Direct Determination of Mercury in the Laboratory Atmosphere by Impaction-Electrothermal Atomization Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

Abstract

A single stage impaction system connected to an electrothermal atomization atomic absorption spectrometer will allow a direct and near real time determination of mercury in the laboratory atmosphere to be detected. Practical concentrations of low ng m^? 3 can be detected, with good precision and linearity of calibration curve. The system detected m^? 3 levels of mercury directly and on a near real time in the vicinity of a polarography instrument.     

An experimental study on wind loads acting on a high-rise building model induced by microburst-like winds

In the present study, an experimental investigation is conducted to quantify the characteristics of the microburst-induced wind loads (i.e., both static and dynamic wind loads) acting on a high-rise building model, compared to those with the test model placed in conventional atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) winds. The experimental study is performed by using an impinging-jet-based microburst simulator available at Iowa State University. In additional to conducting flow field measurements to quantify the flow characteristics of the microburst-like wind, both mean and dynamic wind loads acting on the test model induced by the microburst-like wind are assessed in detail based on the quantitative measurements of the surface pressure distributions around the test model and the resultant aerodynamic forces. It is found that the microburst-induced wind loads acting on high-rise buildings would be significantly different from their counterparts in conventional ABL winds. Both the static and dynamic wind loads acting on the high-rise building model were found to change significantly depending on the radial locations and the orientation angles of the test model in respect to the oncoming microburst-like wind. The dynamic wind loads acting on the test model were found to be mainly influenced by the periodical shedding of the primary vortices and the high turbulence levels in the microburst-like wind. The findings derived from the present study are believed to be useful to gain further insight into the underlying physics of the flow–structure interactions of high-rise buildings in violent microburst winds for a better understanding of the damage potential of microburst winds to high-rise buildings.     

大空腔探测系统主动中子多重性反应系数模拟研究

为确定主动中子多重性反应系数对测量精度的影响,对大空腔探测系统主动中子多重性方法测量铀部件质量的全过程进行了直接模拟,基于MCNPX对28组相同浓缩度、相同密度、不同质量的内径1.2cm的半球壳型铀部件进行了模拟研究,获得了反应系数与样品增殖的关系曲线。对半球型、内径1.2cm的半球壳型铀部件的模拟测量质量偏差都在1.5%以内,对内径3.2cm的半球壳型、半径6cm和8cm的圆柱型等形状差异较大的铀部件质量也仅偏小5%~10%。     

实验室认可基础、评审方法与发展趋势

从什么是实验室认可和中国实验室国家认可委员会、实验室评审认可依据和基本要求、实验室认可过程、现场评审技巧和国内外发展趋势五个方面对实验室认可作了介绍,可为我国实验室逐步实现与国际接轨的规范化管理提供借鉴。     

Resistive switching behavior and mechanism of room-temperature-fabricated flexible Al/TiS2-PVP/ITO/PET memory devices

The mixture of two-dimensional (2D) TiS₂ nanoflakes and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) exhibits a nonvolatile, bipolar resistive switching behavior with a low resistance state (LRS)/high resistance state (HRS) current ratio of ～10² in the devices with a flexible Al/TiS₂-PVP/indium tin oxide (ITO)/polyethylene terephthalate (PET) structure. The polymer-assistant liquid-phase exfoliation of 2D nanoflakes from TiS₂ bulk material is processed in low-boiling solvent. And the fabrication process of these devices is performed entirely at room temperature. Such an energy-saving and scalable production process indicates a huge potential of large-scale industrial application. The AFM and TEM characterizations showed that the exfoliated 2D TiS₂ are flakes at micrometer scale with a layer-number of mostly 7 or 8. Both the HRS and the LRS can be kept for more than 10⁴ s. The endurance of devices was obtained over 100 direct current (DC) sweeping cycles with remarkable separations between different resistive states. The distributions of writing (set) and erasing (reset) voltages show that set and reset voltages are small (<2 V). Also, the resistive switching characteristics of the devices are stable during 1000 bending cycles. The switching behavior is explained by the thinning and recovery of Schottky barriers within devices.     

