Nachweis der allgemeinen Gültigkeit des Gefrierkernspektrums

Zusammenfassung Durch weitere experimentelle Untersuchungen wird festgestellt, dass das an destillierten Wassertropfen ermittelte Gefrierkernspektrum von speziellen Versuchsbedingungen unabhängig ist und auch für Wasserarten mit verschiedenen natürlichen oder künstlichen Verunreinigungen gilt. Es kann ausserdem in allen bisher im Laboratorium und in der Atmosphäre durchgeführten Untersuchungen über die Eiskeimbildung nachgewiesen werden. Dieser Befund stützt als notwendige Bedingung die Deutung des Gefrierkernspektrums durch Strukturänderungen des Wassers und besagt, dass im Laboratorium und in der Atmosphäre dieselben Gefrierkerne vorhanden sind und dass bei der atmosphärischen Eiskeimbildung auch nur die aus Untersuchungen im Laboratorium bekannten Besonderheiten des Gefrieveorgangs (im unterkühlten Wasser) vorliegen.

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Summary Further experimental investigations demonstrate the «Gefrierkernspektrum», which was found for droplets from destilled water, to be independent from special experimental conditions and valid for sorts of water containing natural or artificial impurities, too. Furthermore it can be pointed out from all existing investigations on ice-nucleation, made in laboratory and in the atmosphere. This result supports, as a necessary condition, the interpretation of the «Gefrierkernspektrum» by means of changes in the structure of water itself and proves, that there are the same freezing nuclei both in the laboratory and the fre atmosphere and that ice-nucleation in the atmosphere holds but the same peculiarities of freezing (of supercooled water), known from laboratory work.

     

Eine neue Methode der Kondensationskernzählung

Zusammenfassung In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird eine Methode beschrieben, die es gestattet, mit Hilfe lackierter Glasplatten Kondensationskerntröpfchen oder andere Tröpfchen mit einem Durchmesser von 5 zu fixieren und dann elektronisch auszuzählen. Vorversuche, bei denen diese Methode angewendet wurde, machen es wahrscheinlich, dass bei Kondensationskernzählern, die nach dem Expansionsprinzip arbeiten, ein Teil der Kerne wegen ihrer Aktivität schon vor der Expansion als Wassertröpfchen ausfällt und damit der Zählung entgeht.

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Summary In the present paper a method is described, which allows to fix droplets of condensation nucleus or other droplets (diameter 5 ) by means of varnished plates of glass and count them afterwards electronically. Preliminary experiments with this method show up the probability, that in the nucleus counter, working on the principle of expansion, some of the very active nucleus drops out before the expansion chamber is dilated and thus escapes registration.

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Riassunto Nella presente ricerca si descrive un metodo il quale consente di fissare goccioline provenienti da nuclei di condensazione, o altre goccioline (diam. 5 ), su dischi di vetro verniciati, e in seguito di contarle elettronicamente. Prove eseguite con questo metodo rendono probabile che, in contatori di nuclei di condensazione che lavorano secondo il principio dell'espansione, una parte dei nuclei, in seguito alla loro stessa attività, cada sotto forma di goccioline d'acqua già prima dell'espansione e che quindi sfugga al conteggio.

     

Surveillance for previously unmonitored organic contaminants in the San Francisco Estuary

The San Francisco Estuary Regional Monitoring Program initiated surveillance monitoring to identify previously unmonitored synthetic organic contaminants in the San Francisco Estuary. Organic extracts of water samples were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in full scan mode. The major contaminant classes identified in the samples were fire retardants, pesticides, personal care product ingredients, and plasticizers. Evidence from the literature suggests that some of these contaminants can persist in the environment, induce toxicity, and accumulate in marine biota and in higher food chain consumers. The major sources of these contaminants into the marine environment are the discharge of municipal and industrial wastewater effluents, urban stormwater, and agricultural runoff. As a proactive effort, it is suggested that surveillance studies be used routinely in monitoring programs to identify and prevent potential problem contaminants from harming the marine environment.     

