Solar activity and global seismicity of the earth

Results of studying the character and possible succession of cause-effect relations (in going from a disturbance source on the Sun to a response in the lithosphere in the range of periods from several days to the 11-year solar cycle) have been presented. It has been indicated that the maximum of seismic energy, released from earthquake sources in the 11-yr cycle of sunspots, is observed during the phase of cycle decline and lags 2 yr behind the solar cycle maximum. It has been established that the maximum in the number of earthquakes directly correlates with the instant of a sudden increase in the solar wind velocity.     

Generating porosity in metal oxides thin films through introduction of polymer micelles

The generation of porosity in Nb₂O₅ sol–gel films through introduction of polymer micelles of commercially available copolymer Pluronic PE6800 [poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(propylene glycol)-block-poly(ethylene glycol)] was studied using direct observation of film morphology by Transmission Electron Microscopy and indirect calculations of free volume fraction by optical means. Mesoporous Nb₂O₅ films were deposited by the sol–gel and spin-coating methods and templated with aqueous solutions of Pluronic PE6800 with concentrations below and above critical micelle concentration determined by the modified dye solubilization method. The influence of the duration of the postdeposition annealing on total pore volumes was investigated by reflectance measurements and consequent calculation of optical properties and free volume fraction by Bruggeman effective medium theory. The possible application of the films in optical sensing of vapors has been demonstrated through reflectance measurements prior to and after acetone vapors exposure.     

Direct Red 28 Adsorption on Amosil and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Avena sativa </Emphasis> L.: Mass Transfer and Kinetics Modelling on the Solid/Solution Interface

Adsorption kinetics is a key issue for successful sorbent selection and the proper design of batch and fixed-bed adsorption systems. The aim of the present study was to determine the kinetics, mass transfer and diffusion coefficients and to establish the rate-controlling mechanism/s during Direct Red 28 adsorption on Amosil and Avena sativa L. biomass. Five kinetic models (pseudo-second order, Blanchard, Avrami, Ritchie and power function) and and four mass transfer (external diffusion, film diffusion, particle diffusion, intraparticle diffusion) mathematical models were applied to the experimental data. To confirm the best-fitting model(s), error analyses were conducted. The integrative comparative analyses of the values of the predicted model parameters, coefficients and error functions established that the intraparticle diffusion model best represented the experimental results of the dye sorption on dried A. sativa L. biomass, while for the Direct Red 28/Amosil system, the kinetic behavior is the best described by either the pseudo-second or Blanchard’s model. Boyd’s effective intraparticle diffusion coefficient (D _i ), characterizing the dye sorption on Amosil, is significantly lower than that for the system Direct Red 28/A. sativa L. biomass. The low values of the Bi number (Bi < 0.5) suggests that the mass transfer resistance, for both systems, is concentrated at the fluid/solid phase surface.