Theory of porous electrodes—XI. The positive plate of the lead-acid battery

Partial differential equations describing the transport of mass and electricity in the pores of the positive electrode of a lead acid battery were derived. The theory is based on exact transport equations and on the assumption that the solid porous matrix has a metallic conductivity. Volume changes in both phases are taken into account. Numerical solutions obtained on a computer are presented for the case where the influence of electrolyte between the electrodes can be neglected. The solutions depend on the product of electrode thickness times current density, and on the initial porosity.     

Sparking at cathode tools during electrochemical machining in flow-through cells

The current density used in electrochemical machining can be increased only up to a certain value, above which the formation of electric sparks on the cathode (tool) is observed, whereby the latter is damaged and the anode surface becomes rough. The present work is devoted to the measurement of this critical density for small metal cathodes placed on the wall of a flow-through channel for Reynolds numbers from 1265 up to 5902 and static pressures ranging from 0.1 up to 1.0 MPa. The results are correlated by criterion equations which gave values of critical (sparking) cathodic current density,j _s, with an average error of 7.1 % for laminar flow and 4.1 % for turbulent flow. The equations can be used for the calculation of the sparking current density for industrial flow-through cells for electrochemical machining.     

Poly[N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide]-based tissue-embedding medium compatible with MALDI mass spectrometry imaging experiments

Traditional tissue-sectioning techniques for histological samples utilize various embedding media to stabilize the tissue on a sectioning target and to provide a smooth cutting surface. Due to the ion suppression effect in MALDI ionization and number of background peaks in the low-mass region, these media are not suitable for mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) experiments. To overcome this, droplets of water are often used to mount the tissue on a sectioning target, but the ice block formed around the tissue does not provide a good support for sectioning of fragile samples. In this work, we propose a novel embedding media, compatible with MALDI ionization and MSI experiments, based on poly[N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide] (pHPMA). Using a reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization technique, well-defined pHPMA polymer with narrow mass distribution was prepared. Benefits of the resulted pHPMA-based embedding media were tested on different tissue samples.     

Where philosophy meets clinical science

Nowadays, there is a renewed interest in bone changes in experimental and clinical nephrology. However, the need for understanding the peculiarity of bone can be traced back to the 5th century BC, when Empedocles of Acragas put forward a theory of a world made of air, water, fire, and earth governed by love and hate. By observing the various body tissues, he strove to demonstrate that they consisted of 4 elements assembled with different mathematical ratios (logos). Blood is considered the most perfect tissue, because the ratio between elements is one. Bone is a very unusual tissue because it is made of 2 parts of earth, 2 parts of water, and 4 parts of fire. This kind of reasoning could be considered the first cry in the birth of quantitative chemistry.     

Results of the 2010 National Radiation Protection Institute intercomparison of radon and its short-lived decay product continuous monitors

During the Sixth European Conference on Protection Against Radon at Home and at Work held in autumn 2010 in Prague, the first intercomparison of continuous radon and its short-lived decay product monitors was organised and held by the Natural Radiation Division of the National Radiation Protection Institute (NRPI) in Prague. Eight laboratories submitted eight continuous radon monitors, two electronic monitors, three passive integral systems based on charcoal and three continuous radon short-lived decay product monitors. The intercomparison included exposures to both the radon gas concentration and equivalent equilibrium radon concentration (EEC) under different ambient conditions similar to the ones in dwellings. In particular, the influence of the equilibrium factor F, unattached fraction of EEC f(p) and absolute air humidity were investigated. The results of the radon gas measurements were performed on a calibration level of about 8 kBq m(-3). The results of all monitors were compared with the reference NRPI monitor.     

Laser ablation of FOX-7: proposed mechanism of decomposition

A novel high-energy explosive material, FOX-7 (1,1-diamino-2,2-dinitroethylene), was studied using a combination of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS). The LIBS technique uses short laser pulses (an ArF excimer laser) as the energy source to convert small quantities of a sample into plasma and to induce the emission of its molecular fragments or atoms. SIFT-MS is a novel method for absolute quantification based on chemical ionization using three reagent ions, with the ability to determine concentrations of trace gases and vapors of volatile organic compounds in real time. SIFT-MS was used to study the release of NO, NO(2), HCN, HONO, HCHO, CH(3)CH(2)OH, and C(2)H(2) after laser ablation of the explosive compound FOX-7 in solid crystalline form. The radiation emitted after excitation was analyzed using a time-resolved UV-vis spectrometer with an ICCD detector. The electronic bands of CN (388 nm), OH (308.4 nm), and NO (237.1 nm) radicals and the atomic lines of C, N, and H were identified.     

