Epoxy Ring Opening Phase Transfer as a General Route to Water Dispersible Superparamagnetic Fe3O4 Nanoparticles and Their Application as Positive MRI Contrast Agents

A novel and efficient method to produce water dispersible superparamagnetic Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles is described. Nanoparticles prepared by non‐hydrolytic organic phase methods are subsequently functionalized with (3‐glycidyloxypropyl)trimethoxysilane, a linker that prevents aggregation and is available for subsequent coupling reactions with a wide range of polymers and biomolecules. Ring opening coupling reactions were used to coat the epoxy‐functionalized magnetite nanoparticles with aminated polymers (polyetheramines) or small molecules (arginine). The resulting nanoparticles, with hydrodynamic size of 13 nm, are found to be very stable over extended periods in water or PBS due to the presence of a dense stabilizer layer covalently anchored to the surface. Exceptionally high spin‐lattice relaxivity, r₁, values of 17 s^?1 mM^?1, and low r₂/r₁ ratios of 3.3–3.8 were exhibited in the clinical MRI frequency range, irrespective of the molecule selected for nanoparticle stabilization. As a result the dispersions are excellent candidates for incorporation into multi‐functional assemblies or for use as positive contrast agent for MRI.     

Two-Dimensional Fast-Response Flood Modeling: Desktop Parallel Computing and Domain Tracking

Emergency flood management is enhanced by using models that can estimate the timing and location of flooding. Typically, flood routing and inundation prediction is accomplished by using one-dimensional (1D) models. These have been the models of choice because they are computationally simple and quick. However, these models do not adequately represent the complex physical processes present for shallow flows located in the floodplain or in urban areas. Two-dimensional (2D) models developed on the basis of the full hydrodynamic equations can be used to represent the complex flow phenomena that exist in the floodplain and are, therefore, recommended by the National Research Council for increased use in flood analysis studies. The major limitation of these models is the increased computational cost. Two-dimensional flood models are prime candidates for parallel computing, but traditional methods/equipment (e.g., message passing paradigm) are more complex in terms of code refactoring and hardware setup. In addition, these hardware systems may not be available or accessible to modelers conducting flood analyses. This paper presents a 2D flood model that implements multithreading for use on now-prevalent multicore computers. This desktop parallel computing architecture has been shown to decrease computation time by 14 times on a 16-processor computer and, when coupled with a wet cell tracking algorithm, has been shown to decrease computation by as much as 310 times. These accomplishments make high-fidelity flood modeling more feasible for flood inundation studies using readily available desktop computers.     

Willing and able to fake emotions: A closer examination of the link between emotional dissonance and employee well-being.

Emotional dissonance resulting from an employee's emotional labor is usually considered to lead to negative employee outcomes, such as job dissatisfaction and emotional exhaustion. Drawing on Festinger's (1957) cognitive dissonance theory, we argue that the relationship between service employees' surface acting and job dissatisfaction and emotional exhaustion is moderated by 2 aspects of a service worker's self-concept: the importance of displaying authentic emotions (reflecting the self-concept's self-liking dimension) and the employee's self-efficacy when faking emotions (reflecting the self-competence dimension). A survey of 528 frontline employees from a wide variety of service jobs provides support for the moderating role of both self-concept dimensions, which moderate 3 out of 4 relationships. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed from the perspectives of cognitive dissonance and emotional labor theories. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

1923 Gleno Dam Break: Case Study and Numerical Modeling

On the morning of December 1, 1923, the Gleno Dam (located in the Central Italian Alps) suddenly collapsed a few days after the first complete reservoir filling. Nearly 4.5×106??m3 of water was released. The consequent inundation caused significant destruction along the downstream valley and a death toll of at least 356 lives. This failure is the only historical case of dam break caused by structural deficiencies that has occurred in Italy. As a result, it has deeply influenced the evolution of Italian regulations regarding dam design and hydraulic risk evaluation. However, in spite of its relevance, this event has never been characterized from a hydraulic standpoint. This paper reports the main information obtained from the analysis of a vast amount of historical documents regarding the Gleno Dam break to set up a case study useful for validating dam-break models in mountain settings. Moreover, it presents the main results of one-dimensional (1D) modeling of the dam break wave propagation accomplished with a first-order finite volume numerical scheme recently proposed in the literature for field applications. The overall effectiveness and reliability of the model are evaluated for this case characterized by very irregular topography. Finally, the practical relevance of several choices that the numerical reconstruction of this kind of event demands is tested.     

