IR-induced processes for allyl alcohol dimers involving an intermolecular OH...π Bond in low-temperature matrices

Sharp peaks were observed in the IR spectra of allyl alcohol dimers in the νOH and τOH regions in low-temperature Ar and N₂ matrices. In Ar a peak at 3587 cm^?1 was found to increase in intensity upon annealing and decrease upon IR irradiation; it is concluded that this peak is due to an OH...π interaction (of a cyclic structure) present in part of the dimers. This is the first time such an interaction and photoprocess have been found for an alcohol in matrices. Also a faster photo-process was found. Confomer changes in the monomers accompany the photoprocess in allyl alcohol dimers.     

Determination of Na(2)O from sodium aluminate NaAlO(2)

The aim of the work was to find a suitable method and conditions for determining Na(2)O wt.% from NaAlO(2). Problems were encountered while titrating NaAlO(2) with hydrochloric acid. The problematic area was the pH range 4-10 where aluminum precipitates as hydroxides. The different species of the aluminate solution were determined using potentiometric and complexometric titrations. The equivalent point of the potentiometric titration was detected using Gran's plotting method. Precipitation of aluminum hydroxides did not interfere with titrations, because in potentiometric titrations the pH value was over 10 and in complexometric titrations the pH was 4. The results were accurate and determinations were easy to carry out. Sodium was also determined by DCP-AES.     

Multi-scale study of the mineral porosity of veined gneiss and pegmatitic granite from Olkiluoto,Western Finland

The purpose of this work was to support the long-term experiments for investigation of rock matrix retention properties at the spent nuclear fuel repository site ONKALO, in Olkiluoto, Western Finland. Towards this end, rock samples were characterised in terms of porosity connected to mineralogy, with emphasis on pore sizes, and fillings. Both filled and unfilled pores were found with unfilled pores being majority in the pegmatitic granite veins of the mostly veined gneiss samples. It was found that the fillings were often connected to local alteration and the alteration caused variation in the range of pore sizes.     

Derivation of index theorems by localization of path integrals

We review the derivation of the Atiyah-Singer and Callias index theorems using the recently developed localization method to calculate exactly the relevant supersymmetric path integrals.Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Matematicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 98. No. 3, pp. 404–413, March, 1994.     

Image feature based automatic correction of low-frequency spatial intensity variations in MR images

An automatic method of compensating for low-frequency variations in magnetic resonance images is presented. Small variations within a tissue type are modelled and a correction function is generated. The methods is based completely on image features and does not need a phantom or user interaction to generate the compensation function. This image correction simplifies digital image analysis and may enhance clinical evaluation. As a result, the correction technique reduces inhomogeneity and improves contrast. Our results show that the radiofrequency response variation of coils can be reduced. The segmentation process, even with a simple threshold method, produces more reliable results when corrected images are used. The presented method is most useful for images acquired in the sagital and coronal planes with circular local coils, or using surface coils, e.g., spine coils.     

Cellulose crystallinity and ordering of hemicelluloses in pine and birch pulps as revealed by solid-state NMR spectroscopic methods

Solid-state ¹³C NMR spectroscopy was used to determine the degree of cellulose crystallinity (CrI) in kraft, flow-through kraft and polysulphide–anthraquinone (PS–AQ) pulps of pine and birch containing various amounts of hemicelluloses. The applicability of acid hydrolysis and the purely spectroscopic proton spin-relaxation based spectral edition (PSRE) method to remove the interfering hemicellulose signals prior to the determination of CrI were also compared. For softwood pulps, the spectroscopic removal of hemicelluloses by PSRE was found to be more efficient than the removal of hemicelluloses by acid hydrolysis. In addition to that, the PSRE method also provides information on the associations between cellulose and hemicelluloses. On the basis of the incomplete removal of xylan from the cellulose subspectra by PSRE, the deposition of xylan on cellulose fibrils and therefore an ordered ultrastructure of xylan in birch pulps was suggested. The ordered structure of xylan in birch pulps was also supported by the observed change of xylan conformation after regeneration. Similarly, glucomannan in pine pulps may have an ordered structure. According to the ¹³C CPMAS measurements conducted after acid hydrolysis, the degree of cellulose crystallinity was found to be slightly lower in birch pulps than in the pine pulps. Any significant differences in cellulose crystallinity were not found between the pulps obtained by the various pulping methods. Only in pine PS–AQ pulp, the degree of cellulose crystallinity may be slightly lower than in the kraft pulps containing less hemicelluloses.     

Cathodic protection of ships in brackish water

The operation of ice-going vessels depends on the condition of the hull surface. Corrosion increases the roughness of ship hull, which increases drag and fuel consumption. The hull surface smoothness is maintained by using coatings and cathodic protection. The cold brackish water is different from ocean water as it has lower salt content, lower conductivity, and higher concentration of dissolved oxygen. These factors mean that the design of the cathodic protection system for ship hulls requires different design values, such as protection current density and protected length, than those given in cathodic protection standards. In this paper, we have estimated the protection current density with polarization curves and the protected length by using Wagner number and dimension and conductivity scaling. In brackish water the protection current density was two times that in ocean water. The protected length in brackish water varied between 10 and 15% of that in ocean water. In poorly conducting brackish water, the current capacity of a cathodic protection system is used mostly for overcoming the solution resistance, not for delivering protection current.     

Effect of mineral composition on thermoluminescence detection of irradiated seafood

Data from import control of irradiated seafood were collected from 300 batches of seafood. Thermoluminescence (TL) analysis of the seafood, based on measurement of thermoluminescent minerals separated from intestinal tract, was carried out with a Risø TL-DA-10 instrument. As identified by X-ray diffraction and SEM/EDS analysis, four main categories of minerals were extracted: tectosilicates, phyllosilicates, carbonates and sulphates. Detection of irradiation was reliable when based on the TL of tectosilicate minerals, i.e. quartz and feldspar. Suitable minerals were found in most seafood: only about five percent of all samples could not be successfully analysed because no minerals or only non-thermoluminescent clays or carbonates were found. False positive results were never obtained. A false negative decision results if analyses are based on hydrous clays or carbonates in the form of aragonite.