WorldWideScience

Sample records for chemical characterization modeling

  1. Towards consensus in comparative chemical characterization modeling for LCIA

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hauschild, Michael Zwicky; Bachmann, Till; Huijbregts, Mark

    2006-01-01

    work within, for instance, the OECD, and guidance from a series of expert workshops held between 2002 and 2005, preliminary guidelines focusing on chemical fate, and human and ecotoxic effects were established. For further elaboration of the fate-, exposure- and effect-sides of the modeling, six models...... by the Task Force and the model providers. While the compared models and their differences are important tools to further advance LCA science, the consensus model is intended to provide a generally agreed and scientifically sound method to calculate consistent characterization factors for use in LCA practice...... and to be the basis of the “recommended practice” for calculation of characterization factors for chemicals under authority of the UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative....

  2. Towards consensus in chemical characterization modeling for LCA:

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rosenbaum, Ralf; Hauschild, Michael Zwicky; Bachmann, Till

    2006-01-01

    representing a wide range of substance property combinations. All compared models showed correlation for human health endpoints for generic organics, with high variations on individual chemicals, typically with high Kow. For the other organics and inorganics, less agreement was observed. Influential processes...... and assumptions were identified and agreed upon to implement in all models for harmonization. These were, e.g., an urban box nested in a continental box with fixed surfaces and populations, consistent biotransfer and –concentration factors from experiments or one source/model, vegetation as an exposure pathway......A comprehensive LCIA characterization model comparison is being undertaken in the UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative, focusing on toxicity impacts and directly involving the developers of all models included. The main objective is to identify where differences come from, what indispensable model...

  3. Characterization of the pharmacokinetics of gasoline using PBPK modeling with a complex mixtures chemical lumping approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dennison, James E; Andersen, Melvin E; Yang, Raymond S H

    2003-09-01

    Gasoline consists of a few toxicologically significant components and a large number of other hydrocarbons in a complex mixture. By using an integrated, physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling and lumping approach, we have developed a method for characterizing the pharmacokinetics (PKs) of gasoline in rats. The PBPK model tracks selected target components (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, o-xylene [BTEX], and n-hexane) and a lumped chemical group representing all nontarget components, with competitive metabolic inhibition between all target compounds and the lumped chemical. PK data was acquired by performing gas uptake PK studies with male F344 rats in a closed chamber. Chamber air samples were analyzed every 10-20 min by gas chromatography/flame ionization detection and all nontarget chemicals were co-integrated. A four-compartment PBPK model with metabolic interactions was constructed using the BTEX, n-hexane, and lumped chemical data. Target chemical kinetic parameters were refined by studies with either the single chemical alone or with all five chemicals together. o-Xylene, at high concentrations, decreased alveolar ventilation, consistent with respiratory irritation. A six-chemical interaction model with the lumped chemical group was used to estimate lumped chemical partitioning and metabolic parameters for a winter blend of gasoline with methyl t-butyl ether and a summer blend without any oxygenate. Computer simulation results from this model matched well with experimental data from single chemical, five-chemical mixture, and the two blends of gasoline. The PBPK model analysis indicated that metabolism of individual components was inhibited up to 27% during the 6-h gas uptake experiments of gasoline exposures.

  4. Characterization and Prediction of Chemical Functions and ...

    Science.gov (United States)

    Assessing exposures from the thousands of chemicals in commerce requires quantitative information on the chemical constituents of consumer products. Unfortunately, gaps in available composition data prevent assessment of exposure to chemicals in many products. Here we propose filling these gaps via consideration of chemical functional role. We obtained function information for thousands of chemicals from public sources and used a clustering algorithm to assign chemicals into 35 harmonized function categories (e.g., plasticizers, antimicrobials, solvents). We combined these functions with weight fraction data for 4115 personal care products (PCPs) to characterize the composition of 66 different product categories (e.g., shampoos). We analyzed the combined weight fraction/function dataset using machine learning techniques to develop quantitative structure property relationship (QSPR) classifier models for 22 functions and for weight fraction, based on chemical-specific descriptors (including chemical properties). We applied these classifier models to a library of 10196 data-poor chemicals. Our predictions of chemical function and composition will inform exposure-based screening of chemicals in PCPs for combination with hazard data in risk-based evaluation frameworks. As new information becomes available, this approach can be applied to other classes of products and the chemicals they contain in order to provide essential consumer product data for use in exposure-b

  5. Characterizing chemical systems with on-line computers and graphics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frazer, J.W.; Rigdon, L.P.; Brand, H.R.; Pomernacki, C.L.

    1979-01-01

    Incorporating computers and graphics on-line to chemical experiments and processes opens up new opportunities for the study and control of complex systems. Systems having many variables can be characterized even when the variable interactions are nonlinear, and the system cannot a priori be represented by numerical methods and models. That is, large sets of accurate data can be rapidly acquired, then modeling and graphic techniques can be used to obtain partial interpretation plus design of further experimentation. The experimenter can thus comparatively quickly iterate between experimentation and modeling to obtain a final solution. We have designed and characterized a versatile computer-controlled apparatus for chemical research, which incorporates on-line instrumentation and graphics. It can be used to determine the mechanism of enzyme-induced reactions or to optimize analytical methods. The apparatus can also be operated as a pilot plant to design control strategies. On-line graphics were used to display conventional plots used by biochemists and three-dimensional response-surface plots

  6. Improvement of the Correlative AFM and ToF-SIMS Approach Using an Empirical Sputter Model for 3D Chemical Characterization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Terlier, T; Lee, J; Lee, K; Lee, Y

    2018-02-06

    Technological progress has spurred the development of increasingly sophisticated analytical devices. The full characterization of structures in terms of sample volume and composition is now highly complex. Here, a highly improved solution for 3D characterization of samples, based on an advanced method for 3D data correction, is proposed. Traditionally, secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) provides the chemical distribution of sample surfaces. Combining successive sputtering with 2D surface projections enables a 3D volume rendering to be generated. However, surface topography can distort the volume rendering by necessitating the projection of a nonflat surface onto a planar image. Moreover, the sputtering is highly dependent on the probed material. Local variation of composition affects the sputter yield and the beam-induced roughness, which in turn alters the 3D render. To circumvent these drawbacks, the correlation of atomic force microscopy (AFM) with SIMS has been proposed in previous studies as a solution for the 3D chemical characterization. To extend the applicability of this approach, we have developed a methodology using AFM-time-of-flight (ToF)-SIMS combined with an empirical sputter model, "dynamic-model-based volume correction", to universally correct 3D structures. First, the simulation of 3D structures highlighted the great advantages of this new approach compared with classical methods. Then, we explored the applicability of this new correction to two types of samples, a patterned metallic multilayer and a diblock copolymer film presenting surface asperities. In both cases, the dynamic-model-based volume correction produced an accurate 3D reconstruction of the sample volume and composition. The combination of AFM-SIMS with the dynamic-model-based volume correction improves the understanding of the surface characteristics. Beyond the useful 3D chemical information provided by dynamic-model-based volume correction, the approach permits us to enhance

  7. Advances in Chemical and Structural Characterization of Concretion with Implications for Modeling Marine Corrosion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Donald L.; DeAngelis, Robert J.; Medlin, Dana J.; Carr, James D.; Conlin, David L.

    2014-05-01

    The Weins number model and concretion equivalent corrosion rate methodology were developed as potential minimum-impact, cost-effective techniques to determine corrosion damage on submerged steel structures. To apply the full potential of these technologies, a detailed chemical and structural characterization of the concretion (hard biofouling) that transforms into iron bearing minerals is required. The fractions of existing compounds and the quantitative chemistries are difficult to determine from x-ray diffraction. Environmental scanning electron microscopy was used to present chemical compositions by means of energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). EDS demonstrates the chemical data in mapping format or in point or selected area chemistries. Selected-area EDS data collection at precise locations is presented in terms of atomic percent. The mechanism of formation and distribution of the iron-bearing mineral species at specific locations will be presented. Based on water retention measurements, porosity in terms of void volume varies from 15 v/o to 30 v/o (vol.%). The void path displayed by scanning electron microscopy imaging illustrates the tortuous path by which oxygen migrates in the water phase within the concretion from seaside to metalside.

  8. Mathematical Modeling of Tin-Free Chemically-Active Antifouling Paint Behavior

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yebra, Diego Meseguer; Kiil, Søren; Dam-Johansen, Kim

    2006-01-01

    Mathematical modeling has been used to characterize and validate the working mechanisms of tin-free, chemically-active antifouling (AF) paints. The model-based analysis of performance data from lab-scale rotary experiments has shown significant differences between antifouling technologies...... of Chemical Engineers....

  9. Characterization and modeling of 2D-glass micro-machining by spark-assisted chemical engraving (SACE) with constant velocity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Didar, Tohid Fatanat; Dolatabadi, Ali; Wüthrich, Rolf

    2008-01-01

    Spark-assisted chemical engraving (SACE) is an unconventional micro-machining technology based on electrochemical discharge used for micro-machining nonconductive materials. SACE 2D micro-machining with constant speed was used to machine micro-channels in glass. Parameters affecting the quality and geometry of the micro-channels machined by SACE technology with constant velocity were presented and the effect of each of the parameters was assessed. The effect of chemical etching on the geometry of micro-channels under different machining conditions has been studied, and a model is proposed for characterization of the micro-channels as a function of machining voltage and applied speed

  10. Physico-Chemical Characterization and Pollution Index ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Physico-Chemical Characterization and Pollution Index Determination of Leachates from Warri Waste Dumpsite, Southern Nigeria. ... This study characterizes the leachates quality of an active dumpsite in Warri, Delta State and also analyses its contamination or pollution potential. Leachate Pollution Index (LPI) - a tool for ...

  11. Characterization and prediction of chemical functions and weight fractions in consumer products

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kristin K. Isaacs

    Full Text Available Assessing exposures from the thousands of chemicals in commerce requires quantitative information on the chemical constituents of consumer products. Unfortunately, gaps in available composition data prevent assessment of exposure to chemicals in many products. Here we propose filling these gaps via consideration of chemical functional role. We obtained function information for thousands of chemicals from public sources and used a clustering algorithm to assign chemicals into 35 harmonized function categories (e.g., plasticizers, antimicrobials, solvents. We combined these functions with weight fraction data for 4115 personal care products (PCPs to characterize the composition of 66 different product categories (e.g., shampoos. We analyzed the combined weight fraction/function dataset using machine learning techniques to develop quantitative structure property relationship (QSPR classifier models for 22 functions and for weight fraction, based on chemical-specific descriptors (including chemical properties. We applied these classifier models to a library of 10196 data-poor chemicals. Our predictions of chemical function and composition will inform exposure-based screening of chemicals in PCPs for combination with hazard data in risk-based evaluation frameworks. As new information becomes available, this approach can be applied to other classes of products and the chemicals they contain in order to provide essential consumer product data for use in exposure-based chemical prioritization. Keywords: Chemical function, Exposure modeling, Chemical prioritization, Consumer products, Cosmetics, ExpoCast

  12. An Inverse Analysis Approach to the Characterization of Chemical Transport in Paints

    Science.gov (United States)

    Willis, Matthew P.; Stevenson, Shawn M.; Pearl, Thomas P.; Mantooth, Brent A.

    2014-01-01

    The ability to directly characterize chemical transport and interactions that occur within a material (i.e., subsurface dynamics) is a vital component in understanding contaminant mass transport and the ability to decontaminate materials. If a material is contaminated, over time, the transport of highly toxic chemicals (such as chemical warfare agent species) out of the material can result in vapor exposure or transfer to the skin, which can result in percutaneous exposure to personnel who interact with the material. Due to the high toxicity of chemical warfare agents, the release of trace chemical quantities is of significant concern. Mapping subsurface concentration distribution and transport characteristics of absorbed agents enables exposure hazards to be assessed in untested conditions. Furthermore, these tools can be used to characterize subsurface reaction dynamics to ultimately design improved decontaminants or decontamination procedures. To achieve this goal, an inverse analysis mass transport modeling approach was developed that utilizes time-resolved mass spectroscopy measurements of vapor emission from contaminated paint coatings as the input parameter for calculation of subsurface concentration profiles. Details are provided on sample preparation, including contaminant and material handling, the application of mass spectrometry for the measurement of emitted contaminant vapor, and the implementation of inverse analysis using a physics-based diffusion model to determine transport properties of live chemical warfare agents including distilled mustard (HD) and the nerve agent VX. PMID:25226346

  13. Physical and chemical characterization of bioaerosols - Implications for nucleation processes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ariya, P. A.; Sun, J.; Eltouny, N. A.; Hudson, E. D.; Hayes, C. T.; Kos, G.

    The importance of organic compounds in the oxidative capacity of the atmosphere, and as cloud condensation and ice-forming nuclei, has been recognized for several decades. Organic compounds comprise a significant fraction of the suspended matter mass, leading to local (e.g. toxicity, health hazards) and global (e.g. climate change) impacts. The state of knowledge of the physical chemistry of organic aerosols has increased during the last few decades. However, due to their complex chemistry and the multifaceted processes in which they are involved, the importance of organic aerosols, particularly bioaerosols, in driving physical and chemical atmospheric processes is still very uncertain and poorly understood. Factors such as solubility, surface tension, chemical impurities, volatility, morphology, contact angle, deliquescence, wettability, and the oxidation process are pivotal in the understanding of the activation processes of cloud droplets, and their chemical structures, solubilities and even the molecular configuration of the microbial outer membrane, all impact ice and cloud nucleation processes in the atmosphere. The aim of this review paper is to assess the current state of knowledge regarding chemical and physical characterization of bioaerosols with a focus on those properties important in nucleation processes. We herein discuss the potential importance (or lack thereof) of physical and chemical properties of bioaerosols and illustrate how the knowledge of these properties can be employed to study nucleation processes using a modeling exercise. We also outline a list of major uncertainties due to a lack of understanding of the processes involved or lack of available data. We will also discuss key issues of atmospheric significance deserving future physical chemistry research in the fields of bioaerosol characterization and microphysics, as well as bioaerosol modeling. These fundamental questions are to be addressed prior to any definite conclusions on the

  14. On microscopic simulations of systems with model chemical reactions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gorecki, J.; Gorecka, J.N.

    1998-01-01

    Large scale computer simulations of model chemical systems play the role of idealized experiments in which theories may be tested. In this paper we present two applications of microscopic simulations based on the reactive hard sphere model. We investigate the influence of internal fluctuations on an oscillating chemical system and observe how they modify the phase portrait of it. Another application, we consider, is concerned with the propagation of a chemical wave front associated with a thermally activated reaction. It is shown that the nonequilibrium effects increase the front velocity if compared with the velocity of the front generated by a nonactivated process characterized by the same rate constant. (author)

  15. Phase Characterization of Cucumber Growth: A Chemical Gel Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bo Li

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Cucumber grows with complex phenomena by changing its volume and shape, which is not fully investigated and challenges agriculture and food safety industry. In order to understand the mechanism and to characterize the growth process, the cucumber is modeled as a hydrogel in swelling and its development is studied in both preharvest and postharvest stages. Based on thermodynamics, constitutive equations, incorporating biological quantities, are established. The growth behavior of cucumber follows the classic theory of continuous or discontinuous phase transition. The mechanism of bulged tail in cucumber is interpreted by phase coexistence and characterized by critical conditions. Conclusions are given for advances in food engineering and novel fabrication techniques in mechanical biology.

  16. Chemical and mineralogical characterization of iron concretions of some Brazilian soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Soares, M.F.

    1980-01-01

    Chemical and physical analyses of concretionary materials were carried out, with the purpose of getting chemical and mineralogical characteristics of concretions found in some Brazilian soils in different ecosystems spectrophotometry was used for the chemical characterization, and x-ray diffraction and Moessbauer spectroscopy for the mineralogical characterization of the materials studied. (A.R.H.) [pt

  17. A Study of the Stability and Characterization Plutonium Dioxide and Chemical Characterization [of] Rocky Flats and Los Alamos Plutonium-Containing Incinerator Ash

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ray, A.K.; Boettger, J.C.; Behrens, Robert G.

    1999-01-01

    In the presentation ''A Study of the Stability and Characterization of Plutonium Dioxide'', the authors discuss their recent work on actinide stabilities and characterization, in particular, plutonium dioxide PuO 2 . Earlier studies have indicated that PuO 2 has the fluorite structure of CaF 2 and typical oxide semiconductor properties. However, detailed results on the bulk electronic structure of this important actinide oxide have not been available. The authors have used all-electron, full potential linear combinations Gaussian type orbitals fitting function (LCGTO-FF) method to study PuO 2 . The LCGTO-FF technique characterized by its use of three independent GTO basis sets to expand the orbitals, charge density, and exchange-correlation integral kernels. Results will be presented on zero pressure using both the Hedin-Lundquist local density approximation (LDA) model or the Perdew-Wang generalized gradient approximation (GGA) model. Possibilities of different characterizations of PuO 2 will be explored. The paper ''Chemical Characterization Rocky Flats and Los Alamos Plutonium-Containing Incinerator Ash'' describes the results of a comprehensive study of the chemical characteristics of virgin, calcined and fluorinated incinerator ash produced at the Rocky Flats Plant and at the Los Alamos National Laboratory prior to 1988. The Rocky Flats and Los Alamos virgin, calcined, and fluorinated ashes were also dissolved using standard nitrate dissolution chemistry. Corresponding chemical evaluations were preformed on the resultant ash heel and the results compared with those of the virgin ash. Fluorination studies using FT spectroscopy as a diagnostic tool were also performed to evaluate the chemistry of phosphorus, sulfur, carbon, and silicon containing species in the ash. The distribution of plutonium and other chemical elements with the virgin ash, ash heel, fluorinated ash, and fluorinated ash heel particulates were studied in detail using microprobe analysis. Some

  18. Characterization of chemical interactions during chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) of copper

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Seung-Mahn

    2003-10-01

    Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) has received much attention as an unique technique to provide a wafer level planarization in semiconductor manufacturing. However, despite the extensive use of CMP, it still remains one of the least understood areas in semiconductor processing. The lack of the fundamental understanding is a significant barrier to further advancements in CMP technology. One critical aspect of metal CMP is the formation of a thin surface layer on the metal surface. The formation and removal of this layer controls all the aspects of the CMP process, including removal rate, surface finish, etc. In this dissertation, we focus on the characterization of the formation and removal of the thin surface layer on the copper surface. The formation dynamics was investigated using static and dynamic electrochemical techniques, including potentiodynamic scans and chronoamperometry. The results were validated using XPS measurements. The mechanical properties of the surface layer were investigated using nanoindentation measurements. The electrochemical investigation showed that the thickness of the surface layer is controlled by the chemicals such as an oxidizer (hydrogen peroxide), a corrosion inhibitor (benzotriazole), a complexing agent (citric acid), and their concentrations. The dynamic electrochemical measurements indicated that the initial layer formation kinetics is unaffected by the corrosion inhibitors. The passivation due to the corrosion inhibitor becomes important only on large time scales (>200 millisecond). The porosity and the density of the chemically modified surface layer can be affected by additives of other chemicals such as citric acid. An optimum density of the surface layer is required for high polishing rate while at the same time maintaining a high degree of surface finish. Nanoindentation measurements indicated that the mechanical properties of the surface layer are strongly dependent on the chemical additives in the slurry. The CMP

  19. CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF COLLAPSING LOW-MASS PRESTELLAR DENSE CORES

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hincelin, U. [Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904 (United States); Commerçon, B. [Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, CRAL, UMR 5574 du CNRS, Université Lyon I, 46 Allée d’Italie, F-69364 Lyon cedex 07 (France); Wakelam, V.; Hersant, F.; Guilloteau, S. [Univ. Bordeaux, LAB, UMR 5804, F-33270, Floirac (France); Herbst, E., E-mail: ugo.hincelin@gmail.com [Departments of Chemistry and Astronomy, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904 (United States)

    2016-05-01

    The first hydrostatic core, also called the first Larson core, is one of the first steps in low-mass star formation as predicted by theory. With recent and future high-performance telescopes, the details of these first phases are becoming accessible, and observations may confirm theory and even present new challenges for theoreticians. In this context, from a theoretical point of view, we study the chemical and physical evolution of the collapse of prestellar cores until the formation of the first Larson core, in order to better characterize this early phase in the star formation process. We couple a state-of-the-art hydrodynamical model with full gas-grain chemistry, using different assumptions for the magnetic field strength and orientation. We extract the different components of each collapsing core (i.e., the central core, the outflow, the disk, the pseudodisk, and the envelope) to highlight their specific physical and chemical characteristics. Each component often presents a specific physical history, as well as a specific chemical evolution. From some species, the components can clearly be differentiated. The different core models can also be chemically differentiated. Our simulation suggests that some chemical species act as tracers of the different components of a collapsing prestellar dense core, and as tracers of the magnetic field characteristics of the core. From this result, we pinpoint promising key chemical species to be observed.

  20. In-silico identification and characterization of organic and inorganic chemical stress responding genes in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barozai, Muhammad Younas Khan; Bashir, Farrukh; Muzaffar, Shafia; Afzal, Saba; Behlil, Farida; Khan, Muzaffar

    2014-10-15

    To study the life processes of all eukaryotes, yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) is a significant model organism. It is also one of the best models to study the responses of genes at transcriptional level. In a living organism, gene expression is changed by chemical stresses. The genes that give response to chemical stresses will provide good source for the strategies in engineering and formulating mechanisms which are chemical stress resistant in the eukaryotic organisms. The data available through microarray under the chemical stresses like lithium chloride, lactic acid, weak organic acids and tomatidine were studied by using computational tools. Out of 9335 yeast genes, 388 chemical stress responding genes were identified and characterized under different chemical stresses. Some of these are: Enolases 1 and 2, heat shock protein-82, Yeast Elongation Factor 3, Beta Glucanase Protein, Histone H2A1 and Histone H2A2 Proteins, Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, ras GTPase activating protein, Establishes Silent Chromatin protein, Mei5 Protein, Nondisjunction Protein and Specific Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase. Characterization of these genes was also made on the basis of their molecular functions, biological processes and cellular components. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Characterization and modeling of the thermal hydraulic and chemical environment of fuel claddings of PWR reactors during boiling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    March, Ph.

    1999-01-01

    In pressurised water reactors (PWR), nucleate boiling can strongly influence the oxidation rate of the fuel cladding. To improve our understanding of the effect of the boiling phenomenon on corrosion kinetics, information about the chemical and thermal hydraulic boundary conditions at the heating rod surface is needed. Moreover, very few data are available in the range of thermal hydraulic parameters of PWR cores (15,5 MPa and 340 deg C) concerning the two-phase flow pattern close to the fuel cladding. A visualization device has been adapted on an out-of-pile loop Reggae to obtain both qualitative and quantitative data. These observations provide a direct access to the geometrical properties of the vapor inclusions, the onset of nucleate boiling and the gas velocity and trajectory. An image processing method has been validated to measure both void fraction and interfacial area concentration in a bubbly two-phase flow. Thus, the visualization device proves to be a suitable and accurate instrumentation to characterize nucleate boiling in PWR conditions. The experimental results analysis indicates that a local approach is needed for the modelling of the fuel rod chemical environment. To simulate the chemical additives enrichment, a new model is proposed where the vapor bubbles are now considered as physical obstacles for the liquid access to the rod surface. The influence of the two-phase flow pattern appears to be of major importance for the enrichment phenomenon. This study clearly demonstrates the existence of strong interactions between the two-phase flow pattern, the rod surface condition, the corrosion process and the water chemistry. (author)

  2. LLNL Chemical Kinetics Modeling Group

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pitz, W J; Westbrook, C K; Mehl, M; Herbinet, O; Curran, H J; Silke, E J

    2008-09-24

    The LLNL chemical kinetics modeling group has been responsible for much progress in the development of chemical kinetic models for practical fuels. The group began its work in the early 1970s, developing chemical kinetic models for methane, ethane, ethanol and halogenated inhibitors. Most recently, it has been developing chemical kinetic models for large n-alkanes, cycloalkanes, hexenes, and large methyl esters. These component models are needed to represent gasoline, diesel, jet, and oil-sand-derived fuels.

  3. Chemical and mineralogical characterization and ceramic suitability ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The chemical and mineralogical characterization of raw feldspathic materials from Dschang (Cameroon) was realized by means of X-ray diffraction, differential thermal analyses, optical and scanning electron microscopies, and analytical techniques. It was found that these materials consist of albite (43 ± 3 wt.%), microcline ...

  4. A New Statistical Approach to Characterize Chemical-Elicited Behavioral Effects in High-Throughput Studies Using Zebrafish.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guozhu Zhang

    Full Text Available Zebrafish have become an important alternative model for characterizing chemical bioactivity, partly due to the efficiency at which systematic, high-dimensional data can be generated. However, these new data present analytical challenges associated with scale and diversity. We developed a novel, robust statistical approach to characterize chemical-elicited effects in behavioral data from high-throughput screening (HTS of all 1,060 Toxicity Forecaster (ToxCast™ chemicals across 5 concentrations at 120 hours post-fertilization (hpf. Taking advantage of the immense scale of data for a global view, we show that this new approach reduces bias introduced by extreme values yet allows for diverse response patterns that confound the application of traditional statistics. We have also shown that, as a summary measure of response for local tests of chemical-associated behavioral effects, it achieves a significant reduction in coefficient of variation compared to many traditional statistical modeling methods. This effective increase in signal-to-noise ratio augments statistical power and is observed across experimental periods (light/dark conditions that display varied distributional response patterns. Finally, we integrated results with data from concomitant developmental endpoint measurements to show that appropriate statistical handling of HTS behavioral data can add important biological context that informs mechanistic hypotheses.

  5. Mineralogical and chemical characterization of various bentonite and smectite-rich clay materials Part A: Comparison and development of mineralogical characterization methods Part B: Mineralogical and chemical characterization of clay materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumpulainen, S.; Kiviranta, L.

    2010-06-01

    Mineralogy is an essential issue in understanding thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical (THMC) behavior of bentonite materials. Mineralogy affects, among others, chemical composition of pore water, susceptibility for erosion, and transport of radionuclides. Consequently, mineralogy affects the designs of the buffer and backfill components. The objective of this work was to implement and develop mineralogical and chemical methods for characterization of reference clays considered for use as buffer and backfill materials in nuclear waste disposal. In this work, different methods were tested, compared, developed, and best available techniques selected. An additional aim was to characterize reference materials that are used in various nuclear waste disposal supporting studies, e.g., the SKB's alternative buffer material (ABM) experiment. Materials studied included three Wyoming-bentonites, two bentonites from Milos, four bentonites from Kutch district, and two Friedland clays. Minerals were identified using x-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and polarizing microscopy. Mineralogical composition was estimated using Rietveld-analysis. Chemical methods were used to support and validate mineralogical interpretation. Total chemical composition was determined from decomposed samples using spectrometry (ICP-AES) and combustion (Leco-S, Leco-C). Ferric and ferrous iron species were distinguished titrimetrically and the amount of soluble sulphate was determined using ion chromatography. In addition, cation exchange capacity and original exchangeable cations were determined. Chemical composition of fine (<2 μ m) fractions and poorly crystalline Fe-, Al- and Si-phases determined by selective extractions were used in structural calculations of smectite. XRD is a basic method for all mineralogical characterization, but it is insensitive for detecting trace minerals and variations in the structural chemical composition of clay minerals. Polarizing

  6. Human Exposure Model (HEM): A modular, web-based application to characterize near-field chemical exposures and releases

    Science.gov (United States)

    The U.S. EPA’s Chemical Safety and Sustainability research program is developing the Human Exposure Model (HEM) to assess near-field exposures to chemicals that occur in various populations over the entire life cycle of a consumer product. The model will be implemented as a...

  7. Hanford enhanced waste glass characterization. Influence of composition on chemical durability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fox, K. M.; Edwards, T. B.

    2016-01-01

    This report provides a review of the complete high-level waste (HLW) and low-activity waste (LAW) data sets for the glasses recently fabricated at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and characterized at Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL). The review is from the perspective of relating the chemical durability performance to the compositions of these study glasses, since the characterization work at SRNL focused on chemical analysis and ASTM Product Consistency Test (PCT) performance.

  8. Analytical robustness of quantitative NIR chemical imaging for Islamic paper characterization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahgoub, Hend; Gilchrist, John R.; Fearn, Thomas; Strlič, Matija

    2017-07-01

    Recently, spectral imaging techniques such as Multispectral (MSI) and Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI) have gained importance in the field of heritage conservation. This paper explores the analytical robustness of quantitative chemical imaging for Islamic paper characterization by focusing on the effect of different measurement and processing parameters, i.e. acquisition conditions and calibration on the accuracy of the collected spectral data. This will provide a better understanding of the technique that can provide a measure of change in collections through imaging. For the quantitative model, special calibration target was devised using 105 samples from a well-characterized reference Islamic paper collection. Two material properties were of interest: starch sizing and cellulose degree of polymerization (DP). Multivariate data analysis methods were used to develop discrimination and regression models which were used as an evaluation methodology for the metrology of quantitative NIR chemical imaging. Spectral data were collected using a pushbroom HSI scanner (Gilden Photonics Ltd) in the 1000-2500 nm range with a spectral resolution of 6.3 nm using a mirror scanning setup and halogen illumination. Data were acquired at different measurement conditions and acquisition parameters. Preliminary results showed the potential of the evaluation methodology to show that measurement parameters such as the use of different lenses and different scanning backgrounds may not have a great influence on the quantitative results. Moreover, the evaluation methodology allowed for the selection of the best pre-treatment method to be applied to the data.

  9. Transport Properties of a Kinetic Model for Chemical Reactions without Barriers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alves, Giselle M.; Kremer, Gilberto M.; Soares, Ana Jacinta

    2011-01-01

    A kinetic model of the Boltzmann equation for chemical reactions without energy barrier is considered here with the aim of evaluating the reaction rate and characterizing the transport coefficient of shear viscosity for the reactive system. The Chapman-Enskog solution of the Boltzmann equation is used to compute the chemical reaction effects, in a flow regime for which the reaction process is close to the final equilibrium state. Some numerical results are provided illustrating that the considered chemical reaction without energy barrier can induce an appreciable influence on the reaction rate and on the transport coefficient of shear viscosity.

  10. Metalorganic chemical vapor deposition and characterization of ZnO materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Shangzu; Tompa, Gary S.; Hoerman, Brent; Look, David C.; Claflin, Bruce B.; Rice, Catherine E.; Masaun, Puneet

    2006-04-01

    Zinc oxide is attracting growing interest for potential applications in electronics, optoelectronics, photonics, and chemical and biochemical sensing, among other applications. We report herein our efforts in the growth and characterization of p- and n-type ZnO materials by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), focusing on recent nitrogen-doped films grown using diethyl zinc as the zinc precursor and nitric oxide (NO) as the dopant. Characterization results, including resistivity, Hall measurements, photoluminescence, and SIMS, are reported and discussed. Electrical behavior was observed to be dependent on illumination, atmosphere, and heat treatment, especially for p-type material.

  11. BGK-type models in strong reaction and kinetic chemical equilibrium regimes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Monaco, R; Bianchi, M Pandolfi; Soares, A J

    2005-01-01

    A BGK-type procedure is applied to multi-component gases undergoing chemical reactions of bimolecular type. The relaxation process towards local Maxwellians, depending on mass and numerical densities of each species as well as common velocity and temperature, is investigated in two different cases with respect to chemical regimes. These cases are related to the strong reaction regime characterized by slow reactions, and to the kinetic chemical equilibrium regime where fast reactions take place. The consistency properties of both models are stated in detail. The trend to equilibrium is numerically tested and comparisons for the two regimes are performed within the hydrogen-air and carbon-oxygen reaction mechanism. In the spatial homogeneous case, it is also shown that the thermodynamical equilibrium of the models recovers satisfactorily the asymptotic equilibrium solutions to the reactive Euler equations

  12. X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopic Characterization of Chemically Modified Electrodes Used as Chemical Sensors and Biosensors: A Review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elio Desimoni

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available The characterization of chemically modified sensors and biosensors is commonly performed by cyclic voltammetry and electron microscopies, which allow verifying electrode mechanisms and surface morphologies. Among other techniques, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS plays a unique role in giving access to qualitative, quantitative/semi-quantitative and speciation information concerning the sensor surface. Nevertheless, XPS remains rather underused in this field. The aim of this paper is to review selected articles which evidence the useful performances of XPS in characterizing the top surface layers of chemically modified sensors and biosensors. A concise introduction to X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy gives to the reader the essential background. The application of XPS for characterizing sensors suitable for food and environmental analysis is highlighted.

  13. Chemical characterization of nuclear materials: recent trends

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prakash, Amrit; Nandi, C.; Patil, A.B.; Khan, K.B.

    2013-01-01

    Analytical chemistry plays a very important role for nuclear fuel activities be it fuel fabrication, waste management or reprocessing. Nuclear fuels are selected based on the type of reactor. The nuclear fuel has to conform to stringent chemical specifications like boron, cadmium, rare earths, hydrogen, oxygen to metal ratio, total gas, heavy metal content, chlorine and fluorine etc. Selection of technique is very important to evaluate the true specification. This is important particularly when the analyses have to perform inside leak tight enclosure. The present paper describes the details of advanced analytical techniques being developed and used in chemical characterization of nuclear materials specially fuels during their fabrication. Nuclear fuels comprise of fuels based on UO 2 , PUO 2 , ThO 2 and combination of (U+Pu)O 2 , (Th+U)O 2 , (Th+Pu)O 2 , (U+Pu)C, (U+Pu)N etc depending on the type of reactors chosen Viz. Pressurized Heavy water Reactor (PHWR), Boiling Water Reactor (BWR), Fast Breeder Test Reactor and Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR). Chemical characterization of these fuels is very important for performance of fuel in the reactor. It provides means to ascertain that the quality of the fabricated fuel conforms to the chemical specifications for the fuel laid down by the designer. The batches of sintered/degassed pellets are subjected to comprehensive chemical quality control for trace constituents, stoichiometry and isotopic composition. Chemical Quality Control of fuel is carried out at different stages of manufacture namely feed materials, sintering, vacuum degassing and fuel element welding. Advanced analytical technique based on titrimetry, spectroscopy, thermogravimetry, XRF and XRD have largely been used for this purpose. Since they have to be handled inside special enclosures, extreme care are being taken during handling. Instruments are being developed/modified for ease of handling and maintenance. The method should be fast to reduce

  14. Characterization of chemical agent transport in paints.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Willis, Matthew P; Gordon, Wesley; Lalain, Teri; Mantooth, Brent

    2013-09-15

    A combination of vacuum-based vapor emission measurements with a mass transport model was employed to determine the interaction of chemical warfare agents with various materials, including transport parameters of agents in paints. Accurate determination of mass transport parameters enables the simulation of the chemical agent distribution in a material for decontaminant performance modeling. The evaluation was performed with the chemical warfare agents bis(2-chloroethyl) sulfide (distilled mustard, known as the chemical warfare blister agent HD) and O-ethyl S-[2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl] methylphosphonothioate (VX), an organophosphate nerve agent, deposited on to two different types of polyurethane paint coatings. The results demonstrated alignment between the experimentally measured vapor emission flux and the predicted vapor flux. Mass transport modeling demonstrated rapid transport of VX into the coatings; VX penetrated through the aliphatic polyurethane-based coating (100 μm) within approximately 107 min. By comparison, while HD was more soluble in the coatings, the penetration depth in the coatings was approximately 2× lower than VX. Applications of mass transport parameters include the ability to predict agent uptake, and subsequent long-term vapor emission or contact transfer where the agent could present exposure risks. Additionally, these parameters and model enable the ability to perform decontamination modeling to predict how decontaminants remove agent from these materials. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  15. The Chemistry of Atmosphere-Forest Exchange (CAFE Model – Part 1: Model description and characterization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. M. Wolfe

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available We present the Chemistry of Atmosphere-Forest Exchange (CAFE model, a vertically-resolved 1-D chemical transport model designed to probe the details of near-surface reactive gas exchange. CAFE integrates all key processes, including turbulent diffusion, emission, deposition and chemistry, throughout the forest canopy and mixed layer. CAFE utilizes the Master Chemical Mechanism (MCM and is the first model of its kind to incorporate a suite of reactions for the oxidation of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, providing a more comprehensive description of the oxidative chemistry occurring within and above the forest. We use CAFE to simulate a young Ponderosa pine forest in the Sierra Nevada, CA. Utilizing meteorological constraints from the BEARPEX-2007 field campaign, we assess the sensitivity of modeled fluxes to parameterizations of diffusion, laminar sublayer resistance and radiation extinction. To characterize the general chemical environment of this forest, we also present modeled mixing ratio profiles of biogenic hydrocarbons, hydrogen oxides and reactive nitrogen. The vertical profiles of these species demonstrate a range of structures and gradients that reflect the interplay of physical and chemical processes within the forest canopy, which can influence net exchange.

  16. Temperature buffer test. Hydro-mechanical and chemical/ mineralogical characterizations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aakesson, Mattias; Olsson, Siv; Dueck, Ann; Nilsson, Ulf; Karnland, Ola; Kiviranta, Leena; Kumpulainen, Sirpa; Linden, Johan

    2012-01-01

    The Temperature Buffer Test (TBT) is a joint project between SKB/ANDRA and supported by ENRESA (modeling) and DBE (instrumentation), which aims at improving the understanding and to model the thermo-hydro-mechanical behavior of buffers made of swelling clay submitted to high temperatures (over 100 deg C) during the water saturation process. The test has been carried out in a KBS-3 deposition hole at Aspo HRL. It was installed during the spring of 2003. Two steel heaters (3 m long, 0.6 m diameter) and two buffer arrangements have been investigated: the lower heater was surrounded by rings of compacted Wyoming bentonite only, whereas the upper heater was surrounded by a composite barrier, with a sand shield between the heater and the bentonite. The test was dismantled and sampled during the winter of 2009/2010. This report presents the hydro-mechanical and chemical/mineralogical characterization program which was launched subsequent to the dismantling operation. The main goal has been to investigate if any significant differences could be observed between material from the field experiment and the reference material. The field samples were mainly taken from Ring 4 (located at the mid-section around the lower heater), in which the temperature in the innermost part reached 155 deg C. The following hydro-mechanical properties have been determined for the material (test technique within brackets): hydraulic conductivity (swelling pressure device), swelling pressure (swelling pressure device), unconfined compression strength (mechanical press), shear strength (triaxial cell) and retention properties (jar method). The following chemical/mineralogical properties (methods within brackets) were determined: anion analysis of water leachates (IC), chemical composition (ICP/AES+MS, EGA), cation exchange capacity (CEC, Cu-trien method) and exchangeable cations (exchange with NH4, ICPAES), mineralogical composition (XRD and FTIR), element distribution and microstructure (SEM and

  17. Reduction of chemical reaction models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frenklach, Michael

    1991-01-01

    An attempt is made to reconcile the different terminologies pertaining to reduction of chemical reaction models. The approaches considered include global modeling, response modeling, detailed reduction, chemical lumping, and statistical lumping. The advantages and drawbacks of each of these methods are pointed out.

  18. Sandia National Laboratories Chemical Waste Landfill: Innovative strategies towards characterization and remediation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ardito, Cynthia P.; Parsons, Alva M.; Lindgren, Eric R.; Phelan, James M.; Mattson, Earl D.

    1992-01-01

    The Chemical Waste Landfill (CWL) was used by Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Albuquerque for disposal of hazardous chemicals from the years 1962 to 1985. During routine sampling in the spring of 1990, low levels of trichloroethylene (TCE) were detected in groundwater samples from a water table aquifer approximately 146 meters below ground surface. Therefore, a RCRA Site Investigation (RSI) has been initiated and remediation of organic contaminants will be performed at the CWL prior to closure of this landfill. The RSI is focused on optimal characterization of the volatile organic contamination (VOC) and dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) contamination at this site. This will be possible through application of innovative strategies for characterization and promising new technologies which are discussed in this paper. The first part of this paper provides a discussion of conceptual models of VOC and DNAPL transport at the CWL and an overview of our investigative strategy. Each stage of the RSI has been developed to gather information which will reduce the uncertainty in the design of each subsequent phase of the investigation. Three stages are described; a source characterization stage, unsaturated zone characterization stage, and a saturated zone characterization stage. An important focus of the unsaturated zone characterization phase is to provide all data necessary to make decisions concerning the necessity of additional saturated zone characterization. The second part of this paper presents a brief discussion of some innovative approaches to characterization and remediation that are being applied at the CWL. Through the. SNL Environmental Restoration Program's desire to find new and improved methods for site characterization and remediation, several innovative technologies have been identified. These technologies include: the surface towed arrays developed by the Naval Research Laboratory for use in locating buried ordinance, core drilling using sonic

  19. Chemical event chain model of coupled genetic oscillators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jörg, David J; Morelli, Luis G; Jülicher, Frank

    2018-03-01

    We introduce a stochastic model of coupled genetic oscillators in which chains of chemical events involved in gene regulation and expression are represented as sequences of Poisson processes. We characterize steady states by their frequency, their quality factor, and their synchrony by the oscillator cross correlation. The steady state is determined by coupling and exhibits stochastic transitions between different modes. The interplay of stochasticity and nonlinearity leads to isolated regions in parameter space in which the coupled system works best as a biological pacemaker. Key features of the stochastic oscillations can be captured by an effective model for phase oscillators that are coupled by signals with distributed delays.

  20. Chemical event chain model of coupled genetic oscillators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jörg, David J.; Morelli, Luis G.; Jülicher, Frank

    2018-03-01

    We introduce a stochastic model of coupled genetic oscillators in which chains of chemical events involved in gene regulation and expression are represented as sequences of Poisson processes. We characterize steady states by their frequency, their quality factor, and their synchrony by the oscillator cross correlation. The steady state is determined by coupling and exhibits stochastic transitions between different modes. The interplay of stochasticity and nonlinearity leads to isolated regions in parameter space in which the coupled system works best as a biological pacemaker. Key features of the stochastic oscillations can be captured by an effective model for phase oscillators that are coupled by signals with distributed delays.

  1. Short review on chemical bath deposition of thin film and characterization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mugle, Dhananjay, E-mail: dhananjayforu@gmail.com; Jadhav, Ghanshyam, E-mail: ghjadhav@rediffmail.com [Depertment of Physics, Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji College, Omerga-413606 (India)

    2016-05-06

    This reviews the theory of early growth of the thin film using chemical deposition methods. In particular, it critically reviews the chemical bath deposition (CBD) method for preparation of thin films. The different techniques used for characterizations of the chemically films such as X-ray diffractometer (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Electrical conductivity and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) are discussed. Survey shows the physical and chemical properties solely depend upon the time of deposition, temperature of deposition.

  2. Designing chemical soil characterization programs for mixed waste sites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meyers, K.A. Jr.

    1989-01-01

    The Weldon Spring Site Remedial Action Project is a remedial action effort funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The Weldon Spring Site, a former uranium processing facility, is located in east-central Missouri on a portion of a former ordnance works facility which produced trinitrotoluene during World War II. As a result of both uranium and ordnance production, the soils have become both radiologically and chemically contaminated. As a part of site characterization efforts in support of the environmental documentation process, a chemical soil characterization program was developed. This program consisted of biased and unbiased sampling program which maximized areal coverage, provided a statistically sound data base and maintained cost effectiveness. This paper discusses how the general rationale and processes used at the Weldon Spring Site can be applied to other mixed and hazardous waste sites

  3. Characterization of Conventional, Biodynamic, and Organic Purple Grape Juices by Chemical Markers, Antioxidant Capacity, and Instrumental Taste Profile

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Granato, D.; Margraf, T.; Brotzakis, I.; Capuano, E.; Ruth, van S.M.

    2015-01-01

    The objectives of this study were to characterize organic, biodynamic, and conventional purple grape juices (n = 31) produced in Europe based on instrumental taste profile, antioxidant activity, and some chemical markers and to propose a multivariate statistical model to analyze their quality and

  4. Chemical reactor modeling multiphase reactive flows

    CERN Document Server

    Jakobsen, Hugo A

    2014-01-01

    Chemical Reactor Modeling closes the gap between Chemical Reaction Engineering and Fluid Mechanics.  The second edition consists of two volumes: Volume 1: Fundamentals. Volume 2: Chemical Engineering Applications In volume 1 most of the fundamental theory is presented. A few numerical model simulation application examples are given to elucidate the link between theory and applications. In volume 2 the chemical reactor equipment to be modeled are described. Several engineering models are introduced and discussed. A survey of the frequently used numerical methods, algorithms and schemes is provided. A few practical engineering applications of the modeling tools are presented and discussed. The working principles of several experimental techniques employed in order to get data for model validation are outlined. The monograph is based on lectures regularly taught in the fourth and fifth years graduate courses in transport phenomena and chemical reactor modeling, and in a post graduate course in modern reactor m...

  5. An integrated fluid-chemical model towards modeling the formation of intra-luminal thrombus in abdominal aortic aneurysms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jacopo eBiasetti

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms (AAAs are frequently characterized by the presenceof an Intra-Luminal Thrombus (ILT known to influence biochemically and biomechanicallytheir evolution. ILT progression mechanism is still unclear and little is known regardingthe impact on this mechanism of the chemical species transported by blood flow.Chemical agonists and antagonists of platelets activation, aggregation, and adhesion andthe proteins involved in the coagulation cascade (CC may play an important role in ILTdevelopment. Starting from this assumption, the evolution of chemical species involvedin the CC, their relation to coherent vortical structures (VSs and their possible effect onILT evolution have been studied. To this end a fluido-chemical model that simulates theCC through a series of convection-diffusion-reaction (CDR equations has been developed.The model involves plasma-phase and surface bound enzymes and zymogens, and includesboth plasma-phase and membrane-phase reactions. Blood is modeled as a non-Newtonianincompressible fluid. VSs convect thrombin in the domain and lead to the high concentration observed in the distal portion of the AAA. This finding is in line with the clinicalobservations showing that the thickest ILT is usually seen in the distal AAA region. Theproposed model, due to its ability to couple the fluid and chemical domains, provides anintegrated mechanochemical picture that potentially could help unveil mechanisms of ILTformation and development.

