Chemically induced changes in the geotechnical response of cementing paste backfill in shaking table test

Cemented paste backfill(CPB) is extensively used for underground mine support and/or tailings management.However,CPB behavior under cyclic loadings might be affected by the chemistry of its porewater,which often contains sulphate ions.Till today,no studies have addressed the effect of sulphate on the response of CPB to cyclic loadings by using shaking table technique.This study presents new findings of assessing the effect of the sulphate in the pore water of CPB on its geotechnical response to cyclic loading by using shaking table.CPB mixtures were prepared(with and without sulphate),poured into a flexible laminar shear box,cured to 4 h,and then exposed to cyclic loading using one-dimensional(1D) shaking table.Several parameters(e.g.pore water pressure,settlement,lateral deformation,acceleration,electrical conductivity,effective stress,and liquefaction susceptibility) were monitored or determined before,during,and after shaking.Obtained results indicate that the sulphate-bearing CPB cured to 4 h can be prone to liquefaction under the studied conditions.However,sulphate-free CPB samples are resistant to liquefaction.These results are expected to contribute to a better understanding of the effect of water chemistry on the cyclic behavior of CPB,consequently enhancing the cost-effective design of CPB structures.     

New accelerated charge methods using early destratification applied on flooded lead acid batteries

A traditional charge process for flooded lead acid batteries (FLABs) lasts generally from 8 to 14 h. Nowadays, many applications of FLABs require reduction of the charge duration, for instance, a 4 h-charge for FLABs in grid energy storage or 1 h-charge for FLABs in electric buses. These are called accelerated charge and fast charge. Such reductions of charge time imply the use of a new charge process. One way to reduce the charge duration is to perform an early destratification step without waiting for the end of charge. The new charge method proposed in this paper (early destratification method - ED) focuses on the reduction of the charge time for FLABs using early destratification, which is performed and controlled using charge acceptance measurement during the charge. Laboratory experiments presented here aim first to develop charge acceptance measurements followed by an ED charge method compared to an IUi traditional charge process.     

Evolution of weak ferroelectricity dielectric response in PbZrO3 antiferroelectric thin films

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - In this study, the ferroelectric domain wall contributions to the permittivity is investigated in a PbZrO3 antiferroelectric thin film far...     

Progression of different udder inflammation indicators and their episode length after onset of inflammation using automatic milking system sensor data

In automatic milking systems (AMS), sensors can measure cow behavior and milk composition at every milking. The aim of this observational study of previously collected data was to gain insight into the differences in dynamics of udder inflammation indicators between cows that recover and those that do not recover after detection of an initial inflammation. Milk diversion (milk separated from the bulk tank and thus indicating farmer intervention), conductivity, and somatic cell count (SCC) data from 4 wk before the initial inflammation to 12 wk after the initial inflammation were used to analyze 2,584 cases of udder inflammation. An udder inflammation case was defined as an initial observation of SCC ≥200,000 cells/mL as well as 1 additional SCC measurement >200,000 cells/mL within 10 d after the initial case, among other requirements. The data originated from 15 AMS herds in 6 countries. Four subsets of cows were created based on whether milk was diverted after the initial inflammation and whether the udder inflammation cases recovered, using a 10-d rolling average SCC threshold of 200,000 cells/mL and checking whether this rolling mean was below the threshold within 90 d after the initial inflammation as the indication of recovery. This formed the following subsets of cow lactations: milk diverted–recovered, milk diverted–not recovered, no milk diverted–not recovered, no milk diverted–recovered. Thresholds of 100,000 SCC/mL and 300,000 SCC/mL for the definition of case and recovery were also applied in a sensitivity analysis but with no substantial difference in results. Linear mixed models were used for each subset to study the variation in SCC (natural logarithm of SCC divided by 1,000) and σ-conductivity (natural logarithm of standard deviation of quarter conductivities). When observing the fraction of cows with SCC <200,000 cells/mL in the recovery subsets, most cows recovered within 20 d after the initial inflammation. In the recovery subsets, both σ-conductivity and SCC stabilized, mostly within 3 to 4 wk after the initial inflammation. σ-Conductivity stabilized above the pre-onset level in all subsets and did not show a clear increase in the no-milk-diverted subgroups, whereas SCC stabilized closer to the pre-onset level. Overall, this study indicated a cutoff point between nonchronic and chronic changes in indicators 3 to 4 wk after the initial inflammation for SCC and σ-conductivity.     

