Spitzer Science Center within an Enterprise Architecture

The Spitzer Science Center’s (SSC) evolutionary development approach, coupled with a flexible, scaleable hardware and software architecture has been key in Spitzer’s ability to handle an explosion of data products, evolving data definitions, and changing data quality requirements. Spitzer is generating (depending on the campaign and instrument) about 10 TB of pre-archive data every 14 to 20 days. This generally reduces to between 3 TB and 6 TB of standard products, again depending on the campaign and instrument. This paper will discuss (1) the Spitzer Science Center’s responses to evolving data, quality, and processing requirements and (2) how robust or not was the original architecture to allow Spitzer to accommodate on-going change

Edge functionalisation of graphene nanoribbons with a boron dipyrrin complex : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Nanoscience at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand

Chemical modification can be used to tune the properties of graphene and graphene nanoribbons, making them promising candidates for carbon-based electronics. The control of edge chemistry provides a route to controlling the properties of graphene nanoribbons, and their self-assembly into larger structures. Mechanically fractured graphene nanoribbons are assumed to contain oxygen functionalities, which enable chemical modification at the nanoribbon edge. The development of graphene nanoribbon edge chemistry is difficult using traditional techniques due to limitations on the characterisation of graphene materials. Through the use of a chromophore with well-defined chemistry, the reactivity of the edges has been investigated. Small aromatic systems were used to understand the reactivity of the boron dipyrrin Cl-BODIPY, and with the aid of spectroscopic and computational methods, the substitution mechanism and properties of the compounds have been investigated. The synthetic procedure was then applied to graphene nanoribbons. Results from infrared and Raman spectroscopy studies show that edge-functionalisation of graphene nanoribbons with BODIPY was successful, and no modifications to the basal plane have been observed

Practising the works of love and mercy in parishes

The parish is an ecclesial community, and as such it makes present the Church as a reflection of the Triune God, God who is love. The author of this article is attempting to translate these dogmatic truths of faith into practice at the level of the parish and thus to approach them on a plane that is practical rather than theoretical. Particular attention is given to the internal and external ways of practicing mercy. Preaching and practicing mercy starts with various human relationships in the parish, and bears fruit in a concrete, common and organized outward action. These are the two wings of practicing mercy in the parish: through the inner interpersonal relationships as well as through concreto initiatives and actions undertaken by the parish. lf any of the two wings is missing, the evangelical character of practicing mercy in the parish is distorted.Akademia im. Jana Długosza w Częstochowie61-7

The diagnostic accuracy and cost-effectiveness of magnetic resonance spectroscopy and enhanced magnetic resonance imaging techniques in aiding the localisation of prostate abnormalities for biopsy : a systematic review and economic evaluation

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

LABORATORY EVALUATION of CHLORINATED ETHENE TRANSFORMATION PROCESSES in FRACTURED SANDSTONE

A fractured sandstone aquifer at an industrial site in southern California is contaminated with trichloroethene (TCE) to depths in excess of 244 m. Field monitoring data suggest that TCE is undergoing reduction to cis-DCE and that additional attenuation is occurring. However, vinyl chloride (VC) and ethene have not been detected in significant amounts, so that if transformation is occurring, a process other than reductive dechlorination must be responsible. The overall objective of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of biotic and abiotic transformation processes at this site for TCE, cis-DCE and VC. Anaerobic microcosms were constructed with site groundwater and sandstone core samples. 14C-labeled compounds were used to detect transformation products (e.g., CO2 and soluble products) that are not readily identifiable by headspace analysis. The microcosms confirmed the occurrence of biotic reduction of TCE to cis-DCE, driven by electron donor in the groundwater and/or sandstone. VC and ethene were not detected during this part of the study. Following incubation periods up to 22 months, the distribution of 14C indicated statistically significant transformation of [14C]TCE and [14C]cis-DCE in live microcosms, to as high as 10% 14CO2 from TCE and 20% 14CO2 from cis-DCE. In autoclaved microcosms, significant transformation of [14C]TCE and [14C]cis-DCE also occurred; although some 14CO2 accumulated, the predominant 14C product was soluble and could not be stripped by N2 from an acidic solution (referred to as non-strippable residue, or NSR). Characterization of the NSR by high performance liquid and ion chromatography identified glycolate, acetate and formate as significant components. The site contains minerals typical of what is found in sandstone for this region (i.e., iron sulfides, pyrite, fougerite (green rust), magnetite, biotite, vermiculite, and quartz) suggesting that these minerals may play a role in the abiotic transformations observed during the microcosm study. In order to evaluate the role of sandstone composition on the rate and extent of cis-DCE transformation, further experiments were conducted with autoclaved typical and pyrite rich sandstone from the site, as well as with pure pyrite. Since reductive dechlorination was a predominant transformation pathway in the microcosms for TCE but not for cis-DCE, these additional studies were conducted with [14C]cis-DCE. The results suggest that pyrite is not responsible for abiotic transformation of cis-DCE. By contrast, the autoclaved typical sandstone was able to transform as much as 16% of the [14C]cis-DCE to [14C]NSR and [14C]CO2. During the microcosm study, the extent of cis-DCE transformation to NSR and CO2 appeared to be greater in the autoclaved versus live treatments. Subsequent experiments were conducted to further test the effect of sterilization method on the rate and extent of abiotic transformation of cis-DCE in the presence of typical sandstone and groundwater. Autoclaving was compared to use of propylene oxide as a method of sterilization, both of which were compared to live microcosms. Formation of [14C]NSR and 14CO2 from [14C]cis-DCE was confirmed . Surface area normalized first order rates of cis-DCE transformation for typical sandstone were 1.08E-05±1.1E-06 L/m2d for the autoclaved treatment, 1.31E-05±2.8E-06 L/m2d for the live treatment, and 1.00E-06±3E-09 for the propylene oxide treatment. Based on XPS analysis of sandstone from the different treatments, autoclaving appears to have increased the availability of magnetite and goethite for the abiotic transformations. In the live sandstone, ferrous (FeO) and ferric oxides (Fe2O3) were present and may be responsible for at least a part of the cis-DCE transformation. Sterilizing with propylene oxide appeared to inhibit transformation of cis-DCE to NSR and CO2. Minor amounts of VC, acetylene, ethene and ethane were formed in both the live and propylene oxide treated sandstone. Detection of these products was likely related to the higher initial concentration of cis-DCE that was used in these experiments versus the microcosms. The only volatile product in the autoclaved treatment was acetylene. While the microcosm study confirmed the occurrence of TCE reductive dechlorination to cis-DCE, it did not reveal which type of microbe was responsible for this biotic transformation. A third set of experiments was conducted to evaluate which microbes is response for biotic reduction of TCE to cis-DCE. Enrichment in dechlorinating activity was achieved by repeatedly adding TCE to a microcosm that exhibited reductive dechlorination activity. A sample from the microcosm was used as inoculum for serial dilutions in anaerobic mineral medium. The composition of the microbial community in the microcosm and serial dilutions was evaluated using denaturing gradient gel electrophoreses. Individual bands from the gel were sequenced. Pseudomonas stutzeri was identified as the organism in the community that is most likely responsible for the reduction of TCE to cis-DCE. PCR-DGGE analysis of DNA extracted from enrichments of the microorganisms provided a sequence that matched 100% to Pseudomonas stutzeri. Only one other facultative anaerobe is known that can dechlorinate TCE to cis-DCE under anaerobic conditions, strain MS-1. Desulfovibrio putealis, a sulfate reducer, was also found to be present in the community. Overall, the results of this dissertation demonstrated that a combination of abiotic and biotic transformation processes is responsible for attenuation of TCE and cis-DCE in the fractured sandstone aquifer. Tracking the distribution of 14C during the microcosm study was essential for observing these phenomena

