Particulate Surface Research Articles

Origin of suspended matter and sediment inferred from the residual metal fraction: Application to the Marennes Oleron Bay, France

Total and HCl-available (extracted by HCl 1M) trace metal (V, Cu, As, Cd, Pb and Th) concentrations were measured in suspended particulate matter (SPM) and surface sediments from the Garonne and the Charente Rivers (Southwest France), from their respective estuaries and from the adjacent coastal zone including the Marennes Oleron Bay. The objectives were to explore the potential of trace element signatures in the residual (non-reactive) fraction to trace the origin of particles, i.e. major contaminant carriers, in complex coastal systems. The observation period covered 12 months and a wide range of hydrological conditions.Selective extractions (HCl 1M) showed that Pb, Cd and Cu in SPM and surface sediments from the entire system, including freshwater and marine environments, were highly reactive with potentially available fractions representing 64±13%, 60±18% and 43±13%, of the respective total metal concentrations. In contrast, V, As and Th showed low reactivity, with potentially available fractions lower than 19±7%, 11±3%, and 1.6±0.9%, respectively. Two combinations of Th-normalised (i.e. grain size corrected) metal concentrations in the residual fraction (Vres+Asres)/Thres and (Cdres+Cures+Pbres)/Thres represented two distinct signatures corresponding to the Charente and Garonne River endmembers. The respective Mres signals showed that both SPM and surface sediments sampled in the Marennes Oleron Bay mainly (>54%) originated from the Gironde Estuary watershed. Furthermore, SPM from the tidal ranges of the Charente Estuary contained close to 100% of particles from the Gironde watershed. These results, together with SPM flux estimates for the Charente River, suggest that particle transport from the Gironde Estuary to the Marennes Oleron Bay accounts for 81,000ta−1–435,000ta−1, representing 5–29% of the total SPM expulsed by the Gironde Estuary. Application of this novel approach to determine SPM and sediment origin to other aquatic environments may require adapting the choice and association of residual metal concentrations.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in the surface sediments and suspended particulate matter (SPM) from Lake Chaohu, a large shallow Chinese lake

Suspended particulate matter (SPM) and surface sediment samples were collected from Lake Chaohu to investigate the residues, congener profile, and spatial distribution of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in a large shadow lake in the middle of the Yangtze River Basin. The concentration of Σ13BDEs (defined as the sum of 13 target congeners excluding BDE 209) and the concentration of BDE 209 ranged from 236.7 to 1373.4pg/g dry weight (dw) and from 4.2 to 691.2pg/g dw in the surface sediments, respectively, which were 2–3 orders of magnitude smaller than those found in the SPM. The congener composition was dominated by BDE 47 (50.8%) and BDE 209 (21.3%) in the sediment, while the proportion of BDE 47 to Σ14BDEs in the SPM was slightly higher than that in the sediment. The concentration of Σ14BDEs in the sediment from the drinking water source (WR) area in the eastern part of the lake was very low, with a mean value of 514.8pg/g, whereas the mean concentration was 102.4ng/g in the SPM. A cluster analysis (CA) was conducted to further illustrate the dominance of each congener and the similarity of each sampling site. Many factors, including resuspension, photodecomposition, microbial oxidation, local discharge, and dredging, influenced the distribution in the sediment and SPM for the PBDE congeners as well as the spatial distribution of PBDEs. A formula for the PBDE concentrations in the surface sediment and SPM was constructed to understand the potential relationship between sediment and SPM concentrations. Although the formula did not accurately predict specific PBDE congener concentrations in the sediment, it remains a practical and useful way to assess the overall pollution of PBDE in sediment in Lake Chaohu, as it depends only on the concentrations of PBDEs in the SPM.

