scholarly journals 4.1 Meteors and Interplanetary Dust

1976 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 359-372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter M. Millman

AbstractThe contribution of meteor observations to our knowledge of meteoroids and interplanetary dust is reviewed under four headings – flux, mass distribution, physical structure and chemical composition. For lower limits of particle mass ranging from 1 g to 10−5 g the mean cumulative flux into the earth’s atmosphere varies from 2 × 10−15 to 6 × 10−9 particles m−2 s−1 (2Πster)−1, and the mean size distribution of these particles is given by log N = C – 1.3 log M, where N is the cumulative number of particles counted down to a lower mass limit M, and C is a constant. The physical structure of meteoroids in the above range is essentially fragile, with generally low mean bulk densities that tend to increase with decrease in mass. A minor fraction, about 10 or 15 per cent, with orbits lying inside that of Jupiter, have densities several times the average densities, approaching those of the carbonaceous chondrites. The mean chemical composition of meteoroids seems to be similar to the bronzite chondrites for the elements heavier than number 10, but with the probable addition of extra quantities of the light volatiles H, C and O.

1971 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 377-388
Author(s):  
Martha S. Hanner

The interplanetary dust may be composed of cometary material, interstellar grains, debris from asteroidal collisions, primordial material formed by direct condensation, or contributions from all of these sources. Before we can determine the origin of the dust, we need to know its physical nature, spatial distribution, and the dynamical forces that act on the particles. The spatial distribution and dynamics are separately treated in this symposium by Roosen. We discuss here the physical characteristics of the dust particles: their size distribution, chemical composition, physical structure, and optical properties.


2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 1071-1079 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Hutnik ◽  
Anna Stanclik ◽  
Krzysztof Piotrowski ◽  
Andrzej Matynia

AbstractPhosphate(V) ions were recovered from wastewaters of different chemical compositions in a continuous reaction crystallization of struvite. Two real wastewaters were represented by an effluent sample from the phosphorus mineral fertilizer industry and by liquid manure derived from a cattle-breeding farm. Two other wastewaters were prepared under laboratory conditions. Impurities present in the wastewaters caused the precipitation of solid products of distinctly different quality. The mean size of struvite crystals varied from ca. 18 to ca. 40 μm. Homogeneity within their populations, quantified by the coefficient of variation CV, varied from satisfactory (CV ca. 75%) to unfavorable (CV ca. 100%), which resulted in the elongation of necessary filtration time. Calcium ions in wastewater precipitated as amorphous hydrated calcium phosphates ACP. Their content in the products varied from 33.4 up to 73.1 mass %. Also 28.32 – 32.74 mass % of P2O5, 6.35 – 14.12 mass % of MgO and 4.35 – 16.94 mass % of CaO were confirmed in the products, together with hydroxides of some metals and salts of other impurities. Based on the chemical composition of the products derived from the investigated wastewaters, their application in agriculture as valuable mineral fertilizers is recommended.


1980 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 777-782 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milan Šolc

The establishment of chemical equilibrium in a system with a reversible first order reaction is characterized in terms of the distribution of first passage times for the state of exact chemical equilibrium. The mean first passage time of this state is a linear function of the logarithm of the total number of particles in the system. The equilibrium fluctuations of composition in the system are characterized by the distribution of the recurrence times for the state of exact chemical equilibrium. The mean recurrence time is inversely proportional to the square root of the total number of particles in the system.


1994 ◽  
Vol 59 (6) ◽  
pp. 1301-1304
Author(s):  
Jaroslav Nývlt ◽  
Stanislav Žáček

Lead iodide was precipitated by a procedure in which an aqueous solution of potassium iodide at a concentration of 0.03, 0.10 or 0.20 mol l-1 was stirred while an aqueous solution of lead nitrate at one-half concentration was added at a constant rate. The mean size of the PbI2 crystals was determined by evaluating the particle size distribution, which was measured sedimentometrically. The dependence of the mean crystal size on the duration of the experiment exhibited a minimum for any of the concentrations applied. The reason for this is discussed.


2021 ◽  
pp. 112067212110057
Author(s):  
Pierre Gascon ◽  
Prithvi Ramtohul ◽  
Charles Delaporte ◽  
Sébastien Kerever ◽  
Danièle Denis ◽  
...  

Purpose: To report the visual and anatomic outcomes in treatment-naïve neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) patients treated with aflibercept under a standardized Treat and Extend (T&E) protocol for up to 3 years of follow-up in “real-life” practice. Methods: This retrospective, observational, multicenter study included patients with treatment-naïve nAMD and at least 12 months of follow-up. T&E regimen adjustment was initiated after loading phase. At each visit best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and optical coherence tomography parameters were performed. Results: One hundred and thirty-six eyes of 115patients had at least 1 year of follow-up with 114 and 82 eyes completing at least 2 and 3 years of follow-up, respectively (mean follow-up duration: 2.7 ± 1.3 years). Mean age was 78.6 ± 8.6 years old and 52% were women. Mean BCVA increased from 60.6 ± 18.7 letters at diagnosis to 66.9 ± 16.2 letters at 1 year (+6.3 letters, p = 0.003) and remained stable throughout the follow-up period (63.1 ± 20.3 letters (+2.5, p = 0.1) and 64.0 ± 20.1 letters (+3.4, p = 0.27) at 2 and 3 years, respectively). The mean central retinal thickness decreased significantly from 358.2 ± 87.9 µm at baseline to 302 ± 71.7 µm at 12 months and maintained stable after 36 months of follow-up (297.1 ± 76 µm, p < 0.0001). Mean number of injections was 6.6 ± 2.2, 4.8 ± 1.9, and 5.6 ± 1.7 at 1, 2, and 3 years, respectively. Mean cumulative number of 16.4 ± 5.6 injections after 3 years. Mean treatment interval was 6.8 ± 2.5 weeks at 1 year. Eight-week and 12-week treatment interval were achieved in 59.5% and 19.1%, 65.8%, and 36.8% and 69.5% and 41.5% at 1, 2, and 3 years, respectively. Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that intravitreal injections of aflibercept initiated under a standardized T&E for patients with treatment-naïve nAMD allow for significant visual improvement at 12 months, which was maintained over a 3-year follow-up period.