Numerical prediction of three-dimensional time-dependent viscoelastic extrudate swell using differential and algebraic models

The dynamic behavior of a droplet on a solid surface is simulated by the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) for two-phase fluids with large density differences; the wetting boundary condition on solid walls is incorporated in this simulation. By using the method, the dynamic behavior of a droplet impinging on a horizontal wall is investigated in terms of various Weber numbers. The dynamic contact angle, the contact line velocity, and the wet length are calculated, and found to be in good agreement with available experimental data. In addition, the method is applied to simulations of the collision of a falling droplet with a stationary droplet on a solid surface. The behavior of the droplets and the mixing process during their collision are simulated in terms of various impact velocities and several static contact angles on the solid surface. It is seen that mixing occurs around the rim of the coalescent droplet due to the circular flows. Also, the relationship between the mixing rate of the primary coalescent droplet and Weber number is investigated.     

Time Dependent Effects in Surface Tension Measurements of an Industrial Fe‐alloy

The surface tension of an industrial FeC‐alloy containing Si, Mn and S in the few atomic per cent range was measured by the oscillating drop method in ground based electromagnetic levitation and under reduced gravity conditions on board a parabolic flight. The results from the parabolic flight exhibited a large variation between different heating cycles and a discrepancy with the ground based experiments with regard to the value of the surface tension at the liquidus temperature and the temperature coefficient. The variation of the surface tension temperature coefficient is interpreted as resulting from the loss of volatile surface active components such as S and Si in subsequent heating cycles. The results demonstrate the importance of the time scale of the measurement and ambient atmosphere for surface tension measurements of industrial alloys containing volatile surface active components. For comparison with the experimental values the surface tension and segregation were modelled using different models. As a result of the analysis, the surface tension as a function of temperature best representing the starting industrial alloy is obtained as σ(T) = 1.52–1.53 10^‐4 (T–1752K) Nm^‐1.     

The Impact of Selective Oxidation on the Phase Transformation in the Sub‐Surface of Advanced High Strength Steels

The present paper contributes in the discussion of heterogeneous gas/metal reactions by discussing the influence of the dew point (dp) during intercritical annealing on the sub‐surface constitution. Annealing trials with different Advanced High Strength Steels (AHSS) were carried out and the element distribution within the sub‐surface was analysed by glow discharge optical emission spectrometer (GD‐OES). For modelling purpose the gained element distribution data were adjusted in a way that the selective oxidation products were considered within the sub‐surface element profiles. Several transformation temperatures along the depth profiles according to the adjusted GD‐OES data have been computed for the dp ?30 °C and +5 °C. In all cases the according models have been implemented in Matlab. The thermodynamic data have been obtained via the Matlab‐ThermoCalc interface. Empirical equations have been applied for the determination of the bainite and martensite start temperatures. It is shown that the sub‐surface constitution and the transformation temperature differ significantly. In most cases the change of the transformation temperature within the surface and sub‐surface reaches up to 100 °C compared to the bulk. For a Dual‐Phase (DP) Steel with C(0.15%)Mn(1.7%)Al(1.7%)Cr(0.5%), the change of the A_e1‐temperature is with 300 °C significantly higher. However one has to keep in mind that the 2‐phase composition can not be assumed to be constant during intercritical annealing. It is therefore concluded that for the purpose of simulating the selective oxidation processes during intercritical annealing of AHSS the continuous change of the sub‐surface constitution must be incorporated in the future work.     

兰粉污水处理

提高铅锌金属ISP冶炼工艺产生的兰粉污水的处理效果,对于保障铅锌冶炼企业正常生产的连续性,提高生产作业率以及提高铅锌冶炼企业水循环利用率,节能减排,提高金属回收率,从而提高铅锌冶炼企业经济效益,保护环境都具有非常重要的意义。本文通过对生产实践中兰粉污水处理过程中经验的总结,概括出兰粉污水处理的一套方法,以期和同行共同探讨学习,做好兰粉污水处理工作。