  6. An integrated fluid-chemical model toward modeling the formation of intra-luminal thrombus in abdominal aortic aneurysms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biasetti, Jacopo; Spazzini, Pier Giorgio; Swedenborg, Jesper; Gasser, T Christian

    2012-01-01

    Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms (AAAs) are frequently characterized by the presence of an Intra-Luminal Thrombus (ILT) known to influence their evolution biochemically and biomechanically. The ILT progression mechanism is still unclear and little is known regarding the impact of the chemical species transported by blood flow on this mechanism. Chemical agonists and antagonists of platelets activation, aggregation, and adhesion and the proteins involved in the coagulation cascade (CC) may play an important role in ILT development. Starting from this assumption, the evolution of chemical species involved in the CC, their relation to coherent vortical structures (VSs) and their possible effect on ILT evolution have been studied. To this end a fluid-chemical model that simulates the CC through a series of convection-diffusion-reaction (CDR) equations has been developed. The model involves plasma-phase and surface-bound enzymes and zymogens, and includes both plasma-phase and membrane-phase reactions. Blood is modeled as a non-Newtonian incompressible fluid. VSs convect thrombin in the domain and lead to the high concentration observed in the distal portion of the AAA. This finding is in line with the clinical observations showing that the thickest ILT is usually seen in the distal AAA region. The proposed model, due to its ability to couple the fluid and chemical domains, provides an integrated mechanochemical picture that potentially could help unveil mechanisms of ILT formation and development.

  7. Incorporation of chemical kinetic models into process control

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Herget, C.J.; Frazer, J.W.

    1981-01-01

    An important consideration in chemical process control is to determine the precise rationing of reactant streams, particularly when a large time delay exists between the mixing of the reactants and the measurement of the product. In this paper, a method is described for incorporating chemical kinetic models into the control strategy in order to achieve optimum operating conditions. The system is first characterized by determining a reaction rate surface as a function of all input reactant concentrations over a feasible range. A nonlinear constrained optimization program is then used to determine the combination of reactants which produces the specified yield at minimum cost. This operating condition is then used to establish the nominal concentrations of the reactants. The actual operation is determined through a feedback control system employing a Smith predictor. The method is demonstrated on a laboratory bench scale enzyme reactor

  8. Chemical Characterization and Behavior of Respirable Fractions of Indoor Dusts Collected Near a Landfill Facility

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rheo B. Lamorena-Lim

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The study aims to determine the inorganic and organic phases in airborne particulate matter (PM collected near a landf ill facility. The establishments within the vicinity of the landfill considered in the study were a junk shop, a school, and a money changer shop. From the elemental analysis using inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS, lead and cadmium were discovered to be more abundant in the total suspended particulate (TSP fraction, whereas copper was more abundant in the smaller PM2.5. Manganese, arsenic, strontium, cadmium, and lead were more abundant in the PM10 fraction than in PM2.5. The results of the chemical characterization were compiled and evaluated in a geochemical modelling code (PHREEQC to determine the potential speciation of these chemical constituents. Solution complexes of As, Pb, Cd and phthalates, and metal species, such as H2AsO3- , Cd2OH3+, Pb(OH3-, were predicted to form by the PHREEQC simulation runs once the endmember components interact with water. The results contribute to the background information on the potential impacts from exposure to airborne PM at workplaces around landfill facilities. Moreover, the data gathered provide a baseline for the chemical characterization and behavior of chemical constituents of PM possibly present in this specific type of environment.

  9. Characterization of heterocyclic rings through quantum chemical topology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Griffiths, Mark Z; Popelier, Paul L A

    2013-07-22

    Five-membered rings are found in a myriad of molecules important in a wide range of areas such as catalysis, nutrition, and drug and agrochemical design. Systematic insight into their largely unexplored chemical space benefits from first principle calculations presented here. This study comprehensively investigates a grand total of 764 different rings, all geometry optimized at the B3LYP/6-311+G(2d,p) level, from the perspective of Quantum Chemical Topology (QCT). For the first time, a 3D space of local topological properties was introduced, in order to characterize rings compactly. This space is called RCP space, after the so-called ring critical point. This space is analogous to BCP space, named after the bond critical point, which compactly and successfully characterizes a chemical bond. The relative positions of the rings in RCP space are determined by the nature of the ring scaffold, such as the heteroatoms within the ring or the number of π-bonds. The summed atomic QCT charges of the five ring atoms revealed five features (number and type of heteroatom, number of π-bonds, substituent and substitution site) that dictate a ring's net charge. Each feature independently contributes toward a ring's net charge. Each substituent has its own distinct and systematic effect on the ring's net charge, irrespective of the ring scaffold. Therefore, this work proves the possibility of designing a ring with specific properties by fine-tuning it through manipulation of these five features.

  10. Neutron activation analysis for chemical characterization of Brazilian oxo-biodegradable plastics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mateus Eugenio Boscaro; De Nadai Fernandes, E.A.; Marcio Arruda Bacchi; Luis Gustavo Cofani dos Santos; Cofani dos Santos, S.N.S.; Sandra Mara Martins-Franchetti

    2015-01-01

    The chemical characterization of oxo-biodegradable plastic bags was performed by neutron activation analysis. The presence of several chemical elements (As, Br, Ca, Co, Cr, Fe, Hf, K, La, Na, Sb, Sc, Ta and Zn) with large variability of mass fractions amongst samples indicates that these plastics receive additives and may have been contaminated during manufacturing process thereby becoming potential environmental pollutants. (author)

  11. Modeling of turbulent chemical reaction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, J.-Y.

    1995-01-01

    Viewgraphs are presented on modeling turbulent reacting flows, regimes of turbulent combustion, regimes of premixed and regimes of non-premixed turbulent combustion, chemical closure models, flamelet model, conditional moment closure (CMC), NO(x) emissions from turbulent H2 jet flames, probability density function (PDF), departures from chemical equilibrium, mixing models for PDF methods, comparison of predicted and measured H2O mass fractions in turbulent nonpremixed jet flames, experimental evidence of preferential diffusion in turbulent jet flames, and computation of turbulent reacting flows.

  12. NMR characterization of simulated Hanford low-activity waste glasses and its use in understanding waste form chemical durability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Darab, J.G.; Linehan, J.C.; McGrail, B.P.

    1999-01-01

    Magic Angle Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (MAS-NMR) spectroscopy has been used to characterize the structural and chemical environments of B, Al, and Si in model Hanford low-activity waste glasses. The average 29 Si NMR peak position was found to systematically change with changing glass composition and structure. From an understanding of the structural roles of Al and B obtained from MAS-NMR experiments, the authors first developed a model that reliably predicts the distribution of structural units and the average 29 Si chemical shift value, δ, based purely on glass composition. A product consistency test (PCT) was used to determine the normalized elemental release (NL) from the prepared glasses. Comparison of the NMR and PCT data obtained from sodium boro-aluminosilicate glasses indicates that a rudimentary exponential relationship exists between the 29 Si chemical shift value, and the boron NL value

  13. Chemical Characterization, Antioxidant and Enzymatic Activity of Brines from Scandinavian Marinated Herring Products

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gringer, Nina; Osman, Ali; Nielsen, Henrik Hauch

    2014-01-01

    Brines generated during the last marination step in the production of marinated herring (Clupea harengus) were chemically characterized and analyzed for antioxidant and enzyme activities. The end-products were vinegar cured, spice cured and traditional barrel-salted herring with either salt...... or spices. The chemical characterization encompassed pH, dry matter, ash, salt, fatty acids, protein, polypeptide pattern, iron and nitrogen. The antioxidant activity was tested with three assays measuring: iron chelation, reducing power and radical scavenging activity. The enzymatic activity for peroxidase...

  14. Real-time chemical characterization of atmospheric particulate matter in China: A review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Yong Jie; Sun, Yele; Zhang, Qi; Li, Xue; Li, Mei; Zhou, Zhen; Chan, Chak K.

    2017-06-01

    Atmospheric particulate matter (PM) pollution has become a major health threat accompanying the rapid economic development in China. For decades, filter-based offline chemical analyses have been the most widely adopted means to investigate PM and have provided much information for understanding this type of pollution in China. However, offline analyses have low time resolutions and the chemical information thus obtained fail to reflect the dynamic nature of the sources and the rapid processes leading to the severe PM pollution in China. In recent years, advances in real-time PM chemical characterization have created a new paradigm for PM studies in China. In this review, we summarize those advances, focusing on the most widely used mass spectrometric and ion chromatographic techniques. We describe the findings from those studies in terms of spatiotemporal variabilities, degree of neutralization and oxygenation, source apportionment, secondary formation, as well as collocated measurements of the chemical and physical (hygroscopic and optical) properties of PM. We also highlight the new insights gained from those findings and suggest future directions for further advancing our understanding of PM pollution in China via real-time chemical characterization.

  15. Modelling of the chemical state in groundwater infiltration systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zysset, A.

    1993-01-01

    Groundwater is replenished by water stemming either from precipitations, lakes or rivers. The area where such an infiltration occurs is characterized by a change in the environmental conditions, such as a decrease of the flow velocity and an increase in the solid surface marking the boundary of the flow field. With these changes new chemical processes may become relevant to the transport behavior of contaminants. Since the rates of chemical processes usually are a function of the concentrations of several species, an understanding of infiltration sites may require a multicomponent approach. The present study aims at formulating a mathematical model together with its numerical solution for groundwater infiltration sites. Such a model should improve the understanding of groundwater quality changes related to infiltrating contaminants. The groundwater quality is of vital interest to men because at many places most of the drinking water originates from groundwater. In the first part of the present study two partial models are formulated: one accounting for the transport in a one-dimensional, homogeneous and saturated porous medium, the other accounting for chemical reactions. This second model is initially stated for general kinetic systems. Then, it is specified for two systems, namely for a system governed only by reactions which are fast compared to the transport processes and for a system with biologically mediated redox reactions of dissolved substrates. In the second part of the study a numerical solution to the model is developed. For this purpose, the two partial models are coupled. The coupling is either iterative as in the case of a system with fast reactions or sequential as in all other cases. The numerical solutions of simple test cases are compared to analytical solutions. In the third part the model is evaluated using observations of infiltration sites reported in the literature. (author) figs., tabs., 155 refs

  16. Durability of concrete: characterization and modeling of physical and chemical degradation of cement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adenot, Frederic

    1992-01-01

    Within the frame of nuclear waste management, and more particularly waste storage by confinement in parcels, concrete and geological environment, this research aims at predicting the durability of a concrete paste and of all concrete works. This prediction is based on a material characterization (determination of the thickness and composition of the attacked area) whatever the degradation duration is. The adopted approach is to model concrete lixiviation and to compare model results with experimental results. The model is also used to assess the influence of a great number of parameters, and to simulate non experimented cases. Thus, the author reports a bibliographical study on cement, and presents the equations of a lixiviation model. He reports experiments aimed at verifying modelling hypotheses and at acquiring necessary data. The model is then numerically solved, and applied to an experimental case. Experimental results are compared with modelling results, and a prediction is performed for a 300 year-duration [fr

  17. Non-equilibrium Quasi-Chemical Nucleation Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gorbachev, Yuriy E.

    2018-04-01

    Quasi-chemical model, which is widely used for nucleation description, is revised on the basis of recent results in studying of non-equilibrium effects in reacting gas mixtures (Kolesnichenko and Gorbachev in Appl Math Model 34:3778-3790, 2010; Shock Waves 23:635-648, 2013; Shock Waves 27:333-374, 2017). Non-equilibrium effects in chemical reactions are caused by the chemical reactions themselves and therefore these contributions should be taken into account in the corresponding expressions for reaction rates. Corrections to quasi-equilibrium reaction rates are of two types: (a) spatially homogeneous (caused by physical-chemical processes) and (b) spatially inhomogeneous (caused by gas expansion/compression processes and proportional to the velocity divergency). Both of these processes play an important role during the nucleation and are included into the proposed model. The method developed for solving the generalized Boltzmann equation for chemically reactive gases is applied for solving the set of equations of the revised quasi-chemical model. It is shown that non-equilibrium processes lead to essential deviation of the quasi-stationary distribution and therefore the nucleation rate from its traditional form.

  18. Physico-chemical characterization of functionalized polypropylenic fibers for prosthetic applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nisticò, Roberto; Faga, Maria Giulia; Gautier, Giovanna; Magnacca, Giuliana; D'Angelo, Domenico; Ciancio, Emanuele; Piacenza, Giacomo; Lamberti, Roberta; Martorana, Selanna

    2012-08-01

    Polypropylene (PP) fibers can be manufactured to form nets which can find application as prosthesis in hernioplasty. One of the most important problem to deal with when nets are applied in vivo consists in the reproduction of bacteria within the net fibers intersections. This occurs right after the application of the prosthesis, and causes infections, thus it is fundamental to remove bacteria in the very early stage of the nets application. This paper deals with the physico-chemical characterization of such nets, pre-treated by atmospheric pressure plasma dielectric barrier discharge apparatus (APP-DBD) and functionalized with an antibiotic drug such as chitosan. The physico-chemical characterization of sterilized nets, before and after the functionalization with chitosan, was carried out by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with EDS spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, drop shape analysis (DSA), X-ray diffraction and thermal analyses (TGA and DSC). The aim of the work is to individuate a good strategy to characterize this kind of materials, to understand the effects of polypropylene pre-treatment on functionalization efficiency, to follow the materials ageing in order to study the effects of the surface treatment for in vivo applications.

  19. Physico-chemical characterization of functionalized polypropylenic fibers for prosthetic applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nisticò, Roberto; Faga, Maria Giulia; Gautier, Giovanna; Magnacca, Giuliana; D’Angelo, Domenico; Ciancio, Emanuele; Piacenza, Giacomo; Lamberti, Roberta; Martorana, Selanna

    2012-01-01

    Polypropylene (PP) fibers can be manufactured to form nets which can find application as prosthesis in hernioplasty. One of the most important problem to deal with when nets are applied in vivo consists in the reproduction of bacteria within the net fibers intersections. This occurs right after the application of the prosthesis, and causes infections, thus it is fundamental to remove bacteria in the very early stage of the nets application. This paper deals with the physico-chemical characterization of such nets, pre-treated by atmospheric pressure plasma dielectric barrier discharge apparatus (APP-DBD) and functionalized with an antibiotic drug such as chitosan. The physico-chemical characterization of sterilized nets, before and after the functionalization with chitosan, was carried out by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with EDS spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, drop shape analysis (DSA), X-ray diffraction and thermal analyses (TGA and DSC). The aim of the work is to individuate a good strategy to characterize this kind of materials, to understand the effects of polypropylene pre-treatment on functionalization efficiency, to follow the materials ageing in order to study the effects of the surface treatment for in vivo applications.

  20. Application of Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Models in Chemical Risk Assessment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Moiz Mumtaz

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Post-exposure risk assessment of chemical and environmental stressors is a public health challenge. Linking exposure to health outcomes is a 4-step process: exposure assessment, hazard identification, dose response assessment, and risk characterization. This process is increasingly adopting “in silico” tools such as physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK models to fine-tune exposure assessments and determine internal doses in target organs/tissues. Many excellent PBPK models have been developed. But most, because of their scientific sophistication, have found limited field application—health assessors rarely use them. Over the years, government agencies, stakeholders/partners, and the scientific community have attempted to use these models or their underlying principles in combination with other practical procedures. During the past two decades, through cooperative agreements and contracts at several research and higher education institutions, ATSDR funded translational research has encouraged the use of various types of models. Such collaborative efforts have led to the development and use of transparent and user-friendly models. The “human PBPK model toolkit” is one such project. While not necessarily state of the art, this toolkit is sufficiently accurate for screening purposes. Highlighted in this paper are some selected examples of environmental and occupational exposure assessments of chemicals and their mixtures.

  1. Geotechnical and Physico-Chemical Characterization of Low Lime Fly Ashes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arif Ali Baig Moghal

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available In order to explore the possibility of using low-lime fly ashes, the physical and chemical properties which have a direct bearing on their geotechnical and geoenvironmental behaviors have been investigated. In this paper, two types of low-lime fly ashes, originating from India, have been used. A brief account of various methods adopted in characterizing their physical, chemical, and geotechnical properties is presented. The relative importance of each of these properties in enhancing the bulk applicability of fly ashes has been brought out.

  2. Radiation-induced mammary carcinogenesis in rodent models. What's different from chemical carcinogenesis?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Imaoka, Tatsuhiko; Nishimura, Mayumi; Iizuka, Daisuke; Daino, Kazuhiro; Takabatake, Takashi; Okamoto, Mieko; Kakinuma, Shizuko; Shimada, Yoshiya

    2009-01-01

    Ionizing radiation is one of a few well-characterized etiologic factors of human breast cancer. Laboratory rodents serve as useful experimental models for investigating dose responses and mechanisms of cancer development. Using these models, a lot of information has been accumulated about mammary gland cancer, which can be induced by both chemical carcinogens and radiation. In this review, we first list some experimental rodent models of breast cancer induction. We then focus on several topics that are important in understanding the mechanisms and risk modification of breast cancer development, and compare radiation and chemical carcinogenesis models. We will focus on the pathology and natural history of cancer development in these models, genetic changes observed in induced cancers, indirect effects of carcinogens, and finally risk modification by reproductive factors and age at exposure to the carcinogens. In addition, we summarize the knowledge available on mammary stem/progenitor cells as a potential target of carcinogens. Comparison of chemical and radiation carcinogenesis models on these topics indicates certain similarities, but it also indicates clear differences in several important aspects, such as genetic alterations of induced cancers and modification of susceptibility by age and reproductive factors. Identification of the target cell type and relevant translational research for human risk management may be among the important issues that are addressed by radiation carcinogenesis models. (author)

  3. Prediction of Chemical Function: Model Development and ...

    Science.gov (United States)

    The United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Exposure Forecaster (ExpoCast) project is developing both statistical and mechanism-based computational models for predicting exposures to thousands of chemicals, including those in consumer products. The high-throughput (HT) screening-level exposures developed under ExpoCast can be combined with HT screening (HTS) bioactivity data for the risk-based prioritization of chemicals for further evaluation. The functional role (e.g. solvent, plasticizer, fragrance) that a chemical performs can drive both the types of products in which it is found and the concentration in which it is present and therefore impacting exposure potential. However, critical chemical use information (including functional role) is lacking for the majority of commercial chemicals for which exposure estimates are needed. A suite of machine-learning based models for classifying chemicals in terms of their likely functional roles in products based on structure were developed. This effort required collection, curation, and harmonization of publically-available data sources of chemical functional use information from government and industry bodies. Physicochemical and structure descriptor data were generated for chemicals with function data. Machine-learning classifier models for function were then built in a cross-validated manner from the descriptor/function data using the method of random forests. The models were applied to: 1) predict chemi

  4. Modeling lightning-NOx chemistry on a sub-grid scale in a global chemical transport model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Gressent

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available For the first time, a plume-in-grid approach is implemented in a chemical transport model (CTM to parameterize the effects of the nonlinear reactions occurring within high concentrated NOx plumes from lightning NOx emissions (LNOx in the upper troposphere. It is characterized by a set of parameters including the plume lifetime, the effective reaction rate constant related to NOx–O3 chemical interactions, and the fractions of NOx conversion into HNO3 within the plume. Parameter estimates were made using the Dynamical Simple Model of Atmospheric Chemical Complexity (DSMACC box model, simple plume dispersion simulations, and the 3-D Meso-NH (non-hydrostatic mesoscale atmospheric model. In order to assess the impact of the LNOx plume approach on the NOx and O3 distributions on a large scale, simulations for the year 2006 were performed using the GEOS-Chem global model with a horizontal resolution of 2° × 2.5°. The implementation of the LNOx parameterization implies an NOx and O3 decrease on a large scale over the region characterized by a strong lightning activity (up to 25 and 8 %, respectively, over central Africa in July and a relative increase downwind of LNOx emissions (up to 18 and 2 % for NOx and O3, respectively, in July. The calculated variability in NOx and O3 mixing ratios around the mean value according to the known uncertainties in the parameter estimates is at a maximum over continental tropical regions with ΔNOx [−33.1, +29.7] ppt and ΔO3 [−1.56, +2.16] ppb, in January, and ΔNOx [−14.3, +21] ppt and ΔO3 [−1.18, +1.93] ppb, in July, mainly depending on the determination of the diffusion properties of the atmosphere and the initial NO mixing ratio injected by lightning. This approach allows us (i to reproduce a more realistic lightning NOx chemistry leading to better NOx and O3 distributions on the large scale and (ii to focus on other improvements to reduce remaining uncertainties from processes

  5. Temperature buffer test. Hydro-mechanical and chemical/ mineralogical characterizations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aakesson, Mattias; Olsson, Siv; Dueck, Ann; Nilsson, Ulf; Karnland, Ola [Clay Technology AB, Lund (Sweden); Kiviranta, Leena; Kumpulainen, Sirpa [BandTech Oy, Helsinki (Finland); Linden, Johan [Aabo Akademi, Aabo (Finland)

    2012-01-15

    The Temperature Buffer Test (TBT) is a joint project between SKB/ANDRA and supported by ENRESA (modeling) and DBE (instrumentation), which aims at improving the understanding and to model the thermo-hydro-mechanical behavior of buffers made of swelling clay submitted to high temperatures (over 100 deg C) during the water saturation process. The test has been carried out in a KBS-3 deposition hole at Aspo HRL. It was installed during the spring of 2003. Two steel heaters (3 m long, 0.6 m diameter) and two buffer arrangements have been investigated: the lower heater was surrounded by rings of compacted Wyoming bentonite only, whereas the upper heater was surrounded by a composite barrier, with a sand shield between the heater and the bentonite. The test was dismantled and sampled during the winter of 2009/2010. This report presents the hydro-mechanical and chemical/mineralogical characterization program which was launched subsequent to the dismantling operation. The main goal has been to investigate if any significant differences could be observed between material from the field experiment and the reference material. The field samples were mainly taken from Ring 4 (located at the mid-section around the lower heater), in which the temperature in the innermost part reached 155 deg C. The following hydro-mechanical properties have been determined for the material (test technique within brackets): hydraulic conductivity (swelling pressure device), swelling pressure (swelling pressure device), unconfined compression strength (mechanical press), shear strength (triaxial cell) and retention properties (jar method). The following chemical/mineralogical properties (methods within brackets) were determined: anion analysis of water leachates (IC), chemical composition (ICP/AES+MS, EGA), cation exchange capacity (CEC, Cu-trien method) and exchangeable cations (exchange with NH4, ICPAES), mineralogical composition (XRD and FTIR), element distribution and microstructure (SEM and

  6. Characterization of electrochemically and chemically generated technetium diphosphonate radiopharmaceuticals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martin, J.L. Jr.

    1987-01-01

    Tc-Methylene diphosphonate, (MDP), the skeletal imaging ligand is most use in radiopharmacies, is the first metal-ligand complex prepared electrochemically in this work. A similar systematic evaluation of electrochemically reduced Tc-dimethylaminomethylene diphosphonate (DMAD) is presented. DMAD as well as MDP have been characterized by anion exchange HPLC following NaBH4 reduction. The goal is twofold. First, the effect of varying the applied potential on the resultant chromatographic distribution of complexes is investigated. Secondly, the combination(s) of applied potential and preparation pH which preferentially directs the formation of technetium diphosphonate complexes previously shown to be superior skeletal imaging agents is determined. EXAFS, extended x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy, is applied to the analysis of dilute solutions (10mM) of electrochemically and chemically reduced Tc-MDP complexes. Further characterizations of electrochemically and chemically generated complexes are performed using in-vitro and in-vivo physiological techniques of biodistribution and blood clearance studies on Sprague Dawley rats and beagle dogs respectively. Finally, in-vitro and in-vivo dilution studies were performed using water, human and dog urine, to determine the influence of the physiological environment on clinically prepared and injected radiopharmaceuticals

  7. Studies on modelling of bubble driven flows in chemical reactors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grevskott, Sverre

    1997-12-31

    Multiphase reactors are widely used in the process industry, especially in the petrochemical industry. They very often are characterized by very good thermal control and high heat transfer coefficients against heating and cooling surfaces. This thesis first reviews recent advances in bubble column modelling, focusing on the fundamental flow equations, drag forces, transversal forces and added mass forces. The mathematical equations for the bubble column reactor are developed, using an Eulerian description for the continuous and dispersed phase in tensor notation. Conservation equations for mass, momentum, energy and chemical species are given, and the k-{epsilon} and Rice-Geary models for turbulence are described. The different algebraic solvers used in the model are described, as are relaxation procedures. Simulation results are presented and compared with experimental values. Attention is focused on the modelling of void fractions and gas velocities in the column. The energy conservation equation has been included in the bubble column model in order to model temperature distributions in a heated reactor. The conservation equation of chemical species has been included to simulate absorption of CO{sub 2}. Simulated axial and radial mass fraction profiles for CO{sub 2} in the gas phase are compared with measured values. Simulations of the dynamic behaviour of the column are also presented. 189 refs., 124 figs., 1 tab.

  8. Chemical modeling of acid-base properties of soluble biopolymers derived from municipal waste treatment materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tabasso, Silvia; Berto, Silvia; Rosato, Roberta; Marinos, Janeth Alicia Tafur; Ginepro, Marco; Zelano, Vincenzo; Daniele, Pier Giuseppe; Montoneri, Enzo

    2015-02-04

    This work reports a study of the proton-binding capacity of biopolymers obtained from different materials supplied by a municipal biowaste treatment plant located in Northern Italy. One material was the anaerobic fermentation digestate of the urban wastes organic humid fraction. The others were the compost of home and public gardening residues and the compost of the mix of the above residues, digestate and sewage sludge. These materials were hydrolyzed under alkaline conditions to yield the biopolymers by saponification. The biopolymers were characterized by 13C NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis and potentiometric titration. The titration data were elaborated to attain chemical models for interpretation of the proton-binding capacity of the biopolymers obtaining the acidic sites concentrations and their protonation constants. The results obtained with the models and by NMR spectroscopy were elaborated together in order to better characterize the nature of the macromolecules. The chemical nature of the biopolymers was found dependent upon the nature of the sourcing materials.

  9. Chemical Modeling of Acid-Base Properties of Soluble Biopolymers Derived from Municipal Waste Treatment Materials

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Silvia Tabasso

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available This work reports a study of the proton-binding capacity of biopolymers obtained from different materials supplied by a municipal biowaste treatment plant located in Northern Italy. One material was the anaerobic fermentation digestate of the urban wastes organic humid fraction. The others were the compost of home and public gardening residues and the compost of the mix of the above residues, digestate and sewage sludge. These materials were hydrolyzed under alkaline conditions to yield the biopolymers by saponification. The biopolymers were characterized by 13C NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis and potentiometric titration. The titration data were elaborated to attain chemical models for interpretation of the proton-binding capacity of the biopolymers obtaining the acidic sites concentrations and their protonation constants. The results obtained with the models and by NMR spectroscopy were elaborated together in order to better characterize the nature of the macromolecules. The chemical nature of the biopolymers was found dependent upon the nature of the sourcing materials.

  10. Mechanical, chemical and radiological characterization of the graphite of the UNGG reactors type

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bresard, I.; Bonal, J.P.

    2000-01-01

    In the framework of UNGG reactors type dismantling procedures, the characterization of the graphite, used as moderator, has to be realized. This paper presents the mechanical, chemical and radiological characterizations, the properties measured and gives some results in the case of the Bugey 1 reactor. (A.L.B.)

  11. Chemical Leasing business models and corporate social responsibility.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moser, Frank; Jakl, Thomas; Joas, Reihard; Dondi, Francesco

    2014-11-01

    Chemical Leasing is a service-oriented business model that shifts the focus from increasing sales volume of chemicals towards a value-added approach. Recent pilot projects have shown the economic benefits of introducing Chemical Leasing business models in a broad range of sectors. A decade after its introduction, the promotion of Chemical Leasing is still predominantly done by the public sector and international organizations. We show in this paper that awareness-raising activities to disseminate information on this innovative business model mainly focus on the economic benefits. We argue that selling Chemical Leasing business models solely on the grounds of economic and ecological considerations falls short of branding it as a corporate social responsibility initiative, which, for this paper, is defined as a stakeholder-oriented concept that extends beyond the organization's boundaries and is driven by an ethical understanding of the organization's responsibility for the impact of its business activities. For the analysis of Chemical Leasing business models, we introduce two case studies from the water purification and metal degreasing fields, focusing on employees and local communities as two specific stakeholder groups of the company introducing Chemical Leasing. The paper seeks to demonstrate that Chemical Leasing business models can be branded as a corporate social responsibility initiative by outlining the vast potential of Chemical Leasing to improve occupational health and safety and to strengthen the ability of companies to protect the environment from the adverse effects of the chemicals they apply.

  12. Effect of Mouse Strain in a Model of Chemical-induced Respiratory Allergy

    OpenAIRE

    Nishino, Risako; Fukuyama, Tomoki; Watanabe, Yuko; Kurosawa, Yoshimi; Ueda, Hideo; Kosaka, Tadashi

    2014-01-01

    The inhalation of many types of chemicals is a leading cause of allergic respiratory diseases, and effective protocols are needed for the detection of environmental chemical–related respiratory allergies. In our previous studies, we developed a method for detecting environmental chemical–related respiratory allergens by using a long-term sensitization–challenge protocol involving BALB/c mice. In the current study, we sought to improve our model by characterizing strain-associated differences ...

  13. Chemical equilibrium models of interstellar gas clouds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Freeman, A.

    1982-10-01

    This thesis contains work which helps towards our understanding of the chemical processes and astrophysical conditions in interstellar clouds, across the whole range of cloud types. The object of the exercise is to construct a mathematical model representing a large system of two-body chemical reactions in order to deduce astrophysical parameters and predict molecular abundances and chemical pathways. Comparison with observations shows that this type of model is valid but also indicates that our knowledge of some chemical reactions is incomplete. (author)

  14. Identification and chemical characterization of industrial particulate matter sources in southwest Spain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alastuey, Andrés; Querol, Xavier; Plana, Feliciano; Viana, Mar; Ruiz, Carmen R; Sánchez de la Campa, Ana; de la Rosa, Jesús; Mantilla, Enrique; García dos Santos, Saul

    2006-07-01

    A detailed physical and chemical characterization of coarse particulate matter (PM10) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the city of Huelva (in Southwestern Spain) was carried out during 2001 and 2002. To identify the major emission sources with a significant influence on PM10 and PM2.5, a methodology was developed based on the combination of: (1) real-time measurements of levels of PM10, PM2.5, and very fine particulate matter (PM1); (2) chemical characterization and source apportionment analysis of PM10 and PM2.5; and (3) intensive measurements in field campaigns to characterize the emission plumes of several point sources. Annual means of 37, 19, and 16 microg/m3 were obtained for the study period for PM10, PM2.5, and PM1, respectively. High PM episodes, characterized by a very fine grain size distribution, are frequently detected in Huelva mainly in the winter as the result of the impact of the industrial emission plumes on the city. Chemical analysis showed that PM at Huelva is characterized by high PO4(3-) and As levels, as expected from the industrial activities. Source apportionment analyses identified a crustal source (36% of PM10 and 31% of PM2.5); a traffic-related source (33% of PM10 and 29% of PM2.5), and a marine aerosol contribution (only in PM10, 4%). In addition, two industrial emission sources were identified in PM10 and PM2.5: (1) a petrochemical source, 13% in PM10 and 8% in PM2.5; and (2) a mixed metallurgical-phosphate source, which accounts for 11-12% of PM10 and PM2.5. In PM2.5 a secondary source has been also identified, which contributed to 17% of the mass. A complete characterization of industrial emission plumes during their impact on the ground allowed for the identification of tracer species for specific point sources, such as petrochemical, metallurgic, and fertilizer and phosphate production industries.

  15. Optical and Chemical Characterization of Aerosols Produced from Cooked Meats

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niedziela, R. F.; Foreman, E.; Blanc, L. E.

    2011-12-01

    Cooking processes can release a variety compounds into the air immediately above a cooking surface. The distribution of compounds will largely depend on the type of food that is being processed and the temperatures at which the food is prepared. High temperatures release compounds from foods like meats and carry them away from the preparation surface into cooler regions where condensation into particles can occur. Aerosols formed in this manner can impact air quality, particularly in urban areas where the amount of food preparation is high. Reported here are the results of laboratory experiments designed to optically and chemically characterize aerosols derived from cooking several types of meats including ground beef, salmon, chicken, and pork both in an inert atmosphere and in synthetic air. The laboratory-generated aerosols are studied using a laminar flow cell that is configured to accommodate simultaneous optical characterization in the mid-infrared and collection of particles for subsequent chemical analysis by gas chromatography. Preliminary optical results in the visible and ultra-violet will also be presented.

  16. X-ray methods for the chemical characterization of atmospheric aerosols

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jaklevic, J.M.; Thompson, A.C.

    1981-05-01

    The development and use of several x-ray methods for the chemical characterization of atmospherical aerosol particulate samples are described. These methods are based on the emission, absorption, and scattering of x-ray photons with emphasis on the optimization for the non-destructive analysis of dilute specimens. Techniques discussed include photon induced energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence, extended x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation and high-rate x-ray powder diffractometry using a position-sensitive gas proportional counter. These x-ray analysis methods were applied to the measurement of the chemical compositions of size-segregated aerosol particulate samples obtained with dichotomous samplers. The advantages of the various methods for use in such measurements are described and results are presented. In many cases, the complementary nature of the analytical information obtained from the various measurements is an important factor in the characterization of the sample. For example, the multiple elemental analyses obtained from x-ray fluorescence can be used as a cross check on the major compounds observed by powder diffraction

  17. Techniques for chemical characterization of zirconium and its alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iyer, K.V.; Bassan, M.K.T.; Sudersanan, M.

    2002-01-01

    Chemical characterization of zirconium and its alloys such as zircaloy, Zr-Nb, etc for minor and trace constituents like Nb, Ti, Fe, Cr, Ni, Sn, Al etc has been carried out. Zirconium, being a major constituent, has been determined by gravimetry as zirconium oxide while other constituents like Nb, Ti, Fe have been determined by spectrophotometric methods. Other metals of importance at trace level have been estimated by AAS or ICPAES. The judicious use of both conventional and modern instrumental methods of analysis helps in the characterization of zirconium and its alloys for various major and minor constituents. The role of matrix effect in the determination was also investigated and methods have been worked out based on a preliminary separation of zirconium by a hydroxide precipitation. (author)

  18. Thermal and Chemical Characterization of Non-Metallic Materials Using Coupled Thermogravimetric Analysis and Infrared Spectroscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huff, Timothy L.

    2002-01-01

    Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) is widely employed in the thermal characterization of non-metallic materials, yielding valuable information on decomposition characteristics of a sample over a wide temperature range. However, a potential wealth of chemical information is lost during the process, with the evolving gases generated during thermal decomposition escaping through the exhaust line. Fourier Transform-Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) is a powerful analytical technique for determining many chemical constituents while in any material state, in this application, the gas phase. By linking these two techniques, evolving gases generated during the TGA process are directed into an appropriately equipped infrared spectrometer for chemical speciation. Consequently, both thermal decomposition and chemical characterization of a material may be obtained in a single sample run. In practice, a heated transfer line is employed to connect the two instruments while a purge gas stream directs the evolving gases into the FT-IR. The purge gas can be either high purity air or an inert gas such as nitrogen to allow oxidative and pyrolytic processes to be examined, respectively. The FT-IR data is collected realtime, allowing continuous monitoring of chemical compositional changes over the course of thermal decomposition. Using this coupled technique, an array of diverse materials has been examined, including composites, plastics, rubber, fiberglass epoxy resins, polycarbonates, silicones, lubricants and fluorocarbon materials. The benefit of combining these two methodologies is of particular importance in the aerospace community, where newly developing materials have little available data with which to refer. By providing both thermal and chemical data simultaneously, a more definitive and comprehensive characterization of the material is possible. Additionally, this procedure has been found to be a viable screening technique for certain materials, with the generated data useful in

  19. Chemical characterization of fingerprints from adults and children

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Buchanan, M.V.; Asano, K. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States); Bohanon, A. [Knoxville Police Dept., TN (United States)

    1996-12-31

    Observation that children`s fingerprints disappear from surfaces more quickly than adults`, initiated a study to characterize the chemical components in fingerprints. Samples were obtained from about 50 individuals ranging in age from 3 to 64 by extracting chemicals from the fingertips using rubbing alcohol. Using combined gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, a wide range of compounds were identified. Samples from children contained higher levels of relatively volatile free fatty acids, while those from adults had higher levels of less volatile long chain esters of fatty acids. These esters are thought to originate from sebaceous glands located on the face and levels of these compounds increase substantially after puberty. Also, other compounds were observed that could be used to develop improved methods for fingerprint detection at a crime scene. Further, observation of specific compounds raises the possibility of being able to identify personal traits (gender, habits, diseases, etc. ) via analysis of components in fingerprints and/or skin.

  20. Characterization of plutonium-bearing wastes by chemical analysis and analytical electron microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Behrens, R.G.; Buck, E.C.; Dietz, N.L.; Bates, J.K.; Van Deventer, E.; Chaiko, D.J.

    1995-09-01

    This report summarizes the results of characterization studies of plutonium-bearing wastes produced at the US Department of Energy weapons production facilities. Several different solid wastes were characterized, including incinerator ash and ash heels from Rocky Flats Plant and Los Alamos National Laboratory; sand, stag, and crucible waste from Hanford; and LECO crucibles from the Savannah River Site. These materials were characterized by chemical analysis and analytical electron microscopy. The results showed the presence of discrete PuO 2 PuO 2-x , and Pu 4 O 7 phases, of about 1μm or less in size, in all of the samples examined. In addition, a number of amorphous phases were present that contained plutonium. In all the ash and ash heel samples examined, plutonium phases were found that were completely surrounded by silicate matrices. Consequently, to achieve optimum plutonium recovery in any chemical extraction process, extraction would have to be coupled with ultrafine grinding to average particle sizes of less than 1 μm to liberate the plutonium from the surrounding inert matrix

  1. Chemical characterization of Phoma pomorum isolated from Danish maize

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Jens Laurids; Aveskamp, M.M.; Thrane, Ulf

    2010-01-01

    Strains of the genus Phoma are often isolated from various environmental samples including cereals and maize. In the present study we performed a chemical characterization of strains isolated from Danish samples derived from whole plant material collected at harvest. All strains were isolated using...... a recently developed isolation medium and identified morphologically as P. pomorum. This species is placed in the Phoma section Peyronellaea and strains of other members in this section were also included in the present study. Sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) grouped...... the Danish A pomorum strains with representative P. pomorum strains isolated from other sources. The metabolite production on dichloran Rose Bengal yeast extract sucrose agar (DRYES) was analyzed and the strains were clustered using an in-house Chemical Image Analysis (CIA) program. The resulting tree showed...

  2. Machine learning for toxicity characterization of organic chemical emissions using USEtox database: Learning the structure of the input space.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marvuglia, Antonino; Kanevski, Mikhail; Benetto, Enrico

    2015-10-01

    Toxicity characterization of chemical emissions in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a complex task which usually proceeds via multimedia (fate, exposure and effect) models attached to models of dose-response relationships to assess the effects on target. Different models and approaches do exist, but all require a vast amount of data on the properties of the chemical compounds being assessed, which are hard to collect or hardly publicly available (especially for thousands of less common or newly developed chemicals), therefore hampering in practice the assessment in LCA. An example is USEtox, a consensual model for the characterization of human toxicity and freshwater ecotoxicity. This paper places itself in a line of research aiming at providing a methodology to reduce the number of input parameters necessary to run multimedia fate models, focusing in particular to the application of the USEtox toxicity model. By focusing on USEtox, in this paper two main goals are pursued: 1) performing an extensive exploratory analysis (using dimensionality reduction techniques) of the input space constituted by the substance-specific properties at the aim of detecting particular patterns in the data manifold and estimating the dimension of the subspace in which the data manifold actually lies; and 2) exploring the application of a set of linear models, based on partial least squares (PLS) regression, as well as a nonlinear model (general regression neural network--GRNN) in the seek for an automatic selection strategy of the most informative variables according to the modelled output (USEtox factor). After extensive analysis, the intrinsic dimension of the input manifold has been identified between three and four. The variables selected as most informative may vary according to the output modelled and the model used, but for the toxicity factors modelled in this paper the input variables selected as most informative are coherent with prior expectations based on scientific knowledge

  3. Coupling between solute transport and chemical reactions models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Samper, J.; Ajora, C.

    1993-01-01

    During subsurface transport, reactive solutes are subject to a variety of hydrodynamic and chemical processes. The major hydrodynamic processes include advection and convection, dispersion and diffusion. The key chemical processes are complexation including hydrolysis and acid-base reactions, dissolution-precipitation, reduction-oxidation, adsorption and ion exchange. The combined effects of all these processes on solute transport must satisfy the principle of conservation of mass. The statement of conservation of mass for N mobile species leads to N partial differential equations. Traditional solute transport models often incorporate the effects of hydrodynamic processes rigorously but oversimplify chemical interactions among aqueous species. Sophisticated chemical equilibrium models, on the other hand, incorporate a variety of chemical processes but generally assume no-flow systems. In the past decade, coupled models accounting for complex hydrological and chemical processes, with varying degrees of sophistication, have been developed. The existing models of reactive transport employ two basic sets of equations. The transport of solutes is described by a set of partial differential equations, and the chemical processes, under the assumption of equilibrium, are described by a set of nonlinear algebraic equations. An important consideration in any approach is the choice of primary dependent variables. Most existing models cannot account for the complete set of chemical processes, cannot be easily extended to include mixed chemical equilibria and kinetics, and cannot handle practical two and three dimensional problems. The difficulties arise mainly from improper selection of the primary variables in the transport equations. (Author) 38 refs

  4. Technology Evaluation Workshop Report for Tank Waste Chemical Characterization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eberlein, S.J.

    1994-04-01

    A Tank Waste Chemical Characterization Technology Evaluation Workshop was held August 24--26, 1993. The workshop was intended to identify and evaluate technologies appropriate for the in situ and hot cell characterization of the chemical composition of Hanford waste tank materials. The participants were asked to identify technologies that show applicability to the needs and good prospects for deployment in the hot cell or tanks. They were also asked to identify the tasks required to pursue the development of specific technologies to deployment readiness. This report describes the findings of the workshop. Three focus areas were identified for detailed discussion: (1) elemental analysis, (2) molecular analysis, and (3) gas analysis. The technologies were restricted to those which do not require sample preparation. Attachment 1 contains the final workshop agenda and a complete list of attendees. An information package (Attachment 2) was provided to all participants in advance to provide information about the Hanford tank environment, needs, current characterization practices, potential deployment approaches, and the evaluation procedure. The participants also received a summary of potential technologies (Attachment 3). The workshop opened with a plenary session, describing the background and issues in more detail. Copies of these presentations are contained in Attachments 4, 5 and 6. This session was followed by breakout sessions in each of the three focus areas. The workshop closed with a plenary session where each focus group presented its findings. This report summarizes the findings of each of the focus groups. The evaluation criteria and information about specific technologies are tabulated at the end of each section in the report. The detailed notes from each focus group are contained in Attachments 7, 8 and 9

  5. Systematic Proteomic Approach to Characterize the Impacts of Chemical Interactions on Protein and Cytotoxicity Responses to Metal Mixture Exposures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chemical interactions have posed a big challenge in toxicity characterization and human health risk assessment of environmental mixtures. To characterize the impacts of chemical interactions on protein and cytotoxicity responses to environmental mixtures, we established a systems...

  6. Characterizing aquifer hydrogeology and anthropogenic chemical influences on groundwater near the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant, Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Idaho

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fromm, J.M.

    1995-01-01

    A conceptual model of the Eastern Snake River Plain aquifer in the vicinity of monitoring well USGS-44, downgradient of the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP) on the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL), was developed by synthesis and comparison of previous work (40 years) and new investigations into local natural hydrogeological conditions and anthropogenic influences. Quantitative tests of the model, and other recommendations are suggested. The ICPP recovered fissionable uranium from spent nuclear fuel rods and disposed of waste fluids by release to the regional aquifer and lithosphere. Environmental impacts were assessed by a monitoring well network. The conceptual model identifies multiple, highly variable, interacting, and transient components, including INEL facilities multiple operations and liquid waste handling, systems; the anisotropic, in homogeneous aquifer; the network of monitoring and production wells, and the intermittent flow of the Big Lost River. Pre anthropogenic natural conditions and early records of anthropogenic activities were sparsely or unreliably documented making reconstruction of natural conditions or early hydrologic impacts impossible or very broad characterizations

  7. Mathematical modeling a chemical engineer's perspective

    CERN Document Server

    Rutherford, Aris

    1999-01-01

    Mathematical modeling is the art and craft of building a system of equations that is both sufficiently complex to do justice to physical reality and sufficiently simple to give real insight into the situation. Mathematical Modeling: A Chemical Engineer's Perspective provides an elementary introduction to the craft by one of the century's most distinguished practitioners.Though the book is written from a chemical engineering viewpoint, the principles and pitfalls are common to all mathematical modeling of physical systems. Seventeen of the author's frequently cited papers are reprinted to illus

  8. Engineered Barrier System: Physical and Chemical Environment Model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jolley, D. M.; Jarek, R.; Mariner, P.

