Infra-red heterodyne laser radar for remote sensing of air pollutants by range-resolved differential absorption

An infra-red heterodyne laser radar scheme incorporating range-resolved differential absorption using elastically backscattered, pulsed signal from distributed particles in the atmosphere is proposed and analysed. The basic requirements of the system arrangement and operating parameters involved in this scheme are discussed in detail. This method is shown to offer a remote and spatially-resolved measurement of various molecuar pollutants dispersed in the air for ranges up to several km and detection sensitivities to less than 0.1 ppm with laser pulses of 100 W average power. This power is 10³ to 10⁶ times smaller than that required with the conventional direct detection technique in the infra-red. The measuring accuracy and its limiting processes inherent to the infra-red range-resolved differential absorption method are also analysed.     

Structure of cymbidine A, a monomeric peptidoglycan-related compound with hypotensive and diuretic activities, isolated from a higher plant, Cymbidium goeringii (Orchidaceae)

The structure of a new monomeric peptidoglycan-related compound with hypotensive and diuretic activities, cymbidine A (1) isolated from the orchid Cymbidium goeringii, was elucidated mainly by spectroscopic analysis. The structure of 1 was shown to involve four amino acids (D-alanin, meso-diaminopimelic acid, D-gultamic acid, and L-valine) and two amino sugars (N-acetylglucosamine and 1,6-anhydro-N-acetylmuramic acid). The sequence of the amino acids and amino sugars was determined by the analysis of 2D NMR data. The absolute stereochemistries of the three amino acids (D-Ala, D-Glu and L-Val) were determined by the modified Marfey's method, and the (6S,10R) configurations of meso-diaminopimelic acid in 1 were indicated on the basis of the CD analysis. The absolute stereochemistry of 1,6-anhydro-N-acetylmuramic acid was also determined by CD data.     

Effects of tire inflation pressure and tractor velocity on dynamic wheel load and rear axle vibrations

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of agricultural tire characteristics on variations of wheel load and vibrations transmitted from the ground to the tractor rear axle. The experiments were conducted on an asphalt road and a sandy loam field using a two-wheel-drive self-propelled farm tractor at different combinations of tractor forward speeds of approximately 0.6, 1.6 and 2.6 m/s, and tire inflation pressures of 330 and 80 kPa. During experiments, the vertical wheel load of the left and right rear wheels, and the roll, bounce and pitch accelerations of the rear axle center were measured using strain-gage-based transducers and a triaxial accelerometer. The wavelet and Fourier analyses were applied to measured data in order to investigate the effects of self-excitations due to non-uniformity and lugs of tires on the wheel-load fluctuation and rear axle vibrations. Values for the root-mean-square (RMS) wheel loads and accelerations were not strictly proportional and inversely proportional to the forward speed and tire pressure respectively. The time histories and frequency compositions of synthesized data have shown that tire non-uniformity and tire lugs significantly excited the wheel load and accelerations at their natural frequencies and harmonics. These effects were strongly affected by the forward speed, tire pressure and ground deformation.     

Reeb orbits trapped by Denjoy minimal sets

Let φ be any flow on T ⁿ obtained as the suspension of a smooth diffeomorphism of \({T^{n-1}}\) , and let \({\mathcal {A}}\) be any compact invariant set of φ. We realize \({(\mathcal{A}, \varphi|_{\mathcal{A}})}\) up to reparametrization as an invariant set of the Reeb flow of a contact form on \({\mathbb{R}^{2n+1}}\) equal to the standard contact form outside a compact set and defining the standard contact structure on all of \({\mathbb{R}^{2n+1}}\) . This uses the method from Geiges, Röttgen, and Zehmisch.     

A diffusive sampling device for simultaneous determination of ozone and carbonyls

A new diffusive sampling method for the simultaneous determination of ozone and carbonyls in air has been developed. In this method, silica gel impregnated with a mixture of trans-1,2-bis(2-pyridyl)ethylene (2BPE) and 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) is used as the absorbent; further, a porous sintered polyethylene tube (PSP-diffusion filter), which acts as a diffusive membrane, and a small polypropylene syringe (PP-reservoir) for elution of the analytes from the absorbent are used. The carbonyls present in air react with DNPH in the absorbent to form hydrazone derivatives. Concurrently, ozone in the air reacts with 2BPE to form pyridine-2-aldehyde, which immediately reacts with DNPH to form a pyridine-2-aldehyde hydrazone derivative. All the hydrazones derived from airborne carbonyls, including pyridine-2-aldehyde (formed from ozone), are completely separated and analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. The sampling rates of ozone (44.6 mL min(-1)) and formaldehyde (72.0 mL min(-1)) are determined by comparison with the rates obtained in an active sampling method. The sampling rates of other carbonyl compounds are calculated from the respective molecular weights according to a rule based on Graham's law. The calculated sampling rates agree with the experimental values. The DSD-BPE/DNPH method is advantageous because it is simple and allows for the simultaneous analysis of ozone and carbonyls.     

Period-doubling cascades of canards from the extended Bonhoeffer-van der Pol oscillator

This Letter investigates the period-doubling cascades of canards, generated in the extended Bonhoeffer-van der Pol oscillator. Canards appear by Andronov-Hopf bifurcations (AHBs) and it is confirmed that these AHBs are always supercritical in our system. The cascades of period-doubling bifurcation are followed by mixed-mode oscillations. The detailed two-parameter bifurcation diagrams are derived, and it is clarified that the period-doubling bifurcations arise from a narrow parameter value range at which the original canard in the non-extended equation is observed.     

The Reductive Leaching of Chalcopyrite by Chromium(II) Chloride for the Rapid and Complete Extraction of Copper

A hydrometallurgical process is developed to lower the costs of copper production and thereby sustain the use of copper throughout the global transition to renewable energy technologies. The unique feature of the hydrometallurgical process is the reductive treatment of chalcopyrite, which is in contrast to the oxidative treatment more commonly pursued in the literature. Chalcopyrite reduction by chromium(II) ion is described for the first time and superior kinetics are shown. At high concentrate loadings of 39, 78, and 117 g L⁻¹, chalcopyrite reacted completely within minutes at room temperature and pressure. The XRD, SEM-EDS, and XPS measurements indicate that chalcopyrite reacts to form copper(I) chloride (CuCl). After the reductive treatment, the mineral products are leached by iron(III) sulfate to demonstrate the complete extraction of copper. The chromium(II) ion may be regenerated by an electrolysis unit inspired by an iron chromium flow battery in a practical industrial process.