Nuclear data-induced uncertainty quantification of neutronics parameters of accelerator-driven system

Nuclear data-induced uncertainties of neutronics parameters of one accelerator-driven system concept designed by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency are quantified. The variance-covariance data provided in the JENDL-4.0 library are used. Uncertainties are quantified for effective neutron multiplication factor, subcritical neutron multiplication rate, a family of delayed neutron fractions, power peaking and coolant void reactivity at several operational states. Inter-cycle and inter-parameter correlation matrices and detailed information such as nuclide-wise and nuclear data-wise uncertainties are also provided.     

断块油田的综合治理方案设计及实践

通过对Ａ断块油田的油藏特征再认识和数值模拟研究，设计了该断块在中高含水期以调剖中心的综合治理方案。     

盒状油藏水平井系统不稳定渗流求解方法

采用Ｇｒｅｅｎ函数方法和Ｎｅｗｍａｎ积方法求解盒状砂岩油藏任意边界条件下的水平井开采时的渗流问题，并提出了所求压力解的快速数值方法。     

Improvement of poly(vinyl alcohol) properties by the addition of magnesium nitrate

Aiming at the improvement of mechanical and dielectric properties of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), we prepared composites of PVA and magnesium nitrate hexahydrate. It was found that the composites were very soft and rubber‐like, and the glass transition temperature decreased with increasing the salt concentration. Wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction and small‐angle X‐ray scattering revealed that the crystallites of PVA were destroyed by the additive and it was the cause of the softening. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Retrieving the spatial distribution of cavity modes in dielectric resonators by near-field imaging and electrodynamics simulations

For good performance of photonic devices whose working principle is based on the enhancement of electromagnetic fields obtained by confining light into dielectric resonators with dimensions in the nanometre length scale, a detailed knowledge of the optical mode structure becomes essential. However, this information is usually lacking and can only be indirectly obtained by conventional spectroscopic techniques. Here we unraveled the influence of wire size, incident wavelength, degree of polarization and the presence of a substrate on the optical near fields generated by cavity modes of individual hexagonal ZnO nanowires by combining scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) with electrodynamics calculations within the discrete dipole approximation (DDA). The near-field patterns obtained with very high spatial resolution, better than 50 nm, exhibit striking size and spatial-dispersion effects, which are well accounted for within DDA, using a wavevector-dependent dipolar interaction and considering the dielectric anisotropy of ZnO. Our results show that both SNOM and DDA simulations are powerful tools for the design of optoelectronic devices able to manipulate light at the nanoscale.     

GlycoPep grader: a web-based utility for assigning the composition of N-linked glycopeptides

GlycoPep grader (GPG) is a freely available software tool designed to accelerate the process of accurately determining glycopeptide composition from tandem mass spectrometric data. GPG relies on the identification of unique dissociation patterns shown for high mannose, hybrid, and complex N-linked glycoprotein types, including patterns specific to those structures containing fucose or sialic acid residues. The novel GPG scoring algorithm scores potential candidate compositions of the same nominal mass against MS/MS data through evaluation of the Y(1) ion and other peptide-containing product ions, across multiple charge states, when applicable. In addition to evaluating the peptide portion of a given glycopeptide, the GPG algorithm predicts and scores product ions that result from unique neutral losses of terminal glycans. GPG has been applied to a variety of glycoproteins, including RNase B, asialofetuin, and transferrin, and the HIV envelope glycoprotein, CON-S gp140ΔCFI. The GPG software is implemented predominantly in PostgreSQL, with PHP as the presentation tier, and is publicly accessible online. Thus far, the algorithm has identified the correct compositional assignment from multiple candidate N-glycopeptides in all tests performed.     

Quantitative correlations among textural characteristics of C–S–H gel and mechanical properties: Case of ternary Portland cements containing activated paper sludge and fly ash

The hydraulic activity of ternary Portland cements containing different proportions of commercial thermally activated paper sludge (APS(I)) and fly ash (FA) from coal combustion was evaluated from the textural characterization of the C–S–H gels formed during hydration. The study was accomplished by means of the specific surface area (SSA) and pore-size distribution (PSD), which were measured by the sorption isotherms of nitrogen gas and the BET method. The microstructure was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The incorporation of such admixtures (APS and FA) clearly revealed an increase in both porosity and SSA. This effect decreased with the progress of hydration, together with a refinement of the nano-porous structure of C–S–H. In addition, high correlations were found between nano-structural characteristics of the C–S–H gel and mechanical compressive strengths.     

Thermal and mechanical behaviour of flexible polyurethane foams modified with graphite and phosphorous fillers

Flexible polyurethane foams (FPF) are polymer materials that have high flammability. Fyrol PNX (FPNX) and expandable graphite (EG), have been used to modify the properties of these materials. The aim of this study was to assess the possibility of improving the thermal stability and flame retardancy of FPF by the addition of FPNX and EG fillers. The prepared foams were characterised by their apparent density, hardness, flexibility, irreversible strain and linear flammability, as well as thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), dynamic mechanical analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and pyrolysis combustion flow calorimetry (PCFC) measurements. The apparent density, hardness, flexibility and irreversible strain results showed that the addition of graphite and phosphorous fillers to the FPF makes slight changes to the mechanical properties, which remain within the acceptable norms. It was also observed that reducing the amount of Fyrol PNX and replacing it with the same amount of EG allowed similar values of linear flammability to be obtained with a simultaneous increase in thermal stability, as shown in the TGA study and the PCFC test. Moreover, it was found that the modification of flexible polyurethane foam by the addition of a mixture of FPNX and EG fillers allows the best properties of this type of materials to be obtained. This result indicates that this type of modification could be an effective way to improve the thermal stability of FPF.     

Grape antioxidant dietary fiber stimulates Lactobacillus growth in rat cecum

The digesta is a highly active biological system where epithelial cells, microbiota, nondigestible dietary components, and a large number of metabolic products interact. The gut microbiota can be modulated by both endogenous and exogenous substrates. Undigested dietary residues are substrates for colonic microbiota and may influence gut microbial ecology. The objective of this work was to study the capacity of grape antioxidant dietary fiber (GADF), which is rich in polyphenols, to modify the bacterial profile in the cecum of rats. Male adult Wistar rats were fed for 4 wk with diets containing either cellulose or GADF as dietary fiber. The effect of GADF on bacterial growth was evaluated in vitro and on the cecal microbiota of rats using quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The results showed that GADF intake stimulates proliferation of Lactobacillus and slightly affects the composition of Bifidobacterium species. GADF was also found to have a stimulative effect on Lactobacillus reuteri and Lactobacillus acidophilus in vitro. These findings suggest that the consumption of a diet rich in plant foods with high dietary fiber and polyphenol content may enhance the gastrointestinal health of the host through microbiota modulation. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Grape antioxidant fiber combines nutritional and physiological properties of dietary fiber and natural antioxidants from grapes. Grape antioxidant fiber could be used as an ingredient for functional foods and as a dietary supplement to increase the intake of dietary fiber and bioactive compounds.     

Balancing MPEG Transcoding with Storage in Multiple-Quality Video-on-Demand Services

To match the requirements of heterogeneous mobile devices, video objects may be transcoded, which requires considerable CPU resources. Alternatively, multiple versions of the same video may be stored on servers, but this requires a lot of disk space. We formulate the trade-off between the versions that are stored on disk and the need for transcoding. We propose an optimal solution to this formulation based on dynamic programming. Experiments show that our scheme allows up to 68% more clients to be admitted than conventional schemes when a reasonable amount of storage is available.