    2004-01-01

    The conceptual and predictive models documented in this Engineered Barrier System: Physical and Chemical Environment Model report describe the evolution of the physical and chemical conditions within the waste emplacement drifts of the repository. The modeling approaches and model output data will be used in the total system performance assessment (TSPA-LA) to assess the performance of the engineered barrier system and the waste form. These models evaluate the range of potential water compositions within the emplacement drifts, resulting from the interaction of introduced materials and minerals in dust with water seeping into the drifts and with aqueous solutions forming by deliquescence of dust (as influenced by atmospheric conditions), and from thermal-hydrological-chemical (THC) processes in the drift. These models also consider the uncertainty and variability in water chemistry inside the drift and the compositions of introduced materials within the drift. This report develops and documents a set of process- and abstraction-level models that constitute the engineered barrier system: physical and chemical environment model. Where possible, these models use information directly from other process model reports as input, which promotes integration among process models used for total system performance assessment. Specific tasks and activities of modeling the physical and chemical environment are included in the technical work plan ''Technical Work Plan for: In-Drift Geochemistry Modeling'' (BSC 2004 [DIRS 166519]). As described in the technical work plan, the development of this report is coordinated with the development of other engineered barrier system analysis model reports

  9. Structural characterization of chemically deposited PbS thin films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fernandez-Lima, F.A.; Gonzalez-Alfaro, Y.; Larramendi, E.M.; Fonseca Filho, H.D.; Maia da Costa, M.E.H.; Freire, F.L.; Prioli, R.; Avillez, R.R. de; Silveira, E.F. da; Calzadilla, O.; Melo, O. de; Pedrero, E.; Hernandez, E.

    2007-01-01

    Polycrystalline thin films of lead sulfide (PbS) grown using substrate colloidal coating chemical bath depositions were characterized by RBS, XPS, AFM and GIXRD techniques. The films were grown on glass substrates previously coated with PbS colloidal particles in a polyvinyl alcohol solution. The PbS films obtained with the inclusion of the polymer showed non-oxygen-containing organic contamination. All samples maintained the Pb:S 1:1 stoichiometry throughout the film. The amount of effective nucleation centers and the mean grain size have being controlled by the substrate colloidal coating. The analysis of the polycrystalline PbS films showed that a preferable (1 0 0) lattice plane orientation parallel to the substrate surface can be obtained using a substrate colloidal coating chemical bath deposition, and the orientation increases when a layer of colloid is initially dried on the substrate

  10. Physical and chemical characterization of waste wood derived biochars.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yargicoglu, Erin N; Sadasivam, Bala Yamini; Reddy, Krishna R; Spokas, Kurt

    2015-02-01

    Biochar, a solid byproduct generated during waste biomass pyrolysis or gasification in the absence (or near-absence) of oxygen, has recently garnered interest for both agricultural and environmental management purposes owing to its unique physicochemical properties. Favorable properties of biochar include its high surface area and porosity, and ability to adsorb a variety of compounds, including nutrients, organic contaminants, and some gases. Physical and chemical properties of biochars are dictated by the feedstock and production processes (pyrolysis or gasification temperature, conversion technology and pre- and post-treatment processes, if any), which vary widely across commercially produced biochars. In this study, several commercially available biochars derived from waste wood are characterized for physical and chemical properties that can signify their relevant environmental applications. Parameters characterized include: physical properties (particle size distribution, specific gravity, density, porosity, surface area), hydraulic properties (hydraulic conductivity and water holding capacity), and chemical and electrochemical properties (organic matter and organic carbon contents, pH, oxidation-reduction potential and electrical conductivity, zeta potential, carbon, nitrogen and hydrogen (CHN) elemental composition, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), heavy metals, and leachable PAHs and heavy metals). A wide range of fixed carbon (0-47.8%), volatile matter (28-74.1%), and ash contents (1.5-65.7%) were observed among tested biochars. A high variability in surface area (0.1-155.1g/m(2)) and PAH and heavy metal contents of the solid phase among commercially available biochars was also observed (0.7-83 mg kg(-1)), underscoring the importance of pre-screening biochars prior to application. Production conditions appear to dictate PAH content--with the highest PAHs observed in biochar produced via fast pyrolysis and lowest among the gasification

  11. Fate modelling of chemical compounds with incomplete data sets

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Birkved, Morten; Heijungs, Reinout

    2011-01-01

    Impact assessment of chemical compounds in Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) and Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) requires a vast amount of data on the properties of the chemical compounds being assessed. These data are used in multi-media fate and exposure models, to calculate risk levels...... in an approximate way. The idea is that not all data needed in a multi-media fate and exposure model are completely independent and equally important, but that there are physical-chemical and biological relationships between sets of chemical properties. A statistical model is constructed to underpin this assumption...... and other indicators. ERA typically addresses one specific chemical, but in an LCIA, the number of chemicals encountered may be quite high, up to hundreds or thousands. This study explores the development of meta-models, which are supposed to reflect the “true”multi-media fate and exposure model...

  12. Engineered Barrier System: Physical and Chemical Environment Model

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    D. M. Jolley; R. Jarek; P. Mariner

    2004-02-09

    The conceptual and predictive models documented in this Engineered Barrier System: Physical and Chemical Environment Model report describe the evolution of the physical and chemical conditions within the waste emplacement drifts of the repository. The modeling approaches and model output data will be used in the total system performance assessment (TSPA-LA) to assess the performance of the engineered barrier system and the waste form. These models evaluate the range of potential water compositions within the emplacement drifts, resulting from the interaction of introduced materials and minerals in dust with water seeping into the drifts and with aqueous solutions forming by deliquescence of dust (as influenced by atmospheric conditions), and from thermal-hydrological-chemical (THC) processes in the drift. These models also consider the uncertainty and variability in water chemistry inside the drift and the compositions of introduced materials within the drift. This report develops and documents a set of process- and abstraction-level models that constitute the engineered barrier system: physical and chemical environment model. Where possible, these models use information directly from other process model reports as input, which promotes integration among process models used for total system performance assessment. Specific tasks and activities of modeling the physical and chemical environment are included in the technical work plan ''Technical Work Plan for: In-Drift Geochemistry Modeling'' (BSC 2004 [DIRS 166519]). As described in the technical work plan, the development of this report is coordinated with the development of other engineered barrier system analysis model reports.

  13. The application of chemical leasing business models in Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwager, Petra; Moser, Frank

    2006-03-01

    To better address the requirements of the changing multilateral order, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Cleaner Production Programme, in 2004, developed the new Sustainable Industrial Resource Management (SIRM) approach. This approach is in accordance with the principles decided at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992. Unlike the traditional approaches to environmental management, the SIRM concept captures the idea of achieving sustainable industrial development through the implementation of circular material and energy flows in the entire production chain and reduction of the amount of material and energy used with greater efficiency solutions. The SIRM approach seeks to develop new models to encourage a shift from selling products to supplying services, modifying, in this manner, the supplier/user relationship and resulting in a win-win situation for the economy and the environment. Chemical Leasing represents such a new service-oriented business model and is currently being promoted by UNIDO's Cleaner Production Programme. MAIN FEATURES. One of the potential approaches to address the problems related to ineffective use and over-consumption of chemicals is the development and implementation of Chemical Leasing business models. These provide concrete solutions to the effective management of chemicals and on the ways negative releases to the environment can be reduced. The Chemical Leasing approach is a strategy that addresses the obligations of the changing international chemicals policy by focusing on a more service-oriented strategy. Mexico is one of the countries that were selected for the implementation of UNIDO's demonstration project to promote Chemical Leasing models in the country. The target sector of this project is the chemical industry, which is expected to shift their traditional business concept towards a more service and value-added approach. This is

  14. Galactic chemical evolution in hierarchical formation models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arrigoni, Matias

    2010-10-01

    The chemical properties and abundance ratios of galaxies provide important information about their formation histories. Galactic chemical evolution has been modelled in detail within the monolithic collapse scenario. These models have successfully described the abundance distributions in our Galaxy and other spiral discs, as well as the trends of metallicity and abundance ratios observed in early-type galaxies. In the last three decades, however, the paradigm of hierarchical assembly in a Cold Dark Matter (CDM) cosmology has revised the picture of how structure in the Universe forms and evolves. In this scenario, galaxies form when gas radiatively cools and condenses inside dark matter haloes, which themselves follow dissipationless gravitational collapse. The CDM picture has been successful at predicting many observed properties of galaxies (for example, the luminosity and stellar mass function of galaxies, color-magnitude or star formation rate vs. stellar mass distributions, relative numbers of early and late-type galaxies, gas fractions and size distributions of spiral galaxies, and the global star formation history), though many potential problems and open questions remain. It is therefore interesting to see whether chemical evolution models, when implemented within this modern cosmological context, are able to correctly predict the observed chemical properties of galaxies. With the advent of more powerfull telescopes and detectors, precise observations of chemical abundances and abundance ratios in various phases (stellar, ISM, ICM) offer the opportunity to obtain strong constraints on galaxy formation histories and the physics that shapes them. However, in order to take advantage of these observations, it is necessary to implement detailed modeling of chemical evolution into a modern cosmological model of hierarchical assembly.

  15. Modelling Students' Visualisation of Chemical Reaction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Maurice M. W.; Gilbert, John K.

    2017-01-01

    This paper proposes a model-based notion of "submicro representations of chemical reactions". Based on three structural models of matter (the simple particle model, the atomic model and the free electron model of metals), we suggest there are two major models of reaction in school chemistry curricula: (a) reactions that are simple…

  16. EXAFS characterization of supported metal catalysts in chemically dynamic environments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Robota, H.J.

    1991-01-01

    Characterization of catalysts focuses on the identification of an active site responsible for accelerating desirable chemical reactions. The identification, characterization, and selective modification of such sites is fundamental to the development of structure-function relationships. Unfortunately, this goal is far from realized in nearly all catalysts, and particularly in catalysts comprised of small supported metal particles. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) has had a dramatic effect on our understanding of supported metal particles in their resting state. However, the performance of a catalyst can not be assessed from such simple resting state measurements. Among the factors which influence catalyst performance are the exact catalyst composition, including the support and any modifiers; particle size; catalyst finishing and pretreatment conditions; pressure, composition, and temperature of the operating environment; time. Gaining an understanding of how the structure of a catalytic site can change with such an array of variables requires that we begin to develop measurement methods which are effective under chemically dynamic conditions. Ideally, it should be possible to obtain a full X-ray absorption spectrum of each element thought to have a causal relationship with observed catalyst properties. From these spectra, we can optimally extract only a relatively limited amount of information which we must then piece together with information derived from other characterization methods and intuition to arrive at a hypothetical structure of the operating catalyst. Information about crystallinity, homogeneity, and general disorder can be obtained from the Debye-Waller factor. Finally, through analogy with known compounds, the electronic structure of the active atoms can be inferred from near edge absorption features

  17. Modeling chemical kinetics graphically

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Heck, A.

    2012-01-01

    In literature on chemistry education it has often been suggested that students, at high school level and beyond, can benefit in their studies of chemical kinetics from computer supported activities. Use of system dynamics modeling software is one of the suggested quantitative approaches that could

  18. A mesoscale chemical transport model (MEDIUM) nested in a global chemical transport model (MEDIANTE)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Claveau, J; Ramaroson, R [Office National d` Etudes et de Recherches Aerospatiales (ONERA), 92 - Chatillon (France)

    1998-12-31

    The lower stratosphere and upper troposphere (UT-LS) are frequently subject to mesoscale or local scale exchange of air masses occurring along discontinuities. This exchange (e.g. downward) can constitute one of the most important source of ozone from the stratosphere down to the middle troposphere where strong mixing dilutes the air mass and competing the non-linear chemistry. The distribution of the chemical species in the troposphere and the lower stratosphere depends upon various source emissions, e.g. from polluted boundary layer or from aircraft emissions. Global models, as well as chemical transport models describe the climatological state of the atmosphere and are not able to describe correctly the stratosphere and troposphere exchange. Mesoscale models go further in the description of smaller scales and can reasonably include a rather detailed chemistry. They can be used to assess the budget of NO{sub x} from aircraft emissions in a mesoscale domain. (author) 4 refs.

  19. A mesoscale chemical transport model (MEDIUM) nested in a global chemical transport model (MEDIANTE)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Claveau, J.; Ramaroson, R. [Office National d`Etudes et de Recherches Aerospatiales (ONERA), 92 - Chatillon (France)

    1997-12-31

    The lower stratosphere and upper troposphere (UT-LS) are frequently subject to mesoscale or local scale exchange of air masses occurring along discontinuities. This exchange (e.g. downward) can constitute one of the most important source of ozone from the stratosphere down to the middle troposphere where strong mixing dilutes the air mass and competing the non-linear chemistry. The distribution of the chemical species in the troposphere and the lower stratosphere depends upon various source emissions, e.g. from polluted boundary layer or from aircraft emissions. Global models, as well as chemical transport models describe the climatological state of the atmosphere and are not able to describe correctly the stratosphere and troposphere exchange. Mesoscale models go further in the description of smaller scales and can reasonably include a rather detailed chemistry. They can be used to assess the budget of NO{sub x} from aircraft emissions in a mesoscale domain. (author) 4 refs.

  20. Resolving Nuclear Reactor Lifetime Extension Questions: A Combined Multiscale Modeling and Positron Characterization approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wirth, B; Asoka-Kumar, P; Denison, A; Glade, S; Howell, R; Marian, J; Odette, G; Sterne, P

    2004-01-01

    The objective of this work is to determine the chemical composition of nanometer precipitates responsible for irradiation hardening and embrittlement of reactor pressure vessel steels, which threaten to limit the operating lifetime of nuclear power plants worldwide. The scientific approach incorporates computational multiscale modeling of radiation damage and microstructural evolution in Fe-Cu-Ni-Mn alloys, and experimental characterization by positron annihilation spectroscopy and small angle neutron scattering. The modeling and experimental results are

  1. Online Chemical Characterization of Food-Cooking Organic Aerosols: Implications for Source Apportionment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reyes-Villegas, Ernesto; Bannan, Thomas; Le Breton, Michael; Mehra, Archit; Priestley, Michael; Percival, Carl; Coe, Hugh; Allan, James D

    2018-04-11

    Food-cooking organic aerosols (COA) are one of the primary sources of submicron particulate matter in urban environments. However, there are still many questions surrounding source apportionment related to instrumentation as well as semivolatile partitioning because COA evolve rapidly in the ambient air, making source apportionment more complex. Online measurements of emissions from cooking different types of food were performed in a laboratory to characterize particles and gases. Aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) measurements showed that the relative ionization efficiency for OA was higher (1.56-3.06) relative to a typical value of 1.4, concluding that AMS is over-estimating COA and suggesting that previous studies likely over-estimated COA concentrations. Food-cooking mass spectra were generated using AMS, and gas and particle food markers were identified with filter inlets for gases and aerosols-chemical ionization mass spectrometer (CIMS) measurements to be used in future food cooking-source apportionment studies. However, there is a considerable variability in both gas and particle markers, and dilution plays an important role in the particle mass budget, showing the importance of using these markers with caution during receptor modeling. These findings can be used to better understand the chemical composition of COA, and they provides useful information to be used in future source-apportionment studies.

  2. Chemical model reduction under uncertainty

    KAUST Repository

    Najm, Habib; Galassi, R. Malpica; Valorani, M.

    2016-01-01

    We outline a strategy for chemical kinetic model reduction under uncertainty. We present highlights of our existing deterministic model reduction strategy, and describe the extension of the formulation to include parametric uncertainty in the detailed mechanism. We discuss the utility of this construction, as applied to hydrocarbon fuel-air kinetics, and the associated use of uncertainty-aware measures of error between predictions from detailed and simplified models.

  3. Chemical model reduction under uncertainty

    KAUST Repository

    Najm, Habib

    2016-01-05

    We outline a strategy for chemical kinetic model reduction under uncertainty. We present highlights of our existing deterministic model reduction strategy, and describe the extension of the formulation to include parametric uncertainty in the detailed mechanism. We discuss the utility of this construction, as applied to hydrocarbon fuel-air kinetics, and the associated use of uncertainty-aware measures of error between predictions from detailed and simplified models.

  4. Microstructural and chemical characterization of cladding material zirconia scales

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cadalbert, R.; Boulanger, L.; Lansiart, S.; Silvestre, G.; Juliet, P.

    1991-01-01

    Uniform corrosion of Zircaloy-4 in PWR conditions depends both on the microstructure of the material and on its precise chemical composition. For a good understanding of the influence of the different parameters which are involved in the oxidation mechanisms, a detailed characterization of the oxide scale and the underlying metal is needed. The results on the alloying elements distribution in the oxide and the metal obtained by electron probe Microanalysis and Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry as well as the TEM observations on the oxide crystal structure and the metal oxide interface are reported

  5. PHYSICO-CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF POLYMERIC FILMS USED IN OPHTHALMOLOGY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ioan Emanuel STAVARACHE

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the present work was to characterize the surface properties of (polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA foils used in ophathalmological applications. Thus, the morphology, chemical composition and surface energy of these PMMA foils are analyzed, by specific measurements, at the interface with different test liquids of interest in ophthalmology, i.e. distilled H2 O, physiological serum and ophthalmic solution of ReNu Multiplus, used for contact lens cleaning, hydration and disinfection. Also, a solution of Nostamine, known as a drug used in eye irritation and conjunctival inflammation, was tested.

  6. The Impact of Modeling Assumptions in Galactic Chemical Evolution Models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Côté, Benoit; O'Shea, Brian W.; Ritter, Christian; Herwig, Falk; Venn, Kim A.

    2017-02-01

    We use the OMEGA galactic chemical evolution code to investigate how the assumptions used for the treatment of galactic inflows and outflows impact numerical predictions. The goal is to determine how our capacity to reproduce the chemical evolution trends of a galaxy is affected by the choice of implementation used to include those physical processes. In pursuit of this goal, we experiment with three different prescriptions for galactic inflows and outflows and use OMEGA within a Markov Chain Monte Carlo code to recover the set of input parameters that best reproduces the chemical evolution of nine elements in the dwarf spheroidal galaxy Sculptor. This provides a consistent framework for comparing the best-fit solutions generated by our different models. Despite their different degrees of intended physical realism, we found that all three prescriptions can reproduce in an almost identical way the stellar abundance trends observed in Sculptor. This result supports the similar conclusions originally claimed by Romano & Starkenburg for Sculptor. While the three models have the same capacity to fit the data, the best values recovered for the parameters controlling the number of SNe Ia and the strength of galactic outflows, are substantially different and in fact mutually exclusive from one model to another. For the purpose of understanding how a galaxy evolves, we conclude that only reproducing the evolution of a limited number of elements is insufficient and can lead to misleading conclusions. More elements or additional constraints such as the Galaxy’s star-formation efficiency and the gas fraction are needed in order to break the degeneracy between the different modeling assumptions. Our results show that the successes and failures of chemical evolution models are predominantly driven by the input stellar yields, rather than by the complexity of the Galaxy model itself. Simple models such as OMEGA are therefore sufficient to test and validate stellar yields. OMEGA

  7. Multimedia environmental chemical partitioning from molecular information

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martinez, Izacar; Grifoll, Jordi; Giralt, Francesc; Rallo, Robert

    2010-01-01

    The prospect of assessing the environmental distribution of chemicals directly from their molecular information was analyzed. Multimedia chemical partitioning of 455 chemicals, expressed in dimensionless compartmental mass ratios, was predicted by SimpleBox 3, a Level III Fugacity model, together with the propagation of reported uncertainty for key physicochemical and transport properties, and degradation rates. Chemicals, some registered in priority lists, were selected according to the availability of experimental property data to minimize the influence of predicted information in model development. Chemicals were emitted in air or water in a fixed geographical scenario representing the Netherlands and characterized by five compartments (air, water, sediments, soil and vegetation). Quantitative structure-fate relationship (QSFR) models to predict mass ratios in different compartments were developed with support vector regression algorithms. A set of molecular descriptors, including the molecular weight and 38 counts of molecular constituents were adopted to characterize the chemical space. Out of the 455 chemicals, 375 were used for training and testing the QSFR models, while 80 were excluded from model development and were used as an external validation set. Training and test chemicals were selected and the domain of applicability (DOA) of the QSFRs established by means of self-organizing maps according to structural similarity. Best results were obtained with QSFR models developed for chemicals belonging to either the class [C] and [C; O], or the class with at least one heteroatom different than oxygen in the structure. These two class-specific models, with respectively 146 and 229 chemicals, showed a predictive squared coefficient of q 2 ≥ 0.90 both for air and water, which respectively dropped to q 2 ∼ 0.70 and 0.40 for outlying chemicals. Prediction errors were of the same order of magnitude as the deviations associated to the uncertainty of the

  8. Radiological and chemical characterization report for the planned Quarry Construction Staging Area and Water Treatment Plant: Revision 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1989-03-01

    The Quarry Construction Staging Area and Water Treatment Plant (QCSA) will be used in the support of the bulk waste removal of the Weldon Spring Quarry. Radiological and chemical characterization was performed on a 12 acre site where the QCSA will be constructed. The characterization revealed approximately .5 acres of radiologically contaminated land. No chemical contamination was found. 8 refs., 5 figs., 7 tabs

  9. Comparison of modeling approaches to prioritize chemicals based on estimates of exposure and exposure potential.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitchell, Jade; Arnot, Jon A; Jolliet, Olivier; Georgopoulos, Panos G; Isukapalli, Sastry; Dasgupta, Surajit; Pandian, Muhilan; Wambaugh, John; Egeghy, Peter; Cohen Hubal, Elaine A; Vallero, Daniel A

    2013-08-01

    While only limited data are available to characterize the potential toxicity of over 8 million commercially available chemical substances, there is even less information available on the exposure and use-scenarios that are required to link potential toxicity to human and ecological health outcomes. Recent improvements and advances such as high throughput data gathering, high performance computational capabilities, and predictive chemical inherency methodology make this an opportune time to develop an exposure-based prioritization approach that can systematically utilize and link the asymmetrical bodies of knowledge for hazard and exposure. In response to the US EPA's need to develop novel approaches and tools for rapidly prioritizing chemicals, a "Challenge" was issued to several exposure model developers to aid the understanding of current systems in a broader sense and to assist the US EPA's effort to develop an approach comparable to other international efforts. A common set of chemicals were prioritized under each current approach. The results are presented herein along with a comparative analysis of the rankings of the chemicals based on metrics of exposure potential or actual exposure estimates. The analysis illustrates the similarities and differences across the domains of information incorporated in each modeling approach. The overall findings indicate a need to reconcile exposures from diffuse, indirect sources (far-field) with exposures from directly, applied chemicals in consumer products or resulting from the presence of a chemical in a microenvironment like a home or vehicle. Additionally, the exposure scenario, including the mode of entry into the environment (i.e. through air, water or sediment) appears to be an important determinant of the level of agreement between modeling approaches. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Comparison of modeling approaches to prioritize chemicals based on estimates of exposure and exposure potential

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitchell, Jade; Arnot, Jon A.; Jolliet, Olivier; Georgopoulos, Panos G.; Isukapalli, Sastry; Dasgupta, Surajit; Pandian, Muhilan; Wambaugh, John; Egeghy, Peter; Cohen Hubal, Elaine A.; Vallero, Daniel A.

    2014-01-01

    While only limited data are available to characterize the potential toxicity of over 8 million commercially available chemical substances, there is even less information available on the exposure and use-scenarios that are required to link potential toxicity to human and ecological health outcomes. Recent improvements and advances such as high throughput data gathering, high performance computational capabilities, and predictive chemical inherency methodology make this an opportune time to develop an exposure-based prioritization approach that can systematically utilize and link the asymmetrical bodies of knowledge for hazard and exposure. In response to the US EPA’s need to develop novel approaches and tools for rapidly prioritizing chemicals, a “Challenge” was issued to several exposure model developers to aid the understanding of current systems in a broader sense and to assist the US EPA’s effort to develop an approach comparable to other international efforts. A common set of chemicals were prioritized under each current approach. The results are presented herein along with a comparative analysis of the rankings of the chemicals based on metrics of exposure potential or actual exposure estimates. The analysis illustrates the similarities and differences across the domains of information incorporated in each modeling approach. The overall findings indicate a need to reconcile exposures from diffuse, indirect sources (far-field) with exposures from directly, applied chemicals in consumer products or resulting from the presence of a chemical in a microenvironment like a home or vehicle. Additionally, the exposure scenario, including the mode of entry into the environment (i.e. through air, water or sediment) appears to be an important determinant of the level of agreement between modeling approaches. PMID:23707726

  11. Integration of optical and chemical parameters to improve the particulate matter characterization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perrone, M. R.; Romano, S.; Genga, A.; Paladini, F.

    2018-06-01

    Integrating nephelometer measurements have been combined with co-located in space and time PM10 and PM1 mass concentration measurements to highlight the benefits of integrating aerosol optical properties with the chemical speciation of PM1 and PM10 samples. Inorganic ions (SO42-, NO3-, NH4+, Cl-, Na+, K+, Mg2+, and Ca2+), metals (Fe, Al, Zn, Ti, Cu, V, Mn, and Cr), and the elemental and organic carbon (EC and OC, respectively) have been monitored to characterize the chemical composition of PM1 and PM10 samples, respectively. The scattering coefficient (σp) at 450 nm, the scattering Ångström coefficient (Å) calculated at the 450-635 nm wavelength pair, and the scattering Ångström coefficient difference (ΔÅ) retrieved from nephelometer measurements have been used to characterize the optical properties of the particles at the surface. The frequency distribution of the Å daily means during the one-year monitoring campaign, performed at a southeastern Italian site, has allowed identifying three main Å variability ranges: Å ≤ 0.8, 0.8 1.2. We found that σp and ΔÅ mean values and the mean chemical composition of the PM1 and PM10 samples varied with the Å variability range. σp and ΔÅ reached the highest (149 Mm-1) and the smallest (0.16) mean value, respectively, on the days characterized by Å > 1.2. EC, SO42-, and NH4+ mean mass percentages also reached the highest mean value on the Å > 1.2 days, representing on average 8.4, 9.8, and 4.2%, respectively, of the sampled PM10 mass and 12.4, 10.6, and 7.7%, respectively, of the PM1 mass. Conversely, σp and ΔÅ mean values were equal to 85 Mm-1 and 0.55, respectively, on the days characterized by Å ≤ 0.8 and the EC, SO42-, and NH4+ mean mass percentages reached smaller values on the Å ≤ 0.8 days, representing 4.5, 6.0, and 1.9% of the PM10 mass and 9.4, 7.3, and 5.8% of the PM1 mass, respectively. Primary and secondary OC (POC and SOC, respectively) contributions also varied with the

  12. Chemical and ecotoxicological characterization of ashes obtained from sewage sludge combustion in a fluidised-bed reactor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lapa, N; Barbosa, R; Lopes, M H; Mendes, B; Abelha, P; Boavida, D; Gulyurtlu, I; Oliveira, J Santos

    2007-08-17

    In 1999, the DEECA/INETI and the UBiA/FCT/UNL started a researching project on the partition of heavy metals during the combustion of stabilised sewage sludge (Biogran), in a fluidised-bed reactor, and on the quality of the bottom ashes and fly ashes produced. This project was entitled Bimetal and was funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology. In this paper only the results on the combustion of Biogran are reported. The combustion process was performed in two different trials, in which different amounts of sewage sludge and time of combustion were applied. Several ash samples were collected from the bed (bottom ashes) and from two cyclones (first cyclone and second cyclone ashes). Sewage sludge, bed material (sand) and ash samples were submitted to the leaching process defined in the European leaching standard EN 12457-2. The eluates were characterized for a set of inorganic chemical species. The ecotoxicological levels of the eluates were determined for two biological indicators (Vibrio fischeri and Daphnia magna). The results were compared with the limit values of the CEMWE French Regulation. The samples were also ranked according to an index based on the chemical characterization of the eluates. It was observed an increase of the concentration of metals along the combustion system. The ashes trapped in the second cyclone, for both combustion trials, showed the highest concentration of metals in the eluates. Chemically, the ashes of the second cyclone were the most different ones. In the ecotoxicological point of view, the ecotoxicity levels of the eluates of the ashes, for both combustion cycles, did not follow the same pattern as observed for the chemical characterization. The ashes of the first cyclone showed the highest ecotoxicity levels for V. fischeri and D. magna. This difference on chemical and ecotoxicological results proves the need for performing both chemical and ecotoxicological characterizations of the sub-products of such type

  13. Chemical and ecotoxicological characterization of ashes obtained from sewage sludge combustion in a fluidised-bed reactor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lapa, N. [Environmental Biotechnology Researching Unit (UBiA), Faculty of Science and Technology (FCT), New University of Lisbon - UNL, Ed. Departamental, piso 3, gabinete 377, Quinta da Torre, 2829-516 Caparica (Portugal)]. E-mail: ncsn@fct.unl.pt; Barbosa, R. [Environmental Biotechnology Researching Unit (UBiA), Faculty of Science and Technology (FCT), New University of Lisbon - UNL, Ed. Departamental, piso 3, gabinete 377, Quinta da Torre, 2829-516 Caparica (Portugal); Lopes, M.H. [National Institute of Engineering, Technology and Innovation (INETI), Department of Energetic Engineering and Environmental Control (DEECA). Edificio J, Estrada do Paco do Lumiar, 22, 1649-038 Lisbon (Portugal); Mendes, B. [Environmental Biotechnology Researching Unit (UBiA), Faculty of Science and Technology (FCT), New University of Lisbon - UNL, Ed. Departamental, piso 3, gabinete 377, Quinta da Torre, 2829-516 Caparica (Portugal); Abelha, P. [National Institute of Engineering, Technology and Innovation (INETI), Department of Energetic Engineering and Environmental Control (DEECA). Edificio J, Estrada do Paco do Lumiar, 22, 1649-038 Lisbon (Portugal); Gulyurtlu, I. [National Institute of Engineering, Technology and Innovation (INETI), Department of Energetic Engineering and Environmental Control (DEECA). Edificio J, Estrada do Paco do Lumiar, 22, 1649-038 Lisbon (Portugal); Santos Oliveira, J. [Environmental Biotechnology Researching Unit (UBiA), Faculty of Science and Technology (FCT), New University of Lisbon - UNL, Ed. Departamental, piso 3, gabinete 377, Quinta da Torre, 2829-516 Caparica (Portugal)

    2007-08-17

    In 1999, the DEECA/INETI and the UBiA/FCT/UNL started a researching project on the partition of heavy metals during the combustion of stabilised sewage sludge (Biogran[reg]), in a fluidised-bed reactor, and on the quality of the bottom ashes and fly ashes produced. This project was entitled Bimetal and was funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology. In this paper only the results on the combustion of Biogran[reg]) are reported. The combustion process was performed in two different trials, in which different amounts of sewage sludge and time of combustion were applied. Several ash samples were collected from the bed (bottom ashes) and from two cyclones (first cyclone and second cyclone ashes). Sewage sludge, bed material (sand) and ash samples were submitted to the leaching process defined in the European leaching standard EN 12457-2. The eluates were characterized for a set of inorganic chemical species. The ecotoxicological levels of the eluates were determined for two biological indicators (Vibrio fischeri and Daphnia magna). The results were compared with the limit values of the CEMWE French Regulation. The samples were also ranked according to an index based on the chemical characterization of the eluates. It was observed an increase of the concentration of metals along the combustion system. The ashes trapped in the second cyclone, for both combustion trials, showed the highest concentration of metals in the eluates. Chemically, the ashes of the second cyclone were the most different ones. In the ecotoxicological point of view, the ecotoxicity levels of the eluates of the ashes, for both combustion cycles, did not follow the same pattern as observed for the chemical characterization. The ashes of the first cyclone showed the highest ecotoxicity levels for V. fischeri and D. magna. This difference on chemical and ecotoxicological results proves the need for performing both chemical and ecotoxicological characterizations of the sub

  14. Chemical and ecotoxicological characterization of ashes obtained from sewage sludge combustion in a fluidised-bed reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lapa, N.; Barbosa, R.; Lopes, M.H.; Mendes, B.; Abelha, P.; Gulyurtlu, I.; Santos Oliveira, J.

    2007-01-01

    In 1999, the DEECA/INETI and the UBiA/FCT/UNL started a researching project on the partition of heavy metals during the combustion of stabilised sewage sludge (Biogran[reg]), in a fluidised-bed reactor, and on the quality of the bottom ashes and fly ashes produced. This project was entitled Bimetal and was funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology. In this paper only the results on the combustion of Biogran[reg]) are reported. The combustion process was performed in two different trials, in which different amounts of sewage sludge and time of combustion were applied. Several ash samples were collected from the bed (bottom ashes) and from two cyclones (first cyclone and second cyclone ashes). Sewage sludge, bed material (sand) and ash samples were submitted to the leaching process defined in the European leaching standard EN 12457-2. The eluates were characterized for a set of inorganic chemical species. The ecotoxicological levels of the eluates were determined for two biological indicators (Vibrio fischeri and Daphnia magna). The results were compared with the limit values of the CEMWE French Regulation. The samples were also ranked according to an index based on the chemical characterization of the eluates. It was observed an increase of the concentration of metals along the combustion system. The ashes trapped in the second cyclone, for both combustion trials, showed the highest concentration of metals in the eluates. Chemically, the ashes of the second cyclone were the most different ones. In the ecotoxicological point of view, the ecotoxicity levels of the eluates of the ashes, for both combustion cycles, did not follow the same pattern as observed for the chemical characterization. The ashes of the first cyclone showed the highest ecotoxicity levels for V. fischeri and D. magna. This difference on chemical and ecotoxicological results proves the need for performing both chemical and ecotoxicological characterizations of the sub

  15. Effect of mouse strain in a model of chemical-induced respiratory allergy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nishino, Risako; Fukuyama, Tomoki; Watanabe, Yuko; Kurosawa, Yoshimi; Ueda, Hideo; Kosaka, Tadashi

    2014-01-01

    The inhalation of many types of chemicals is a leading cause of allergic respiratory diseases, and effective protocols are needed for the detection of environmental chemical-related respiratory allergies. In our previous studies, we developed a method for detecting environmental chemical-related respiratory allergens by using a long-term sensitization-challenge protocol involving BALB/c mice. In the current study, we sought to improve our model by characterizing strain-associated differences in respiratory allergic reactions to the well-known chemical respiratory allergen glutaraldehyde (GA). According to our protocol, BALB/c, NC/Nga, C3H/HeN, C57BL/6N, and CBA/J mice were sensitized dermally with GA for 3 weeks and then challenged with intratracheal or inhaled GA at 2 weeks after the last sensitization. The day after the final challenge, all mice were euthanized, and total serum IgE levels were assayed. In addition, immunocyte counts, cytokine production, and chemokine levels in the hilar lymph nodes (LNs) and bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALF) were also assessed. In conclusion, BALB/c and NC/Nga mice demonstrated markedly increased IgE reactions. Inflammatory cell counts in BALF were increased in the treated groups of all strains, especially BALB/c, NC/Nga, and CBA/J strains. Cytokine levels in LNs were increased in all treated groups except for C3H/HeN and were particularly high in BALB/c and NC/Nga mice. According to our results, we suggest that BALB/c and NC/Nga are highly susceptible to respiratory allergic responses and therefore are good candidates for use in our model for detecting environmental chemical respiratory allergens.

  16. Integrated Modeling and Experiments to Characterize Coupled Thermo-hydro-geomechanical-chemical processes in Hydraulic Fracturing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Viswanathan, H. S.; Carey, J. W.; Karra, S.; Porter, M. L.; Rougier, E.; Kang, Q.; Makedonska, N.; Hyman, J.; Jimenez Martinez, J.; Frash, L.; Chen, L.

    2015-12-01

    Hydraulic fracturing phenomena involve fluid-solid interactions embedded within coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical (THMC) processes over scales from microns to tens of meters. Feedbacks between processes result in complex dynamics that must be unraveled if one is to predict and, in the case of unconventional resources, facilitate fracture propagation, fluid flow, and interfacial transport processes. The proposed work is part of a broader class of complex systems involving coupled fluid flow and fractures that are critical to subsurface energy issues, such as shale oil, geothermal, carbon sequestration, and nuclear waste disposal. We use unique LANL microfluidic and triaxial core flood experiments integrated with state-of-the-art numerical simulation to reveal the fundamental dynamics of fracture-fluid interactions to characterize the key coupled processes that impact hydrocarbon production. We are also comparing CO2-based fracturing and aqueous fluids to enhance production, greatly reduce waste water, while simultaneously sequestering CO2. We will show pore, core and reservoir scale simulations/experiments that investigate the contolling mechanisms that control hydrocarbon production.

  17. Radiological, physical, and chemical characterization of transuranic wastes stored at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Apel, M.L.; Becker, G.K.; Ragan, Z.K.; Frasure, J.; Raivo, B.D.; Gale, L.G.; Pace, D.P.

    1994-03-01

    This document provides radiological, physical and chemical characterization data for transuranic radioactive wastes and transuranic radioactive and hazardous (i.e., mixed) wastes stored at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory and considered for treatment under the Private Sector Participation Initiative Program (PSPI). Waste characterization data are provided in the form of INEL Waste Profile Sheets. These documents provide, for each content code, information on waste identification, waste description, waste storage configuration, physical/chemical waste composition, radionuclide and associated alpha activity waste characterization data, and hazardous constituents present in the waste. Information is provided for 139 waste streams which represent an estimated total volume of 39,380 3 corresponding to a total mass of approximately 19,000,000 kg. In addition, considerable information concerning alpha, beta, gamma, and neutron source term data specific to Rocky Flats Plant generated waste forms stored at the INEL are provided to assist in facility design specification

  18. Forensic analysis methodology for thermal and chemical characterization of homemade explosives

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nazarian, Ashot; Presser, Cary

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Identification of homemade explosives (HME) is critical for determining the origin of explosive precursor materials. • A novel laser-heating technique was used to obtain the thermal/chemical signatures of HME precursor materials. • Liquid-fuel saturation of the pores of a solid porous oxidizer affected the total specific heat release. • Material thermal signatures were dependent on sample mass and heating rate. • This laser-heating technique can be a useful diagnostic tool for characterizing the thermochemical behavior of HMEs. - Abstract: Forensic identification of homemade explosives is critical for determining the origin of the explosive materials and precursors, and formulation procedures. Normally, the forensic examination of the pre- and post-blast physical evidence lacks specificity for homemade-explosive identification. The focus of this investigation was to use a novel measurement technique, referred to as the laser-driven thermal reactor, to obtain the thermal/chemical signatures of homemade-explosive precursor materials. Specifically, nitromethane and ammonium nitrate were studied under a variety of operating conditions and protocols. Results indicated that liquid-fuel saturation of the internal pores of a solid particle oxidizer appear to be a limiting parameter for the total specific heat release during exothermic processes. Results also indicated that the thermal signatures of these materials are dependent on sample mass and heating rate, for which this dependency may not be detectable by other commercially available thermal analysis techniques. This study has demonstrated that the laser-driven thermal reactor can be a useful diagnostic tool for characterizing the thermal and chemical behavior of trace amounts of homemade-explosive materials

  19. Constraining a compositional flow model with flow-chemical data using an ensemble-based Kalman filter

    KAUST Repository

    Gharamti, M. E.; Kadoura, A.; Valstar, J.; Sun, S.; Hoteit, Ibrahim

    2014-01-01

    Isothermal compositional flow models require coupling transient compressible flows and advective transport systems of various chemical species in subsurface porous media. Building such numerical models is quite challenging and may be subject to many sources of uncertainties because of possible incomplete representation of some geological parameters that characterize the system's processes. Advanced data assimilation methods, such as the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF), can be used to calibrate these models by incorporating available data. In this work, we consider the problem of estimating reservoir permeability using information about phase pressure as well as the chemical properties of fluid components. We carry out state-parameter estimation experiments using joint and dual updating schemes in the context of the EnKF with a two-dimensional single-phase compositional flow model (CFM). Quantitative and statistical analyses are performed to evaluate and compare the performance of the assimilation schemes. Our results indicate that including chemical composition data significantly enhances the accuracy of the permeability estimates. In addition, composition data provide more information to estimate system states and parameters than do standard pressure data. The dual state-parameter estimation scheme provides about 10% more accurate permeability estimates on average than the joint scheme when implemented with the same ensemble members, at the cost of twice more forward model integrations. At similar computational cost, the dual approach becomes only beneficial after using large enough ensembles.

  20. Constraining a compositional flow model with flow-chemical data using an ensemble-based Kalman filter

    KAUST Repository

    Gharamti, M. E.

    2014-03-01

    Isothermal compositional flow models require coupling transient compressible flows and advective transport systems of various chemical species in subsurface porous media. Building such numerical models is quite challenging and may be subject to many sources of uncertainties because of possible incomplete representation of some geological parameters that characterize the system\\'s processes. Advanced data assimilation methods, such as the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF), can be used to calibrate these models by incorporating available data. In this work, we consider the problem of estimating reservoir permeability using information about phase pressure as well as the chemical properties of fluid components. We carry out state-parameter estimation experiments using joint and dual updating schemes in the context of the EnKF with a two-dimensional single-phase compositional flow model (CFM). Quantitative and statistical analyses are performed to evaluate and compare the performance of the assimilation schemes. Our results indicate that including chemical composition data significantly enhances the accuracy of the permeability estimates. In addition, composition data provide more information to estimate system states and parameters than do standard pressure data. The dual state-parameter estimation scheme provides about 10% more accurate permeability estimates on average than the joint scheme when implemented with the same ensemble members, at the cost of twice more forward model integrations. At similar computational cost, the dual approach becomes only beneficial after using large enough ensembles.

  1. Modeling release of chemicals from multilayer materials into food

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huang Xiu-Ling

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The migration of chemicals from materials into food is predictable by various mathematical models. In this article, a general mathematical model is developed to quantify the release of chemicals through multilayer packaging films based on Fick's diffusion. The model is solved numerically to elucidate the effects of different diffusivity values of different layers, distribution of chemical between two adjacent layers and between material and food, mass transfer at the interface of material and food on the migration process.

  2. Polarographic validation of chemical speciation models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Duffield, J.R.; Jarratt, J.A.

    2001-01-01

    It is well established that the chemical speciation of an element in a given matrix, or system of matrices, is of fundamental importance in controlling the transport behaviour of the element. Therefore, to accurately understand and predict the transport of elements and compounds in the environment it is a requirement that both the identities and concentrations of trace element physico-chemical forms can be ascertained. These twin requirements present the analytical scientist with considerable challenges given the labile equilibria, the range of time scales (from nanoseconds to years) and the range of concentrations (ultra-trace to macro) that may be involved. As a result of this analytical variability, chemical equilibrium modelling has become recognised as an important predictive tool in chemical speciation analysis. However, this technique requires firm underpinning by the use of complementary experimental techniques for the validation of the predictions made. The work reported here has been undertaken with the primary aim of investigating possible methodologies that can be used for the validation of chemical speciation models. However, in approaching this aim, direct chemical speciation analyses have been made in their own right. Results will be reported and analysed for the iron(II)/iron(III)-citrate proton system (pH 2 to 10; total [Fe] = 3 mmol dm -3 ; total [citrate 3- ] 10 mmol dm -3 ) in which equilibrium constants have been determined using glass electrode potentiometry, speciation is predicted using the PHREEQE computer code, and validation of predictions is achieved by determination of iron complexation and redox state with associated concentrations. (authors)

  3. Chemical model reduction under uncertainty

    KAUST Repository

    Malpica Galassi, Riccardo; Valorani, Mauro; Najm, Habib N.; Safta, Cosmin; Khalil, Mohammad; Ciottoli, Pietro P.

    2017-01-01

    A general strategy for analysis and reduction of uncertain chemical kinetic models is presented, and its utility is illustrated in the context of ignition of hydrocarbon fuel–air mixtures. The strategy is based on a deterministic analysis

  4. Bayesian molecular design with a chemical language model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ikebata, Hisaki; Hongo, Kenta; Isomura, Tetsu; Maezono, Ryo; Yoshida, Ryo

    2017-04-01

    The aim of computational molecular design is the identification of promising hypothetical molecules with a predefined set of desired properties. We address the issue of accelerating the material discovery with state-of-the-art machine learning techniques. The method involves two different types of prediction; the forward and backward predictions. The objective of the forward prediction is to create a set of machine learning models on various properties of a given molecule. Inverting the trained forward models through Bayes' law, we derive a posterior distribution for the backward prediction, which is conditioned by a desired property requirement. Exploring high-probability regions of the posterior with a sequential Monte Carlo technique, molecules that exhibit the desired properties can computationally be created. One major difficulty in the computational creation of molecules is the exclusion of the occurrence of chemically unfavorable structures. To circumvent this issue, we derive a chemical language model that acquires commonly occurring patterns of chemical fragments through natural language processing of ASCII strings of existing compounds, which follow the SMILES chemical language notation. In the backward prediction, the trained language model is used to refine chemical strings such that the properties of the resulting structures fall within the desired property region while chemically unfavorable structures are successfully removed. The present method is demonstrated through the design of small organic molecules with the property requirements on HOMO-LUMO gap and internal energy. The R package iqspr is available at the CRAN repository.

  5. Multi-scale modeling for sustainable chemical production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhuang, Kai; Bakshi, Bhavik R; Herrgård, Markus J

    2013-09-01

    With recent advances in metabolic engineering, it is now technically possible to produce a wide portfolio of existing petrochemical products from biomass feedstock. In recent years, a number of modeling approaches have been developed to support the engineering and decision-making processes associated with the development and implementation of a sustainable biochemical industry. The temporal and spatial scales of modeling approaches for sustainable chemical production vary greatly, ranging from metabolic models that aid the design of fermentative microbial strains to material and monetary flow models that explore the ecological impacts of all economic activities. Research efforts that attempt to connect the models at different scales have been limited. Here, we review a number of existing modeling approaches and their applications at the scales of metabolism, bioreactor, overall process, chemical industry, economy, and ecosystem. In addition, we propose a multi-scale approach for integrating the existing models into a cohesive framework. The major benefit of this proposed framework is that the design and decision-making at each scale can be informed, guided, and constrained by simulations and predictions at every other scale. In addition, the development of this multi-scale framework would promote cohesive collaborations across multiple traditionally disconnected modeling disciplines to achieve sustainable chemical production. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  6. Physico-chemical characterization of slag waste coming from GICC thermal power plant

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Acosta, A.; Aineto, M.; Iglesias, I. [Laboratory of Applied Mineralogy, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Ciudad Real Madrid (Spain); Romero, M.; Rincon, J.Ma. [The Glass-Ceramics Laboratory, Insituto Eduardo Torroja de Ciencias de la Construccion, CSIC, c/Serrano Galvache s/n, 28033, Madrid (Spain)

    2001-09-01

    The new gas installations of combined cycle (GICC) thermal power plants for production of electricity are more efficient than conventional thermal power plants, but they produce a high quantity of wastes in the form of slags and fly ashes. Nowadays, these by-products are stored within the production plants with, until now, no applications of recycling in other industrial processes. In order to evaluate the capability of these products for recycling in glass and ceramics inductory, an investigation for the full characterization has been made by usual physico-chemical methods such as: chemical analysis, mineralogical analysis by XRD, granulometry, BET, DTA/TG, heating microscopy and SEM/EDX.