Removal of antimicrobials using advanced wastewater treatment

Removal of numerous classes of pharmaceuticals from the municipal and industrial wastewater, using conventional wastewater treatment, is incomplete and several studies suggested that improvement of this situation would require the application of advanced treatment techniques. This is particularly important for the treatment of industrial effluents, released from pharmaceutical industries, which can contain rather high concentrations of antimicrobials. The aim of this work was to evaluate membrane bioreactors (MBRs), nanofiltration, reverse osmosis and ozonation, as well as their combinations, for the removal of antimicrobials from a synthetic wastewater which simulated highly contaminated industrial effluents. The study was performed using a mixture of four important classes of antimicrobials, including sulfonamides (SA), fluoroquinolones (FQ), macrolides (MAC) and trimethoprim (TMP). Performance of two different types of MBRs, Kubota and Zenon, was evaluated under different regimes regarding hydraulic retention time, total organic load and total nitrogen load. It was shown that elimination of SA in MBR treatment was very efficient, while the elimination of MAC, FQ, and TMP was incomplete. A mass balance of these contaminants in MBR suggested that microbial transformation represented the main mechanism, while only a small percentage was eliminated from the aqueous phase by adsorption onto sludge particles. Nanofiltration and reverse osmosis achieved high elimination rates however produced highly contaminated concentrate. High removal was achieved using ozonation, but further research is needed to characterize formed ozonation products.     

Characterizing the structure of pharmaceutical granules obtained by wet granulation with varying amounts of water via Raman chemical imaging

A pharmaceutical formulation containing metformin hydrochloride (MET), hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC), and microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) was wet granulated with varying amounts of water and the structure of the obtained granules was characterized by Raman chemical mapping. Univariate Raman mapping was found to be satisfactory for producing the images of the two components of interest (HPC and MCC). In addition to the images, the average Raman spectra from the maps as well as the micro-Raman spectra from the hot pixels were analyzed. HPC is found to strongly respond to the addition of water, with its domain dissipating and Raman bands becoming weaker as the water addition increases. MCC is also responsive to water, reacting similarly to HPC but to a much smaller extent and only for the largest amounts of water. Granules made with increasing water content also have improved tabletting properties and flow.     

Effect of gamma radiation on the chlorine overvoltage at a titanium anode provided with an active film of RuO2 and TiO2

High-dose gamma irradiation of electrodes provided with an active film consisting of 5 mol. % RuO₂ and 95 mol. % TiO₂ may produce electrodes whose chlorine overvoltage at 60°C in a solution containing 300 g NaCl per dm³ conforms to the relation

for

A ⁶⁰Co source and doses about 4.9.10⁵ C kg^?1 (1.9 GR) were used. The gamma radiation has a positive effect of short duration in that it decreases the chlorine overvoltage, especially at higher cds. In the course of time the chlorine overvoltage of irradiated electrodes will increase beyond the values obtained with untreated electrodes.     

Dynamic mechanical behaviour of random copolymers of a LC-methacrylate and octyl methacrylate

The dynamic mechanical behaviour of random copolymers of LC monomer-1-(hexyloxycarbonyl)ethyl 4-[4-(methacryloyloxy)benzoyloxy]benzoate (HB) and octyl methacrylate (OMA) was studied in the main transition and flow regions. Even though the aliphatic end groups of the side chain of HB and OMA are roughly the same, the T _g temperature of poly(HB) is ∼ 80 K higher than that of poly(OMA); this fact is due to the presence of the stiff phenyl benzoate mesogenic group in the side chain of HB. With increasing content of OMA in the copolymer the superimposed curves of the storage G′ _p and loss G′′ _p moduli at a constant temperature shift towards shorter frequencies. It has been shown that this shift is mainly due to an increase of the free volume in the copolymers with increasing content of OMA. While HB monomer shows liquid crystalline (LC) properties, its polymer (poly(HB)) and random copolymers with OMA show only isotropic thermal behaviour because no flexible spacer is present in the side chain of HB which would decouple the main chain and mesogenic group motions. This means that neither the homopolymer of HB, nor its copolymers with a flexible comonomer retain the LC properties of the starting LC monomer, HB. Received: 26 September 1996/Revised: 7 November 1996/Accepted: 7 November 1996