Expedición naútica científica Fray Francisco Morillo, río Bermejo, Argentina, 29/09-10/10/1984

El próximo septiembre se cumplen treinta años de la llamada Expedición Naútica-Cientifíca “R. P. Francisco Morillo” realizada en botes neumáticos por un grupo de personas de diferentes orígenes y entre los que se encontraban naturalistas y profesionales de las Ciencias Naturales. A nivel profesional fue una gran experiencia, ya que me permitió transitar por un ámbito geográfico de difícil acceso, con flora y fauna cuya referencia la tenía solo a través de textos. Por otra parte y mirado a la distancia, fue muy interesante el comportamiento humano del grupo. Entiendo que un sociólogo podría dar alguna interpretación, pero he visto de todo, actos de solidaridad, de mezquindad, egoísmo y de cierta locura, como por ejemplo, querer matar un yacaré por el simple hecho de que estaba en la playa tomando sol. En este caso, la suerte estuvo del lado de la noble bestia, ya que los involucrados en las Ciencias Naturales pudimos detener semejante barbaridad y hacer comprender a los de “gatillo fácil” que no había ningún sentido en lo que querían hacer. Irónicamente, entre otras cosas, este viaje tenía dentro de sus objetivos participar en un Congreso de Conservación… Los objetivos del viaje para los naturalistas, sólo se cumplieron en parte, ya que al principio de esta travesía comenzaron a suscitarse problemas, principalmente por las características del río, lo que dificultó, por falta de tiempo, la toma de muestras y las consiguientes observaciones. A nivel personal me queda la riqueza que me dio esta experiencia y el haber conocido a dos personas que me llamaron profundamente la atención. A nuestro baqueano José “Pipo” Marty, un hombre generoso y de una gran sabiduría. El otro fue Exequiel Martínez, al que conocí en el congreso que se realizaba en Resistencia y con quién, a partir de ese momento, me une un lazo afectivo que nace de un profundo respeto y admiración.

Farmer-scientist research partnerships for integrated agriculture-aquaculture

A realistic alternative to traditional technology development and transfer has been utilized by the International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM) to integrate pond fish culture into low-input farming systems in Malawi. Resource mapping was used to assess farm resources and constraints and introduce the concept of integrated resource management (IRM), the synergistic movement of resources between and among farm and household enterprises. Farmer-led IRM research projects are conducted on-farm and monitored by researchers through direct observation and on-station simulation of constraints and management practices. Technology-adoption rates by farmers involved in a pilot activity was 65% compared to 0% by farmers exposed only to top-down extension approaches. Within two years of adoption, every participating farmer had transferred the technology to an average of four other farmers without the involvement of the extension services.

Climate-driven hydrologic transients in Holocene lake records

Understanding the link between climate and regional hydrologic processes is of primary importance in estimating the possible impact of future climate change and in the validation of climate models that attempt to simulate such changes. Two distinct problems need to be addressed: quantitatively establishing the link between changes in climate and the hydrologic cycle, and determining how these changes are expressed over differing temporal and spatial scales. To solve these problems, our interdisciplinary group is studying important aspects of hydrology, paleolimnology, geochemistry, and paleontology as they apply to climate-driven hydrologic changes.

中国至今无缘诺贝尔奖原因探讨

分析了中国至今无人获得诺贝尔奖的原因,包括自然观、方法论、社会环境、创新意识、竞争意识、选题、科学管理机构和基金分配方式、教育目标、语言因素、文化氛围等.希望对此展开讨论,剖析真正的、关键的问题所在,以实现创新国家的目标.

Tunable Ag surface-plasmon-resonance wavelength and its application on the photochromic behavior of TiO2-Ag films

Surface and bulk plasmon resonance of noble metal particles play an essential role in the multicolor photochromism of semiconductor systems containing noble metal particles, Here we examined several key parameters affecting surface plasmon resonance wavelength (SPRW) of Ag particles and investigated the relation between surface plasmon and photochromic reaction wavelength. From the transmission spectra of sandwiched (TiO2/Ag/TiO2) and overcoated (Ag/TiO2) films deposited on quartz substrates at room temperature by rf helicon magnetron sputtering, we demonstrated that the SPRW can be made tunable by changing the surrounding media and thickness of the metal layer. The coloration and bleaching in visible light region due to photochromism were clearly observed for the films inserted with a 0.55 nm Ag layer.

