Reliability and scale effect in toughness of concrete structures

In the present work, the distribution of the random toughness characteristics (i.e. critical energy release rate, G_1c) has been evaluated on the basis of experimental observations. Fracture test results from three groups of geometrically similar concrete specimens of size (width×total depth×thickness), 420×420×50–1680×1680×200 mm³, made with different maximum aggregate size of 9.5, 19, 38, and 76 mm were analyzed using a recently proposed distribution of extremes. In applications of probability, it is important to use an appropriate distribution type and adequate techniques for estimating the parameters of distribution. In this study, a new type distribution of minima is employed for probability computations. It was noticed that the entropy of distribution increases with the crack length, i.e. the uncertainty of toughness, G_1c, value increases with crack length. A non-linear reduction of the maximum allowable splitting force with the defect size, a, was noticed. For large specimens, the maximum allowable splitting load is more sensitive to the required reliability level than that for small specimens. Reliability increases with aggregate size when all other conditions were constant.     

High char‐yielding poly[acrylonitrile‐co‐(itaconic acid)‐co‐(methyl acrylate)]: synthesis and properties

Polyacrylonitrile terpolymers of various compositions consisting of acrylonitrile (AN), itaconic acid (IA) and methyl acrylate (MA) were synthesized by solution polymerization in dimethylsulfoxide. Increase in concentration of either IA or MA retarded the overall polymerization rate and the polymer molecular weight. The system consisting of AN + MA and varying IA concentration was more prone to retardation in comparison with the system composed of AN + IA with variable MA concentration. The retardation factors were quantified. Minor quantities of MA boost the reactivity of IA in the terpolymer system. The terpolymer was richer in MA vis‐à‐vis the feed. The thermal characteristics of the terpolymer were examined as a function of its composition. In contrast to the copolymer of AN and IA requiring 1–1.5 mol% IA, the terpolymer required an IA content of approximately 2.5 mol% for optimum thermal stability. The polymer with 90 mol% AN, 2.5 mol% IA and 7.5 mol% MA exhibited reasonably good char‐forming characteristics and thermal stability. The overall crystallinity and crystallite size of the polymers were found to decrease on incorporation of the comonomers. The ‘aromatization index’ of the copolymer increased with the temperature of pyrolysis through re‐organization of the tetrahydropyridine ladder structure. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Evolving artificial neural network ensembles

Using a coordinated group of simple solvers to tackle a complex problem is not an entirely new idea. Its root could be traced back hundreds of years ago when ancient Chinese suggested a team approach to problem solving. For a long time, engineers have used the divide-and-conquer strategy to decompose a complex problem into simpler sub-problems and then solve them by a group of solvers. However, knowing the best way to divide a complex problem into simpler ones relies heavily on the available domain knowledge. It is often a manual process by an experienced engineer. There have been few automatic divide-and-conquer methods reported in the literature. Fortunately, evolutionary computation provides some of the interesting avenues to automatic divide-and-conquer methods. An in-depth study of such methods reveals that there is a deep underlying connection between evolutionary computation and ANN ensembles. Ideas in one area can be usefully transferred into another in producing effective algorithms. For example, using speciation to create and maintain diversity had inspired the development of negative correlation learning for ANN ensembles, and an in-depth study of diversity in ensembles. This paper will review some of the recent work in evolutionary approaches to designing ANN ensembles.     

Algorithms in the W-Hierarchy

We show new upper bounds for problems in the W-hierarchy of fixed-parameter complexity. A crucial ingredient of our proofs is an extension to the W-RAM model, which permits more-powerful operations but remains equivalent to the original. We use the extended model to give new upper bounds for Subsetsum, Maximum Irredundant Set, and various problems concerning intersection of finite-state machines.     

