Use of reference materials in coastal monitoring quality assurance

The NOAA National Status and Trends (NS&T) Program determines the current status of, and changes over time in the environmental health of U.S estuarine and coastal waters. Concentrations of organic and inorganic contaminants are determined in bivalves, bottom-dwelling fish and sediments. The quality of the analytical data generated by the NS&T Program is over-seen by the performance-based Quality Assurance Project, which is designed to document sampling protocols, analytical procedures, and laboratory performance, and to reduce intralaboratory and interlaboratory variation. All NS&T cooperating laboratories are required to participate in yearly intercomparison exercises. The analysis of reference materials, such as the National Research Council of Canada's Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) and National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Standard Reference Materials (SRMs), and of control materials, is required. Because of the need for marine matrix reference materials and standards, NOAA contributed to the production of eight NIST SRMs and seven internal standard solutions. Analytical data from all control materials and all matrix reference materials are reported to the Program office.     

Euler decompositions for theta-series of even quadratic forms

For a generating Dirichlet vector series with coefficients equal to the number of representations of a quadratic form by another one we abtain a decomposition into the product of a finite number of Dirichlet L-functions and an infinite number of matrix polynomials. The coefficients of the polynomials are the Eichler-Brandt matrices of the basis double cosets of the local orthogonal Hecke rings. Translated fromZapiski Nauchnykh Seminarov POMI, Vol. 212, 1994, pp. 97–113. Translated by N. Yu. Netsvetaev.     

Decomposition methods: A new proof of convergence

We propose a new convergence proof of Adomian's technique based on properties of convergent series. Then we deduce some results about the speed of convergence of this method allowing us to solve nonlinear functional equations.     

Bifurcations in the growth process of a vortex sheet in rotating superfluid

Vortex-sheet growth is considered. Broken symmetry bifurcations are found in the growth process. The collective elasticity theory for a well-developed vortex sheet is presented, which is similar to that of smectic liquid crystals. The bifurcations in the limit of a much folded vortex sheet correspond to the Helfrich instability in smectics and cholesterics.     

The influence of the electron thermal motion on the surface oscillating potential produced by traversal of a vacuum-plasma interface by a fast charged particle

The passage of a charged particle through a vacuum-plasma interface is considered. Expressions for a surface potential oscillating at the surface-wave frequency are found under conditions of mirror reflection of plasma electrons from the interface. It is shown that allowance for spatial dispersion eliminates a singularity appearing in the model of a cold plasma on the trajectory of particle motion in the near-surface oscillating potential. The possibility of measuring near-surface oscillating fields is discussed.Institute of Radio-Electronics, Armenian Academy of Science, Erevan. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 38, No. 12, pp. 1241–1249, December, 1995.     

Future contributions toJournal of Crystallographic and Spectroscopic Research

Future contributions toJournal of Crystallographic and Spectroscopic Research     

Cellulose-based fibers from liquid–crystalline solutions. II. Processing and morphology of acetate/butyrate esters

Fibers were spun from isotropic and anisotropic dimethylacetamide solutions of cellulose esters. Take-up speeds of the dry jet/wet spinning process varied. Water served as the coagulant. The mechanical properties of the fibers increased as spinning progressed from the isotropic to the anisotropic state of the solution. A trade-off in solubility and fiber properties was noted as the butyryl acetyl ratio decreased. Whereas high butyryl content enhances both overall solubility and the formation of liquid–crystalline solutions at lower concentration, it results in lower fiber modulus and strength. Morphology of the fibers depended on the coagulation rate which was influenced by the concentration of the sppinning solution. The level of orientation and crystallinity of the fibers increased somewhat when they were spun from liquid-crystalline solutions. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.