贵金属（Au, Ag, Pt, Pd）纳米材料的可控合成及性能研究

功能化的贵金属纳米材料的设计和可控制备在材料科学研究领域引起了人们广泛的关注。贵金属纳米材料的光学、电学、磁学和催化等物理和化学性质不但与其大小有关，而且还与其形貌息息相关。因此寻求简单而有效的低温溶液合成途径以实现对贵金属纳米材料的尺寸和形貌控制尤为重要。本论文的主要研究内容可以归纳如下： (1)在水溶液中利用种子生长方法分别制备了核壳Au-Pd/Pt三金属复合纳米粒子和三层的核壳AuAg复合纳米粒子。这些纳米粒子的尺寸和组成可以通过改变金种子的加入量来加以调控。 (2)通过种子生长和取代沉积相结合的方法制备了具有金核铂/银双金属壳的铃铛状纳米粒子。通过扫描电子显微镜、透射电子显微镜和X-射线光电子能谱对所得纳米粒子的尺寸、结构和组成进行了表征。 (3)以二肽甘氨酰甘氨酸作为模板合成了具有[111]取向的单晶银纳米片。通过改变实验条件探讨了片状银纳米结构的形成机理。片状银纳米结构的产率可达到80%，反应物之间的摩尔比对产物的尺寸和形貌有至关重要的作用。 (4)将K3[Fe(CN)6]和Na2S2O3的混合溶液进行水热处理，得到了具有立方体形貌的FeIIIFeIII(CN)6（柏林绿）微晶。实验结果显示K3[Fe(CN)6]和Na2S2O3的摩尔比及其浓度对所得产物的尺寸、形貌和组成有决定性的作用。 (5)在室温下通过混合3, 3', 5, 5'-四甲基联苯胺和氯铂酸，成功合成了有机-无机杂化的纳米纤维。纳米纤维的尺寸和形状可以通过改变反应物的比和浓度加以控制。基于不同的实验结果，提出了纳米纤维的可能形成机理。

贵金属纳米粒子的化学合成和自组装纳米结构

一般来说，构筑自组装结构，需要首先构筑基本单元（BuildingBlocks）。广义来讲，原（离）子、分子、原子团、超分子、高分子、生物分子、纳米粒子以及其他尺度的粒子基元都可以充当自组装的基本单元。基本单元在一定条件下会自发聚集生成具有一定功能的材料一或器件。本文关心的是在纳米尺度（1-100纳米）范围内构筑贵金属纳米粒子自组装纳米结构。具体地说，我们侧重贵金属（金、银）纳米粒一子的化学合成，控制贵金属纳米粒子组装成特定的纳米结构（纳米粒子集合体），研究纳米粒子和纳米结构的等离子共振吸收和电化学特性。本文从以下几个方面展开叙述如下：（1）使用两相法，用相对廉价的阳离子表面活性剂十六烷基三甲基澳化按作为保护剂，合成了稳定的金纳米粒子。系统研究了该粒子在各种条件下的自组装过程：溶剂挥发诱导的自组装、双功能分子桥联的自组装和施加力场条件下的受迫自组装。（2）发现阳离子表面活性剂一四辛基漠化钱可以直接诱导水溶性带负电荷的金纳米粒子从水溶液到甲苯相的相转移。更有趣的是，相转移具有尺寸效应，利用尺寸效应可能会实现对某些多分散金纳米粒子进行尺寸精馏。（3）系统研究了小分子桥联的金纳米粒子的可控组装及等离子学和电化学特性。我们发现硫瑾染料分子、钴卟啉梁料分子、刚性分子导线、碘离子都可以作为连接金纳米粒子的，分子胶水。使用类似建筑学上的“砖块胶泥组装”策略可以在纳米尺度莎围内搭筑纳米建筑。所制备的纳米建筑具有可调节的等离子吸收和电催化特性。（4）使用微分脉冲伏安技术研究了银纳米粒子表面组装体在水溶液中的库仑阻塞现象。（5）分子膜支撑的金纳米粒子二维阵列具有纳米阵列电极行为，控制纳米粒子的组装调节了电极界面的异相电子转移动力学。（6）为了解决分子纳米表面修饰的聚集问题，我们发展了固定化纳米表面修饰的方法。该方法适用于分子单层、双层和多层分子自组装系统，并且可以直接进行光学和电化学表征。在纳米表面受限的分子自组装系统表现出了一些有趣的电化学特性。