  7. SHEDS-HT: an integrated probabilistic exposure model for prioritizing exposures to chemicals with near-field and dietary sources.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Isaacs, Kristin K; Glen, W Graham; Egeghy, Peter; Goldsmith, Michael-Rock; Smith, Luther; Vallero, Daniel; Brooks, Raina; Grulke, Christopher M; Özkaynak, Halûk

    2014-11-04

    United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) researchers are developing a strategy for high-throughput (HT) exposure-based prioritization of chemicals under the ExpoCast program. These novel modeling approaches for evaluating chemicals based on their potential for biologically relevant human exposures will inform toxicity testing and prioritization for chemical risk assessment. Based on probabilistic methods and algorithms developed for The Stochastic Human Exposure and Dose Simulation Model for Multimedia, Multipathway Chemicals (SHEDS-MM), a new mechanistic modeling approach has been developed to accommodate high-throughput (HT) assessment of exposure potential. In this SHEDS-HT model, the residential and dietary modules of SHEDS-MM have been operationally modified to reduce the user burden, input data demands, and run times of the higher-tier model, while maintaining critical features and inputs that influence exposure. The model has been implemented in R; the modeling framework links chemicals to consumer product categories or food groups (and thus exposure scenarios) to predict HT exposures and intake doses. Initially, SHEDS-HT has been applied to 2507 organic chemicals associated with consumer products and agricultural pesticides. These evaluations employ data from recent USEPA efforts to characterize usage (prevalence, frequency, and magnitude), chemical composition, and exposure scenarios for a wide range of consumer products. In modeling indirect exposures from near-field sources, SHEDS-HT employs a fugacity-based module to estimate concentrations in indoor environmental media. The concentration estimates, along with relevant exposure factors and human activity data, are then used by the model to rapidly generate probabilistic population distributions of near-field indirect exposures via dermal, nondietary ingestion, and inhalation pathways. Pathway-specific estimates of near-field direct exposures from consumer products are also modeled

  8. Computational Approaches to Chemical Hazard Assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luechtefeld, Thomas; Hartung, Thomas

    2018-01-01

    Summary Computational prediction of toxicity has reached new heights as a result of decades of growth in the magnitude and diversity of biological data. Public packages for statistics and machine learning make model creation faster. New theory in machine learning and cheminformatics enables integration of chemical structure, toxicogenomics, simulated and physical data in the prediction of chemical health hazards, and other toxicological information. Our earlier publications have characterized a toxicological dataset of unprecedented scale resulting from the European REACH legislation (Registration Evaluation Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals). These publications dove into potential use cases for regulatory data and some models for exploiting this data. This article analyzes the options for the identification and categorization of chemicals, moves on to the derivation of descriptive features for chemicals, discusses different kinds of targets modeled in computational toxicology, and ends with a high-level perspective of the algorithms used to create computational toxicology models. PMID:29101769

  9. MISTRAL: A game-theoretical model to allocate security measures in a multi-modal chemical transportation network with adaptive adversaries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Talarico, Luca; Reniers, Genserik; Sörensen, Kenneth; Springael, Johan

    2015-01-01

    In this paper we present a multi-modal security-transportation model to allocate security resources within a chemical supply chain which is characterized by the use of different transport modes, each having their own security features. We consider security-related risks so as to take measures against terrorist acts which could target critical transportation systems. The idea of addressing security-related issues, by supporting decisions for preventing or mitigating intentional acts on transportation infrastructure, has gained attention in academic research only recently. The decision model presented in this paper is based on game theory and it can be employed to organize intelligence capabilities aimed at securing chemical supply chains. It enables detection and warning against impending attacks on transportation infrastructures and the subsequent adoption of security countermeasures. This is of extreme importance for preventing terrorist attacks and for avoiding (possibly huge) human and economic losses. In our work we also provide data sources and numerical simulations by applying the proposed model to a illustrative multi-modal chemical supply chain. - Highlights: • A model to increase the security in a multimodal chemical supply chain is proposed. • The model considers adaptive opponents having multi-attribute utility functions. • The model is based on game theory using an attacker–defender schema. • The model provides recommendations about where to allocate security measures. • Numerical simulations on a sample multimodal chemical supply chain are shown

  10. Microbiology and atmospheric processes: biological, physical and chemical characterization of aerosol particles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. G. Georgakopoulos

    2009-04-01

    Full Text Available The interest in bioaerosols has traditionally been linked to health hazards for humans, animals and plants. However, several components of bioaerosols exhibit physical properties of great significance for cloud processes, such as ice nucleation and cloud condensation. To gain a better understanding of their influence on climate, it is therefore important to determine the composition, concentration, seasonal fluctuation, regional diversity and evolution of bioaerosols. In this paper, we will review briefly the existing techniques for detection, quantification, physical and chemical analysis of biological particles, attempting to bridge physical, chemical and biological methods for analysis of biological particles and integrate them with aerosol sampling techniques. We will also explore some emerging spectroscopy techniques for bulk and single-particle analysis that have potential for in-situ physical and chemical analysis. Lastly, we will outline open questions and further desired capabilities (e.g., in-situ, sensitive, both broad and selective, on-line, time-resolved, rapid, versatile, cost-effective techniques required prior to comprehensive understanding of chemical and physical characterization of bioaerosols.

  11. E-waste: development of recycling process and chemical characterization of circuit printed - motherboard

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Junior, O.L.F.; Vargas, R.A.; Andreoli, M.; Martinelli, J.R.; Seo, E.S.M.

    2011-01-01

    The electro-electronic industry has been regulated by the National Politic of Solid Residues Act (PNRS) and Bill no. 7.404, concerning the actions, procedures, and method to collect, recycle and promotion of environmentally acceptable final destination of residues. The present work contributes to develop recycling process of printed circuit used in microcomputers and in its chemical characterization. The experimental procedure consisted of grinding, classification, magnetic and electrostatic separation, and separation based on density difference, followed by chemical characterization of the metallic and non metallic materials in the motherboard. It was determined that the amounts of Ag, Al, Ba, Cl, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, and Zn in the residue are above the toxicity allowable levels, and they are in the samples of the decanted material. Among the samples of the floating material, Al, Ba, Br, Ca, Cu, Fe, Pb (in less quantity), Si (in more quantity), and Sn, Ti and Zn were detected. Those materials can be useful in the preparation of red ceramics. (author)

  12. Development of a global 1-D chemically radiatively coupled model and an introduction to the development of a chemically coupled General Circulation Model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akiyoshi, H.

    1997-01-01

    A global one-dimensional, chemically and radiatively coupled model has been developed. The basic concept of the coupled model, definition of globally averaged zenith angles, the formulation of the model chemistry, radiation, the coupled processes, and profiles and diurnal variations of temperature and chemical species at a normal steady state are presented. Furthermore, a suddenly doubled CO 2 experiment and a Pinatubo aerosol increase experiment were performed with the model. The time scales of variations in ozone and temperature in the lower stratosphere of the coupled system in the doubled CO 2 experiment was long, due to a feedback process among ultra violet radiation, O(1D), NO y , NO x , and O 3 . From the Pinatubo aerosol experiment, a delay of maximum ozone decrease from the maximum aerosol loading is shown and discussed. Developments of 3-D chemical models with coupled processes are briefly described, and the ozone distribution from the first version of the 3-D model are presented. Chemical model development in National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) are briefly described. (author)

  13. Advancing Consumer Product Composition and Chemical ...

    Science.gov (United States)

    This presentation describes EPA efforts to collect, model, and measure publically available consumer product data for use in exposure assessment. The development of the ORD Chemicals and Products database will be described, as will machine-learning based models for predicting chemical function. Finally, the talk describes new mass spectrometry-based methods for measuring chemicals in formulation and articles. This presentation is an invited talk to the ICCA-LRI workshop "Fit-For-Purpose Exposure Assessments For Risk-Based Decision Making". The talk will share EPA efforts to characterize the components of consumer products for use in exposure assessment with the international exposure science community.

  14. A chemical approach to accurately characterize the coverage rate of gold nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu, Xiaoli; Liu, Min; Zhang, Huihui; Wang, Haiyan; Li, Genxi

    2013-01-01

    Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been widely used in many areas, and the nanoparticles usually have to be functionalized with some molecules before use. However, the information about the characterization of the functionalization of the nanoparticles is still limited or unclear, which has greatly restricted the better functionalization and application of AuNPs. Here, we propose a chemical way to accurately characterize the functionalization of AuNPs. Unlike the traditional physical methods, this method, which is based on the catalytic property of AuNPs, may give accurate coverage rate and some derivative information about the functionalization of the nanoparticles with different kinds of molecules. The performance of the characterization has been approved by adopting three independent molecules to functionalize AuNPs, including both covalent and non-covalent functionalization. Some interesting results are thereby obtained, and some are the first time to be revealed. The method may also be further developed as a useful tool for the characterization of a solid surface

  15. A chemical approach to accurately characterize the coverage rate of gold nanoparticles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhu, Xiaoli; Liu, Min; Zhang, Huihui [Shanghai University, Laboratory of Biosensing Technology, School of Life Sciences (China); Wang, Haiyan [Nanjing University, State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Biochemistry (China); Li, Genxi, E-mail: genxili@nju.edu.cn [Shanghai University, Laboratory of Biosensing Technology, School of Life Sciences (China)

    2013-09-15

    Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been widely used in many areas, and the nanoparticles usually have to be functionalized with some molecules before use. However, the information about the characterization of the functionalization of the nanoparticles is still limited or unclear, which has greatly restricted the better functionalization and application of AuNPs. Here, we propose a chemical way to accurately characterize the functionalization of AuNPs. Unlike the traditional physical methods, this method, which is based on the catalytic property of AuNPs, may give accurate coverage rate and some derivative information about the functionalization of the nanoparticles with different kinds of molecules. The performance of the characterization has been approved by adopting three independent molecules to functionalize AuNPs, including both covalent and non-covalent functionalization. Some interesting results are thereby obtained, and some are the first time to be revealed. The method may also be further developed as a useful tool for the characterization of a solid surface.

  16. SEM, Scanning Auger and XPS characterization of chemically pretreated Ti surfaces intended for biomedical applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pisarek, M. [Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Woloska 141, 02-507 Warsaw (Poland); Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kasprzaka 44/52, 01-224 Warsaw (Poland)], E-mail: marcinp@ichf.edu.pl; Lewandowska, M. [Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Woloska 141, 02-507 Warsaw (Poland); Roguska, A. [Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Woloska 141, 02-507 Warsaw (Poland); Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kasprzaka 44/52, 01-224 Warsaw (Poland); Kurzydlowski, K.J. [Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Woloska 141, 02-507 Warsaw (Poland); Janik-Czachor, M. [Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kasprzaka 44/52, 01-224 Warsaw (Poland)

    2007-07-15

    Titanium is known as a biocompatible metal characterized by biological and corrosion immunity and good mechanical properties, including a high fracture toughness. In a variety of environments, this metal undergoes 'natural' oxidation which determine its resistance to corrosion. It can also be exposed to chemical treatments in acidic or alkaline solutions which 'enforces' chemical and morphological changes of Ti surface. Those methods, if well controlled, may increase the effective Ti surface area, making it more biocompatible. However, the morphological and chemical factors responsible for their interactions with biological cells are still not well known. The aim of this work was to compare surface chemical and morphological changes introduced by commonly used aqueous NaOH pretreatment with those occurring in a new 'piranha' acidic solution. Particular attention was paid to possible changes which may be decisive for the biocompatibility of the Ti-elements subjected to these surface modifications. Surface analytical techniques such as Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) or X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) combined with Ar{sup +} ion sputtering allowed us to investigate in detail the chemical composition of Ti oxide layers. SEM examinations provided morphological characterization of the surface of Ti samples. The results revealed large difference in morphology of Ti surfaces pretreated with different procedures whereas only minor difference in the chemistry of the surfaces were detected.

  17. Modelling stratospheric chemistry in a global three-dimensional chemical transport model

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rummukainen, M [Finnish Meteorological Inst., Sodankylae (Finland). Sodankylae Observatory

    1996-12-31

    Numerical modelling of atmospheric chemistry aims to increase the understanding of the characteristics, the behavior and the evolution of atmospheric composition. These topics are of utmost importance in the study of climate change. The multitude of gases and particulates making up the atmosphere and the complicated interactions between them affect radiation transfer, atmospheric dynamics, and the impacts of anthropogenic and natural emissions. Chemical processes are fundamental factors in global warming, ozone depletion and atmospheric pollution problems in general. Much of the prevailing work on modelling stratospheric chemistry has so far been done with 1- and 2-dimensional models. Carrying an extensive chemistry parameterisation in a model with high spatial and temporal resolution is computationally heavy. Today, computers are becoming powerful enough to allow going over to 3-dimensional models. In order to concentrate on the chemistry, many Chemical Transport Models (CTM) are still run off-line, i.e. with precalculated and archived meteorology and radiation. In chemistry simulations, the archived values drive the model forward in time, without interacting with the chemical evolution. This is an approach that has been adopted in stratospheric chemistry modelling studies at the Finnish Meteorological Institute. In collaboration with the University of Oslo, a development project was initiated in 1993 to prepare a stratospheric chemistry parameterisation, fit for global 3-dimensional modelling. This article presents the parameterisation approach. Selected results are shown from basic photochemical simulations

  18. Modelling stratospheric chemistry in a global three-dimensional chemical transport model

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rummukainen, M. [Finnish Meteorological Inst., Sodankylae (Finland). Sodankylae Observatory

    1995-12-31

    Numerical modelling of atmospheric chemistry aims to increase the understanding of the characteristics, the behavior and the evolution of atmospheric composition. These topics are of utmost importance in the study of climate change. The multitude of gases and particulates making up the atmosphere and the complicated interactions between them affect radiation transfer, atmospheric dynamics, and the impacts of anthropogenic and natural emissions. Chemical processes are fundamental factors in global warming, ozone depletion and atmospheric pollution problems in general. Much of the prevailing work on modelling stratospheric chemistry has so far been done with 1- and 2-dimensional models. Carrying an extensive chemistry parameterisation in a model with high spatial and temporal resolution is computationally heavy. Today, computers are becoming powerful enough to allow going over to 3-dimensional models. In order to concentrate on the chemistry, many Chemical Transport Models (CTM) are still run off-line, i.e. with precalculated and archived meteorology and radiation. In chemistry simulations, the archived values drive the model forward in time, without interacting with the chemical evolution. This is an approach that has been adopted in stratospheric chemistry modelling studies at the Finnish Meteorological Institute. In collaboration with the University of Oslo, a development project was initiated in 1993 to prepare a stratospheric chemistry parameterisation, fit for global 3-dimensional modelling. This article presents the parameterisation approach. Selected results are shown from basic photochemical simulations

  19. Thai students' mental model of chemical bonding

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarawan, Supawadee; Yuenyong, Chokchai

    2018-01-01

    This Research was finding the viewing about concept of chemical bonding is fundamental to subsequent learning of various other topics related to this concept in chemistry. Any conceptions about atomic structures that students have will be shown their further learning. The purpose of this study is to interviews conceptions held by high school chemistry students about metallic bonding and to reveal mental model of atomic structures show according to the educational level. With this aim, the questionnaire prepared making use of the literature and administered for analysis about mental model of chemical bonding. It was determined from the analysis of answers of questionnaire the 10th grade, 11th grade and 12th grade students. Finally, each was shown prompts in the form of focus cards derived from curriculum material that showed ways in which the bonding in specific metallic substances had been depicted. Students' responses revealed that learners across all three levels prefer simple, realistic mental models for metallic bonding and reveal to chemical bonding.

  20. Characterization of chemical contaminants generated by a desktop fused deposition modeling 3-dimensional Printer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stefaniak, Aleksandr B; LeBouf, Ryan F; Yi, Jinghai; Ham, Jason; Nurkewicz, Timothy; Schwegler-Berry, Diane E; Chen, Bean T; Wells, J Raymond; Duling, Matthew G; Lawrence, Robert B; Martin, Stephen B; Johnson, Alyson R; Virji, M Abbas

    2017-07-01

    Printing devices are known to emit chemicals into the indoor atmosphere. Understanding factors that influence release of chemical contaminants from printers is necessary to develop effective exposure assessment and control strategies. In this study, a desktop fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3-dimensional (3-D) printer using acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) or polylactic acid (PLA) filaments and two monochrome laser printers were evaluated in a 0.5 m 3 chamber. During printing, chamber air was monitored for vapors using a real-time photoionization detector (results expressed as isobutylene equivalents) to measure total volatile organic compound (TVOC) concentrations, evacuated canisters to identify specific VOCs by off-line gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis, and liquid bubblers to identify carbonyl compounds by GC-MS. Airborne particles were collected on filters for off-line analysis using scanning electron microscopy with an energy dispersive x-ray detector to identify elemental constituents. For 3-D printing, TVOC emission rates were influenced by a printer malfunction, filament type, and to a lesser extent, by filament color; however, rates were not influenced by the number of printer nozzles used or the manufacturer's provided cover. TVOC emission rates were significantly lower for the 3-D printer (49-3552 µg h -1 ) compared to the laser printers (5782-7735 µg h -1 ). A total of 14 VOCs were identified during 3-D printing that were not present during laser printing. 3-D printed objects continued to off-gas styrene, indicating potential for continued exposure after the print job is completed. Carbonyl reaction products were likely formed from emissions of the 3-D printer, including 4-oxopentanal. Ultrafine particles generated by the 3-D printer using ABS and a laser printer contained chromium. Consideration of the factors that influenced the release of chemical contaminants (including known and suspected asthmagens such as styrene and

  1. The importance of variables and parameters in radiolytic chemical kinetics modeling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Piepho, M.G.; Turner, P.J.; Reimus, P.W.

    1989-01-01

    Many of the pertinent radiochemical reactions are not completely understood, and most of the associated rate constants are poorly characterized. To help identify the important radiochemical reactions, rate constants, species, and environmental conditions, an importance theory code, SWATS (Sensitivitiy With Adjoint Theory-Sparse version)-LOOPCHEM, has been developed for the radiolytic chemical kinetics model in the radiolysis code LOOPCHEM. The LOOPCHEM code calculates the concentrations of various species in a radiolytic field over time. The SWATS-LOOPCHEM code efficiently calculates: the importance (relative to a defined response of interest) of each species concentration over time, the sensitivity of each parameter of interest, and the importance of each equation in the radiolysis model. The calculated results will be used to guide future experimental and modeling work for determining the importance of radiolysis on waste package performance. A demonstration (the importance of selected concentrations and the sensitivities of selected parameters) of the SWATS-LOOPCHEM code is provided for illustrative purposes

  2. Chemical and biomechanical characterization of hyperhomocysteinemic bone disease in an animal model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Howell David S

    2003-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Classical homocystinuria is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by cystathionine β-synthase (CBS deficiency and characterized by distinctive alterations of bone growth and skeletal development. Skeletal changes include a reduction in bone density, making it a potentially attractive model for the study of idiopathic osteoporosis. Methods To investigate this aspect of hyperhomocysteinemia, we supplemented developing chicks (n = 8 with 0.6% dl-homocysteine (hCySH for the first 8 weeks of life in comparison to controls (n = 10, and studied biochemical, biomechanical and morphologic effects of this nutritional intervention. Results hCySH-fed animals grew faster and had longer tibiae at the end of the study. Plasma levels of hCySH, methionine, cystathionine, and inorganic sulfate were higher, but calcium, phosphate, and other indices of osteoblast metabolism were not different. Radiographs of the lower limbs showed generalized osteopenia and accelerated epiphyseal ossification with distinct metaphyseal and suprametaphyseal lucencies similar to those found in human homocystinurics. Although biomechanical testing of the tibiae, including maximal load to failure and bone stiffness, indicated stronger bone, strength was proportional to the increased length and cortical thickness in the hCySH-supplemented group. Bone ash weights and IR-spectroscopy of cortical bone showed no difference in mineral content, but there were higher Ca2+/PO43- and lower Ca2+/CO32- molar ratios than in controls. Mineral crystallization was unchanged. Conclusion In this chick model, hyperhomocysteinemia causes greater radial and longitudinal bone growth, despite normal indices of bone formation. Although there is also evidence for an abnormal matrix and altered bone composition, our finding of normal biomechanical bone strength, once corrected for altered morphometry, suggests that any increase in the risk of long bone fracture in human hyperhomocysteinemic

  3. Microstructural, chemical and textural characterization of ZnO nanorods synthesized by aerosol assisted chemical vapor deposition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sáenz-Trevizo, A.; Amézaga-Madrid, P.; Fuentes-Cobas, L.; Pizá-Ruiz, P.; Antúnez-Flores, W.; Ornelas-Gutiérrez, C. [Centro de Investigación en Materiales Avanzados, S.C., Chihuahua, Chihuahua 31109 (Mexico); Pérez-García, S.A. [Centro de Investigación en Materiales Avanzados, S.C., Unidad Monterrey, Apodaca, Nuevo León 66600 (Mexico); Miki-Yoshida, M., E-mail: mario.miki@cimav.edu.mx [Centro de Investigación en Materiales Avanzados, S.C., Chihuahua, Chihuahua 31109 (Mexico)

    2014-12-15

    ZnO nanorods were synthesized by aerosol assisted chemical vapor deposition onto TiO{sub 2} covered borosilicate glass substrates. Deposition parameters were optimized and kept constant. Solely the effect of different nozzle velocities on the growth of ZnO nanorods was evaluated in order to develop a dense and uniform structure. The crystalline structure was characterized by conventional X-ray diffraction in grazing incidence and Bragg–Brentano configurations. In addition, two-dimensional grazing incidence synchrotron radiation diffraction was employed to determine the preferred growth direction of the nanorods. Morphology and growth characteristics analyzed by electron microscopy were correlated with diffraction outcomes. Chemical composition was established by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction results and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed the presence of wurtzite ZnO and anatase TiO{sub 2} phases. Morphological changes noticed when the deposition velocity was lowered to the minimum, indicated the formation of relatively vertically oriented nanorods evenly distributed onto the TiO{sub 2} buffer film. By coupling two-dimensional X-ray diffraction and computational modeling with ANAELU it was proved that a successful texture determination was achieved and confirmed by scanning electron microscopy analysis. Texture analysis led to the conclusion of a preferred growth direction in [001] having a distribution width Ω = 20° ± 2°. - Highlights: • Uniform and pure single-crystal ZnO nanorods were obtained by AACVD technique. • Longitudinal and transversal axis parallel to the [001] and [110] directions, respectively. • Texture was determined by 2D synchrotron diffraction and electron microscopy analysis. • Nanorods have its [001] direction distributed close to the normal of the substrate. • Angular spread about the preferred orientation is 20° ± 2°.

  4. Fluorine in the solar neighborhood: Chemical evolution models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spitoni, E.; Matteucci, F.; Jönsson, H.; Ryde, N.; Romano, D.

    2018-04-01

    Context. In light of new observational data related to fluorine abundances in solar neighborhood stars, we present chemical evolution models testing various fluorine nucleosynthesis prescriptions with the aim to best fit those new data. Aim. We consider chemical evolution models in the solar neighborhood testing various nucleosynthesis prescriptions for fluorine production with the aim of reproducing the observed abundance ratios [F/O] versus [O/H] and [F/Fe] versus [Fe/H]. We study in detail the effects of various stellar yields on fluorine production. Methods: We adopted two chemical evolution models: the classical two-infall model, which follows the chemical evolution of halo-thick disk and thin disk phases; and the one-infall model, which is designed only for thin disk evolution. We tested the effects on the predicted fluorine abundance ratios of various nucleosynthesis yield sources, that is, asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, Wolf-Rayet (W-R) stars, Type II and Type Ia supernovae, and novae. Results: The fluorine production is dominated by AGB stars but the W-R stars are required to reproduce the trend of the observed data in the solar neighborhood with our chemical evolution models. In particular, the best model both for the two-infall and one-infall cases requires an increase by a factor of 2 of the W-R yields. We also show that the novae, even if their yields are still uncertain, could help to better reproduce the secondary behavior of F in the [F/O] versus [O/H] relation. Conclusions: The inclusion of the fluorine production by W-R stars seems to be essential to reproduce the new observed ratio [F/O] versus [O/H] in the solar neighborhood. Moreover, the inclusion of novae helps to reproduce the observed fluorine secondary behavior substantially.

  5. Thermal-Chemical Model Of Subduction: Results And Tests

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gorczyk, W.; Gerya, T. V.; Connolly, J. A.; Yuen, D. A.; Rudolph, M.

    2005-12-01

    Seismic structures with strong positive and negative velocity anomalies in the mantle wedge above subduction zones have been interpreted as thermally and/or chemically induced phenomena. We have developed a thermal-chemical model of subduction, which constrains the dynamics of seismic velocity structure beneath volcanic arcs. Our simulations have been calculated over a finite-difference grid with (201×101) to (201×401) regularly spaced Eulerian points, using 0.5 million to 10 billion markers. The model couples numerical thermo-mechanical solution with Gibbs energy minimization to investigate the dynamic behavior of partially molten upwellings from slabs (cold plumes) and structures associated with their development. The model demonstrates two chemically distinct types of plumes (mixed and unmixed), and various rigid body rotation phenomena in the wedge (subduction wheel, fore-arc spin, wedge pin-ball). These thermal-chemical features strongly perturb seismic structure. Their occurrence is dependent on the age of subducting slab and the rate of subduction.The model has been validated through a series of test cases and its results are consistent with a variety of geological and geophysical data. In contrast to models that attribute a purely thermal origin for mantle wedge seismic anomalies, the thermal-chemical model is able to simulate the strong variations of seismic velocity existing beneath volcanic arcs which are associated with development of cold plumes. In particular, molten regions that form beneath volcanic arcs as a consequence of vigorous cold wet plumes are manifest by > 20% variations in the local Poisson ratio, as compared to variations of ~ 2% expected as a consequence of temperature variation within the mantle wedge.

  6. Chemical synthesis, characterization and evaluation of antimicrobial properties of Cu and its oxide nanoparticles

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Motlatle, Abesach M

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available of Nanoparticle Research, vol. 18: DOI: 10.1007/s11051-016-3614-8 Chemical synthesis, characterization and evaluation of antimicrobial properties of Cu and its oxide nanoparticles Motlatle AM Kesevan Pillai S Scriba MR Ray SS ABSTRACT: Cu...

  7. Progress in Chemical Kinetic Modeling for Surrogate Fuels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pitz, W J; Westbrook, C K; Herbinet, O; Silke, E J

    2008-06-06

    Gasoline, diesel, and other alternative transportation fuels contain hundreds to thousands of compounds. It is currently not possible to represent all these compounds in detailed chemical kinetic models. Instead, these fuels are represented by surrogate fuel models which contain a limited number of representative compounds. We have been extending the list of compounds for detailed chemical models that are available for use in fuel surrogate models. Detailed models for components with larger and more complicated fuel molecular structures are now available. These advancements are allowing a more accurate representation of practical and alternative fuels. We have developed detailed chemical kinetic models for fuels with higher molecular weight fuel molecules such as n-hexadecane (C16). Also, we can consider more complicated fuel molecular structures like cyclic alkanes and aromatics that are found in practical fuels. For alternative fuels, the capability to model large biodiesel fuels that have ester structures is becoming available. These newly addressed cyclic and ester structures in fuels profoundly affect the reaction rate of the fuel predicted by the model. Finally, these surrogate fuel models contain large numbers of species and reactions and must be reduced for use in multi-dimensional models for spark-ignition, HCCI and diesel engines.

  8. Hybrid models for chemical reaction networks: Multiscale theory and application to gene regulatory systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winkelmann, Stefanie; Schütte, Christof

    2017-09-01

    Well-mixed stochastic chemical kinetics are properly modeled by the chemical master equation (CME) and associated Markov jump processes in molecule number space. If the reactants are present in large amounts, however, corresponding simulations of the stochastic dynamics become computationally expensive and model reductions are demanded. The classical model reduction approach uniformly rescales the overall dynamics to obtain deterministic systems characterized by ordinary differential equations, the well-known mass action reaction rate equations. For systems with multiple scales, there exist hybrid approaches that keep parts of the system discrete while another part is approximated either using Langevin dynamics or deterministically. This paper aims at giving a coherent overview of the different hybrid approaches, focusing on their basic concepts and the relation between them. We derive a novel general description of such hybrid models that allows expressing various forms by one type of equation. We also check in how far the approaches apply to model extensions of the CME for dynamics which do not comply with the central well-mixed condition and require some spatial resolution. A simple but meaningful gene expression system with negative self-regulation is analysed to illustrate the different approximation qualities of some of the hybrid approaches discussed. Especially, we reveal the cause of error in the case of small volume approximations.

  9. Hybrid models for chemical reaction networks: Multiscale theory and application to gene regulatory systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winkelmann, Stefanie; Schütte, Christof

    2017-09-21

    Well-mixed stochastic chemical kinetics are properly modeled by the chemical master equation (CME) and associated Markov jump processes in molecule number space. If the reactants are present in large amounts, however, corresponding simulations of the stochastic dynamics become computationally expensive and model reductions are demanded. The classical model reduction approach uniformly rescales the overall dynamics to obtain deterministic systems characterized by ordinary differential equations, the well-known mass action reaction rate equations. For systems with multiple scales, there exist hybrid approaches that keep parts of the system discrete while another part is approximated either using Langevin dynamics or deterministically. This paper aims at giving a coherent overview of the different hybrid approaches, focusing on their basic concepts and the relation between them. We derive a novel general description of such hybrid models that allows expressing various forms by one type of equation. We also check in how far the approaches apply to model extensions of the CME for dynamics which do not comply with the central well-mixed condition and require some spatial resolution. A simple but meaningful gene expression system with negative self-regulation is analysed to illustrate the different approximation qualities of some of the hybrid approaches discussed. Especially, we reveal the cause of error in the case of small volume approximations.

  10. Chemical characterization of materials by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deb, S.B.; Nagar, B.K.; Saxena, M.K.; Ramakumar, K.L.

    2009-11-01

    An Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer was procured for trace elemental determination in diverse samples. Since its installation a number of analytical measurements have been carried out on different sample matrices. These include chemical quality control measurements of nuclear fuel and other materials such as uranium metal. Uranium peroxide, ADU, ThO 2 , UO 2 ; isotopic composition of B, Li; chemical characterization of simulated ThO 2 + 2%UO 2 fuel; sodium zirconium phosphate and trace metallic elements in zirconium; Antarctica rock samples and wet phosphoric acid. Necessary separation methodologies required for effective removal of matrix were indigenously developed. In addition, a rigorous analytical protocol, which includes various calibration methodologies such as mass calibration, response calibration, detector cross calibration and linearity check over the entire dynamic range of 109 required for quantitative determination of elements at trace and ultra trace level,, has been standardized. This report summarizes efforts of RACD that have been put in this direction for the application of ICP-MS for analytical measurements. (author)

  11. Characterization of Olive Oil by Ultrasonic and Physico-chemical Methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alouache, B.; Khechena, F. K.; Lecheb, F.; Boutkedjirt, T.

    Olive oil excels by its nutritional and medicinal benefits. It can be consumed without any treatment. However, its quality can be altered by inadequate storage conditions or if it is mixed with other kinds of oils. The objective of this work is to demonstrate the ability of ultrasonic methods to characterize and control olive oil quality. By using of a transducer of 2.25 MHz nominal frequency, in pulse echo mode, ultrasonic parameters, such as propagation velocity and attenuation,have been measured for pure olive oil and for its mixtures with sunflower oil at different proportions. Mechanical properties, such as density and viscosity, have also been determined. The results of ultrasonic measurements are consistent with those obtained by physico-chemical methods, such as rancidity degree, acid index, UV specific extinction coefficient and viscosity. They show that the ultrasonic method allows to distinguish between mixtures at different proportions. The study allows concluding that ultrasound techniques can be considered as a useful complement to existing physico-chemical analysis techniques.

  12. Cumulus parameterizations in chemical transport models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahowald, Natalie M.; Rasch, Philip J.; Prinn, Ronald G.

    1995-12-01

    Global three-dimensional chemical transport models (CTMs) are valuable tools for studying processes controlling the distribution of trace constituents in the atmosphere. A major uncertainty in these models is the subgrid-scale parametrization of transport by cumulus convection. This study seeks to define the range of behavior of moist convective schemes and point toward more reliable formulations for inclusion in chemical transport models. The emphasis is on deriving convective transport from meteorological data sets (such as those from the forecast centers) which do not routinely include convective mass fluxes. Seven moist convective parameterizations are compared in a column model to examine the sensitivity of the vertical profile of trace gases to the parameterization used in a global chemical transport model. The moist convective schemes examined are the Emanuel scheme [Emanuel, 1991], the Feichter-Crutzen scheme [Feichter and Crutzen, 1990], the inverse thermodynamic scheme (described in this paper), two versions of a scheme suggested by Hack [Hack, 1994], and two versions of a scheme suggested by Tiedtke (one following the formulation used in the ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting) and ECHAM3 (European Centre and Hamburg Max-Planck-Institut) models [Tiedtke, 1989], and one formulated as in the TM2 (Transport Model-2) model (M. Heimann, personal communication, 1992). These convective schemes vary in the closure used to derive the mass fluxes, as well as the cloud model formulation, giving a broad range of results. In addition, two boundary layer schemes are compared: a state-of-the-art nonlocal boundary layer scheme [Holtslag and Boville, 1993] and a simple adiabatic mixing scheme described in this paper. Three tests are used to compare the moist convective schemes against observations. Although the tests conducted here cannot conclusively show that one parameterization is better than the others, the tests are a good measure of the

  13. Chemical and mineralogical characterization of silicon manganese iron slag as railway ballast

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oliveira, Ralph Werner Heringer; Barreto, Rairane Aparecida, E-mail: ralph@em.ufop.br, E-mail: rairanebarreto@hotmail.com [Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (UFOP), MG (Brazil); Fernandes, Gilberto, E-mail: gilberto@unicerp.edu.br [Centro Universitário do Cerrado Patrocínio (UNICERP), Patrocínio, MG (Brazil); Sousa, Fabiano Carvalho, E-mail: fabiano.carvalho.sousa@vale.com [Vale, Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil)

    2017-10-15

    In nature, metal ores such as iron, lead, aluminum and others are found in an impure state, sometimes oxidized and mixed with silicates of other metals. During casting, when the ore is exposed to high temperatures, these impurities are separated from the molten metal and can be removed. The mass formed by these compounds is slag. Slag is the co-product of the smelting of ore to purify metals. It may be considered a mixture of metal oxides, but may also contain metal sulphites and metal atoms in their elemental form. After it is reprocessed to separate the metals contained, the co-products of this process can be used in cement, rail ballast, road paving and various other purposes. The objective of this research work is the presentation of the chemical and mineralogical characterization tests of the silicon-manganese iron slag with the purpose of reusing the coproduct as rail ballast. X-ray diffraction tests, quantitative chemical analyzes, scanning electron microscopy and free lime content were prepared for these characterizations. The results of these tests showed the technical feasibility of using slag as rail ballast. (author)

  14. Chemical and mineralogical characterization of silicon manganese iron slag as railway ballast

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oliveira, Ralph Werner Heringer; Barreto, Rairane Aparecida; Fernandes, Gilberto; Sousa, Fabiano Carvalho

    2017-01-01

    In nature, metal ores such as iron, lead, aluminum and others are found in an impure state, sometimes oxidized and mixed with silicates of other metals. During casting, when the ore is exposed to high temperatures, these impurities are separated from the molten metal and can be removed. The mass formed by these compounds is slag. Slag is the co-product of the smelting of ore to purify metals. It may be considered a mixture of metal oxides, but may also contain metal sulphites and metal atoms in their elemental form. After it is reprocessed to separate the metals contained, the co-products of this process can be used in cement, rail ballast, road paving and various other purposes. The objective of this research work is the presentation of the chemical and mineralogical characterization tests of the silicon-manganese iron slag with the purpose of reusing the coproduct as rail ballast. X-ray diffraction tests, quantitative chemical analyzes, scanning electron microscopy and free lime content were prepared for these characterizations. The results of these tests showed the technical feasibility of using slag as rail ballast. (author)

  15. Unicorns in the world of chemical bonding models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frenking, Gernot; Krapp, Andreas

    2007-01-15

    The appearance and the significance of heuristically developed bonding models are compared with the phenomenon of unicorns in mythical saga. It is argued that classical bonding models played an essential role for the development of the chemical science providing the language which is spoken in the territory of chemistry. The advent and the further development of quantum chemistry demands some restrictions and boundary conditions for classical chemical bonding models, which will continue to be integral parts of chemistry. Copyright (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  16. Chemically Functionalized Arrays Comprising Micro and Nano-Etro-Mechanizal Systems for Reliable and Selective Characterization of Tank Waste

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sepaniak, Michael J.

    2008-01-01

    Innovative technology of sensory and selective chemical monitoring of hazardous wastes present in storage tanks are of continued importance to the environment. This multifaceted research program exploits the unique characteristics of micro and nano-fabricated cantilever-based, micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMES) and nano-electro-mechanical systems (NEMS) in chemical sensing. Significant progress was made in tasks that were listed in the work plan for DOE EMSP project 'Hybrid Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems for Highly Reliable and Selective Characterization of Tank Waste'. These tasks are listed below in modified form followed by the report on progress. (1) Deposit chemically selective phases on model MEMS devices with nanostructured surface layers to identify optimal technological approaches. (2) Monitor mechanical (deflection) and optical (SERS) responses of the created MEMS to organic and inorganic species in aqueous environments. (3) Explore and compare different approaches to immobilization of selective phases on the thermal detectors. (4) Demonstrate improvements in selectivity and sensitivity to model pollutants due to implemented technologies of nanostructuring and multi-mode read-out. (5) Demonstrate detection of different analytes on a single hybrid MEMS (6) Implement the use of differential pairs of cantilever sensors (coated and reference) with the associated detector electronics which is expected to have an enhanced sensitivity with a low-noise low-drift response. (7) Development of methods to create differential arrays and test effectiveness at creating distinctive differential responses.

  17. Development and characterization of an exposure platform suitable for physico-chemical, morphological and toxicological characterization of printer-emitted particles (PEPs).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pirela, Sandra V; Pyrgiotakis, Georgios; Bello, Dhimiter; Thomas, Treye; Castranova, Vincent; Demokritou, Philip

    2014-06-01

    An association between laser printer use and emissions of particulate matter (PM), ozone and volatile organic compounds has been reported in recent studies. However, the detailed physico-chemical, morphological and toxicological characterization of these printer-emitted particles (PEPs) and possible incorporation of engineered nanomaterials into toner formulations remain largely unknown. In this study, a printer exposure generation system suitable for the physico-chemical, morphological, and toxicological characterization of PEPs was developed and used to assess the properties of PEPs from the use of commercially available laser printers. The system consists of a glovebox type environmental chamber for uninterrupted printer operation, real-time and time-integrated particle sampling instrumentation for the size fractionation and sampling of PEPs and an exposure chamber for inhalation toxicological studies. Eleven commonly used laser printers were evaluated and ranked based on their PM emission profiles. Results show PM peak emissions are brand independent and varied between 3000 to 1 300 000 particles/cm³, with modal diameters ranging from 49 to 208 nm, with the majority of PEPs in the nanoscale (printer toner) raises questions about health implications to users. The presented PEGS platform will help in assessing the toxicological profile of PEPs and the link to the physico-chemical and morphological properties of emitted PM and toner formulations.

  18. Predicting carcinogenicity of diverse chemicals using probabilistic neural network modeling approaches

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Singh, Kunwar P., E-mail: kpsingh_52@yahoo.com [Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi (India); Environmental Chemistry Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Post Box 80, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Lucknow 226 001 (India); Gupta, Shikha; Rai, Premanjali [Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi (India); Environmental Chemistry Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Post Box 80, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Lucknow 226 001 (India)

    2013-10-15

    Robust global models capable of discriminating positive and non-positive carcinogens; and predicting carcinogenic potency of chemicals in rodents were developed. The dataset of 834 structurally diverse chemicals extracted from Carcinogenic Potency Database (CPDB) was used which contained 466 positive and 368 non-positive carcinogens. Twelve non-quantum mechanical molecular descriptors were derived. Structural diversity of the chemicals and nonlinearity in the data were evaluated using Tanimoto similarity index and Brock–Dechert–Scheinkman statistics. Probabilistic neural network (PNN) and generalized regression neural network (GRNN) models were constructed for classification and function optimization problems using the carcinogenicity end point in rat. Validation of the models was performed using the internal and external procedures employing a wide series of statistical checks. PNN constructed using five descriptors rendered classification accuracy of 92.09% in complete rat data. The PNN model rendered classification accuracies of 91.77%, 80.70% and 92.08% in mouse, hamster and pesticide data, respectively. The GRNN constructed with nine descriptors yielded correlation coefficient of 0.896 between the measured and predicted carcinogenic potency with mean squared error (MSE) of 0.44 in complete rat data. The rat carcinogenicity model (GRNN) applied to the mouse and hamster data yielded correlation coefficient and MSE of 0.758, 0.71 and 0.760, 0.46, respectively. The results suggest for wide applicability of the inter-species models in predicting carcinogenic potency of chemicals. Both the PNN and GRNN (inter-species) models constructed here can be useful tools in predicting the carcinogenicity of new chemicals for regulatory purposes. - Graphical abstract: Figure (a) shows classification accuracies (positive and non-positive carcinogens) in rat, mouse, hamster, and pesticide data yielded by optimal PNN model. Figure (b) shows generalization and predictive

  19. Integrating mechanistic and polymorphism data to characterize human genetic susceptibility for environmental chemical risk assessment in the 21st century

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mortensen, Holly M.; Euling, Susan Y.

    2013-01-01

    Response to environmental chemicals can vary widely among individuals and between population groups. In human health risk assessment, data on susceptibility can be utilized by deriving risk levels based on a study of a susceptible population and/or an uncertainty factor may be applied to account for the lack of information about susceptibility. Defining genetic susceptibility in response to environmental chemicals across human populations is an area of interest in the NAS' new paradigm of toxicity pathway-based risk assessment. Data from high-throughput/high content (HT/HC), including -omics (e.g., genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics) technologies, have been integral to the identification and characterization of drug target and disease loci, and have been successfully utilized to inform the mechanism of action for numerous environmental chemicals. Large-scale population genotyping studies may help to characterize levels of variability across human populations at identified target loci implicated in response to environmental chemicals. By combining mechanistic data for a given environmental chemical with next generation sequencing data that provides human population variation information, one can begin to characterize differential susceptibility due to genetic variability to environmental chemicals within and across genetically heterogeneous human populations. The integration of such data sources will be informative to human health risk assessment

  20. Physico-chemical and biological characterization of urban municipal landfill leachate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naveen, B P; Mahapatra, Durga Madhab; Sitharam, T G; Sivapullaiah, P V; Ramachandra, T V

    2017-01-01

    Unscientific management and ad-hoc approaches in municipal solid waste management have led to a generation of voluminous leachate in urban conglomerates. Quantification, quality assessment, following treatment and management of leachate has become a serious problem worldwide. In this context, the present study investigates the physico-chemical and biological characterization of landfill leachate and nearby water sources and attempts to identify relationships between the key parameters together with understanding the various processes for chemical transformations. The analysis shows an intermediate leachate age (5-10 years) with higher nutrient levels of 10,000-12,000 mg/l and ∼2000-3000 mg/l of carbon (COD) and nitrogen (TKN) respectively. Elemental analysis and underlying mechanisms reveal chemical precipitation and co-precipitation as the vital processes in leachate pond systems resulting in accumulation of trace metals. Based on the above criteria the samples were clustered into major groups that showed a clear distinction between leachate and water bodies. The microbial analysis showed bacterial communities correlating with specific factors relevant to redox environments indicating a gradient in nature and abundance of biotic diversity with a change in leachate environment. Finally, the quality and the contamination potential of the samples were evaluated with the help of leachate pollution index (LPI) and water quality index (WQI) analysis. The study helps in understanding the contamination potential of landfill leachate and establishes linkages between microbial communities and physico-chemical parameters for effective management of landfill leachate. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Exploring the role of quantum chemical descriptors in modeling acute toxicity of diverse chemicals to Daphnia magna.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reenu; Vikas

    2015-09-01

    Various quantum-mechanically computed molecular and thermodynamic descriptors along with physico-chemical, electrostatic and topological descriptors are compared while developing quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs) for the acute toxicity of 252 diverse organic chemicals towards Daphnia magna. QSAR models based on the quantum-chemical descriptors, computed with routinely employed advanced semi-empirical and ab-initio methods, along with the electron-correlation contribution (CORR) of the descriptors, are analyzed for the external predictivity of the acute toxicity. The models with reliable internal stability and external predictivity are found to be based on the HOMO energy along with the physico-chemical, electrostatic and topological descriptors. Besides this, the total energy and electron-correlation energy are also observed as highly reliable descriptors, suggesting that the intra-molecular interactions between the electrons play an important role in the origin of the acute toxicity, which is in fact an unexplored phenomenon. The models based on quantum-chemical descriptors such as chemical hardness, absolute electronegativity, standard Gibbs free energy and enthalpy are also observed to be reliable. A comparison of the robust models based on the quantum-chemical descriptors computed with various quantum-mechanical methods suggests that the advanced semi-empirical methods such as PM7 can be more reliable than the ab-initio methods which are computationally more expensive. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Nutritional profiling of Eurasian woodcock meat: chemical composition and myoglobin characterization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Landi, Nicola; Ragucci, Sara; Di Giuseppe, Antonella Ma; Russo, Rosita; Poerio, Elia; Severino, Valeria; Di Maro, Antimo

    2018-04-10

    Meat from birds is a rich source of proteins for the human diet. In this framework, Eurasian woodcock (Scolopax rusticola L.), a medium-small wading bird hunted as game in many Eurasian countries, is considered one of the best meats for culinary purposes. Since the nutritional composition of Eurasian woodcock meat has not yet been reported, we decided to determine the nutritional profile of S. rusticola meat. Macronutrient components (proteins, lipids and fatty acids) were determined, as well as free and total amino acids, and compared with those of the common pheasant. Eurasian woodcock meat contains high levels of proteins and essential amino acids. The levels of unsaturated fatty acids represent a great contribution to the total lipid amount. Among polyunsaturated fatty acids, linoleic acid (C18:2, n-6) is the major essential fatty acid. Finally, we report the characterization of myoglobin (Mb) from Eurasian woodcock. The data revealed that meat from this bird could be a good source of quality raw proteins because of its amino acid composition, and it had a low lipid content. On the other hand, Mb characterization might be of benefit to the meat industry, by providing useful information for the determination of species-specific differences in meat from birds. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

  3. Celtiberian ceramic productions from the Central Iberian range (Spain): Chemical and petrographic characterization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Igea, J.; Perez-Arantegup, J.; Lapuente, P.; Saiz, M. E.; Burillo, F.

