Nitrated polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in ambient air in Italy. A brief overview

When nitrated polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAH) were recognised as long‐term toxic compounds and were also identified in several anthropogenic emissions and among the by‐products of photochemical smog they became objects of investigation in ambient air in both polluted and clean environments. In Italy the first investigations focussing on atmospheric NPAH were performed in the early eighties and encompassed both the canyon streets and dwelling areas of Rome. Because NPAH were indicated as markers of vehicle emission, new investigations were performed in other cities and also in rural and (nominally) unpolluted locations. In general, the first measurements of NPAH were episodic and could not be assumed to be strictly representative of the sites investigated. In contrast, nowadays consistent data bases on NPAH have been built up and are discussed in the technical literature, so that both neat concentrations and the yearly timed variation of the most important NPAH congeners have been measured in Italian air. Although concentrations of NPAH in air are usually much lower than those of PAH, owing to their very high potency in inducing mutations and tumours NPAH are regarded as having an important health impact on populations living in Italian urban areas. In this regard the genotoxicity of atmospheric aerosols is partly associated with nitrofluoranthenes and nitropyrenes whereas nitronaphthalenes and methylnitronaphthalenes seem to contribute to that of the gaseous organic fraction. Several civic and regional administrations are introducing control of atmospheric NPAH among ways of improving air quality in cities.     

Optimal inspection and perfect repair

Models are developed for decision making about monitoring andmaintenance of systems whose performance through time is describedby a general stochastic process. The system is monitored andpreventive and corrective maintenance actions are carried outin response to the observed system state. The decision processis simplified by using the maximum process as a decision variable.The models developed generalize age replacement models and othersimple maintenance strategies. The approach can deal with failuresthat prevent the system functioning further, and also failuresthat are defined by regulation or economic considerations. Attentionis restricted to perfect repair and inspection, but the structureprovides the framework for further developments.     

Nonlinear Filtering for Diffusions in Random Environments

Suppose that the signal X to be estimated is a diffusion process in a random medium W and the signal is correlated with the observation noise. We study the historical filtering problem concerned with estimating the signal path up until the current time based upon the back observations. Using Dirichlet form theory, we introduce a filtering model for general rough signal X ^W and establish a multiple Wiener integrals representation for the unnormalized pathspace filtering process. Then, we construct a precise nonlinear filtering model for the process X itself and give the corresponding Wiener chaos decomposition.     

Analysis of Radiation Phenomena in a Wedge Ended Dielectric Slab Waveguide

Radiation phenomena observed in a wedge shape ended dielectric slab waveguide are analyzed using mode matching technique. The case of transverse electric polarization (TE) being parallel to dielectric slab waveguide is assumed. In order to describe the fields in the wedge region, a stack of dielectric plates is assumed and in each layer the fields are expanded in terms of the mixed spectrum of guided and radiated modes. A similar expansion is used in the constant thickness slab waveguide while in free space medium a continuous-radiation mode expansion is used. Then a mode matching approach is applied, incorporating the orthogonality properties of mixed spectrum modes, in order to compute the wave fields inside the dielectric slab waveguide and wedge medium. Mode matching is achieved by discretizing the continuous radiation mode spectrum leading into a numerically stable solution provided a sufficient large number of points are used to convert integrals into finite summations. Numerical computations are carried out for various wedge geometries and shapes including linear and exponential profiles.     

The Fundamental Experiments of Red Tide Chemical Forecast

Many food algae and red tide algae were cultivated in the f/2 medium, and the nitric oxide (NO) concentration of the medium and the cell density were determined. The experiments on algae were conducted when different concentrations of NO were added into the medium using two methods. The results show that low concentrations of NO were self-produced by marine algae during the exponential growth period and were about nmol/L level. But at the end of the period, i.e., 2 or 3 days before the cell density reaches the maximum, an NO peak appeared, with the NO concentration reaching 10 nmol/L. The NO threshold concentration exists according to the influence of exogenous NO on the marine phytoplankton growth. One type is the threshold concentration that can promote algae growth, and its value is between 10 and 1 nmol level, or even lower. The other type can inhibit the phytoplankton growth, which is about μmol level or higher. The results indicate that red tide algae are far more sensitive to NO than are food algae. The fundamental experimental outcome above may provide a new clue for red tide chemical forecast by inspecting the NO change.     