Unique properties of Ir/ZSM-5 catalyst for NO reduction with CO in the presence of excess oxygen

The reduction of NO with CO in the presence of excess oxygen was investigated over different noble metal catalysts for probing the relationship between catalytic properties and adsorption behaviors. Among the four precious metal catalysts investigated, Ir/ZSM-5 was found to be the only active one for NO reduction with CO under lean conditions. With the decreasing of the Ir content, higher NO conversion and CO selectivity was obtained. Temperature-programmed reaction (TPR) studies of NO/H-2/O-2 and NO/CO/O-2 showed that the Pt/ZSM-5 was active when H-2 was used as the reductant, whereas, the Ir/ZSM-5 was active when CO was the reducing agent. This difference is due to the different mechanisms of the two reactions. Temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) of NO, CO and O-2 showed that NO could dissociate more easily over the Ir/ZSM-5 than on the Pt/ZSM-5, while the oxidation of CO by O-2 proceeded more rapidly on the Pt/ZSM-5 than on the Ir/ZSM-5. The presence of excess O-2 inhibited drastically the dissociation of NO, which is considered as the key step for the NO-CO reaction. The high dissociation rate of NO over the Ir/ZSM-5 is visualized as the key factor for its superior high activity in NO reduction with CO under lean conditions. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

In situ IR spectroscopic studies on molybdenum nitride catalysts: active sites and surface reactions

Recent IR spectroscopic studies on the surface properties of fresh Mo2N/gamma-Al2O3 catalyst are presented in this paper. The surface sites of fresh Mo2N/gamma-Al2O3, both Modelta+ (0<δ<2) and N sites, are probed by CO adsorption. Two characteristic IR bands were observed at 2045 and 2200 cm(-1), due to linearly adsorbed CO on Mo and N sites, respectively. The surface N sites are highly reactive and can react with adsorbed CO to form NCO species. Unlike adsorbed CO on reduced passivated one, the adsorbed CO on fresh Mo2N/gamma-Al2O3 behaves similarly to that of group VIII metals, suggesting that fresh nitride resembles noble metals. It is found that the surface of Mo nitrides slowly transformed into sulfide under hydrotreating conditions, which could be the main reason for the activity drop of molybdenum nitride catalysts in the presence of sulfur-containing species. Some surface reactions, such as selective hydrogenation of 1,3-butadiene, isomerization of 1-butene, and hydrodesulfurization of thiophene, were studied on both fresh and reduced passivated Mo2N/gammaAl(2)O(3) catalysts using IR spectroscopy. The mechanisms of these reactions are proposed. The adsorption and reaction behaviors of these molecules on fresh molybdenum nitride also resemble those on noble metals, manifesting the unique properties of fresh molybdenum nitride catalysts. Mo and N sites are found to play different roles in the adsorption and catalytic reactions on the fresh Mo2N/gammaAl(2)O(3) catalyst. Generally, Mo sites are the main active sites for the adsorption and reactions of adsorbates; N sites are not directly involved in catalytic reactions but they modify the electronic properties of Mo sites.