El ministerio episcopal de Mons. D. Ciriaco Benavente Mateos en la Diócesis de Coria Cáceres (22-III-1992 al 16-X-2006)

Presentamos en forma abreviada el ministerio episcopal de Mons. D. Ciriaco Benavente Mateos durante los catorce años que ha sido obispo de la diócesis de Coria-Cáceres y que recientemente ha sido nombrado por el Santo Padre Benedicto XVI obispo de la diócesis hermana de Albacete.We will briefly introduce the episcopal ministry of Monsignior D. Ciriaco Benavente Mateos during his term of office in the Coria-Cáceres diocese, which lasted fourteen years. He has been recently appointed Bishop for the Albacete Diocese

After accommodation? Inclusion and exclusion of emancipation interests in Dutch ‘democratic corporatism’

One form of accommodating historically marginalised social groups is through ‘democratic corporatism’, in which government to some degree formalises emancipation interests’ representation within policy processes. This article compares the corporatist trajectories of the emancipation interests of women and gays/lesbians in the Netherlands to examine why women’s interests became excluded from and gay/lesbian interests remained included in corporatist policy processes. Existing studies have failed to explain why changes in corporatism differently affect incorporated organisations across policy arenas. This article examines the role of the level of formalisation of corporatist relations, and by extension the ability of incorporated organisations to combine top-down and bottom-up resources, in leading to exclusion from or continued inclusion in corporatist policy processes. The findings highlight the importance for incorporated emancipation interests of the ability to combine top-down and bottom-up resources to manoeuvre changes in corporatism and successfully maintain their inclusion in corporatist policy processes

A comparison of nonspecific solvent scales. Degree of agreement of microscopic polarity values obtained by different measurement methods

The active role of solvents in physicochemical processes in solution has been long recognized. Different solvatochromic empirical scales are aimed at describing and quantifying the nonspecific interactions at a molecular level. This work presents a new insight into the comparison of the famous ET(30) (Dimroth-Reichardt) and ð* (Kamlet, Abboud, Taft) solvatochromic scales. These parameters were tested against the data derived from theoretical solvent-induced shifts in the UV-vis spectra of the corresponding reference solutes (Matyushov et al.). In each case we centered the attention on the analysis of  the degree of agreement between paired values quantified through both scales by applying the methodology described by J. M. Bland and D. G. Altman. In addition, the linear correlations are assessed. The study reflects that a) the scales involved in this comparison are clearly dependent on the type of probe used to quantify the solvent property, and b) the experimental parameters, in general, do not agree with the theoretical ones. These results were related with the contributions of induction, dispersion and dipole-dipole forces to the overall solvent effect. It is expected that the results will be contribute to the evaluation of the ability of the microscopic chemical scales to describe the solute-solvent interactions.Fil: Mancini, Pedro Maximo Emilio. Universidad Nacional del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Adam, Claudia Guadalupe. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Química Aplicada del Litoral. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Química Aplicada del Litoral.; ArgentinaFil: Fortunato, Graciela Guadalupe. Universidad Nacional del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Vottero, Leonor. Universidad Nacional del Litoral; Argentin