Estimation of the Substrate Concentration Profiles in Petroleum Pipelines Containing Biofilms

In industrial systems, the formation of biofilms can cause many problems, such as an increase in the flow resistance of pipelines, energy losses in fluid transport and heat exchangers, product contamination, materials deterioration, and biocorrosion. As a result, biofilms contribute substantially to economic losses in the industry. Corrosion is particularly an issue in the petroleum industry and its implications range from down-hole completion through petroleum processing units. Much of this corrosion is attributed to microbial activities. This paper proposes a mathematical model for predicting substrate concentration for such microbial growth. Substrate concentrations in the system and near the biofilm surface are one of the parameters that has a great effect in determining the extent of the problems associated with biofilms. In this study, a convective-diffusion model under various flow conditions (stagnant, laminar, and turbulent) has been solved using the finite difference technique, employing the alternating direction implicit (ADI) method. The model assumes that a liquid containing substrate and bacteria is flowing in a pipeline with known concentrations at the inlet and then predicts the variation of the transient (as a function of time) substrate concentration along the pipeline and as a function of the pipe radius. The model is then used to predict and estimate the substrate concentration profiles on the biofilm surface under different environmental conditions. A parametric study was also conducted to study the effect of the different parameters influencing the substrate concentration profiles in the system and on the biofilm surface.     

Interaction of a free-living soil nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, with surrogates of foodborne pathogenic bacteria

Free-living nematodes may harbor, protect, and disperse bacteria, including those ingested and passed in viable form in feces. These nematodes are potential vectors for human pathogens and may play a role in foodborne diseases associated with fruits and vegetables eaten raw. In this study, we evaluated the associations between a free-living soil nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, and Escherichia coli, an avirulent strain of Salmonella Typhimurium, Listeria welshimeri, and Bacillus cereus. On an agar medium, young adult worms quickly moved toward colonies of all four bacteria; over 90% of 3-day-old adult worms entered colonies within 16 min after inoculation. After 48 h, worms moved in and out of colonies of L. welshimeri and B. cereus but remained associated with E. coli and Salmonella Typhimurium colonies for at least 96 h. Young adult worms fed on cells of the four bacteria suspended in K medium. Worms survived and reproduced with the use of nutrients derived from all test bacteria, as determined for eggs laid by second-generation worms after culturing for 96 h. Development was slightly slower for worms fed gram-positive bacteria than for worms fed gram-negative bacteria. Worms that fed for 24 h on bacterial lawns formed on tryptic soy agar dispersed bacteria over a 3-h period when they were transferred to a bacteria-free agar surface. The results of this study suggest that C. elegans and perhaps other free-living nematodes are potential vectors for both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, including foodborne pathogens in soil.     

The growth and characterization of AlGaAs double heterostructures for the evaluation of reactor and source quality

AlGaAs double heterostructures are grown by low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition to evaluate the level of oxygen contamination in different trimethylaluminum sources. Effects of arsine purifiers, misoriented substrates, atmospheric exposure of the growth chamber, and possible phosphorus contamination are also studied. Extensive characterization is performed on these films by a variety of methods, including high-resolution x-ray diffraction, photoluminescence (PL), time-resolved photoluminescence, and secondary-ion mass spectrometry. The PL intensities for structures grown with the low-alkoxide grade are reproducibly much greater than those grown with the regular-grade TMA1. The use of AsH₃ purification improves the PL intensity.     

Nutrition support affects the distribution and organ uptake of cachectin/tumor necrosis factor in rats

BACKGROUND: We have previously observed a potentiation of the metabolic response to cachectin/tumor necrosis factor (TNF) by total parenteral nutrition (TPN) but not in anorexic orally fed animals. We hypothesized that nutritional status might affect TNF clearance kinetics. METHODS: We compared the clearance of a bolus of labeled TNF in TPN-fed animals given sufficient nutrients to grow called weight-gaining rats (WGR) with those given 50% of the WGR called weight-losing rats (WLR) and with orally fed rats (OFR). Data were analyzed using a two-compartment open system model and by linear systems analysis. RESULTS: The data from both types of analysis indicator that although metabolic clearance was similar, WGR had a slower fractional TNF clearance rate (FCR) as well as a larger volume of distribution than WLR or OFR. Further analysis showed that an increased proportion of the total mass of TNF resided in a plasma-associated compartment in WGR compared with WLR and OFR. In addition, WGR had reduced uptake of labeled TNF by the kidney. CONCLUSION: The data suggest that nutrition support influences either the distribution of TNF or the FCR, resulting in a greater retention in the plasma-associated compartment with intact absolute removal rates. This study has important implications concerning the type of nutrition support provided to the critically ill patient because our data suggest that clinical states with increased circulating TNF levels may be adversely affected by currently available nutritional practices.