Catalysis of molecular radicals is often performed in interesting experimental configurations.One possible configuration is tubular geometry.The radicals are introduced into the tubes on one side,and stable molecules ...Catalysis of molecular radicals is often performed in interesting experimental configurations.One possible configuration is tubular geometry.The radicals are introduced into the tubes on one side,and stable molecules are exhausted on the other side.The penetration depth of radicals depends on numerous parameters,so it is not always feasible to calculate it.This article presents systematic measurements of the penetration depth of oxygen atoms along tubes made from nickel,cobalt,and copper.The source of O atoms was a surfatron-type microwave plasma.The initial density of O atoms depended on the gas flow and was 0.7×10^(21)m^(-3),2.4×10^(21)m^(-3),and 4.2×10^(21)m^(-3)at the flow rates of 50,300,and 600 sccm,and pressures of 10,35,and 60 Pa,respectively.The gas temperature remained at room temperature throughout the experiments.The dissociation fraction decreased exponentially along the length of the tubes in all cases.The penetration depths for well-oxidized nickel were 1.2,1.7,and 2.4 cm,respectively.For cobalt,they were slightly lower at 1.0,1.3,and 1.6 cm,respectively,while for copper,they were 1.1,1.3,and 1.7 cm,respectively.The results were explained by gas dynamics and heterogeneous surface association.These data are useful in any attempt to estimate the loss of molecular fragments along tubes,which serve as catalysts for the association of various radicals to stable molecules.展开更多
In 2021,the Belle collaboration reported the first observation of a new structure in theψ(2S)γfinal state produced in the two-photon fusion process.In the hadronic molecule picture,this new structure can be associat...In 2021,the Belle collaboration reported the first observation of a new structure in theψ(2S)γfinal state produced in the two-photon fusion process.In the hadronic molecule picture,this new structure can be associatedwith the shallow isoscalar D*D* bound state and as such is an excellent candidate for the spin-2 partner of the X(3872)with the quantum numbers J^(PC)=2^(++)conventionally named X_(2).展开更多
This study explores the capabilities of ChatGPT, specifically in relation to consciousness and its performance in the Turing Test. The article begins by examining the diverse perspectives among both the cognitive and ...This study explores the capabilities of ChatGPT, specifically in relation to consciousness and its performance in the Turing Test. The article begins by examining the diverse perspectives among both the cognitive and AI researchers regarding ChatGPT’s ability to pass the Turing Test. It introduces a hierarchical categorization of the test versions, suggesting that ChatGPT approaches success in the test, albeit primarily with na?ve users. Expert users, conversely, can easily identify its limitations. The paper presents various theories of consciousness, with a particular focus on the Integrated Information Theory proposed by Tononi. This theory serves as the framework for assessing ChatGPT’s level of consciousness. Through an evaluation based on the five axioms and theorems of IIT, the study finds that ChatGPT surpasses previous AI systems in certain aspects;however, ChatGPT significantly falls short of achieving a level of consciousness, particularly when compared to biological sentient beings. The paper concludes by emphasizing the importance of recognizing ChatGPT and similar generative AI models as highly advanced and intelligent tools, yet distinctly lacking the consciousness attributes found in advanced living organisms.展开更多
The two fold purpose of this paper is to determine the composition of selected elements in Paraguayan wheat and flour as well as to analyse the implications of the bromine/bromate content on bakery products: the use ...The two fold purpose of this paper is to determine the composition of selected elements in Paraguayan wheat and flour as well as to analyse the implications of the bromine/bromate content on bakery products: the use (malpractice) of KBrO3 as an additive in the bakery dough to improve the whiteness and other characteristics of bread is well known. Accordingly, selected minor and trace elements in eight varieties of wheat from the center and south areas of Eastern Paraguay as well as commercial flour samples and bakery products were analyzed by XRF (X-ray fluorescence) techniques. The examined elements were K, Ca, Ti, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Br, Rb, Sr. The results on wheat and commercial flour were consistent with those found elsewhere. With regard to the bakery products, in about 35% of the samples, the bromine/bromate content exceeded the normal Br values of Paraguayan flour showing bromate malpractice. From dietary point of view, it should be emphasized that KBrO3 is a complete carcinogen and its use as food additive has been banned. The employment of XRF to analyze bromine is easy, simple and reliable.展开更多
