A new method is described for the accurate determination of silicon (Si), phosphorus (P), and sulfur (S) in lubricating oil samples using an Agilent 8800 Triple Quadrupole ICP-MS (ICP-QQQ). An optimized oxygen (O2) massshift method provided limits of detection for 28Si, 31P, 32S and 34S of 0.25, 0.01, 0.18 and 0.75 ppb, respectively. The method was successfully applied to the determination of S...

Controlled atmosphere treatments with ultralow oxygen (ULO treatments) were developed successfully for control of vine mealybug, Planococcusflcus Signoret (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), on dormant grape (Vitis spp.) benchgrafts. At 30 ppm oxygen, 3-d ULO treatment at 25 degrees C and 4-d ULO treatment at 150C achieved complete control of all life stages of P. ficus. At a much lower oxygen level (...

Litters from 130 does of a synthetic line were used in the experiment. The left ovary was removed before puberty in 64 of these females (ULO does). The offspring of the first and second parities of all the does was individually weighed at birth (IBW) and at weaning (IWW). Litter size was higher in the intact does, but survival from birth to first week was the same for both groups. The relations...

Silver nanoparticle-decorated graphene nanocomposites were synthesized by a facile chemical reduction approach with the assistance of supercritical CO2 (ScCO2). The silver nanoparticles with diameters of 2-16 nm are uniformly distributed and firmly anchored on graphene nanosheets. The tribological properties of the as-synthesized nanocomposites as lubricant additives in engine oil were investig...