Measurement and interpretation of acidity in Southern California rainfall and aerosols

The semiarid climate of southern California and relatively high air pollutant concentrations during the dry season lead to a higher dry flux than wet flux of acidity. Additional research is needed to measure the dry flux as well as ambient ammonia concentrations. The relative importances of the dry flux, wet flux and advection for the Los Angeles Basin are summaried in Table 8.1. The wet flux is about an order of magnitude less than the total dry flux, although it is greater than the dry flux due to aerosol deposition. Of the acids and bases released in the basin, more than half are exported out of the basin by advection

A study of high-lift airfoils at high Reynolds numbers in the Langley low-turbulence pressure tunnel

An experimental study was conducted in the Langley Low Turbulence Pressure Tunnel to determine the effects of Reynolds number and Mach number on the two-dimensional aerodynamic performance of two supercritical type airfoils, one equipped with a conventional flap system and the other with an advanced high lift flap system. The conventional flap system consisted of a leading edge slat and a double slotted, trailing edge flap with a small chord vane and a large chord aft flap. The advanced flap system consisted of a leading edge slat and a double slotted, trailing edge flap with a large chord vane and a small chord aft flap. Both models were tested with all elements nested to form the cruise airfoil and with the leading edge slat and with a single or double slotted, trailing edge flap deflected to form the high lift airfoils. The experimental tests were conducted through a Reynolds number range from 2.8 to 20.9 x 1,000,000 and a Mach number range from 0.10 to 0.35. Lift and pitching moment data were obtained. Summaries of the test results obtained are presented and comparisons are made between the observed aerodynamic performance trends for both models. The results showing the effect of leading edge frost and glaze ice formation is given

Assessment of alternative strategies for sludge disposal into deep ocean basins off Southern California

The general framework of engineering alternatives for regional ocean sludge disposal is well described in a report by Raksit, and will not be repeated here. The various ocean disposal alternatives are less costly than all land-disposal and incineration/pyrolysis systems studied. Even though ocean sludge disposal is currently contrary to both state and federal regulations, it is hoped that this study will advance our scientific and engineering knowledge of the behavior and effects of sludge discharge in deep water, in case the regulatory policy is reexamined in the future. With this report we hope we have demonstrated the potential and difficulties of some new modeling techniques for predicting the effects of sludge discharge in the ocean. In the future. we believe it will be possible to formulate policy of ocean sludge discharges with much better case-by-case predictions of impacts for comparison with other alternatives (such as land disposal). not only for the Los Angeles/Orange County areas, but for all coastal urban areas

Error analysis applied to indirect methods for precipitation acidity

The historical increase in the acidity of precipitation in northern Europe has been monitored by direct measurements of pH and titrations of acidity. Indirect methods such as conductivity and charge balances as well as chemical source models have been used to confirm the measured acidities. In the absence of historical records of direct measurements of acidity in precipitation in the United States, indirect methods have been applied to available data on the composition of rainwater to quantify the acidity. Unfortunately, the indirect methods are sensitive to small errors in certain pH regions. The effects of random errors in major ion concentrations as well as the systematic errors due to the exclusion of trace metal and organic ions are shown to be largest around pH 5.6 in the charge balance and chemical source strength calculations and largest around pH 6.1 for the conductivity balance method. Estimates of the uncertainty in historical mean values of precipitation ion concentrations are used to calculate upper and lower bounds on the acidity of rainwater in the United States before 1970. The trend of increasing acidity of precipitation in the northeastern United States is still evident after applying error analysis

