Simultaneous determination of arsenic species by ion chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Six arsenic species, arsenite, arsenate, monomethylarsonic acid, dimethylarsinic acid, arsenobetaine and arsenocholine, were separated by coupled column ion chromatography using carbonate and nitric acid as eluents, and were detected by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Coupling of an anion column with a cation column made the simultaneous determination of both the cationjic and the anionic arsenic species possible by ion chromatography. Extremely low detection limits, below 0.2 μg/1 (as arsenic), were obtained for all the species studied.     

Electron ionization (EI) mass spectra of exo-endo double-bond isomers of polycyano "push-pull" pentadienes derived from cycloalkylidene malonic acid derivatives

The title compounds, which exist in solutions as mixtures of exo/endo double bond isomers due to the "push-pull" effect of the electron-donating and electron-withdrawing substituents, were studied by mass-spectrometric methods. Their fragmentation routes under electron impact were established and confirmed by metastable ion analysis and accurate mass measurements. The results demonstrated that the relative amounts of exo/endo isomeric molecular ions are in close agreement with the isomeric ratios observed in solutions by the NMR, although the mass spectra of the tetracyano derivatives indicated a small fraction of molecular ions existing in the endo form, which could not be detected in solution by the NMR methods.     

Effect of missing values in estimation of mean of auto-correlated measurement series

Sampling and uncertainty of sampling are important tasks, when industrial processes are monitored. Missing values and unequal sources can cause problems in almost all industrial fields. One major problem is that during weekends samples may not be collected. On the other hand a composite sample may be collected during weekend. These systematically occurring missing values (gaps) will have an effect on the uncertainties of the measurements. Another type of missing values is random missing values. These random gaps are caused, for example, by instrument failures. Pierre Gy's sampling theory includes tools to evaluate all error components that are involved in sampling of heterogeneous materials. Variograms, introduced by Gy's sampling theory, have been developed to estimate the uncertainty of auto-correlated process measurements. Variographic experiments are utilized for estimating the variance for different sample selection strategies. The different sample selection strategies are random sampling, stratified random sampling and systematic sampling. In this paper both systematic and random gaps were estimated by using simulations and real process data. These process data were taken from bark boilers of pulp and paper mills (combustion processes). When systematic gaps were examined a linear interpolation was utilized. Also cases introducing composite sampling were studied. Aims of this paper are: (1) how reliable the variogram is to estimate the process variogram calculated from data with systematic gaps, (2) how the uncertainty of missing gap can be estimated in reporting time-averages of auto-correlated time series measurements. The results show that when systematic gaps were filled by linear interpolation only minor changes in the values of variogram were observed. The differences between the variograms were constantly smallest with composite samples. While estimating the effect of random gaps, the results show that for the non-periodic processes the stratified random sampling strategy gives more reliable results than systematic sampling strategy. Therefore stratified random sampling should be used while estimating the uncertainty of random gaps in reporting time-averages of auto-correlated time series measurements.     

Kinetics of the Oxidation of Monosaccharides with Acidic Bromate and N-Bromosuccinimide

Abstract

In earlier studies on the oxidation of monosaccharides, we measured the rates of the oxidation of three aldohexoses, two ketohexoses and three aldopentoses with V(V),¹ Ce(IV)²Cr(VI)³ and MII(VII).⁴We now report on the corresponding oxidations with bromate ion and N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) as oxidants. To our knowledge, only kinetic studies of oxidations of ribose with BrO₃-in aqueous H₂O₄ ⁵ and aldoses with NBS in 10% AcOH - H₂SO₄ ⁶ have been reported. Because oxidation of carbohydrates is subject to HSO₄- ion catalysis, HClO₄ was used, as in our earlier studies, in the present investigation to minimize the number of different catalyzing species.     

The Prevalence of Voice Disorders Among Day Care Center Teachers Compared with Nurses: A Questionnaire and Clinical Study

The acceptance of voice disorders by day care center teachers as an occupational disease is not an invariably established practice. This is due to the lack of reliable evidence of a higher risk for voice disorders in this profession. To find out the risk of voice disorders, an epidemiological study was conducted among day care center teachers (n = 262), using hospital nurses (n = 108) as a control group. Symptoms were charted by a questionnaire. In a clinical examination made by a laryngologist, the voice quality was assessed and the laryngeal status noted. Teachers at day care centers had significantly more voice disorders than did nurses. Vocal nodules and laryngitis findings appeared significantly more frequently among day care center teachers than among those in the control group. The results prove voice disorders to be more frequent among day care center teachers than among control group subjects, and also that the main cause for this may be a higher vocal loading among day care center teachers than among control group subjects.     

Not all Julia sets are quasi-self-similar

We show that there exist rational functions, whose Julia set fails to be quasi-self-similar.

     

一类有理算术函数及其组合意义（英）

An arithmetical function f is said to be a rational arithmetical function of order (s,r) if there existcompletely multiplicative functions f₁,f₂,…,f_s and g₁,g₂,…,g_r such thatf=f₁*f₂*… *f_s*(g₁)^-1*(g₂)^-1*… *(g_r) -1 ,where * is the Dirichlet convolution. Recently, L.C. Hsu and Wang Jun studied combinatorial meanings of rational arithmetical functions of order (1,r) . We study these meanings in the setting of Narkiewicz's regular convolution.     

The determination of thickness and surface mass density of mesothick immunoprecipitate layers by null ellipsometry and protein 125iodine labeling

The aim of the present study was to ellipsometrically determine the thickness and surface mass density in air for up to 110-nm-thick organic layers made of alternatingly deposited layers of HSA and polyclonal anti-HSA on hydrophobic silicon. The ellipsometrically determined thickness was compared to that obtained by AFM and the deposited surface mass density calibrated with (125)I-labeled proteins. The results indicate a good agreement in protein layer thickness between AFM and ellipsometry when the protein film refractive index N(film)=1.5-0i, although then the calculated surface mass density from the ellipsometry data became grossly overestimated by the Cuypers one-component formula. A good agreement in the surface mass density was obtained when the M/A ratio in this formula was lowered from 4.14 to 2.35. This approach indicates a convenient means of determining the refractive indices and surface mass densities of mesothick organic layers proteins on solid supports.     

The prediction of mechanical properties of injection moulding parts by vacuum casting

The behaviour of vacuum cast prototypes and injection moulding parts in mechanical tests was compared. The mechanical tests were made using real production parts as references. Distinct correlations were found between vacuum cast prototypes and injection moulding parts. In this light, vacuum cast prototypes can be used for the evaluation of injection moulding products with certain limitations. Vacuum casting is best suited for the evaluation of such mechanical properties of injection moulding products as tensile, flexural and compression strength, while impact strength is the property that is most difficult to evaluate.