Differentiation of interlayer and adsorbed water in hydrated portland cement by thermal analysis

Work leading to the new model of hydrated portland cement has shown that much of the water previously considered to reside on free surfaces exists as interlayer water. In the present work samples were conditioned at various relative humidities for times varying from to 14 months and were dried to two different levels before conditioning, one being d-dry. Conditions were chosen, based on the model, so that the different states of water could be clearly illustrated. It was concluded that thermal analysis allows differentiation of interlayer and physically adsorbed water and that the different degrees of drying and very long times allowed for equilibration support all sorption results on which the new model of hydrated portland cement was based.     

Determining the spatial variation of phosphorus in a lake system using remote sensing techniques

Lakes are versatile ecosystems, with eutrophication being a serious problem affecting their condition and trophic status. Eutrophication can lead to an over‐abundance of macrophytes in lakes, producing favourable conditions for mosquito larvae. Increased eutrophication is attributed in most to excessive phosphorus concentrations in lake water. Satellite imagery analysis now plays a prominent role for quickly assessing water quality over a large area. The present study is an attempt to illustrate the variation of phosphate and total phosphorus concentrations in Akkulam–Veli Lake, Kerala, India, using Indian Remote Sensing satellite (IRS P6‐ LISS III) imagery. A multiple regression equation derived using radiance in the red and MIR bands in the imagery was found to yield superior results for predicting the phosphate concentration, whereas a simple regression equation using radiance in red band was found to yield good results for the total phosphorus concentration in lake water. Accordingly, the trophic status of the lake system can be determined easily from satellite imagery in this manner.     

Alteration of structure and mobility of erythrocyte aggregates under normal- to microgravity conditions

An experimental analysis of the aggregates structure and their mobility under normal- and micro-g conditions is carried out. Fresh well mixed erythrocyte suspensions in plasma at 8.0% hematocrit are placed in a glass chamber and on-line video microscopic recording of the aggregation process under microgravity condition is carried out. The analysis of aggregate structure and mobility are carried out by an IBM-PC/AT based image processing system. The results show that (a) under normal gravity conditions the velocity of the formed aggregates depend on their sizes which tend to grow further by interacting with single cells and small aggregates, (b) under microgravity conditions the mobility of the aggregates reduces to zero and an alteration in their structural parameters is observed.     

Hydration of cement — role of triethanolamine

Following addition of 0.1, 0.25, 0.35, 0.5 and 1.0 per cent triethanolamine, studies have been made of the hydration and hardening characteristics of (a) tricalcium aluminate, (b) tricalcium aluminate + gypsum, (c) tricalcium silicate, (d) dicalcium silicate, and (e) portland cement. Triethanolamine (TEA) accelerated the hydration of 3CaO.Al₂O₃ and 3CaO.Al₂O₃-CaSO₄.2H₂O systems and extended the induction period of the hydration of 3CaO.SiO₂. In portland cement paste TEA decreased the strength at all ages and setting characteristics were drastically altered, especially at higher TEA contents. Evidence was obtained also of the formation of a complex of TEA with the hydrating silicate phase.     

The thermomechanical processing of high-tin bronzes—an old practice in a south Indian village

For hundreds of years in the Indian village of Kadavaloor, craftsmen trained by tradition and their senses been using thermomechanical processing to create durable bronze bowls containing approximately 21 percent tin. Lacking a formal traming in metallurgy, the workers nonetheless apply a hot-working methodology that enables them to retain high-temperature, relatively ductile phases for room-temperature service.     

Kinetics of the catalytic oxidation of carbon monoxide over oxide catalysts

The kinetics of the oxidation of carbon monoxide over five commercially available oxide catalysts have been determined at CO concentrations of 4–15 mol% and initial temperatures up to 170°C. The reaction showed a fractional dependence on the concentration of CO and was inhibited by CO₂. From an analysis of the data a Langmuir-Hinshelwood reaction scheme is proposed.     

Biomass feedstock supply chain design – a taxonomic review and a decomposition-based methodology

In this paper, we present a taxonomic review of the literature devoted to the use of operations research approaches for the design and operation of biomass feedstock supply chains (BFSCs). A total of 185 publications that have appeared from 1989 to 2017 are classified based on (1) the embedded optimisation subproblems; (2) the modelling methodologies used for their formulations; and (3) the methods employed for their solution. Our objective of using this classification scheme is to highlight the presence of some useful substructures in a BFSC problem that can, then, be exploited in developing its solution procedure. We illustrate this idea on some generic BFSC problems and present a Dantzig–Wolfe decomposition-based methodology for developing customised approaches to effectively tackle these difficult and large-sized BFSC problems. Finally, we suggest several promising future research directions.     

Financial Modeling and Prediction as a Service

This paper describes our proposal for Quality of Service (QoS) for Financial Modeling and Prediction as a Service (FMPaaS), since a majority of papers does not focus on SaaS level. We focus on two factors for delivering successful QoS, which are performance and accuracy for FMPaaS. The design process, theories and models behind the FMPaaS service have been explained. To support our FMPaaS service, two APIs have been developed to improve on performance and accuracy. Two major experiments have been illustrated and results show that each API processing can be completed in 2.12 seconds and 100,000 simulations can be completed in an acceptable period of time. Accuracy tests have been performed while using Facebook as an example. Three points of comparisons between actual and predicted prices have been undertaken. Results support accuracy since results are between 93.72 % and 99.63 % for Facebook. Three case studies have been used and results can support the accuracy and validity of the high level of accuracy offered by FMPaaS.