    2013-01-01

    As part of an extended program on archaeometric research of the Celtiberian production centres situated along the Central Iberian Range, ceramic fragments of different vessel types from two selected Celtiberian workshops were analyzed: La Rodriga (Guadalajara, Spain) and Allueva II (Teruel, Spain), dated from the 3nd to the 2st centuries BC. The characterization was focused on the chemical analysis by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry, and subjected to commonlyused multivariate statistical methods to distinguish between ceramic materials and to discriminate among different compositional groups in each production centre. The analysis was completed by performing petrographic characterization, textural observations, colour measurement and mineralogical analysis of the pieces by means of XRD. The compositional variations from major, minor and trace elements allowed to establish two subgroups in La Rodriga and one ceramic group in Allueva II. The chemical composition differences were confirmed by the petrographic characteristics and the mineralogical composition of the ceramic fabrics. These results enabled us to complete the preliminary archaeometric study in order to improve the knowledge on cultural and commercial influences in this important Celtiberian territory. (Author) 22 refs.

  4. Sensitivity-based research prioritization through stochastic characterization modeling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wender, Ben A.; Prado-Lopez, Valentina; Fantke, Peter

    2018-01-01

    to guide research efforts in data refinement and design of experiments for existing and emerging chemicals alike. This study presents a sensitivity-based approach for estimating toxicity characterization factors given high input data uncertainty and using the results to prioritize data collection according...

  5. Nanoscale fabrication and characterization of chemically modified silicon surfaces using conductive atomic force microscopy in liquids

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kinser, Christopher Reagan

    This dissertation examines the modification and characterization of hydrogen-terminated silicon surfaces in organic liquids. Conductive atomic force microscope (cAFM) lithography is used to fabricate structures with sub-100 nm line width on H:Si(111) in n-alkanes, 1-alkenes, and 1-alkanes. Nanopatterning is accomplished by applying a positive (n-alkanes and 1-alkenes) or a negative (1-alkanes) voltage pulse to the silicon substrate with the cAFM tip connected to ground. The chemical and kinetic behavior of the patterned features is characterized using AFM, lateral force microscopy, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (TOF SIMS), and chemical etching. Features patterned in hexadecane, 1-octadecene, and undecylenic acid methyl ester exhibited chemical and kinetic behavior consistent with AFM field induced oxidation. The oxide features are formed due to capillary condensation of a water meniscus at the AFM tip-sample junction. A space-charge limited growth model is proposed to explain the observed growth kinetics. Surface modifications produced in the presence of neat 1-dodecyne and 1-octadecyne exhibited a reduced lateral force compared to the background H:Si(111) substrate and were resistant to a hydrofluoric acid etch, characteristics which indicate that the patterned features are not due to field induced oxidation and which are consistent with the presence of the methyl-terminated 1-alkyne bound directly to the silicon surface through silicon-carbon bonds. In addition to the cAFM patterned surfaces, full monolayers of undecylenic acid methyl ester (SAM-1) and undec-10-enoic acid 2-bromoethyl ester (SAM-2) were grown on H:Si(111) substrates using ultraviolet light. The structure and chemistry of the monolayers were characterized using AFM, TOF SIMS, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray reflectivity (XRR), X-ray standing waves (XSW), and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). These combined analyses provide evidence that SAM-1 and SAM-2 form dense monolayers

  6. Use of comparative genomics approaches to characterize interspecies differences in response to environmental chemicals: Challenges, opportunities, and research needs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burgess-Herbert, Sarah L.; Euling, Susan Y.

    2013-01-01

    A critical challenge for environmental chemical risk assessment is the characterization and reduction of uncertainties introduced when extrapolating inferences from one species to another. The purpose of this article is to explore the challenges, opportunities, and research needs surrounding the issue of how genomics data and computational and systems level approaches can be applied to inform differences in response to environmental chemical exposure across species. We propose that the data, tools, and evolutionary framework of comparative genomics be adapted to inform interspecies differences in chemical mechanisms of action. We compare and contrast existing approaches, from disciplines as varied as evolutionary biology, systems biology, mathematics, and computer science, that can be used, modified, and combined in new ways to discover and characterize interspecies differences in chemical mechanism of action which, in turn, can be explored for application to risk assessment. We consider how genetic, protein, pathway, and network information can be interrogated from an evolutionary biology perspective to effectively characterize variations in biological processes of toxicological relevance among organisms. We conclude that comparative genomics approaches show promise for characterizing interspecies differences in mechanisms of action, and further, for improving our understanding of the uncertainties inherent in extrapolating inferences across species in both ecological and human health risk assessment. To achieve long-term relevance and consistent use in environmental chemical risk assessment, improved bioinformatics tools, computational methods robust to data gaps, and quantitative approaches for conducting extrapolations across species are critically needed. Specific areas ripe for research to address these needs are recommended

  7. Computer-Aided Construction of Chemical Kinetic Models

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Green, William H. [Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)

    2014-12-31

    The combustion chemistry of even simple fuels can be extremely complex, involving hundreds or thousands of kinetically significant species. The most reasonable way to deal with this complexity is to use a computer not only to numerically solve the kinetic model, but also to construct the kinetic model in the first place. Because these large models contain so many numerical parameters (e.g. rate coefficients, thermochemistry) one never has sufficient data to uniquely determine them all experimentally. Instead one must work in “predictive” mode, using theoretical rather than experimental values for many of the numbers in the model, and as appropriate refining the most sensitive numbers through experiments. Predictive chemical kinetics is exactly what is needed for computer-aided design of combustion systems based on proposed alternative fuels, particularly for early assessment of the value and viability of proposed new fuels before those fuels are commercially available. This project was aimed at making accurate predictive chemical kinetics practical; this is a challenging goal which requires a range of science advances. The project spanned a wide range from quantum chemical calculations on individual molecules and elementary-step reactions, through the development of improved rate/thermo calculation procedures, the creation of algorithms and software for constructing and solving kinetic simulations, the invention of methods for model-reduction while maintaining error control, and finally comparisons with experiment. Many of the parameters in the models were derived from quantum chemistry calculations, and the models were compared with experimental data measured in our lab or in collaboration with others.

  8. Characterizing the Asian Tropopause Aerosol Layer (ATAL) Using Satellite Observations, Balloon Measurements and a Chemical Transport Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fairlie, T. D.; Vernier, J.-P.; Liu, H.; Deshler, T.; Natarajan, M.; Bedka, K.; Wegner, T.; Baker, N.; Gadhavi, H.; Ratnam, M. V.; hide

    2016-01-01

    Satellite observations and numerical modeling studies have demonstrated that the Asian Summer Monsoon (ASM) provide a conduit for gas-phase pollutants in south Asia to reach the lower stratosphere. Now, observations from the CALIPSO satellite have revealed the Asian Tropopause Aerosol Layer (ATAL), a summertime accumulation of aerosols in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS), associated with the ASM anticyclone. The ATAL has potential implications for regional cloud properties, climate, and chemical processes in the UTLS. Here, we show in situ measurements from balloon-borne instruments, aircraft, and satellite observations, together with trajectory and chemical transport model (CTM) simulations to explore the origin, composition, physical, and optical properties of aerosols in the ATAL. In particular, we show balloon-data from our BATAL-2015 field campaign to India and Saudi Arabia in summer 2015, which includes in situ backscatter measurements from COBALD instruments, and the first observations of size and volatility of aerosols in the ATAL layer using optical particle counters (OPCs). Back trajectory calculations initialized from CALIPSO observations point to deep convection over North India as a principal source of ATAL aerosols. Available aircraft observations suggest significant sulfur and carbonaceous components to the ATAL, which is supported by simulations using the GEOS-Chem CTM. Source elimination studies conducted with the GEOS-Chem indicate that ATAL aerosols originate primary from south Asian sources, in contrast with some earlier studies.

  9. A coupled model between mechanical deformation and chemical diffusion: An explanation for the preservation of chemical zonation in plagioclase at high temperatures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhong, Xin; Vrijmoed, Johannes; Moulas, Evangelos; Tajcmanová, Lucie

    2016-04-01

    Compositional zoning in metamorphic minerals have been generally recognized as an important geological feature to decipher the metamorphic history of rocks. The observed chemical zoning of, e.g. garnet, is commonly interpreted as disequilibrium between the fractionated inner core and the surrounding matrix. However, chemically zoned minerals were also observed in high grade rocks (T>800 degree C) where the duration of metamorphic processes was independently dated to take several Ma. This implies that temperature may not be the only factor that controls diffusion timescales, and grain scale pressure variation was proposed to be a complementary factor that may significantly contribute to the formation and preservation of chemical zoning in high temperature metamorphic minerals [Tajcmanová 2013, 2015]. Here, a coupled model is developed to simulate viscous deformation and chemical diffusion. The numerical approach considers the conservation of mass, momentum, and a constitutive relation developed from equilibrium thermodynamics. A compressible viscoelastic rheology is applied, which associates the volumetric change triggered by deformation and diffusion to a change of pressure. The numerical model is applied to the chemically zoned plagioclase rim described by [Tajcmanová 2014]. The diffusion process operating during the plagioclase rim formation can lead to a development of a pressure gradient. Such a pressure gradient, if maintained during ongoing viscous relaxation, can lead to the preservation of the observed chemical zonation in minerals. An important dimensionless number, the Deborah number, is defined as the ratio between the Maxwell viscoelastic relaxation time and the characteristic diffusion time. It characterizes the relative influence between the maintenance of grain scale pressure variation and chemical diffusion. Two extreme regimes are shown: the mechanically-controlled regime (high Deborah number) and diffusion-controlled regime (low Deborah number

  10. Characterization for rbs of layers de grown cdznse for chemical deposition (cbd)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pedrero, E.; Larramendi, E.; Calzadilla, O.

    1999-01-01

    Depth and composition of CdZnSe thin films grown by Chemical Bath Deposition were characterized by Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry. Depth and the relative cuantitity of Se, both decrease when annealed in air. The films have a non-stoichiometric Cd:Zn:Se composition constant from the substrate to the surface , with vacancies of Se. After annealing all the films come up to a similar composition: Cd( Zn 0.2 )Se

  11. Chemical modeling of waste sludges

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weber, C.F.; Beahm, E.C.

    1996-10-01

    The processing of waste from underground storage tanks at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and other facilities will require an understanding of the chemical interactions of the waste with process chemicals. Two aspects of sludge treatment should be well delineated and predictable: (1) the distribution of chemical species between aqueous solutions and solids, and (2) potential problems due to chemical interactions that could result in process difficulties or safety concerns. It is likely that the treatment of waste tank sludge will begin with washing, followed by basic or acidic leaching. The dissolved materials will be in a solution that has a high ionic strength where activity coefficients are far from unity. Activity coefficients are needed in order to calculate solubilities. Several techniques are available for calculating these values, and each technique has its advantages and disadvantages. The techniques adopted and described here is the Pitzer method. Like any of the methods, prudent use of this approach requires that it be applied within concentration ranges where the experimental data were fit, and its use in large systems should be preceded by evaluating subsystems. While much attention must be given to the development of activity coefficients, other factors such as coprecipitation of species and Ostwald ripening must also be considered when one aims to interpret results of sludge tests or to predict results of treatment strategies. An understanding of sludge treatment processes begins with the sludge tests themselves and proceeds to a general interpretation with the aid of modeling. One could stop with only data from the sludge tests, in which case the table of data would become an implicit model. However, this would be a perilous approach in situations where processing difficulties could be costly or result in concerns for the environment or health and safety

  12. A review of operational, regional-scale, chemical weather forecasting models in Europe

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. Kukkonen

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Numerical models that combine weather forecasting and atmospheric chemistry are here referred to as chemical weather forecasting models. Eighteen operational chemical weather forecasting models on regional and continental scales in Europe are described and compared in this article. Topics discussed in this article include how weather forecasting and atmospheric chemistry models are integrated into chemical weather forecasting systems, how physical processes are incorporated into the models through parameterization schemes, how the model architecture affects the predicted variables, and how air chemistry and aerosol processes are formulated. In addition, we discuss sensitivity analysis and evaluation of the models, user operational requirements, such as model availability and documentation, and output availability and dissemination. In this manner, this article allows for the evaluation of the relative strengths and weaknesses of the various modelling systems and modelling approaches. Finally, this article highlights the most prominent gaps of knowledge for chemical weather forecasting models and suggests potential priorities for future research directions, for the following selected focus areas: emission inventories, the integration of numerical weather prediction and atmospheric chemical transport models, boundary conditions and nesting of models, data assimilation of the various chemical species, improved understanding and parameterization of physical processes, better evaluation of models against data and the construction of model ensembles.

  13. Multi-scenario modelling of uncertainty in stochastic chemical systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Evans, R. David; Ricardez-Sandoval, Luis A.

    2014-01-01

    Uncertainty analysis has not been well studied at the molecular scale, despite extensive knowledge of uncertainty in macroscale systems. The ability to predict the effect of uncertainty allows for robust control of small scale systems such as nanoreactors, surface reactions, and gene toggle switches. However, it is difficult to model uncertainty in such chemical systems as they are stochastic in nature, and require a large computational cost. To address this issue, a new model of uncertainty propagation in stochastic chemical systems, based on the Chemical Master Equation, is proposed in the present study. The uncertain solution is approximated by a composite state comprised of the averaged effect of samples from the uncertain parameter distributions. This model is then used to study the effect of uncertainty on an isomerization system and a two gene regulation network called a repressilator. The results of this model show that uncertainty in stochastic systems is dependent on both the uncertain distribution, and the system under investigation. -- Highlights: •A method to model uncertainty on stochastic systems was developed. •The method is based on the Chemical Master Equation. •Uncertainty in an isomerization reaction and a gene regulation network was modelled. •Effects were significant and dependent on the uncertain input and reaction system. •The model was computationally more efficient than Kinetic Monte Carlo

  14. Experimental characterization and modelling of the alteration of fractured cement under CO2 storage conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abdoulghafour, Halidi

    2012-01-01

    The main purpose of this thesis was to characterize and to model the hydrodynamic and thermochemical processes leading to the alteration of the wellbore cement materials under borehole conditions. Percolation experiments were performed on fractured cement samples under CO 2 storage conditions (60 C and 10 MPa). Injection flow rate was dictated by the fracture aperture of each sample. CO 2 enriched brine was flowed along the fracture aperture, and permeability changes as well as chemical evolution of major cations were continuously acquired during the experiment time. Reaction paths developed by the alteration of the cement were characterized using microtomography and ESEM images. The experiments conducted using samples presenting large fracture apertures during 5 h showed that permeability was maintained constant during the experiment time. Three reacted layers were displaying by the alteration of portlandite and CSH. Long term experiment (26 h) conducted with large initial fracture aperture showed a decrease of the permeability after 15 hours of CO 2 exposure. Otherwise, experiments performed on samples presenting narrow apertures indicated the conversion of portlandite and CSH to calcite leading to the permeability reduction and the fracture clogging. Assemblages of phases and chemical changes were modelled using GEMS-PSI speciation code. We studied also using a coupled transport-reactive model the conditions leading to the cement alteration and the formation of associated layers. (author)

  15. Chemical kinetics and combustion modeling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Miller, J.A. [Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, CA (United States)

    1993-12-01

    The goal of this program is to gain qualitative insight into how pollutants are formed in combustion systems and to develop quantitative mathematical models to predict their formation rates. The approach is an integrated one, combining low-pressure flame experiments, chemical kinetics modeling, theory, and kinetics experiments to gain as clear a picture as possible of the process in question. These efforts are focused on problems involved with the nitrogen chemistry of combustion systems and on the formation of soot and PAH in flames.

  16. Characterization of chemical composition, surface area pore, and thermal properties of zeolites from Bayah, Tasikmalaya, and Lampung

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ginting, Aslina Br.; Dian Anggraini; Sutri Indaryati; Rosika Kriswarini

    2007-01-01

    Characterization of chemical composition, surface area, pore radius, adsorption, and thermal properties of zeolites from Bayah, Tasikmalaya, and Lampung have been performed. The purpose of the characterization is to understand the characteristics of the three zeolites since different types of zeolite will yield different chemical composition, surface area, pore radius, and adsorption. The analysis shows that zeolites from Bayah, Tasikmalaya, and Lampung consist of chemical elements Al, Si, P, K, Ca, Ti, Fe, and S. The analysis of the surface area indicates that zeolite from Lampung has surface area of 10.0477 m 2 , pore radius of 16.0653 Å, and adsorption of 24.500 ml/g, which are greater than those of zeolite from Tasikmalaya with surface area of 6.3319 m2, pore radius of 16.2350 Å, adsorption of 13.2500 ml/g, zeolite from Bayah with surface area of 8.3528 m2, pore radius of 16.2350 Å, and adsorption of 13.250 ml/g. From of the thermal properties characterization it is shown the three zeolites experienced weight reduction from 5.93% to 8.33%, which results in the formation of new phases as indicated by endothermic reactions from 150 °C to 600 °C and from 850 °C to 1000 °C. The three zeolites experienced a decrease in heat capacity up to temperature of 199.96 °C, whereas at temperatures above 216.66 °C the zeolites experienced an increase in heat capacity up to 437.78 °C. The results of the characterization indicate that different types of zeolite do not yield significant difference in chemical composition and thermal characteristics as proven with F test, however different surface area, pore radius, and adsorption characteristics are observed. The characterization results are expected to be the first step in determining the characteristics of the three zeolites that are to be used for cesium ion exchange in the incoming research. (author)

  17. A Novel Framework for Characterizing Exposure-Related Behaviors Using Agent-Based Models Embedded with Needs-Based Artificial Intelligence (CSSSA2016)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Descriptions of where and how individuals spend their time are important for characterizing exposures to chemicals in consumer products and in indoor environments. Herein we create an agent-based model (ABM) that is able to simulate longitudinal patterns in behaviors. By basing o...

  18. The TOMCAT global chemical transport model v1.6: description of chemical mechanism and model evaluation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. A. Monks

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available This paper documents the tropospheric chemical mechanism scheme used in the TOMCAT 3-D chemical transport model. The current scheme includes a more detailed representation of hydrocarbon chemistry than previously included in the model, with the inclusion of the emission and oxidation of ethene, propene, butane, toluene and monoterpenes. The model is evaluated against a range of surface, balloon, aircraft and satellite measurements. The model is generally able to capture the main spatial and seasonal features of high and low concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO, ozone (O3, volatile organic compounds (VOCs and reactive nitrogen. However, model biases are found in some species, some of which are common to chemistry models and some that are specific to TOMCAT and warrant further investigation. The most notable of these biases are (1 a negative bias in Northern Hemisphere (NH winter and spring CO and a positive bias in Southern Hemisphere (SH CO throughout the year, (2 a positive bias in NH O3 in summer and a negative bias at high latitudes during SH winter and (3 a negative bias in NH winter C2 and C3 alkanes and alkenes. TOMCAT global mean tropospheric hydroxyl radical (OH concentrations are higher than estimates inferred from observations of methyl chloroform but similar to, or lower than, multi-model mean concentrations reported in recent model intercomparison studies. TOMCAT shows peak OH concentrations in the tropical lower troposphere, unlike other models which show peak concentrations in the tropical upper troposphere. This is likely to affect the lifetime and transport of important trace gases and warrants further investigation.

  19. Consequence and Resilience Modeling for Chemical Supply Chains

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stamber, Kevin L.; Vugrin, Eric D.; Ehlen, Mark A.; Sun, Amy C.; Warren, Drake E.; Welk, Margaret E.

    2011-01-01

    The U.S. chemical sector produces more than 70,000 chemicals that are essential material inputs to critical infrastructure systems, such as the energy, public health, and food and agriculture sectors. Disruptions to the chemical sector can potentially cascade to other dependent sectors, resulting in serious national consequences. To address this concern, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) tasked Sandia National Laboratories to develop a predictive consequence modeling and simulation capability for global chemical supply chains. This paper describes that capability , which includes a dynamic supply chain simulation platform called N_ABLE(tm). The paper also presents results from a case study that simulates the consequences of a Gulf Coast hurricane on selected segments of the U.S. chemical sector. The case study identified consequences that include impacted chemical facilities, cascading impacts to other parts of the chemical sector. and estimates of the lengths of chemical shortages and recovery . Overall. these simulation results can DHS prepare for and respond to actual disruptions.

  20. Molecular characterization of kerogens by mild selective chemical degradation - ruthenium tetroxide oxidation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Boucher, R.J.; Standen, G.; Eglinton, G. (University of Bristol, Bristol (UK). Organic Geochemistry Unit)

    1991-06-01

    Molecular characterization of two kerogen isolates (Messel and Kimmeridge Clay), two kerogen-rich shales (green River and Maoming) and a coal, (Loy Yang) was undertaken using selective chemical degradation with ruthenium tetroxide (RuO{sub 4}). The RuO{sub 4} oxidation gave extracts which were soluble in dichloromethane and contained series of straight chain monocarboxylic acids, {alpha},{omega}-dicarboxylic acids, branched mono- and dicarboxylic acids, isoprenoid and cyclic acids. Straight chain carboxylic acids were predominant (65-87% of quantified chromatogram components for the range of sedimentary organic matter studied), reflecting the major content of polymethylene chains in these kerogens. This mild, oxidative technique serves to differentiate kerogens at a molecular level, thereby supplementing existing conventional chemical, pyrolytic, n.m.r. and other techniques. 39 refs., 3 figs., 5 tabs.

  1. Characterization of tin dioxide film for chemical vapors sensor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hafaiedh, I.; Helali, S.; Cherif, K.; Abdelghani, A.; Tournier, G.

    2008-01-01

    Recently, oxide semiconductor material used as transducer has been the central topic of many studies for gas sensor. In this paper we investigated the characteristic of a thick film of tin dioxide (SnO 2 ) film for chemical vapor sensor. It has been prepared by screen-printing technology and deposited on alumina substrate provided with two gold electrodes. The morphology, the molecular composition and the electrical properties of this material have been characterized respectively by Atomic Force Spectroscopy (AFM), Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Impedance Spectroscopy (IS). The electrical properties showed a resistive behaviour of this material less than 300 deg. C which is the operating temperature of the sensor. The developed sensor can identify the nature of the detected gas, oxidizing or reducing

  2. Physical and chemical characterization of surfaces of nitrogen implanted steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moncoffre, N.

    1986-01-01

    The studied steels are of industrial type (42CD4, 100C6, Z200C13). Very often, the low carbon steel XCO6 has been used as a reference material. The aim of the research is to understand and to explain the mechanisms of wear resistance to improvement. A good characterization of the implanted layer is thus necessary. It implies to establish the distribution profiles of the implanted ions to identify the chemical and structural state of the phases created during implantation as a function of various implantation parameters (dose, temperature). Temperature is the particularly parameter. Its influence is put in evidence both during implantation and during annealings under vacuum. Nitrogen distribution profiles are performed thanks to the non destructive 15 N(p,αγ) 12 C nuclear reaction. The chemical state of the Fe-N phases formed by implantation is determined using first Electron Conversion Moessbauer Spectroscopy and secondly, as a complement, using grazing angle X ray diffraction. The detected compounds are ε-nitrides, ε-carbonitrides, (N) - martensite and α-Fe 16 N 2 whose evolution is carefully followed versus temperature. The diffraction technique reveals a texture of the implanted layer. This preferentiel orientation is found to be temperature dependent but dose independent. The carbon presence at the surface is studied as a function of implantation conditions (vacuum, temperature, dose). Carbon profiling is obtained using α backscattering ( 12 C(α,α') reaction at 5,7 MeV). Thus is achieved a complete characterization of the implanted zone whose evolution as a function of implantation parameters (especially temperature) is correlated with tribological results [fr

  3. Formal modeling of a system of chemical reactions under uncertainty.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghosh, Krishnendu; Schlipf, John

    2014-10-01

    We describe a novel formalism representing a system of chemical reactions, with imprecise rates of reactions and concentrations of chemicals, and describe a model reduction method, pruning, based on the chemical properties. We present two algorithms, midpoint approximation and interval approximation, for construction of efficient model abstractions with uncertainty in data. We evaluate computational feasibility by posing queries in computation tree logic (CTL) on a prototype of extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway.

  4. Modeling Electric Double-Layers Including Chemical Reaction Effects

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Paz-Garcia, Juan Manuel; Johannesson, Björn; Ottosen, Lisbeth M.

    2014-01-01

    A physicochemical and numerical model for the transient formation of an electric double-layer between an electrolyte and a chemically-active flat surface is presented, based on a finite elements integration of the nonlinear Nernst-Planck-Poisson model including chemical reactions. The model works...... for symmetric and asymmetric multi-species electrolytes and is not limited to a range of surface potentials. Numerical simulations are presented, for the case of a CaCO3 electrolyte solution in contact with a surface with rate-controlled protonation/deprotonation reactions. The surface charge and potential...... are determined by the surface reactions, and therefore they depends on the bulk solution composition and concentration...

  5. Potential hazards to embryo implantation: A human endometrial in vitro model to identify unwanted antigestagenic actions of chemicals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fischer, L.; Deppert, W.R.; Pfeifer, D.; Stanzel, S.; Weimer, M.; Hanjalic-Beck, A.; Stein, A.; Straßer, M.; Zahradnik, H.P.; Schaefer, W.R.

    2012-01-01

    Embryo implantation is a crucial step in human reproduction and depends on the timely development of a receptive endometrium. The human endometrium is unique among adult tissues due to its dynamic alterations during each menstrual cycle. It hosts the implantation process which is governed by progesterone, whereas 17β-estradiol regulates the preceding proliferation of the endometrium. The receptors for both steroids are targets for drugs and endocrine disrupting chemicals. Chemicals with unwanted antigestagenic actions are potentially hazardous to embryo implantation since many pharmaceutical antiprogestins adversely affect endometrial receptivity. This risk can be addressed by human tissue-specific in vitro assays. As working basis we compiled data on chemicals interacting with the PR. In our experimental work, we developed a flexible in vitro model based on human endometrial Ishikawa cells. Effects of antiprogestin compounds on pre-selected target genes were characterized by sigmoidal concentration–response curves obtained by RT-qPCR. The estrogen sulfotransferase (SULT1E1) was identified as the most responsive target gene by microarray analysis. The agonistic effect of progesterone on SULT1E1 mRNA was concentration-dependently antagonized by RU486 (mifepristone) and ZK137316 and, with lower potency, by 4-nonylphenol, bisphenol A and apigenin. The negative control methyl acetoacetate showed no effect. The effects of progesterone and RU486 were confirmed on the protein level by Western blotting. We demonstrated proof of principle that our Ishikawa model is suitable to study quantitatively effects of antiprogestin-like chemicals on endometrial target genes in comparison to pharmaceutical reference compounds. This test is useful for hazard identification and may contribute to reduce animal studies. -- Highlights: ► We compare progesterone receptor-mediated endometrial effects of chemicals and drugs. ► 4-Nonylphenol, bisphenol A and apigenin exert weak

  6. Potential hazards to embryo implantation: A human endometrial in vitro model to identify unwanted antigestagenic actions of chemicals

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fischer, L.; Deppert, W.R. [Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Freiburg (Germany); Pfeifer, D. [Department of Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital Freiburg (Germany); Stanzel, S.; Weimer, M. [Department of Biostatistics, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg (Germany); Hanjalic-Beck, A.; Stein, A.; Straßer, M.; Zahradnik, H.P. [Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Freiburg (Germany); Schaefer, W.R., E-mail: wolfgang.schaefer@uniklinik-freiburg.de [Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Freiburg (Germany)

    2012-05-01

    Embryo implantation is a crucial step in human reproduction and depends on the timely development of a receptive endometrium. The human endometrium is unique among adult tissues due to its dynamic alterations during each menstrual cycle. It hosts the implantation process which is governed by progesterone, whereas 17β-estradiol regulates the preceding proliferation of the endometrium. The receptors for both steroids are targets for drugs and endocrine disrupting chemicals. Chemicals with unwanted antigestagenic actions are potentially hazardous to embryo implantation since many pharmaceutical antiprogestins adversely affect endometrial receptivity. This risk can be addressed by human tissue-specific in vitro assays. As working basis we compiled data on chemicals interacting with the PR. In our experimental work, we developed a flexible in vitro model based on human endometrial Ishikawa cells. Effects of antiprogestin compounds on pre-selected target genes were characterized by sigmoidal concentration–response curves obtained by RT-qPCR. The estrogen sulfotransferase (SULT1E1) was identified as the most responsive target gene by microarray analysis. The agonistic effect of progesterone on SULT1E1 mRNA was concentration-dependently antagonized by RU486 (mifepristone) and ZK137316 and, with lower potency, by 4-nonylphenol, bisphenol A and apigenin. The negative control methyl acetoacetate showed no effect. The effects of progesterone and RU486 were confirmed on the protein level by Western blotting. We demonstrated proof of principle that our Ishikawa model is suitable to study quantitatively effects of antiprogestin-like chemicals on endometrial target genes in comparison to pharmaceutical reference compounds. This test is useful for hazard identification and may contribute to reduce animal studies. -- Highlights: ► We compare progesterone receptor-mediated endometrial effects of chemicals and drugs. ► 4-Nonylphenol, bisphenol A and apigenin exert weak

  7. Aespoe HRL - Geoscientific evaluation 1997/5. Models based on site characterization 1986-1995

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rhen, I.; Stanfors, R.; Wikberg, P.

    1997-10-01

    The pre-investigations for the Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory were started in 1986 and involved extensive field measurements, aimed at characterizing the rock formations with regard to geology, geohydrology, hydrochemistry and rock mechanics. Predictions for the excavation phase were made prior to excavation of the laboratory which was started in the autumn of 1990. The predictions concern five key issues: lithology and geological structures, groundwater flow, hydrochemistry, transport of solutes and mechanical stability. During 1996 the results from the pre-investigations and the excavation of the Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory were evaluated and were compiled in geological, mechanical stability, geohydrological, groundwater chemical and transport-of-solutes models. The model concepts and the models of 1996 are presented in this report. The model developments from the pre-investigation phase up to the models made 1996 are also presented briefly

  8. Aespoe HRL - Geoscientific evaluation 1997/5. Models based on site characterization 1986-1995

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rhen, I. [ed.; Gustafsson, Gunnar [VBB Viak AB, Goeteborg (Sweden); Stanfors, R. [RS Consulting, Lund (Sweden); Wikberg, P. [Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co., Stockholm (Sweden)

    1997-10-01

    The pre-investigations for the Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory were started in 1986 and involved extensive field measurements, aimed at characterizing the rock formations with regard to geology, geohydrology, hydrochemistry and rock mechanics. Predictions for the excavation phase were made prior to excavation of the laboratory which was started in the autumn of 1990. The predictions concern five key issues: lithology and geological structures, groundwater flow, hydrochemistry, transport of solutes and mechanical stability. During 1996 the results from the pre-investigations and the excavation of the Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory were evaluated and were compiled in geological, mechanical stability, geohydrological, groundwater chemical and transport-of-solutes models. The model concepts and the models of 1996 are presented in this report. The model developments from the pre-investigation phase up to the models made 1996 are also presented briefly. 317 refs, figs, tabs.

  9. Two-Compartment Pharmacokinetic Models for Chemical Engineers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kanneganti, Kumud; Simon, Laurent

    2011-01-01

    The transport of potassium permanganate between two continuous-stirred vessels was investigated to help chemical and biomedical engineering students understand two-compartment pharmacokinetic models. Concepts of modeling, mass balance, parameter estimation and Laplace transform were applied to the two-unit process. A good agreement was achieved…

  10. A simple wet chemical synthesis and characterization of hydroxyapatite nanorods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Yingkai; Hou Dedong; Wang Guanghou

    2004-01-01

    Calcium hydroxyapatite (Ca 5 (PO 4 ) 3 (OH):HAP) nanorods have been synthesized successfully via wet chemical technique at low temperature in the presence of suitable surfactant. The as-made nanorods have a diameter of 50-80 nm and a length of 0.5-1.2 μm. The microstructures and composition are characterized via X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR). The formation mechanism of HAP nanorod is discussed in detail. It has been found that nanorods are pure, there is no HAP carbonated HAP. The growth mechanism of HAP nanorods could be explained by a soft template

  11. Characterization of the Environmentally Induced Chemical Transformations of Uranium Tetrafluoride

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wellons, M. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

    2017-09-29

    A key challenge with nuclear safeguards environmental sampling is identification of the materials post release due to subsequent chemical reactions with ambient water and oxygen. Uranium Tetrafluoride (UF4) is of interest as an intermediate in both the upstream and downstream portions of uranium feedstock and metal production processes used in nuclear fuel production; however minimal published research exists relating to UF4 hydrolysis. FY16 efforts were dedicated to in-situ Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction characterization of UF4 during exposure to various relative humidity conditions. This effort mapped several hydrolysis reaction pathways and identified both intermediate, and terminal progeny species.

  12. Chemicals Industry New Process Chemistry Roadmap

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    none,

    2000-08-01

    The Materials Technology I workshop was held in November 1998 to address future research needs for materials technology that will support the chemical industry. Areas covered included disassembly, recovery, reuse and renewable technology; new materials; and materials measurement and characterization. The Materials Technology II workshop was held in September 1999 and covered additives, modeling and prediction and an additional segment on new materials. Materials Technology Institute (MTI) for the Chemical Process Industries, Inc. and Air Products & Chemicals lead the workshops. The Materials Technology Roadmap presents the results from both workshops.

  13. Chemical Kinetic Models for Advanced Engine Combustion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pitz, William J. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Mehl, Marco [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Westbrook, Charles K. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

    2014-10-22

    The objectives for this project are as follows: Develop detailed chemical kinetic models for fuel components used in surrogate fuels for compression ignition (CI), homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) and reactivity-controlled compression-ignition (RCCI) engines; and Combine component models into surrogate fuel models to represent real transportation fuels. Use them to model low-temperature combustion strategies in HCCI, RCCI, and CI engines that lead to low emissions and high efficiency.

  14. Synthesis and characterization of cadmium hydroxide nano-nest by chemical route

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salunkhe, R.R.; Patil, U.M.; Gujar, T.P.; Lokhande, C.D.

    2009-01-01

    A facile chemical route based on room temperature chemical bath deposition (CBD) was developed to deposit the Cd(OH) 2 nano-nest. The growth mechanism follows two-stage crystallization with initial growth of nucleation centers, followed by subsequent anisotropic growth. The nano-nest morphological evolution of Cd(OH) 2 on different substrates has been carried out. These films have been characterized by the techniques; such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), optical absorption, contact angle measurement and thermoelectric power (TEP) measurements. The X-ray diffraction study revealed that the as deposited film consists of cadmium hydroxide (Cd(OH) 2 ) phase. The nano-nest consisted of wires with nearly uniform in dimensions, with diameter around 30 nm and length of few microns. As-deposited Cd(OH) 2 film used in this study showed water contact angle of 66 o . The optical bandgap was found to be 3.2 eV, with n-type electrical conductivity as confirmed from thermo-emf measurements.

  15. Quality assessment and artificial neural networks modeling for characterization of chemical and physical parameters of potable water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salari, Marjan; Salami Shahid, Esmaeel; Afzali, Seied Hosein; Ehteshami, Majid; Conti, Gea Oliveri; Derakhshan, Zahra; Sheibani, Solmaz Nikbakht

    2018-04-22

    Today, due to the increase in the population, the growth of industry and the variety of chemical compounds, the quality of drinking water has decreased. Five important river water quality properties such as: dissolved oxygen (DO), total dissolved solids (TDS), total hardness (TH), alkalinity (ALK) and turbidity (TU) were estimated by parameters such as: electric conductivity (EC), temperature (T), and pH that could be measured easily with almost no costs. Simulate water quality parameters were examined with two methods of modeling include mathematical and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). Mathematical methods are based on polynomial fitting with least square method and ANN modeling algorithms are feed-forward networks. All conditions/circumstances covered by neural network modeling were tested for all parameters in this study, except for Alkalinity. All optimum ANN models developed to simulate water quality parameters had precision value as R-value close to 0.99. The ANN model extended to simulate alkalinity with R-value equals to 0.82. Moreover, Surface fitting techniques were used to refine data sets. Presented models and equations are reliable/useable tools for studying water quality parameters at similar rivers, as a proper replacement for traditional water quality measuring equipment's. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Surface characterization and chemical analysis of bamboo substrates pretreated by alkali hydrogen peroxide.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Xueping; Jiang, Yan; Rong, Xianjian; Wei, Wei; Wang, Shuangfei; Nie, Shuangxi

    2016-09-01

    The surface characterization and chemical analysis of bamboo substrates by alkali hydrogen peroxide pretreatment (AHPP) were investigated in this study. The results tended to manifest that AHPP prior to enzymatic and chemical treatment was potential for improving accessibility and reactivity of bamboo substrates. The inorganic components, organic solvent extractives and acid-soluble lignin were effectively removed by AHPP. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis indicated that the surface of bamboo chips had less lignin but more carbohydrate after pre-treatment. Fiber surfaces became etched and collapsed, and more pores and debris on the substrate surface were observed with Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Brenauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) results showed that both of pore volume and surface area were increased after AHPP. Although XRD analysis showed that AHPP led to relatively higher crystallinity, pre-extraction could overall enhance the accessibility of enzymes and chemicals into the bamboo structure. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  17. Characterization of the conformational equilibrium between the two major substates of RNase A using NMR chemical shifts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Camilloni, Carlo; Robustelli, Paul; De Simone, Alfonso; Cavalli, Andrea; Vendruscolo, Michele

    2012-03-07

    Following the recognition that NMR chemical shifts can be used for protein structure determination, rapid advances have recently been made in methods for extending this strategy for proteins and protein complexes of increasing size and complexity. A remaining major challenge is to develop approaches to exploit the information contained in the chemical shifts about conformational fluctuations in native states of proteins. In this work we show that it is possible to determine an ensemble of conformations representing the free energy surface of RNase A using chemical shifts as replica-averaged restraints in molecular dynamics simulations. Analysis of this surface indicates that chemical shifts can be used to characterize the conformational equilibrium between the two major substates of this protein. © 2012 American Chemical Society

  18. Enhancing the design of in situ chemical barriers with multicomponent reactive transport modeling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sevougian, S.D.; Steefel, C.I.; Yabusaki, S.B.

    1994-11-01

    This paper addresses the need for systematic control of field-scale performance in the emplacement and operation of in situ chemical treatment barriers; in particular, it addresses the issue of how the local coupling of reaction kinetics and material heterogeneities at the laboratory or bench scale can be accurately upscaled to the field. The authors have recently developed modeling analysis tools that can explicitly account for all relevant chemical reactions that accompany the transport of reagents and contaminants through a chemically and physically heterogeneous subsurface rock or soil matrix. These tools are incorporated into an enhanced design methodology for in situ chemical treatment technologies, and the new methodology is demonstrated in the ongoing design of a field experiment for the In Situ Redox Manipulation (ISRM) project at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hanford Site. The ISRM design approach, which systematically integrates bench-scale and site characterization information, provides an ideal test for the new reactive transport techniques. The need for the enhanced chemistry capability is demonstrated by an example that shows how intra-aqueous redox kinetics can affect the transport of reactive solutes. Simulations are carried out on massively parallel computer architectures to resolve the influence of multiscale heterogeneities on multicomponent, multidimensional reactive transport. The technology will soon be available to design larger-scale remediation schemes

  19. Students' Visualisation of Chemical Reactions--Insights into the Particle Model and the Atomic Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Maurice M. W.

    2018-01-01

    This paper reports on an interview study of 18 Grade 10-12 students' model-based reasoning of a chemical reaction: the reaction of magnesium and oxygen at the submicro level. It has been proposed that chemical reactions can be conceptualised using two models: (i) the "particle model," in which a reaction is regarded as the simple…

  20. Chemical vapour deposition growth and Raman characterization of graphene layers and carbon nanotubes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lai, Y.-C.; Rafailov, P. M.; Vlaikova, E.; Marinova, V.; Lin, S. H.; Yu, P.; Yu, S.-C.; Chi, G. C.; Dimitrov, D.; Sveshtarov, P.; Mehandjiev, V.; Gospodinov, M. M.

    2016-02-01

    Single-layer graphene films were grown by chemical vapour deposition (CVD) on Cu foil. The CVD process was complemented by plasma enhancement to grow also vertically aligned multiwalled carbon nanotubes using Ni nanoparticles as catalyst. The obtained samples were characterized by Raman spectroscopy analysis. Nature of defects in the samples and optimal growth conditions leading to achieve high quality of graphene and carbon nanotubes are discussed.

  1. Learning of Chemical Equilibrium through Modelling-Based Teaching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maia, Poliana Flavia; Justi, Rosaria

    2009-01-01

    This paper presents and discusses students' learning process of chemical equilibrium from a modelling-based approach developed from the use of the "Model of Modelling" diagram. The investigation was conducted in a regular classroom (students 14-15 years old) and aimed at discussing how modelling-based teaching can contribute to students…

  2. Characterization samples of Tigris river water treated with nano colloidal silver (physically, chemically, microbiologically)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dumboos, H. I.; Beden, S. J.; Zouari, K.; Chkir, N.; Ahmed, H. A.

    2012-12-01

    Many researches of using nano silver in purification of drinking water from bacteria and its effect on stan dared properties as drinking water were established. Two stages accomplished in these projects. First stage include preparation of colloidal silver with characterization process and prepare water samples through sedimentation, filtration process, PH and turbidity measure then treated with colloidal silver in volume ratio (0.1-Λ) ml/100ml. The second stage represent select the better results from stage one and take samples to determine the standard characterization values with chemical, physical and microbiological taste. Results will be compared with Iraq standard certification. (Author)

  3. Cement for oil well developed from ordinary cement: characterization physical, chemical and mineralogical

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oliveira, D.N.S.; Neves, G. de A.; Chaves, A.C.; Mendonca, A.M.G.D.; Lima, M.S. de; Bezerra, U.T.

    2012-01-01

    This work aims to characterize a new type of cement produced from the mixture of ordinary Portland cement, which can be used as an option in the cementing of oil wells. To enable this work we used the method of lineal programming for the new cement composition, then conducted tests to characterize through particle size analysis by laser diffraction, chemical analysis by EDX, TGA, X-ray diffraction, time grip, resistance to compression. The overall result showed that the new cement had made low-C3A, takes more time to the CPP, thermal stability up to 500 ° C, the kinetics of hydration and low levels of major components consistent with the specifications of ABNT. (author)

  4. Chemical characterization of atmospheric particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adams, F.

    2002-01-01

    In the characterisation of complex environmental materials such as atmospheric particulate matter, analytical specificity is required to account for the many dimensions of information present in the sample. These dimensions include size, morphology, elemental composition, inorganic and organic chemical speciation, all to be performed on either single particles or on the population (or bulk sample) basis. Various techniques were developed for such measurements, including a number of bulk analysis procedures, methodologies for microscopical analysis of individual particles, and a variety of procedures for organic/inorganic chemical speciation. (author)

  5. Nanostructured PLD-grown gadolinia doped ceria: Chemical and structural characterization by transmission electron microscopy techniques

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rodrigo, Katarzyna Agnieszka; Wang, Hsiang-Jen; Heiroth, Sebastian

    2011-01-01

    The morphology as well as the spatially resolved elemental and chemical characterization of 10 mol% gadolinia doped ceria (CGO10) structures prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique are investigated by scanning transmission electron microscopy accompanied with electron energy loss spec......, indicate apparent variation of the ceria valence state across and along the film. No element segregation to the grain boundaries is detected. These results are discussed in the context of solid oxide fuel cell applications.......The morphology as well as the spatially resolved elemental and chemical characterization of 10 mol% gadolinia doped ceria (CGO10) structures prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique are investigated by scanning transmission electron microscopy accompanied with electron energy loss...... spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. A dense, columnar and structurally inhomogeneous CGO10 film, i.e. exhibiting grain size refinement across the film thickness, is obtained in the deposition process. The cerium M4,5 edges, used to monitor the local electronic structure of the grains...

  6. Thermal-chemical Mantle Convection Models With Adaptive Mesh Refinement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leng, W.; Zhong, S.

