Report on the City of Truesdale for the period July 1, 2006 through December 31, 2010

Report on the City of Truesdale for the period July 1, 2006 through December 31, 2010

X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis, and Raman scattering study of K2BeF4 and comparation to other member of the (beta)-K2SO4 family with ferroelectric -paraelectric transition

Thermal analysis, powder diffraction, and Raman scattering as a function of the temperature were carried out on K2BeF4. Moreover, the crystal structure was determined at 293 K from powder diffraction. The compound shows a transition from Pna21 to Pnam space group at 921 K with a transition enthalpy of 5 kJ/mol. The transition is assumed to be first order because the compound shows metastability. Structurally and spectroscopically the transition is similar to those observed in (NH4)2SO4, which suggests that the low-temperature phase is ferroelectric. In order to confirm it, the spontaneous polarization has been computed using an ionic model.

Agreed upon procedures report on the City of Lohrville, Iowa for the period December 1, 2008 through October 31, 2010

Agreed upon procedures report on the City of Lohrville, Iowa for the period December 1, 2008 through October 31, 2010

Report on a special investigation of the Eastern Iowa Center for Problem Gambling for the period May 1, 2007 through April 30, 2009

Report on a special investigation of the Eastern Iowa Center for Problem Gambling for the period May 1, 2007 through April 30, 2009

Report on a review of the Fuel Inspection Program administered by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship for the period July 1, 2005 through June 30, 2009

Report on a review of the Fuel Inspection Program administered by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship for the period July 1, 2005 through June 30, 2009

Special investigation of the City of Modale Volunteer Fire Department for the period January 1, 2006 through January 31, 2010

Special investigation of the City of Modale Volunteer Fire Department for the period January 1, 2006 through January 31, 2010

Geochemical changes at the Permian-Triassic transition in Southern Alps and adjacent area: a review

Compilation of the recent literature from the Southern Alps and adjacent area confirms the geochemical variations of unusual amplitudes during the Permian-Triassic boundary interval (PTBI). A great attention has been given to the negative δ13C anomaly within the Tesero Member close to the Permian-Triassic boundary. Very detailed geochemical works have been done on the scientific Gartnerkofel core (Gk-1) and on the Slovenian sections. Major minor and rare earth elements (REE) data are reported and show a marked enrichment in alkaline metals and REE of some levels of the boundary interval. But recent studies show that the low Iridium anomalies and the Osmium and Helium isotopes anomalies lack the characteristics of a large extraterrestrial impact.

Industrial agglomerations and wage gradients: the Spanish economy in the interwar period

This paper gives new evidence on the relationship between integration and industrial agglomeration in the presence of scale economies, by testing directly one of the predictions that can be derived from Krugman (1991), that is, the existence of regional nominal wage gradients and its transformation following changes in trade regimes. Our case study analyzes the effects of the substitution of an open economy by a closed economy regime, exactly the opposite process studied by Hanson (1996, 1997). In Spain, during the interwar period, protectionist policies would have favored the loss of centrality of the coastal location (Barcelona) and the relative rise of central locations (such as Madrid). Our results indicate the existence of a wage gradient centered in Barcelona during the interwar period (1914-1930) and its weakening after 1925.

Agreed upon procedures report on the City of Lacona, Iowa for the period August 16, 2008 through August 31, 2010

Agreed upon procedures report on the City of Lacona, Iowa for the period August 16, 2008 through August 31, 2010

Report on a special investigation of the City of Adair for the period January 1, 2007 through July 31, 2010

Report on a special investigation of the City of Adair for the period January 1, 2007 through July 31, 2010

Impedance field and transition from thermal to shot noise in Cd1-xZnxTe semi-insulating Ohmic detectors

Within a drift-diffusion model we investigate the role of the self-consistent electric field in determining the impedance field of a macroscopic Ohmic (linear) resistor made by a compensated semi-insulating semiconductor at arbitrary values of the applied voltage. The presence of long-range Coulomb correlations is found to be responsible for a reshaping of the spatial profile of the impedance field. This reshaping gives a null contribution to the macroscopic impedance but modifies essentially the transition from thermal to shot noise of a macroscopic linear resistor. Theoretical calculations explain a set of noise experiments carried out in semi-insulating CdZnTe detectors.

Effects of Nb doping on the TiO2 anatase-to-rutile phase transition

We study the influence of Nb doping on the TiO2 anatase-to-rutile phase transition, using combined transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction and selected area electron diffraction analysis. This approach enabled anatase-to-rutile phase transition hindering to be clearly observed for low Nb-doped TiO2 samples. Moreover, there was clear grain growth inhibition in the samples containing Nb. The use of high resolution transmission electron microscopy with our samples provides an innovative perspective compared with previous research on this issue. Our analysis shows that niobium is segregated from the anatase structure before and during the phase transformation, leading to the formation of NbO nanoclusters on the surface of the TiO2 rutile nanoparticles.

Ambient seismic noise monitoring of a clay landslide: Toward failure prediction

Given that clay-rich landslides may become mobilized, leading to rapid mass movements (earthflows and debris flows), they pose critical problems in risk management worldwide. The most widely proposed mechanism leading to such flow-like movements is the increase in water pore pressure in the sliding mass, generating partial or complete liquefaction. This solid-to-liquid transition results in a dramatic reduction of mechanical rigidity in the liquefied zones, which could be detected by monitoring shear wave velocity variations. With this purpose in mind, the ambient seismic noise correlation technique has been applied to measure the variation in the seismic surface wave velocity in the Pont Bourquin landslide (Swiss Alps). This small but active composite earthslide-earthflow was equipped with continuously recording seismic sensors during spring and summer 2010. An earthslide of a few thousand cubic meters was triggered in mid-August 2010, after a rainy period. This article shows that the seismic velocity of the sliding material, measured from daily noise correlograms, decreased continuously and rapidly for several days prior to the catastrophic event. From a spectral analysis of the velocity decrease, it was possible to determine the location of the change at the base of the sliding layer. These results demonstrate that ambient seismic noise can be used to detect rigidity variations before failure and could potentially be used to predict landslides.