An application of the thermo-radiative model SOLENE for the evaluation of street canyon energy balance

This paper presents a validation of the thermo-radiative model SOLENE and its application for analysing the street canyon energy balance. The validation data were selected from the temperature and radiation measurements obtained during the JAPEX campaign, previously described by Idczak et al. [16]: a set of four lines of steel containers buildings composing three parallel street canyons at an approximate 1:5 scale. Reference weather data and micrometeorological conditions within the canyon were measured. Numerical simulations were carried out using the meteorological measurements as model inputs. The simulated surface temperatures and radiation fluxes are compared with the measurements for a full week period, with a focus on a day with clear sky conditions. The street canyon energy balance analysis demonstrates that the most energetic surface was the street ground due to its thick surface layer of tar-coated gravels while the walls had a low heat capacity. The thermal radiation balance was negative for all canyon surfaces. The sensible heat was transferred mainly from the canyon surfaces to the ambient air, but also from the air to the ground in the morning. The effective albedo of the canyon had a diurnal value of 0.20–0.25, but dropped to 0.10 in the afternoon when the ground strongly transformed the direct and reflected solar radiation into sensible heat. This narrow street configuration enhanced solar radiation absorption and longwave radiation trapping.     

Characterization and catalytic activity of soft-templated NiO-CeO2 mixed oxides for CO and CO2 co-methanation

Nanosized NiO,CeO₂ and NiO-CeO₂ mixed oxides with different Ni/Ce molar ratios were prepared by the soft template method.All the samples were characterized by different techniques as to their chemical composition,structure,morphology and texture.On the catalysts submitted to the same reduction pretreatment adopted for the activity tests the surface basic properties and specific metal surface area were also determined.NiO and CeO₂ nanocrystals of about 4 nm in size were obtained,regardless of the Ni/Ce molar ratio.The Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results proved the formation of defective sites at the NiO-CeO₂ interface,where Ni species are in strong interaction with the support.The microcalorimetric and Fourier transform infrared analyses of the reduced samples highlighted that,unlike metallic nickel,CeO₂ is able to effectively adsorb CO₂,forming carbonates and hydrogen carbonates.After reduction in H2 at 400°C for 1 h,the catalytic performance was studied in the CO and CO₂ co-methanation reaction.Catalytic tests were performed at atmospheric pressure and 300°C,using CO/CO₂/H₂ molar compositions of 1/1/7 or 1/1/5,and space velocities equal to 72000 or 450000 cm³?h^-1?gcat^-1.Whereas CO was almost completely hydrogenated in any investigated experimental conditions,CO₂ conversion was strongly affected by both the CO/CO₂/H₂ ratio and the space velocity.The faster and definitely preferred CO hydrogenation was explained in the light of the different mechanisms of CO and CO₂ methanation.On a selected sample,the influence of the reaction temperature and of a higher number of space velocity values,as well as the stability,were also studied.Provided that the Ni content is optimized,the NiCe system investigated was very promising,being highly active for the CO_x co-methanation reaction in a wide range of operating conditions and stable(up to 50 h)also when submitted to thermal stress.     

Raman spectra of micellar casein powders prepared with wet blending of glycomacropeptide and micellar casein concentrate

Understanding the molecular properties and interactions of components within high-protein dairy powders is important in predicting rehydration performance. Raman spectroscopy was used to generate molecular information which provided insights into interactions between caseins in micellar casein concentrate (MCC) powder formulated with varying proportions of glycomacropeptide (GMP). The Raman bands showed intense peaks at 1446 to 1476 cm⁻¹ (due to CH₂ vibration) and 1653 to 1668 cm⁻¹ (due to C=O of Amide I and C=C bond) in MCC powder samples blended with GMP. Enhanced rehydration characteristics of MCC powder containing GMP matched with these differences in Raman peak intensity.     

Bioactivity of Lemon Balm Kombucha

There is inadequate published data referring to bioactivity of lemon balm tea and its Kombucha. The aim of this study, therefore, was to investigate antimicrobial, antiproliferative, genotoxic, and antigenotoxic potential of lemon balm tea and its Kombucha with consuming acidity. Antimicrobial activity was determined by agar-well diffusion method. Cell growth effects were determined in HeLa, MCF7, and HT-29 human tumor cell lines. Genotoxic and antigenotoxic effects were determined using chromosome aberration assay in Chinese hamster cell line CHO-K1. Differences between control and treated groups were evaluated using analysis of variance, at significance level of p < 0.05. Kombucha from lemon balm tea (Melissa officinalis L.) exibited antimicrobial activity against prokaryotic microorganisms independently of their cell wall structure (both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria), while there was no observed activity against eukaryots (yeasts and moulds). There was absence of genotoxic effects while antigenotoxic effects of lemon balm Kombucha and tea were confirmed on MMC-damaged CHO-K1 cells. For the explanation of cell growth effects that were not concentration dependent, concept of hormesis was used. Antiproliferative activity was lower compared with traditional Kombucha and Satureja montana L. Kombucha, with lemon balm tea showing higher activity than its Kombucha.     

