Effect of metakaolin on the near surface characteristics of concrete

Results on an investigation dealing with the effect of metakaolin (MK) on the near surface characteristics of concrete are presented in this paper. A control concrete having cement content 450 kg/m³ and w/c of 0.45 was designed. Cement was replaced with three percentages (5, 10, and 15%) of metakaolin weight. Tests were conducted for initial surface absorption, sorptivity, water absorption and compressive strength at the ages of 35, 56, and 84 days. Test results indicated that with the increase in MK content from 5 to 15%, there was a decrease in the initial surface absorption, decrease in the sorptivity till 10% metakaolin replacement. But at 15% MK replacement an increase in sorptivity was observed. All mixtures showed low water absorption characteristic i.e. less than 10%. Compressive strength shared an inverse relation with sorptivity. Higher MK replacements of 15% are not helpful in improving inner core durability, even though it helps in improving surface durability characteristics.     

Comparison of Ferrous Calcium Silicate Slag and Calcium Ferrite Slag Interactions with Magnesia-Chrome Refractories

The cost of maintaining and eventually replacing refractories as a result of slag attack is a significant cost component in the copper industry. Converting matte to blister copper takes place in reactors lined with direct-bonded magnesia-chrome refractories, and several continuous converting operations use calcium ferrite slag. Unfortunately, the low viscosity of calcium ferrite slag makes it aggressive toward the refractories. Ferrous calcium silicate (FCS) slag has been proposed as a replacement; however, the effect of this slag on magnesia-chrome refractories has not been studied. In this work, the interactions between FCS slag and magnesia-chrome refractory at 1573 K (1300 °C) with an oxygen partial pressure of 10⁻⁶ atm were studied and compared with that experienced with calcium ferrite slag under the same conditions. Both slags penetrated the pores in the refractory and caused compositional change in the chromite spinel intergranular bonding phase through cation interdiffusion, which resulted in cracking and debonding of periclase grains. It was observed that the refractory was penetrated much more deeply by calcium ferrite slag than FCS slag because of the higher surface tension and lower viscosity of calcium ferrite slag. As a result, the refractory was attacked less by FCS slag than it was by calcium ferrite slag. It is concluded that the use of FCS slag in continuous copper converting is likely to extend refractory life.     

Effect of Ni7+ Ion Irradiation on Structure and Ammonia Sensing Properties of Thermally Oxidized Zinc and Indium Films

ZnO and In2O3 films were prepared by thermal oxidation of vacuum deposited zinc and indium films, respectively onto the glass substrate at 30 C. The fabricated films have been irradiated with 100-MeV Ni7+ ions at different fluences ranging from 5×1011 to 5×1013 ions/cm2. The structural and gas sensing properties of pristine and irradiated films have been discussed. X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of pristine and irradiated films reveal that the films are polycrystalline in nature and crystallinity increases after irradiation. In this study, highly porous In2O3 nanorods evolved when being irradiated at a fluence of 5×1013 ions/cm2 while ZnO film shows decrease in number of nanowires. The ammonia sensing performance of the Ni7+ irradiated In2O3 films shows an improvement as compared to its pristine counterpart.     

Mineralogical Studies of Coal Fly Ash for Soil Application in Agriculture

Coal fly ash procured from Guru Gobind Singh Super Thermal Power Plant, Ropar, Punjab, India, was analyzed for its mineralogical content and thermal stability by x-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and physicochemical properties. XRD studies showed that major crystalline phases observed were quartz (SiO₂) and aluminum silicon oxide (Al_4.52Si₁.₄₈) with macro- and microelement (N, P, K, Mg, Zn, S, and Fe). Fly ash showed thermal stability up to 500°C and reduction in weight was up to 200°C, primarily due to loss of water and decarboxylation as revealed by TGA plots. FTIR of fly ash showed that the most prominent peaks in the spectra corresponded to Si–O and Al–O stretch vibrations. Coarse-grain accumulation of fly ash indicated the presence of 70% of fine-grained particles of 0.075 mm. Coal fly ash was alkaline in nature (pH 7.85 ± 0.03) with an electrical conductivity of 0.14 ± 0.02 µS m^?1, water holding capacity of 62%, low bulk density of 0.99 g cm^?3, and a surface area of 0.96 m² g^?1. With properties similar to that of soil coal, fly ash represents a suitable material for use in specific quantities as a soil amending agent in agriculture.     

Nyctanthes arbor‐tristis leaves extract as Antagonizer of immunotoxic effects of chemical pesticides (experimental study)

Increased incidence of immunosuppression due to diseases like AIDS, drug resistant tuberculosis, malaria or exposure to chemicals, calls for general immunopotentiators or anti immunosuppressents. In our previous work while screening the chemical and biopesticides for their immunopotentiating activity, aqueous leaves extract of bio‐pesticidal plant Nyctanthes arbor‐tristis [HL(aq)] was found to be a potent immuno‐modulator. The present study was conducted to evaluate the immunorestorative or anti immunosuppressive activity of the N. arbor‐tristis leaves aqueous extract in the malathion exposed immunosuppressed mice. The immunorestorative potential of HL(aq) was evaluated by studying various immunological parameters (humoral, cell mediated immune, numerical values of immunocytes and functions of phagocytes) in HL(aq) treated or untreated malathion‐exposed mice. The results revealed that the immunological parameters which were suppressed with malathion either reverted back to normal or showed a trend towards normalacy, when treated with HL(aq) extract.     

