CONTROL OF COKE FORMATION FROM HYDROCRACKED ATHABASCA BITUMEN

The mechanism of formation of carbonaceous deposits from hydrocracked Athabaca bitumen is shown to result in both isotropic and anisotropic solids. The formation of mesophase spheres present as a separate liquid phase has been observed in the laboratory High severity results in the formation of an increased amount of anisotropic solid which is observed in both laboratory and commercial samples. The formation of these deposits in the downstream separators of a commercial plant has occurred and is a hindrance to reliable operation. A strategy to reduce the formation of these deposits in a commercial plant was evaluated in a series of laboratory experiments. The use of process-derived gas oils can be used as quench oil to lower the temperature of the commercial separators. There was no increase in the rate of toluene insoluble formation as a result of the use of quench oils, which allowed the full advantage of the temperature decrease to be achieved. A qualitative comparison of the build-up of deposits in the commercial separators is provided from separator vessel monitoring.     

Richard Lester Solomon (1918–1995): Obituary.

Memorializes Richard Solomon, one of the major learning theorists of the 2nd half of the 20th century. Solomon was named the 1st James M. Skinner University Professor of Science in 1975, was elected to the National Academy of Sciences, and was awarded, among other honors, the Warren Medal for research by the Society of Experimental Psychologists, the American Psychological Association Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award, and the American Psychological Foundation's Award for Distinguished Teaching in Experimental Psychology. He conducted research on a broad array of topics such as word frequency and perceptual defense, children's estimation of the size of tokens, hoarding behaviors in rats, and personality ratings and sociometric patterns. His work made a major contribution to the exploration of Pavlovian conditioning. Other topics of research focused on in Solomon's laboratories included avoidance learning, learned helplessness, punishment, and the opponent-process theory of acquired motivation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of interstitial oxygen on microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti-48Al-2Cr-2Nb with fully lamellar and duplex microstructures

The effect of added oxygen in the range of 1000 to 4000 wt ppm on the microstructures of a Ti-48Al-2Cr-2Nb alloy has been investigated and compared to the microstructures for a high-purity alloy. For specimens cooled from theα phase, interstitial oxygen stabilizes the lamellar microstructure with respect toγ grains, with higher than equilibrium values for theα ₂ volume fraction. For specimens cooled from theα +γ phase field, the lamellar microstructure still tends to be favored by oxygen, but it is found that the phase volume fractions are not significantly different from equilibrium values. This suggests that interstitial O essentially reduces the kinetics of theα toα +γ transformation. Thus, interstitial oxygen will have a strong effect on microstructures obtained by continuous cooling fromα, but significantly less on those, such as the duplex microstructure, obtained by long treatment in theα +γ phase field. In general, increased O content is well correlated with reduced ductility. Finally, the role of interstitial oxygen on this phase transformation is discussed.     

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of a free-standing oxide film

The corrosion of low carbon steel in natural sea-water is characterized by the formation and growth of compact and thick layers composed of oxides, insoluble salts and organic materials. These layers are the result of corrosion processes induced by local environmental conditions, water oxygen supply; ionic species; bacteria and organic matter. The exchange of various species (ions, molecules, gas) between sea-water and the rust layers or the metal depends both on the kinetics of the Faradaic reactions of the entities with either the oxides or the metal, as well as on their transport properties through the different strata of the rust layers. In this work, an impedance study was carried out using the 4-electrodes cell arrangement with corrosion products picked up on steel sheet piling immersed for 25 years and analyzed as free standing membranes. This new approach is a good way to reach the specific transport and transfer properties of the oxide without being blurred by the metal influence. The physical model developed in this work was based on a transmission line, and accurately described the experimental diagrams. The electronic resistivity of the oxide layer, its porosity, the mean pore size and the reaction kinetics parameters could be determined from the fittings.     

Contribution of beta-lactamase production to the resistance of mycobacteria to beta-lactam antibiotics

Changes in motor function were assessed in male rats after injecting graded doses (100, 200, 400, and 800 mg/kg, IP) of ammonium chloride and ammonium acetate. The effects were correlated with the concentrations of ammonia and glucose in the brain and blood. Spontaneous motor activity and motor coordination were inhibited after injecting 100 and 200 mg/kg, whereas with 400 and 800 mg/kg the animals exhibited convulsive movements. A dose-dependent increase was found in the concentrations of ammonia and glucose in both blood and brain. These were restored, 25 min after treatment, to control levels in the blood and not in the brain. A correlation was found between the time courses of inhibitory motor events and a rise in brain ammonia levels. Convulsant action of ammonium salts was accompanied by a marked elevation of ammonia and glucose concentration in the brain. The findings suggest that detoxication of diffused ammonia is a rate-limiting process in the brain and that ammonia, at toxic concentrations, decreases glucose utilization in the brain, resulting in an inhibition of motor function. A very high concentration of ammonia in the brain, although inhibiting glucose utilization, produces clonic convulsions probably by activating directly the motor neurons.     

B. F. Skinner: Au-delá de la controverse.

Discusses controversies surrounding the work of B. F. Skinner's influence on various theories of human and animal behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of magnesium on the composition,microstructure and mechanical properties of carbon fibres

This work was undertaken in order to provide more detailed information on the chemical and mechanical behaviour of carbon fibres during the elaboration of graphite-magnesium composite materials. For this purpose, PAN-based T300, pitch-based P55 and P100 carbon fibres were isothermally heat treated, at temperatures ranging from 450 to 700 °C, under a saturated vapour pressure of magnesium. The composition, microstructure and tensile strength of the resulting samples were characterized by chemical and electron probe microanalysis, Raman spectrometry, X-ray diffraction and mechanical test of single filaments. From the results obtained, it has been concluded that highly graphitized fibres such as pitch-based P55 or P100 are not affected by long-time annealing in the presence of magnesium vapour, whereas impure and disorded fibres such as PAN-based T300 undergo some chemical and microstructural modifications decreasing their mechanical properties.