Based on domain specified language mechanism(DSLM),the architecture of the robotic training system for the rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy(CP)is designed.Application of human-computer interaction(HCI)mo...Based on domain specified language mechanism(DSLM),the architecture of the robotic training system for the rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy(CP)is designed.Application of human-computer interaction(HCI)motion recognition technology is combined with Kinect to improve the effect of cerebral palsy rehabilitation training.In this system,Kinect's bone recognition method is used to judge the patient's training movements,and the collected bone movement information is judged.The human-computer interaction function is based on the Microsoft foundation classes function of Visual Studio based on DSLM development,which can realize real-time interactive training and evaluation of people and actions,and record the training information of patients.The system combines the designed small game to train the upper limb movement ability and reaction ability of the cerebral palsy patient,and provides key technology for improving the cerebral palsy rehabilitation training system.展开更多
OECD/NEA (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development/Nuclear Energy Agency) launched the SERENA (steam explosion resolution for nuclear application) project to resolve internationally the ex-vessel stea...OECD/NEA (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development/Nuclear Energy Agency) launched the SERENA (steam explosion resolution for nuclear application) project to resolve internationally the ex-vessel steam explosion issue, which is one of major unresolved issues after a TMI-2 (three mile island-2) accident. One of main conclusions of OECD/NEA SERENA Phase 1, which was completed in 2005, was that some damage to the cavity is to be expected for an ex-vessel explosion. One major uncertainty that does not allow for a convergence toward consistent predictions was that there are no data on the component distribution in a pre-mixture at the time of an explosion, especially the level of the void. The other major uncertainty is the explosion behavior of corium melts. Therefore, SERENA Phase 2 was launched on October 1, 2007 to resolve the uncertainties of the coolant void and material effect by performing a limited number of well-designed tests with advanced instrumentation reflecting a large spectrum of ex-vessel melt compositions and conditions, and the required analytical work to bring the code capabilities to a sufficient level for use in reactor case analyses. The recent status of the OECD-SERENA Phase 2 project for the resolution of ex-vessel steam explosion risks will be described.展开更多
The degradation of Escherichia coli bacteria by treatment with cold, weakly ionised, highly dissociated oxygen plasma, with an electron temperature of 3 eV, a plasma density of 8 × 10^15 m^-3 and a neutral oxygen...The degradation of Escherichia coli bacteria by treatment with cold, weakly ionised, highly dissociated oxygen plasma, with an electron temperature of 3 eV, a plasma density of 8 × 10^15 m^-3 and a neutral oxygen atom density of 3.5 × 10^21 m^-3 was studied. To determine the 'real' plasma effects, two methods were used for evaluation and determination, as well as a comparison of the number of bacteria that had survived: the standard plate count technique (PCT) and advanced fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). Bacteria were deposited onto glass substrates and kept below 50 ℃ during the experiments with oxygen plasma. The results showed that the bacteria had fully degraded after about 2 min of plasma treatment, depending slightly on the amount of bacteria that had been deposited on the substrates. The very precise determination of the O flux on the substrates and the two-method comparison allowed for the determination of the critical dose of oxygen atoms required for the destruction of a bacterial cell wall--about 6 × 10^24 m^-2--as well as deactivation of the substrates--about 8 × 10^25 m^-2. These results were taken in order to discuss other results obtained by comparable studies and scientific method evaluations in the determination of plasma effects on bacteria.展开更多
The characteristics of an innovative configuration of multiple radiofrequency(RF)coils immersed in a large metallic chamber are presented.Water-cooled copper coils were mounted within the slits of double-walled glass ...The characteristics of an innovative configuration of multiple radiofrequency(RF)coils immersed in a large metallic chamber are presented.Water-cooled copper coils were mounted within the slits of double-walled glass tubes,which were immersed into a stainless-steel chamber.The coils were connected in parallel to a gamma-type matching network,powered by an RF generator operating at industrial frequency.Adjustable leads enabled optimisation of the line impedances and thus uniformly distributed RF power across the four coils.Transitions from E-to H-mode and vice versa were measured for all coils at various oxygen pressures between 5 and 25 Pa.A uniform plasma was sustained in H-mode at the absorbed power threshold,which increased monotonously with increasing pressure in the metallic chamber.All coils exhibit the same E-to H-mode transition hysteresis and need the same amount of power for transitioning from E-to H-mode.The setup enables maintaining uniform plasma in virtually any number of coils at high power without the risk of arcing and without the dead volume typical for a classical configuration with coils mounted outside the metallic chamber.展开更多
