Atmospheric CO.sub.2 mole fractions are observed at Beijing (BJ), Xianghe (XH), and Xinglong (XL) in North China using Picarro G2301 cavity ring-down spectroscopy instruments. The measurement system ...is described comprehensively for the first time. The geographical distances among these three sites are within 200 km, but they have very different surrounding environments: BJ is inside the megacity; XH is in the suburban area; XL is in the countryside on a mountain. The mean and standard deviation of CO.sub.2 mole fractions at BJ, XH, and XL between October 2018 and September 2019 are 448.4±12.8, 436.0±9.2, and 420.6±8.2 ppm, respectively. The seasonal variations of CO.sub.2 at these three sites are similar, with a maximum in winter and a minimum in summer, which is dominated by the terrestrial ecosystem. However, the seasonal variations of CO.sub.2 at BJ and XH are more affected by human activities as compared to XL. Using CO.sub.2 at XL as the background, CO.sub.2 enhancements are observed simultaneously at BJ and XH. The diurnal variations of CO.sub.2 are driven by the boundary layer height, photosynthesis, and human activities at BJ, XH, and XL. We also compare the CO.sub.2 measurements at BJ, XH, and XL with five urban sites in the USA, and it is found that the CO.sub.2 mean concentration at BJ is the largest. Moreover, we address the impact of the wind on the CO.sub.2 mole fractions at BJ and XL. This study provides an insight into the spatial and temporal variations of CO.sub.2 mole fractions in North China.
Airborne imaging differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS), ground-based stationary DOAS, and car DOAS measurements were conducted during the S5P-VAL-DE-Ruhr campaign in September 2020. The ...campaign area is located in the Rhine-Ruhr region of North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany, which is a pollution hotspot in Europe comprising urban and large industrial sources. The DOAS measurements are used to validate spaceborne NO.sub.2 tropospheric vertical column density (VCD) data products from the Sentinel-5 Precursor (S5P) TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI).
Blood oxygen saturation (SpOsub.2) is an essential indicator of a patient’s general condition. However, conventional measurement methods have some issues such as time delay and interference by ...ambient light. Improved measurement methods must be developed, and there are no reports on intraoral measurements of SpOsub.2 using wearable devices. Therefore, we aimed to establish an intraoral SpOsub.2 measurement method for the first time. Twelve healthy adults participated in this study. The following steps were taken: (1) to identify the optimal measurement location, mid-perfusion index (PI) values were measured at six places on the mucosa of the maxilla, (2) to validate the optimal measurement pressure, PI values were obtained at different pressures, and (3) using the proposed mouthpiece device, SpOsub.2 values in the oral cavity and on the finger were analyzed during breath-holding. The highest PI values were observed in the palatal gingiva of the maxillary canine teeth, with high PI values at pressures ranging from 0.3 to 0.8 N. In addition, changes in SpOsub.2 were detected approximately 7 s faster in the oral cavity than those on the finger, which is attributed to their proximity to the heart. This study demonstrates the advantage of the oral cavity for acquiring biological information using a novel device.
Photochemical processes in ambient air were studied using the atmospheric simulation chamber SAPHIR at Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany. Ambient air was continuously drawn into the chamber through a ...50 m high inlet line and passed through the chamber for 1 month in each season throughout 2019. The residence time of the air inside the chamber was about 1 h. As the research center is surrounded by a mixed deciduous forest and is located close to the city Jülich, the sampled air was influenced by both anthropogenic and biogenic emissions. Measurements of hydroxyl (OH), hydroperoxyl (HO.sub.2 ), and organic peroxy (RO.sub.2) radicals were achieved by a laser-induced fluorescence instrument. The radical measurements together with measurements of OH reactivity (k.sub.OH, the inverse of the OH lifetime) and a comprehensive set of trace gas concentrations and aerosol properties allowed for the investigation of the seasonal and diurnal variation of radical production and destruction pathways. In spring and summer periods, median OH concentrations reached 6 x 10.sup.6 cm.sup.-3 at noon, and median concentrations of both HO.sub.2 and RO.sub.2 radicals were 3 x 10.sup.8 cm.sup.-3 . The measured OH reactivity was between 4 and 18 s.sup.-1 in both seasons. The total reaction rate of peroxy radicals with NO was found to be consistent with production rates of odd oxygen (O.sub.x = NO.sub.2 + O.sub.3) determined from NO.sub.2 and O.sub.3 concentration measurements. The chemical budgets of radicals were analyzed for the spring and summer seasons, when peroxy radical concentrations were above the detection limit. For most conditions, the concentrations of radicals were mainly sustained by the regeneration of OH via reactions of HO.sub.2 and RO.sub.2 radicals with nitric oxide (NO). The median diurnal profiles of the total radical production and destruction rates showed maxima between 3 and 6 ppbv h.sup.