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A LA-ICP-MS based analytical method for the evaluation of trace PGE leaching.

Determination of trace elements in polymers is necessary for environmental research and compliance. The conventional solution-based inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) technique is time-consuming because it requires sample decomposition; thus, a faster technique such as laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is highly desired. LA-ICP-MS allows the direct analysis of polymers, which is faster than using solution nebulization ICP-MS. In previous studies, LA-ICP-MS has been applied for the elemental analysis of polymers by calibrating with matrix-matched standard or/and internal standardization. However, the quantitative analysis of polymers containing oxygen and internal standardization using carbon have not been achieved due to the matrix effect. In this study, we report the analysis of 5 different polymers with carbon concentration ranging from 45.620 to 85.543% and containing heteroatoms such as oxygen and chlorine using a femtosecond (fs) LA-ICP-MS with internal standardization by carbon. By the optimization of laser fluence, elemental fractionation between trace elements and carbon was minimized. Trace elements (Cr, Br, Cd, Hg and Pb) in polymer reference materials including, polyethylene, polyester, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polyvinyl chloride, and polypropylene, were determined. The coefficients of determination (R2) of the calibration curves were improved from 0.8067–0.9880 without internal standardization to 0.9556–0.9993 with internal standardization by 13C. The determined concentrations agreed with the certified value with deviation within 30% via internal standardization by 13C. It was observed that internal standardization with 13C is effective regardless of the concentration of carbon and heteroatoms in the polymers. These results show that the polymer matrix effect was compensated. Therefore, fsLA-ICP-MS and internal standardization by 13C can be used for the determination of Cr, Br, Cd, Hg and Pb in polymers.

Taking into account recent publications, we provide additional comprehensive evidence that type Ib cuboctahedral diamonds and some other microcrystalline diamonds from Kamchatka volcanic rocks and alluvial placers cannot be natural and undoubtedly represent synthetic materials, which appear in the natural rocks by anthropogenic contamination. The major arguments provided in favor of the natural origin of those diamonds can be easily disproved. They include the coexistence of diamond and deltalumite from Koryaksky volcano; coexistence with super-reduced corundum and moissanite, Mn-Ni silicide inclusions, F-Cl enrichment and F/Cl ratios, and carbon and nitrogen isotopes in Tolbachik diamonds, as well as microtwinning, Mn-Ni silicides, and other inclusions in microcrystalline diamond aggregates from other Kamchatka placers. We emphasize the importance of careful comparison of unusual minerals found in nature, which include type Ib cuboctahedral diamonds and super-reduced phase assemblages resembling industrial slags, with synthetic analogs. The cavitation model proposed for the origin of Tolbachik diamonds is also unreliable since cavitation has only been shown to cause the formation of nanosized diamonds only.

The enigmatic appearance of cuboctahedral diamonds in ophiolitic and arc volcanic rocks with morphology and infrared characteristics similar to synthetic diamonds that were grown from metal solvent requires a critical reappraisal. We have studied 15 diamond crystals and fragments from Tolbachik volcano lava flows, using Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), synchrotron X-ray fluorescence (SRXRF) and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass-spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). FTIR spectra of Tolbachik diamonds correspond to typical type Ib patterns of synthetic diamonds. In TEM films prepared using focused ion beam technique, we find Mn-Ni and Mn-Si inclusions in Tolbachik diamonds. SRXRF spectra indicate the presence of Fe-Ni and Fe-Ni-Mn inclusions with Cr, Ti, Cu, and Zn impurities. LA-ICP-MS data show variable but significantly elevated concentrations of Mn, Fe, Ni, and Cu reaching up to 70 ppm. These transition metal concentration levels are comparable with those determined by LA-ICP-MS for similar diamonds from Tibetan ophiolites. Mn-Ni (+Fe) solvent was widely used to produce industrial synthetic diamonds in the former USSR and Russia with very similar proportions of these metals. Hence, it appears highly probable that the cuboctahedral diamonds recovered from Kamchatka arc volcanic rocks represent contamination and are likely derived from drilling tools or other hard instruments. Kinetic data on diamond dissolution in basaltic magma or in fluid phase demonstrate that diamond does not form under the pressures and temperature conditions prevalent within the magmatic system beneath the modern-day Klyuchevskoy group of arc volcanoes. We also considered reference data for inclusions in ophiolitic diamonds and compared them with the composition of solvent used in industrial diamond synthesis in China. The similar inclusion chemistry close to Ni70Mn25Co5 for ophiolitic and synthetic Chinese diamonds scrutinized here suggests that most diamonds recovered from Tibetan and other ophiolites are not natural but instead have a synthetic origin. In order to mitigate further dubious reports of diamonds from unconventional tectonic settings and source rocks, we propose a set of discrimination criteria to better distinguish natural cuboctahedral diamonds from those produced synthetically in industrial environments and found as contaminants in mantle- and crust-derived rocks.

