A multi‐tracers analysis of sources and transfers of particulate organic matter in a tropical reservoir (Petit Saut,French Guiana)

We measured the organic carbon (OC) content, the isotopic composition, the C/N ratios and the photosynthetic pigment composition of suspended matter, sediments, sediments traps and epiphytic and epilithic biofilms at the tropical Sinnamary River system (French Guiana). Our sampling included the mid‐stream reservoir lake (Petit Saut) and the estuary on the Atlantic coast. These tracers were complementary and allowed identifying different sources of particulate organic matter (POM) in the system. We found a δ¹³C–C/N signature of POM close to that of soils and litters collected in the surrounding forest, both for water column and sediment at the upstream station as well as for the sediment in a littoral zone of the reservoir, which thus indicated a terrestrial origin. Plankton communities at the centre of the reservoir were dominated by Chlorophyceae (chlorophyll a (Chl a), chlorophyll b (Chl b) and lutein) in the oxic epilimnion and by anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria, namely Chlorobiaceae (bacteriochlorophyll d (BChl d) and bacteriochlorophyll c (BChl c)) at and below the oxycline (6 m depth). In addition, this planktonic material was slightly ¹³C‐depleted due to a contribution of methanotrophic bacteria. Phytoplankton and bacterioplankton were the major source of settling material collected in the traps at all depths in the centre of the reservoir. In the traps, POM was subject to intense degradation, as revealed by C/N and isotopic data and by the presence of pheopigments. In the river downstream of the dam, Chl b, lutein, BChl c and d originating from the reservoir progressively decreased downstream as the result of mineralization. At the estuarine mouth, fucoxanthin showed the presence of diatoms and the δ¹³C‐C/N signature matched that of POM carried by the Amazonian coastal mobile mud belt. By analysing sedimentation rates in the reservoir and its outflow into the river, we were able to provide a first estimates of POM transfers in this system during the sampling period. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experimental validation of an analytical model for predicting the thermal and hydrodynamic capabilities of flat micro heat pipes

An analytical model by Lefèvre and Lallemand [F. Lefèvre, M. Lallemand, Coupled thermal and hydrodynamic models of flat micro heat pipes for the cooling of multiple electronic components, Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer 49 (2006) 1375–1383] that couples a 2D hydrodynamic model for both the liquid and the vapor phases inside a flat micro heat pipe (FMHP) and a 3D thermal model of heat conduction inside the FMHP wall has been modified. It consists of superposing two independent solutions in order to take into account the impact of evaporation or condensation on the equivalent thermal conductivity of the capillary structure. The temperature, pressure and velocity fields can be determined using Fourier solutions. The model has been experimentally validated based on literature data from a grooved FMHP. Two new correlations for the equivalent thermal conductivities during evaporation and condensation inside rectangular micro-grooves have been proposed based on a numerical database. The influence of the saturation temperature and geometry on the maximum heat flux transferred by the system is presented.     

Surface oxide in replicated microcellular aluminium and its influence on the plasticity size effect

The oxide film present along the interface between metal and pores in microcellular aluminium produced by replication depends on the leaching medium that is used to dissolve the NaCl preform: leaching in water produces a thick and irregular multilayered hydroxide layer, whereas leaching in a chromate conversion solution produces a smooth layer of oxide, ≈10 nm thick. The pore-size-dependent flow stress of replicated microcellular aluminium exhibits a marked dependence on the leaching process used to produce the foam when the pore size is below roughly 100 μm. This dependence on the leaching medium is a result of the influence exerted by the outer surface oxide layer on dislocational glide in micron-sized metal struts making the foam.     

A New Incremental Formulation in the Time Domain for Crack Initiation in an Orthotropic Linearly Viscoelastic Solid

The problem of predicting the crack growth initiation in a linearlyviscoelastic material is investigated. A new incremental fractureequations relating viscoelastic stress intensity factors (VSIFs) toviscoelastic opening displacement intensity factors (VODIFs) areestablished. Crack growth initiation is studied in detail by means of acomputational approach based on a modified path independent integral. Itis found that the mechanical and kinematical fields around the crack tipcan be determined using an incremental formulation based on a discretespectrum representation of the viscoelastic compliance functions; thusthe difficulty of computer storage requirements is avoided. Numericalresults are obtained for predicting the time at which propagationinitiates and these are compared with the analytical solution.     

