Investigation of stabilization/solidification for treatment of electric arc furnace dust: Dynamic leaching of monolithic specimens

Diffusion-controlled leaching of heavy metals (Cr, Ni, Pb and Zn) from electric arc furnace dust treated with ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) and with ordinary Portland cement (OPC) was evaluated. Monolithic specimens were evaluated under dynamic leaching conditions for 84 days with periodic leachant renewal. The influence of leaching time, nature of the leachant, binder type and the water/solid ratio of the monoliths were investigated. Results obtained showed both binders can immobilize heavy metals in the monoliths under dynamic leaching conditions, with cumulative quantity of leached metal under 0.138 mg (Cr). Alkaline leachant increased metal release from specimens and reducing the water/solid ratio of the monolith allowed for a decrease in the cumulative mass of metals leached. Chemical and mineralogical characterizations indicated that the metals were evenly distributed throughout the specimens for both binders. Decalcification was observed on the OPC monolith border following leaching. This decrease in Ca corresponded to an altered zone (20 μm), identified by scanning electron microscopy. The GGBFS sample did not show an altered zone.     

Cognitive-behavioral therapy of panic disorder with secondary major depression: A preliminary investigation.

Controlled studies indicate that cognitive-behavioral therapy eliminates panic attacks in greater than 80% of patients who suffer from panic disorder. However, because most of the screening procedures used in those studies called for excluding patients who were depressed, a question arises as to the extent to which these results apply to patients who are clinically depressed in addition to having panic attacks. An attempt was made in the present study to determine whether or not panic patients who are clinically depressed could be treated as successfully as those who are not clinically depressed. Two multiple baseline A-A–1-A-B across-Ss designs were used, 1 to test 8 panic Ss with major depression and the 2nd to test 7 panic Ss without major depression. In baseline (A), Ss monitored their panic attacks daily. During the A–1 phase, a program of information on panic attacks presented as psychotherapy was instituted to assess the effects of nonspecific factors, followed by a 2nd baseline phase (A). Cognitive-behavioral therapy (B) was then introduced. Results showed that cognitive-behavioral therapy was significantly superior to information-based therapy in the reduction of panic attacks. No significant differences were found between depressed and nondepressed patients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Exposure to Condensation Moisture of Sheathing in Retrofitted Leaky Wall Assemblies

Exfiltration of moist indoor air during winter conditions may lead to the gradual wetting of the sheathing of wall assemblies that are not airtight. In this study, seven full-scale wood-frame wall specimens were tested to evaluate the impact of both the geometry of the air leakage path and the addition of rigid insulation on the warm side or the cold side of the assembly on the hygrothermal response of wall assemblies. Walls were exposed to 72?days of steady-state winter conditions and 47?days of steady-state late spring conditions. The position of the added rigid insulation and the geometry of the air leakage paths were different in each wall specimen. The moisture content of the fiberboard sheathing was monitored, and the results are presented. The evolution over time of the moisture distribution across the plane of the sheathing is also presented. The duration of exposure to moisture content above 19 and 28% is examined, allowing a comparison of the performance of the specimens. Leaky assemblies with vapor-tight insulation board added on their cold side were exposed to high moisture content longer than the assemblies not reinsulated or reinsulated on their warm side because the assemblies without insulation on the cold side of the sheathing were exposed to a buildup of frost that prevented moisture to be absorbed by the sheathing.     

Prediction of Mature MicroRNA and Piwi-Interacting RNA without a Genome Reference or Precursors

The discovery of novel microRNA (miRNA) and piwi-interacting RNA (piRNA) is an important task for the understanding of many biological processes. Most of the available miRNA and piRNA identification methods are dependent on the availability of the organism’s genome sequence and the quality of its annotation. Therefore, an efficient prediction method based solely on the short RNA reads and requiring no genomic information is highly desirable. In this study, we propose an approach that relies primarily on the nucleotide composition of the read and does not require reference genomes of related species for prediction. Using an empirical Bayesian kernel method and the error correcting output codes framework, compact models suitable for large-scale analyses are built on databases of known mature miRNAs and piRNAs. We found that the usage of an L₁-based Gaussian kernel can double the true positive rate compared to the standard L₂-based Gaussian kernel. Our approach can increase the true positive rate by at most 60% compared to the existing piRNA predictor based on the analysis of a hold-out test set. Using experimental data, we also show that our approach can detect about an order of magnitude or more known miRNAs than the mature miRNA predictor, miRPlex.     

Supramolecular Soft Adhesive Materials

The rheological and adhesive properties of bis‐urea functionalized low‐molecular‐weight polyisobutylenes (PIBUT) are investigated. The polymers, which can interact through supramolecular hydrogen bonds, can self‐organize over times of the order of days at room temperature. This organized structure has been identified by small angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS) and its rheological properties indicate the behaviour of a soft viscoelastic gel. The ordered structure can be disrupted by temperature and shear so that at 80 °C, the material behaves as a highly viscoelastic fluid and no SAXS peak is observed. When cooled back at room temperature, the PIBUT retrieves its ordered structure and gel properties after 20 h of annealing. This very slow molecular dynamics gives PIBUT a highly dissipative nature upon deformation, which combined with strongly interacting moieties results in very interesting adhesive properties both on steel surfaces but more importantly on typical low adhesion surfaces such as silicone. A strategy based on the controlled incorporation of supramolecular bonds in a covalently crosslinked network appears promising for the development of a new generation of highly interacting and dissipative soft adhesives.     