    2008-12-01

    In numerical modeling of mantle convection, resolution is often crucial for resolving small-scale features. New techniques, adaptive mesh refinement (AMR), allow local mesh refinement wherever high resolution is needed, while leaving other regions with relatively low resolution. Both computational efficiency for large- scale simulation and accuracy for small-scale features can thus be achieved with AMR. Based on the octree data structure [Tu et al. 2005], we implement the AMR techniques into the 2-D mantle convection models. For pure thermal convection models, benchmark tests show that our code can achieve high accuracy with relatively small number of elements both for isoviscous cases (i.e. 7492 AMR elements v.s. 65536 uniform elements) and for temperature-dependent viscosity cases (i.e. 14620 AMR elements v.s. 65536 uniform elements). We further implement tracer-method into the models for simulating thermal-chemical convection. By appropriately adding and removing tracers according to the refinement of the meshes, our code successfully reproduces the benchmark results in van Keken et al. [1997] with much fewer elements and tracers compared with uniform-mesh models (i.e. 7552 AMR elements v.s. 16384 uniform elements, and ~83000 tracers v.s. ~410000 tracers). The boundaries of the chemical piles in our AMR code can be easily refined to the scales of a few kilometers for the Earth's mantle and the tracers are concentrated near the chemical boundaries to precisely trace the evolvement of the boundaries. It is thus very suitable for our AMR code to study the thermal-chemical convection problems which need high resolution to resolve the evolvement of chemical boundaries, such as the entrainment problems [Sleep, 1988].

  7. Characterization of Thermo-Physical Properties of EVA/ATH: Application to Gasification Experiments and Pyrolysis Modeling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bertrand Girardin

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available The pyrolysis of solid polymeric materials is a complex process that involves both chemical and physical phenomena such as phase transitions, chemical reactions, heat transfer, and mass transport of gaseous components. For modeling purposes, it is important to characterize and to quantify the properties driving those phenomena, especially in the case of flame-retarded materials. In this study, protocols have been developed to characterize the thermal conductivity and the heat capacity of an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA flame retarded with aluminum tri-hydroxide (ATH. These properties were measured for the various species identified across the decomposition of the material. Namely, the thermal conductivity was found to decrease as a function of temperature before decomposition whereas the ceramic residue obtained after the decomposition at the steady state exhibits a thermal conductivity as low as 0.2 W/m/K. The heat capacity of the material was also investigated using both isothermal modulated Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC and the standard method (ASTM E1269. It was shown that the final residue exhibits a similar behavior to alumina, which is consistent with the decomposition pathway of EVA/ATH. Besides, the two experimental approaches give similar results over the whole range of temperatures. Moreover, the optical properties before decomposition and the heat capacity of the decomposition gases were also analyzed. Those properties were then used as input data for a pyrolysis model in order to predict gasification experiments. Mass losses of gasification experiments were well predicted, thus validating the characterization of the thermo-physical properties of the material.

  8. Characterization of Thermo-Physical Properties of EVA/ATH: Application to Gasification Experiments and Pyrolysis Modeling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Girardin, Bertrand; Fontaine, Gaëlle; Duquesne, Sophie; Försth, Michael; Bourbigot, Serge

    2015-11-20

    The pyrolysis of solid polymeric materials is a complex process that involves both chemical and physical phenomena such as phase transitions, chemical reactions, heat transfer, and mass transport of gaseous components. For modeling purposes, it is important to characterize and to quantify the properties driving those phenomena, especially in the case of flame-retarded materials. In this study, protocols have been developed to characterize the thermal conductivity and the heat capacity of an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) flame retarded with aluminum tri-hydroxide (ATH). These properties were measured for the various species identified across the decomposition of the material. Namely, the thermal conductivity was found to decrease as a function of temperature before decomposition whereas the ceramic residue obtained after the decomposition at the steady state exhibits a thermal conductivity as low as 0.2 W/m/K. The heat capacity of the material was also investigated using both isothermal modulated Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and the standard method (ASTM E1269). It was shown that the final residue exhibits a similar behavior to alumina, which is consistent with the decomposition pathway of EVA/ATH. Besides, the two experimental approaches give similar results over the whole range of temperatures. Moreover, the optical properties before decomposition and the heat capacity of the decomposition gases were also analyzed. Those properties were then used as input data for a pyrolysis model in order to predict gasification experiments. Mass losses of gasification experiments were well predicted, thus validating the characterization of the thermo-physical properties of the material.

  9. Chempy: A flexible chemical evolution model for abundance fitting. Do the Sun's abundances alone constrain chemical evolution models?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rybizki, Jan; Just, Andreas; Rix, Hans-Walter

    2017-09-01

    Elemental abundances of stars are the result of the complex enrichment history of their galaxy. Interpretation of observed abundances requires flexible modeling tools to explore and quantify the information about Galactic chemical evolution (GCE) stored in such data. Here we present Chempy, a newly developed code for GCE modeling, representing a parametrized open one-zone model within a Bayesian framework. A Chempy model is specified by a set of five to ten parameters that describe the effective galaxy evolution along with the stellar and star-formation physics: for example, the star-formation history (SFH), the feedback efficiency, the stellar initial mass function (IMF), and the incidence of supernova of type Ia (SN Ia). Unlike established approaches, Chempy can sample the posterior probability distribution in the full model parameter space and test data-model matches for different nucleosynthetic yield sets. It is essentially a chemical evolution fitting tool. We straightforwardly extend Chempy to a multi-zone scheme. As an illustrative application, we show that interesting parameter constraints result from only the ages and elemental abundances of the Sun, Arcturus, and the present-day interstellar medium (ISM). For the first time, we use such information to infer the IMF parameter via GCE modeling, where we properly marginalize over nuisance parameters and account for different yield sets. We find that 11.6+ 2.1-1.6% of the IMF explodes as core-collapse supernova (CC-SN), compatible with Salpeter (1955, ApJ, 121, 161). We also constrain the incidence of SN Ia per 103M⊙ to 0.5-1.4. At the same time, this Chempy application shows persistent discrepancies between predicted and observed abundances for some elements, irrespective of the chosen yield set. These cannot be remedied by any variations of Chempy's parameters and could be an indication of missing nucleosynthetic channels. Chempy could be a powerful tool to confront predictions from stellar

  10. Data characterizing the energetics of enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis and transglycosylation reactions by DFT cluster model calculations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jitrayut Jitonnom

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available The data presented in this paper are related to the research article entitled “QM/MM modeling of the hydrolysis and transfructosylation reactions of fructosyltransferase from Aspergillus japonicas, an enzyme that produces prebiotic fructooligosaccharide” (Jitonnom et al., 2018 [1]. This paper presents the procedure and data for characterizing the whole relative energy profiles of hydrolysis and transglycosylation reactions whose elementary steps differ in chemical composition. The data also reflects the choices of the QM cluster model, the functional/basis set method and the equations in determining the reaction energetics.

  11. Mineralogical and physico-chemical characterization of Mbodiene palygorskite for pharmaceutical applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sylla Gueye, Rokhaya; Davy, Catherine A.; Cazaux, Frédéric; Ndiaye, Augustin; Diop, Mouhamadou Bassir; Skoczylas, Frédéric; Wele, Alassane

    2017-11-01

    This contribution provides a wide morphological, mineralogical, chemical and physical characterization of Mbodiene palygorskite (Senegal), to serve as a basis for the formulation of antidiarrheal and cosmetic products. Data are compared with other palygorskite deposits, either in Senegal or on other continents. Qualitative total rock XRD, semi-quantitative XRD of the clay fraction and quantitative X-Ray fluorescence (XRF) show the presence of 72%wt palygorskite (±2%wt), 13%wt montmorillonite (±2%wt), 8%wt dolomite (±2%wt), 5%wt quartz SiO2 (±2%wt) and 2%wt inter-stratified illite/smectite (±2%wt). Coupled SEM + EDX and TEM + EDX confirm the presence of fibrous palygorskite, with greater amounts of Mg than Al, and Fe substitution to Mg and Al, interspersed with dolomite cubes CaMg(CO3)2. The presence of carbonates in Mbodiene palygorskite may limit its use in the Pharmacopoeia, and make its purification necessary. A specific signature of Mbodiene palygorskite, relevant to the palygorskite family, is deduced from both FTIR and TGA analysis. In terms of physico-chemical characterization, Mbodiene palygorskite has usual values when compared to the literature (for its specific surface area, specific gravity, compressibility and Haussner indexes, CEC, loss on ignition, etc.). After grinding (down to a peak grain size of 500 nm), Mbodiene palygorskite is considered a normal clay, extremely highly plastic, with hard consistency owing to the values of its Atterberg plasticity and liquidity limits, with good flowability owing to its compressibility and Haussner indexes. Its physical characteristics are suitable for manufacturing pastes and colloidal suspensions.

  12. A chemical model for the interstellar medium in galaxies

    OpenAIRE

    Bovino, S.; Grassi, Tommaso; Capelo, P. R.; Schleicher, D. R. G.; Banerjee, R.

    2016-01-01

    Aims: We present and test chemical models for three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of galaxies. We explore the effect of changing key parameters such as metallicity, radiation, and non-equilibrium versus equilibrium metal cooling approximations on the transition between the gas phases in the interstellar medium. Methods: The microphysics was modelled by employing the public chemistry package KROME, and the chemical networks were tested to work in a wide range of densities and temp...

  13. Physical and chemical characterization of the (Th, U)O2 mixed oxide fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Santos, A.M.M. dos; Avelar, M.M.; Palmieri, H.E.L.; Lameiras, F.S.; Ferreira, R.A.N.

    1986-01-01

    The NUCLEBRAS R and D Center (Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear - CDTN) has been performing, together with german institutions (Kernforschungsanlage Julich GmbH - KFA, Krafwerk Union A.G. - KWU and NUKEM GmbH), a program for utilization of thorium in pressurized water reactors. In this paper are presented the physical and chemical characterizations necessary to quality the (Th, U)O 2 fuel and the respective methods. (Author) [pt

  14. Aroma profile of malbec red wines from La Mancha region: Chemical and sensory characterization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sánchez-Palomo, E; Trujillo, M; García Ruiz, A; González Viñas, M A

    2017-10-01

    The aroma of La Mancha Malbec red wines over four consecutive vintages was characterized by chemical and sensory analysis. Solid phase extraction (SPE) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were used to isolate and analyze free volatile compounds. Quantitative Descriptive Sensory Analysis (QDA) was carried out to characterize the sensory aroma profile. A total of 79 free volatile compounds were identified and quantified in the wines over these four vintages. Volatile aroma compounds were classified into seven aromatic series and their odour activity values were calculated in order to determine the aroma impact compounds in these wines. The aroma sensory profile of these wines was characterized by red fruit, fresh, prune, liquorice, clove, caramel, leather, tobacco and coffee aromas. This study provides a complete aroma characterization of La Mancha Malbec red wines and it is proposed that these wines can be considered as an alternative to wines from traditional grape varieties of this region. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Modeling food matrix effects on chemical reactivity: Challenges and perspectives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Capuano, Edoardo; Oliviero, Teresa; van Boekel, Martinus A J S

    2017-06-29

    The same chemical reaction may be different in terms of its position of the equilibrium (i.e., thermodynamics) and its kinetics when studied in different foods. The diversity in the chemical composition of food and in its structural organization at macro-, meso-, and microscopic levels, that is, the food matrix, is responsible for this difference. In this viewpoint paper, the multiple, and interconnected ways the food matrix can affect chemical reactivity are summarized. Moreover, mechanistic and empirical approaches to explain and predict the effect of food matrix on chemical reactivity are described. Mechanistic models aim to quantify the effect of food matrix based on a detailed understanding of the chemical and physical phenomena occurring in food. Their applicability is limited at the moment to very simple food systems. Empirical modeling based on machine learning combined with data-mining techniques may represent an alternative, useful option to predict the effect of the food matrix on chemical reactivity and to identify chemical and physical properties to be further tested. In such a way the mechanistic understanding of the effect of the food matrix on chemical reactions can be improved.

  16. Structural and Chemical Characterization of Silica Spheres before and after Modification by Silanization for Trypsin Immobilization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eduardo F. Barbosa

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available In the last decades, silica particles of a variety of sizes and shapes have been characterized and chemically modified for several applications, from chromatographic separation to dental supplies. The present study proposes the use of aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTS silanized silica particles to immobilize the proteolytic enzyme trypsin for the development of a bioreactor. The major advantage of the process is that it enables the polypeptides hydrolysis interruption simply by removing the silica particles from the reaction bottle. Silanized silica surfaces showed significant morphological changes at micro- and nanoscale level. Chemical characterization showed changes in elemental composition, chemical environment, and thermal degradation. Their application as supports for trypsin immobilization showed high immobilization efficiency at reduced immobilization times, combined with more acidic conditions. Indirect immobilization quantification by reversed-phase ultrafast high performance liquid chromatography proved to be a suitable approach due to its high linearity and sensitivity. Immobilized trypsin activities on nonmodified and silanized silica showed promising features (e.g., selective hydrolysis for applications in proteins/peptides primary structure elucidation for proteomics. Silanized silica system produced some preferential targeting peptides, probably due to the hydrophobicity of the nanoenvironment conditioned by silanization.

  17. Modeling chemical reactions for drug design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gasteiger, Johann

    2007-01-01

    Chemical reactions are involved at many stages of the drug design process. This starts with the analysis of biochemical pathways that are controlled by enzymes that might be downregulated in certain diseases. In the lead discovery and lead optimization process compounds have to be synthesized in order to test them for their biological activity. And finally, the metabolism of a drug has to be established. A better understanding of chemical reactions could strongly help in making the drug design process more efficient. We have developed methods for quantifying the concepts an organic chemist is using in rationalizing reaction mechanisms. These methods allow a comprehensive modeling of chemical reactivity and thus are applicable to a wide variety of chemical reactions, from gas phase reactions to biochemical pathways. They are empirical in nature and therefore allow the rapid processing of large sets of structures and reactions. We will show here how methods have been developed for the prediction of acidity values and of the regioselectivity in organic reactions, for designing the synthesis of organic molecules and of combinatorial libraries, and for furthering our understanding of enzyme-catalyzed reactions and of the metabolism of drugs.

  18. Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Chemical Release Modeling Evaluation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stirrup, Timothy Scott [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

    2016-12-20

    This evaluation documents the methodology and results of chemical release modeling for operations at Building 518, Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Core Facility. This evaluation is intended to supplement an update to the CINT [Standalone] Hazards Analysis (SHA). This evaluation also updates the original [Design] Hazards Analysis (DHA) completed in 2003 during the design and construction of the facility; since the original DHA, additional toxic materials have been evaluated and modeled to confirm the continued low hazard classification of the CINT facility and operations. This evaluation addresses the potential catastrophic release of the current inventory of toxic chemicals at Building 518 based on a standard query in the Chemical Information System (CIS).

  19. Microencapsulation of phosphogypsum into a sulfur polymer matrix: Physico-chemical and radiological characterization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lopez, Felix A.; Gazquez, Manuel; Alguacil, Francisco Jose; Bolivar, Juan Pedro; Garcia-Diaz, Irene; Lopez-Coto, Israel

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → Microencapsulation of phosphogypsum residues into a sulfur polymer matrix. → Inertization of a waste material. → Radiological characterization of the as built new material (phosphogypsum plus sulfur polymer matrix). - Abstract: The aim of this work is to prepare a new type of phosphogypsum-sulfur polymer cements (PG-SPC) to be utilised in the manufacture of building materials. Physico-chemical and radiological characterization was performed in phosphogypsum and phosphogypsum-sulfur polymer concretes and modeling of exhalation rates has been also carried out. An optimized mixture of the materials was obtained, the solidified material with optimal mixture (sulfur/phosphogypsum = 1:0.9, phosphogypsum dosage = 10-40 wt.%) results in highest strength (54-62 MPa) and low total porosity (2.8-6.8%). The activity concentration index (I) in the PG-SPC is lower than the reference value in the most international regulations and; therefore, these cements can be used without radiological restrictions in the manufacture of building materials. Under normal conditions of ventilation, the contribution to the expected radon indoor concentration in a standard room is below the international recommendations, so the building materials studied in this work can be applied to houses built up under normal ventilation conditions. Additionally, and taking into account that the PG is enriched in several natural radionuclides as 226 Ra, the leaching experiments have demonstrated that environmental impact of the using of SPCs cements with PG is negligible.

  20. Microencapsulation of phosphogypsum into a sulfur polymer matrix: Physico-chemical and radiological characterization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lopez, Felix A., E-mail: flopez@cenim.csic.es [Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Metalurgicas (CENIM), CSIC, Avda. Gregorio del Amo, 8, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Gazquez, Manuel [Departamento de Fisica Aplicada, Universidad de Huelva, Campus de El Carmen, 21071 Huelva (Spain); Alguacil, Francisco Jose [Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Metalurgicas (CENIM), CSIC, Avda. Gregorio del Amo, 8, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Bolivar, Juan Pedro [Departamento de Fisica Aplicada, Universidad de Huelva, Campus de El Carmen, 21071 Huelva (Spain); Garcia-Diaz, Irene [Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Metalurgicas (CENIM), CSIC, Avda. Gregorio del Amo, 8, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Lopez-Coto, Israel [Departamento de Fisica Aplicada, Universidad de Huelva, Campus de El Carmen, 21071 Huelva (Spain)

    2011-08-15

    Highlights: {yields} Microencapsulation of phosphogypsum residues into a sulfur polymer matrix. {yields} Inertization of a waste material. {yields} Radiological characterization of the as built new material (phosphogypsum plus sulfur polymer matrix). - Abstract: The aim of this work is to prepare a new type of phosphogypsum-sulfur polymer cements (PG-SPC) to be utilised in the manufacture of building materials. Physico-chemical and radiological characterization was performed in phosphogypsum and phosphogypsum-sulfur polymer concretes and modeling of exhalation rates has been also carried out. An optimized mixture of the materials was obtained, the solidified material with optimal mixture (sulfur/phosphogypsum = 1:0.9, phosphogypsum dosage = 10-40 wt.%) results in highest strength (54-62 MPa) and low total porosity (2.8-6.8%). The activity concentration index (I) in the PG-SPC is lower than the reference value in the most international regulations and; therefore, these cements can be used without radiological restrictions in the manufacture of building materials. Under normal conditions of ventilation, the contribution to the expected radon indoor concentration in a standard room is below the international recommendations, so the building materials studied in this work can be applied to houses built up under normal ventilation conditions. Additionally, and taking into account that the PG is enriched in several natural radionuclides as {sup 226}Ra, the leaching experiments have demonstrated that environmental impact of the using of SPCs cements with PG is negligible.

  1. Modeling of chemical exergy of agricultural biomass using improved general regression neural network

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang, Y.W.; Chen, M.Q.; Li, Y.; Guo, J.

    2016-01-01

    A comprehensive evaluation for energy potential contained in agricultural biomass was a vital step for energy utilization of agricultural biomass. The chemical exergy of typical agricultural biomass was evaluated based on the second law of thermodynamics. The chemical exergy was significantly influenced by C and O elements rather than H element. The standard entropy of the samples also was examined based on their element compositions. Two predicted models of the chemical exergy were developed, which referred to a general regression neural network model based upon the element composition, and a linear model based upon the high heat value. An auto-refinement algorithm was firstly developed to improve the performance of regression neural network model. The developed general regression neural network model with K-fold cross-validation had a better ability for predicting the chemical exergy than the linear model, which had lower predicted errors (±1.5%). - Highlights: • Chemical exergies of agricultural biomass were evaluated based upon fifty samples. • Values for the standard entropy of agricultural biomass samples were calculated. • A linear relationship between chemical exergy and HHV of samples was detected. • An improved GRNN prediction model for the chemical exergy of biomass was developed.

  2. Chemical modeling of irreversible reactions in nuclear waste-water-rock systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wolery, T.J.

    1981-02-01

    Chemical models of aqueous geochemical systems are usually built on the concept of thermodynamic equilibrium. Though many elementary reactions in a geochemical system may be close to equilibrium, others may not be. Chemical models of aqueous fluids should take into account that many aqueous redox reactions are among the latter. The behavior of redox reactions may critically affect migration of certain radionuclides, especially the actinides. In addition, the progress of reaction in geochemical systems requires thermodynamic driving forces associated with elementary reactions not at equilibrium, which are termed irreversible reactions. Both static chemical models of fluids and dynamic models of reacting systems have been applied to a wide spectrum of problems in water-rock interactions. Potential applications in nuclear waste disposal range from problems in geochemical aspects of site evaluation to those of waste-water-rock interactions. However, much further work in the laboratory and the field will be required to develop and verify such applications of chemical modeling

  3. Entropy Characterization of Random Network Models

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pedro J. Zufiria

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper elaborates on the Random Network Model (RNM as a mathematical framework for modelling and analyzing the generation of complex networks. Such framework allows the analysis of the relationship between several network characterizing features (link density, clustering coefficient, degree distribution, connectivity, etc. and entropy-based complexity measures, providing new insight on the generation and characterization of random networks. Some theoretical and computational results illustrate the utility of the proposed framework.

  4. Chemical Characterization of the Inner Galactic bulge: North-South Symmetry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nandakumar, G.; Ryde, N.; Schultheis, M.; Thorsbro, B.; Jönsson, H.; Barklem, P. S.; Rich, R. M.; Fragkoudi, F.

    2018-05-01

    While the number of stars in the Galactic bulge with detailed chemical abundance measurements is increasing rapidly, the inner Galactic bulge (|b| detect a bimodal MDF with a metal-rich peak at ˜ +0.3 dex and a metal-poor peak at ˜ -0.5 dex, and no stars with [Fe/H] > +0.6 dex. The Galactic Center field reveals in contrast a mainly metal-rich population with a mean metallicity of +0.3 dex. We derived [Mg/Fe] and [Si/Fe] abundances which are consistent with trends from the outer bulge. We confirm for the supersolar metallicity stars the decreasing trend in [Mg/Fe] and [Si/Fe] as expected from chemical evolution models. With the caveat of a relatively small sample, we do not find significant differences in the chemical abundances between the Northern and the Southern fields, hence the evidence is consistent with symmetry in chemistry between North and South.

  5. Modeling warfare in social animals: a "chemical" approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santarlasci, Alisa; Martelloni, Gianluca; Frizzi, Filippo; Santini, Giacomo; Bagnoli, Franco

    2014-01-01

    We present here a general method for modelling the dynamics of battles among social animals. The proposed method exploits the procedures widely used to model chemical reactions, but still uncommon in behavioural studies. We applied this methodology to the interpretation of experimental observations of battles between two species of ants (Lasius neglectus and Lasius paralienus), but this scheme may have a wider applicability and can be extended to other species as well. We performed two types of experiment labelled as interaction and mortality. The interaction experiments are designed to obtain information on the combat dynamics and lasted one hour. The mortality ones provide information on the casualty rates of the two species and lasted five hours. We modelled the interactions among ants using a chemical model which considers the single ant individuals and fighting groups analogously to atoms and molecules. The mean-field behaviour of the model is described by a set of non-linear differential equations. We also performed stochastic simulations of the corresponding agent-based model by means of the Gillespie event-driven integration scheme. By fitting the stochastic trajectories with the deterministic model, we obtained the probability distribution of the reaction parameters. The main result that we obtained is a dominance phase diagram, that gives the average trajectory of a generic battle, for an arbitrary number of opponents. This phase diagram was validated with some extra experiments. With respect to other war models (e.g., Lanchester's ones), our chemical model considers all phases of the battle and not only casualties. This allows a more detailed description of the battle (with a larger number of parameters), allowing the development of more sophisticated models (e.g., spatial ones), with the goal of distinguishing collective effects from the strategic ones.

  6. Modeling Warfare in Social Animals: A "Chemical" Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santarlasci, Alisa; Martelloni, Gianluca; Frizzi, Filippo; Santini, Giacomo; Bagnoli, Franco

    2014-01-01

    We present here a general method for modelling the dynamics of battles among social animals. The proposed method exploits the procedures widely used to model chemical reactions, but still uncommon in behavioural studies. We applied this methodology to the interpretation of experimental observations of battles between two species of ants (Lasius neglectus and Lasius paralienus), but this scheme may have a wider applicability and can be extended to other species as well. We performed two types of experiment labelled as interaction and mortality. The interaction experiments are designed to obtain information on the combat dynamics and lasted one hour. The mortality ones provide information on the casualty rates of the two species and lasted five hours. We modelled the interactions among ants using a chemical model which considers the single ant individuals and fighting groups analogously to atoms and molecules. The mean-field behaviour of the model is described by a set of non-linear differential equations. We also performed stochastic simulations of the corresponding agent-based model by means of the Gillespie event-driven integration scheme. By fitting the stochastic trajectories with the deterministic model, we obtained the probability distribution of the reaction parameters. The main result that we obtained is a dominance phase diagram, that gives the average trajectory of a generic battle, for an arbitrary number of opponents. This phase diagram was validated with some extra experiments. With respect to other war models (e.g., Lanchester's ones), our chemical model considers all phases of the battle and not only casualties. This allows a more detailed description of the battle (with a larger number of parameters), allowing the development of more sophisticated models (e.g., spatial ones), with the goal of distinguishing collective effects from the strategic ones. PMID:25369269

  7. Modeling warfare in social animals: a "chemical" approach.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alisa Santarlasci

    Full Text Available We present here a general method for modelling the dynamics of battles among social animals. The proposed method exploits the procedures widely used to model chemical reactions, but still uncommon in behavioural studies. We applied this methodology to the interpretation of experimental observations of battles between two species of ants (Lasius neglectus and Lasius paralienus, but this scheme may have a wider applicability and can be extended to other species as well. We performed two types of experiment labelled as interaction and mortality. The interaction experiments are designed to obtain information on the combat dynamics and lasted one hour. The mortality ones provide information on the casualty rates of the two species and lasted five hours. We modelled the interactions among ants using a chemical model which considers the single ant individuals and fighting groups analogously to atoms and molecules. The mean-field behaviour of the model is described by a set of non-linear differential equations. We also performed stochastic simulations of the corresponding agent-based model by means of the Gillespie event-driven integration scheme. By fitting the stochastic trajectories with the deterministic model, we obtained the probability distribution of the reaction parameters. The main result that we obtained is a dominance phase diagram, that gives the average trajectory of a generic battle, for an arbitrary number of opponents. This phase diagram was validated with some extra experiments. With respect to other war models (e.g., Lanchester's ones, our chemical model considers all phases of the battle and not only casualties. This allows a more detailed description of the battle (with a larger number of parameters, allowing the development of more sophisticated models (e.g., spatial ones, with the goal of distinguishing collective effects from the strategic ones.

  8. Chemical structure-based predictive model for methanogenic anaerobic biodegradation potential.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meylan, William; Boethling, Robert; Aronson, Dallas; Howard, Philip; Tunkel, Jay

    2007-09-01

    Many screening-level models exist for predicting aerobic biodegradation potential from chemical structure, but anaerobic biodegradation generally has been ignored by modelers. We used a fragment contribution approach to develop a model for predicting biodegradation potential under methanogenic anaerobic conditions. The new model has 37 fragments (substructures) and classifies a substance as either fast or slow, relative to the potential to be biodegraded in the "serum bottle" anaerobic biodegradation screening test (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Guideline 311). The model correctly classified 90, 77, and 91% of the chemicals in the training set (n = 169) and two independent validation sets (n = 35 and 23), respectively. Accuracy of predictions of fast and slow degradation was equal for training-set chemicals, but fast-degradation predictions were less accurate than slow-degradation predictions for the validation sets. Analysis of the signs of the fragment coefficients for this and the other (aerobic) Biowin models suggests that in the context of simple group contribution models, the majority of positive and negative structural influences on ultimate degradation are the same for aerobic and methanogenic anaerobic biodegradation.

  9. Characterization and nutrient release from silicate rocks and influence on chemical changes in soil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Douglas Ramos Guelfi Silva

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available The expansion of Brazilian agriculture has led to a heavy dependence on imported fertilizers to ensure the supply of the growing food demand. This fact has contributed to a growing interest in alternative nutrient sources, such as ground silicate rocks. It is necessary, however, to know the potential of nutrient release and changes these materials can cause in soils. The purpose of this study was to characterize six silicate rocks and evaluate their effects on the chemical properties of treated soil, assessed by chemical extractants after greenhouse incubation. The experimental design consisted of completely randomized plots, in a 3 x 6 factorial scheme, with four replications. The factors were potassium levels (0-control: without silicate rock application; 200; 400; 600 kg ha-1 of K2O, supplied as six silicate rock types (breccia, biotite schist, ultramafic rock, phlogopite schist and two types of mining waste. The chemical, physical and mineralogical properties of the alternative rock fertilizers were characterized. Treatments were applied to a dystrophic Red-Yellow Oxisol (Ferralsol, which was incubated for 100 days, at 70 % (w/w moisture in 3.7 kg/pots. The soil was evaluated for pH; calcium and magnesium were extracted with KCl 1 mol L-1; potassium, phosphorus and sodium by Mehlich 1; nickel, copper and zinc with DTPA; and the saturation of the cation exchange capacity was calculated for aluminum, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium, and overall base saturation. The alternative fertilizers affected soil chemical properties. Ultramafic rock and Chapada mining byproduct (CMB were the silicate rocks that most influenced soil pH, while the mining byproduct (MB led to high K levels. Zinc availability was highest in the treatments with mining byproduct and Cu in soil fertilized with Chapada and mining byproduct.

  10. Chemical characterization of some soils from four counties that produce Flue-cured tobacco

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcela Rodríguez

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available The municipalities or counties of Campoalegre and Garzón (State of Huila and Capitanejo and Enciso (State of Santander show different chemical soil characteristics when their origin is taken into account, based on their edaphogenetic environments. For the characterization of the soils from these counties, samples from 65 farms were arranged, based on the database of farmers associated with the Protabaco Company. With the soil samples taken, chemical and texture analyses were performed, codifying the results in order to analyze them, keeping in mind the ideal parameters for the tobacco crop. In the counties of Huila, the texture, pH and organic matter were found to have ideal levels, in contrast to the phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, sulfur and chloride levels which were unsuitable, but the calcium content showed levels between suitable and good. In Santander, the pH, organic matter, phosphorus, calcium, sulfur and chloride were at unsuitable levels, in contrast, the contrary occurred with the texture and potassium which were at normal levels. It is recommended, due to the difference among the chemical parameters, that a fertilization program be handled differently for the zones of Santander and Huila, bearing in mind that the chemical parameters were found to be more limited in Santander than in Huila

  11. Characterization and modeling of a highly-oriented thin film for composite forming

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, K. D.; Sherwood, J. A.

    2018-05-01

    Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) materials exhibit high impact strength, excellent abrasion resistance and high chemical resistance, making them attractive for a number of impact applications for automotive, marine and medical industries. One format of this class of materials that is being considered for the thermoforming process is a highly-oriented extruded thin film. Parts are made using a two-step manufacturing process that involves first producing a set of preforms and then consolidating these preforms into a final shaped part. To assist in the design of the processing parameters, simulations of the preforming and compression molding steps can be completed using the finite element method. Such simulations require material input data as developed through a comprehensive characterization test program, e.g. shear, tensile and bending, over the range of potential processing temperatures. The current research investigates the challenges associated with the characterization of thin, highly-oriented UHMWPE films. Variations in grip type, sample size and testing rates are explored to achieve convergence of the characterization data. Material characterization results are then used in finite element simulations of the tension test to explore element formulations that work well with the mechanical behavior. Comparisons of the results from the material characterization tests to results of simulations of the same test are performed to validate the finite element method parameters and the credibility of the user-defined material model.

  12. Observed and modelledchemical weather” during ESCOMPTE

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dufour, A.; Amodei, M.; Ancellet, G.; Peuch, V.-H.

    2005-03-01

    The new MOdèle de Chimie Atmosphérique à Grande Echelle (MOCAGE) three-dimensional multiscale chemistry and transport model (CTM) has been applied to study heavy pollution episodes observed during the ESCOMPTE experiment. The model considers the troposphere and lower stratosphere, and allows the possibility of zooming from the planetary scale down to the regional scale over limited area subdomains. Like this, it generates its own time-dependent chemical boundary conditions in the vertical and in the horizontal. This paper focuses on the evaluation and quantification of uncertainties related to chemical and transport modelling during two intensive observing periods, IOP2 and IOP4 (June 20-26 and July 10-14, 2001, respectively). Simulations are compared to the database of four-dimensional observations, which includes ground-based sites and aircraft measurements, radiosoundings, and quasi-continuous measurements of ozone by LIDARs. Thereby, the observed and modelled day-to-day variabilities in air composition both at the surface and in the vertical have been assessed. Then, three sensitivity studies are conducted concerning boundary conditions, accuracy of the emission dataset, and representation of chemistry. Firstly, to go further in the analysis of chemical boundary conditions, results from the standard grid nesting set-up and altered configurations, relying on climatologies, are compared. Along with other recent studies, this work advocates the systematic coupling of limited-area models with global CTMs, even for regional air quality studies or forecasts. Next, we evaluate the benefits of using the detailed high-resolution emissions inventory of ESCOMPTE: improvements are noticeable both on ozone reactivity and on the concentrations of various species of the ozone photochemical cycle especially primary ones. Finally, we provide some insights on the comparison of two simulations differing only by the parameterisation of chemistry and using two state

  13. Coarse grain model for coupled thermo-mechano-chemical processes and its application to pressure-induced endothermic chemical reactions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Antillon, Edwin; Banlusan, Kiettipong; Strachan, Alejandro

    2014-01-01

    We extend a thermally accurate model for coarse grain dynamics (Strachan and Holian 2005 Phys. Rev. Lett. 94 014301) to enable the description of stress-induced chemical reactions in the degrees of freedom internal to the mesoparticles. Similar to the breathing sphere model, we introduce an additional variable that describes the internal state of the particles and whose dynamics is governed both by an internal potential energy function and by interparticle forces. The equations of motion of these new variables are derived from a Hamiltonian and the model exhibits two desired features: total energy conservation and Galilean invariance. We use a simple model material with pairwise interactions between particles and study pressure-induced chemical reactions induced by hydrostatic and uniaxial compression. These examples demonstrate the ability of the model to capture non-trivial processes including the interplay between mechanical, thermal and chemical processes of interest in many applications. (paper)

  14. CHARACTERIZING AND MODELING FERRITE-CORE PROBES

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sabbagh, Harold A.; Murphy, R. Kim; Sabbagh, Elias H.; Aldrin, John C.

    2010-01-01

    In this paper, we accurately and carefully characterize a ferrite-core probe that is widely used for aircraft inspections. The characterization starts with the development of a model that can be executed using the proprietary volume-integral code, VIC-3D(c), and then the model is fitted to measured multifrequency impedance data taken with the probe in freespace and over samples of a titanium alloy and aluminum. Excellent results are achieved, and will be discussed.

  15. A simple multistage closed-(box+reservoir model of chemical evolution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Caimmi R.

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Simple closed-box (CB models of chemical evolution are extended on two respects, namely (i simple closed-(box+reservoir (CBR models allowing gas outflow from the box into the reservoir (Hartwick 1976 or gas inflow into the box from the reservoir (Caimmi 2007 with rate proportional to the star formation rate, and (ii simple multistage closed-(box+reservoir (MCBR models allowing different stages of evolution characterized by different inflow or outflow rates. The theoretical differential oxygen abundance distribution (TDOD predicted by the model maintains close to a continuous broken straight line. An application is made where a fictitious sample is built up from two distinct samples of halo stars and taken as representative of the inner Galactic halo. The related empirical differential oxygen abundance distribution (EDOD is represented, to an acceptable extent, as a continuous broken line for two viable [O/H]-[Fe/H] empirical relations. The slopes and the intercepts of the regression lines are determined, and then used as input parameters to MCBR models. Within the errors (-+σ, regression line slopes correspond to a large inflow during the earlier stage of evolution and to low or moderate outflow during the subsequent stages. A possible inner halo - outer (metal-poor bulge connection is also briefly discussed. Quantitative results cannot be considered for applications to the inner Galactic halo, unless selection effects and disk contamination are removed from halo samples, and discrepancies between different oxygen abundance determination methods are explained.

  16. Identification of Chemical Reactor Plant’s Mathematical Model

    OpenAIRE

    Pyakullya, Boris Ivanovich; Kladiev, Sergey Nikolaevich

    2015-01-01

    This work presents a solution of the identification problem of chemical reactor plant’s mathematical model. The main goal is to obtain a mathematical description of a chemical reactor plant from experimental data, which based on plant’s time response measurements. This data consists sequence of measurements for water jacket temperature and information about control input signal, which is used to govern plant’s behavior.

  17. Model tool to describe chemical structures in XML format utilizing structural fragments and chemical ontology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sankar, Punnaivanam; Alain, Krief; Aghila, Gnanasekaran

    2010-05-24

    We have developed a model structure-editing tool, ChemEd, programmed in JAVA, which allows drawing chemical structures on a graphical user interface (GUI) by selecting appropriate structural fragments defined in a fragment library. The terms representing the structural fragments are organized in fragment ontology to provide a conceptual support. ChemEd describes the chemical structure in an XML document (ChemFul) with rich semantics explicitly encoding the details of the chemical bonding, the hybridization status, and the electron environment around each atom. The document can be further processed through suitable algorithms and with the support of external chemical ontologies to generate understandable reports about the functional groups present in the structure and their specific environment.

  18. Modeling groundwater flow at the chemical plant area of the Weldon Spring Site

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Durham, L.A.

    1992-10-01

    Groundwater flow in the shallow unconfined aquifer at the chemical plant area of the Weldon Spring site, St. Charles County, Missouri, was modeled with the Coupled Fluid, Energy, and Solute Transport (CFEST) groundwater flow and contaminant transport computer code. The modeling was performed in support of a hydrogeological characterization effort that is part of the remedial investigation/feasibility study-environmental impact statement process being carried out by the US Department of Energy at the site. This report presents the results of model development and calibration. In the calibration procedure, the range of field-measured hydrogeological parameters was tested to obtain the best match between model-predicted and measured groundwater elevations. After calibration, the model was used to evaluate whether the presence of an on-site disposal cell would impact the ability to remediate contaminated groundwater beneath the cell. The results of the numerical modeling, which were based on an evaluation of steady-state groundwater flow velocity plots, indicated that groundwater would flow beneath the disposal cell along natural gradients. The presence of a disposal cell would not significantly affect remediation capability for groundwater contamination

  19. Antioxidant Activity of a Geopropolis from Northeast Brazil: Chemical Characterization and Likely Botanical Origin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferreira, Joselena M; Fernandes-Silva, Caroline C; Salatino, Antonio; Message, Dejair; Negri, Giuseppina

    2017-01-01

    Geopropolis is a product containing wax, plant resin, and soil particles. It is elaborated by stingless bees of tribe Meliponini. Methanol extracts of sample of geopropolis produced by Scaptotrigona postica ("mandaguari") in the state of Rio Grande do Norte (RN, northeast Brazil) were analyzed for the determination of standard parameters (total phenols, total flavonoids, and radical scavenging activity) and chemical characterization by HPLC-DAD-MS/MS analysis. The sample analyzed has high contents of total phenols and flavonoids, as well as high antioxidant activity. The constituents characterized were mainly flavonols, such as quercetin methyl ethers, and methoxychalcones. Such chemical profile is similar to the composition of a green propolis from the same area of RN, which is produced by Africanized Apis mellifera , using shoot apices of Mimosa tenuiflora , popularly known as "jurema-preta." This finding provides evidence that "mandaguari" geopropolis and honeybee propolis have the same botanical origin in RN. The sharing of a plant resin source by phylogenetically distant bees (Apinae and Meliponinae) suggests that bee genetic factors play little role in the choice of plants for resin collection and that the availability of potential botanical sources plays a decisive role.

  20. Radiological, physical, and chemical characterization of low-level alpha contaminated wastes stored at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Apel, M.L.; Becker, G.K.; Ragan, Z.K.; Frasure, J.; Raivo, B.D.; Gale, L.G.; Pace, D.P.

    1994-03-01

    This document provides radiological, physical, and chemical characterization data for low-level alpha-contaminated radioactive and low-level alpha-contaminated radioactive and hazardous (i.e., mixed) wastes stored at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory and considered for treatment under the Private Sector Participation Initiative Program. Waste characterization data are provided in the form of INEL Waste Profile Sheets. These documents provide, for each content code, information on waste identification, waste description, waste storage configuration, physical/chemical waste composition, radionuclide and associated alpha activity waste characterization data, and hazardous constituents present in the waste. Information is provided for 97 waste streams which represent an estimated total volume of 25,450 m 3 corresponding to a total mass of approximately 12,000,000 kg. In addition, considerable information concerning alpha, beta, gamma, and neutron source term data specific to Rocky Flats-generated waste forms stored at the INEL are provided to assist in facility design specification

  1. Radiological, physical, and chemical characterization of low-level alpha contaminated wastes stored at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Apel, M.L.; Becker, G.K.; Ragan, Z.K.; Frasure, J.; Raivo, B.D.; Gale, L.G.; Pace, D.P.

    1994-03-01

    This document provides radiological, physical, and chemical characterization data for low-level alpha-contaminated radioactive and low-level alpha-contaminated radioactive and hazardous (i.e., mixed) wastes stored at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory and considered for treatment under the Private Sector Participation Initiative Program. Waste characterization data are provided in the form of INEL Waste Profile Sheets. These documents provide, for each content code, information on waste identification, waste description, waste storage configuration, physical/chemical waste composition, radionuclide and associated alpha activity waste characterization data, and hazardous constituents present in the waste. Information is provided for 97 waste streams which represent an estimated total volume of 25,450 m 3 corresponding to a total mass of approximately 12,000,000 kg. In addition, considerable information concerning alpha, beta, gamma, and neutron source term data specific to Rocky Flats-generated waste forms stored at the INEL are provided to assist in facility design specification.

  2. Chemical characterization of microparticles by laser ablation in an ion trap mass spectrometer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dale, J.M.; Whitten, W.B.; Ramsey, J.M.

    1991-01-01

    We are developing a new technique for the chemical characterization of microparticles based upon the use of electrodynamic traps. The electrodynamic trap has achieved widespread use in the mass spectrometry community in the form of the ion trap mass spectrometer or quadrupole ion trap. Small macroscopic particles can be confined or levitated within the electrode structure of a three-dimensional quadrupole electrodynamic trap in the same way as fundamental charges or molecular ions by using a combination of ac and dc potentials. Our concept is to use the same electrode structure to perform both microparticle levitation and ion trapping/mass analysis. The microparticle will first be trapped and spatially stabilized within the trap for characterization by optical probes, i.e., absorption, fluorescence, or Raman spectroscopy. After the particle has been optically characterized, it is further characterized using mass spectrometry. Ions are generated from the particle surface using laser ablation or desorption. The characteristics of the applied voltages are changed to trap the ions formed by the laser with the ions subsequently mass analyzed. The work described in this paper focuses on the ability to perform laser desorption experiments on microparticles contained within the ion trap

  3. Bee waxes: a model of characterization for using as base simulator tissue in teletherapy with photons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silva, Rogerio Matias Vidal da; Souza, Divanizia do Nascimento

    2011-01-01

    This paper presents a model of characterization and selection of bee waxes which makes possible to certify the usage viability of that base simulator tissue in the manufacture of appropriated objects for external radiotherapy with mega volt photon beams. The work was divide into three stages, where was evaluated physical and chemical properties besides the aspects related to the capacity of beam attenuation. All the process was carefully accompanied related to the wax origin such as the bee specimen and the flora surrounding the beehives. The chemical composition of the waxes is similar to others simulators usually used in radiotherapy. The behavior of mass attenuation coefficient in the radiotherapeutic energy range is comparable to other simulators, and consequently to the soft tissue. The proposed model is efficient and allows the affirmative that the usage of determined bee wax as base simulator tissue is convenient

  4. Synthesis, molecular modeling and structural characterization of vanillin derivatives as antimicrobial agents

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Juan; Yin, Yong; Sheng, Gui-Hua; Yang, Zhi-Bo; Zhu, Hai-Liang

    2013-05-01

    Two vanillin derivatives have been designed and synthesized and their biological activities were also evaluated for antimicrobial activity. Their chemical structures are characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction studies, 1H NMR, MS, and elemental analysis. Structural stabilization of them followed by intramolecular as well as intermolecular H-bonds makes these molecules as perfect examples in molecular recognition with self-complementary donor and acceptor units within a single molecule. Docking simulations have been performed to position compounds into the FtsZ active site to determine their probable binding model. Compound 3a shows the most potent biological activity, which may be a promising antimicrobial leading compound for the further research.

  5. Computer-Aided Multiscale Modelling for Chemical Process Engineering

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Morales Rodriguez, Ricardo; Gani, Rafiqul

    2007-01-01

    Chemical processes are generally modeled through monoscale approaches, which, while not adequate, satisfy a useful role in product-process design. In this case, use of a multi-dimensional and multi-scale model-based approach has importance in product-process development. A computer-aided framework...

  6. Value chain management for commodities: a case study from the chemical industry

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kannegiesser, M.; Günther, H.O.; Beek, van P.; Grunow, M.; Habla, C.

    2009-01-01

    We present a planning model for chemical commodities related to an industry case. Commodities are standard chemicals characterized by sales and supply volatility in volume and value. Increasing and volatile prices of crude oil-dependent raw materials require coordination of sales and supply

  7. Surface chemical and biological characterization of flax fabrics modified with silver nanoparticles for biomedical applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Paladini, F.; Picca, R.A.; Sportelli, M.C.; Cioffi, N.; Sannino, A.; Pollini, M.