Asymptotic modeling of quasi-brittle interfaces

This study deals with the damage modeling of quasi-brittle interfaces such as the mortar/brick interfaces present in masonry walls. For this purpose, a model is developed based on a bulk model presented by Gambarotta and Lagomarsino, which takes the damage to the mortar joint into account. A quasi-fragile damage interface model is introduced using an asymptotic technique. This model memorizes some of the geometrical and mechanical characteristics of the interface, such as the thickness, elastic coefficients, normal and tangential stress, and the damage variable. Numerical simulations are performed using the Gyptis finite element software: academic cases involving traction and shear loads are presented.     

Chemoporoplasticity of Calcium Leaching in Concrete

This paper presents a macroscopic material model for calcium leaching in concrete, for the quantitative assessment, in time and space, of the aging kinetics and load bearing capacity of concrete structures subjected to severe chemical degradation (such as radioactive waste disposal applications). Set within the framework of chemically reactive porous continua, the model accounts explicitly for the leaching of calcium of portlandite crystals and C-S-H, and its cross-effects with the elastic deformation (chemical damage) and irreversible skeleton deformations (chemical softening) treated within the theory of chemoplasticity. In the first part of this paper the governing equations are derived focusing on the chemomechanical couplings between calcium dissolution, increase in porosity, and deformation and (micro-) cracking of concrete. Without any a priori assumption concerning local equilibrium between the solid calcium concentration s and the interstitial calcium concentration c the well-known calcium leaching state function s = s(c) is then derived using combined thermodynamic equilibrium and dimensional arguments relating to the structural dimension of containment structures. In the second part, this paper addresses the experimental determination of chemical damage and chemical softening of the calcium leaching. For chemical damage, a simple mixture rule involving different skeleton constituents suffices to capture the main chemoelastic features of leaching; in turn, microhardness measurements allow access to the chemical softening state function capturing chemoplastic cross-effects. The intrinsic nature of these functions, and of the proposed procedure, is validated by means of finite-element analysis of experimental compression tests of a degraded specimen with nonhomogeneous chemical degradation states.     

Process–quality optimization of the vacuum freeze-drying of apple slices by the response surface method

Summary Working pressure (P) and heating plate temperature (T) were considered to be the most important factors affecting the kinetics of the freeze-drying operation for apple slices as well as the criteria of final product quality (appearance/shape, colour, texture, rehydration ratio). Freeze-drying experiments involving a thick layer of slices under different processing conditions were designed according to a central composite rotatable system with two factors (P, T). Results were analysed by response surface methodology (RSM). By superimposing all quality criteria contour plots, the optimum levels of processing conditions yielding the best quality freeze-dried apple slices were determined to be an operating pressure of 50 Pa, and a heating plate temperature of 55 °C. For a product loading of 17 kg m⁻², the freeze-drying time ranged from 48 to 50 h. The experimental values of the freeze-drying time, appearance and colour of freeze-dried apple slices obtained with these optimal conditions were very similar to those predicted by the corresponding second order polynomial model. The rehydration ratio of freeze-dried apples was about 0.55 g g⁻¹ of water removed and the texture loss of rehydrated apples was estimated to be more than 85%.     

Docking Studies of Structurally Diverse Antimalarial Drugs Targeting PfATP6: No Correlation between in silico Binding Affinity and in vitro Antimalarial Activity.

PfATP6, a calcium‐dependent ATPase of Plasmodium falciparum, is considered the putative target of the antimalarial drug artemisinin and its derivatives. Herein, the 3D structure of PfATP6 was modeled on the basis of the crystal structure of SERCA 1a, the mammalian homologue. Model validation was achieved using protein structure checking tools. AutoDock4 was used to predict the binding affinities of artemisinin (and analogues) and various other antimalarial agents for PfATP6, for which in vitro activity is also reported. No correlation was found between the affinity of the compounds for PfATP6 predicted by AutoDock4 and their antimalarial activity.     

Technology, Standards, and Real-World Deployments of the EPC Network

The EPC Network is a global RFID data sharing infrastructure based on standards that are built around the Electronic Product Code (EPC), an unambiguous numbering scheme for the designation of physical goods. The authors present the fundamental concepts and applications of the EPC Network, its integration with enterprise systems, and its functionality for data exchange between organizations in the supply chain.