Polarization of Saturn’s moon Iapetus

Context. Like many other atmosphereless solar system bodies, Iapetus exhibits a phenomenon of negative polarization at small phase angles, which can be modeled using theoretical approaches that consider interaction of light with a complex medium.Aims. To retrieve information on the nature of Iapetus’ surface material, we carried out theoretical modeling analyses for the observed polarization of its two sides.Methods. We applied two light-scattering models. The first modeling approach is based on the utilization of the phenomenological single-particle scattering matrix parametrization using the double Henyey-Greenstein (2HG) scattering phase function to characterize the resulting multiple scattering by a medium composed of such discrete scatterers. With this approach we carried out radiative-transfer coherent-backscattering (RT-CB) computations for a random medium composed of phenomenological fundamental scatterers. The second model, called the multiple sphere T -matrix method, is based on the exact solutions of the Maxwell equations. Employing this method, we carried out simulations of the scattering and absorption properties of light by a medium represented by a spherical volume of randomly positioned monodisperse particles. The modeling entails physical characteristics of the particulate surface, such as the porosity of the medium; the number of constituent particles; the size, and optical properties of the scatterers. Results. While our RT-CB model suggests geometric albedo values in the neighborhood of 0.40 for Iapetus’ trailing side and ~0.10 for the leading one, our T -matrix model retrieves particles of radius ~0.10 ≤ r ≤ 0.20 μ m for both Iapetus’ leading and trailing surface materials.

Experimental characterization and numerical modeling of a micro-syringe deposition system for dispensing sacrificial photopolymers on particulate ceramic substrates

This work addresses the characterization of a UV-based micro-syringe deposition (μSD) system utilized in the micro-dispensing of photopolymers on particulate ceramic substrates. This methodology is used in embedding functionally graded and interconnected micro-features within constructs produced by a novel combined powder-based additive manufacturing (AM) and UV-based micro-syringe deposition (μSD) technique. The process is experimentally characterized using SEM and optical microscopy to study the effect of a wide range of process parameters on the geometrical quality of deposited tracks. Experimental data show that the system can produce features ranging from 200 to 575μm in width and from 20 to 200μm in height on particulate ceramic surfaces. To gain insight into the proposed micro-deposition process, a two-tier model is also developed. The first framework describes an analytical model for predicting the flow rate of the dispensed photopolymer fluid based on the piston displacement. The second model is a stochastic framework for predicting the line width of the features deposited on the substrate using a Monte Carlo probabilistic simulation to compensate for uncertainty in the system input parameters. A comparison between experimental and modeling line width predictions shows that the modeling results are 14–38% higher than the experimental results, depending on the system input variables. The proposed model is enhanced by introducing adjustment factors to compensate for UV exposure delay, fluid migration, and imbibition.

Seasonal variations in leaf capturing of particulate matter, surface wettability and micromorphology in urban tree species

The seasonal changes in leaf particulate matter (PM) accumulation, surface wettability and micromorphology in urban tree species, including Sophora japonica (S. japonica), Platanus acerifolia (P. acerifolia) and Cedrus deodara (C. deodara), were studied during a single growing season. The three species showed distinct seasonal trends in PM accumulation, increasing from spring to autumn (or winter) even during the rainy season, but at different rates. During the study, the leaf PM retention amount of P. acerifolia, a species with ridged leaf surfaces, was significantly higher than that of S. japonica and C. deodara, species with waxy leaf surfaces. The contact angles of water droplets on leaves decreased with leaf age except on the abaxial surface of S. japonica, which remained non-wettable or highly non-wettable throughout the growing season; the decrease in the contact angle on adaxial surface of S. japonica was greater when compared with P. acerifolia and C. deodara. A significant and negative relationship existed between leaf PM retention amounts and contact angles on adaxial surface of leaves of all three species. The increase in wettability, probably caused when epicuticular wax was destroyed by mechanical and chemical abrasion, seemed to be the main factor leading to seasonal variations in leaf PM accumulation.

