A novel nanometer-scale "gold electrode-molecular wires-silver" junction: An efficient test bed for electrochemical investigation of electron transportation through molecular wires in self-assembled monolayers

A novel "gold electrode-molecular wires-silver" junction was facilely fabricated for electrochemical study on the electron transportation through molecular wires. Rapid electron transportation through this sandwich-like structure was indeed observed by cyclic voltammograms and ac impedance measurements. Since rather reproducible and reliable results are easily available by electrochemical techniques, it would be an efficient and reliable test bed for electrochemical investigation of charge transportation through molecular wires in self-assembled monolayers on electrodes.

TEMPERATURE AND STRAIN-RATE DEPENDENCE OF FRACTURE-TOUGHNESS OF PHENOLPHTHALEIN POLYETHER KETONE

A strong strain-rate and temperature dependence was observed for the fracture toughness of phenolphthalein polyether ketone (PEK-C). Two separate crack-blunting mechanisms have been proposed to account for the fracture-toughness data. The first mechanism involves thermal blunting due to adiabatic heating at the crack tip for the high temperatures studied. In the high-temperature range, thermal blunting increases the fracture toughness corresponding to an effectively higher test temperature. However, in the low-temperature range, the adiabatic temperature rise is insufficient to cause softening and Jic increases with increasing temperature owing to viscoelastic losses associated with the p-relaxation there. The second mechanism involves plastic blunting due to shear yield/flow processes at the crack tip and this takes place at slow strain testing of the single-edge notched bending (SENB) samples. The temperature and strain-rate dependence of the plastic zone size may also be responsible for the temperature and strain-rate dependence of fracture toughness.

A STUDY OF MODE-I DELAMINATION RESISTANCE OF A THERMOPLASTIC COMPOSITE

This paper describes the mode I delamination behaviour of a unidirectional carbon-fibre/poly(phenylene ether ketone)(PEK-C) composite. Tests have been performed on double cantilever beam (DCB) specimens. Several data reduction schemes are used to obtain the critical strain energy release rate, G(IC), and the results are compared. It is shown that when using a DCB test to determine the fracture toughness, corrections must be employed. The experimental methods have been described for ascertaining the correction terms, and the results are consistent after modification. Some of the authors' results are different from those of other authors, particularly the negative correction term for crack length, the larger exponent (n > 3) in the relationship C = Ra(n), and decrements of flexural modulus with the crack growth when using the simple beam theory to predict the bending behaviour of DCB specimens. The possible reasons are discussed.

In vitro iron enrichment experiments in the Prydz Bay, the Southern Ocean: A test of the iron hypothesis

In "high nitrate, low chlorophyll" (HNLC) ocean regions, iron has been typically regarded as the limiting factor for phytoplankton production. This "iron hypothesis" needs to be tested in various oceanic environments to understand the role of iron in marine biological and biogeochemical processes. In this paper, three in vitro iron enrichment experiments were performed in Prydz Bay and at the Polar Front north of the Ross Sea, to study the role of iron on phytoplankton production. At the Polar Front of Ross Sea, iron addition significantly (P < 0.05, Student's t-test) stimulated phytoplankton growth. In Prydz Bay, however, both the iron treatments and the controls showed rapid phytoplankton growth, and no significant effect (P > 0.05, Student's t-test) as a consequence of iron addition was observed. These results confirmed the limiting role of iron in the Ross Sea and indicated that iron was not the primary factor limiting phytoplankton growth in Prydz Bay. Because the light environment for phytoplankton was enhanced in experimental bottles, light was assumed to be responsible for the rapid growth of phytoplankton in all treatments and to be the limiting factor controlling field phytoplankton growth in Prydz Bay. During the incubation experiments, nutrient consumption ratios also changed with the physiological status and the growth phases of phytoplankton cells. When phytoplankton growth was stimulated by iron addition, N was the first and Si was the last nutrient which absorption enhanced. The Si/N and Si/P consumption ratios of phytoplankton in the stationary and decay phases were significantly higher than those of rapidly growing phytoplankton. These findings were helpful for studies of the marine ecosystem and biogeochemistry in Prydz Bay, and were also valuable for biogeochemical studies of carbon and nutrients in various marine environments.

Application of Neomysis awatschensis as a standard marine toxicity test organism in China

The small mysid crustacean Neomysis awatschensis was collected in the west coast of Jiaozhou Bay, Qingdao, China in 1992 and acclimated and cultured in laboratory conditions since then. Standard acute toxicity tests using 4-6 d juvenile mysids of this species were conducted and the results were compared with Mysidopsis bahia, a standard toxicity test organism used in the US in terms of their sensitivities to reference toxins, as well as their taxonomy, morphology and geographic distributions. Because of its wide distribution along the Chinese coast, similar sensitivity to pollutants as M. bahia, short life history, small size and the case of handling, this study intended to use N. awatschensis as one of the standard marine organisms for toxicity testing in China. The species were applied to acute toxicity evaluations of drilling fluid and its additives I organotin TPT and toxic algae, and to chronic ( life cycle) toxicity assays of organotin TPT and a toxic dinofalgellate Alexandrium tamarense, respectively. Using N, awatschensis as a standard toxicity testing organism in marine pollution assessment in China is suggested.