Minor and trace elements composition of bottom sediments from the bay of Asunci6n on the Paraguay River have been investigated by XRF (X-ray fluorescence) techniques to determine their correlation as well as provena...Minor and trace elements composition of bottom sediments from the bay of Asunci6n on the Paraguay River have been investigated by XRF (X-ray fluorescence) techniques to determine their correlation as well as provenance. The analysis of complex spectra was performed by the AXIL software and the quantitative analysis by the QAES (quantitative analysis of environmental samples ) software. Analyzed trace elements were the refractory elements Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Nb, Ba, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Zr, Th and others with high field stabilization energy as Cr, Ni, Cu, together with Zn, As, Cd, Pb. Minor elements were Ti, Mn, Fe which are often to the above refractories related. According to their normalized spidergrams, two sets of sediments can be differentiated. Those that show LREE (light rare earth elements) enrichment, negative Nb and Ti anomalies and no spike at Zr and those that have spidergrams very alike, with strong negative anomalies at Nb, Nd and Ti whereas a of Fe versus the refractory elements except Fe-Zr in which correlation seem to be low. positive spike at Zr. In both set, there are strong correlations is negative. Potential hazards of toxic elements in sediments展开更多
Electrical conductivity and dielectric properties of bismuth aluminate, Bi12.47Al0.53O19.5 (BAO), were investigated in the frequency range from 1 Hz to 1 MHz in the temperature range from 420 K to 5 K. In the temper...Electrical conductivity and dielectric properties of bismuth aluminate, Bi12.47Al0.53O19.5 (BAO), were investigated in the frequency range from 1 Hz to 1 MHz in the temperature range from 420 K to 5 K. In the temperature range from 360 K to 220 K the real part of the complex ac electrical conductivity and dielectric constant follow the universal dielectric response (UDR), being typical for hopping or tunneling of localized charge carriers. A detailed analysis of the temperature dependence of the UDR parameter s in terms of the theoretical model for tunneling of small polarons revealed that below 360 K this mechanism governs the charge transport in this material. The characteristic parameters for polarons, W∞, ιo, and ι0 were determined.展开更多
Ion beam methods for modification of nanohardness of surface nanolayers of the titanium alloy Ti6AI4V were applied. After deposition of carbon nanolayers by electron beam evaporation, the ion implantation of nitrogen ...Ion beam methods for modification of nanohardness of surface nanolayers of the titanium alloy Ti6AI4V were applied. After deposition of carbon nanolayers by electron beam evaporation, the ion implantation of nitrogen into samples was carried out. The chemical composition of the modified surface area was investigated by AES (auger electron spectroscopy). The nanohardness of resulted ion beam modified surface nanolayers were investigated by nanoindentation testing. The measured concentration profiles indicate the atomic mixing of carbon into the substrate. It was found that the modified samples had a markedly higher nanohardness than the unmodified samples. The increased nanohardness is attributed to the newly created phases in the surface area.展开更多
The objective of the present study was to evaluate the relation between maternal blood levels of selected toxic and potentially toxic elements (manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), arsenic (As), selenium ...The objective of the present study was to evaluate the relation between maternal blood levels of selected toxic and potentially toxic elements (manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), arsenic (As), selenium (Se), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg)) and birth weight of their new-borns in a Slovenian population, taking into account maternal socio-demographic characteristics and dietary habits. 535 women from 12 regions of Slovenia were recruited at delivery. Maternal blood was collected at 1.5 months after birth. Associations between birth weight and a) predictors obtained through the questionnaires and b) levels of selected elements were tested using bivariate tests and multiple linear regression. Multiple regression models revealed maternal age as an additional predictor for birth weight and confirmed pre-pregnancy body mass, estimated gestational age and gender of the baby as the main predictors for birth weight. Mn in maternal blood was significantly and positively associated with birth weight. The positive association observed between birth weight and Mn in maternal blood could be explained by the essentiality of Mn in foetal development as an important cofactor in enzymereactions in bone formation and in metabolic regulation for amino acid, lipid, protein and carbohydrate levels.展开更多