The effect of particulate dissolution on the neodymium (Nd) isotope and Rare Earth Element (REE) composition of seawater

The exchange of material between particulates and seawater along the continental margins, a process commonly referred to as boundary exchange, is thought to play a significant role in controlling the neodymium (Nd) isotope and Rare Earth Element (REE) composition of the oceans. This study provides experimental verification of this concept by quantifying the effect of particulate dissolution in seawater on dissolved εNd and REE compositions. Three closed-system experiments were performed using basaltic particulate material of riverine, estuarine and marine origin. The release of Nd from this basaltic material increased the εNd composition of seawater in all three experiments, with a εNd value close to that of the associated sediment being achieved within 80 days in all experiments. Mass balance indicates that up to 0.4% of Nd from the particulate phase was released to the seawater over the duration of these experiments, and that the rate of release varied according to particulate origin and surface area. Progressive variations in the PAAS normalised REE patterns, as well as the Eu and Ce anomalies and La/Yb ratio, demonstrate that REEs were also transferred from the basaltic particulates to seawater during the experiments. Despite evidence for the release of REEs from the particulate material, dissolved REE abundances decreased during the experiments, and are thought to reflect incorporation into the REE-phosphate mineral rhabdophane. Together these experimental results confirm that elemental release from basaltic sediments on the ocean margins is a significant marine flux that can have a major control on the composition of seawater.

Particle size effects on the reflectance and negative polarization of light backscattered from natural surface particulate medium: Soil and sand

Many remote sensing applications rely on the knowledge of light scattering by particulate surface. We present results of photometric and polarimetric laboratory measurements of natural particulate surface at a scattering angle range from 140° to 172° in the principal plane. Fifteen samples with different particle size, which is much larger than the wavelength of incident radiation, have been measured in visible and near infrared (350–2500nm). Each sample displays the prominent phenomena of both opposition surge and negative polarized branch. We can find that the particulate surfaces with small radius show brighter reflectance than those of large radius. For overall samples, the absolute values of negative polarized branch increase with an increase in particle size. Simultaneously, there is a particular case that the particle-size dependence of the negative polarization becomes more obvious for low reflectance particulate surface than for high reflectance particulate surface. The differences in the spectral behavior of degree of polarization of particle surface are found. These results are useful to better understand the scattering property of surface layer with large particles.

Physicochemical Characterization of Airborne Particulate Matter at a Mainline Underground Railway Station

Underground railway stations are known to have elevated particulate matter (PM) loads compared to ambient air. As these particles are derived from metal-rich sources and transition metals may pose a risk to health by virtue of their ability to catalyze generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), their potential enrichment in underground environments is a source of concern. Compared to coarse (PM10) and fine (PM2.5) particulate fractions of underground railway airborne PM, little is known about the chemistry of the ultrafine (PM0.1) fraction that may contribute significantly to particulate number and surface area concentrations. This study uses inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and ion chromatography to compare the elemental composition of size-fractionated underground PM with woodstove, roadwear generator, and road tunnel PM. Underground PM is notably rich in Fe, accounting for greater than 40% by mass of each fraction, and several other transition metals (Cu, Cr, Mn, and Zn) compared to PM from other sources. Importantly, ultrafine underground PM shows similar metal-rich concentrations as the coarse and fine fractions. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that a component of the coarse fraction of underground PM has a morphology indicative of generation by abrasion, absent for fine and ultrafine particulates, which may be derived from high-temperature processes. Furthermore, underground PM generated ROS in a concentration- and size-dependent manner. This study suggests that the potential health effects of exposure to the ultrafine fraction of underground PM warrant further investigation as a consequence of its greater surface area/volume ratio and high metal content.

Carbon sources in suspended particles and surface sediments from the Beaufort Sea revealed by molecular lipid biomarkers and compound-specific isotope analysis

