Experimental and numerical analysis of fire scenarios involving two mechanically ventilated compartments connected together with a horizontal vent

This work deals with an experimental and numerical investigation of a fire scenario involving two rooms mechanically ventilated and connected together with a horizontal vent. The objective is to improve the understanding of the physical phenomena and to assess the capability of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) numerical simulations to predict flow field for such a fire scenario. The study is based on a set of large‐scale fire experiments performed in the framework of the OECD PRISME‐2 project in the DIVA multi‐room facility of the Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN) and of numerical simulations performed with the ISIS CFD code. The fire scenario consists of two rooms, one above the other, mechanically ventilated and connected to each other with a horizontal vent of 1 m². The fire is a heptane pool fire located in the lower room. The analysis focuses on the coupling between the burning rate, the flow at the vent, and the configuration of the mechanical ventilation. Several regimes of combustion are encountered from well‐ventilated steady fire to under‐ventilated unsteady and oscillatory fire. The results show that the burning rate is controlled by both the mechanical ventilation and the downward flow from the vent. The numerical simulations highlight the specific pattern of the oxygen concentration field induced by the downward flow at the vent.     

Precolumn isotope dilution analysis in nanoHPLC-ICPMS for absolute quantification of sulfur-containing peptides

A novel generic approach based on precolumn isotope dilution nanoHPLC-ICPMS analysis was developed for the accurate absolute quantification of sulfur-containing peptides. A 34S-labeled, species-unspecific sulfur spike (sulfate), noninteracting with analyte peptides under the optimized HPLC condition, was added directly to the chromatographic eluents. Thus a generic sulfur standard permanently present during analysis was used for peptide quantification. Interference-free detection of the 32S and 34S isotopes in ICPMS was achieved by eliminating O2+ ions in a collision cell using Xe gas at 130 microL min-1. The detection limit for sulfur was 45 microg L-1 which corresponded to 1-2 pmol of individual peptides. The method was validated by the analysis of a standard peptide solution showing high accuracy (recovery 103%) and good precision (RSD 2.1%). The combination of nanoHPLC-ICP IDMS with nanoHPLC-ESI MS/MS allowed the precise quantification and identification of sulfur-containing peptides in tryptic digests of human serum albumin and salt-induced yeast protein (SIP18) at the picomole level.     

Multistage and Multicomponent Separation in Pervaporation: The Non-isothermal Model

This paper presents the design of a pervaporator in order to separate water from an azeotropic mixture, light oil. This mixture is composed of five alcohols ranging from C₂–C₅. From the mass transfer equations obtained from our experimental results, we develop three basic equations governing the pervaporation process formulating mass and energy balance. A very simple heat balance is used considering the vaporization enthalpy of the permeate supplied by the feed mixture under adiabatic conditions. It was clearly seen that the membrane area required to obtain a specific final concentration neglecting the feed temperature drop was underestimated. The membrane surface area is important because the pervaporation modules called stages have higher surface area.     

Hamming weights and Betti numbers of Stanley–Reisner rings associated to matroids

To each linear code $C$ over a finite field we associate the matroid $M(C)$ of its parity check matrix. For any matroid $M$ one can define its generalized Hamming weights, and if a matroid is associated to such a parity check matrix, and thus of type $M(C)$ , these weights are the same as those of the code $C$ . In our main result we show how the weights $d_1,\ldots ,d_k$ of a matroid $M$ are determined by the $\mathbb N $ -graded Betti numbers of the Stanley–Reisner ring of the simplicial complex whose faces are the independent sets of $M$ , and derive some consequences. We also give examples which give negative results concerning other types of (global) Betti numbers, and using other examples we show that the generalized Hamming weights do not in general determine the $\mathbb N $ -graded Betti numbers of the Stanley–Reisner ring. The negative examples all come from matroids of type $M(C)$ .     

Implications of Lactobacillus collinoides and Brettanomyces/Dekkera anomala in phenolic off-flavour defects of ciders

Different Lactobacillus collinoides and Brettanomyces/Dekkera anomala cider strains were studied for their ability to produce volatile phenols in synthetic medium. All strains were able to produce 4-ethylcatechol (4-EC), 4-ethylphenol (4-EP) and 4-ethylguaiacol (4-EG) from caffeic, p-coumaric and ferulic acids, respectively. Interestingly, D. anomala and L. collinoides were also able to produce 4-EC, 4-EP and 4-EG in cider conditions. The quantities of ethylphenols produced by these two species were similar in both tested ciders. The impact of precursor quantities was studied and it showed that the addition of caffeic and p-coumaric acids in ciders allowed for higher 4-EC and 4-EP production by D. anomala and L. collinoides. In parallel, D. anomala and L. collinoides strains were isolated from a phenolic off-flavour defective bottled cider after ethylphenol production hence confirming the implication of these two species in this cider spoilage. Finally, detection thresholds of the main ethylphenols were determined in ciders by orthonasal and retronasal sampling. The 4-EC and 4-EP detection thresholds (close to 20-25mg/l and 1.5-2.0mg/l, respectively) were matrix dependant.     