    2015-01-01

    Silver nanophases are increasingly used as effective antibacterial agent for biomedical applications and wound healing. This work aims to investigate the surface chemical composition and biological properties of silver nanoparticle-modified flax substrates. Silver coatings were deposited on textiles through the in situ photo-reduction of a silver solution, by means of a large-scale apparatus. The silver-coated materials were characterized through X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), to assess the surface elemental composition of the coatings, and the chemical speciation of both the substrate and the antibacterial nanophases. A detailed investigation of XPS high resolution regions outlined that silver is mainly present on nanophases' surface as Ag 2 O. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were also carried out, in order to visualize the distribution of silver particles on the fibers. The materials were also characterized from a biological point of view in terms of antibacterial capability and cytotoxicity. Agar diffusion tests and bacterial enumeration tests were performed on Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria, namely Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. In vitro cytotoxicity tests were performed through the extract method on murine fibroblasts in order to verify if the presence of the silver coating affected the cellular viability and proliferation. Durability of the coating was also assessed, thus confirming the successful scaling up of the process, which will be therefore available for large-scale production. - Highlights: • Silver nanophases are increasingly used as effective antibacterial agent for biomedical applications. • Silver coatings were deposited on textiles through the in situ photo-reduction of a silver solution. • Flax fabrics were characterized from a biological and surface chemical point of view. • Scaling up of the process was confirmed

  8. Automated Physico-Chemical Cell Model Development through Information Theory

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Peter J. Ortoleva

    2005-11-29

    The objective of this project was to develop predictive models of the chemical responses of microbial cells to variations in their surroundings. The application of these models is optimization of environmental remediation and energy-producing biotechnical processes.The principles on which our project is based are as follows: chemical thermodynamics and kinetics; automation of calibration through information theory; integration of multiplex data (e.g. cDNA microarrays, NMR, proteomics), cell modeling, and bifurcation theory to overcome cellular complexity; and the use of multiplex data and information theory to calibrate and run an incomplete model. In this report we review four papers summarizing key findings and a web-enabled, multiple module workflow we have implemented that consists of a set of interoperable systems biology computational modules.

  9. Clays for brick manufacturing in Actopan, Hidalgo: physical, chemical and mineralogical characterization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moreno-Tovar, Raul; Yañez-Hernández, Osiris Annel; Pérez-Moreno, Fidel; Rodríguez-Lugo, Ventura [Área de Ciencias de la Tierra y Materiales, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo (Mexico); Rivera, José de Jesús Cruz [Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí (Mexico); Rivera, Ana Leonor, E-mail: analeonor.ventura.2016@gmail.com [Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, DF (Mexico)

    2017-10-15

    Samples of clays from Actopan, Hidalgo employed in brick manufacturing are physical, chemical and mineralogical characterized. Transmitted polarized light microscopy showed a uniform particle size with grain morphology characteristic of euhedral crystals with quartz, feldspars, nontronite, and iron oxides particles. Scanning Electron Microscopy revealed 75 μm to 90 μm wide subhedral structures formed by particles from 2.0 μm to 5.0 μm; and rombohedrales forms 40 μm wide, 70 µm long, constituted of silicon, aluminum, iron, titanium, calcium, minor amounts of potassium, magnesium, and sodium. Minerals such as quartz, albite, cristobalite, calcium and Hematite phases were recognized by X-Ray Diffraction technique. Chemical analysis by atomic emission spectrometry with Inductively Coupled Plasma confirmed this mineralogy composition while laser granulometry method found the same particle size. Grain size analysis determined submicrometric dimensions, and multimodal type curves, that can be interpreted as the mixing of two or more different mineral phases in each sample. (author)

  10. Clays for brick manufacturing in Actopan, Hidalgo: physical, chemical and mineralogical characterization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moreno-Tovar, Raul; Yañez-Hernández, Osiris Annel; Pérez-Moreno, Fidel; Rodríguez-Lugo, Ventura; Rivera, José de Jesús Cruz; Rivera, Ana Leonor

    2017-01-01

    Samples of clays from Actopan, Hidalgo employed in brick manufacturing are physical, chemical and mineralogical characterized. Transmitted polarized light microscopy showed a uniform particle size with grain morphology characteristic of euhedral crystals with quartz, feldspars, nontronite, and iron oxides particles. Scanning Electron Microscopy revealed 75 μm to 90 μm wide subhedral structures formed by particles from 2.0 μm to 5.0 μm; and rombohedrales forms 40 μm wide, 70 µm long, constituted of silicon, aluminum, iron, titanium, calcium, minor amounts of potassium, magnesium, and sodium. Minerals such as quartz, albite, cristobalite, calcium and Hematite phases were recognized by X-Ray Diffraction technique. Chemical analysis by atomic emission spectrometry with Inductively Coupled Plasma confirmed this mineralogy composition while laser granulometry method found the same particle size. Grain size analysis determined submicrometric dimensions, and multimodal type curves, that can be interpreted as the mixing of two or more different mineral phases in each sample. (author)

  11. Identification of Chemical Reactor Plant’s Mathematical Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pyakillya Boris

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available This work presents a solution of the identification problem of chemical reactor plant’s mathematical model. The main goal is to obtain a mathematical description of a chemical reactor plant from experimental data, which based on plant’s time response measurements. This data consists sequence of measurements for water jacket temperature and information about control input signal, which is used to govern plant’s behavior.

  12. Chemical Kinetic Modeling of 2-Methylhexane Combustion

    KAUST Repository

    Mohamed, Samah Y.

    2015-03-30

    Accurate chemical kinetic combustion models of lightly branched alkanes (e.g., 2-methylalkanes) are important for investigating the combustion behavior of diesel, gasoline, and aviation fuels. Improving the fidelity of existing kinetic models is a necessity, as new experiments and advanced theories show inaccuracy in certain portions of the models. This study focuses on updating thermodynamic data and kinetic model for a gasoline surrogate fuel, 2-methylhexane, with recently published group values and rate rules. These update provides a better agreement with rapid compression machine measurements of ignition delay time, while also strengthening the fundamental basis of the model.

  13. Toward a comprehensive model of chemical transport in porous media

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, C.W.

    1983-02-01

    A chemical transport model, CHEMTRN, that includes advection, dispersion/diffusion, complexation, sorption, precipitation or dissolution of solids, and the dissociation of water has been written. The transport, mass action and site constraint equations are written in a differential/algebraic form and solved simultaneously. The sorption process is modelled by either ion-exchange or surface complexation. The model has been used to investigate the applicability of a k/sub D/ model for simulating the transport of chemical species in groundwater systems, to simulate precipitation/dissolution of minerals, and to consider the effect of surface complexation on sorption

  14. Fabrication and characterization of a chemically oxidized-nanostructured porous silicon based biosensor implementing orienting protein A.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naveas, Nelson; Hernandez-Montelongo, Jacobo; Pulido, Ruth; Torres-Costa, Vicente; Villanueva-Guerrero, Raúl; Predestinación García Ruiz, Josefa; Manso-Silván, Miguel

    2014-03-01

    Nanostructured porous silicon (PSi) elicits as a very attractive material for future biosensing systems due to its high surface area, biocompatibility and well-established fabrication methods. In order to engineer its performance as a biosensor transducer platform, the density of immunoglobulins properly immobilized and oriented onto the surface needs to be optimized. In this work we fabricated and characterized a novel biosensing system focusing on the improvement of the biofunctionalization cascade. The system consists on a chemically oxidized PSi platform derivatized with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTS) that is coupled to Staphylococcus protein A (SpA). The chemical oxidation has previously demonstrated to enhance the biofunctionalization process and here "by implementing SpA" a molecularly oriented immunosensor is achieved. The biosensor system is characterized in terms of its chemical composition, wettability and optical reflectance. Finally, this system is successfully exploited to develop a biosensor for detecting asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), an endogenous molecule involved in cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, this work is relevant from the point of view of design and optimization of the biomolecular immobilization cascade on PSi surfaces with the added value of contribution to the development of new assays for detecting ADMA with a view on prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Study of the application of non-plastic clays from Pocos de Caldas - part 1: chemical-mineralogic characterization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roveri, C.D.; Mariano, N.A.; Faustino, L.M.; Aielo, G.F.; Pinto, L.P.A.; Maestrelli, S.C.

    2011-01-01

    Pocos de Caldas is an important 'hidrotermomineral' center of Brazil, where can be found non-plastic clays deposits with no significant records about its characterization; this fact difficult the studies of industrial application. These nonplastic clays, not used, have been stored in sheds or open, which creates a high cost to the industry, and become an environmental liability. In the present work, the chemical-mineralogical study of six samples of non-plastic clays was realized, to expand the horizons of researches about such materials. This preliminary study showed that, overall, the samples are composed of refractory minerals such as kaolinite and gibbsite, with less significant amounts of other phases such as quartz, illite and vermiculite. The chemical analysis permitted the grouping of raw materials into two groups according to their refractories proprieties, guiding to the subsequent characterization. (author)

  16. Two-dimensional numerical modelling of sediment and chemical constituent transport within the lower reaches of the Athabasca River.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kashyap, Shalini; Dibike, Yonas; Shakibaeinia, Ahmad; Prowse, Terry; Droppo, Ian

    2017-01-01

    Flows and transport of sediment and associated chemical constituents within the lower reaches of the Athabasca River between Fort McMurray and Embarrass Airport are investigated using a two-dimensional (2D) numerical model called Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code (EFDC). The river reach is characterized by complex geometry, including vegetated islands, alternating sand bars and an unpredictable thalweg. The models were setup and validated using available observed data in the region before using them to estimate the levels of cohesive sediment and a select set of chemical constituents, consisting of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and metals, within the river system. Different flow scenarios were considered, and the results show that a large proportion of the cohesive sediment that gets deposited within the study domain originates from the main stem upstream inflow boundary, although Ells River may also contribute substantially during peak flow events. The floodplain, back channels and islands in the river system are found to be the major areas of concern for deposition of sediment and associated chemical constituents. Adsorbed chemical constituents also tend to be greater in the main channel water column, which has higher levels of total suspended sediments, compared to in the flood plain. Moreover, the levels of chemical constituents leaving the river system are found to depend very much on the corresponding river bed concentration levels, resulting in higher outflows with increases in their concentration in the bed sediment.

  17. Property Model-Based Chemcal Substitution and Chemical Formulation Design

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jhamb, Spardha Virendra; Liang, Xiaodong; Hukkerikar, Amol Shivajirao

    Chemical-based products including structured product formulations and single molecule products have proven to be a boon to mankind and have been a significant part of our economies. Our life and the changes around us cannot be imagined without the presence or involvement of chemicals. But like...... with environmentally benign chemicals. Additionally, the decisions taken during chemical product design also have an impact on the process and product performance and are influenced by company strategy, availability of market and government policies [2]. Hence, undoubtedly there is a need to develop a systematic...... [3] will also be highlighted. A set of new group contribution-based models for a number of useful properties of amino acids will be presented. Through examples on substitution of chemicals from chemical-based products from various sectors namely cosmetics and personal care, pharmaceutical and food...

  18. Modeling Exposure to Persistent Chemicals in Hazard and Risk Assessment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cowan-Ellsberry, Christina E.; McLachlan, Michael S.; Arnot, Jon A.; MacLeod, Matthew; McKone, Thomas E.; Wania, Frank

    2008-11-01

    Fate and exposure modeling has not thus far been explicitly used in the risk profile documents prepared to evaluate significant adverse effect of candidate chemicals for either the Stockholm Convention or the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution. However, we believe models have considerable potential to improve the risk profiles. Fate and exposure models are already used routinely in other similar regulatory applications to inform decisions, and they have been instrumental in building our current understanding of the fate of POP and PBT chemicals in the environment. The goal of this paper is to motivate the use of fate and exposure models in preparing risk profiles in the POP assessment procedure by providing strategies for incorporating and using models. The ways that fate and exposure models can be used to improve and inform the development of risk profiles include: (1) Benchmarking the ratio of exposure and emissions of candidate chemicals to the same ratio for known POPs, thereby opening the possibility of combining this ratio with the relative emissions and relative toxicity to arrive at a measure of relative risk. (2) Directly estimating the exposure of the environment, biota and humans to provide information to complement measurements, or where measurements are not available or are limited. (3) To identify the key processes and chemical and/or environmental parameters that determine the exposure; thereby allowing the effective prioritization of research or measurements to improve the risk profile. (4) Predicting future time trends including how quickly exposure levels in remote areas would respond to reductions in emissions. Currently there is no standardized consensus model for use in the risk profile context. Therefore, to choose the appropriate model the risk profile developer must evaluate how appropriate an existing model is for a specific setting and whether the assumptions and input data are relevant in the context of the application

  19. Equilibrator: Modeling Chemical Equilibria with Excel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vander Griend, Douglas A.

    2011-01-01

    Equilibrator is a Microsoft Excel program for learning about chemical equilibria through modeling, similar in function to EQS4WIN, which is no longer supported and does not work well with newer Windows operating systems. Similar to EQS4WIN, Equilibrator allows the user to define a system with temperature, initial moles, and then either total…

  20. Modelling Chemical Reasoning to Predict and Invent Reactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Segler, Marwin H S; Waller, Mark P

    2017-05-02

    The ability to reason beyond established knowledge allows organic chemists to solve synthetic problems and invent novel transformations. Herein, we propose a model that mimics chemical reasoning, and formalises reaction prediction as finding missing links in a knowledge graph. We have constructed a knowledge graph containing 14.4 million molecules and 8.2 million binary reactions, which represents the bulk of all chemical reactions ever published in the scientific literature. Our model outperforms a rule-based expert system in the reaction prediction task for 180 000 randomly selected binary reactions. The data-driven model generalises even beyond known reaction types, and is thus capable of effectively (re-)discovering novel transformations (even including transition metal-catalysed reactions). Our model enables computers to infer hypotheses about reactivity and reactions by only considering the intrinsic local structure of the graph and because each single reaction prediction is typically achieved in a sub-second time frame, the model can be used as a high-throughput generator of reaction hypotheses for reaction discovery. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  1. Model reduction of multiscale chemical langevin equations: a numerical case study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sotiropoulos, Vassilios; Contou-Carrere, Marie-Nathalie; Daoutidis, Prodromos; Kaznessis, Yiannis N

    2009-01-01

    Two very important characteristics of biological reaction networks need to be considered carefully when modeling these systems. First, models must account for the inherent probabilistic nature of systems far from the thermodynamic limit. Often, biological systems cannot be modeled with traditional continuous-deterministic models. Second, models must take into consideration the disparate spectrum of time scales observed in biological phenomena, such as slow transcription events and fast dimerization reactions. In the last decade, significant efforts have been expended on the development of stochastic chemical kinetics models to capture the dynamics of biomolecular systems, and on the development of robust multiscale algorithms, able to handle stiffness. In this paper, the focus is on the dynamics of reaction sets governed by stiff chemical Langevin equations, i.e., stiff stochastic differential equations. These are particularly challenging systems to model, requiring prohibitively small integration step sizes. We describe and illustrate the application of a semianalytical reduction framework for chemical Langevin equations that results in significant gains in computational cost.

  2. Life cycle impact assessment modeling for particulate matter: A new approach based on physico-chemical particle properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Notter, Dominic A

    2015-09-01

    Particulate matter (PM) causes severe damage to human health globally. Airborne PM is a mixture of solid and liquid droplets suspended in air. It consists of organic and inorganic components, and the particles of concern range in size from a few nanometers to approximately 10μm. The complexity of PM is considered to be the reason for the poor understanding of PM and may also be the reason why PM in environmental impact assessment is poorly defined. Currently, life cycle impact assessment is unable to differentiate highly toxic soot particles from relatively harmless sea salt. The aim of this article is to present a new impact assessment for PM where the impact of PM is modeled based on particle physico-chemical properties. With the new method, 2781 characterization factors that account for particle mass, particle number concentration, particle size, chemical composition and solubility were calculated. Because particle sizes vary over four orders of magnitudes, a sound assessment of PM requires that the exposure model includes deposition of particles in the lungs and that the fate model includes coagulation as a removal mechanism for ultrafine particles. The effects model combines effects from particle size, solubility and chemical composition. The first results from case studies suggest that PM that stems from emissions generally assumed to be highly toxic (e.g. biomass combustion and fossil fuel combustion) might lead to results that are similar compared with an assessment of PM using established methods. However, if harmless PM emissions are emitted, established methods enormously overestimate the damage. The new impact assessment allows a high resolution of the damage allocatable to different size fractions or chemical components. This feature supports a more efficient optimization of processes and products when combating air pollution. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Forty years of 9Sr in situ migration: importance of soil characterization in modeling transport phenomena

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fernandez, J.M.; Piault, E.; Macouillard, D.; Juncos, C.

    2006-01-01

    In 1960 experiments were carried out on the transfer of 9 Sr between soil, grapes and wine. The experiments were conducted in situ on a piece of land limited by two control strips. The 9 Sr migration over the last 40 years was studied by performing radiological and physico-chemical characterizations of the soil on eight 70 cm deep cores. The vertical migration modeling of 9 Sr required the definition of a triple layer conceptual model integrating the rainwater infiltration at constant flux as the only external factor of influence. Afterwards the importance of a detailed soil characterization for modeling was discussed and satisfactory simulation of the 9 Sr vertical transport was obtained and showed a calculated migration rate of about 1.0 cm year -1 in full agreement with the in situ measured values. The discussion was regarding some of the key parameters such as granulometry, organic matter content (in the Van Genuchten parameter determination), Kd and the efficient rainwater infiltration. Besides the experimental data, simplifying assumptions in modeling such as water-soil redistribution calculation and factual discontinuities in conceptual model were examined

  4. Progress report on SYVAC chemical modelling studies during 1984/85

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cross, J.E.; Read, D.; Smith, G.L.; Williams, D.R.

    1985-05-01

    This report summarises progress made from April 1984 to May 1985 on chemical modelling within the DOE SYVAC project. Three new computer programs; the reaction path codes, PHREEQE and EQ3/6, and the chemical transport simulator CHEMTRN, have been acquired. Their applicability, overall capabilities, ease of use and database requirements are assessed. Coupled approaches to geochemical - hydrological modelling and the use of CHEMTRN is discussed. Modelling has been performed in connection with the ''Dry Run Assessment''. Speciation and solubilities of the actinides were simulated, assuming the vault to be a concrete solution and the geosphere to be represented by Harwell site groundwater analyses. Model verification and validation by collaboration with experimentalists and other modellers is discussed. (author)

  5. Synthesis and Characterization of Block Copolymers with Unique Chemical Functionalities and Entropically-Hindering Moieties

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-08-14

    methanol as a function of chemistry , morphology and hydration levels. Accomplishments: This section is included in the "upload" section. Training...Copolymer Blend Membranes.” In Press, Polymer Engineering and Science, DOI: 10.1002 /pen.24508, 2017. 5. M. Pérez-Pérez and D. Suleiman. “Synthesis and...Synthesis and Characterization of Sulfonated Amine Block Copolymers for Energy Efficient Applications". Chemical Engineering Symposium, University of

  6. Property Modelling for Applications in Chemical Product and Process Design

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gani, Rafiqul

    such as database, property model library, model parameter regression, and, property-model based product-process design will be presented. The database contains pure component and mixture data for a wide range of organic chemicals. The property models are based on the combined group contribution and atom...... is missing, the atom connectivity based model is employed to predict the missing group interaction. In this way, a wide application range of the property modeling tool is ensured. Based on the property models, targeted computer-aided techniques have been developed for design and analysis of organic chemicals......, polymers, mixtures as well as separation processes. The presentation will highlight the framework (ICAS software) for property modeling, the property models and issues such as prediction accuracy, flexibility, maintenance and updating of the database. Also, application issues related to the use of property...

  7. Air quality modeling: evaluation of chemical and meteorological parameterizations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Youngseob

    2011-01-01

    The influence of chemical mechanisms and meteorological parameterizations on pollutant concentrations calculated with an air quality model is studied. The influence of the differences between two gas-phase chemical mechanisms on the formation of ozone and aerosols in Europe is low on average. For ozone, the large local differences are mainly due to the uncertainty associated with the kinetics of nitrogen monoxide (NO) oxidation reactions on the one hand and the representation of different pathways for the oxidation of aromatic compounds on the other hand. The aerosol concentrations are mainly influenced by the selection of all major precursors of secondary aerosols and the explicit treatment of chemical regimes corresponding to the nitrogen oxides (NO x ) levels. The influence of the meteorological parameterizations on the concentrations of aerosols and their vertical distribution is evaluated over the Paris region in France by comparison to lidar data. The influence of the parameterization of the dynamics in the atmospheric boundary layer is important; however, it is the use of an urban canopy model that improves significantly the modeling of the pollutant vertical distribution (author) [fr

  8. Cumulative Risk and Impact Modeling on Environmental Chemical and Social Stressors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Hongtai; Wang, Aolin; Morello-Frosch, Rachel; Lam, Juleen; Sirota, Marina; Padula, Amy; Woodruff, Tracey J

    2018-03-01

    The goal of this review is to identify cumulative modeling methods used to evaluate combined effects of exposures to environmental chemicals and social stressors. The specific review question is: What are the existing quantitative methods used to examine the cumulative impacts of exposures to environmental chemical and social stressors on health? There has been an increase in literature that evaluates combined effects of exposures to environmental chemicals and social stressors on health using regression models; very few studies applied other data mining and machine learning techniques to this problem. The majority of studies we identified used regression models to evaluate combined effects of multiple environmental and social stressors. With proper study design and appropriate modeling assumptions, additional data mining methods may be useful to examine combined effects of environmental and social stressors.

  9. X-ray micro computed tomography characterization of cellular SiC foams for their applications in chemical engineering

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ou, Xiaoxia [School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, The University of Manchester, M13 9PL (United Kingdom); Zhang, Xun; Lowe, Tristan [Henry Moseley X-ray Imaging Facility, Materials Science Centre, School of Materials, The University of Manchester, M13 9PL (United Kingdom); Blanc, Remi [FEI, 3 Impasse Rudolf Diesel, BP 50227, 33708 Mérignac (France); Rad, Mansoureh Norouzi [School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, The University of Manchester, M13 9PL (United Kingdom); Wang, Ying [Henry Moseley X-ray Imaging Facility, Materials Science Centre, School of Materials, The University of Manchester, M13 9PL (United Kingdom); Batail, Nelly; Pham, Charlotte [SICAT SARL, 20 Place des Halles, 67000 Strasbourg (France); Shokri, Nima; Garforth, Arthur A. [School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, The University of Manchester, M13 9PL (United Kingdom); Withers, Philip J. [Henry Moseley X-ray Imaging Facility, Materials Science Centre, School of Materials, The University of Manchester, M13 9PL (United Kingdom); Fan, Xiaolei, E-mail: xiaolei.fan@manchester.ac.uk [School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, The University of Manchester, M13 9PL (United Kingdom)

    2017-01-15

    Open-cell SiC foams clearly are promising materials for continuous-flow chemical applications such as heterogeneous catalysis and distillation. X-ray micro computed tomography characterization of cellular β-SiC foams at a spatial voxel size of 13.6{sup 3} μm{sup 3} and the interpretation of morphological properties of SiC open-cell foams with implications to their transport properties are presented. Static liquid hold-up in SiC foams was investigated through in-situ draining experiments for the first time using the μ-CT technique providing thorough 3D information about the amount and distribution of liquid hold-up inside the foam. This will enable better modeling and design of structured reactors based on SiC foams in the future. In order to see more practical uses, μ-CT data of cellular foams must be exploited to optimize the design of the morphology of foams for a specific application. - Highlights: •Characterization of SiC foams using novel X-ray micro computed tomography. •Interpretation of structural properties of SiC foams regarding to their transport properties. •Static liquid hold-up analysis of SiC foams through in-situ draining experiments.

  10. Bayesian inference of chemical kinetic models from proposed reactions

    KAUST Repository

    Galagali, Nikhil; Marzouk, Youssef M.

    2015-01-01

    © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. Bayesian inference provides a natural framework for combining experimental data with prior knowledge to develop chemical kinetic models and quantify the associated uncertainties, not only in parameter values but also in model

  11. Dynamic Processes of Conceptual Change: Analysis of Constructing Mental Models of Chemical Equilibrium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiu, Mei-Hung; Chou, Chin-Cheng; Liu, Chia-Ju

    2002-01-01

    Investigates students' mental models of chemical equilibrium using dynamic science assessments. Reports that students at various levels have misconceptions about chemical equilibrium. Involves 10th grade students (n=30) in the study doing a series of hands-on chemical experiments. Focuses on the process of constructing mental models, dynamic…

  12. In situ chemical characterization of waste sludges using FTIR-based fiber optic sensors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rebagay, T.V.; Dodd, D.A.; Jeppson, D.W.; Lockrem, L.L.; Blewett, G.R.

    1994-02-01

    The characterization of unknown mixed wastes is a mandatory step in today's climate of strict environmental regulations. Cleaning up the nuclear and chemical wastes that have accumulated for 50 years at the Hanford Site is the largest single cleanup task in the United States today. The wastes are stored temporarily in carbon steel single- and double-shell tanks that are buried in tank farms at the Site. In the 1950s, a process to scavenge radioactive cesium and other soluble radionuclides in the wastes was developed to create additional tank space for waste storage. This scavenging process involved treatment of the wastes with alkali cyanoferrates and nickel sulfate to precipitate 137 Cs in the presence of nitrate oxidant. Recent safety issues have focused on the stability of cyanoferrate-bearing wastes with large quantities of nitrates and nitrites. Nitrate has been partially converted to nitrite as a result of radiolysis during more than 35 years of storage. The major safety issue is the possibility of the presence of local hot spots enriched in 137 Cs and 90 Sr that under optimum conditions can self-heat causing dry out and a potential runaway reaction of the cyanoferrates with the nitrates/nitrites). For waste tank safety, accurate data of the concentration and distribution of cyanoferrates in the tanks are needed. Because of the extensive sampling required and the highly restricted activities allowed in the tank farms, simulated tank wastes are used to provide an initial basis for identifying and quantifying realistic concerns prior to waste remediation. Fiber optics provide a tool for the remote and in situ characterization of hazardous and toxic materials. This study is focused on near-infrared (NIR) and mid-infrared (MIR) fiber optic sensors for in situ chemical characterization of Hanford Site waste sludges

  13. Structural and optical characterization of self-assembled Ge nanocrystal layers grown by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Saeed, S.; Buters, F.; Dohnalova, K.; Wosinski, L.; Gregorkiewicz, T.

    2014-01-01

    We present a structural and optical study of solid-state dispersions of Ge nanocrystals prepared by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Structural analysis shows the presence of nanocrystalline germanium inclusions embedded in an amorphous matrix of Si-rich SiO2. Optical characterization

  14. Simplified Thermo-Chemical Modelling For Hypersonic Flow

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sancho, Jorge; Alvarez, Paula; Gonzalez, Ezequiel; Rodriguez, Manuel

    2011-05-01

    Hypersonic flows are connected with high temperatures, generally associated with strong shock waves that appear in such flows. At high temperatures vibrational degrees of freedom of the molecules may become excited, the molecules may dissociate into atoms, the molecules or free atoms may ionize, and molecular or ionic species, unimportant at lower temperatures, may be formed. In order to take into account these effects, a chemical model is needed, but this model should be simplified in order to be handled by a CFD code, but with a sufficient precision to take into account the physics more important. This work is related to a chemical non-equilibrium model validation, implemented into a commercial CFD code, in order to obtain the flow field around bodies in hypersonic flow. The selected non-equilibrium model is composed of seven species and six direct reactions together with their inverse. The commercial CFD code where the non- equilibrium model has been implemented is FLUENT. For the validation, the X38/Sphynx Mach 20 case is rebuilt on a reduced geometry, including the 1/3 Lref forebody. This case has been run in laminar regime, non catalytic wall and with radiative equilibrium wall temperature. The validated non-equilibrium model is applied to the EXPERT (European Experimental Re-entry Test-bed) vehicle at a specified trajectory point (Mach number 14). This case has been run also in laminar regime, non catalytic wall and with radiative equilibrium wall temperature.

  15. Morphological, Chemical Surface, and Diffusive Transport Characterizations of a Nanoporous Alumina Membrane

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    María I. Vázquez

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Synthesis of a nanoporous alumina membrane (NPAM by the two-step anodization method and its morphological and chemical surface characterization by analyzing Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM micrographs and X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS spectra is reported. Influence of electrical and diffusive effects on the NaCl transport across the membrane nanopores is determined from salt diffusion measurements performed with a wide range of NaCl concentrations, which allows the estimation of characteristic electrochemical membrane parameters such as the NaCl diffusion coefficient and the concentration of fixed charges in the membrane, by using an appropriated model and the membrane geometrical parameters (porosity and pore length. These results indicate a reduction of ~70% in the value of the NaCl diffusion coefficient through the membrane pores with respect to solution. The transport number of ions in the membrane pores (Na+ and Cl−, respectively were determined from concentration potential measurements, and the effect of concentration-polarization at the membrane surfaces was also considered by comparing concentration potential values obtained with stirred solutions (550 rpm and without stirring. From both kinds of results, a value higher than 0.05 M NaCl for the feed solution seems to be necessary to neglect the contribution of electrical interactions in the diffusive transport.

  16. Estimating risk at a Superfund site contaminated with radiological and chemical wastes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Temeshy, A.; Liedle, J.M.; Sims, L.M.; Efird, C.R.

    1992-01-01

    This paper describes the method and results for estimating carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic effects at a Superfund site that is radiologically and chemically contaminated. Risk to receptors from disposal of waste in soil and resulting contamination of groundwater, air, surface water, and sediment is quantified. Specific risk assessment components which are addressed are the exposure assessment, toxicity assessment, and the resulting risk characterization. In the exposure assessment, potential exposure pathways are identified using waste disposal inventory information for soil and modeled information for other media. Models are used to calculate future radionuclide concentrations in groundwater, soil, surface water and air. Chemical exposure concentrations are quantified using site characterization data. Models are used to determine concentrations of chemicals in surface water and in air. Toxicity parameters used to quantify the dose-response relationship associated with the carcinogenic contaminants are slope factors and with noncarcinogenic contaminants are reference doses. In the risk characterization step, results from the exposure assessment and toxicity assessment are summarized and integrated into quantitative risk estimates for carcinogens and hazard induces for noncarcinogens. Calculated risks for carcinogenic contaminants are compared with EPA's target risk range. At WAG 6, the risk from radionuclides and chemicals for an on-WAG homesteader exceeds EPA's target risk range. Hazard indices are compared to unity for noncarcinogenic contaminants. At WAG 6, the total pathway hazard index for the on-WAG homesteader exceeds unity

  17. Bayesian inference of chemical kinetic models from proposed reactions

    KAUST Repository

    Galagali, Nikhil

    2015-02-01

    © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. Bayesian inference provides a natural framework for combining experimental data with prior knowledge to develop chemical kinetic models and quantify the associated uncertainties, not only in parameter values but also in model structure. Most existing applications of Bayesian model selection methods to chemical kinetics have been limited to comparisons among a small set of models, however. The significant computational cost of evaluating posterior model probabilities renders traditional Bayesian methods infeasible when the model space becomes large. We present a new framework for tractable Bayesian model inference and uncertainty quantification using a large number of systematically generated model hypotheses. The approach involves imposing point-mass mixture priors over rate constants and exploring the resulting posterior distribution using an adaptive Markov chain Monte Carlo method. The posterior samples are used to identify plausible models, to quantify rate constant uncertainties, and to extract key diagnostic information about model structure-such as the reactions and operating pathways most strongly supported by the data. We provide numerical demonstrations of the proposed framework by inferring kinetic models for catalytic steam and dry reforming of methane using available experimental data.

  18. Mesoscale simulations of shockwave energy dissipation via chemical reactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Antillon, Edwin; Strachan, Alejandro

    2015-02-28

    We use a particle-based mesoscale model that incorporates chemical reactions at a coarse-grained level to study the response of materials that undergo volume-reducing chemical reactions under shockwave-loading conditions. We find that such chemical reactions can attenuate the shockwave and characterize how the parameters of the chemical model affect this behavior. The simulations show that the magnitude of the volume collapse and velocity at which the chemistry propagates are critical to weaken the shock, whereas the energetics in the reactions play only a minor role. Shock loading results in transient states where the material is away from local equilibrium and, interestingly, chemical reactions can nucleate under such non-equilibrium states. Thus, the timescales for equilibration between the various degrees of freedom in the material affect the shock-induced chemistry and its ability to attenuate the propagating shock.

  19. Molecular modeling for the design of novel performance chemicals and materials

    CERN Document Server

    Rai, Beena

    2012-01-01

    Molecular modeling (MM) tools offer significant benefits in the design of industrial chemical plants and material processing operations. While the role of MM in biological fields is well established, in most cases MM works as an accessory in novel products/materials development rather than a tool for direct innovation. As a result, MM engineers and practitioners are often seized with the question: ""How do I leverage these tools to develop novel materials or chemicals in my industry?"" Molecular Modeling for the Design of Novel Performance Chemicals and Materials answers this important questio

  20. The Kimball Free-Cloud Model: A Failed Innovation in Chemical Education?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jensen, William B.

    2014-01-01

    This historical review traces the origins of the Kimball free-cloud model of the chemical bond, otherwise known as the charge-cloud or tangent-sphere model, and the central role it played in attempts to reform the introductory chemical curriculum at both the high school and college levels in the 1960s. It also critically evaluates the limitations…

  1. Parameter Estimates in Differential Equation Models for Chemical Kinetics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winkel, Brian

    2011-01-01

    We discuss the need for devoting time in differential equations courses to modelling and the completion of the modelling process with efforts to estimate the parameters in the models using data. We estimate the parameters present in several differential equation models of chemical reactions of order n, where n = 0, 1, 2, and apply more general…

  2. Metal oxide nanostructures: preparation, characterization and functional applications as chemical sensors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zappa, Dario; Bertuna, Angela; Comini, Elisabetta; Kaur, Navpreet; Poli, Nicola; Sberveglieri, Veronica; Sberveglieri, Giorgio

    2017-01-01

    Preparation and characterization of different metal oxide (NiO, WO 3 , ZnO, SnO 2 and Nb 2 O 5 ) nanostructures for chemical sensing are presented. p-Type (NiO) and n-type (WO 3 , SnO 2 , ZnO and Nb 2 O 5 ) metal oxide nanostructures were grown on alumina substrates using evaporation-condensation, thermal oxidation and hydrothermal techniques. Surface morphologies and crystal structures were investigated through scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Furthermore, different batches of sensors have been prepared, and their sensing performances towards carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide have been explored. Moreover, metal oxide nanowires have been integrated into an electronic nose and successfully applied to discriminate between drinking and contaminated water.

  3. Characterization of Cr2O3 thin films obtained by chemical vapor deposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pillis, M.F.; Galego, E.; Serna, M.M.; Correa, O.V.; Ramanathan, L.V.; Franco, A.C.

    2010-01-01

    The goal of this work was the synthesis and characterization of Cr 2 O 3 thin films, obtained by chemical vapor deposition, using chromium acetylacetonate as chromium precursor. The growth of the films was carried out in a conventional horizontal MOCVD equipment, under pressures varying from 2 to 10 mbar, and temperature of 600 deg C. It was observed that the growth of the films only occurs when oxygen is present in the atmosphere. Under growth pressures of 2 and 5 mbar the growth takes place but under 10 mbar of pressure the precursor is dragged and the growth does not occur. The characterization of the films was performed by using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The films presented a columnar structure, and thickness varying from 40 to 250 nm. The influence of some process parameters is discussed. (author)

  4. PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF IRON SULPHIDE THIN FILMS BY CHEMICAL BATH DEPOSITION METHOD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anuar Kassim

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available FeS2 thin films have been deposited by using low cost chemical bath deposition technique. The films obtained under deposition parameters such as bath temperature (90 °C, deposition period (90 min, electrolyte concentration (0.15 M and pH of the reactive mixture (pH 2.5. The thin films were characterized using X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy in order to study the structural and morphological properties. The band gap energy, transition type and absorption properties were determined using UV-Vis Spectrophotometer. X-ray diffraction displayed a pattern consistent with the formation of an orthorhombic structure, with a strong (110 preferred orientation. Atomic force microscopy image showed the substrate surface is well covered with irregular grains. A direct band gap of 1.85 eV was obtained according to optical absorption studies.   Keywords: Iron sulfide, X-ray diffraction, chemical bath deposition, thin films

  5. Model of wet chemical etching of swift heavy ions tracks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gorbunov, S. A.; Malakhov, A. I.; Rymzhanov, R. A.; Volkov, A. E.

    2017-10-01

    A model of wet chemical etching of tracks of swift heavy ions (SHI) decelerated in solids in the electronic stopping regime is presented. This model takes into account both possible etching modes: etching controlled by diffusion of etchant molecules to the etching front, and etching controlled by the rate of a reaction of an etchant with a material. Olivine ((Mg0.88Fe0.12)2SiO4) crystals were chosen as a system for modeling. Two mechanisms of chemical activation of olivine around the SHI trajectory are considered. The first mechanism is activation stimulated by structural transformations in a nanometric track core, while the second one results from neutralization of metallic atoms by generated electrons spreading over micrometric distances. Monte-Carlo simulations (TREKIS code) form the basis for the description of excitations of the electronic subsystem and the lattice of olivine in an SHI track at times up to 100 fs after the projectile passage. Molecular dynamics supplies the initial conditions for modeling of lattice relaxation for longer times. These simulations enable us to estimate the effects of the chemical activation of olivine governed by both mechanisms. The developed model was applied to describe chemical activation and the etching kinetics of tracks of Au 2.1 GeV ions in olivine. The estimated lengthwise etching rate (38 µm · h-1) is in reasonable agreement with that detected in the experiments (24 µm · h-1).

  6. Modeling exposure to persistent chemicals in hazard and risk assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cowan-Ellsberry, Christina E; McLachlan, Michael S; Arnot, Jon A; Macleod, Matthew; McKone, Thomas E; Wania, Frank

    2009-10-01

    Fate and exposure modeling has not, thus far, been explicitly used in the risk profile documents prepared for evaluating the significant adverse effect of candidate chemicals for either the Stockholm Convention or the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution. However, we believe models have considerable potential to improve the risk profiles. Fate and exposure models are already used routinely in other similar regulatory applications to inform decisions, and they have been instrumental in building our current understanding of the fate of persistent organic pollutants (POP) and persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) chemicals in the environment. The goal of this publication is to motivate the use of fate and exposure models in preparing risk profiles in the POP assessment procedure by providing strategies for incorporating and using models. The ways that fate and exposure models can be used to improve and inform the development of risk profiles include 1) benchmarking the ratio of exposure and emissions of candidate chemicals to the same ratio for known POPs, thereby opening the possibility of combining this ratio with the relative emissions and relative toxicity to arrive at a measure of relative risk; 2) directly estimating the exposure of the environment, biota, and humans to provide information to complement measurements or where measurements are not available or are limited; 3) to identify the key processes and chemical or environmental parameters that determine the exposure, thereby allowing the effective prioritization of research or measurements to improve the risk profile; and 4) forecasting future time trends, including how quickly exposure levels in remote areas would respond to reductions in emissions. Currently there is no standardized consensus model for use in the risk profile context. Therefore, to choose the appropriate model the risk profile developer must evaluate how appropriate an existing model is for a specific setting and

  7. Morpho-chemical characterization and surface properties of carcinogenic zeolite fibers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mattioli, Michele; Giordani, Matteo; Dogan, Meral; Cangiotti, Michela; Avella, Giuseppe; Giorgi, Rodorico; Dogan, A. Umran; Ottaviani, Maria Francesca

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Differently carcinogenic zeolite fibers were investigated combining physico-chemical methods. • For the first time, zeolite fibers were studied by means of the EPR technique using different spin probes. • The structural properties and the adsorption capability are function of different types and distributions of adsorption sites. • The interacting ability of erionite is higher than that of other fibrous zeolites. • The surface interacting properties may be related with the carcinogenicity of the zeolite fibers. - Abstract: Erionite belonging to the zeolite family is a human health-hazard, since it was demonstrated to be carcinogenic. Conversely, offretite family zeolites were suspected carcinogenic. Mineralogical, morphological, chemical, and surface characterizations were performed on two erionites (GF1, MD8) and one offretite (BV12) fibrous samples and, for comparison, one scolecite (SC1) sample. The specific surface area analysis indicated a larger availability of surface sites for the adsorption onto GF1, while SC1 shows the lowest one and the presence of large pores in the poorly fibrous zeolite aggregates. Selected spin probes revealed a high adsorption capacity of GF1 compared to the other zeolites, but the polar/charged interacting sites were well distributed, intercalated by less polar sites (Si–O–Si). MD8 surface is less homogeneous and the polar/charged sites are more interacting and closer to each other compared to GF1. The interacting ability of BV12 surface is much lower than that found for GF1 and MD8 and the probes are trapped in small pores into the fibrous aggregates. In comparison with the other zeolites, the non-carcinogenic SC1 shows a poor interacting ability and a lower surface polarity. These results helped to clarify the chemical properties and the surface interacting ability of these zeolite fibers which may be related to their carcinogenicity.

  8. Characterization of the chemical composition of Adenostemma lavenia (L.) Kuntze and Adenostemma platyphyllum Cass

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fauzan, A.; Praseptiangga, D.; Hartanto, R.; Pujiasmanto, B.

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to characterize the chemical compounds of Adenostemma lavenia (L.) Kuntze (Al) and Adenostemma platyphyllum Cass (Ap) using Pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GCMS) and proximate analysis. Two species of Adenostemma samples (roots, stem and leaves) about 1 mg was pyrolyzed directly at the optimum temperature of 600°C. Py-GCMS was relatively fast, easy to use and without samples preparation and identification of the chemical compounds was carried out by comparison of the mass spectra obtained with those stored in Wiley 7th libraries. The data of proximate analysis were statistically analysed using Friedman test followed and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) for data of Py-GCMS. The result of proximate analysis showed that A. lavenia (L.) Kuntze (Al) and A. platyphyllum Cass (Ap) contained 8.27% (Al) and 9.18% (Ap) of water, 11.52% (Al) and 17.84% (Ap) of protein, 5.67% (Al) and 6.33% (Ap) of fat, and 17.32% (Al) and 19.94 (Ap) of ash. Amines, aldehydes, fatty acids, terpenoids-steroids, alkaloids, aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons, phenolic, and oligopeptides as part of 125 chemical compounds of each species are identified by Py-GCMS analysis. Hierarchical cluster analysis of pyrolysis products indicate not similitary of major chemical compounds of two Adenostemma species.

  9. Numerical Validation of Chemical Compositional Model for Wettability Alteration Processes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bekbauov, Bakhbergen; Berdyshev, Abdumauvlen; Baishemirov, Zharasbek; Bau, Domenico

    2017-12-01

    Chemical compositional simulation of enhanced oil recovery and surfactant enhanced aquifer remediation processes is a complex task that involves solving dozens of equations for all grid blocks representing a reservoir. In the present work, we perform a numerical validation of the newly developed mathematical formulation which satisfies the conservation laws of mass and energy and allows applying a sequential solution approach to solve the governing equations separately and implicitly. Through its application to the numerical experiment using a wettability alteration model and comparisons with existing chemical compositional model's numerical results, the new model has proven to be practical, reliable and stable.

  10. Regression analysis of a chemical reaction fouling model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vasak, F.; Epstein, N.

    1996-01-01

    A previously reported mathematical model for the initial chemical reaction fouling of a heated tube is critically examined in the light of the experimental data for which it was developed. A regression analysis of the model with respect to that data shows that the reference point upon which the two adjustable parameters of the model were originally based was well chosen, albeit fortuitously. (author). 3 refs., 2 tabs., 2 figs

  11. Chemical and biological characterization of residential oil burner emission. A literature survey

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Westerholm, R.; Peterson, A.

    1994-02-01

    This literature study covers the time period 1980 to 1993 and is concerned with oil burners used for residential heating with a nominal heating power of less than 20 kW, which are normally used in one-family houses. Emission samples from domestic heaters using organic fuels consists of a very complex matrix of pollutants ranging from aggregate states solid to gaseous. Biological effects elicited by exhaust emissions have been detected and determined. It has been shown for diesel vehicles that selection of fuel properties has an impact on combustion reaction paths which results in different exhaust chemical compositions. It was also determined that diesel fuel properties have an impact on the biological activity of diesel exhaust emissions, which is to be expected from their chemical characterization. As a result of this, Sweden has an environmental classification of diesel fuels which has been in force since 1991. Analogously, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency has asked whether detrimental environmental and health effects from residential heating can be reduced by selection of fuel properties, and if so by how much? In addition, which properties are most important to control in a future environmental classification of heating oils? As a first step in this process, a literature survey was performed. Major topics were: Sampling technology, chemical composition, biological activity, and risk assessment of emissions. 33 refs, 11 tabs

  12. Antioxidant Activity of a Geopropolis from Northeast Brazil: Chemical Characterization and Likely Botanical Origin

    OpenAIRE

    Ferreira, Joselena M.; Fernandes-Silva, Caroline C.; Salatino, Antonio; Message, Dejair; Negri, Giuseppina

    2017-01-01

    Geopropolis is a product containing wax, plant resin, and soil particles. It is elaborated by stingless bees of tribe Meliponini. Methanol extracts of sample of geopropolis produced by Scaptotrigona postica (“mandaguari”) in the state of Rio Grande do Norte (RN, northeast Brazil) were analyzed for the determination of standard parameters (total phenols, total flavonoids, and radical scavenging activity) and chemical characterization by HPLC-DAD-MS/MS analysis. The sample analyzed has high con...

  13. Preparation and Characterization of Chemical Plugs Based on Selected Hanford Waste Simulants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mattigod, Shas V.; Wellman, Dawn M.; Parker, Kent E.; Cordova, Elsa A.; Gunderson, Katie M.; Baum, Steven R.; Crum, Jarrod V.; Poloski, Adam P.