This study describes an application of hybrid modelling for an atmospheric variable in the Krsko basin.The hybrid model is a combination of a physics-based and data-driven model and has some properties of both modelli...This study describes an application of hybrid modelling for an atmospheric variable in the Krsko basin.The hybrid model is a combination of a physics-based and data-driven model and has some properties of both modelling approaches.In the authors’case,it is used for the modelling of an atmospheric variable,namely relative humidity in a particular location for the purpose of using the predictions of the model as an input to the air-pollution-dispersion model for radiation exposure.The presented hybrid model is a combination of a physics-based atmospherical model and a Gaussian-process(GP)regression model.The GP model is a probabilistic kernel method that also enables evaluation of prediction confidence.The problem of poor scalability of GP modelling was solved using sparse GP modelling;in particular,the fully independent training conditional method was used.Two different approaches to dataset selection for empirical model training were used and multiple-step-ahead predictions for different horizons were assessed.It is shown in this study that the accuracy of the predicted relative humidity in the Krsko basin improved when using hybrid models over using the physics-based model alone and that predictions for a considerable length of horizon can be used.展开更多
Flue gas containing volatile elements, fine fly ash particulates not retained by particle control devices, and limestone are the most important sources of trace and major elements (TMEs) in wet flue gas desulphurizati...Flue gas containing volatile elements, fine fly ash particulates not retained by particle control devices, and limestone are the most important sources of trace and major elements (TMEs) in wet flue gas desulphurization (WFGD) gypsum. In this study, samples of gypsum slurry were separated into fine and coarse fractions. Multi-elemental analysis of 45 elements in the different size fractions of gypsum, slurry waters and lignite were performed by k0-INAA (k0-instrumental neutron activation analyses). The study found that the volatile elements (Hg, Se and halogens) in the flue gas accumulate in the fine fractions of gypsum. Moreover, the concentrations of most TMEs are considerably higher in the fine fractions compared to the coarse fractions. The exceptions are Ca and Sr that primarily originate from the limestone. Variations of TMEs in the finer fractions are dependent on the presence of CaSO4·2H2O that is the main constituent of the coarse fraction. Consequently, the content of TMEs in the fine fraction is highly dependent on the efficiency of separating the fine fraction from the coarse fraction. Separation of the finer fraction, representing about 10% of the total gypsum, offers the possibility to remove effectively TMEs from WFGD slurry.展开更多
基金funded by the Slovenian Research Agency,Core Funding(No.P2-0082)and Project(No.L24487)。
文摘Catalysis of molecular radicals is often performed in interesting experimental configurations.One possible configuration is tubular geometry.The radicals are introduced into the tubes on one side,and stable molecules are exhausted on the other side.The penetration depth of radicals depends on numerous parameters,so it is not always feasible to calculate it.This article presents systematic measurements of the penetration depth of oxygen atoms along tubes made from nickel,cobalt,and copper.The source of O atoms was a surfatron-type microwave plasma.The initial density of O atoms depended on the gas flow and was 0.7×10^(21)m^(-3),2.4×10^(21)m^(-3),and 4.2×10^(21)m^(-3)at the flow rates of 50,300,and 600 sccm,and pressures of 10,35,and 60 Pa,respectively.The gas temperature remained at room temperature throughout the experiments.The dissociation fraction decreased exponentially along the length of the tubes in all cases.The penetration depths for well-oxidized nickel were 1.2,1.7,and 2.4 cm,respectively.For cobalt,they were slightly lower at 1.0,1.3,and 1.6 cm,respectively,while for copper,they were 1.1,1.3,and 1.7 cm,respectively.The results were explained by gas dynamics and heterogeneous surface association.These data are useful in any attempt to estimate the loss of molecular fragments along tubes,which serve as catalysts for the association of various radicals to stable molecules.
