Mechanism of iron corrosion in water-polyethylene glycol (PEG 400) mixtures

The properties of water-polyethylene glycol (PEG 400) solutions vary with the PEG content. The highest acidity and conductivity values were observed in 20% PEG 400 solutions. Oxygen solubility in such solutions decreased as the PEG 400 content increased. Adsorption of PEG 400, estimated by EQCM, varied with the PEG 400 concentration, also reaching a maximum in 20% PEG 400 solutions, with the weight of the adsorbed layer reaching 3.5 μg cm⁻².Iron corrosion in water-PEG 400 solutions was studied by monitoring the corrosion potential and the polarization curves. Iron corrosion was highest in the 20% PEG 400 solution due to the compromise between the evolution of acidity, dissolved oxygen content and the adsorption and complexation properties of the PEG solutions. Through adaptation of the Bockris mechanism, PEG adsorption at the metal surface constituted the first stage in the iron corrosion mechanism. Iron (ions)/PEG complexes were then formed, which diffused in solution.     

Internal melting and coarsening of liquid droplets in an Al–Cu alloy: a 4-D experimental study

In conventional melting experiments of pure monocrystalline metals, the phase transformation starts at the sample surface and progresses inwards according to thermal gradients. In solutionized alloys, traces of internal melting are usually observed after reheating and quenching from the semi-solid state. The formation and development of these liquid pockets are not fully understood despite their significance in semi-solid processing, where the formability is greatly influenced by the distribution of liquid within the feedstock material. In situ X-ray microtomography was performed in this study to shed light on this phenomenon. We report in detail the melting and isothermal holding of a model binary alloy where a remarkable number of liquid droplets were observed to develop and coalesce. Various computational tools have been used to study their statistical evolution as well as the local ripening mechanisms involved. We analysed an interesting case of particle coarsening which differs from classical case studies by the fact that the fast-diffusing liquid phase is entrapped within the slow-diffusing solid medium.     

Comparative Study of Different Milk Samples Preservation Procedures for Bacteriologic Examination

The control of pathogenic bacteria present in foods, as well as scientific data concerning their behavior, are closely linked to analytical methods used and the way they are implemented. To assess the capacity of the laboratories to conduct correctly microbiological analyses, national and international proficiency testing schemes are organized. To set up these inter-laboratory studies (ILS), it is necessary to prepare artificially contaminated samples, which contamination level is sufficiently stable regarding their transportation conditions to the participating laboratories. In this context, we tested several procedures to maintain the concentration of Listeria monocytogenes and coagulase-positive staphylococci in milk samples: freezing temperature and addition of bacteriostatic agents at refrigeration temperatures, such as nystatin, boric acid, sodium azide, the lactoperoxidase system, or a boric acid mixture. Through this study we selected preservation procedures, which could be used to stabilize the contamination level of artificially contaminated milk samples during transportation without preventing the growth of the target bacteria during the analysis and after the initial dilution step. Boric acid mixture and boric acid were found to be effective in stabilizing the contamination level of Staphylococcus aureus in milk samples, whereas freezing, a boric acid mixture, and boric acid were suitable for milk samples containing L. monocytogenes, depending on the samples’ contamination rate. An erratum to this article can be found at     

Influence of chromatic and lighting on the visual environment of the elderly: A critical literature review

The use of color and lighting as factors for adapting the housing of the elderly is tending to develop, in response to demographic data on the aging of the population and its impact on lifestyles. Adapting the environment for those over 60 years has become a national issue for public policy. So this article takes stock of the studies carried out on this issue. We have to review all the literature devoted to this subject, focusing on research products dealing with the color and light interaction in the indoor environment of seniors.     

Influence of an O2 Type Oxidizing Environment on SiCf/SiC Composites: Properties/Microstructure Relationship

Ceramic matrix composites have been identified as a potential material of core structure for the fourth generation of fission nuclear reactors. Regarding their excellent mechanical behavior in very harsh conditions (high temperature and high irradiation flux), the CVI–SiC_f/SiC composites with pyrocarbon interlayer are of prime interest for the fuel cladding in the gas-cooled fast reactor. Although the working atmosphere is helium in these advanced reactors, the presence of oxidizing impurities could have a significant role on the mechanical behavior of materials subjected to long-term exposures. Within this framework, this study was intended to investigate the influence of oxidation on the SiC_f/SiC composites mechanical properties. Different pre-damage states were intentionally introduced by mechanical tensile tests on plate specimens before performing an oxidation treatment of 1,000 h at 1,000 °C under helium with 10 ppm of O₂. The degradation of the composite was determined from the mechanical behavior of post-exposure specimens. Results were correlated both with microstructural observations of the damage and with characterizations of the generated oxides at the surface of the composites. The most severe decline of mechanical properties occurs for the higher predamaged loadings. Indeed in this case, the silica formed during the oxidation of SiC is not in sufficient quantities to fill the cracks.     

