Urban growth and manufacturing change in the United States-Mexico borderlands: A conceptual framework and an empirical analysis

This article is a contribution to the study of urban and manufacturing evolution that develops and applies the author's concept of the urban-manufacturing life cycle. This concept relates internal characteristics and external impacts of the urban manufacturing base to the process of urban growth by considering the most significant variables and their changes over time. Emphasis is also placed on process-oriented evolution and general relevance rather than outcomes. An application to the general study of border cities with distinct levels of development follows a review of the urban and regional growth literature, as an initial contribution to the development of an evolutionary theory of borders. Empirical analyses with longitudinal data for five major United States and Mexican border urban clusters then evaluate the general assumptions of the concept. Growth trends in urban population, sectoral employment shares, urban industrial structure, employment, and number of manufacturing plants are examined in each of the cities and urban clusters considered. The study concludes that the empirical analyses generally verify the assumptions of the urban-manufacturing life cycle.     

Paste Residence Time in a Spouted Bed Dryer. III: Effect of Paste Properties and Quality Interactions

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of paste properties on residence time during drying in a spouted bed dryer with inert bodies. The effect of paste solids content, surface tension, and viscosity on the residence time distribution and the mean residence times were studied using factorial experimental designs. The inert bodies used were glass and polyethylene beads. The mean residence times varied from 13.6 to 16.3 and 12.2 to 17.7 min for drying on glass and polyethylene beads, respectively. The analysis of variance showed that mean residence times significantly depended on solids content and surface tension for glass beads and also on viscosity for polyethylene beads. The residence time distributions for all conditions studied fitted well to the perfect mixing cell when applying the continuous stirred vessels in series model analysis. The powder density, flowability, and particle size depended on paste properties and inert type.     

Variation in Malting Quality and Heat Resistance in the Malting Barley Variety “Alexis”

In earlier studies concerning vigour, where subsamples are heat‐treated before germination there was found heat‐sensitive as well as heat‐resistant barley samples. The vigour model developed by Ellis and Roberts and further developed at Carlsberg, could only describe the heat‐sensitive barleys. Seventeen samples of the “Alexis” variety grown widely in Europe were collected from the EBC trials in 1994 in order to see if heat resistance in barley was influenced by different growing conditions. We found both heat‐sensitive samples following the vigour model as well as pronounced heat‐resistant samples, but these were not divided according to growing conditions. The germination curves dependent on heat treatment and germination time were evaluated by Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Heat‐resistant barley samples could be differentiated from heat‐sensitive samples already after ½ h of heat treatment at 68°C (12% moisture) and after 3 days of germination. The barley samples were analysed with regard to malting quality. The PCA evaluation of the data divided the samples according to growing location, mainly due to differences in protein and β‐glucan. However, the malting analyses could not describe the differences in heat resistance and sensitivity of the barleys. The biochemical background of the heat resistance found is discussed on the basis of literature. Our findings should give an experimental basis for exploiting a biochemical principle for heat resistance, which is formed during grain filling and consumed during storage and germination.     

Analysis of the propagation of leaky magnetostatic modes in normally magnetized microstrip and slot lines

The propagation of leaky forward magnetostatic (MS) volume waves along ferrite-loaded microstrip and slot lines is analyzed. This phenomenon is studied by means of a numerical approach based on the residue calculus technique because of its good numerical convergence and stability. The proposed method allows for a quick and accurate computation of the phase and attenuation constants of the leaky MS modes. A comparative analysis between both microstrip lines and slot lines is carried out, and some new physical effects, such as MS resonances in the radiation loss, are reported. The advantages of the proposed method of analysis over other numerical methods, such as Galerkin's or moment methods, are also discussed.     

Early childhood socialization in Hispanic families: Context, culture, and practice implications.

Research on early childhood socialization suggests that Hispanic parents differ from parents of other ethnic groups in their child rearing values and the interpersonal behavior they want their children to display at home and school. In this article, the influence of context and culture on child rearing is shown through a review of conceptual frameworks for understanding child socialization in both minority and nonminority families and research on infant–mother attachment and parental beliefs about young children's behavior. This review indicates that parent and child behaviors are a result of different socialization processes that encompass specific cultural values. Implications for professional practice are drawn for child assessment and psychotherapy, family therapy, and parenting skills programs conducted with Hispanics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ti/Al Interaction and Austenite Grain Control in Crankshaft Manufacturing with 38MnSiVS5 Steel

38MnSiVS5 steel is similar to 38MnVS6 steel (EN), the difference being the addition of a small Ti content. Typical Ti and Al contents in the chemical composition of 38MnSiVS5 steel are Ti=0.020 and Al=0.035 mass%. Both elements combine easily with nitrogen, especially Ti, and it has been observed that relatively high Al levels are harmful for austenite grain size control at reheating temperatures. In this work 38MnSiVS5 steel is used to manufacture a large number of castings, varying only the Ti and Al contents and obtaining ingots with a different Ti/Al ratio in each case. The results show that abnormal growth of the austenitic grain occurs irrespective of the Ti and Al contents, due fundamentally to the partial dissolution and coarsening of TiN precipitates. However, the steels with high Al contents present worse behaviour due to the formation of a second type of precipitates, namely AIN, which quickly dissolve between 1000 and 1100°C, causing a drastic decline in local pinning forces that gives rise to more pronounced abnormal growth of the affected grains.     

Surface chemistry of tribochemical reactions explored in ultrahigh vacuum conditions

The thermal decomposition of model extreme-pressure lubricant additives on clean iron was studied in ultrahigh vacuum conditions using molecular beam strategies. Methylene chloride and chloroform react to deposit a solid film consisting of FeCl₂ and carbon, and evolve only hydrogen into the gas phase. No gas-phase products and less carbon on the surface are detected in the case of carbon tetrachloride. Dimethyl and diethyl disulfide react on clean iron to deposit a saturated sulfur plus carbon layer at low temperatures (∼600 K) and an iron sulfide film onto a Fe + C underlayer at higher temperatures (∼950 K). Methane is the only gas-phase product when dimethyl disulfide reacts with iron. Ethylene and hydrogen are detected when diethyl disulfide is used.     

Downhole Upgrading of Extra-heavy Crude Oil Using Hydrogen Donors and Methane Under Steam Injection Conditions

An extra-heavy crude oil underground upgrading process is described which involves the downhole addition of a hydrogen donor additive under steam injection conditions (280-315°C and residence times of at least 24-h). Laboratory experiments showed a 4° increase in the API gravity (from 9 to 12°) of the upgraded product, a two-fold reduction in the viscosity and, an approximately 8% decrease in the asphaltene content with respect to the original crude. Further increases on the temperature led to products with improved properties reaching 15°API at 315°C. It was found that the presence of the natural formation (catalysts) and methane (natural gas) is necessary to enhance the properties of the upgraded crude oil. From GC and GC-MS results a reaction pathway is proposed that involves hydrogen transfers from tetralin to the extra-heavy crude oil resulting in the formation of 1,2-dihydronaphthalene. This compound is then transformed into naphthalene, further upgrading of crude oil through hydrogen donation. The results of the experiments carried out in the presence and absence of the mineral formation and with an inert solid (SiC) strongly indicate that the former acts as a catalyst and not as a heat transfer matrix. Isotopic labeling studies (CD₄ and ¹³CH₄) give evidences that, most probably, methane is involved in the upgrading reactions.