SOLVENT EXTRACTION OF RADIUM AND BARIUM CATIONS INTO CHLOROFORM BY A LIPOPHILIC ACYCLIC POLYETHER DICARBOXYLIC ACID

The lipophilic acyclic polyether carboxylic acid bls-l,8(2 -carboxy-3-naphthoxy)-3,6-dioxaoctane exhibits selectivity for Ra²⁺ over Ba²⁺ in competitive extractions into chloroform. Solubility characteristics of the compound suggest that the addition of branched alkyl substituents would be required to make it a practical separation agent.     

Discrete element modelling of uniaxial constant strain rate tests on asphalt mixtures

Constant strain rate tests for a graded asphalt mixture under three constant strain rates have been undertaken in the laboratory. The Discrete Element Model has been used to simulate the laboratory tests with a numerical sample preparation procedure being developed to represent the physical specimen. The Burger’s model has been used to represent the time dependent behavior of the asphalt mixture. The Burger’s model was implemented to give bending and torsional resistance as well as in direct tension and compression. The stress-strain response for the laboratory tests and the simulations under three loading speeds were recorded. The results show reasonable agreement when the bond strengths in the model are made to be a function of strain rate. Both normal and Weibull distributions have been used for the bond strengths between the aggregate particles. The effects on the stress-strain response of bond strength variability and particle position are proved to be negligible. Bond breakage was recorded during the simulations to explain the internal damage within the sample. The modified Burger’s model has proved to be a useful tool in modeling the bending and torsional resistance at particle contacts in an asphalt mixture, in order to correctly predict observed behavior.     

Size effects and strength fluctuation in nanoscale plasticity

Stochastic, discontinuous flow is ubiquitous in the plastic deformation of small-volume metallic materials. We have identified a size-strengthening effect on the stress to initiate the jerky plastic yielding in nanoscale volumes of copper single crystals, subjected to nanoindentation in different orientations. Such a nanoscale size effect arises due to the stochastic nature of dislocation sources, in contrast to the microscale size effect often attributed to plastic strain gradients. The jerky response can result from the activation of either surface or bulk heterogeneous dislocation sources, as governed by the distribution and resistance of dislocation locks. Implications concerning the deformation mechanism in materials with flow defect-limited characteristics are discussed.     

A concurrent scheme for passing dislocations from atomistic to continuum domains

This paper presents a concurrent atomistic-continuum (CAC) methodology for three-dimensional dynamic simulation of dislocation nucleation, migration and interaction. The method is based on a new continuum field formulation of balance laws with relevant atomistic information (the arrangements and interactions of atoms) considered. In this work, we show that the new CAC method allows the smooth passage of dislocations through sharp interfaces between the atomistic and the coarse-grained finite element domains without unphysical reflection of dislocations or the need for heuristic rules; meanwhile, complex dislocation phenomena such as dislocation nucleation, dynamic strain bursts associated with nucleation and migration avalanches, formations of Lomer-Cottrell locks, dislocation-rigid boundary interactions, formation of intrinsic and extrinsic stacking faults, deformation twinning, and curved dislocation loops can be reproduced by the CAC method. All of the CAC simulations are directly compared with the corresponding atomic-level molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The efficiency, accuracy and potential applications of the method are discussed along with necessary additional development of criteria for coarse graining.     

Functionalization of silicon nanowire surfaces with metal-organic frameworks

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and silicon nanowires (SiNWs) have been extensively studied due to their unique properties; MOFs have high porosity and specific surface area with well-defined nanoporous structure, while SiNWs have valuable one-dimensional electronic properties. Integration of the two materials into one composite could synergistically combine the advantages of both materials and lead to new applications. We report the first example of a MOF synthesized on surface-modified SiNWs. The synthesis of polycrystalline MOF-199 (also known as HKUST-1) on SiNWs was performed at room temperature using a step-by-step (SBS) approach, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy elemental mapping were used to characterize the material. Matching of the SiNW surface functional groups with the MOF organic linker coordinating groups was found to be critical for the growth. Additionally, the MOF morphology can by tuned by changing the soaking time, synthesis temperature and precursor solution concentration. This SiNW/MOF hybrid structure opens new avenues for rational design of materials with novel functionalities.      

Inclusion of primary creep in the estimation of the C t parameter

The problem of time-dependent fracture under transient creep conditions is investigated via finite element analyses of fracture specimens with stationary cracks. The constitutive models consist of linear elasticity with combinations of power-law secondary creep and two primary creep laws. Two proposed parameters are studied. One is a contour integral, C(t), which characterizes the crack tip singularity strength. The other one, C _t, is evaluated based on the load line deflection rate and has been used successfully in correlating experimental creep crack growth data.It is evident that accurate constitutive modeling is essential to good agreement with experimental data. The inclusion of primary creep resolves earlier discrepancies between the experimental and analytical load line deflection rates which are used to calculate the respective values of C _t. The loading boundary condition is also an important factor that has been addressed. A more general formulation of C _twhich includes primary creep is presented. In small scale and transition creep, the C _tparameter does not characterize the crack tip stress singularity but rather is related to the crack tip creep zone growth rate. At times past transition time, C _tand C(t) both approach a path-independent integral, C ^*(t), which characterizes the stationary crack tip stress field. The relationship between C _tand C(t) is discussed. The interpretation and estimation of the C _tparameter are given based on the numerical results and analytical manipulations.     

Potential phosphorus losses from grassland soils irrigated with dairy factory wastewater

Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems - Crop residue management strategies have exhibited significant effects on crop growth and soil properties, which in turn may influence soil phosphorus (P)...     

Localised sequence regions possessing high melting temperatures prevent the amplification of a DNA mimic in competitive PCR

The polymerase chain reaction is an immensely powerful technique for identification and detection purposes. Increasingly, competitive PCR is being used as the basis for quantification. However, sequence length, melting temperature and primary sequence have all been shown to influence the efficiency of amplification in PCR systems and may therefore compromise the required equivalent co-amplification of target and mimic in competitive PCR. The work discussed here not only illustrates the need to balance length and melting temperature when designing a competitive PCR assay, but also emphasises the importance of careful examination of sequences for GC-rich domains and other sequences giving rise to stable secondary structures which could reduce the efficiency of amplification by serving as pause or termination sites. We present data confirming that under particular circumstances such localised sequence, high melting temperature regions can act as permanent termination sites, and offer an explanation for the severity of this effect which results in prevention of amplification of a DNA mimic in competitive PCR. It is also demonstrated that when Taq DNA polymerase is used in the presence of betaine or a proof reading enzyme, the effect may be reduced or eliminated.