The use of cyclic voltammetry to study the oxidation of l-5-methyltetrahydrofolate and its preservation by ascorbic acid

A cyclic voltammetry study of 1 mM l-5-methyltetrahydrofolate (l-5-MTHF) was performed in pH 5.5 Britton-Robinson buffer at room temperature to study the stability of l-5-MTHF alone and in combination with ascorbic acid (AA). The degradation of l-5-MTHF and AA over a period of 12 h both followed first order reaction kinetics. Using this technique, oxidation peaks of l-5-MTHF were identified at +0.17 and +1.18 V, and another oxidation peak appeared after 4 h under air at +0.89 V. Cyclic voltammetry and HPLC quantification enable us to confirm that l-5-MTHF can be highly preserved by the addition of an equimolar concentration of AA. This treatment was equivalent to a purge of nitrogen used to remove oxygen and thus minimise oxidation of l-5-MTHF when present in aqueous solutions. HPLC confirmed the fact that a full regeneration of oxidised l-5-MTHF occurred with the addition of sodium ascorbate, thus denoting that the redox character of l-5-MTHF can be controlled by the presence of reducing agents. Cyclic voltammetry proved to be a sensitive and accurate method for characterising l-5-MTHF oxidation and potential preservation with ascorbic acid. To our knowledge, this is the first study that has demonstrated the number of oxidation sites on l-5-MTHF.     

X-Ray Tomographic Characterization of the Macroscopic Porosity of Chemical Vapor Infiltration SIC/SIC Composites: Effects on the Elastic Behavior

This paper focuses on the characterization of the macroporosity, the porosity among the tows, observed in chemical vapor infiltration composites and on its effect on the thermo-mechanical behavior. The experimental characterization of macroporosity is performed using an X-ray tomography technique. Numerical 3D images are used to describe the distribution of macroporosity with respect to the position of the plies. It is clearly established that the stacking of the plies has a significant effect on the porosity distribution. As a consequence for the micromechanical modelling, a unique element that contains only one ply is not representative of the porosity distribution and is not sufficient to evaluate the “effective” mechanical properties; several volume elements (VE), called “statistical volume elements (SVE),” with at least two plies per VE have to be used in order to account for the variability of the stacking of the plies. Finally, such SVE are directly extracted from the tomographic image and the “effective” elastic behavior is evaluated from the average of the “apparent” behavior evaluated on each SVE. In spite of their quite important size, the “apparent” behaviors evaluated for each SVE exhibit important fluctuations.     

In silico classification of HERG channel blockers: a knowledge-based strategy

The blockage of the hERG potassium channel by a wide number of diverse compounds has become a major pharmacological safety concern as it can lead to sudden cardiac death. In silico models can be potent tools to screen out potential hERG blockers as early as possible during the drug-discovery process. In this study, predictive models developed using the recursive partitioning method and created using diverse datasets from 203 molecules tested on the hERG channel are described. The first model was built with hERG compounds grouped into two classes, with a separation limit set at an IC50 value of 1 microm, and reaches an overall accuracy of 81%. The misclassification of molecules having a range of activity between 1 and 10 microM led to the generation of a tri-class model able to correctly classify high, moderate, and weak hERG blockers with an overall accuracy of 90%. Another model, constructed with the high and weak hERG-blocker categories, successfully increases the accuracy to 96%. The results reported herein indicate that a combination of precise, knowledge management resources and powerful modeling tools are invaluable to assessing potential cardiotoxic side effects related to hERG blockage.     

Discrete ply model of circular pull-through test of fasteners in laminates

In aeronautical structures, assemblies with thin laminates are becoming increasingly usual, especially for fuselage design. In these structures, out-of-plane loads can appear in bolted joints and can lead to progressive punching of the fastener’s head in the laminate resulting, in some cases, in a failure mode called pull-through [1]. This complex phenomenon, which occurs in assemblies, was studied firstly by using a simplified “circular” pull-through test method. Qualitative micrographic examinations showed damage very similar to that observed in impacted specimens. The research presented here extends the Discrete Ply Model Method (DPM) developed by Bouvet et al. [2] to this case. The finite elements model is based on a particular mesh taking ply orientations into account. Cohesive elements are placed at the interfaces between solid elements to represent matrix cracks and delamination, thus allowing the natural coupling between these two damage modes to be represented. The model shows good correlation with test results, in terms of load/displacement curve, and correct prediction of the damage map until failure, including the splitting phenomenon.