Untersuchungen mit der Elektronenmikrosonde über die natiirlichen Mischkristallbereiche der Skutterudite

This paper demonstrates with approximately 140 electron micro probe analyses of minerals from the classic localities the areas of solid solution in the ternary diagram of the natural iron-cobalt-nickel-skutterudites. The skutterudites analyses show a. much more scattered pattern over all the diagram than presumed by the analyses or by the experimental determined areas of solid solution in the recent literature. Furthermore, a fluctuation in the metalarsenic-ratio between 1:1.9 to 1:3.3 was ascertained for this mineral type. The iron-skutterudites favour the lower metal-arsenic-ratios, the cobalt-skutterudites and respectively the cobalt-nickel-skutterudites more the medium, and the nickel-skutterudites more the higher ratios.With solely microscopic determination of the iron-skutterudite mineral phase an error could be possible, whereas the determination of the nearly pure nickee-skutterudite (which is a new mineral phase) seems certain to the author.Finally, the author tries to explain the extreme fluctuation of stochiometry in the same structure to be caused by a chiefly metalic bond in an alloy type.Zusammenfassung Anhand von über 140 Mikrosondenanalysen von Mineralien der klassischen Vorkommen wird in dieser Arbeit versucht die Mischkristallfelder im Dreieckdiagramm der natütlichen Eisen-Kobalt-Nickel-Skutterudite zu ermitteln. Dabei zeigte sick einmal eine wesentlich größere Streuung der Skutteruditanalysen, als dies aus den Analysenangaben und den experimentell bestimmten Mischkristallfeldern der bisherigen Literatur zu vermuten war. Weiterhin konnte ein außergewohnliches Schwanken des Metall-Arsenverhaltnisses zwischen etwa 1:1,9 bis 1: 3,3 bei dieser Mineralart festgestellt werden. Es zeigte sich, daß die niederen Metall-Arsenverhältnisse bevorzugt an die Eisen-Skutterudite, die mittleren mehr an die Kobalt-Skutterudite bzw. an die Kobalt-Nickel-Skutterudite und die höheren bevorzugt an die eigentlichen Nickel- Skutterudite gebunden sind.Während bei den Eisen-Skutteruditen aufgrund der rein mikroskopischen Bestimmung die Möglichkeit eineir Fehldiagnose nicht völlig ausgeschlossen werden kann, erscheint der Nachweis eines fast reinen Nickel- Skutterudites dem Verfasser als gesichert.Das kristallchemisch interessante Problem, wie these großen Stöchiometrie-schwankungen in ein und derselben Struktur ohne wesentliehe Änderungelr auftreten können, versucht der Verfasser durch eine vorwiegend metallische Bindung in einem Legierungstyp zu erklären.

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Diese Arbeit wurde auszugsweise am 9. September 1964 vor der Deutschen Mineralogischen Gesellschaft auf deren Jahrestagung in Wiesbaden vorgetragen.     

THE TROPICS: ENVIRONMENTS AND HUMAN IMPACTS UNDERSTOOD AND REINTERPRETED

In the 1950s, few people had travelled widely through different parts of the tropics and interpretations on tropical landforms, soils, vegetation and climate largely rested on impressions gained from residence or long sojourns in particular tropical countries. Most academic geography on the tropics was then written by expatriates and lacked the perspective gained from long experience of tropical regions. Particular problems of understanding arose as people attempted to extrapolate from one part of the tropics to another. Since then, understanding has advanced enormously, largely through the efforts of tropical scientists working in their own institutions and through the greater technological ability to study tropical lands both remotely and through easier field access. The establishment of a number of field stations, aimed primarily at the biological sciences, but also facilitating the work of geographers, has been a major stimulus to this effort. Concerns over practical issues, particularly local development and global climatic change have prompted new avenues of research, many of which have been assisted by the great increase in data collection in tropical countries. For the future, South-South dialogue between tropical physical geographers is needed to improve their ability to ask meaningful questions so that they can contribute to teach the rest of their discipline more about serious applied and applicable geography.     

Asthenospheric parameters of dipping plate regions by magnetotelluric investigations

The multifrequency resolving capability of the electromagnetic surface impedance parameter, employed in magnetotelluric investigations, has been examined for an upper mantle model incorporating (1) a deep-seated lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary and (2) preferred orientations of olivine crystals in the lithosphere, usually associated with the subducting plate boundary zones. Numerical results display the quantitative errors in the resolution of various anisotropic and dipping plate conditions. It is found that (1) conductivity anisotropy, particularly with higher dips, causes a significant dispersion in the impedance values and higher resolving power, and (2) variations in the geometrical/physical parameters are reflected predominantly in the phase component of the surface impedance. The study has relevance to the understanding of the electrical nature of materials, its relationship with physical properties and associated geothermal and seismic activities in the dipping plate regions.     

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Mathematical Geosciences -     

2,4,6-trinitrotoluene transformation by a tropical marine yeast, Yarrowia lipolytica NCIM 3589

Yarrowia lipolytica NCIM 3589, a tropical marine degrader of hydrocarbons and triglycerides transformed 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) very efficiently. Though this yeast could not utilize TNT as the sole carbon or nitrogen source, it was capable of reducing the nitro groups in TNT to aminodinitrotoluene (ADNT). In a complete medium containing glucose and ammonium sulphate as the available carbon and nitrogen sources respectively, the culture was able to completely transform 1 mM (227 ppm) of TNT under such conditions. A dual pathway was found to be functional, one of which resulted in the formation of the hydride-Meisenheimer complex (H(-)TNT) as a transiently accumulating metabolite that was subsequently denitrated to 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT), whereas the other pathway resulted in the formation of amino derivatives. The presence of increasing amounts of reducing equivalents in the form of glucose promoted better growth and the nitroreductases of this yeast to reduce the aromatic ring to 2,4-DNT although, the reduction of the nitro groups to amino groups was the major functional pathway. The ability of this tropical marine yeast to transform TNT into products such as 2,4-DNT which in turn could be metabolized by other microbes has implications in the use of this yeast for bioremediation of TNT polluted marine environments.     

Non-linear dynamo waves in an incompressible medium when the turbulence dissipative coefficients depend on temperature

Non-linear - dynamo waves existing in an incompressible medium with the turbulence dissipative coefficients depending on temperature are studied in this paper. We investigate of - solar non-linear dynamo waves when only the first harmonics of magnetic induction components are included. If we ignore the second harmonics in the non-linear equation, the turbulent magnetic diffusion coefficient increases together with the temperature, the coefficient of turbulent viscosity decreases, and for an interval of time the value of dynamo number is greater than 1. In these conditions a stationary solution of the non-linear equation for the dynamo waves amplitude exists; meaning that the magnetic field is sufficiently excited. The amplitude of the dynamo waves oscillates and becomes stationary. Using these results we can explain the existence of Maunders minimum.