Charging effects on bonding and catalyzed oxidation of CO on Au8 clusters on MgO

Gold octamers (Au8) bound to oxygen-vacancy F-center defects on Mg(001) are the smallest clusters to catalyze the low-temperature oxidation of CO to CO2, whereas clusters deposited on close-to-perfect magnesia surfaces remain chemically inert. Charging of the supported clusters plays a key role in promoting their chemical activity. Infrared measurements of the stretch vibration of CO adsorbed on mass-selected gold octamers soft-landed on MgO(001) with coadsorbed O2 show a red shift on an F-center-rich surface with respect to the perfect surface. The experiments agree with quantum ab initio calculations that predict that a red shift of the C-O vibration should arise via electron back-donation to the CO antibonding orbital.     

Wise use of paddy rice fields to partially compensate for the loss of natural wetlands

This paper reviews the scientific information related to climate change impacts on wetlands and functions of human-made wetlands such as paddy rice field and treatment wetland are described to partially compensate for the loss of natural wetlands. Wetlands are among the world’s most productive environments and are cradles of biological diversity, providing the water and primary productivity upon which countless species of plants and animals depend for survival. Considerable evidence suggests that some global warming is occurring, which has important implications for wetland system as well as human life and wildlife. Direct effects of climate change on wetlands are likely to be accentuated by human induced changes that will increase stress to wetland ecosystems. The Ramsar Classification System for Wetland Type provides three broad categories: marine/coastal wetlands, inland wetlands, and human-made wetlands. Human-made wetlands are as important as natural wetlands, and the largest human-made wetland is a paddy rice field (130,000,000 ha) taking about 18% of total global wetland, which is second only to natural fresh wetlands. Paddy rice fields provide not only rice production for food, but also diverse multi-functionalities such as flood control, groundwater recharge, soil erosion control, water quality purification, air purification and cooling, wildlife habitat, amenity and social benefits. The economic value of multi-functionalities estimated by contingent valuation method (CVM) and travel cost method was in the range of U$ 9.75–11.46 billion, which is greater than the value of rice production itself in Korea. Unfortunately, there is an indication of decreased area in paddy rice field in Korea after 1990 showing about 20% decrease in 15 years. Another human-made wetland type is a constructed wetland for water purification, and thousands hectares of wetlands are scheduled to be constructed for reservoir water quality improvement in next 5 years in Korea, and their application is expected to be more common in near future. There is a growing consensus that wetlands are critically important ecosystems that provide globally significant social, economic and environmental benefits. Wise use of human-made wetlands is as important as conservation of natural wetlands, which can be a viable element to overall climate change mitigation and can partially compensate for the loss of natural wetlands.     

Intermittent drainage in paddy soil: ecosystem carbon budget and global warming potential

Intermittent drainage of rice fields alters soil redox potential and contributes to the reduction of CH₄ emission and thus may reduce net global warming potential (GWP) during rice cultivation. Incorporation of green biomass helps maintaining soil organic matter, but may increase CH₄ emission. We investigated net ecosystem carbon budget (NECB) and net GWP under two water management regimes—continuous flooding and intermittent drainage—having four biomass incorporation levels (0, 3, 6 and 12 Mg ha^?1). Water management and biomass incorporation level demonstrated significant (P < 0.05) interaction effect on the NECB and GWP. Intermittent drainage decreased the NECB by ca. 6–46 % than continuous flooding under same rates of cover crop biomass (CCB) incorporation. Moreover, intermittent drainage reduced seasonal CH₄–C fluxes by ca. 54–58 % and net GWP by 35–58 % compared to continuous flooding. There was also no significant reduction in rice yield because of intermittent drainage under similar CCB. This implies that incorporation of 3 Mg ha^?1 CCB and intermittent drainage could be a good option for reducing net GWP and higher grain yield.     

Design of traverse cam for yarn winding on twisting machine

A twisting machine is to twist yarns for improving yarn strength. After twisting yarns, the twisting machine winds yarns into a bobbin. The traverse mechanism is very important part of winding mechanism. Because it performs uniform winding onto the bobbin. the traverse cam is the main part of the traverse mechanism. This paper proposes design method of the traverse cam using the relative velocity method [4,5]. The relative velocity method is used to calculate the relative velocity of the follower versus the cam at the center of roller, and then to determine the contact point using the geometric relationship and kinematical constraints. Finally, we present examples verifying the accuracy of the proposed methods.     

Effects ofIn Vitro degradation on the weight loss and tensile properties of PLA/LPCL/HPCL blend fibers

PLA/LPCL/HPCL blend fibers composed of poly (lactic acid) (PLA), low molecular weight poly (ɛ-caprolactone) (LPCL), and high molecular weight poly (ɛ-caprolactone) (HPCL) were prepared by melt blending and spinning for bioabsorbable filament sutures. The effects of blending time and blend composition on the X-ray diffraction patterns and tensile properties of PLA/LPCL/HPCL blend fibers were characterized by WAXD and UTM. In addition, the effect ofin vitro degradation on the weight loss and tensile properties of the blend fibers hydrolyzed during immersion in a phosphate buffer solution at pH 7.4 and 37°C for 1–8 weeks was investigated. The peak intensities of PLA/LPCL/HPCL blend fibers in X-ray diffraction patterns decreased with an increase of blending time and LPCL contents in the blend fibers. The weight loss of PLA/LPCL/HPCL blend fibers increased with an increase of blending time, LPCL contents, and hydrolysis time while the tensile strength and modulus of the blend fibers decreased. The tensile strength and modulus of the blend fibers were also found to be increased with an increase of HPCL contents in the blend fibers. The optimum conditions to prepare PLA/LPCL/HPCL blend fibers for bioabsorbable sutures are LPCL contents of 5 wt%, HPCL contents of 35 wt%, and blending time of 30 min. The strength retention of the PLA/LPCL/HPCL blend fiber prepared under optimum conditions was about 93.5% even at hydrolysis time of 2 weeks.     

CT thoracic duct lymphography in cats by popliteal lymph node iohexol injection

Three different doses (1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 ml) of iohexol (300 mgl/ml) were injected percutaneously into the popliteal lymph node of eight adult cats under ultrasound guidance. Serial transverse CT images of five regions of interest (L3, T13, T8, T4, and T1 level) were performed at 2-min intervals, and the attenuation in Hounsfield Units (HU) of the lymphatic vessels was measured for determination of the optimal dose of iohexol and CT scan parameters. The optimal dose was 1.5 ml and helical CT acquisition is recommended to be performed as soon as possible after iohexol injection. In helical scans, the thoracic duct was characterized by variable branch numbers that formed a single trunk and entered the venous system at variable levels. CT lymphography using this protocol was performed in a cat with chylothorax. The thoracic duct was tortuous and focally dilated, and leakage of contrast medium was observed. Percutaneous CT lymphography using ultrasound-guided administration of iohexol into the popliteal lymph node appears reliable for delineation of the thoracic duct in cats.