Critical Shear Stress of Bimodal Sediment in Sand-Gravel Rivers

A new model for the critical shear stress and the transport of graded sediment is presented. The model is based on the size distribution of the bed surface and can be used to compute sediment transport rates in numerical simulations with an active layer model. This model makes a distinction between unimodal and bimodal sediments. It is assumed that all size fractions of unimodal sediments have the same critical shear stress while there is selective transport for the gravel fractions of bimodal sediments. A recently published laboratory transport data set is used to calibrate our model.     

Characterization of the chicken and quail homologues of the human gene responsible for the X-linked Kallmann syndrome

The human KAL gene, responsible for the X-linked Kallmann syndrome, was isolated previously. Southern blot analysis using human cDNA probes detected cross-hybridization with DNA from several organisms, including chicken and quail. The entire coding sequences of chicken and quail KAL cDNAs were determined. A comparison of these cDNAs with the human KAL cDNA reveals an overall identity of 73 and 72%, respectively. This results in 76 and 75% identity at the protein level. The highest conservation was found in the WAP four-disulfide core motif and in two of the four fibronectin type III repeats reported in the human protein. These results further support the hypothesis that the KAL protein is an extracellular matrix component with anti-protease and adhesion functions.     

Coupled effect of time and temperature on variations of yield value of highly flowable mortar

In order to enhance the performance of self-consolidating concrete, it is important to have a better understanding of the rheological behavior of the material. The initial rheological parameters and their variations with time are closely affected by material temperature, type and dosage of high range water-reducing admixture (HRWRA), and elapsed time. This paper presents the results of an investigation aimed at evaluating the coupled influence of time and temperature on the variations of yield value with time of mortars made with two types of HRWRA: polynaphtalene sulfonate and polycarboxylate polymer. Four mortars extracted from self-consolidating concrete mixtures proportioned with various binder types and with water-to-binder ratios of 0.42 and 0.53 were prepared at 10 to 30 °C.Test results show that the yield value varies linearly with the coupled effect of time and temperature during the dormant period for mixtures made with polynaphtalene sulfonate-based HRWRA. However, such changes are found to depend on the mixture temperature for mixtures made with polycarboxylate-based HRWRA, which can influence the dispersion efficiency of the polycarboxylate polymer. The threshold temperature of mixtures made with PCP-HRWRA is shown to vary with mixture composition. Below a given threshold temperature, the mortar exhibits a considerable degree of retention or even reduction in yield value over 30% of the dormant period. A sharp increase in yield value is observed beyond 30% of the dormant period. Above this threshold temperature, the yield value is shown to increase linearly with time.     

Photocatalytic degradation of gaseous perchloroethylene in continuous flow reactors: Rate enhancement by chlorine radicals

The degradation of perchloroethylene (PCE) by UV/TiO₂ photocatalysis in gas phase was studied. The degradation efficiency has been compared in different continuous flow reactors: a photocatalytic tangential reactor (PTR) where the air flows tangentially over the catalytic medium and two photocatalytic filtering reactors (PFR) where the air flows through the porous catalytic medium. The degradation rate shows a linear dependence with the concentration of pollutants (up to 350 mg PCE/N m³) for the PTR, but the degradation was negligible for the PFR. The degradation rate was enhanced by accelerating the chlorine radicals’ formation (by adding HCl in catalytic quantity in the air flow or by PCE over-heating). In these conditions, the oxidation rate constant of PCE in the PFR was about five times higher than that in the PTR, although the mass of catalyst involved in the PFR was about 10 times lower and the contact time was about a 1000 times shorter than that of the PTR. Thus, the catalyst is globally more efficiently used in the PFR, as the mass transfer is not limiting. As a result, a degradation mechanism of PCE, involving the generation of free chlorine radicals, as the first limiting step, has been confirmed.     

Coding distributive lattices with Edge Firing Games

In this note, we show that any distributive lattice is isomorphic to the set of reachable configurations of an Edge Firing Game. Together with the result of James Propp, saying that the set of reachable configurations of any Edge Firing Game is always a distributive lattice, this shows that the two concepts are equivalent.     

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: neurophysiologic visual impairments

OBJECTIVE: The predictive value of electrophysiologic visual testing in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) was investigated, and the retinal pathologic findings in three cases are reported. BACKGROUND: The fatal prognosis of CJD, its transmissibility, and the lack of treatment make early diagnosis essential in averting human-to-human transmission. Electroretinogram and visual evoked potentials have been studied in few cases of CJD. METHODS: A visual electrophysiologic examination was performed in 41 consecutive patients referred with suspected CJD. The disease had been diagnosed in 24 patients (CJD group; 15 were confirmed neuropathologically and 9 by clinicolaboratory methods in accordance with diagnostic criteria). The remaining 17 patients were diagnosed with other neurologic disorders, and served as a control group. RESULTS: Flash electroretinogram revealed a significant decrease in the amplitude of the B1 wave (<60 microV) and the B/A ratio (<2) in the CJD group compared with those in the control group. Flash visual evoked potentials revealed no significant difference in latency, but amplitude was increased (>10 microV) in the CJD group, especially in patients with myoclonus. CONCLUSIONS: The visual electrophysiologic abnormalities provide an interesting noninvasive diagnostic tool in idiopathic CJD. The B1-wave decrease is closely correlated with the outer plexiform layer abnormalities observed on neuropathologic examination.     

Recovering gallium from residual bayer process liquor

Gallium is normally obtained by direct electrolysis as a by-product from Bayer process residual liquor at an aluminum processing plant. However, to permit any net accumulation of the metal, the gallium concentration must be at least about 0.3 g/l in the liquor. This article describes a continuous process of extraction with organic solvents and rhodamine-B, followed by a re-extraction step into aqueous media. The final product is a solid containing up to 18 wt.% Ga in a solid mixture of hydroxides and oxides of gallium and aluminum. This final product can then be electrolyzed to recover the gallium more efficiently.     

Biobased thermosets from the free‐radical copolymerization of conjugated linseed oil

New polymeric thermosets were prepared through the bulk free‐radical copolymerization of 100% conjugated linseed oil, acrylonitrile, and divinylbenzene. Under the appropriate reaction conditions and with the appropriate curing sequence, 61–96 wt % of the oil was incorporated into the crosslinked thermosets. The resulting yellow, transparent thermosets varied from being soft and flexible to being hard and brittle. Dynamic mechanical analysis and thermogravimetric analysis showed that these thermosets had good mechanical properties and thermal stability. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 104: 979–985, 2007