soil fungal community shift evaluation as a potential cadaver decomposition indicator

Fungi metabolise organic matter in situ and so alter both the bio-/physico-chemical properties and microbial community structure of the ecosystem. In particular, they are responsible reportedly for specific stages of decomposition. Therefore, this study aimed to extend previous bacteria-based forensic ecogenomics research by investigating soil fungal community and cadaver decomposition interactions in microcosms with garden soil (20 kg, fresh weight) and domestic pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) carcass (5 kg, leg). Soil samples were collected at depths of 0–10 cm, 10–20 cm and 20–30 cm on days 3, 28 and 77 in the absence (control −Pg) and presence (experimental +Pg) of Sus scrofa domesticus and used for total DNA extraction and nested polymerase chain reaction and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR–DGGE) profiling of the 18S rRNA gene. The Shannon–Wiener (H′) community diversity indices were 1.25 ± 0.21 and 1.49 ± 0.30 for the control and experimental microcosms, respectively, while comparable Simpson species dominance (S) values were 0.65 ± 0.109 and 0.75 ± 0.015. Generally, and in contrast to parallel studies of the bacterial 16S rRNA and 16S rDNA profiles, statistical analysis (t-test) of the 18S dynamics showed no mathematically significant shifts in fungal community diversity (H′; p = 0.142) and dominance (S; p = 0.392) during carcass decomposition, necessitating further investigations

Emissões públicas de ações, volatilidade e insider information na Bovespa

O trabalho utiliza um estudo de evento para examinar os retornos de ações relacionados a emissões públicas por empresas brasileiras listadas na BOVESPA, realizadas entre 1992 e 2002, buscando determinar como o mercado reagiu antes, durante e depois da data do anúncio da emissão. Após utilizar a metodologia convencional de mensuração de retornos anormais por OLS, foram utilizados modelos ARCH e GARCH, que levam em consideração a heteroscedasticidade condicional da volatilidade dos retornos anormais, em mais de 70% da amostra, após a constatação da presença desses processos nos resíduos originais. Os resultados mostram que 1) há evidências de insider information antes da data do anúncio, (2) que ocorrem retornos anormais negativos na data do anúncio e (3) que, no período de um ano após as emissões, as ações das empresas que captaram recursos via underwriting tiveram retornos negativos após ajuste ao risco e ao mercado

Compound Semiconductor Materials and Devices

Contains table of contents for Part I, table of contents for Section 1, reports on fourteen research projects and a list of publications.Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency/National Center for Integrated Photonics TechnologyFannie and John Hertz Foundation Graduate FellowshipJoint Services Electronics Program Grant DAAH04-95-1-0038National Science Foundation Graduate FellowshipNTT CorporationNational Science FoundationU.S. Navy - Office of Naval ResearchToshiba CorporationAT&T Bell Laboratories Graduate Fellowshi

Cancer survivors' experiences of using survivorship care plans: a systematic review of qualitative studies

Purpose: Cancer survivorship care plans (SCPs) are currently used in care settings to assist survivors during the transition from treatment to survivorship. In this paper, the experiences of cancer survivors are examined to provide their perspective of how survivorship care plans are used in practice. Methods: A systematic review and critical review of the qualitative literature regarding the experiences of cancer survivors using survivorship care plans was completed. Databases reviewed included CINAHL, AMED, Embase, MEDLINE, Informit, ProQuest, PsycINFO, ScienceDirect, Wiley Online Library, Scopus and Web of Science from 2000 to 2014.ResultsEleven qualitative studies were appraised for methodological quality and content. They revealed four key themes: stakeholders agreed that SCPs should be used as a key strategy for cancer survivors; there was a lack of consensus on the format, content and who should develop the SCP; cancer survivors do not consistently receive SCPs; and there was a lack of evidence to support the use of SCPs in practice. Conclusions: There is great potential for SCPs to assist cancer survivors and this is supported by the range of qualitative literature examined in this study. Further research is required to examine the many practical issues relating to the delivery of SCPs and how they may be used across a variety of care contexts as well as providing further evidence to support their use. Implications for Cancer Survivors: With further research, refinement and contributions made by survivors, health researchers and health care professionals, the survivorship care plan is proposed to be a useful and practical tool aimed at supporting the survivorship continuum of care