Alternative Validation of a LC-MS/MS-Multi-Method for Pesticides in Drinking Water

The development of instrumental analytics such as the LC-MS/MS has made it possible to quickly determine many component concentrations in a single chromatogram. However, the validation of such multi-methods needs new strategies for robustness and optimization. Statistical execution of analytical tests is one tool that can be utilized to meet this requirement. A Central Composite Design (CCD) was utilized for the validation of an LC-MS/MS multi-method for 84 analytes. The experimental design includes six design variables and two non-design variables (response variables). Concentration, ionization temperature, dwell time, gradient, flow (of eluent), and spraying/curtain gas (continuous design variables) were varied on five different levels; the whole design encompassed 91 runs. To investigate the robustness of a LC-MS/MS method both peak sensitivity and chromatographic separation had to be verified. Therefore, two non-design variables were necessary. The distribution of the peaks over analysis time was applied to describe the quality of the chromatographic separation. The sensitivity was described with the signal to noise ratio (S/N). The evaluation of the measured data was accomplished with the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and the Response Surface Methodology (RSM). Three main effects (concentration, ionization temperature, dwell time) and no significant interaction effect were found for the response variable “S/N”. The variables of concentration, ionization temperature, and dwell time had no significant effects for the response variable “S/N”. The ANOVA of the response variable chromatographic separation abandoned no significant effects as well. Therefore, robustness of the method can be guaranteed for all non significant design variables.     

An assessment of the use of stabilized coal and oil ash for construction of artificial fishing reefs: Comparison of fishes observed on small ash and concrete reefs

Fishes present on small artificial reefs located 2 km off the central east coast of Florida (USA) were surveyed to determine the acceptability of using stabilized oil and coal ash residue as a component material in construction of artificial fishing reefs. Species richness was not significantly different over 2.5 yr on stabilized oil and coal ash reefs compared to concrete control reefs. Of 19 species tested for significant differences in mean abundance, lane snapper was observed at significantly higher mean abundances on fossil-fuel ash reefs (stabilized oil ash/coal fly ash), while three reef species (hairy blenny, porkfish and gray snapper) were significantly more common on concrete control reefs. Further study is needed to determine whether contaminants (Cu, V, Ni and Zn) from stabilized ash blocks can cause abundance differences for some fishes. Plausible alternate explanations for the differences in mean abundance include both interspecific interactions (competition and predation) and differences in the attraction or retention of fish among reef replicates due to slight variations in reef dimensions.     

New INTEGRAL sources and TeV emission

INTEGRAL is operational since more than three years and producing high quality data that allows to detect fainter new hard X-ray sources. The new sources, identified until now, are mostly active galactic nuclei and absorbed or transient high mass X-ray binaries. TeV emission could be expected from the new high mass X-ray binaries accreting dense clumps of stellar wind. INTEGRAL sources with TeV counterparts are discussed. Based on observations with INTEGRAL, an ESA project with instruments and science data centre funded by ESA member states (especially the PI countries: Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Spain), Czech Republic and Poland, and with the participation of Russia and the USA.     

Periodic solar EUV flux monitored near Venus

A detector sharing the orbital rate of Venus has a unique perspective on solar periodicities. Fourier analysis of the 8.6 year record of solar EUV output gathered by the Langmuir probe on Pioneer Venus Orbiter shows the influences of global oscillation modes located in the convective envelope and in the radiative interior. Seven of the eight lowest angular harmonic r-mode families are detected by their rotation rates which differ almost unmeasurably from ideal theoretical values. This determines a mean sidereal rotation rate for the envelope of 457.9 ± 2.0 nHz which corresponds to a period of 25.3 days. Many frequencies are aliased at ± 106 nHz by modulation from the lowest angular harmonic r-mode in the envelope. The rotation of this mode seems slightly retrograde, -1.5 ± 2.0 nHz, but small positive values are not excluded. We confirm that the rotation of the radiative interior, 381 nHz, is slower than the envelope by detecting g-mode frequencies for angular harmonics, 2 l 6, and a possible first detection of the rotation rate for the l = 1 case. Solar EUV lacks the sudden darkenings (dips) shown by visible irradiance; vortex cores in the photosphere and below are again suggested as a possible explanation.     