-1 for OH, HO.sub.2, and RO.sub.2 . Total RO.sub.X (OH, HO.sub.2, and RO.sub.2) initiation and termination rates were below 3 ppbv h.sup.-1 . The highest OH radical turnover rate of 13 ppbv h.sup.-1 was observed during a high-temperature (max. 40 .sup." C) period in August. In this period, the highest HO.sub.2, RO.sub.2, and RO.sub.X turnover rates were around 11, 10, and 4 ppbv h.sup.-1, respectively. When NO mixing ratios were between 1 and 3 ppbv, OH and HO.sub.2 production and destruction rates were balanced, but unexplained RO.sub.2 and RO.sub.X production reactions with median rates of 2 and 0.4 ppbv h.sup.-1, respectively, were required to balance their destruction. For NO mixing ratios above 3 ppbv, the peroxy radical reaction rates with NO were highly uncertain due to the low peroxy radical concentrations close to the limit of NO interferences in the HO.sub.2 and RO.sub.2 measurements. For NO mixing ratios below 1 ppbv, a missing source for OH and a missing sink for HO.sub.2 were found with maximum rates of 3.0 and 2.0 ppbv h.sup.-1, respectively. The missing OH source likely consisted of a combination of a missing inter-radical HO.sub.2 to OH conversion reaction (up to 2 ppbv h.sup.-1) and a missing primary radical source (0.5-1.4 ppbv h.sup.-1). The dataset collected in this campaign allowed analyzing the potential impact of OH regeneration from RO.sub.2 isomerization reactions from isoprene, HO.sub.2 uptake on aerosol, and RO.sub.2 production from chlorine chemistry on radical production and destruction rates. These processes were negligible for the chemical conditions encountered in this study.
In response to the problem of using different single machines to achieve measurement and detection of existing torque instruments, this article introduces a multifunctional reference torque standard ...and proposes specific steps for torque measurement and detection. This standard machine can be used to detect various existing torque instruments and can solve the problem of using a single machine to achieve the detection of a certain type of torque equipment. After adopting this standard machine and its detection method, experimental data shows that the measurement of the torque transducer can meet the requirements of JJG995-2005 “Static Torque Measuring Machines” and the measurement of the reference torque wrench can meet the requirements of JJG1103-2014 “Reference torque wrench Verification Regulations”.
Purpose:
Small field output correction factors have been studied by several research groups for the PTW 60019 microDiamond (MD) dosimeter, by comparing the response of such a device with both ...reference dosimeters and Monte Carlo simulations. A general good agreement is observed for field sizes down to about 1 cm. However, evident inconsistencies can be noticed when comparing some experimental results and Monte Carlo simulations obtained for smaller irradiation fields. This issue was tentatively attributed by some authors to unintentional large variations of the MD active surface area. The aim of the present study is a nondestructive experimental determination of the MD active surface area and active volume.
Methods:
Ten MD dosimeters, one MD prototype, and three synthetic diamond samples were investigated in the present work. 2D maps of the MD response were recorded under scanned soft x-ray microbeam irradiation, leading to an experimental determination of the device active surface area. Profiles of the device responses were measured as well. In order to evaluate the MD active volume, the thickness of the diamond sensing layer was independently evaluated by capacitance measurements and alpha particle detection experiments. The MD sensitivity, measured at the PTW calibration laboratory, was also used to calculate the device active volume thickness.
Results:
An average active surface area diameter of (2.19 ± 0.02) mm was evaluated by 2D maps and response profiles of all the MDs. Average active volume thicknesses of (1.01 ± 0.13) μm and (0.97 ± 0.14) μm were derived by capacitance and sensitivity measurements, respectively. The obtained results are well in agreement with the nominal values reported in the manufacturer dosimeter specifications. A homogeneous response was observed over the whole device active area. Besides the one from the device active volume, no contributions from other components of the housing nor from encapsulation materials were observed in the 2D response maps.
Conclusions:
The obtained results demonstrate the high reproducibility of the MD fabrication process. The observed discrepancies among the output correction factors reported by several authors for MD response in very small fields are very unlikely to be ascribed to unintentional variations of the device active surface area and volume. It is the opinion of the authors that the role of the volume averaging as well as of other perturbation effects should be separately investigated instead, both experimentally and by Monte Carlo simulations, in order to better clarify the behaviour of the MD response in very small fields.