Abstract. Molecular lipid biomarkers (hydrocarbons, alcohols, sterols and fatty acids) and compound-specific isotope analysis of suspended particulate organic matter (SPM) and surface sediments of the Mackenzie Shelf and slope (southeast Beaufort Sea, Arctic Ocean) were studied in summer 2009. The concentrations of the molecular lipid markers, characteristic of known organic matter sources, were grouped and used as proxies to evaluate the relative importance of fresh algal, detrital algal, fossil, C3 terrestrial plants, bacterial and zooplankton material in the organic matter (OM) of this area. Fossil and detrital algal contributions were the major fractions of the freshwater SPM from the Mackenzie River with ~34% each of the total molecular biomarkers. Fresh algal, C3 terrestrial, bacterial and zooplanktonic components represented much lower percentages, 17, 10, 4 and <1%, respectively. In marine SPM from the Mackenzie slope, the major contributions were fresh and detrital algal components (>80%), with a minor contribution of fossil and C3 terrestrial biomarkers. Characterization of the sediments revealed a major sink of refractory algal material mixed with some fresh algal material, fossil hydrocarbons and a small input of C3 terrestrial sources. In particular, the sediments from the shelf and at the mouth of the Amundsen Gulf presented the highest contribution of detrital algal material (60–75%), whereas those from the slope contained the highest proportion of fossil (40%) and C3 terrestrial plant material (10%). Overall, considering that the detrital algal material is marine derived, autochthonous sources contributed more than allochthonous sources to the OM lipid pool. Using the ratio of an allochthonous biomarker (normalized to total organic carbon, TOC) found in the sediments to those measured at the river mouth water, we estimated that the fraction of terrestrial material preserved in the sediments accounted for 30–40% of the total carbon in the inner shelf sediments, 17% in the outer shelf and Amundsen Gulf and up to 25% in the slope sediments. These estimates are low compared to other studies conducted 5–20 yr earlier, and they support the increase in primary production during the last decade mainly because of the increase in the number of ice-free days and due to the strength and persistence of winds favouring upwelling.

Improved Lactose Powder Properties by In-situ Coating with Additives during Spray Drying

 Abstract—The ability of different additives to enrich on the droplet surface during spray drying of aqueous lactose solutions was investigated. The goal of this study was to find an additive coating that increases spray-dryer yield, improves powder flow and prevents caking due to lactose crystallization during storage. The additives tested were Nacaseinate (NaCas), gelatin, lecithin, anhydrous milk fat (AMF) and hydroxylpropyl methylcellulose (HPMC). The aqueous lactose solutions had 10 weight% solids content with a lactose-to-additive dry weight ratio of 9:1. All additives enrich significantly on the droplet surface at the expense of lactose during spray drying. Every additive except AMF enhances the glass transition temperature at the particulate surface and therefore reduces particle stickiness, as demonstrated by improved powder flow and/or product yield compared with the pure lactose powder. Low product yield for HPMC-containing lactose powder can be explained by its low bulk density, which reduces the separation efficiency of the cyclone. Poor powder flow for lecithin-containing lactose powder can be explained by its agglomerated nature. AMF is not suitable as an additive due to a low product yield and poor powder flow, a result of stickiness due to the low melting point of fat. None of the additives improve the wetting time of lactose powder, since lactose is already highly hydrophilic, and most of the additives tend to make the particle surface more hydrophobic. NaCas and HPMC are the most promising additives with regards to improving powder flow. NaCas results in a higher product yield than HPMC, but HPMC is the only additive that provides a protective coating for lactose capable of preventing the formation of a hard brittle cake upon lactose crystallization during storage at ambient room conditions.

A water activity based model of heterogeneous ice nucleation kinetics for freezing of water and aqueous solution droplets

Immersion freezing of water and aqueous solutions by particles acting as ice nuclei (IN) is a common process of heterogeneous ice nucleation which occurs in many environments, especially in the atmosphere where it results in the glaciation of clouds. Here we experimentally show, using a variety of IN types suspended in various aqueous solutions, that immersion freezing temperatures and kinetics can be described solely by temperature, T, and solution water activity, a(w), which is the ratio of the vapour pressure of the solution and the saturation water vapour pressure under the same conditions and, in equilibrium, equivalent to relative humidity (RH). This allows the freezing point and corresponding heterogeneous ice nucleation rate coefficient, J(het), to be uniquely expressed by T and a(w), a result we term the a(w) based immersion freezing model (ABIFM). This method is independent of the nature of the solute and accounts for several varying parameters, including cooling rate and IN surface area, while providing a holistic description of immersion freezing and allowing prediction of freezing temperatures, J(het), frozen fractions, ice particle production rates and numbers. Our findings are based on experimental freezing data collected for various IN surface areas, A, and cooling rates, r, of droplets variously containing marine biogenic material, two soil humic acids, four mineral dusts, and one organic monolayer acting as IN. For all investigated IN types we demonstrate that droplet freezing temperatures increase as A increases. Similarly, droplet freezing temperatures increase as the cooling rate decreases. The log10(J(het)) values for the various IN types derived exclusively by Tand a(w), provide a complete description of the heterogeneous ice nucleation kinetics. Thus, the ABIFM can be applied over the entire range of T, RH, total particulate surface area, and cloud activation timescales typical of atmospheric conditions. Lastly, we demonstrate that ABIFM can be used to derive frozen fractions of droplets and ice particle production for atmospheric models of cirrus and mixed phase cloud conditions.