Carbon monoxide adsorption on molybdenum phosphides: Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic and density functional theory studies

Molybdenum phosphide (MoP) and supported molybdenum phosphide (MoP/gamma-Al2O3) have been prepared by the temperature-programmed reduction method. The surface sites of the MoP/gamma-Al2O3 catalyst were characterized by carbon monoxide (CO) adsorption with in situ Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. A characteristic IR band at 2037 cm(-1) was observed on the MoP/gamma-Al2O3 that was reduced at 973 K. This band is attributed to linearly adsorbed CO on Mo atoms of the MoP surface and is similar to IR bands at 2040-2060 cm(-1), which correspond to CO that has been adsorbed on some noble metals, such as platinum, palladium, and rhodium. Density functional calculations of the structure of molybdenum phosphides, as well as CO chemisorption on the MoP(001) surface, have also been studied on periodic surface models, using the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) for the exchange-correlation functional. The results show that the chemisorption of CO on MoP occurred mainly on top of molybdenum, because the bonding of CO requires a localized mininum potential energy. The adsorption energy obtained is DeltaH(ads) approximate to -2.18 eV, and the vibrational frequency of CO is 2047 cm-1, which is in good agreement with the IR result of CO chernisorption on MoP/gamma-Al2O3.

In situ FT-IR spectroscopic studies of CO adsorption on fresh Mo2C/Al2O3 catalyst

The surface sites of supported molybdenum carbide catalyst derived from different synthesis stages have been studied by in situ FT-IR spectroscopy using CO as the probe molecule. Adsorbed CO on the reduced passivated Mo2C/Al2O3 catalyst gives a main band at 2180 cm(-1), which can be assigned to linearly adsorbed CO on Mo4+ sites. The IR results show that the surface of reduced passivated sample is dominated by molybdenum oxycarbide. However, a characteristic IR band at 2054 cm-1 was observed for the adsorbed CO on MoO3/Al2O3 carburized with CH4/H-2 mixture at 1033 K (fresh Mo2C/Al2O3), which can be assigned to linearly adsorbed CO on Modelta+ (0 < delta < 2) sites Of Mo2C/Al2O3, Unlike adsorbed CO on reduced passivated Mo2C/Al2O3 catalyst, the IR spectra of adsorbed CO on fresh Mo2C/Al2O3 shows similarity to that on some of the group VIII metals (such as Pt and Pd), suggesting that fresh carbide resembles noble metals. To study the stability Of Mo2C catalyst during H-2 treatment and find proper conditions to remove the deposited carbon species, H-2 treatment of fresh Mo2C/Al2O3 catalyst at different temperatures was conducted. Partial amounts of carbon atoms in Mo2C along with some surface-deposited carbon species can be removed by the H, treatment even at 450 K. Both the surface-deposited carbon species and carbon atoms in carbide can be extensively removed at temperatures above 873 K.

The experimental research for production of hydrogen from n-octane through partially oxidizing and steam reforming method

The reaction of producing hydrogen for fuel cell which used normal octane as gasoline or diesel oil reactant through catalytic partial oxidizing and steam reforming method has been researched in the fixed-bed reactor. A series of catalysts that mainly used nickel supported on Al2O3 have been studied. It showed that the activity of the catalyst was increased with the content of nickel by using only nickel supported on Al2O3. However, its activity was not obviously increased when the content of nickel was over 5 wt%. The conversion ratio of normal octane and hydrogen selectivity were higher at higher reaction temperature. The single noble catalyst of palladium had better stability compared with that of platinum catalyst although their activity and selectivity were similar during the experimental reaction temperature. The prepared bimetallic catalyst consisted mainly of nickel and little noble metal of palladium supported on Al2O3. It showed that this catalyst had higher activity and selectivity, especially at lower or higher reaction temperatures compared with single nickel or palladium catalyst, and better stability. ((C) 2001 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nanoscale-enhanced Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) electrochemiluminescence labels and related aptamer-based biosensing system

A unique multilabeling at a single-site protocol of the Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) electrochemiluminescence (ECL) system is proposed. Nanoparticles (NPs) were used as assembly substrates to enrich ECL co-reactants of Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) to construct nanoscale-enhanced ECL labels. Two different kinds of NP substrates [including semiconductor NPs (CdTe) and noble metal NPs (gold)] capped with 2-(dimethylamino)ethanethiol (DMAET) [a tertiary amine derivative which is believed to be one of the most efficient of co-reactants of the Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) system] were synthesized through a simple one-pot synthesis method in aqueous media.