BCR®-701: a review of 10-years of sequential extraction analyses

A detailed quantitative analysis was performed on data presented in the literature that focused on the sequential extraction of cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) from the certified reference material BCR-701 (lake sediment) using the three-step harmonized BCR(?) procedure. The accuracy of data reported in the literature, including precision and different measures of trueness, was assessed relative to the certified values for BCR-701. Forty data sets were accepted following extreme outlier removal, and statistically summarized with measures of central tendency, dispersion, and distribution form. In general, literature data were similar in their measurement precision to the expert laboratories used to certify the trace element contents in BCR-701. The overall median precision for literature reported data was 10% (range 6-19%), compared to certifying laboratories of 9% (range 4-33%). One measure of literature data trueness was assessed via a confirmatory approach using a robust bootstrap method. Only 22% of the comparisons indicated significantly different (all were lower) concentrations reported in the literature compared to certified values. The question of whether the differences are practically significant for environmental studies is raised. Bias was computed as a measure of trueness, and literature data were more frequently negatively biased, indicating lower concentrations reported in the literature for the six trace elements for the three-step sequential procedure compared to the certified values. However, 95% confidence intervals about the average bias for the 18 comparisons indicated only four instances when a mean bias of 0 (i.e., measured=certified) was not incorporated-suggesting statistical difference. Finally, Z-scores incorporating a Horwitz-type function were used to assess the general trueness of laboratory data. Of the 468 laboratory Z-score values computed, 92% were considered to be satisfactory, 5% were questionable, and 3% were unsatisfactory. A detailed examination of the methodology sections of the various studies showed that despite claiming adherence to the harmonized BCR sequential extraction protocol, significant deviations were commonly observed; particularly in moisture correction, sample mass, centrifugation specifics, shaking specifics, and incorporation of filtration. It is likely that failure to strictly adhere to the protocol adversely impacted accuracy, by increasing the degree of imprecision and resulting in more discrepant trueness values.     

The synthesis of some complexed ketones or sulfones by oxidation of η-arene-η-cyclopentadienyliron cations or η-arenedi-η-cyclopentadienyliron dications

Di-η⁵-cyclopentadienyliron complexed dications of 9,10-dihydroanthracene, xanthene, thioxanthene and diphenylmethane derived from ligand exchange reactions but without their prior isolation were oxidized with KMnO₄ to give, respectively, the dications of anthraquinone, xanthone, thioxanthone and benzophenone, isolated as their dihexafluorophosphate salts. Cyclopentadienyliron complexes of arenes containing a sulfide function were oxidized by m-chloroperbenzoic acid to the corresponding complexed sulfones, and sulfones prepared in this way include the hexafluorophosphate salt of the η⁶-p-tolysulfonylbenzene, thioxanthene-10,10-dioxide, 9,9-dimethylthioxanthene-10,10-dioxide or dibenzothiophene-9,9-dioxide-η⁵-cyclopentadienyliron cation.     

Plasma Photocathodes

Plasma wakefield accelerators offer accelerating and focusing electric fields three to four orders of magnitude larger than state-of-the-art radiofrequency cavity-based accelerators. Plasma photocathodes can release ultracold electron populations within such plasma waves and thus open a path toward tunable production of well-defined, compact electron beams with normalized emittance and brightness many orders of magnitude better than state-of-the-art. Such beams will have far-reaching impact for applications such as light sources, but also open up new vistas on high energy and high field physics. This paper reviews the innovation of plasma photocathodes, and reports on the experimental progress, challenges, and future prospects of the approach. Details of the proof-of-concept demonstration of a plasma photocathode in 90° geometry at SLAC FACET within the E-210: Trojan Horse program are described. Using this experience, alongside theoretical and simulation-supported advances, an outlook is given on future realizations of plasma photocathodes such as the upcoming E-310: Trojan Horse-II program at FACET-II with prospects toward excellent witness beam parameter quality, tunability, and stability. Future installations of plasma photocathodes also at compact, hybrid plasma wakefield accelerators, will then boost capacities and open up novel capabilities for experiments at the forefront of interaction of high brightness electron and photon beams.     

Turbulence time scales in mixing box experiments

Laboratory experiments are performed to examine eddy time scales in turbulence generated by an oscillating grid in homogeneous fluid using tanks with varying depth and fixed high aspect ratio horizontal cross-section. For high ratios of depth to width, a mean circulation develops in the form of a pair of counter-rotating vortices. In a new technique, pearlescent dye is employed to measure eddy time scales and to determine their power law scaling dependence on the distance from the oscillating grid. Two scaling regimes are observed, one near the source of turbulence and one at intermediate depths. At intermediate depths, the scaling exponent is found to increase if the total fluid depth is larger. We discuss the significance of these results on the use of the law-of-the-wall scaling in the upper oceanic mixed layer.     

Vitaminuntersuchungen

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

On the zeros of monotone operators of retarded type in a Banach space

The existence of zeros of operators which map into a Banach space E but whose domain is the space of continuous functions on some real interval into E are considered.     

Laminar free convection due to a point source of Buoyancy

Similarity solutions are found for the laminar flow arising from a point source of buoyancy. Approximate analytic solutions in closed form are derived for the non-dimensional velocity and density distributions as a function of the Prandtl number. These approximations are shown to compare favourably with numerical solutions given by Fujii and to include the exact solutions of Yih for Prandtl numbers of 1 and 2.