Matrix effects in the determination of butyltin compounds in environmental samples by GC AA after hydride generation

Experiments for the determination of mono-, di and tri-butyltin (MBT, DBT and TBT) by hydride generation/gas chromatography/atomic absorption spectrometry in various matrices (sediment, suspended matter, mussel, algae and water) have revealed that poor butyltin recoveries are obtained in sediments displaying high sulphur and hydrocarbon contents; very poor recoveries were also observed for TBT in sediments with high chlorophyll pigment contents as well as in algal samples. It was however not clear whether the hydride generatin was inhibited by these infering compounds, as was previously assumed in the case of hydrocarbons, or whether interferences affected the atomization rate. Further studies were performed to solve this problem in order to validate this method in the case of analyses of, for example, oil-contaminated sediment and algae. This paper presents the results obtained. It is concluded here that the poor recoveries were due to an inhibition of hydride generation rather than to interference at the atomization stage.     

Crossing of shears bands in196Pb

High-spin states in¹⁹⁶Pb have been populated using the reaction¹⁷⁰Er(³⁰Si,4n). The previously observed shears bands in this nucleus have been extended and some of their transitions have been reordered. They now form regular bands with band crossings. One of the bands splits into two pathways at high spin.     

Non-linearity of the interactions between bottom-up and top-down signals in multistable visual perception

Summary Both bottom-up sensory information and top-down influences contribute to the perception processes. We studied the perceptual alternations of a multistable ambiguous pattern. We observed that it is possible to interfere on the process of the perception alternance by means of subliminal visual stimuli, which either contrast or second the previous perception. We investigated also the effect of the top-down volitional factor on the perceptual alternation. By using a combination of such top-down factor and bottom-up stimulation, we ascertained that a non-linear type of interaction occurs between the two above factors. Paper presented at the International Workshop ?Fluctuations in Physics and Biology: Stochastic Resonance, Signal Processing and Related Phenomena?, Elba, 5–10 June 1994.     

Reaction field model with free volume for the NMR chemical shift of129Xe dissolved in organic solvents

The temperature dependence of the NMR chemical shift of¹²⁹Xe dissolved in liquid alkanes is examined in the context of the reaction field model. An essential feature of the theory is the inclusion of the temperature dependence of the density of thesolvent. The theory of free volume for liquids is incorporated into the reaction field model to account for this temperature dependence. Comparison of the theory with previously reported measurements indicates the sensitivity of the¹²⁹Xe chemical shift to the free volume of liquids. Incorporation of free volume improves the agreement between measurement and theory for branched alkane solvents, and resolves the origin of the 62 ppm intercept in the plot of reaction field as a function of¹²⁹Xe chemical shift for the n-alkanes.     

Positive solutions and dynamics of a finite difference reaction–diffusion system

We investigate the dynamics and methods of computation for some nonlinear finite difference systems that are the discretized equations of a time-dependent and a steady-state reaction–diffusion problem. The formulation of the discrete equations for the time-dependent problem is based on the implicit method for parabolic equations, and the computational algorithm is based on the method of monotone iterations using upper and lower solutions as the initial iterations. The monotone iterative method yields improved upper and lower bounds of the solution in each iteration, and the sequence of iterations converges monotonically to a solution for both the time-dependent and the steady-state problems. An important consequence of this method is that it leads to a bifurcation point that determines the dynamic behavior of the time-dependent problem in relation to the corresponding steady-state problem. This bifurcation point also determines whether the steady-state problem has one or two non-negative solutions, and is explicitly given in terms of the physical parameters of the system and the type of boundary conditions. Numerical results are presented for both the time-dependent and the steady-state problems under various boundary conditions, including a test problem with known analytical solution. These numerical results exhibit the predicted dynamic behavior of the time-dependent solution given by the theoretical analysis. Also discussed are the numerical stability of the computational algorithm and the convergence of the finite difference solution to the corresponding continuous solution of the reaction–diffusion problem. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Exchange interactions of excitons localized at opposite interfaces in type-II GaAs/AlAs superlattices: Optically detected magnetic resonance and level anticrossing

Two types of excitons, localized at opposite interfaces and characterized by different magnitudes of the exchange interactions at the same radiation energies, are simultaneously in type-II GaAs/AlAs superlattices. It is shown that the additional long-wavelength luminescence line in superlattices grown with growth interruptions after the GaAs layers is due to the recombination of an exciton localized at an inverted interface in regions where the quantum-well width is increased by one monolayer. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 64, No. 10, 701–706 (25 November 1996)     

Simulated cosmic strings in a “big bang” in superfluid3He at 100 μK

During studies of the impact of single neutrons on superfluid³He at around 100μK we have measured the thermal energy released in the superfluid following the nuclear reaction, n+³He→p+³H+764keV. However, we find that the measured energy deposited in the quasiparticle system shortly after this reaction is substantially less than what we expect. We believe that this energy deficit represents that energy which has gone into the creation of vortices, in analogy to the creation of cosmic strings in the early universe via the Kibble mechanism. Furthermore, from the magnitude of the deficit, we can infer the vortex density which compares favorably with that predicted in Zurek’s scenairo.     

Turbulence modelling of the shear layers in the trailing edge region of a modern rear-loaded airfoil at incidence

After carefull analysis in a turbulent zero-pressure gradient flow, various simple algebraic turbulence models were applied to the almost separated flow on the upperside of an airfoil at incidence. The Johnson-King and Horton non-equilibrium (or rate equation) models give clearly improved results.     

Electronic and electromagnetic devices for millimeter-wave beam control arrays

Device alternatives for millimeter-wave beam control arrays are examined. For the control function, a wide range of semiconductor device as well as bulk material alternatives are considered. In addition, alternatives to the traditional metal strip are considered for the passive electromagnetic array element. This work should provide a broader perspective regarding the choices available for the optimized design of new beam control arrays.