Electrostatic Removal of Loose Particulate Surface Contamination from Historical Photographs / Elektrostatische Abnahme lose aufliegender partikulärer Verunreinigungen von historischen Photographien / Dissolution électrostatique des particules libres contaminant la surface de photographies historiques

AbstractThis article discusses the use of electrostatic cleaning technology to remove loose particulate surface contamination - which here includes microbial contaminants such as spores, conidia and hyphal fragments - from two 19th century albumen photographs mounted on cardboard. The results of this study, obtained using light microscopy, SEM/EDX and microbiological methods, as well as conservators' visual evaluation, show that the technology is fundamentally suitable for removing microbial contamination from photographic prints and their cardboard mounts. Cleaning the surface four times with electrostatically charged foils reduced the microbial contamination by up to 70%. The surface of the albumen print, which is sensitive to abrasion, was not harmed, and its characteristic features were not changed. The photographs, which were partly delaminated from the cardboard support and the mechanically weakened cardboard, could be treated without creating any additional damage.

Assessing the ratio of archaeol to caldarchaeol as a salinity proxy in highland lakes on the northeastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau

The ratio of archaeol to caldarchaeol (the ACE index) has been proposed recently as an index for paleosalinity reconstruction and is based principally on archaeal core lipids (CLs) from coastal salt pans (Turich, C., Freeman, K.H., 2011. Archaeal lipids record paleosalinity in hypersaline systems. Organic Geochemistry 42, 1147–1157). We have examined possible relationships between salinity and ACE in both CLs and intact polar lipids (IPLs) from suspended particulate matter (SPM) and surface sediments of lakes and surrounding soils on the northeastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. Our results showed that ACE values were positively correlated with salinity in all samples; however, CL ACE values were systematically higher than IPL ACE values, probably due to different degradation kinetics of intact polar (IP) archaeol and IP caldarchaeol. On the other hand, surface sediment ACE values from both CLs and IPLs were lower than SPM ACE values, probably due to enhanced production of caldarchaeol relative to archaeol in the sediment. Our results demonstrate that the ACE proxy reflects changes in salinity in diverse environments on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau, which is promising for paleosalinity reconstruction; however, caution should be used when applying the salinity proxy before we have a better understanding of degradation kinetics of archaeal IPLs and in situ production of caldarchaeol and archaeol in sediments.

Social, economic, and resource predictors of variability in household air pollution from cookstove emissions.

We examine if social and economic factors, fuelwood availability, market and media access are associated with owning a modified stove and variation in household emissions from biomass combustion, a significant environmental and health concern in rural India. We analyze cross-sectional household socio-economic data, and PM2.5 and particulate surface area concentration in household emissions from cookstoves (n = 100). This data set combines household social and economic variables with particle emissions indexes associated with the household stove. The data are from the Foundation for Ecological Society, India, from a field study of household emissions. In our analysis, we find that less access to ready and free fuelwood and higher wealth are associated with owning a replacement/modified stove. We also find that additional kitchen ventilation is associated with a 12% reduction in particulate emissions concentration (p<0.05), after we account for the type of stove used. We did not find a significant association between replacement/modified stove on household emissions when controlling for additional ventilation. Higher wealth and education are associated with having additional ventilation. Social caste, market and media access did not have any effect on the presence of replacement or modified stoves or additional ventilation. While the data available to us does not allow an examination of direct health outcomes from emissions variations, adverse environmental and health impacts of toxic household emissions are well established elsewhere in the literature. The value of this study is in its further examination of the role of social and economic factors and available fuelwood from commons in type of stove use, and additional ventilation, and their effect on household emissions. These associations are important since the two direct routes to improving household air quality among the poor are stove type and better ventilation.