Proceedings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 100
Author(s):  
Minerva C. García-Vargas ◽  
María del Mar Contreras ◽  
Irene Gómez-Cruz ◽  
Juan Miguel Romero-García ◽  
Eulogio Castro

Avocado has become fashionable due to its great organoleptic and nutritional properties. It is consumed as a fresh product and it is also processed to obtain salad oil and guacamole. In all cases, the only usable portion is the pulp. Therefore, to be a more sustainable and profitable agribusiness, it is important to recognize which compounds from the peel and the stone waste can be converted into valuable bio-products. Therefore, their chemical composition was determined according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the total phenolic content by the Folin-Ciocalteu method and the antioxidant properties by the FRAP and TEAC assays. The main components of the peel and stone were acid-insoluble lignin (35.0% and 15.3%, respectively), polymeric sugars (23.6% and 43.9%, respectively), and the aqueous extractives (15.5% and 16.9%, respectively). Both biomasses contain lipids and protein, but a minor proportion (<6%). The valorization of lignin and sugars is of interest given the high content; stones are a rich source of glucose (93.2% of the polymeric fraction), which could be used to obtain biofuels or derivatives of interest. The extractive fraction of the peel contained the highest number of phenolic compounds (4.7 g/100 g biomass), mainly concentrated in the aqueous fraction (i.e., 87%) compared to the ethanol one, which was subsequently extracted. It correlated with major antioxidant activity and, therefore, the peel can be applied to obtain antioxidants and water can be used as an environmentally friendly extraction solvent.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis Kupitz ◽  
Heiko Wissel ◽  
Jan Wuestemann ◽  
Stephanie Bluemel ◽  
Maciej Pech ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The introduction of hybrid SPECT/CT devices enables quantitative imaging in SPECT, providing a methodological setup for quantitation using SPECT tracers comparable to PET/CT. We evaluated a specific quantitative reconstruction algorithm for SPECT data using a 99mTc-filled NEMA phantom. Quantitative and qualitative image parameters were evaluated for different parametrizations of the acquisition and reconstruction protocol to identify an optimized quantitative protocol. Results The reconstructed activity concentration (ACrec) and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of all examined protocols (n = 16) were significantly affected by the parametrization of the weighting factor k used in scatter correction, the total number of iterations and the sphere volume (all, p < 0.0001). The two examined SPECT acquisition protocols (with 60 or 120 projections) had a minor impact on the ACrec and no significant impact on the SNR. In comparison to the known AC, the use of default scatter correction (k = 0.47) or object-specific scatter correction (k = 0.18) resulted in an underestimation of ACrec in the largest sphere volume (26.5 ml) by − 13.9 kBq/ml (− 16.3%) and − 7.1 kBq/ml (− 8.4%), respectively. An increase in total iterations leads to an increase in estimated AC and a decrease in SNR. The mean difference between ACrec and known AC decreased with an increasing number of total iterations (e.g., for 20 iterations (2 iterations/10 subsets) = − 14.6 kBq/ml (− 17.1%), 240 iterations (24i/10s) = − 8.0 kBq/ml (− 9.4%), p < 0.0001). In parallel, the mean SNR decreased significantly from 2i/10s to 24i/10s by 76% (p < 0.0001). Conclusion Quantitative SPECT imaging is feasible with the used reconstruction algorithm and hybrid SPECT/CT, and its consistent implementation in diagnostics may provide perspectives for quantification in routine clinical practice (e.g., assessment of bone metabolism). When combining quantitative analysis and diagnostic imaging, we recommend using two different reconstruction protocols with task-specific optimized setups (quantitative vs. qualitative reconstruction). Furthermore, individual scatter correction significantly improves both quantitative and qualitative results.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Pouryousef ◽  
Erfan Eslami ◽  
Sepehr Shahriarirad ◽  
Sina Zoghi ◽  
Mehdi Emami ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives The current study aimed to evaluate the effects of Ficus carica latex on the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), induced by Leishmania major. A 5% topical gel with F. carica latex was prepared. BALB/c mice were infected by inoculation of amastigotes form of L. major. Thirty BALB/c mice were divided into five groups, where the first group was treated daily, the second group twice per day, and the third group every other day with the 5% topical gel, for 3 weeks. The sizes of the lesions were measured before and during the course of treatment. Results Although the mean size of lesions in the mice group treated with the 5% F. carica gel, especially in the group receiving daily treatment, was less than the mean size of the lesions in the control group, yet, the differences was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The findings of the current study demonstrated that the 5% F. carica latex with a 3-week course of treatment had no considerable effect in recovery or control of CL induced by L. major in the murine model. Using higher concentration of F. carica latex and with longer treatment lengths may increase its efficacy in the treatment of CL.


Author(s):  
Phan Thành Nam ◽  
Marcin Napiórkowski

AbstractWe consider the homogeneous Bose gas on a unit torus in the mean-field regime when the interaction strength is proportional to the inverse of the particle number. In the limit when the number of particles becomes large, we derive a two-term expansion of the one-body density matrix of the ground state. The proof is based on a cubic correction to Bogoliubov’s approximation of the ground state energy and the ground state.


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