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Slow Response (slow + response)
Selected AbstractsAluminum(III) Porphyrins as Ionophores for Fluoride Selective Polymeric Membrane ElectrodesELECTROANALYSIS, Issue 6 2006Jeremy Abstract Aluminum(III) porphyrins are examined as potential fluoride selective ionophores in polymeric membrane type ion-selective electrodes. Membranes formulated with Al(III) tetraphenyl (TPP) or octaethyl (OEP) porphyrins are shown to exhibit enhanced potentiometric selectivity for fluoride over more lipophilic anions, including perchlorate and thiocyanate. However, such membrane electrodes display undesirable super-Nernstian behavior, with concomitant slow response and recovery times. By employing a sterically hindered Al(III) picket fence porphyrin (PFP) complex as the membrane active species, fully reversible and Nernstian response toward fluoride is achieved. This finding suggests that the super-Nernstian behavior observed with the nonpicket fence metalloporphyrins is due to the formation of aggregate porphyrin species (likely dimers) within the membrane phase. The steric hindrance of the PFP ligand structure eliminates such chemistry, thus leading to theoretical response slopes toward fluoride. Addition of lipophilic anionic sites into the organic membranes enhances response and selectivity, indicating that the Al(III) porphyrin ionophores function as charged carrier type ionophores. Optimized membranes formulated with Al(III)-PFP in an o -nitrophenyloctyl ether plasticized PVC film exhibit fast response to fluoride down to 40,,M, with very high selectivity over SCN,, ClO4,, Cl,, Br, and NO3, (kpot<10,3 for all anions tested). With further refinements in the membrane chemistry, it is anticipated that Al(III) porphyrin-based membrane electrodes can exhibit potentiometric fluoride response and selectivity that approaches that of the classical solid-state LaF3 crystal-based fluoride sensor. [source] A simulated reduction in Antarctic sea-ice area since 1750: implications of the long memory of the oceanINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY, Issue 5 2005Hugues Goosse Abstract Using the three-dimensional coarse-resolution climate model ECBILT-CLIO, 1000-year long ensemble simulations with natural and anthropogenic forcings have been performed to study the long-term variation of the ice cover in the Southern Ocean. Over the last 250 years, the ice area has decreased by about 1 × 106 km2 in its annual mean. A comparison with experiments driven by only natural forcings suggests that this reduction is due to both natural and anthropogenic forcing, the latter playing a larger role than natural forcing over the last 150 years. Despite this contribution from anthropogenic forcing, the simulated ice area at the end of the 20th century is similar to that simulated during the 14th century because of the slow response of the Southern Ocean to radiative forcing. Sensitivity experiments performed with the model show that the model's initial conditions have a large influence on the simulated ice cover and that it is necessary to start simulations at least two centuries before the period of interest in order to remove this influence. Copyright © 2005 Royal Meteorological Society. [source] Extinction debt in fragmented grasslands: paid or not?JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE, Issue 1 2009Sara A.O. Cousins Abstract Fragmentation of grasslands and forests is considered a major threat to biodiversity. In the case of plants, the effect of fragmentation or landscape context is still unclear and published results are divergent. One explanation for this divergence is the slow response of long-lived plants, creating an extinction debt. However, this has not been empirically confirmed. In this study, data were compiled from broad-scale studies of grasslands from throughout the world that relate plant diversity to fragmentation effects. Only seven studies from northern Europe, out of a total 61, gave any information on actual habitat fragmentation in time and space. In landscapes with >10% grassland remaining, present-day species richness was related to past landscape or habitat pattern. In landscapes with <10% grassland remaining, in contrast, plant species richness was more related to contemporary landscape or habitat pattern. Studies from landscapes with >10% grassland remaining supported the concept of an extinction debt, while studies from more fragmented landscapes did not provide any evidence of an extinction debt. In order to make generalisations about historical legacies on species diversity in grasslands it is important to consider a range of highly transformed landscapes, and not only landscapes with a high amount of grassland remaining. [source] Characterisation of Diesel Engine Cylinder Liner Deposits by Surface MeasurementsLUBRICATION SCIENCE, Issue 3 2004Øyvind Buhaug Abstract This paper briefly reviews cylinder liner deposits and describes their effect on lubricating oil consumption and surface topography. Cylinder liner deposits may be invisible to the naked eye, but can be identified by surface topography measurement. A simulation of a cylinder liner with deposits is used to identify which of the available surface characteristics is best suited as a measure of deposit severity. Surface measurements are used to detect deposits in a case study. The deposits are found to be concentrated in a belt around the mid-stroke region of the cylinder liner. The comparatively low position of the deposit may explain the slow response of a fuel additive treatment in restoring oil consumption control, as the additive treatment in this case is seen to be most effective in the uppermost part of the cylinder liner. [source] Thermal control system for thick composite laminates based on forecastingPOLYMER COMPOSITES, Issue 1 2004Daniel D. Shin A forecast-based thermal control system was developed to cure thick composite laminates that produced large exothermic reactions. The system used process simulation models for heat transfer