Here we present trace element compositions of synthetic diamonds, which show spectacular similarity with the compositions of metallic inclusions in type Ib cuboctahedral diamonds in ophiolitic chro...

FIWARE is an open-source platform that aims to gather, manage, and provide access to information from different sources to accelerate the development of smart solutions. This paper introduces a concept that integrates the ECHONET Lite protocol, a leading protocol for home appliances in Japan, into the FIWARE ecosystem. It includes mechanisms to (i) convert ECHONET device object to FIWARE smart data model and (ii) expose device resources and services for third-party applications via the FIWARE context broker. The integration of commercial ECHONET Lite lighting devices into FIWARE has been conducted to prove the feasibility of the proposed solution.

Platinum, a transition metal that is widely used in anti-cancer agents, also results in the development of nephropathy due to severe adverse reactions caused by platinum-induced nephrotoxicity. Reports on imaging with metals other than platinum remain are limited, even in preclinical studies. Furthermore, most of these are case reports, and the relationship between the distribution of the metal and clinical observations in human samples is not well understood. Here we report on visualizing lanthanum (139La), a component of Fosrenol, which is usually used for the treatment of hyperphosphatemia. Gastric inflammation, also known as hemorrhagic gastritis, is the main adverse event caused by Fosrenol. To conduct this study, 139La was visualized in gastric biopsy samples obtained from a patient using quantitative laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). We also compared the distribution of 139La in tissue and histochemical results. The areas where 139La accumulated corresponded to the macrophage-positive areas observed in immunohistochemistry studies using an anti-CD68 antibody. In contrast, we observed a debris-like crystal morphology in hematoxylin and eosin staining tissues. The debris was also associated with 139La accumulation. The abnormal accumulation of 139La crystals caused the observed inflammation. This phenomenon was previously characterized, but this is the first report in which 139La distribution and histochemical results are compared using LA-ICP-MS.

We have developed a new analytical method for the determination of major to trace elements in metallic materials using multiple spot laser ablation (msLA)-ICP-MS. The concentration values of Cr, Co, Ni, and Cu in metallic materials were calculated from calibration curves obtained using the solid-mixing method achieved by the combination of a high-repetition rate laser and galvanometric optics. With the multiple-spot ablation procedure, two or more materials can be ablated nearly at the same time, and the calibration curve could be defined by mixing two standard materials of different concentrations. Another important feature of the method is that large amounts of samples can be ablated with the high-repetition rate lasers within short time durations, i.e. it results in a better signal to noise ratio. In this study, concentrations of Cr, Co, Ni, and Cu in 13 metallic materials (iron meteorite, stainless steels, tool steels, and low alloy steels) were measured from calibration curves obtained by aerosol mixing using the msLA-ICP-MS technique. The resulting signal intensity data exhibited good correlation with the calculated concentrations. The calculated concentration data for the analytes showed good agreement with the reference value within 10% for most of the metallic materials with analyte concentration covering dozens of % down to μg g−1. The data obtained here demonstrate clearly that calibration based on the solid sample mixing can become a powerful method to determine the amounts of major to trace elements in solid materials.

In this paper, we evaluated the doping density and spatial distribution of Ce3+ ions in a LiCaAlF6 single crystal. We observed the heterogeneity of Ce3+-doped LiCaAlF6 using Multi-Photon Luminescence Measurement. Further, we employed laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to perform elementary analysis. We measured the concentration and distribution of Ce, Li, Ca, and Al. The luminescence intensity increased in proportion to the Ce concentration. Therefore, our evaluation method, which measures the multi-photon luminescence intensity, can possibly be employed to analyze the concentration and distribution of a low amount of elements due to luminescence. Additionally, we can evaluate the luminescence materials nondestructively and three-dimensionally by this measurement. This method could be a dominant tool for evaluation of luminescent materials compared with the conventional methods.

