Decay of the local energy of a two-dimensional wave in a nonlinear weakly negative dispersive medium

We show that the local energy of a two-dimensional wave in a nonlinear weakly negative dispersive medium which is described by a modified Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation decays to zero as time goes to infinity.     

The discretized flow on domains of attraction: a structural stability result

It is well known that, for stepsize sufficiently small, compactattractors of ordinary differential equations persist underdiscretization. The present paper describes the structure ofthe discrete-time dynamical system obtained via discretizationon A(M_h)\M_h where M_h is the approximate attractor and A(M_h)is its domain of attraction. The existence of a smooth embeddinginto a continuous-time parallelizable flow is proved. The constructioncan be used to define sections for discretizations and can beinterpreted as a justification of the method of modified equations.     

Planning and combining of isochronous stability studies of CRMs

The first part of this paper discusses some critical factors in planning and evaluation of isochronous stability studies. Recommendations on the number of time-points, number of items, and number of replicates to be measured on each unit are given. In general, more than two time-points should be used. The effect of batch heterogeneity can be eliminated by spreading the results over more units. An approach for combining two or more isochronous stability studies is developed in the second part. This approach includes a potential correction of the earlier stability study, pooling of data of the stability studies, and an uncertainty evaluation taking into consideration the uncertainty of the initial correction. The statistical basis for this approach is developed and equations for evaluation of the uncertainty of stability of the combined study are given.     

On the distribution of trace elements in human skeletons

Instrumental neutron activation analysis and flameless atomic absorption spectrometry have been used to study the occurence and distribution with a maximum of 25 elements in multiple sites of a skeleton and in the iliac crest of 69 ancient human skeletons. To study the distribution of trace elements between the different bone fractions the material of each sampling site was chemically treated to separate the collagen and the mineral from one another. Losses or contamination during the extraction procedure have been controled in detail by balance calculations. The elements can be subdivided into several groups due to the balance calculation and their association with the mineral. The analysis of the skeleton showed that the trace elements are distributed in varying degrees within a bone and throughout the skeleton their variation seems to be related to functional and structural conditions of the sampling site. The element content was observed to be higher at epiphyseal areas of long bones than in the shaft and higher in trabecular than in cortical bones. It was found that the element content of a single bone sample depends largely on the mass ratio spongiosa/compacta at the sampling site. By investigating an ancient population group, information about the “natural levels” and biological variation of trace elements was obtained. The results for F, Pb, Sr, and Zn in particular suggest that these elements could be useful in the study of health problems in man which involves the bone tissue.     

Combination of neutron activation analysis and argon plasma emission spectrocopy in the elemental analysis of biological materials

Trace elements and major constituents are analyzed in solid biological material and body fluids in order to compare the range of application of instrumental neutron activation analysis and plasma emission spectroscopic techniques. It is demonstrated that both methods should be regarded as complementary analytical techniques. In separate or sequential combination of both techniques the elemental coverage in the analysis of biological material is extended.     

Validation of a fluidized-bed extraction method for solid materials for the determination of PAHs and PCBs using certified reference materials

In recent years, the classical Soxhlet extraction of PAHs and PCBs from matrices such as soil, sediments, sludges and related matrices has been substituted by faster and less-solvent-consuming automated techniques. This paper describes the performance characteristics of fluidized-bed extraction (FBE), which has been compared to other approaches and been optimized using a quality control material.SI-traceable reference materials from the European Commission have been used to validate the developed method and establish an analytical protocol. Good correlations with Soxhlet extraction were observed and certified values of the CRMs used, could be confirmed in all cases.     

The application of NAA with irradiation at reduced temperature for the study of element losses during pretreatment of biological samples

The neutron capture gamma-ray spectroscopy facility assembled at the Institute of Radiochemistry, KfK (for analytical purposes) using a²⁵²Cf neutron source with a strength of 6·10⁷ n/s, has been used to check its applicability and sensitivity for quantitative analyses of ores. The analysis of Sm, Cd and Mn in phosphate and monazite rock samples has been carried out. The results from this study show a variation of about 25% from the values determined by RNAA method. This discrepancy could be mainly due to the low signal-to-background ratio observed which is caused by (i) scattering of the source gammarays by the target, and (ii) interference from the 2223.1 keV neutron capture hydrogen gamma-rays produced by the moderated materials and from their compton scattering in the detector. To overcome these difficulties we suggest to introduce a 2.5 cm thick polyethylene sheet between the detector⁶Li-cap shielding and the target as well as to increase the detection solid angle. Also the strength of the²⁵²Cf neutron source should be increased by an order of magnitude and the neutron beam should be collimated to obtain the optimal thermal neutron flux with a low level of²⁵²Cf gamma-rays. This can be achieved by setting up between the neutron source and the target a conical polyethylene collimator with a thickness of 10 cm containing a 1 cm thick lead sheet.     

Determination of Na,K, Rb and Cs Distribution in Human Brain Using Neutron Activation Analysis

This study aims to investigate the distribution of Na, K, Rb and Cs in human brains (5 individuals, 12 brain parts, mean age: 75 years). Distribution of the trace metals between lipid fraction and brain tissue was investigated in solvent extraction experiments. Determinations were carried out by instrumental neutron activation analysis. The present results show a rather non-homogeneous distribution for Na and a relatively uniform distribution for K, Rb and Cs. The mean concentrations found are 7440µgNag^–1 dry weight, 12800µgKg^–1, 14µgRbg^–1 and 50ngCsg^–1. A highly significant positive correlation was found between Rb and Cs. Solvent extraction experiments showed that 19% of Rb and 26% of Cs of the total content is located in lipid fraction.     

EIT resonance features in strong magnetic fields in rubidium atomic columns with length varying by 4 orders

Electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) resonances are investigated with the ⁸⁵Rb D₁ line (795 nm) in strong magnetic fields (up to 2 kG) with three different types of spectroscopic vapor cells: the nano-cell with a thickness along the direction of laser light L ≈ 795 nm, the micro-cell with L = 30 μm with the addition of a neon buffer gas, and the centimeter-long glass cell. These cells allowed us to observe systematic changes of the EIT spectra when the increasing magnetic field systematically decoupled the total atomic electron and nuclear angular moments (the Paschen-Back/Back-Goudsmit effects). The observations agree well with a theoretical model. The advantages and disadvantages of a particular type of cell are discussed along with the possible practical applications.     

Optimized emitter contacting on multicrystalline silicon thin film solar cells

We present an optimized contacting scheme for multicrystalline silicon thin film solar cells on glass based on epitaxially crystallized emitters with a thin Al₂O₃ layer and a silver back reflector. In a first step a 6.5 µm thick amorphous silicon absorber layer is crystallized by a diode laser. In a second step a thin silicon emitter layer is epitaxially crystallized by an excimer laser. The emitter is covered by an Al₂O₃ layer with a thickness ranging from 1.0 nm to 2.5 nm, which passivates the surface and acts as a tunnel barrier. On top of the Al₂O₃ layer a 90–100 nm thick silver back reflector is deposited. The Al₂O₃ layer was found to have an optimal thickness of 1.5 nm resulting in solar cells with back reflector that achieve a maximum open‐circuit voltage of 567 mV, a short‐circuit current density of 27.9 mA/cm², and an efficiency of 10.9%. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)