Polar compounds dominate in vitro effects of sediment extracts

Sediment extracts from three polluted sites of the river Elbe basin were fractionated using a novel online fractionation procedure. Resulting fractions were screened for mutagenic, aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)-mediated, transthyretin (TTR)-binding, and estrogenic activities and their potency to inhibit gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) to compare toxicity patterns and identify priority fractions. Additionally, more than 200 compounds and compound classes were identified using GC-MS/MS, LC-MS/MS, and HPLC-DAD methods. For all investigated end points, major activities were found in polar fractions, which are defined here as fractions containing dominantly compounds with at least one polar functional group. Nonpolar PAH fractions contributed to mutagenic and AhR-mediated activities while inhibition of GJIC and estrogenic and TTR-binding activities were exclusively observed in the polar fractions. Known mutagens in polar fractions included nitro- and dinitro-PAHs, azaarenes, and keto-PAHs, while parent and monomethylated PAHs such as benzo[a]pyrene and benzofluoranthenes were identified in nonpolar fractions. Additionally, for one sample, high AhR-mediated activities were determined in one fraction characterized by PCDD/Fs, PCBs, and PCNs. Estrone, 17β-estradiol, 9H-benz[de]anthracen-7-one, and 4-nonylphenol were identified as possible estrogenic and TTR-binding compounds. Thus, not only nonpolar compounds such as PAHs, PCBs, and PCDD/Fs but also the less characterized and investigated more polar substances should be considered as potent mutagenic, estrogenic, AhR-inducing, TTR-binding, and GJIC-inhibiting components for future studies.     

Concept of cleaner production in Vojvodina

The Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is an autonomous province in Serbia, containing about 27% of its total population according to the 2002 Census. It is located in the northern part of the country, in the Pannonia plain. The importance of sector of the environment protection becomes even larger and observable, especially with respect of the strategic determination of Government of the AP of Vojvodina, the Republic of Serbia on the association with the European economic area (EEA) and joining with the states – members of the European Union (EU). Restitution of the concept of the cleaner production (CP) significantly helps to companies and the responsible persons (especially in the domain of industry) to harmonize their business activities with law demands concerning the environment protection, as well as to improve their processes and the process sequences. This makes a starting base for the obtaining of the integrated license for the installations that are included in a list of installations that have to obtain an integrated licenses (some 250 installations), on the basis of the Law on the integrated prevention and control of pollution of Vojvodina, the Republic of Serbia, for which the dead point is the year 2015.     

Synthesis of itaconimide/nadimide-functionalized benzoxazine monomers: Structural and thermal characterization

A novel series of itaconimide/nadimide-functionalized benzoxazine monomers (I-Bz/N-Bz) from imide-terminated amines, paraformaldehyde and phenol/m-cresol/cardanol/4-(hydroxyphenyl) benzoxazole were synthesized and characterized by FT-IR, ¹H and ¹³C NMR and HRMS analyses. The I-Bzs exhibited lower curing temperatures compared to the N-Bzs, which may be attributable to the presence of the 1,1-disubstituted double bond in itaconimide. The poly(I-Bz)s exhibited higher glass-transition temperatures (210–216 °C) compared to the poly(N-Bz)s (151–178 °C). The itaconimide- and nadimide-functionalized benzoxazines showed comparable thermal stability, but differences in their phenolic structures affected their thermal behavior (char yield and T_max). The poly(I-Bz)s (19–47%) showed higher char yields compared to the poly(N-Bz)s (18–41%), depending on the backbone structure. The highest lap-shear strength at 200 °C was observed in I-Bz/N-Bz derived from m-cresol.     

红砂岩填土压实厚度对压实能量消耗规律影响试验研究

为研究红砂岩填土压实能量消耗规律,利用自制装置在电子万能试验机上进行静载荷压实试验,得到5种不同厚度红砂岩填土压实试验的压力–位移关系,分析填土压实厚度对压实能量消耗规律的影响.结果表明:红砂岩填土在压实过程中的压力与位移之间近似呈指数关系;不同厚度土层压实位移随压实能量的增长趋势基本一致,压实能量随土层厚度增加而大;压实过程中消耗的单位体积静压功与产生的压实位移近似呈对数关系;填土干密度随单位体积静压功增大而增加;压实到相同干密度,所消耗的单位体积静压功随压实厚度增高而增大,故适当减小填土压实厚度将有利于降低能量消耗.     

A note on equations for commutative regular languages

In this note we prove that the equations satisfied by one-letter regular languages are exactly those satisfied by commutative regular languages. This answers a problem raised by Arto Salomaa.