Contribution of Solutes to Density Stratification in a Meromictic Lake (Waldsee/Germany)

Density differences are the key parameter for stratification stability. We used data from the iron-meromictic Waldsee, Germany, a lignite mine pit lake, to quantify the contribution of single solutes to water density and analyzed the density gradient. Iron meromictic lakes maintain their density gradient through chemical reactions. Hence, quantifying the contributions of separate solutes is essential for understanding the entire process. Based on solute concentrations and literature values of partial molal volumes, substance specific density contributions were quantitatively evaluated. Then, by direct measurements of the density of IHSS Waskish peat fulvic acid, we quantified the density contribution of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). While several solutes contributed to the density throughout the water column, only those substances that occurred at higher concentrations in the anoxic monimolimnion than in the oxic mixolimnion were crucial to sustaining the density difference between the two layers. In Waldsee, the density difference between monimolimnion and mixolimnion was attributed to dissolved Fe²⁺ (0.23?g/L, resulting in a 45?% of the density difference due to solutes) and to the carbonate system (HCO₃ ^?, about 0.16?g/L and CO₂, 0.03?g/L) while Ca²⁺ and DOC delivered only a small contribution. In summer, total density differences were dominated by temperature differences; during winter, solutes sustained meromixis. Finally, we present a complete list of specific density fractions for basically all of the density-relevant substances in fresh waters.     

Comparison of different failure criteria for fiber-reinforced plastics in terms of fracture curves for arbitrary stress combinations

For fiber-reinforced plastics exists a big number of different criteria for the failure prediction. The intention of this paper is to compare the TSAI-HIL-, the LaRC04- and PUCK’s criterion in terms of their fracture curves for a unidirectional glass-fiber reinforced composite layer. Therefore after the implementation of these three criteria, the two-dimensional fracture curves for all possible stress combinations, which can be derived from a general spatial stress tensor, are computed. In this way, the characteristics of the criteria, similarities and differences and possible weak points become obvious.     

An EOQ inventory model with time-varying demand and Weibull deterioration with shortages

An inventory model is considered in which inventory is depleted not only by demand, but also by deterioration. Hence, in this paper, we derive the EOQ model for inventory of items that deteriorate at a Weibull-distributed rate, assuming the demand rate with a continuous function of time. Moreover, the proposed model cannot be solved directly in a closed form, thus we used the computer software IMSL MATH/LIBRARY (1989) to find the optimal reorder time. Further, we also find that the optimal procedure is independent from the form of the demand rate. Finally, we also assume that the holding cost is a continuous, non-negative and non-decreasing function of time in order to generalize the EOQ model. Moreover, four numerical examples and sensitivity analyses are provided to assess the solution procedure.     

Thermobaric stratification in very deep Norwegian freshwater lakes

Thermobaric stratification was investigated in very deep lakes of elongated shape. We considered the spring time configuration when large freshwater lakes may have their deepest recirculation. In five very deep freshwater lakes in Norway, profiles were measured in spring 2006 with multiparameter probes. Temperature profiles confirmed thermobaric stratification in all of these lakes, i.e. the temperature profiles crossed the 4 °C line and thus were affected by pressure effects on the temperature of maximum density. Electrical conductance was low in all of the investigated lakes, and vertical gradients were too small to play a role in the density stratification. In all lakes, deep water was well supplied with oxygen. Three out of five lakes showed a temperature gradient close to Eklund's stability theorem. However, the remaining two lakes clearly opposed the theorem. Bottom temperatures were more closely related to lake length than their maximum depths. Oxygen saturation profiles documented recent intensive gas exchange with the atmosphere. They agree well with the possible formation of deep water from density driven flows at horizontal temperature gradients close to 4 °C.     

Blast furnace slags as functional fillers on rheological,thermal, and mechanical behavior of thermoplastics