Effect of high temperature on strength and microstructural properties of cemented paste backfill

The main purpose of this research is to investigate the influence of high temperatures on the strength and microstructure (e.g. pore structure, porosity) of cemented paste backfill (CPB) through a series of experimental tests. A laboratory experimental setup allowing the simulation of various high-temperature conditions is developed. Different types of CPB specimens are exposed to different high temperatures (100, 200, 400 and 600 °C). The strength, porosity, pore size distribution and water absorption of these CPB specimens are then evaluated by laboratory tests. Thermogravimetric and differential thermal analyses are also performed to study the thermal behaviour of the CPBs exposed to high temperatures. The results show that high temperatures have a significant effect on the properties of CPBs. Generally, increasing temperatures up to 200 °C leads to higher strength in most types of CPB studied. The porosity and pore size distribution of the CPBs change only slightly. Above 200 °C, the temperature reduces the strength of the CPBs. The most notable strength decrease takes place at exposure temperatures exceeding 400 °C. The significant decrease of the strength of the CPB is accompanied by a significant change in the microstructure (porosity, pore size distribution, mineral phases). Moreover, the effect of high temperatures on the strength and microstructure of CPBs depends on the water/cement ratio (w/c ratio) and the tailings type.     

落槌!138，000澳元！

9月1日的在线拍卖会,以138,000澳元拍卖出一批跨越40个年份（从1951年1990年）的最贵的澳大利亚葡葡萄酒——奔富格兰奇。其中,一瓶1951年的格兰奇价格为43,700澳元;一瓶1957年的St Henri价格为8,100澳元;一瓶1956年的格兰奇为12,100澳元。     

An algebraic continuous time parameter estimation for a sum of sinusoidal waveform signals

In this paper, a novel algebraic method is proposed to estimate amplitudes, frequencies, and phases of a biased and noisy sum of complex exponential sinusoidal signals. The resulting parameter estimates are given by original closed formulas, constructed as integrals acting as time‐varying filters of the noisy measured signal. The proposed algebraic method provides faster and more robust results, compared with usual procedures. Some computer simulations illustrate the efficiency of our method. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dendritic chelating agents. 2. U(VI) binding to poly(amidoamine) and poly(propyleneimine) dendrimers in aqueous solutions

Chelating agents are widely employed in many separation processes used to recover uranyl [U(VI)] from contaminated aqueous solutions. This article describes an experimental investigation of the binding of U(VI) to poly(amidoamine) [PAMAM] and poly(propyleneimine) [PPI] dendrimers in aqueous solutions. We combine fluorescence spectroscopy with bench scale ultrafiltration experiments to measure the extent of binding and fractional binding of U(VI) in aqueous solutions of these dendrimers as a function of (i) metal-ion dendrimer loading, (ii) dendrimer generation, (iii) dendrimer core and terminal group chemistry, and (iv) solution pH and competing ligands (NO3-, PO4(3-), CO3(2-), and Cl-). The overall results of this study suggest that uranyl binding to PAMAM and PPI dendrimers in aqueous solutions involves the coordination of the UO2(2+) ions with the dendrimer amine, amide, and carboxylic groups. We find significant binding of U(VI) to PAMAM dendrimers in (i) acidic solutions containing up to 1.0 M HNO3 and H3PO4 and (ii) in basic solutions containing up to 0.5 M Na2CO3. However, no binding of U(VI) by PAMAM dendrimers is observed in aqueous solutions containing 1.0 M NaCl at pH 3.0. These results strongly suggest that PAMAM and PPI dendrimers can serve as high capacity and selective chelating ligands for U(VI) in aqueous solutions.     

Design and Calibration of a mm-Wave Personal Exposure Meter for 5G Exposure Assessment in Indoor Diffuse Environments

For the first time, a mm-wave personal exposure meter (mm-PEM) for the 5th generation of mobile networks (5G) exposure assessment in indoor diffuse fields is presented. The design is based on simulations and on-phantom calibration measurements in a mm-wave reverberation chamber (RC) at 60 GHz. The mm-PEM consists of an array of nine antennas on the body. Using the mm-PEM, the incident power density (IPD) is measured in the unloaded RC, for the antenna(s) on the phantom and RC loaded with phantom. The uncertainty of the mm-PEM is then determined in terms of its response, which is defined as the ratio of antenna aperture for the above measurement scenarios. Using nine antennas, the designed meter has a response of 1.043 (0.17 dB) at 60 GHz, which is very close to 1 (0 dB), the desired ideal response value. The mm-PEM measured an IPD of 96.6 W m^??2 at 60 GHz in the RC, for an input power of 1 W. In addition, the average absorption cross-section of the phantom is determined as 225 cm², which is an excellent agreement with its physical dimensions.     

An equivalence between rational H2 and Hankel-norm approximations

Let H(z) be a given function in H₂ A classical problem in engineering analysis is to find a rational function G (z) ε H₂ degree M say, which is closest to H(z) in 2-norm. This problem is typically approached using the cost function |H(z) − G(z)|₂, in which G(z) is allowed to vary over the set of Mth-order rational functions in H₂ and for which stationary points are sought. We show that each stationary point of degree M of this functional coincides with a weighted Hankel-norm approximant to H(z). The weighting function derives from the outer factor of the error function H(z) − G(z) stationary point of the rational H₂ approximation problem.