An aging assessment on ex-service Alloy 800 steam generator tubing

To support SG life extension and plant life management, an aging assessment was performed on a number of ex-service Alloy 800 steam generator (SG) tubes removed from three CANDU^®1 stations with service life spanning from 2 to 27 years. Laboratory tests and examinations were carried out to investigate the potential aging mechanisms of SG tubing. High-temperature electrochemical experiments were performed under simulated SG secondary side crevice chemistry conditions to determine the corrosion susceptibility of the ex-service tubing; metallurgical examinations were carried out to check the chemical compositions, grain size, and hardness of the ex-service tubing materials and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) analysis was performed to assess the potential surface chromium depletion and grain boundary segregation of the ex-service tubing. Based on the results from the assessment, no increase in the corrosion susceptibility or changes in metallurgical properties of the ex-service tubes resulting from aging were observed. SIMS top-down profiles did not detect any aging-related surface chromium depletion on any of the ex-service tubes. However, SIMS imaging performed on the polished cross-sections of the ex-service tubes observed boron precipitation at the grain boundaries. Since no archived tubing with the same heat number as that of the ex-service tubing is available for comparison, whether the boron precipitation at grain boundaries is attributed to aging through SG operation is not conclusive and needs further clarification. In addition, the impact of this boron precipitation on the integrity of Alloy 800 SG tubing needs further investigation.     

Développement du jugement moral chez l'adolescente en rééducation.

The cognitive-developmental approach of L. Kohlberg (1958) and his collaborators has not been extensively used in the study of adolescent female delinquents. The purpose of the present research was to employ this approach to establish the level of moral judgment in Ss at the beginning and end of a reeducation process; Ss were 29 adolescent girls. Results indicate that (a) Ss at the beginning of this process were functioning at the preconventional level, whereas those at the end of the process were functioning at the conventional level; and (b) although the reeducation process had a positive effect on the global moral judgment functioning level, in certain areas such as the parent–child relationship and sexuality, all Ss remained at the preconventional level. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluation of the international reference methods NF EN ISO 11290-1 and 11290-2 and an in-house method for the isolation of Listeria monocytogenes from retail seafood products in france

Retail seafood products were analyzed on their use-by date using the international reference methods NF EN ISO 11290-1 and 11290-2 (collectively method R) or an in-house method (method B) for the isolation of Listeria monocytogenes. The sensitivity of the methods was about 78%. Method R detected more positive samples of smoked salmon and herb-flavored slices of smoked salmon than did method B, whereas the reverse was true for samples of carpaccio-like salmon, herb-flavored slices of raw salmon, and smoked trout. Most products produced a positive result after the first of two enrichments, and little difference was observed after changing the isolation medium (Listeria selective agar, L. monocytogenes blood agar, agar for Listeria according to Ottaviani and Agosti, Oxford agar, and Palcam agar). L. monocytogenes was isolated from 151 (27.8%) of the 543 samples, with concentrations mostly below 100 CFU/g. The pathogen prevalence and concentration in these seafood products varied greatly depending on the producer and the nature of the product. In certain cases, these differences could be explained by problems in cleaning and disinfection operations in the food-processing environment. The identities of L. monocytogenes isolates were confirmed by PCR, and isolates were characterized by random amplification of polymorphic DNA and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). PFGE patterns obtained with the enzymes Apal and AscI produced 26 different pulsotypes. In general, different pulsotypes were present in the different categories of seafood products and were not specific to one producer. The genetic diversity observed in the products was not related to the prevalence found at the manufacturing site. It is therefore important for producers to determine the source(s) of contamination of their product so the risks linked to the presence of L. monocytogenes can be reduced.     

Temperature Difference Error Determination for Heat Meter Validation

A method to calculate the maximum value of temperature difference error in heat meters is presented. It is designed for heat meters used for measuring the volume of heat provided to buildings by heating systems using hot water. Validation offices generally use computer-based numerical methods for the calculation of the error over the full temperature range and temperature difference range. Use of these methods is time-consuming due to taking in succession the temperature and temperature difference with a constant gradient as well as selecting the maximum value of error. The author has developed a method that allows the practicing engineer to calculate the maximum error in a short time with his or her own program. This method can also be used for heat meters not conforming to any standard or pairs of temperature sensors not dedicated for heat meters.     

Bounded control of an underactuated biomimetic aerial vehicle—Validation with robustness tests

Flapping wing Micro Aerial Vehicles (FMAVs) have recently emerged as a promising challenge lying on the progress of the avionics technologies. The present paper deals with the development of simple control laws for an embedded implementation on a biomimetic MAV, aiming to control its attitude and position. The control laws are bounded, taking into consideration the amplitude bounds of the control angles characterizing the flapping wings movement. In order to validate the control laws, a simplified model having a simple wing kinematic parametrization and considering only the main aerodynamic forces and torques is proposed. The stability of the controller is shown in simulations using a diptera insect model. The robustness of the proposed controller is emphasized through different robustness tests. They concern mainly, model and aerodynamic parameters errors, and aim to validate the considered simplifications in the model.