Phagocytic uptake and ROS‐mediated cytotoxicity in human hepatic cell line of amphiphilic polyphosphazene nanoparticles

The pH-responsive amphiphilic polyphosphazenes bearing N,N-diisopropylethylenediamine (DPA) have been proven to be promising nanovehicles for drug antitumor therapy. To further modify these amphiphilic polyphosphazenes with fluorescent labeling agent or other biochemical functional groups, serine methyl ester containing active chemical group NH(2) was chosen to be introduced to get a novel polymer [NP(PEG)(0.24) (DPA)(0.5)(SME)(1.26) (n) (PDS-NH(2) ). Considering the possible toxic effect of -NH(2) group, the biocompatibility in bloodstream and nanotoxicity on human normal hepatic L-02 cells was evaluated in this study. The polymer [NP(PEG)(0.24)(DPA)(0.5)(SME-BOC)(1.26)](n) (PDS-BOC) linked with tert-butyloxycarbonyl groups to protect and hide -NH(2) group was applied as the comparison. First, the bovine serum albumin (BSA) adsorption and phagocytic uptake behavior in human THP-1 macrophages were performed. The results suggested that only a minor percentage of the nanoparticles were involved in BSA binding and phagocytic uptake as the result of PEGylation on the particulate surface. To determine the nanotoxicity on human normal hepatic L-02 cells, we measured cell viability, apoptosis and necrosis, reactive oxygen species generation, the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, and the levels of the apoptotic signaling proteins in L-02 cells after the cells being exposed to nanoparticles of different concentrations (0.1, 0.2, and 0.5 mg/mL) for 24 h. Our data indicated that the two nanoparticles induced cytotoxicity in a dose-dependent manner; PDS-NH(2) caused more cytotoxicity than PDS-BOC as a result of -NH(2) exposure. The increased expression of caspase-3 and caspase-9 suggested that they triggered apoptosis through mitochondria-dependent pathways in L-02 cells.

The Deep Impact crater on 9P/Tempel-1 from Stardust-NExT

The Stardust-NExT (SdN) mission returned to Comet 9P/Tempel-1 and viewed the site of the Deep Impact (DI) collision just over one comet year later. Comparisons between pre-impact images from the ITS camera on the DI probe and SdN images reveal a 50m-diameter crater surrounded by a low rim about 180m in diameter. The removal of a small mound uprange (but offset from the trajectory) from the impact site can be related to changes in the evolution of ejecta. A narrow (6°) gap in the ejecta curtain downrange indicates that a ridge extending from the impact-facing scarp downrange interrupted the final stages of cratering in one small region. Together, these observations indicate that the DI excavation crater diameter was about 200m (±20m), a value consistent with the ejected mass derived from Earth- and space-based observations with the assumption that this mass represents only 10–20% of the total ejected mass. As a result, the DI crater visible today is consistent with either a larger transient crater, which collapsed, or a central crater of a nested crater resembling an inverted sombrero. The latter alternative would be expected from a layered target: a loose particulate surface about 1–2m deep over a slightly more competent substrate.

Sodium alginate/Na+-rectorite composite microspheres: Preparation, characterization, and dye adsorption

Sodium alginate/Na+-rectorite (SA/Na+REC) intercalated nano-composite microspheres were prepared in an inverse suspension system. The effect of the preparation conditions of SA/Na+REC composite microspheres on adsorption capacity for Basic Blue 9 was investigated. The structure and morphology were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results showed that the optimal condition was that the amount of Na+-rectorite was 2wt%, the amount of cross-linker was 0.384% and the amount of the initiator was 8%. SEM showed that it is porous products with spherical particulate surface. XRD showed that intercalation is formed between Na+-rectorite and sodium alginate.The adsorption capacity of SA/Na+REC was investigated in comparison with Na+-rectorite and sodium alginate using different cationic dyes. The SA/Na+REC composite microspheres showed the highest adsorption capacity. The reason lies in the existence of intercalated sodium alginate. It could enlarge the pore structure of microspheres, facilitating the penetration of macromolecular dyes.