Studies on the hemolytic activity of tentacle extracts of jellyfish Rhopilema esculentum Kishinouye: Application of orthogonal test

The present work is first reporting the hemolytic activity of venom from jellyfish Rhopilema esculentum Kishinouye extracted by different phosphate buffer solutions and incubated at different temperature according to the orthogonal test L6(1) x 3(6). Of the seven controllable independent variables, incubated temperature and phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF) had strongest effect on the hemolytic activity. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

中强地震震源的破裂过程

With the large developments of the seismic sources theory, computing technologies and survey instruments, we can model and rebuild the rupture process of earthquakes more realistically. On which earthquake sources' properties and tectonic activities law are realized more clearly. The researches in this domain have been done in this paper as follows. Based on the generalized ray method, expressions for displacement on the surface of a half-space due to an arbitrary oriented shear and tensile dislocation are also obtained. Kinematically, fault-normal motion is equivalent to tensile faulting. There is some evidence that such motion occurs in many earthquakes. The expressions for static displacements on the surface of a layered half-space due to static point moment tensor source are given in terms of the generalized reflection and transmission coefficient matrix method. The validity and precision of the new method is illustrated by comparing the consistency of our results with the analytical solution given by Okada's code employing same point source and homogenous half-space model. The computed vertical ground displacement using the moment tensor solution of the Lanchang_Gengma earthquake displays considerable difference with that of a double couple component .The effect of a soft layer at the top of the homogenous half-space on a shallow normal-faulting earthquake is also analyzed. Our results show that more seismic information would be obtained utilizing seismic moment tensor source and layered half-space model. The rupture process of 1999 Chi-Chi, Taiwan, earthquake investigated by using co-seismic surface displacement GPS observations and far field P-wave records. In according to the tectonic analysis and distributions of aftershock, we introduce a three-segment bending fault planes into our model. Both elastic half-space models and layered-earth models to invert the distribution of co-seismic slip along the Chi-Chi earthquake rupture. The results indicate that the shear slip model can not fit horizontal and vertical co-seismic displacements together, unless we add the fault-normal motion (tensile component) in inversions. And then, the Chi Chi earthquake rupture process was obtained by inversion using the seismograms and GPS observations. Fault normal motions determined by inversion, concentrate on the shallow northern bending fault from Fengyuan to Shuangji where the surface earthquake ruptures reveal more complexity and the developed flexural slip folding structures than the other portions of the rupture zone For understanding the perturbation of surface displacements caused by near-surface complex structures, We have taken a numeric test to synthesize and inverse the surface displacements for a pop-up structure that is composed of a main thrust and a back thrust. Our result indicates that the pop-up structure, the typical shallow complex rupture that occurred in the northern bending fault zone form Fengyuan to Shuangji, can be modeled better by a thrust fault added negative tensile component than by a simple thrust fault. We interpret the negative tensile distributions, that concentrate on the shallow northern bending fault from Fengyuan to Shuangji, as a the synthetic effect including the complexities of property and geometry of rupture. The earthquake rupture process also reveal the more spatial and temporal complexities form Fenyuan to SHuangji. According to the three-components teleseismic records, the S-wave velocity structure beneath the 59 teleseismic stations of Taiwan obtained by using the transform function method and the SA techniques. The integrated results, the 3D crustal structure of Taiwan reveal that the thickest part of crustal local in the western Central Range. This conclusion is consistent with the result form the Bouguer gravity anomaly. The orogenic evolution of Taiwan is young period, and the developing foot of Central Range dose not in static balancing. The crustal of Taiwan stays in the course of dynamic equilibrium. The rupture process of 2003)2,24,Jiashi, Xinjiang earthquake was estimated by the finite fault model using far field broadband P wave records of CDSN and IRIS. The results indicate that the earthquake focal is north dip trust fault including some left-lateral strike slip. The focal mechanism of this earthquake is different form that of earthquakes occurred in 1997 and 1998, but similar to that of 1996, Artux, Xinjiang earthquake. We interpreted that the earthquake caused trust fault due to the Tarim basin pushing northward and orogeny of Tianshan mountain. In the end, give a brief of future research subject: Building the Real Time Distribute System for rupture process of Large Earthquakes Based on Internet.

Methane aromatization in the absence of an added oxidant and the bench scale reaction test

A bench scale reaction test for methane aromatization in the absence of an added oxidant was performed and its reaction result evaluated based on the carbon balance of the system. The result was compared with those obtained from the micro-reaction test to ensure the accuracy of the internal standard analyzing method employed in this paper. The catalytic performances of modified Mo/HZSM-5 catalysts were examined. It was found that pre-treatment by steam on HZSM-5 weakened the serious deposition of coke, and pre-impregnation of n-ethyl silicate on HZSM-5 could improve the conversion of CH4, but had little effect on coke formation. A low temperature activation procedure including pre-reduction of the catalyst with methane prevents the zeolite lattice from being seriously destroyed by high valence state Mo species when the Mo loading is high. It was suggested that Mo2C species detected by XRD spectra was the active phase for CH4 aromatization.

Electrode catalysts behavior during direct ethanol fuel cell life-time test

In the present paper, a 60 h life-time test of a direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC) at a current density of 20 mA cm(-2) (the beginning 38 h) and 40 mA cm(-2) (the last 22 h) was carried out. After the life-time test, the MEA could not achieve the former performance. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) were employed to characterize the anode and cathode catalyst before and after the life-time test. The XRD and TEM results showed that the particle size of the anode catalyst increased from 2.3 to 3.3 nm and the cathode from 3.0 to 4.6 nm. The EDX results of PtSn/C anode catalysts before and after the life-time test indicated that the content of the oxygen and tin, especially the content of the platinum, decreased prominently after the life-time test. The results suggest that the agglomeration of electrocatalysts, the destruction of the anode catalyst together with the fuel/water crossover from anode to cathode concurrently contribute to the performance degradation of the DEFC. (C) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.