基金supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.12070131001,12125507,11835015,and 12047503)the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft(DFG)through the funds provided to the Sino-German Collaborative Research Center TRR110“Symmetries and the Emergence of Structure in QCD”(Project-ID 196253076)+4 种基金the Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS)(Grant Nos.YSBR-101 and XDB34030000)the EU STRONG-2020 project under the program H2020-INFRAIA-2018-1(Grant No.824093)the Generalitat valenciana(GVA)for the project with ref.CIDEGENT/2019/015supported by the Slovenian Research Agency(research core Funding No.P1-0035)by CAS President’s International Fellowship Initiative(PIFI)(Grant No.2024PVA0004)。
文摘In 2021,the Belle collaboration reported the first observation of a new structure in theψ(2S)γfinal state produced in the two-photon fusion process.In the hadronic molecule picture,this new structure can be associatedwith the shallow isoscalar D*D* bound state and as such is an excellent candidate for the spin-2 partner of the X(3872)with the quantum numbers J^(PC)=2^(++)conventionally named X_(2).
文摘This study explores the capabilities of ChatGPT, specifically in relation to consciousness and its performance in the Turing Test. The article begins by examining the diverse perspectives among both the cognitive and AI researchers regarding ChatGPT’s ability to pass the Turing Test. It introduces a hierarchical categorization of the test versions, suggesting that ChatGPT approaches success in the test, albeit primarily with na?ve users. Expert users, conversely, can easily identify its limitations. The paper presents various theories of consciousness, with a particular focus on the Integrated Information Theory proposed by Tononi. This theory serves as the framework for assessing ChatGPT’s level of consciousness. Through an evaluation based on the five axioms and theorems of IIT, the study finds that ChatGPT surpasses previous AI systems in certain aspects;however, ChatGPT significantly falls short of achieving a level of consciousness, particularly when compared to biological sentient beings. The paper concludes by emphasizing the importance of recognizing ChatGPT and similar generative AI models as highly advanced and intelligent tools, yet distinctly lacking the consciousness attributes found in advanced living organisms.
文摘The two fold purpose of this paper is to determine the composition of selected elements in Paraguayan wheat and flour as well as to analyse the implications of the bromine/bromate content on bakery products: the use (malpractice) of KBrO3 as an additive in the bakery dough to improve the whiteness and other characteristics of bread is well known. Accordingly, selected minor and trace elements in eight varieties of wheat from the center and south areas of Eastern Paraguay as well as commercial flour samples and bakery products were analyzed by XRF (X-ray fluorescence) techniques. The examined elements were K, Ca, Ti, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Br, Rb, Sr. The results on wheat and commercial flour were consistent with those found elsewhere. With regard to the bakery products, in about 35% of the samples, the bromine/bromate content exceeded the normal Br values of Paraguayan flour showing bromate malpractice. From dietary point of view, it should be emphasized that KBrO3 is a complete carcinogen and its use as food additive has been banned. The employment of XRF to analyze bromine is easy, simple and reliable.
基金Supported by the China-Slovenia Intergovernmental Science and Technology Cooperation and Exchange Project(2017-21-12-16)China-Serbia Intergovernmental Science and Technology Cooperation and Exchange Project(266-3-1).
文摘Based on domain specified language mechanism(DSLM),the architecture of the robotic training system for the rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy(CP)is designed.Application of human-computer interaction(HCI)motion recognition technology is combined with Kinect to improve the effect of cerebral palsy rehabilitation training.In this system,Kinect's bone recognition method is used to judge the patient's training movements,and the collected bone movement information is judged.The human-computer interaction function is based on the Microsoft foundation classes function of Visual Studio based on DSLM development,which can realize real-time interactive training and evaluation of people and actions,and record the training information of patients.The system combines the designed small game to train the upper limb movement ability and reaction ability of the cerebral palsy patient,and provides key technology for improving the cerebral palsy rehabilitation training system.
