Abstract.With the recent advent of commercial laser absorption spectrometers, field studies measuring stable isotope ratios of hydrogen and oxygen in water vapor have proliferated. These pioneering analyses have provided invaluable feedback about best strategies for optimizing instrumental accuracy, yet questions still remain about instrument performance and calibration approaches for multi-year field deployments. With clear scientific potential for using these instruments to carry out monitoring of the hydrological cycle, this study examines the long-term stability of the isotopic biases associated with three cavity-enhanced laser absorption spectrometers -calibrated with different systems and approaches -at two remote field sites: Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii, USA, and Greenland Environmental Observatory, Summit, Greenland. The analysis pays particular attention to the stability of measurement dependencies on water vapor concentration and also evaluates whether these so-called concentration dependences are sensitive to statistical curve-fitting choices or measurement hysteresis. The results suggest evidence of monthly-to-seasonal concentrationdependence variability -which likely stems from low signalto-noise at the humidity-range extremes -but no long-term directional drift. At Mauna Loa, where the isotopic analyzer is calibrated by injection of liquid water standards into a vaporizer, the largest source of inaccuracy in characterizing the concentration dependence stems from an insufficient density of calibration points at low water vapor volume mixing ratios. In comparison, at Summit, the largest source of inaccuracy is measurement hysteresis associated with interactions between the reference vapor, generated by a custom dew point generator, and the sample tubing. Nevertheless, prediction errors associated with correcting the concentration dependence are small compared to total measurement uncertainty. At both sites, changes in measurement repeatability that are not predicted by long-term linear drift estimates are a larger source of error, highlighting the importance of measuring isotopic standards with minimal or well characterized drift at regular intervals. Challenges in monitoring isotopic drift are discussed in light of the different calibration systems evaluated.
Cathodic cage plasma deposition (CCPD) was used for growing titanium nitride (TiN) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) thin films on silicon substrates. The main advantages of the CCPD technique are the uniformity, tridimensionality, and high rate of the film deposition that occurs at higher pressures, lower temperatures, and lower treatment times than those used in conventional nitriding treatments. In this work, the influence of the temperature and gas atmosphere upon the characteristics of the deposited films was investigated. The TiN and TiO2 thin films were characterized by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy to analyze their chemical, structural, and morphological characteristics, and the combination of these results indicates that the low-cost CCPD technique can be used to produce even and highly crystalline TiN and TiO2 films.
Abstract. With the recent advent of commercial laser absorption spectrometers, field studies measuring stable isotope ratios of hydrogen and oxygen in water vapor have proliferated. These pioneering analyses have provided invaluable feedback about best strategies for optimizing instrumental accuracy, yet questions still remain about instrument performance and calibration approaches for multi-year field deployments. With clear scientific potential for using these instruments to carry out long-term monitoring of the hydrological cycle, this study examines the long-term stability of the isotopic biases associated with three cavity-enhanced laser absorption spectrometers – calibrated with different systems and approaches – at two remote field sites: Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii, USA, and Greenland Environmental Observatory, Summit, Greenland. The analysis pays particular attention to the stability of measurement dependencies on water vapor concentration and also evaluates whether these so-called concentration-dependences are sensitive to statistical curve-fitting choices or measurement hysteresis. The results suggest evidence of monthly-to-seasonal concentration-dependence variability – which likely stems from low signal-to-noise at the humidity-range extremes – but no long-term directional drift. At Mauna Loa, where the isotopic analyzer is calibrated by injection of liquid water standards into a vaporizer, the largest source of inaccuracy in characterizing the concentration-dependence stems from an insufficient density of calibration points at low humidity. In comparison, at Greenland, the largest source of inaccuracy is measurement hysteresis associated with interactions between the reference vapor, generated by a custom dew point generator (DPG), and the sample tubing. Nevertheless, prediction errors associated with correcting the concentration-dependence are small compared to total measurement uncertainty. At both sites, a dominant source of uncertainty is instrumental precision at low humidity, which cannot be reduced by improving calibration strategies. Challenges in monitoring long-term isotopic drift are also discussed in light of the different calibration systems evaluated.
Urea is a common non-protein supplement used in ruminant feed; however, excessive consumption may lead to poisoning by NH 3. Although the slow release of urea into the rumen has shown to be an essential aspect for ruminant feed, to date only a few studies have addressed this matter. In this study we examined the influence of five different NH 3-N slow release systems based on clay-urea nanocomposites on the fiber digestibility of low-quality forage (sugarcane straw) in vitro. Physical properties of nanocomposites were evaluated and their effects on digestibility were tested in vitro using pristine urea as a positive control (level of 1 % of DM of sugarcane straw sample) and sugarcane (with no additives) as a negative control. Ammonia release and digestibility were evaluated at 12, 24, 36, 48, 72 and 96-h. Generally, all nanocomposites increased (p < 0.05) digestibility of fiber over control under all the conditions stipulated, but the samples with hydrogel content were more expressive. We concluded that an ideal release rate and optimum environment for microbial synthesis are necessary to maximize the digestion of sugarcane.
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