Modelling and simulation is an alternative way of testing the dynamic behaviour of a real system – in some situation, testing the real system are expensive, time consuming, not comfortable, and dangerous. Mathematical model describing the dynamic behaviour of a system can be represented by using white, black, or grey box model. This study focuses on developing a simplified Auto Regressive Moving Average (ARMA) model (a type of linear black model) to represent the dynamic thermal behaviour of iHouse – simplification is done based on the theoretical knowledge of the building. The performance of the simplified ARMA model developed in this study is compared with the performance of the models developed in previous studies, which are: (1) House Thermal Simulator; (2) and ARMA model. Result shows that the simplified ARMA model developed in this study consists of simpler set of mathematical equations, but can still simulate the dynamic thermal behaviour of iHouse with the accuracy that is almost on par with the models developed in previous studies., Modeling, Design and Simulation of Systems. AsiaSim 2017.

Trace elements play a significant role in interpretation of different processes in the deep Earth. However, the systematics of interphase rare-earth element (REE) partitioning under the conditions of the uppermost lower mantle are poorly understood. We performed high-pressure experiments to study the phase relations in key solid-phase reactions CaMgSi2O6 = CaSiO3-perovskite + MgSiO3-bridgmanite and (Mg,Fe)2SiO4-ringwoodite = (Mg,Fe)SiO3-bridgmanite + (Mg,Fe)O with addition of 1 wt % of REE oxides. Atomistic modeling was used to obtain more accurate quantitative estimates of the interphase REE partitioning and displayed the ideal model for the high-pressure minerals. HREE (Er, Tm, Yb, and Lu) are mostly accumulated in bridgmanite, while LREE are predominantly redistributed into CaSiO3. On the basis of the results of experiments and atomistic modeling, REE in bridgmanite are clearly divided into two groups (from La to Gd and from Gd to Lu). Interphase REE partition coefficients in solid-state reactions were calculated at 21.5 and 24 GPa for the first time. The new data are applicable for interpretation of the trace-element composition of the lower mantle inclusions in natural diamonds from kimberlite, the experimentally determined effect of pressure on the interphase (bridgmanite/CaSiO3-perovskite) REE partition coefficients can be a potential qualitative geobarometer for mineral inclusions in super-deep diamonds.

A smart community simulator that simulates electricity consumption and thermal energy consumption is being developed by the authors. The simulator is designed to be able to work with modules implemented as individual external emulators of many kinds of facilities and homes. With this simulator, we can change aspects and features of the community and estimate the long-term effects of these changes on the community as a whole. In this paper we introduced the design and implementation of the simulator.

In residential houses, air conditioners consume a lot of electrical energy. In order to improve energy efficiency for residential houses, short-term prediction of energy consumption of air conditioners is required. In this paper, we propose the use of our thermal simulation to simulate the change of room temperature based on weather forecast information and predict the energy consumption of an air conditioner in a residential house. In order to calculate solar radiation heat flux, which contributes a lot to the change of room temperature, we utilize a neural network model to predict global solar radiation using training data obtained from weather stations. We also utilize a PID control model to simulate the operation of air conditioners. The accuracy of our simulation is verified by experiments carried out at a real testbed house.

Tungsten isotopes provide important constraints on the ocean-island basalt (OIB) source regions. Recent analyses of μ182W in modern basalts with high 3He/4He originating from the core-mantle boundary region reveal two distinct features: positive μ182W in Phanerozoic flood basalts indicating the presence of primordial reservoir, and negative μ182W in modern OIBs. One possibility to produce large variations in μ182W is interaction between the mantle and outer core. Here, we report grain boundary diffusion of W in lower mantle phases. High pressure experimental results show that grain boundary diffusion of W is fast and strongly temperature dependent. Over Earth's history, diffusive transport of W from the core to the lowermost mantle may have led to significant modification of the W isotopic composition of the lower mantle at length scales exceeding one kilometer. Such grain boundary diffusion can lead to large variations in μ182W in modern basalts as a function of the distance of their source regions from the core mantle boundary. Modern oceanic island basalts from Hawaii, Samoa and Iceland exhibit negative μ182W and likely originated from the modified isotope region just above the core-mantle boundary, whereas those with positive μ182W could be derived from the thick Large Low Shear Velocity Provinces (LLSVPs) far from the core-mantle boundary (CMB). When highly-oxidized slabs accumulate at the CMB oxidizing the outer core at the interface, a large W flux with negative μ182W can be added to the silicate mantle. As a result, the source region of the OIB would be effectively modified to a negative μ182W.