文摘OECD/NEA (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development/Nuclear Energy Agency) launched the SERENA (steam explosion resolution for nuclear application) project to resolve internationally the ex-vessel steam explosion issue, which is one of major unresolved issues after a TMI-2 (three mile island-2) accident. One of main conclusions of OECD/NEA SERENA Phase 1, which was completed in 2005, was that some damage to the cavity is to be expected for an ex-vessel explosion. One major uncertainty that does not allow for a convergence toward consistent predictions was that there are no data on the component distribution in a pre-mixture at the time of an explosion, especially the level of the void. The other major uncertainty is the explosion behavior of corium melts. Therefore, SERENA Phase 2 was launched on October 1, 2007 to resolve the uncertainties of the coolant void and material effect by performing a limited number of well-designed tests with advanced instrumentation reflecting a large spectrum of ex-vessel melt compositions and conditions, and the required analytical work to bring the code capabilities to a sufficient level for use in reactor case analyses. The recent status of the OECD-SERENA Phase 2 project for the resolution of ex-vessel steam explosion risks will be described.
基金The financial support from the Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS)NATO CLG/SPS.984555+1 种基金EU COST grant MP1101the MESS 171037 and 41011 projects for partial support
文摘The degradation of Escherichia coli bacteria by treatment with cold, weakly ionised, highly dissociated oxygen plasma, with an electron temperature of 3 eV, a plasma density of 8 × 10^15 m^-3 and a neutral oxygen atom density of 3.5 × 10^21 m^-3 was studied. To determine the 'real' plasma effects, two methods were used for evaluation and determination, as well as a comparison of the number of bacteria that had survived: the standard plate count technique (PCT) and advanced fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). Bacteria were deposited onto glass substrates and kept below 50 ℃ during the experiments with oxygen plasma. The results showed that the bacteria had fully degraded after about 2 min of plasma treatment, depending slightly on the amount of bacteria that had been deposited on the substrates. The very precise determination of the O flux on the substrates and the two-method comparison allowed for the determination of the critical dose of oxygen atoms required for the destruction of a bacterial cell wall--about 6 × 10^24 m^-2--as well as deactivation of the substrates--about 8 × 10^25 m^-2. These results were taken in order to discuss other results obtained by comparable studies and scientific method evaluations in the determination of plasma effects on bacteria.
基金funded by the Slovenian Research Agency,project No.L2-9235(Innovative configuration of inductively coupled gaseous plasma sources for up-scaling to industrialsize reactors)core funding P2-0082(thin-film structures and plasma surface engineering)。
文摘The characteristics of an innovative configuration of multiple radiofrequency(RF)coils immersed in a large metallic chamber are presented.Water-cooled copper coils were mounted within the slits of double-walled glass tubes,which were immersed into a stainless-steel chamber.The coils were connected in parallel to a gamma-type matching network,powered by an RF generator operating at industrial frequency.Adjustable leads enabled optimisation of the line impedances and thus uniformly distributed RF power across the four coils.Transitions from E-to H-mode and vice versa were measured for all coils at various oxygen pressures between 5 and 25 Pa.A uniform plasma was sustained in H-mode at the absorbed power threshold,which increased monotonously with increasing pressure in the metallic chamber.All coils exhibit the same E-to H-mode transition hysteresis and need the same amount of power for transitioning from E-to H-mode.The setup enables maintaining uniform plasma in virtually any number of coils at high power without the risk of arcing and without the dead volume typical for a classical configuration with coils mounted outside the metallic chamber.
文摘Minor and trace elements composition of bottom sediments from the bay of Asunci6n on the Paraguay River have been investigated by XRF (X-ray fluorescence) techniques to determine their correlation as well as provenance. The analysis of complex spectra was performed by the AXIL software and the quantitative analysis by the QAES (quantitative analysis of environmental samples ) software. Analyzed trace elements were the refractory elements Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Nb, Ba, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Zr, Th and others with high field stabilization energy as Cr, Ni, Cu, together with Zn, As, Cd, Pb. Minor elements were Ti, Mn, Fe which are often to the above refractories related. According to their normalized spidergrams, two sets of sediments can be differentiated. Those that show LREE (light rare earth elements) enrichment, negative Nb and Ti anomalies and no spike at Zr and those that have spidergrams very alike, with strong negative anomalies at Nb, Nd and Ti whereas a of Fe versus the refractory elements except Fe-Zr in which correlation seem to be low. positive spike at Zr. In both set, there are strong correlations is negative. Potential hazards of toxic elements in sediments
文摘Electrical conductivity and dielectric properties of bismuth aluminate, Bi12.47Al0.53O19.5 (BAO), were investigated in the frequency range from 1 Hz to 1 MHz in the temperature range from 420 K to 5 K. In the temperature range from 360 K to 220 K the real part of the complex ac electrical conductivity and dielectric constant follow the universal dielectric response (UDR), being typical for hopping or tunneling of localized charge carriers. A detailed analysis of the temperature dependence of the UDR parameter s in terms of the theoretical model for tunneling of small polarons revealed that below 360 K this mechanism governs the charge transport in this material. The characteristic parameters for polarons, W∞, ιo, and ι0 were determined.