Detection of bacterial spores with lanthanide-macrocycle binary complexes

The detection of bacterial spores via dipicolinate-triggered lanthanide luminescence has been improved in terms of detection limit, stability, and susceptibility to interferents by use of lanthanide−macrocycle binary complexes. Specifically, we compared the effectiveness of Sm, Eu, Tb, and Dy complexes with the macrocycle 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,7-diacetate (DO2A) to the corresponding lanthanide aquo ions. The Ln(DO2A)^+ binary complexes bind dipicolinic acid (DPA), a major constituent of bacterial spores, with greater affinity and demonstrate significant improvement in bacterial spore detection. Of the four luminescent lanthanides studied, the terbium complex exhibits the greatest dipicolinate binding affinity (100-fold greater than Tb^(3+) alone, and 10-fold greater than other Ln(DO2A)^+ complexes) and highest quantum yield. Moreover, the inclusion of DO2A extends the pH range over which Tb−DPA coordination is stable, reduces the interference of calcium ions nearly 5-fold, and mitigates phosphate interference 1000-fold compared to free terbium alone. In addition, detection of Bacillus atrophaeus bacterial spores was improved by the use of Tb(DO2A)^+, yielding a 3-fold increase in the signal-to-noise ratio over Tb^(3+). Out of the eight cases investigated, the Tb(DO2A)^+ binary complex is best for the detection of bacterial spores

Research report: 1983-1985

The Environmental Quality Laboratory at Caltech is a center for research on large scale systems problems of natural resources and environmental quality. The principal areas of investigation at EQL are: 1. Air quality management. 2. Water resources and water quality management. 3. Control of hazardous substances in the environment. 4. Energy policy, including regulation, conservation and energy-environment trade-offs. 5. Resources policy (other than energy); residuals management. EQL research includes technical assessments, computer modeling, studies of environmental control options, policy analyses, and research on important components of the large scale systems. Field work is also undertaken at EQL, some in collaboration with other organizations, to provide critical data needed for evaluation of systems concepts and models. EQL's objectives are as follows: 1. To do systematic studies of environmental and resources problems. The results of these studies, including the clarification of policy alternatives. are communicated to decision-makers in government and industry, to the research community, and to the public. As an organization. EQL refrains from advocating particular policies, but seeks to point out the implications of the various policy alternatives. 2. To contribute to the education and training of people in these areas through involvement of pre-doctoral students, post-doctoral fellows, and visiting faculty members in EQL activities. This educational effort is just as important as the results of the studies themselves, and should make lasting contributions to the nation's ability to solve its environmental and resources problems. The work at EQL goes beyond the usual academic research in that it tries to organize and develop the knowledge necessary to clarify society's alternatives by integrating relevant disciplines. EQL works on solving problems of specific localities when there is a strong element of public interest or educational value, or the concepts and results are applicable to other places. The research of EQL is done under the supervision of faculty members in Environmental Engineering Science, Chemical Engineering, and Social Science. This research report covers the period from October 1983 through September 1985

The Materiality of Information System Planning Maturity to Project Performance

Research for this paper suggests that there is still an alarming lack of success of IS projects in industry today. Two critical success factors that have been examined to date are project manager performance and IS planning maturity. However, the previous studies have bypassed the relative impact of the two factors in combination. This study proposes and empirically tests a model that examines the relationships between project manager performance and IS planning maturity and their relationship to project success. The results indicate that IS planning maturity is empirically linked positively to project success and to project manager performance. Additionally, the performance of the project manager is also positively related to project outcome. The implication for practitioners is that project management is not an activity limited only to the duration of the development of the IS product but project management must have broader implications for organization management

Retroperitoneal extramedullary hematopoietic pseudotumor in ataxia-telangiectasia.

Ataxia-telangiectasia confers a significant increase in the development of several cancer types, most commonly leukemia and lymphoma. However, as the natural history for these patients is evolving and their lifespan is increasing, there is the potential for the development of additional uncommon tumors in an already rare patient population. We report the first case, to our knowledge, of an incidental retroperitoneal tumor in a 26-year-old woman undergoing evaluation for hepatic dysfunction. The mass was suspicious for retroperitoneal sarcoma, but proved to be an extramedullary hematopoietic pseudotumor after extensive pathologic evaluation. The changing landscape of neoplasms associated with ataxia-telangiectasia is discussed with emphasis on previously underreported benign and malignant tumors