and compaction to predict future cure conditions at a designated forecast time so that the system can respond to avoid approaching adverse conditions. The thermal control system derived cure cycles that eliminated exotherms and maintained uniform through-the-thickness temperature gradient for 3-cm thick AS4/35016 laminates. The on-line results indicated that cure cycles were slightly different from off-line simulation results, mainly because of the slow response of the hot press. Nevertheless the system was able to satisfy the cure criteria under such unforeseen circumstances, which demonstrated the flexibility of the forecasting method. [source] Estimating the Lagging Error in Real Estate Price IndicesREAL ESTATE ECONOMICS, Issue 1 2003Yuming Fu Real estate indices based on appraisals or sale prices of properties are known for their slow response to market news. These indices can therefore be represented (in logarithm) as the sum of a latent "true" price index and a lagging error. We show that the latent appreciation return and the lagging error can be jointly estimated in a state,space model, which has two key features. First, it employs exogenous variables known to predict asset returns to predict the latent appreciation return. Second, it incorporates known sources of the lagging error, such as the partial adjustment in observed index to the latent appreciation return and the seasonality in reappraisal quality. We find that, after the estimated lagging errors are removed, the appraisal,based National Council of Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries returns become more informative and hence exhibit (i) greater variance, (ii) weaker auto correlation, (iii) higher correlation with the returns of the securitized real estate and (iv) more timely response to market news. [source] Estuarine eutrophication in the UK: current incidence and future trendsAQUATIC CONSERVATION: MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS, Issue 1 2009Gerald Maier Abstract 1.Increased inputs of nutrients to estuaries can lead to undesirable effects associated with eutrophication, including algal blooms, changes in species composition and bottom anoxia. Several estuaries and coastal areas around the UK have increased nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations, elevated concentrations of chlorophyll a and changes in algal community composition and abundance. This paper reviews the pressures that lead to high nutrient concentrations in estuaries and considers the likely effectiveness of current and proposed regulatory actions. 2.The main sources of nutrients to estuaries are river runoff, sewage discharges, atmospheric inputs and possibly submarine groundwater discharges, although little is known about the latter. Significant reductions in N and P inputs have been realized following application of the EU's Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive. Atmospheric NOx and NHx emissions have also decreased and are expected to decrease further in the next decade as implementation of existing legislation continues, and new controls are introduced for activities such as shipping. 3.Agricultural inputs reach estuaries principally through diffuse sources, either in surface water (and in some areas possibly groundwater) or, for N, via the atmosphere. Over 10 years ago the Nitrates Directive was introduced to tackle the problem of N discharges from agriculture but little change in N loads to estuaries has been recorded. 4.To meet the aims of the EU Water Framework Directive, for at least ,good' ecological status, more rigorous application and implementation of the Nitrates Directive, together with changes in the Common Agriculture Policy and farming practice are likely to be needed. Even then, the slow response of the natural environment to change and the inherent variability of estuaries means that their responses may not be as predicted. Research is needed into the relationship between policy drivers and environmental responses to ensure actions taken will achieve the planned results. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Manually controlled human balancing using visual, vestibular and proprioceptive senses involves a common, low frequency neural processTHE JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 1 2006Martin Lakie Ten subjects balanced their own body or a mechanically equivalent unstable inverted pendulum by hand, through a compliant spring linkage. Their balancing process was always characterized by repeated small reciprocating hand movements. These bias adjustments were an observable sign of intermittent alterations in neural output. On average, the adjustments occurred at intervals of ,400 ms. To generate appropriate stabilizing bias adjustments, sensory information about body or load movement is needed. Subjects used visual, vestibular or proprioceptive sensation alone and in combination to perform the tasks. We first ask, is the time between adjustments (bias duration) sensory specific? Vision is associated with slow responses. Other senses involved with balance are known to be faster. Our second question is; does bias duration depend on sensory abundance? An appropriate bias adjustment cannot occur until unplanned motion is unambiguously perceived (a sensory threshold). The addition of more sensory data should therefore expedite action, decreasing the mean bias adjustment duration. Statistical analysis showed that (1) the mean bias adjustment duration was remarkably independent of the sensory modality and (2) the addition of one or two sensory modalities made a small, but significant, decrease in the mean bias adjustment duration. Thus, a threshold effect can alter only a very minor part of the bias duration. The bias adjustment duration in manual balancing must reflect something more than visual sensation and perceptual thresholds; our suggestion is that it is a common central motor planning process. We predict that similar processes may be identified in the control of standing. [source] | |||||||||||||