«Living polymers» in organic solvents: Bicopper (II) tetracarboxylate solutions

Summary Viscoelastic solutions of a binuclear copper(II) tetracarboxylate (Cu₂S₈) in tert-butylcyclohexane (TBC) have been investigated by rheology and small-angle neutron scattering techniques. The data are analysed in the theoretical framework of the so-called ?living polymers?. The Cu₂S₈ aggregates are semi-rigid thin heterogeneous molecular threads undergoing scission/recombination reactions. Structural and dynamical correlations have been made with the thermotropic columnar phase and some lyotropic swollen mesophases of the system. The simplicity of the composition and structural constitution enables to avoid the usual salt and composition problems of the aqueous analogues and also to deduce some most probable behaviours related to the scission mechanisms, chain flexibility and dynamics of stress relaxation. Paper presented at the I International Conference on Scaling Concepts and Complex Fluids, Copanello, Italy, July 4–8, 1994. Member of CNRS.     

Mindlin板几何非线性分析的附加内部剪应变法

本文在几何非线性分析的Ｍｉｎｄｌｉｎ板元中引入单元附加内部剪应变，有效地解决了薄板情况下的剪切自锁问题．文中导出了相应的能量相容条件，给出了有限元非线性列式的全过程及有关簿板及中厚板大挠度问题的数值结果．     

Eigenvalue problem for arbitrary linear combinations of a boson annihilation and creation operator

The eigenvalue problem for arbitrary linear combinations kα + μα^? of a boson annihilation operator α and a boson creation operator α^? is solved. It is shown that these operators possess nondegenerate eigenstates to arbitrary complex eigenvalues. The expansion of these eigenstates into the basic set of number states | n >, (n = 0, 1, 2, …), is found. The eigenstates are normalizable and are therefore states of a Hilbert space for | ζ | < 1 with ζ ? μ/k and represent in this case squeezed coherent states of minimal uncertainty product. They can be considered as states of a rigged Hilbert space for | ζ | ? 1. A completeness relation for these states is derived that generalizes the completeness relation for the coherent states | α 〉. Furthermore, it is shown that there exists a dual orthogonality in the entire set of these states and a connected dual completeness of the eigenstates on widely arbitrary paths over the complex plane of eigenvalues. This duality goes over into a selfduality of the eigenstates of the hermitian operators kα + k* α^? to real eigenvalues. The usually as nonexistent considered eigenstates of the boson creation operator α^? are obtained by a limiting procedure. They belong to the most singular case among the considered general class of eigenstates with ζ ? μ/k as a parameter.     

Lenglart不等式与特殊半鞅的收敛集

本文讨论局部鞅和特殊半鞅的收敛集。我们给出Ｌｅｎｇｌａｒｔ不等式的一个推广形式，利用这一不等式对一些定理给出了简单证明，对一些结果作了改进和推广。     

Morphology of Nylon-6 blends with styrenic polymers

The morphology of blends of styrenic polymers in a matrix of 75% Nylon-6 prepared in a Brabender Plasti-Corder was examined by scanning electron microscopy. Styrene/acrylonitrile copolymers (SAN) form smaller particles as the AN level increases owing to the corresponding decrease in the SAN–polyamide interfacial tension. Various styrenic polymers containing functional groups, maleic anhydride or oxazoline type, that can react with Nylon-6 during melt processing were added to the SAN phase which also led to a decrease in the particle size owing to the graft copolymer formed in situ. The effects of functional group type, amount of functional groups per chain, amount of functional polymer added, and the miscibility of the styrene/maleic anhydride (SMA) and SAN copolymers on the morphology of the styrenic phase in the Nylon-6 matrix are described. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.