Does the weight of riparian trees destabilize riverbanks?

In contrast to the generally accepted stabilizing effects of riparian vegetation, the surcharge of trees on riverbanks has been widely implicated as a source of bank instability. Fieldwork conducted along the Latrobe River in Victoria, Australia shows that the bank‐destabilizing effects of surcharge, due to silver wattle (Acacia dealbata), are minimal. Field observations indicate that it is unlikely that the weight of silver wattles growing on an otherwise stable bank section will directly cause mass failure. Observations of deep‐seated failures and silver wattle stands on the Latrobe River indicate that where average‐sized slump‐blocks support an average number of average‐sized silver wattles, the trees represent only 4.1% of the total saturated slump mass. Infinite slope stability analysis indicates a threshold of around 48° where banks become prone to shallow‐planar slide failures as they steepen. Where bank sections are inherently unstable and prone to shallow‐planar slide failure, the additional weight of the trees may contribute to overall instability. However, manipulation of other stability parameters within reasonable constraints negates the effect of surcharge so it is not possible to demonstrate conclusively a destabilizing influence of silver wattles. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Vladimirskaya hydroelectric pumped storage power plant as the first pilot power project of the 21st century

The authors describe the Vladimirskaya hydroelectric pumped storage power plant that is currently being designed as the pilot Russian power project for the 21st century.Translated from Gidrotekhnicheskoe Stroitelstvo, No. 8, August 2004, pp. 15 – 20.     

The effect of photoexcitation of the electrical properties of ZnS:Mn thin-film emitters

Significant distinctions have been observed in the current kinetics and current-voltage characteristics of ZnS: Mn electroluminescent thin-film emitters measured with pulsed photoexcitation in different (blue, red, and infrared) spectral intervals. The results show evidence that a recharge of deep centers related to the zinc and sulfur vacancies takes place in the course of the emitter operation, leading to the formation of space charges in the near-anode and near-cathode regions of the phosphor layer.     

Rheological properties of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA) as a function of water content and deformation frequency

Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA) hydrogels have been used, or suggested for use, in a wide range of biomedical applications. In many of these applications, the mechanical properties of the gel are important for its proper functioning. These properties are influenced by a number of factors, including water content. In this study the storage and loss shear moduli were measured as a function of frequency for gels with water contents ranging from 22% to 48% at a temperature of 37 °C. At low frequencies and high water contents, deformation frequency had little effect. However, at higher frequencies and lower water contents, both moduli increased markedly with increasing frequency. This can be explained by the gels approaching a glass transition. The curves describing the behavior of each gel were combined to form a master curve, using a method analogous to the time–temperature superposition principle. This master curve can be used to predict the shear moduli for gels with a wide range of water contents and loading frequencies. For example, for a gel with a water content of 47.8% (as a percentage of the mass of gel), the curve provides shear moduli values over a frequency range of 10^–2–10⁴ Hz.     

Synthesis and Magnetic Properties of SrO–Fe2O3–B2O3 Glass-Ceramics

Glasses with nominal compositions of SrFe₁₂O₁₉ + 8SrB₂O₄ (I) and SrFe₁₂O₁₉ + 12Sr₂B₂O₅ (II) are prepared by rapid quenching from the liquid state and are converted to glass-ceramics containing fine magnetic particles of SrFe₁₂O₁₉ by heat treatment between 600 and 950°C. The materials are characterized by x-ray diffraction, differential thermal analysis, electron microscopy, and magnetic measurements. The phase transformations accompanying glass crystallization are identified. The glass composition and heat-treatment conditions are shown to influence the aspect ratio of the forming submicron-sized strontium hexaferrite particles. The strongest coercive fields reached in glass-ceramics I and II are 504 and 456 kA/m, respectively.     

Nonadditivity of Properties and the Possibility of Formation of Ensembles of Incommensurate Structures in the GaSe–Ga2Se3 System

The GaSe–Ga₂Se₃ system is studied by x-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. The results demonstrate that the nonadditivity of heat capacity observed near the eutectic composition after quenching is similar to the nonadditivity of properties in misfit layer compounds, which contain incommensurate structural components. The origin of this similarity is discussed in terms of the self-organization of interacting incommensurate elements in the melt and the formation of unstable suprastructural ensembles.     

Piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers: modeling the influence of structural parameters on device performance

Piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers (pMUTs), a potential alternative for conventional one-dimensional phased array ultrasonic transducers, were investigated. We used a modeling approach to study the performance of lead zirconate titanate (PZT)-driven pMUTs for the frequency range of 2-10 MHz, optimized for maximum coupling coefficient, as a function of device design. Using original tools designed for the purpose, a comprehensive build-test finite element model was developed to predict and measure the device performance. In particular, the model estimates the device coupling coefficient and the acoustic impedance, besides the readily extractable resonance frequency and bandwidth. To validate the model, a prototype device was built and tested, showing good agreement between the model predictions and experimental results. Modeling results indicate that the coupling coefficient is significantly affected by silicon membrane, PZT, and top electrode thickness as well as the top electrode design. Results also indicate considerable flexibility in maximizing the coupling coefficient while maintaining the device acoustic impedance at a level matching that of the human body. The bandwidth proved to be superior to that of conventional transducers, reaching 102% in some cases.