Amorphous alumina coatings: processing, structure and remarkable barrier properties

Amorphous aluminium oxide coatings were processed by metalorganic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD); their structural characteristics were determined as a function of the processing conditions, the process was modelled considering appropriate chemical kinetic schemes, and the properties of the obtained material were investigated and were correlated with the nanostructure of the coatings. With increasing processing temperature in the range 350 degrees C-700 degrees C, subatmospheric MOCVD of alumina from aluminium tri-isopropoxide (ATI) sequentially yields partially hydroxylated amorphous aluminium oxides, amorphous Al2O3 (415 degrees C-650 degrees C) and nanostructured gamma-Al2O3 films. A numerical model for the process allowed reproducing the non uniformity of deposition rate along the substrate zone due to the depletion of ATI. The hardness of the coatings prepared at 350 degrees C, 480 degrees C and 700 degrees C is 6 GPa, 11 GPa and 1 GPa, respectively. Scratch tests on films grown on TA6V titanium alloy reveal adhesive and cohesive failures for the amorphous and nanocrystalline ones, respectively. Alumina coating processed at 480 degrees C on TA6V yielded zero weight gain after oxidation at 600 degrees C in lab air. The surface of such low temperature processed amorphous films is hydrophobic (water contact angle 106 degrees), while the high temperature processed nanocrystalline films are hydrophilic (48 degrees at a deposition temperature of 700 degrees C). It is concluded that amorphous Al2O3 coatings can be used as oxidation and corrosion barriers at ambient or moderate temperature. Nanostructured with Pt or Ag nanoparticles, they can also provide anti-fouling or catalytic surfaces.     

Is High-Intensity Interval Training Suitable to Promote Neuroplasticity and Cognitive Functions after Stroke?

Stroke-induced cognitive impairments affect the long-term quality of life. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is now considered a promising strategy to enhance cognitive functions. This review is designed to examine the role of HIIT in promoting neuroplasticity processes and/or cognitive functions after stroke. The various methodological limitations related to the clinical relevance of studies on the exercise recommendations in individuals with stroke are first discussed. Then, the relevance of HIIT in improving neurotrophic factors expression, neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity is debated in both stroke and healthy individuals (humans and rodents). Moreover, HIIT may have a preventive role on stroke severity, as found in rodents. The potential role of HIIT in stroke rehabilitation is reinforced by findings showing its powerful neurogenic effect that might potentiate cognitive benefits induced by cognitive tasks. In addition, the clinical role of neuroplasticity observed in each hemisphere needs to be clarified by coupling more frequently to cellular/molecular measurements and behavioral testing.     

Can water level stations be used for thermal assessment in aquatic ecosystem?

Many studies focus on stream water temperature (WT) because it is considered a key ecological factor. However, few of them have investigated the use of WT data from water level monitoring networks, which often measure WT as ancillary data. Our study was conducted in southern Belgium at a high temporal resolution with continuous data recorded at intervals of 10 min between 2012 and 2016 and large spatial scale greater than 16,000 km². This study aimed to assess whether a regional water level network (140 stations) is reliable for continuous WT monitoring based on a Bland–Altman analysis with WT collected through a European monitoring network (Water Framework Directive). This study also investigates whether WT data acquired by water level stations can be used to perform both state‐of‐the‐art visualization of thermal regimes and spatio‐temporal queries for specific ecological monitoring. We found that the water level stations were reliable tools in recording continuous WT in the streams of the study area. The temperature difference between the two WT monitoring networks was ?0.57°C on average. Our positive results promote the use of WT from water level stations in order to globally characterize the thermal regime of streams as well as to provide spatial or temporal information on this regime at high frequencies. As an example, our data showed the effectiveness for brown trout (Salmo trutta fario L.) in spatializing thermal risk areas related to the thermal requirement of this fish species; in 2015, 19% of stations located in brown trout fish zone recorded temperatures above 25°C.