文摘Ion beam methods for modification of nanohardness of surface nanolayers of the titanium alloy Ti6AI4V were applied. After deposition of carbon nanolayers by electron beam evaporation, the ion implantation of nitrogen into samples was carried out. The chemical composition of the modified surface area was investigated by AES (auger electron spectroscopy). The nanohardness of resulted ion beam modified surface nanolayers were investigated by nanoindentation testing. The measured concentration profiles indicate the atomic mixing of carbon into the substrate. It was found that the modified samples had a markedly higher nanohardness than the unmodified samples. The increased nanohardness is attributed to the newly created phases in the surface area.
文摘The objective of the present study was to evaluate the relation between maternal blood levels of selected toxic and potentially toxic elements (manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), arsenic (As), selenium (Se), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg)) and birth weight of their new-borns in a Slovenian population, taking into account maternal socio-demographic characteristics and dietary habits. 535 women from 12 regions of Slovenia were recruited at delivery. Maternal blood was collected at 1.5 months after birth. Associations between birth weight and a) predictors obtained through the questionnaires and b) levels of selected elements were tested using bivariate tests and multiple linear regression. Multiple regression models revealed maternal age as an additional predictor for birth weight and confirmed pre-pregnancy body mass, estimated gestational age and gender of the baby as the main predictors for birth weight. Mn in maternal blood was significantly and positively associated with birth weight. The positive association observed between birth weight and Mn in maternal blood could be explained by the essentiality of Mn in foetal development as an important cofactor in enzymereactions in bone formation and in metabolic regulation for amino acid, lipid, protein and carbohydrate levels.
文摘This study describes an application of hybrid modelling for an atmospheric variable in the Krsko basin.The hybrid model is a combination of a physics-based and data-driven model and has some properties of both modelling approaches.In the authors’case,it is used for the modelling of an atmospheric variable,namely relative humidity in a particular location for the purpose of using the predictions of the model as an input to the air-pollution-dispersion model for radiation exposure.The presented hybrid model is a combination of a physics-based atmospherical model and a Gaussian-process(GP)regression model.The GP model is a probabilistic kernel method that also enables evaluation of prediction confidence.The problem of poor scalability of GP modelling was solved using sparse GP modelling;in particular,the fully independent training conditional method was used.Two different approaches to dataset selection for empirical model training were used and multiple-step-ahead predictions for different horizons were assessed.It is shown in this study that the accuracy of the predicted relative humidity in the Krsko basin improved when using hybrid models over using the physics-based model alone and that predictions for a considerable length of horizon can be used.
基金funded by the Slovenian Research Agency program P1-0143 and project L1-5446 and the young researchers programsupported by the EMPIR MercOx project(16ENV01).
文摘Flue gas containing volatile elements, fine fly ash particulates not retained by particle control devices, and limestone are the most important sources of trace and major elements (TMEs) in wet flue gas desulphurization (WFGD) gypsum. In this study, samples of gypsum slurry were separated into fine and coarse fractions. Multi-elemental analysis of 45 elements in the different size fractions of gypsum, slurry waters and lignite were performed by k0-INAA (k0-instrumental neutron activation analyses). The study found that the volatile elements (Hg, Se and halogens) in the flue gas accumulate in the fine fractions of gypsum. Moreover, the concentrations of most TMEs are considerably higher in the fine fractions compared to the coarse fractions. The exceptions are Ca and Sr that primarily originate from the limestone. Variations of TMEs in the finer fractions are dependent on the presence of CaSO4·2H2O that is the main constituent of the coarse fraction. Consequently, the content of TMEs in the fine fraction is highly dependent on the efficiency of separating the fine fraction from the coarse fraction. Separation of the finer fraction, representing about 10% of the total gypsum, offers the possibility to remove effectively TMEs from WFGD slurry.