Reductions in Particulate and NOx Emissions by Diesel Engine Parameter Adjustments with HVO Fuel

Hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) diesel fuel is a promising biofuel candidate that can complement or substitute traditional diesel fuel in engines. It has been already reported that by changing the fuel from conventional EN590 diesel to HVO decreases exhaust emissions. However, as the fuels have certain chemical and physical differences, it is clear that the full advantage of HVO cannot be realized unless the engine is optimized for the new fuel. In this article, we studied how much exhaust emissions can be reduced by adjusting engine parameters for HVO. The results indicate that, with all the studied loads (50%, 75%, and 100%), particulate mass and NO(x) can both be reduced over 25% by engine parameter adjustments. Further, the emission reduction was even higher when the target for adjusting engine parameters was to exclusively reduce either particulates or NO(x). In addition to particulate mass, different indicators of particulate emissions were also compared. These indicators included filter smoke number (FSN), total particle number, total particle surface area, and geometric mean diameter of the emitted particle size distribution. As a result of this comparison, a linear correlation between FSN and total particulate surface area at low FSN region was found.

A critical assessment of the Hapke photometric model

The photometric model developed by Hapke is commonly used to study surface structure and composition of atmosphereless celestial bodies using photometric measurements. However, this model has shortcomings that weaken its applications. For instance, some of the model parameters are empirical and mutually dependent. Moreover, the photometric model is eclectic and approximate; e.g., (1) the model simultaneously considers the single-scattering phase-function as backscattering and isotropic when describing, respectively, incoherent and coherent multiple scattering, which is physically impossible; (2) the approximation of the incoherent multiple scattering function takes into account the function anisotropy for the incident and emergent angles, but ignores the anisotropy for the azimuth angle that is of equal importance; (3) the model also ignores the dependence of the shadow-hiding effect of particles and coherent-backscattering enhancement on illuminating/viewing geometry, accounting only for the phase-angle component; (4) the azimuthal dependence of the shadow-hiding effect on random topographies is introduced ad hoc and is not verified; moreover, the shadow phase function may produce a non-physical maximum at large angles of viewing. We test the Hapke model using a computer simulation of ray-tracing in particulate surfaces, showing significant differences between the Hapke model and the ray-tracing results. We also apply the Hapke model to the interpretation of laboratory photometry of several well-characterized powdered samples measured in two wavelengths. The samples were measured in three states: as particles in air, as a particulate surface formed by freely spilled particles, and after compressing the particulate surface. The Hapke model parameters were completely inconsistent in the interpretation of these laboratory data. Our attempt to map the Hapke parameters using a series of telescopic calibrated images of the Moon acquired at different phase angles demonstrates that the model does not provide a physically meaningful distribution of its parameters. We also suggest that the small increase of the circular polarization ratio μC at decreasing phase angle (<10°), which is observed for lunar samples, is not evidence of the coherent-backscattering effect of the Moon. We suggest that Clementine observations carried out with the UV–Vis and NIR cameras demonstrate that the coherent-backscattering effect exists only for bright lunar surface areas with albedo higher than 30%.

Enhanced magnetic properties of chemical solution deposited BiFeO3 thin film with ZnO buffer layer

Magnetic properties of BiFeO3 films deposited on Si substrates with and without ZnO buffer layer have been studied in this work. We adopted the chemical solution deposition method for the deposition of BiFeO3 as well as ZnO films. The x-ray diffraction measurements on the deposited films confirm the formation of crystalline phase of BiFeO3 and ZnO films, while our electron microscopy measurements help to understand the morphology of few micrometers thick films. It is found that the deposited ZnO film exhibit a hexagonal particulate surface morphology, whereas BiFeO3 film fully covers the ZnO surface. Our magnetic measurements reveal that the magnetization of BiFeO3 has increased by more than ten times in BiFeO3/ZnO/Si film compared to BiFeO3/Si film, indicating the major role played by ZnO buffer layer in enhancing the magnetic properties of BiFeO3, a technologically important multiferroic material.