We have developed new analytical technique for the quantitative elemental imaging for trace elements using a femtosecond-laser ablation-ICP-mass spectrometry (fs-LA-ICP-MS). With the laser ablation under the finely controlled fluence, sliced alveolar tissue samples (thickness 1 μm), placed on the glass slide, were totally ablated, and the laser-induced sample aerosols were introduced into the ICP. Hence, no laser ablation was achieved on the glass substrate because the laser fluence was lower than the energy threshold for the laser ablation phenomena of glass materials. Under the total ablation conditions, the ablated volume of the sample could be well defined, and therefore, concentrations of the analytes can be calibrated based on the signal intensity data and the volume of the sample and glass standard reference material. Combination of the LA-ICP-MS technique and the preferential and total ablation achieved by the soft ablation protocol can become a powerful method for studying the trace elements and pharmacokinetics containing metal elements through the quantitative imaging. Analytical spatial resolution of the imaging analysis as well as the detection limit of the present analytical technique will be discussed in this study.

Energy management systems have been developed in order to achieve goal of energy efficiency in the focused areas. Home simulation is one of the tools that can simulate electricity consumption based on the home appliances usage. However, several elements were ignored in traditional home simulation. In this paper, we introduce the home simulation, which can simulate not only the electric power and its consumption, but also the thermal energy consumption. Relationships among five elements are considered in the home simulation. To validate the performance of the proposed home simulation, a real experimental house is used to conduct the experiment. The results showed the ability of the proposed home simulation to simulate the thermal energy and estimate the temperature of various rooms with an error of 1.2 degrees Celsius. Furthermore, the electricity consumption is also simulated based on the human activity schedule and home appliances usage.

We report on the development of a software program named iQuant2 which creates visual images from two-dimensional signal intensity data obtained by a laser ablation-ICP-mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS) technique. Time-resolved signal intensity profiles can be converted to position resolved signal intensity data based on the rastering rate (μm s−1) of the laser ablation. Background signal intensities obtained without laser ablation (gas blank) are used as the background, and all of the blank-subtracted intensity data can be used for the imaging analysis. With this software, deformation of the created image can be corrected visually on a PC screen. The line profile analysis between the user-selected points can be observed using the iQuant2 software. To accomplish this, data points on the profile line were automatically calculated based on the interpolation between the analysis points. The resulting imaging data can be exported and stored as JPEG, BMP or PNG formats for further processing. Moreover, a semi-quantitative analysis can be made based on the coupling of the external correction of the RSF (relative sensitivity factor) using NIST SRM610 with normalization of the corrected signal intensity data being 100%. The calculated abundance data for major elements are in reasonable agreement with the values obtained by electron probe micro analyzer (EPMA). With the software developed in this study, both the rapid imaging and semi-quantitative determinations can be made.

Thermal comfort is an essential aspect for the control and verification of many smart home services. In this research, we design and implement simulation which models thermal environment of a smart house testbed. Our simulation can be used to evaluate thermal comfort in various conditions of home environment. In order to increase the accuracy of the simulation, we measure thermal-related parameters of the house such as temperature, humidity, solar radiation by the use of sensors and perform parameter identification to estimate uncertain parameters in our thermal model. We also implement a communication interface which allows our simulator to communicate with other external simulators. Experimental result showed that our simulation can achieve high accuracy when compared with actual measurement data.

We always have possibilities of being involved in various network troubles because of system misconfigurations and trouble by natural disasters, etc. So evaluations of network technologies under these situations are important. We are developing a framework for emulating environments with failures and evaluating technologies for recovering from them by utilizing our existing technologies for building large-scale network experimental environments. We successfully conducted several case studies using our technologies with various failure types.

In the real Internet, various types of problems are encountered. Before integrating new technologies into the Internet, developers should understand the behavior of these technologies in the event of fault occurrence. Researchers conduct experiments on network testbeds to evaluate new technologies, but the main focus of the evaluations done so far has been to study the technologies' behavior in healthy situations.Currently, there are many network testbeds available. We developed and currently operate StarBED, an actual node-based network testbed. In this paper, we discuss methodologies to introduce faults into an experimental environment using an actual node-based network testbed. Then, we show two case studies of fault injection into our experimental environments on StarBED.