Über die Bestimmung von Differenzen der Lotrichtung mit Hilfe des GradientenU zzs

Zusammenfassung R. v. Eötvös hat für die Bestimmung von Lotrichtungsdifferenzen mit seiner Drehwaage zwei Verfahren angegeben, die aber nur unter Hinzuziehung astronomisch-geodätischer Messungen zum Ziel führen. Beide Verfahren sind sehr umständlich, und in der einschlägigen Literatur finden sich keine Hinweise, daß eines der genannten Verfahren seitEötvös nochmals angewandt wurde. — In Freiburg i. Br. wird zur Zeit eine Drehwaage erprobt, mit der voraussichtlich die direkte Messung des GradientenU _zzs möglich sein wird. Es soll nun gezeigt werden, daß die Bestimmung der Lotrichtungsdifferenz zweier Feldpunkte mit Hilfe dieser Größe, ohne Zuhilfenahme von astronomisch-geodätischen Messungen, möglich ist.

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Summary R. v. Eötvös has showed two methods for the measurement of differences between vertical lines with his torsion-balance. Both methods are only applicable, if they are connected with astronomic and geodetic measurements, and they are very troublesome. In the special publications are no remarks, that one of these methods everytime has been applied since the measurement ofEötvös. —At Freiburg i. Br. (Western Germany) now a new torsion-balance is built, with which foreseeable the direct measurement of the gradientU _zzs will be possible. In the following publication will be demonstrated, that the fixation of differences between the vertical lines of two points of the gravity field of the earth is possible with this gradientU _zzs without astronomic and geodetic measurements.

     

An analytical investigation of a sequence of unusual springtime ozone episodes over metropolitan Taichung in 2007

This study investigated the potential factors contributing to a series of ozone (O₃) episodes in the Taichung metropolis, which occurred during the first half of May 2007. Surface data of the meteorological parameters and air pollutant concentrations, supported by Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration, and vertical data monitored via tethersonde sampling were analysed. The analyses showed that local anthropogenic activities and physical factors such as the sea–air interaction were not the main factors contributing to the O₃ events. Excluding these potential causes, the results suggest that, during the aforementioned period, the stronger Mainland High and Pacific Low may have been responsible for the long-range transport of large quantities of O₃ from Mainland China to Taiwan. Furthermore, O₃ photochemical activity also played an important role in the O₃ episodes. The faster consumption of NO lead to a more rapid increase in the O₃ concentration.     

One-dimensional Shear Velocity Structure of Northern Africa from Rayleigh Wave Group Velocity Dispersion

—?Rayleigh wave group velocity dispersion measurements from 10?s to 160?s periods have been made for paths traversing Northern Africa. Data were accumulated from the IRIS DMC, GEOSCOPE, and MEDNET seismic networks covering the years 1991–1997. The group velocity measurements are made including the effects of debiasing for instantaneous period and a single-iteration, mode-isolation (phase match) filter. The curves are grouped by tectonic province and compared to tomographic model-based curves in an effort to test and validate the tomographic models. Within each tectonic category (rift, orogenic zone, or craton) group velocity curves from various provinces are similar. Between tectonic categories, however, there are marked differences. The rift related paths exhibit the lowest group velocities observed, and cratonic paths the fastest. One-dimensional shear velocity inversions are performed, and while highly nonunique, the ranges of models show significant differences in upper mantle velocities between the tectonic provinces.¶This work is part of a larger project to determine group velocity maps for North Africa and the Middle East. The work presented here provides important tools for the validation of tomographic group velocity models. This is accomplished by comparing group velocity curves calculated from the tomographic models with carefully selected high-quality group velocity measurements. The final group velocity models will be used in M _s measurements, which will contribute to the m _b :M _s discriminant important to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). The improved shear wave velocity models provided by this study also contribute to the detection, location, and identification of seismic sources.