Blast furnace slags (BFS) is a secondary byproduct of iron industry, which has a combination of acidic and basic oxides and show a complex, multiphase structure. If appropriately tailored, BFS could be an effective functional filler, improving the property profile of thermoplastics such as polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS). As a raw material, the proposed filler may introduce both economic and ecological advantages, as it is considered an inexpensive secondary product rather than a natural resource. The current study aims at investigating the effect of incorporating BFS as a micro‐sized filler on the rheological, thermal, and mechanical behavior of PP and PS. BFS types in this study are air‐cooled, crystalline, and amorphous, grounded types. Both types are ground into 71, 40, and 20 μm batches and introduced in 10, 20, and 30 weight fractions via melt kneading. Mixtures are then formed into 4‐mm and 2‐mm thick plates via compression molding. Slight increase in rheological factors is observed with increasing filler loading. BFS hinders the crystallization of PP, resulting in slight increase of crystallization temperatures (T_c) and lowering of crystallization enthalpy (ΔH_c). No significant effect of filler on transition temperatures (T_g) is reported. Mechanically, BFS increases the tensile modulus of PP, but decreases its strength. For PS formulations, a modest toughening effect is observed by slag filler. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43021.     

Gallium gradients in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin‐film solar cells

The gallium gradient in Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ (CIGS) layers, which forms during the two industrially relevant deposition routes, the sequential and co‐evaporation processes, plays a key role in the device performance of CIGS thin‐film modules. In this contribution, we present a comprehensive study on the formation, nature, and consequences of gallium gradients in CIGS solar cells. The formation of gallium gradients is analyzed in real time during a rapid selenization process by in situ X‐ray measurements. In addition, the gallium grading of a CIGS layer grown with an in‐line co‐evaporation process is analyzed by means of depth profiling with mass spectrometry. This gallium gradient of a real solar cell served as input data for device simulations. Depth‐dependent occurrence of lateral inhomogeneities on the µm scale in CIGS deposited by the co‐evaporation process was investigated by highly spatially resolved luminescence measurements on etched CIGS samples, which revealed a dependence of the optical bandgap, the quasi‐Fermi level splitting, transition levels, and the vertical gallium gradient. Transmission electron microscopy analyses of CIGS cross‐sections point to a difference in gallium content in the near surface region of neighboring grains. Migration barriers for a copper‐vacancy‐mediated indium and gallium diffusion in CuInSe₂ and CuGaSe₂ were calculated using density functional theory. The migration barrier for the In_Cu antisite in CuGaSe₂ is significantly lower compared with the Ga_Cu antisite in CuInSe₂, which is in accordance with the experimentally observed Ga gradients in CIGS layers grown by co‐evaporation and selenization processes. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Motions of the running horse and cheetah revisited: fundamental mechanics of the transverse and rotary gallop

Mammals use two distinct gallops referred to as the transverse (where landing and take-off are contralateral) and rotary (where landing and take-off are ipsilateral). These two gallops are used by a variety of mammals, but the transverse gallop is epitomized by the horse and the rotary gallop by the cheetah. In this paper, we argue that the fundamental difference between these gaits is determined by which set of limbs, fore or hind, initiates the transition of the centre of mass from a downward–forward to upward–forward trajectory that occurs between the main ballistic (non-contact) portions of the stride when the animal makes contact with the ground. The impulse-mediated directional transition is a key feature of locomotion on limbs and is one of the major sources of momentum and kinetic energy loss, and a main reason why active work must be added to maintain speed in locomotion. Our analysis shows that the equine gallop transition is initiated by a hindlimb contact and occurs in a manner in some ways analogous to the skipping of a stone on a water surface. By contrast, the cheetah gallop transition is initiated by a forelimb contact, and the mechanics appear to have much in common with the human bipedal run. Many mammals use both types of gallop, and the transition strategies that we describe form points on a continuum linked even to functionally symmetrical running gaits such as the tölt and amble.     

Methodological issues in the validation of implicit measures: Comment on De Houwer, Teige-Mocigemba, Spruyt, and Moors (2009).

J. De Houwer, S. Teige-Mocigemba, A. Spruyt, and A. Moors’s (see record 2009-05290-001) normative analysis of implicit measures provides an excellent clarification of several conceptual ambiguities surrounding the validation and use of implicit measures. The current comment discusses an important, yet unacknowledged, implication of J. De Houwer et al.’s analysis, namely, that investigations addressing the proposed implicitness criterion (i.e., does the relevant psychological attribute influence measurement outcomes in an automatic fashion?) will be susceptible to fundamental misinterpretations if they are conducted independently of the proposed what criterion (i.e., is the measurement outcome causally produced by the psychological attribute the measurement procedure was designed to assess?). As a solution, it is proposed that experimental validation studies should be combined with a correlational approach in order to determine whether a given manipulation influenced measurement scores via variations in the relevant psychological attribute or via secondary sources of systematic variance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)