Role of iron and aluminum oxides as fluxes during the burning of Portlamd cement

Phase equilibrium data show that A?₂O₃ and Fe₂O₃ act as fluxes during the burning of Portland cements. In principle, interactions between the four major components of cement can be determined directly from the relevant phase diagrams but in practice, supplementary constructions are almost essential to show the quantitative relationship between temperature, chemical composition and the amount of liquid formed. The concept of ‘clinkering diagrams’ is developed and applied. The principles underlying the selection of fluxes to assist clinkering reactions are discussed.     

Neutron-Gamma Pulse Shape Discrimination at High Count Rates

Although pulse shape discrimination has been used for years to separate gamma and neutron interactions in scintillators, many of the best techniques still suffer from count rate limitations. We have developed pulse-pair-detection techniques which, when used in conjunction with common pulse-shape-discrimination circuits, can markedly improve their performance at high event rates. Performance at rates above 106 events per second has been improved by more than 100%.     

Short‐term feeding of fermentable dietary fibres influences the gut microbiota composition and metabolic activity in rats

This study investigated the effects of dietary fibres on gut bacterial abundance and metabolic activity in rats fed short‐term. Faecal samples from rats fed for 7 days showed differences in the effects of dietary fibres on gut bacterial populations. Broccoli fibre, inulin, potato fibre and potato resistant starch significantly increased the faecal Bacteroides‐Prevotella‐Porphyromonas group compared with cellulose. Growth of pathogenic bacteria such as Clostridium perfringens, Escherichia coli and Enterococcus spp. was decreased significantly in rats fed barley β‐glucan, citrus pectin, inulin and broccoli fibre diets. An increase in Bifidobacterium spp. and butyric acid levels, the so‐called bifidogenic and butyrogenic effects, was observed in rats fed inulin and potato fibre diets. Organic acid concentrations and polysaccharide contents in the rat faeces confirm the fermentability of dietary fibres in the gut. This study demonstrates the positive effects of plant‐sourced dietary fibres on gut microbiota composition and metabolic activity.