On the design and modeling of microcontrolled fuzzy nuclear power plant controller

The article presents a working model of Control rod insertion in nuclear power plant based on fuzzy logic and implemented with MC68HC11 microcontroller. The control rods are made of neutron absorbing metal. The amount of control rod insertion into a pressurized water reactor in a nuclear power plant controls the nuclear fission process by controlling the rate at which the chain reaction takes place. The temperature in the pressurized water tank varies with the load of power, the higher the demand of power the higher the temperature and vice versa. The control rods help to maintain the appropriate temperature in the core of the reactor. Nuclear Power plants use a very complicated control scheme, to vary the amount of control rod insertion which is very expensive and difficult to troubleshoot. We have developed a fuzzy model, tested its functionality by generating control surfaces, written the fuzzy inference software, downloaded in the EEPROM of MC68HC11, and interfaced it with 8 LED Bar to simulate control rod and two 8-bit DIP switches to enter inputs of Power Generation and Temperature of the core of the reactor. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Hidden Relationships between N-Glycosylation and Disulfide Bonds in Individual Proteins

N-Glycosylation (NG) and disulfide bonds (DBs) are two prevalent co/post-translational modifications (PTMs) that are often conserved and coexist in membrane and secreted proteins involved in a large number of diseases. Both in the past and in recent times, the enzymes and chaperones regulating these PTMs have been constantly discovered to directly interact with each other or colocalize in the ER. However, beyond a few model proteins, how such cooperation affects N-glycan modification and disulfide bonding at selective sites in individual proteins is largely unknown. Here, we reviewed the literature to discover the current status in understanding the relationships between NG and DBs in individual proteins. Our results showed that more than 2700 human proteins carry both PTMs, and fewer than 2% of them have been investigated in the associations between NG and DBs. We summarized both these proteins with the reported relationships in the two PTMs and the tools used to discover the relationships. We hope that, by exposing this largely understudied field, more investigations can be encouraged to unveil the hidden relationships of NG and DBs in the majority of membranes and secreted proteins for pathophysiological understanding and biotherapeutic development.     

Effect of High-Pressure Processing on Physical, Biochemical, and Microbiological Characteristics of Black Tiger Shrimp (Penaeus monodon)

The effect of high-pressure processing on quality and shelf life of black tiger shrimp was studied. Shrimp was high-pressure processed at selected pressure levels of 100, 270, and 435 MPa for 5 min at room temperature (25?±?2 °C). Changes in physical, biochemical, and microbiological characteristics after processing and during subsequent chilled storage were examined for 35 days. After processing significant (P?<?0.05) increase in moisture content and parallel reduction in protein content was observed. No significant changes were observed in TVB-N and TMA-N levels of shrimp after processing; however, these significantly increased with storage. Whiteness index increased with pressure intensity imparting brighter and mildly cooked appearance. Pressure-induced hardening effect was observed, which showed decreasing trend during storage. The treated samples maintained lower viable counts throughout the storage, thus having better microbial quality than untreated sample. Shelf life was extended to 15 days in shrimp treated at 435 MPa compared with 5 days in untreated sample. Pressure treatment of 435 MPa was found to be most effective in preserving the quality and extending the shelf life of black tiger shrimp.     

Effect of Extrusion on Physicochemical Properties,Digestibility, and Phenolic Profiles of Grit Fractions Obtained from Dry Milling of Normal and Waxy Corn

Extrusion behavior of grits obtained from 3 successive reductions of dry milling of 2 normal corn types and 1 waxy corn was studied at different extrusion temperatures (ET). The grit from each reduction stage (RS) showed the presence of base‐hydrolyzed bound protocatechuic acid, p‐coumaric acid, sinapic acid, ferulic acid, and quercetin, and the concentrations of these decreased after acid hydrolysis and that of gallic acid increased. African tall grit from all RSs showed the highest average specific mechanical energy (SME) and torque, while waxy corn grit had the lowest. Corn extrudates showed an increase in water solubility index (WSI) and a decrease in water absorption index (WAI), as well as in expansion ratio (ER) with an increase in ET. Extrudates from each corn type showed an increase in rapidly digestible starch (RDS) and a decrease in slowly digestible starch (SDS) and resistant starch with an increase in ET. Most of the phenolics were present in bound form in extrudates, and quercetin, and catechin observed in grit were not present in extrudates. Frying of extrudates showed lower L^* and higher a^* and b^* when compared to color parameters of raw extrudates. Lower expansion of fried extrudates from waxy corn than those from other corn types may be related to its higher protein and fat contents and to lower amylose content.     

MIMO Channel Capacity and Configuration Selection for Switched Parasitic Antennas

Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems offer significant enhancements in terms of their data rate and channel capacity compared to traditional systems. However, correlation degrades the system performance and imposes practical limits on the number of antennas that can be incorporated into portable wireless devices. The use of switched parasitic antennas (SPAs) is a possible solution, especially where it is difficult to obtain sufficient signal decorrelation by conventional means. The covariance matrix represents the correlation present in the propagation channel, and has significant impact on the MIMO channel capacity. The results of this work demonstrate a significant improvement in the MIMO channel capacity by using SPA with the knowledge of the covariance matrix for all pattern configurations. By employing the “water-pouring algorithm” to modify the covariance matrix, the channel capacity is significantly improved compared to traditional systems, which spread transmit power uniformly across all the antennas. A condition number is also proposed as a selection metric to select the optimal pattern configuration for MIMO-SPAs.