A comparative study of bismuth-based photocatalysts with titanium dioxide for perfluorooctanoic acid degradation

Bismuth-based material has been broadly studied due to their potential applications in various areas, especially used as promising photocatalysts for the removal of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and several approaches have been adopted to tailor their features. Herein, the bismuth-based photocatalysts (BiOCl, BiPO₄, BiOPO₄/BiOCl) were synthesized by hydrothermal method and advanced characterization techniques (XRD, SEM, EDS elemental mapping, Raman and UV–vis DRS) were employed to analyze their morphology, crystal structure, and purity of the prepared photocatalysts. These synthesized photocatalysts offered a praiseworthy activity as compared to commercial TiO₂ (P25) for the degradation of model pollutant perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) under 254 nm UV light. It was interesting to observe that all synthesized photocatalysts show significant degradation of PFOA and their photocatalytic activity follows the order: bismuth-based catalysts > TiO₂ (P25) > without catalyst. Bismuth-based catalysts degraded the PFOA by almost 99.99% within 45 min while this degradation efficiency was 66.05% with TiO₂ under the same reaction condition. Our work shows that the bismuth-based photocatalysts are promising in PFOA treatment.     

Chemical composition and antioxidant activity of the coriander cake obtained by extrusion

This study was designed to examine the effect of operating conditions on essential oil composition and antioxidant activity of coriander cakes. Twenty-nine components were determined in essential oils, which were mostly alcohol monoterpenes. The highest essential oil yields (0.11%) were obtained by the nozzle diameter of 5 mm. The main components of cake essential oil linalool, γ-terpinene, geranyl acetate, linalyl acetate and camphor showed significant variations with different nozzle diameter.The total phenol contents and condensed flavonoid contents varied between different nozzle diameters; the highest values obtained of small diameters (5 and 6 mm). Significant differences were also found in total tannin contents among different nozzle diameters. The total phenol contents decreased significantly (p < 0.05) when increased the nozzle diameter to 9 mm and reached 9.11 mg GAE/g.The screening of antioxidant activity of the different coriander cakes using the di(phenyl)-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl) iminoazanium radical (DPPH) assay showed an appreciable reduction of the stable radical DPPH, although small nozzle diameter was the most efficient method with an IC₅₀ reached of 55 μg/ml as compared with bigger diameter (IC₅₀ = 88 μg/ml).All the extracts had lower β-carotene bleaching activity than that of synthetic antioxidant BHA and BHT. Coriander cake extracts presented a very low reducing power ability (EC₅₀ ≈ 700 μg/ml) compared to ascorbic acid (EC₅₀ = 40 μg/ml).     

Copper-catalyzed asymmetric silylative cyclization of cyclohexadienone-containing 1,6-enynes

The first copper-catalyzed asymmetric silylative cyclization of cyclohexadienone-containing 1,6-enynes has been accomplished through a tandem process: regioselective silylcupration of terminal unactivated alkynes and subsequently enantioselective conjugate addition to cyclohexadienones. This reaction proceeded smoothly to afford the cis-hydrobenzofuran and cis-hydroindole frameworks bearing two consecutive chiral carbon centers in high to excellent yields and moderate enantioselectivities. Additionally, the cyclization products could be readily subjected to several transformations for elaborating synthetic utilities.     

Development of a catalytic enantioselective synthesis of the guanacastepene and heptemerone tricyclic core

For nearly two decades, synthetic chemists have been fascinated by the structural complexity and synthetic challenges afforded by the guanacastepene and heptemerone diterpenoids. Numerous synthetic approaches to these compounds have been reported, but to date the application of enantioselective catalysis to this problem has not been realized. Herein we report an enantioselective synthesis of an advanced intermediate corresponding to the tricyclic core common to the guanacastepenes and heptemerones. Highlights of this work include sequential Pd-catalyzed decarboxylative allylic alkylation reactions to generate the two all carbon quaternary stereocenters, the use of ring-closing metathesis to close the A ring in the presence of a distal allyl sidechain, and a regio- and diastereoselective oxidation of a trienol ether to introduce oxygenation on the A ring.     

A new parameterization of temperature structure parameter in entraining convective boundary layer

Temperature structure parameter () controls the propagation of electromagnetic and acoustic waves in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL), but it is difficult to be measured, especially in the upper part of the ABL. In this paper, optical turbulence is simulated in a laboratory convective tank, and profiles in the tank are measured by using laser beam patterns. Simulation results show that the Wyngaard’s scaling relationship for in the entrainment layer is only valid for large convective Richardson number (Ri > 40) cases. When Ri < 40, a new scaling relationship is proposed based on the laboratory and field measurements. The application of these relationships in estimating optical turbulence in the entrainment layer is discussed.