    2008-01-01

    This report presents the results of preparation and characterization of chemical plugs based on selected Hanford Site waste simulants. Included are the results of chemical plug bench testing conducted in support of the M1/M6 Flow Loop Chemical Plugging/Unplugging Test (TP-RPP-WTP-495 Rev A). These results support the proposed plug simulants for the chemical plugging/ unplugging tests. Based on the available simulant data, a set of simulants was identified that would likely result in chemical plugs. The three types of chemical plugs that were generated and tested in this task consisted of: 1. Aluminum hydroxide (NAH), 2. Sodium aluminosilicate (NAS), and 3. Sodium aluminum phosphate (NAP). While both solvents, namely 2 molar (2 M) nitric acid (HNO3) and 2 M sodium hydroxide (NaOH) at 60 C, used in these tests were effective in dissolving the chemical plugs, the 2 M nitric acid was significantly more effective in dissolving the NAH and NAS plugs. The caustic was only slightly more effecting at dissolving the NAP plug. In the bench-scale dissolution tests, hot (60 C) 2 M nitric acid was the most effective solvent in that it completely dissolved both NAH and NAS chemical plugs much faster (1.5 - 2 x) than 2 M sodium hydroxide. So unless there are operational benefits for the use of caustic verses nitric acid, 2 M nitric acid heated to 60 C should be the solvent of choice for dissolving these chemical plugs. Flow-loop testing was planned to identify a combination of parameters such as pressure, flush solution, composition, and temperature that would effectively dissolve and flush each type of chemical plug from preformed chemical plugs in 3-inch-diameter and 4-feet-long pipe sections. However, based on a review of the results of the bench-top tests and technical discussions, the Waste Treatment Plant (WTP) Research and Technology (R and T), Engineering and Mechanical Systems (EMS), and Operations concluded that flow-loop testing of the chemically plugged pipe sections

  14. Lagrangian Characterization of the Sources and Chemical Transformation of Airmasses Observed by the NASA DC-8 During ICARTT/INTEX-A

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Saadi, J.; Pierce, R. B.; Fairlie, T. D.; Kittaka, C.; Schaack, T. K.; Zapotocny, T.; Johnson, D. R.; Avery, M. A.; Thompson, A.; Cohen, R. C.; Dibb, J. E.; Crawford, J. H.; Rault, D. F.; Szykman, J. J.; Martin, R.

    2005-12-01

    The global component of the Regional Air Quality Modeling System (RAQMS global) was used to provide atmospheric chemical composition forecasts for flight planning purposes during the 2004 ICARTT/INTEX-A measurement campaign. A unique aspect of these predictions is that satellite ozone observations, including high-vertical-resolution stratospheric profiles, are assimilated to improve the chemical forecasts. Post mission analysis has focused on using Lagrangian back trajectories, initialized from the NASA DC-8 flight track, to characterize the airmasses sampled by the DC-8. In this analysis the dynamical and chemical fields generated by the RAQMS-global prediction are sampled by 5-day back trajectories and then composited to identify the source regions and chemical and dynamical influences on the sampled airmasses. We briefly demonstrate the fidelity of the RAQMS global predictions through comparisons with ozonesonde and aircraft insitu measurements. We then show results of the Lagrangian source analysis to demonstrate the contributions of chemical and dynamical processes to the observed airmass composition, particularly focusing on budgets of ozone and nitrogen oxides. Our analysis shows that the middle and upper tropospheric air sampled over the continental US during July 2004 was strongly influenced by remote source regions including the central Pacific lower stratosphere, eastern Pacific mid troposphere, Canadian free troposphere, and maritime air from the Gulf of Mexico and the Bahamas. Convective vertical exchange during long range transport of these air masses results in a vertical coupling between the upper and lower troposphere, with Lagrangian averaged convective sinks of upper tropospheric ozone and convective sources of lower tropospheric and boundary layer ozone.

  15. Emissions model of waste treatment operations at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schindler, R.E.

    1995-03-01

    An integrated model of the waste treatment systems at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP) was developed using a commercially-available process simulation software (ASPEN Plus) to calculate atmospheric emissions of hazardous chemicals for use in an application for an environmental permit to operate (PTO). The processes covered by the model are the Process Equipment Waste evaporator, High Level Liquid Waste evaporator, New Waste Calcining Facility and Liquid Effluent Treatment and Disposal facility. The processes are described along with the model and its assumptions. The model calculates emissions of NO x , CO, volatile acids, hazardous metals, and organic chemicals. Some calculated relative emissions are summarized and insights on building simulations are discussed

  16. Chemical characterization and receptor modeling of PM10 in the surroundings of the opencast lignite mines of Western Macedonia, Greece.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samara, Constantini; Argyropoulos, George; Grigoratos, Theodoros; Kouras, Αthanasios; Manoli, Εvangelia; Andreadou, Symela; Pavloudakis, Fragkiskos; Sahanidis, Chariton

    2018-05-01

    The Western Macedonian Lignite Center (WMLC) in northwestern Greece is the major lignite center in the Balkans feeding four major power plants of total power exceeding 4 GW. Concentrations of PM 10 (i.e., particulate matters with diameters ≤10 μm) are the main concern in the region, and the high levels observed are often attributed to the activities related to power generation. In this study, the contribution of fugitive dust emissions from the opencast lignite mines to the ambient levels of PM 10 in the surroundings was estimated by performing chemical mass balance (CMB) receptor modeling. For this purpose, PM 10 samples were concurrently collected at four receptor sites located in the periphery of the mine area during the cold and the warm periods of the year (November-December 2011 and August-September 2012), and analyzed for a total of 26 macro- and trace elements and ionic species (sulfate, nitrate, chloride). The robotic chemical mass balance (RCMB) model was employed for source identification/apportionment of PM 10 at each receptor site using as inputs the ambient concentrations and the chemical profiles of various sources including the major mine operations, the fly ash escaping the electrostatic filters of the power plants, and other primary and secondary sources. Mean measured PM 10 concentrations at the different sites ranged from 38 to 72 μg m -3 . The estimated total contribution of mines ranged between 9 and 22% in the cold period increasing to 36-42% in the dry warm period. Other significant sources were vehicular traffic, biomass burning, and secondary sulfate and nitrate aerosol. These results imply that more efficient measures to prevent and suppress fugitive dust emissions from the mines are needed.

  17. Finite element modeling of contaminant transport in soils including the effect of chemical reactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Javadi, A A; Al-Najjar, M M

    2007-05-17

    The movement of chemicals through soils to the groundwater is a major cause of degradation of water resources. In many cases, serious human and stock health implications are associated with this form of pollution. Recent studies have shown that the current models and methods are not able to adequately describe the leaching of nutrients through soils, often underestimating the risk of groundwater contamination by surface-applied chemicals, and overestimating the concentration of resident solutes. Furthermore, the effect of chemical reactions on the fate and transport of contaminants is not included in many of the existing numerical models for contaminant transport. In this paper a numerical model is presented for simulation of the flow of water and air and contaminant transport through unsaturated soils with the main focus being on the effects of chemical reactions. The governing equations of miscible contaminant transport including advection, dispersion-diffusion and adsorption effects together with the effect of chemical reactions are presented. The mathematical framework and the numerical implementation of the model are described in detail. The model is validated by application to a number of test cases from the literature and is then applied to the simulation of a physical model test involving transport of contaminants in a block of soil with particular reference to the effects of chemical reactions. Comparison of the results of the numerical model with the experimental results shows that the model is capable of predicting the effects of chemical reactions with very high accuracy. The importance of consideration of the effects of chemical reactions is highlighted.

  18. Modelling Chemical Preservation of Plantain Hybrid Fruits

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ogueri Nwaiwu

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available New plantain hybrids plants have been developed but not much has been done on the post-harvest keeping quality of the fruits and how they are affected by microbial colonization. Hence fruits from a tetraploid hybrid PITA 2 (TMPx 548-9 obtained by crossing plantain varieties Obino l’Ewai and Calcutta 4 (AA and two local triploid (AAB plantain landraces Agbagba and Obino l’Ewai were subjected to various concentrations of acetic, sorbic and propionic acid to determine the impact of chemical concentration, chemical type and plantain variety on ripening and weight loss of plantain fruits. Analysis of titratable acidity, moisture content and total soluble solids showed that there were no significant differences between fruits of hybrid and local varieties. The longest time to ripening from harvest (24 days was achieved with fruits of Agbagba treated with 3% propionic acid. However, fruits of PITA 2 hybrid treated with propionic and sorbic acid at 3% showed the longest green life which indicated that the chemicals may work better at higher concentrations. The Obino l’Ewai cultivar had the highest weight loss for all chemical types used. Modelling data obtained showed that plantain variety had the most significant effect on ripening and indicates that ripening of the fruits may depend on the plantain variety. It appears that weight loss of fruits from the plantain hybrid and local cultivars was not affected by the plantain variety, chemical type. The chemicals at higher concentrations may have an effect on ripening of the fruits and will need further investigation.

  19. Chemical structure and dynamics. Annual report 1994

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Colson, S.D.

    1995-07-01

    The Chemical Structure and Dynamics program was organized as a major component of Pacific Northwest Laboratory`s Environmental and Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), a state-of-the-art collaborative facility for studies of chemical structure and dynamics. Our program responds to the need for a fundamental, molecular-level understanding of chemistry at the wide variety of environmentally important interfaces by (1) extending the experimental characterization and theoretical description of chemical reactions to encompass the effects of condensed media and interfaces, and (2) developing a multidisciplinary capability for describing interfacial chemical processes within which the new knowledge generated can be brought to bear on complex phenomena in environmental chemistry and in nuclear waste processing and storage. This research effort was initiated in 1989 and will continue to evolve over the next few years into a program of rigorous studies of fundamental molecular processes in model systems, such as well-characterized surfaces, single-component solutions, clusters, and biological molecules; and studies of complex systems found in the environment (multispecies, multiphase solutions; solid/liquid, liquid/liquid, and gas/surface interfaces; colloidal dispersions; ultrafine aerosols; and functioning biological systems). The success of this program will result in the achievement of a quantitative understanding of chemical reactions at interfaces, and more generally in condensed media, that is comparable to that currently available for gas-phase reactions. This understanding will form the basis for the development of a priori theories for predictions of macroscopic chemical behavior in condensed and heterogeneous media, adding significantly to the value of field-scale environmental models, the prediction of short- and long-term nuclear waste storage stabilities, and other problems related to the primary missions of the DOE.

  20. Chemical and mineralogical characterization of the bentonite buffer for the acceptance control procedure in a KBS-3 repository

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Karnland, Ola (Clay Technology AB, Lund (Sweden))

    2010-09-15

    The present report concerns the chemical and mineralogical characterization of potential buffer materials. A short mineralogical description of bentonite and montmorillonite is given. The report defines, and exemplifies analyses and tests planned for the acceptance control of the bulk material concerning chemical composition, mineralogical composition, original exchangeable cations, cation exchange capacity (CEC), grain density, specific surface area, granule size, water content. In addition, analyses of the clay fraction, i.e. material with a grain size smaller than 2 mum, are described with respect to chemical composition including layer charge, layer charge distribution and cation exchange capacity (CEC). Results from the report by /Karnland et al. 2006/ concerning the two reference bentonites MX-80 and IBECO RWC are used to illustrate the accuracy and precision of the analyses. For each type of analyses the purpose, technique and, in relevant cases, also limits are discussed briefly. An empirical model for determining swelling pressure is presented and used for the quantification of the expected sealing properties given the limits concerning buffer density and montmorillonite content. For the reference bentonites MX-80, the stipulated montmorillonite content interval from 0.75 to 0.9 gives a pressure interval from 8 to 11 MPa at the nominal saturated density 2,000 kg/m3. The stipulated saturated density interval from 1,950 to 2,050 kg/m3 gives a pressure range from 6 to 15 MPa at the measured montmorillonite content of 83% by weight. The combined effects of the stipulated montmorillonite content interval and saturated density interval lead to a pressure range from 5 to 17 MPa. If the increasing effect of accessory minerals, which is proposed by the model, is not taken into account then the combined pressure range is 3 to 14 MPa

  1. Characterization of chemically induced ovarian carcinomas in an ethanol-preferring rat model: influence of long-term melatonin treatment.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luiz Gustavo A Chuffa

    Full Text Available Ovarian cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer deaths among women, and chronic alcoholism may exert co-carcinogenic effects. Because melatonin (mel has oncostatic properties, we aimed to investigate and characterize the chemical induction of ovarian tumors in a model of ethanol-preferring rats and to verify the influence of mel treatment on the overall features of these tumors. After rats were selected to receive ethanol (EtOH, they were surgically injected with 100 µg of 7,12-dimethyl-benz[a]anthracene (DMBA plus sesame oil directly under the left ovarian bursa. At 260 days old, half of the animals received i.p. injections of 200 µg mel/100 g b.w. for 60 days. Four experimental groups were established: Group C, rats bearing ovarian carcinomas (OC; Group C+EtOH, rats voluntarily consuming 10% (v/v EtOH and bearing OC; Group C+M, rats bearing OC and receiving mel; and Group C+EtOH+M, rats with OC consuming EtOH and receiving mel. Estrous cycle and nutritional parameters were evaluated, and anatomopathological analyses of the ovarian tumors were conducted. The incidence of ovarian tumors was higher in EtOH drinking animals 120 days post-DMBA administration, and mel efficiently reduced the prevalence of some aggressive tumors. Although mel promoted high EtOH consumption, it was effective in synchronizing the estrous cycle and reducing ovarian tumor mass by 20%. While rats in the C group displayed cysts containing serous fluid, C+EtOH rats showed solid tumor masses. After mel treatment, the ovaries of these rats presented as soft and mobile tissues. EtOH consumption increased the incidence of serous papillary carcinomas and sarcomas but not clear cell carcinomas. In contrast, mel reduced the incidence of sarcomas, endometrioid carcinomas and cystic teratomas. Combination of DMBA with EtOH intake potentiated the incidence of OC with malignant histologic subtypes. We concluded that mel reduces ovarian masses and the incidence of

  2. Some Sensitivity Studies of Chemical Transport Simulated in Models of the Soil-Plant-Litter System

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Begovich, C.L.

    2002-10-28

    Fifteen parameters in a set of five coupled models describing carbon, water, and chemical dynamics in the soil-plant-litter system were varied in a sensitivity analysis of model response. Results are presented for chemical distribution in the components of soil, plants, and litter along with selected responses of biomass, internal chemical transport (xylem and phloem pathways), and chemical uptake. Response and sensitivity coefficients are presented for up to 102 model outputs in an appendix. Two soil properties (chemical distribution coefficient and chemical solubility) and three plant properties (leaf chemical permeability, cuticle thickness, and root chemical conductivity) had the greatest influence on chemical transport in the soil-plant-litter system under the conditions examined. Pollutant gas uptake (SO{sub 2}) increased with change in plant properties that increased plant growth. Heavy metal dynamics in litter responded to plant properties (phloem resistance, respiration characteristics) which induced changes in the chemical cycling to the litter system. Some of the SO{sub 2} and heavy metal responses were not expected but became apparent through the modeling analysis.

  3. Chemical Characterization of Lipophilic Constituents in the Skin of Migratory Adult Sea Lamprey from the Great Lakes Region.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amila A Dissanayake

    Full Text Available The sea lamprey (Petromzons marinus is an invasive ectoparasite of large-bodied fishes that adversely affects the fishing industry and ecology of the Laurentian Great Lakes. Lipid content in the whole sea lamprey and muscles, liver and kidney of metamorphosing larval stages has been reported. Similarly, the fatty acid profile of the rope tissues of sexually-mature male sea lampreys has also been reported. The average body weight of a sub-adult migratory sea lamprey is 250 g, which includes 14.4% skin (36 g. Our preliminary extraction data of an adult sea lamprey skin revealed that it contained approximately 8.5% of lipophilic compounds. Lamprey skin is home to a naturally aversive compound (an alarm cue that is being developed into a repellent for use in pest management. As part of an ongoing investigation to identify the chemical structure of the sea lamprey alarm cue, we extracted the skin with water and methanol, respectively. The methanolic extract (1.55% contained exclusively lipophilic compounds and did not include the alarm cue. We chemically characterized all compounds present in the methanolic extract as cholesterol esters (CE, tri- and di-glycerides (TG and DG, cholesterol, free fatty acids (FFA and minor amounts of plasticizers. The free fatty acids fraction was composed of saturated (41.8%, monounsaturated (40.7% and polyunsaturated (17.4% fatty acids, respectively. The plasticizers characterized were phthalate and benzoate and found to be 0.95 mg and 2.54 mg, respectively, per adult sea lamprey skin. This is the first report of the chemical characterization of all the lipophilic constituents in the skin of sub-adult migratory sea lamprey. The CEs isolated and characterized from sea lamprey skin are also for the first time.

  4. Bio-compatibility, surface and chemical characterization of glow discharge plasma modified ZnO nanocomposite polycarbonate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bagra, Bhawna, E-mail: bhawnacct@gmail.com; Pimpliskar, Prashant, E-mail: bhawnacct@gmail.com [Centre for Converging Technologies, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur-302004 (India); Agrawal, Narendra Kumar [Department of Physics, Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur-302004 (India)

    2014-04-24

    Bio compatibility is an important issue for synthesis of biomedical devices, which can be tested by bioadoptability and creations of active site to enhance the bacterial/cell growth in biomedical devices. Hence a systematic study was carried out to characterize the effects of Nitrogen ion plasma for creations of active site in nano composite polymer membrane. Nano particles of ZnO are synthesized by chemical root, using solution casting nano composite polymeric membranes were prepared and treated with Nitrogen ion plasma. These membranes were characterized by different technique such as optical microscopy, SEM- Scanning electron microscope, optical transmittance, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Then biocompatibility for membranes was tested by testing of bio-adoptability of membrane.

  5. Modeling strength loss in wood by chemical composition. Part I, An individual component model for southern pine

    Science.gov (United States)

    J. E. Winandy; P. K. Lebow

    2001-01-01

    In this study, we develop models for predicting loss in bending strength of clear, straight-grained pine from changes in chemical composition. Although significant work needs to be done before truly universal predictive models are developed, a quantitative fundamental relationship between changes in chemical composition and strength loss for pine was demonstrated. In...

  6. Prediction of Chemical Function: Model Development and Application

    Science.gov (United States)

    The United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Exposure Forecaster (ExpoCast) project is developing both statistical and mechanism-based computational models for predicting exposures to thousands of chemicals, including those in consumer products. The high-throughput (...

  7. Development of estrogen receptor beta binding prediction model using large sets of chemicals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sakkiah, Sugunadevi; Selvaraj, Chandrabose; Gong, Ping; Zhang, Chaoyang; Tong, Weida; Hong, Huixiao

    2017-11-03

    We developed an ER β binding prediction model to facilitate identification of chemicals specifically bind ER β or ER α together with our previously developed ER α binding model. Decision Forest was used to train ER β binding prediction model based on a large set of compounds obtained from EADB. Model performance was estimated through 1000 iterations of 5-fold cross validations. Prediction confidence was analyzed using predictions from the cross validations. Informative chemical features for ER β binding were identified through analysis of the frequency data of chemical descriptors used in the models in the 5-fold cross validations. 1000 permutations were conducted to assess the chance correlation. The average accuracy of 5-fold cross validations was 93.14% with a standard deviation of 0.64%. Prediction confidence analysis indicated that the higher the prediction confidence the more accurate the predictions. Permutation testing results revealed that the prediction model is unlikely generated by chance. Eighteen informative descriptors were identified to be important to ER β binding prediction. Application of the prediction model to the data from ToxCast project yielded very high sensitivity of 90-92%. Our results demonstrated ER β binding of chemicals could be accurately predicted using the developed model. Coupling with our previously developed ER α prediction model, this model could be expected to facilitate drug development through identification of chemicals that specifically bind ER β or ER α .

  8. Physical-Chemical Characterization and Formulation Considerations for Solid Lipid Nanoparticles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chauhan, Harsh; Mohapatra, Sarat; Munt, Daniel J; Chandratre, Shantanu; Dash, Alekha

    2016-06-01

    Pure glyceryl mono-oleate (GMO) (lipid) and different batches of GMO commonly used for the preparation of GMO-chitosan nanoparticles were characterized by modulated differential scanning calorimetry (MDSC), cryo-microscopy, and cryo-X-ray powder diffraction techniques. GMO-chitosan nanoparticles containing poloxamer 407 as a stabilizer in the absence and presence of polymers as crystallization inhibitors were prepared by ultrasonication. The effect of polymers (polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), Eudragits, hydroxyl propyl methyl cellulose (HPMC), polyethylene glycol (PEG)), surfactants (poloxamer), and oils (mineral oil and olive oil) on the crystallization of GMO was investigated. GMO showed an exothermic peak at around -10°C while cooling and another exothermic peak at around -12°C while heating. It was followed by two endothermic peaks between 15 and 30 C, indicative of GMO melting. The results are corroborated by cryo-microscopy and cryo-X-ray. Significant differences in exothermic and endothermic transition were observed between different grades of GMO and pure GMO. GMO-chitosan nanoparticles resulted in a significant increase in particle size after lyophilization. MDSC confirmed that nanoparticles showed similar exothermic crystallization behavior of lipid GMO. MDSC experiments showed that PVP inhibits GMO crystallization and addition of PVP showed no significant increase in particle size of solid lipid nanoparticle (SLN) during lyophilization. The research highlights the importance of extensive physical-chemical characterization for successful formulation of SLN.

  9. Desorption modeling of hydrophobic organic chemicals from plastic sheets using experimentally determined diffusion coefficients in plastics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Hwang; Byun, Da-Eun; Kim, Ju Min; Kwon, Jung-Hwan

    2018-01-01

    To evaluate rate of migration from plastic debris, desorption of model hydrophobic organic chemicals (HOCs) from polyethylene (PE)/polypropylene (PP) films to water was measured using PE/PP films homogeneously loaded with the HOCs. The HOCs fractions remaining in the PE/PP films were compared with those predicted using a model characterized by the mass transfer Biot number. The experimental data agreed with the model simulation, indicating that HOCs desorption from plastic particles can generally be described by the model. For hexachlorocyclohexanes with lower plastic-water partition coefficients, desorption was dominated by diffusion in the plastic film, whereas desorption of chlorinated benzenes with higher partition coefficients was determined by diffusion in the aqueous boundary layer. Evaluation of the fraction of HOCs remaining in plastic films with respect to film thickness and desorption time showed that the partition coefficient between plastic and water is the most important parameter influencing the desorption half-life. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. A zero-dimensional model for electrothermal-chemical launchers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Song Shengyi; Chen Li; Sun Chengwei

    2002-01-01

    In this paper a zero-dimensional (0-D) model for the electrothermal-chemical (ETC) launchers has been established, where the propellant is an energetic work liquid. The model consists of three parts to correspond to three steps of the process in ETC launching. The results calculated with the model are well compared to the measured ones. Additionally, the dependence of chamber pressure, mass fraction of burnt propellant and muzzle velocity of projectile on capillary current has been investigated

  11. About Using Predictive Models and Tools To Assess Chemicals under TSCA

    Science.gov (United States)

    As part of EPA's effort to promote chemical safety, OPPT provides public access to predictive models and tools which can help inform the public on the hazards and risks of substances and improve chemical management decisions.

  12. Multi-scale modeling for sustainable chemical production

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhuang, Kai; Bakshi, Bhavik R.; Herrgard, Markus

    2013-01-01

    associated with the development and implementation of a su stainable biochemical industry. The temporal and spatial scales of modeling approaches for sustainable chemical production vary greatly, ranging from metabolic models that aid the design of fermentative microbial strains to material and monetary flow......With recent advances in metabolic engineering, it is now technically possible to produce a wide portfolio of existing petrochemical products from biomass feedstock. In recent years, a number of modeling approaches have been developed to support the engineering and decision-making processes...... models that explore the ecological impacts of all economic activities. Research efforts that attempt to connect the models at different scales have been limited. Here, we review a number of existing modeling approaches and their applications at the scales of metabolism, bioreactor, overall process...

  13. Characterization and validation of an in silico toxicology model to predict the mutagenic potential of drug impurities*

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Valerio, Luis G., E-mail: luis.valerio@fda.hhs.gov [Science and Research Staff, Office of Pharmaceutical Science, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20993–0002 (United States); Cross, Kevin P. [Leadscope, Inc., 1393 Dublin Road, Columbus, OH, 43215–1084 (United States)

    2012-05-01

    Control and minimization of human exposure to potential genotoxic impurities found in drug substances and products is an important part of preclinical safety assessments of new drug products. The FDA's 2008 draft guidance on genotoxic and carcinogenic impurities in drug substances and products allows use of computational quantitative structure–activity relationships (QSAR) to identify structural alerts for known and expected impurities present at levels below qualified thresholds. This study provides the information necessary to establish the practical use of a new in silico toxicology model for predicting Salmonella t. mutagenicity (Ames assay outcome) of drug impurities and other chemicals. We describe the model's chemical content and toxicity fingerprint in terms of compound space, molecular and structural toxicophores, and have rigorously tested its predictive power using both cross-validation and external validation experiments, as well as case studies. Consistent with desired regulatory use, the model performs with high sensitivity (81%) and high negative predictivity (81%) based on external validation with 2368 compounds foreign to the model and having known mutagenicity. A database of drug impurities was created from proprietary FDA submissions and the public literature which found significant overlap between the structural features of drug impurities and training set chemicals in the QSAR model. Overall, the model's predictive performance was found to be acceptable for screening drug impurities for Salmonella mutagenicity. -- Highlights: ► We characterize a new in silico model to predict mutagenicity of drug impurities. ► The model predicts Salmonella mutagenicity and will be useful for safety assessment. ► We examine toxicity fingerprints and toxicophores of this Ames assay model. ► We compare these attributes to those found in drug impurities known to FDA/CDER. ► We validate the model and find it has a desired predictive

  14. Characterization and validation of an in silico toxicology model to predict the mutagenic potential of drug impurities*

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Valerio, Luis G.; Cross, Kevin P.

    2012-01-01

    Control and minimization of human exposure to potential genotoxic impurities found in drug substances and products is an important part of preclinical safety assessments of new drug products. The FDA's 2008 draft guidance on genotoxic and carcinogenic impurities in drug substances and products allows use of computational quantitative structure–activity relationships (QSAR) to identify structural alerts for known and expected impurities present at levels below qualified thresholds. This study provides the information necessary to establish the practical use of a new in silico toxicology model for predicting Salmonella t. mutagenicity (Ames assay outcome) of drug impurities and other chemicals. We describe the model's chemical content and toxicity fingerprint in terms of compound space, molecular and structural toxicophores, and have rigorously tested its predictive power using both cross-validation and external validation experiments, as well as case studies. Consistent with desired regulatory use, the model performs with high sensitivity (81%) and high negative predictivity (81%) based on external validation with 2368 compounds foreign to the model and having known mutagenicity. A database of drug impurities was created from proprietary FDA submissions and the public literature which found significant overlap between the structural features of drug impurities and training set chemicals in the QSAR model. Overall, the model's predictive performance was found to be acceptable for screening drug impurities for Salmonella mutagenicity. -- Highlights: ► We characterize a new in silico model to predict mutagenicity of drug impurities. ► The model predicts Salmonella mutagenicity and will be useful for safety assessment. ► We examine toxicity fingerprints and toxicophores of this Ames assay model. ► We compare these attributes to those found in drug impurities known to FDA/CDER. ► We validate the model and find it has a desired predictive performance.

  15. Chemical kinetics and modeling of planetary atmospheres

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yung, Yuk L.

    1990-01-01

    A unified overview is presented for chemical kinetics and chemical modeling in planetary atmospheres. The recent major advances in the understanding of the chemistry of the terrestrial atmosphere make the study of planets more interesting and relevant. A deeper understanding suggests that the important chemical cycles have a universal character that connects the different planets and ultimately link together the origin and evolution of the solar system. The completeness (or incompleteness) of the data base for chemical kinetics in planetary atmospheres will always be judged by comparison with that for the terrestrial atmosphere. In the latter case, the chemistry of H, O, N, and Cl species is well understood. S chemistry is poorly understood. In the atmospheres of Jovian planets and Titan, the C-H chemistry of simple species (containing 2 or less C atoms) is fairly well understood. The chemistry of higher hydrocarbons and the C-N, P-N chemistry is much less understood. In the atmosphere of Venus, the dominant chemistry is that of chlorine and sulfur, and very little is known about C1-S coupled chemistry. A new frontier for chemical kinetics both in the Earth and planetary atmospheres is the study of heterogeneous reactions. The formation of the ozone hole on Earth, the ubiquitous photochemical haze on Venus and in the Jovian planets and Titan all testify to the importance of heterogeneous reactions. It remains a challenge to connect the gas phase chemistry to the production of aerosols.

  16. Acid-base chemistry of white wine: analytical characterisation and chemical modelling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prenesti, Enrico; Berto, Silvia; Toso, Simona; Daniele, Pier Giuseppe

    2012-01-01

    A chemical model of the acid-base properties is optimized for each white wine under study, together with the calculation of their ionic strength, taking into account the contributions of all significant ionic species (strong electrolytes and weak one sensitive to the chemical equilibria). Coupling the HPLC-IEC and HPLC-RP methods, we are able to quantify up to 12 carboxylic acids, the most relevant substances responsible of the acid-base equilibria of wine. The analytical concentration of carboxylic acids and of other acid-base active substances was used as input, with the total acidity, for the chemical modelling step of the study based on the contemporary treatment of overlapped protonation equilibria. New protonation constants were refined (L-lactic and succinic acids) with respect to our previous investigation on red wines. Attention was paid for mixed solvent (ethanol-water mixture), ionic strength, and temperature to ensure a thermodynamic level to the study. Validation of the chemical model optimized is achieved by way of conductometric measurements and using a synthetic "wine" especially adapted for testing.

  17. Acid-Base Chemistry of White Wine: Analytical Characterisation and Chemical Modelling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Enrico Prenesti

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available A chemical model of the acid-base properties is optimized for each white wine under study, together with the calculation of their ionic strength, taking into account the contributions of all significant ionic species (strong electrolytes and weak one sensitive to the chemical equilibria. Coupling the HPLC-IEC and HPLC-RP methods, we are able to quantify up to 12 carboxylic acids, the most relevant substances responsible of the acid-base equilibria of wine. The analytical concentration of carboxylic acids and of other acid-base active substances was used as input, with the total acidity, for the chemical modelling step of the study based on the contemporary treatment of overlapped protonation equilibria. New protonation constants were refined (L-lactic and succinic acids with respect to our previous investigation on red wines. Attention was paid for mixed solvent (ethanol-water mixture, ionic strength, and temperature to ensure a thermodynamic level to the study. Validation of the chemical model optimized is achieved by way of conductometric measurements and using a synthetic “wine” especially adapted for testing.

  18. Two-temperature chemically non-equilibrium modelling of an air supersonic ICP

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    El Morsli, Mbark; Proulx, Pierre [Laboratoire de Modelisation de Procedes Chimiques par Ordinateur Oppus, Departement de Genie Chimique, Universite de Sherbrooke (Ciheam) J1K 2R1 (Canada)

    2007-08-21

    In this work, a non-equilibrium mathematical model for an air inductively coupled plasma torch with a supersonic nozzle is developed without making thermal and chemical equilibrium assumptions. Reaction rate equations are written, and two coupled energy equations are used, one for the calculation of the translational-rotational temperature T{sub hr} and one for the calculation of the electro-vibrational temperature T{sub ev}. The viscous dissipation is taken into account in the translational-rotational energy equation. The electro-vibrational energy equation also includes the pressure work of the electrons, the Ohmic heating power and the exchange due to elastic collision. Higher order approximations of the Chapman-Enskog method are used to obtain better accuracy for transport properties, taking advantage of the most recent sets of collisions integrals available in the literature. The results obtained are compared with those obtained using a chemical equilibrium model and a one-temperature chemical non-equilibrium model. The influence of the power and the pressure chamber on the chemical and thermal non-equilibrium is investigated.

  19. Acid-Base Chemistry of White Wine: Analytical Characterisation and Chemical Modelling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prenesti, Enrico; Berto, Silvia; Toso, Simona; Daniele, Pier Giuseppe

    2012-01-01

    A chemical model of the acid-base properties is optimized for each white wine under study, together with the calculation of their ionic strength, taking into account the contributions of all significant ionic species (strong electrolytes and weak one sensitive to the chemical equilibria). Coupling the HPLC-IEC and HPLC-RP methods, we are able to quantify up to 12 carboxylic acids, the most relevant substances responsible of the acid-base equilibria of wine. The analytical concentration of carboxylic acids and of other acid-base active substances was used as input, with the total acidity, for the chemical modelling step of the study based on the contemporary treatment of overlapped protonation equilibria. New protonation constants were refined (L-lactic and succinic acids) with respect to our previous investigation on red wines. Attention was paid for mixed solvent (ethanol-water mixture), ionic strength, and temperature to ensure a thermodynamic level to the study. Validation of the chemical model optimized is achieved by way of conductometric measurements and using a synthetic “wine” especially adapted for testing. PMID:22566762

  20. QSAR modeling and chemical space analysis of antimalarial compounds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sidorov, Pavel; Viira, Birgit; Davioud-Charvet, Elisabeth; Maran, Uko; Marcou, Gilles; Horvath, Dragos; Varnek, Alexandre

    2017-05-01

    Generative topographic mapping (GTM) has been used to visualize and analyze the chemical space of antimalarial compounds as well as to build predictive models linking structure of molecules with their antimalarial activity. For this, a database, including 3000 molecules tested in one or several of 17 anti- Plasmodium activity assessment protocols, has been compiled by assembling experimental data from in-house and ChEMBL databases. GTM classification models built on subsets corresponding to individual bioassays perform similarly to the earlier reported SVM models. Zones preferentially populated by active and inactive molecules, respectively, clearly emerge in the class landscapes supported by the GTM model. Their analysis resulted in identification of privileged structural motifs of potential antimalarial compounds. Projection of marketed antimalarial drugs on this map allowed us to delineate several areas in the chemical space corresponding to different mechanisms of antimalarial activity. This helped us to make a suggestion about the mode of action of the molecules populating these zones.

  1. Chemical equilibrium relations used in the fireball model of relativistic heavy ion reactions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gupta, S.D.

    1978-01-01

    The fireball model of relativistic heavy-ion collision uses chemical equilibrium relations to predict cross sections for particle and composite productions. These relations are examined in a canonical ensemble model where chemical equilibrium is not explicitly invoked

  2. A review of models for near-field exposure pathways of chemicals in consumer products

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Huang, Lei; Ernstoff, Alexi; Fantke, Peter

    2017-01-01

    able to quantify the multiple transfers of chemicals from products used near-field to humans. The present review therefore aims at an in-depth overview of modeling approaches for near-field chemical release and human exposure pathways associated with consumer products. It focuses on lower......-tier, mechanistic models suitable for life cycle assessments (LCA), chemical alternative assessment (CAA) and high-throughput screening risk assessment (HTS). Chemicals in a product enter the near-field via a defined “compartment of entry”, are transformed or transferred to adjacent compartments, and eventually end......Exposure to chemicals in consumer products has been gaining increasing attention, with multiple studies showing that near-field exposures from products is high compared to far-field exposures. Regarding the numerous chemical-product combinations, there is a need for an overarching review of models...

  3. Characterizing Slow Chemical Exchange in Nucleic Acids by Carbon CEST and Low Spin-Lock Field R1ρ NMR Spectroscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Bo; Hansen, Alexandar L.; Zhang, Qi

    2016-01-01

    Quantitative characterization of dynamic exchange between various conformational states provides essential insights into the molecular basis of many regulatory RNA functions. Here, we present an application of nucleic-acid-optimized carbon chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) and low spin-lock field R1ρ relaxation dispersion (RD) NMR experiments in characterizing slow chemical exchange in nucleic acids that is otherwise difficult if not impossible to be quantified by the ZZ-exchange NMR experiment. We demonstrated the application on a 47-nucleotide fluoride riboswitch in the ligand-free state, for which CEST and R1ρ RD profiles of base and sugar carbons revealed slow exchange dynamics involving a sparsely populated (p ~ 10%) and shortly lived (τ ~ 10 ms) NMR “invisible” state. The utility of CEST and low spin-lock field R1ρ RD experiments in studying slow exchange was further validated in characterizing an exchange as slow as ~60 s−1. PMID:24299272

  4. Characterizing slow chemical exchange in nucleic acids by carbon CEST and low spin-lock field R(1ρ) NMR spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Bo; Hansen, Alexandar L; Zhang, Qi

    2014-01-08

    Quantitative characterization of dynamic exchange between various conformational states provides essential insights into the molecular basis of many regulatory RNA functions. Here, we present an application of nucleic-acid-optimized carbon chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) and low spin-lock field R(1ρ) relaxation dispersion (RD) NMR experiments in characterizing slow chemical exchange in nucleic acids that is otherwise difficult if not impossible to be quantified by the ZZ-exchange NMR experiment. We demonstrated the application on a 47-nucleotide fluoride riboswitch in the ligand-free state, for which CEST and R(1ρ) RD profiles of base and sugar carbons revealed slow exchange dynamics involving a sparsely populated (p ~ 10%) and shortly lived (τ ~ 10 ms) NMR "invisible" state. The utility of CEST and low spin-lock field R(1ρ) RD experiments in studying slow exchange was further validated in characterizing an exchange as slow as ~60 s(-1).

  5. Model Analytical Development for Physical, Chemical, and Biological Characterization of Momordica charantia Vegetable Drug

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guimarães, Geovani Pereira; Santos, Ravely Lucena; Júnior, Fernando José de Lima Ramos; da Silva, Karla Monik Alves; de Souza, Fabio Santos

    2016-01-01

    Momordica charantia is a species cultivated throughout the world and widely used in folk medicine, and its medicinal benefits are well documented, especially its pharmacological properties, including antimicrobial activities. Analytical methods have been used to aid in the characterization of compounds derived from plant drug extracts and their products. This paper developed a methodological model to evaluate the integrity of the vegetable drug M. charantia in different particle sizes, using different analytical methods. M. charantia was collected in the semiarid region of Paraíba, Brazil. The herbal medicine raw material derived from the leaves and fruits in different particle sizes was analyzed using thermoanalytical techniques as thermogravimetry (TG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA), pyrolysis coupled to gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (PYR-GC/MS), and nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), in addition to the determination of antimicrobial activity. The different particle surface area among the samples was differentiated by the techniques. DTA and TG were used for assessing thermal and kinetic parameters and PYR-GC/MS was used for degradation products chromatographic identification through the pyrograms. The infusions obtained from the fruit and leaves of Momordica charantia presented antimicrobial activity. PMID:27579215

  6. Morpho-chemical characterization and surface properties of carcinogenic zeolite fibers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mattioli, Michele; Giordani, Matteo; Dogan, Meral; Cangiotti, Michela; Avella, Giuseppe; Giorgi, Rodorico; Dogan, A Umran; Ottaviani, Maria Francesca

    2016-04-05

    Erionite belonging to the zeolite family is a human health-hazard, since it was demonstrated to be carcinogenic. Conversely, offretite family zeolites were suspected carcinogenic. Mineralogical, morphological, chemical, and surface characterizations were performed on two erionites (GF1, MD8) and one offretite (BV12) fibrous samples and, for comparison, one scolecite (SC1) sample. The specific surface area analysis indicated a larger availability of surface sites for the adsorption onto GF1, while SC1 shows the lowest one and the presence of large pores in the poorly fibrous zeolite aggregates. Selected spin probes revealed a high adsorption capacity of GF1 compared to the other zeolites, but the polar/charged interacting sites were well distributed, intercalated by less polar sites (Si-O-Si). MD8 surface is less homogeneous and the polar/charged sites are more interacting and closer to each other compared to GF1. The interacting ability of BV12 surface is much lower than that found for GF1 and MD8 and the probes are trapped in small pores into the fibrous aggregates. In comparison with the other zeolites, the non-carcinogenic SC1 shows a poor interacting ability and a lower surface polarity. These results helped to clarify the chemical properties and the surface interacting ability of these zeolite fibers which may be related to their carcinogenicity. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Chemical characterization of PM2.5 from a southern coastal city of China: applications of modeling and chemical tracers in demonstration of regional transport.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Jiamao; Ho, Steven Sai Hang; Cao, Junji; Zhao, Zhuzi; Zhao, Shuyu; Zhu, Chongshu; Wang, Qiyuan; Liu, Suixin; Zhang, Ting; Zhao, Youzhi; Wang, Ping; Tie, Xuexi

    2018-05-11

    An intensive sampling campaign of airborne fine particles (PM 2.5 ) was conducted at Sanya, a coastal city in Southern China, from January to February 2012. Chemical analyses and mass reconstruction were used identify potential pollution sources and investigate atmospheric reaction mechanisms. A thermodynamic model indicated that low ammonia and high relative humidity caused the aerosols be acidic and that drove heterogeneous reactions which led to the formation of secondary inorganic aerosol. Relationships among neutralization ratios, free acidity, and air-mass trajectories suggest that the atmosphere at Sanya was impacted by both local and regional emissions. Three major transport pathways were identified, and flow from the northeast (from South China) typically brought the most polluted air to Sanya. A case study confirmed strong impact from South China (e.g., Pearl River Delta region) (contributed 76.8% to EC, and then this result can be extended to primary pollutants) when the northeast winds were dominant. The Weather Research Forecasting Black carbon model and trace organic markers were used to apportion local pollution versus regional contributions. Results of the study offer new insights into the atmospheric conditions and air pollution at this coastal city.

  8. Chemical model reduction under uncertainty

    KAUST Repository

    Malpica Galassi, Riccardo

    2017-03-06

    A general strategy for analysis and reduction of uncertain chemical kinetic models is presented, and its utility is illustrated in the context of ignition of hydrocarbon fuel–air mixtures. The strategy is based on a deterministic analysis and reduction method which employs computational singular perturbation analysis to generate simplified kinetic mechanisms, starting from a detailed reference mechanism. We model uncertain quantities in the reference mechanism, namely the Arrhenius rate parameters, as random variables with prescribed uncertainty factors. We propagate this uncertainty to obtain the probability of inclusion of each reaction in the simplified mechanism. We propose probabilistic error measures to compare predictions from the uncertain reference and simplified models, based on the comparison of the uncertain dynamics of the state variables, where the mixture entropy is chosen as progress variable. We employ the construction for the simplification of an uncertain mechanism in an n-butane–air mixture homogeneous ignition case, where a 176-species, 1111-reactions detailed kinetic model for the oxidation of n-butane is used with uncertainty factors assigned to each Arrhenius rate pre-exponential coefficient. This illustration is employed to highlight the utility of the construction, and the performance of a family of simplified models produced depending on chosen thresholds on importance and marginal probabilities of the reactions.

  9. Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer in Chemical Reactions: A Mechanistic Tool for NMR Detection and Characterization of Transient Intermediates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lokesh, N; Seegerer, Andreas; Hioe, Johnny; Gschwind, Ruth M

    2018-02-07

    The low sensitivity of NMR and transient key intermediates below detection limit are the central problems studying reaction mechanisms by NMR. Sensitivity can be enhanced by hyperpolarization techniques such as dynamic nuclear polarization or the incorporation/interaction of special hyperpolarized molecules. However, all of these techniques require special equipment, are restricted to selective reactions, or undesirably influence the reaction pathways. Here, we apply the chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) technique for the first time to NMR detect and characterize previously unobserved transient reaction intermediates in organocatalysis. The higher sensitivity of CEST and chemical equilibria present in the reaction pathway are exploited to access population and kinetics information on low populated intermediates. The potential of the method is demonstrated on the proline-catalyzed enamine formation for unprecedented in situ detection of a DPU stabilized zwitterionic iminium species, the elusive key intermediate between enamine and oxazolidinones. The quantitative analysis of CEST data at 250 K revealed the population ratio of [Z-iminium]/[exo-oxazolidinone] 0.02, relative free energy +8.1 kJ/mol (calculated +7.3 kJ/mol), and free energy barrier of +45.9 kJ/mol (ΔG ⧧ calc. (268 K) = +42.2 kJ/mol) for Z-iminium → exo-oxazolidinone. The findings underpin the iminium ion participation in enamine formation pathway corroborating our earlier theoretical prediction and help in better understanding. The reliability of CEST is validated using 1D EXSY-build-up techniques at low temperature (213 K). The CEST method thus serves as a new tool for mechanistic investigations in organocatalysis to access key information, such as chemical shifts, populations, and reaction kinetics of intermediates below the standard NMR detection limit.

  10. The chemical bond in inorganic chemistry the bond valence model

    CERN Document Server

    Brown, I David

    2016-01-01

    The bond valence model is a version of the ionic model in which the chemical constraints are expressed in terms of localized chemical bonds formed by the valence charge of the atoms. Theorems derived from the properties of the electrostatic flux predict the rules obeyed by both ionic and covalent bonds. They make quantitative predictions of coordination number, crystal structure, bond lengths and bond angles. Bond stability depends on the matching of the bonding strengths of the atoms, while the conflicting requirements of chemistry and space lead to the structural instabilities responsible for the unusual physical properties displayed by some materials. The model has applications in many fields ranging from mineralogy to molecular biology.

  11. SewageLCI 1.0 - A first generation inventory model for quantification of chemical emissions via sewage systems. Application on chemicals of concern

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gallice, Aurélie; Birkved, Morten; Kech, Sébastien

    obtained applying SewageLCI 1.0 model reveal that it’s possible to account for many of the variations in emission quantities of chemicals, caused by variations in the chemical fate properties and in the composition of national waste water treatment grids. The results indicate that the total emission...... treatment is emission to surface water recipients, other environmental compartments such as agricultural soil may receive considerable loads of chemicals emitted by the national specific waste water grids. The SewageLCI 1.0 presentation and case study reveal how broad inclusion of chemicals emitted......Lack of inventory data on chemical emissions often forces life cycle assessors to rely on crude emissions estimates (e.g. 100 % of the applied chemical mass is assumed emitted) or in the worst case to omit chemical emissions due to lack of emission data. The inventory model SewageLCI 1.0, provides...

  12. Chemical and botanical characterization of Chilean propolis and biological activity on cariogenic bacteria Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leticia Barrientos

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Propolis is a non-toxic natural substance with multiple pharmacological properties including anticancer, antioxidant, fungicidal, antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory among others. The aim of this study was to determine the chemical and botanical characterization of Chilean propolis samples and to evaluate their biological activity against the cariogenic bacteria Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus. Twenty propolis samples were obtained from beekeeping producers from the central and southern regions of Chile. The botanical profile was determined by palynological analysis. Total phenolic contents were determined using colorimetric assays. Reverse phase HPLC and HPLC-MS were used to determine the chemical composition. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC was determined on S. mutans and S. sobrinus. All propolis samples were dominated by structures from native plant species. The characterization by HPLC/MS, evidenced the presence of quercetin, myricetin, kaempferol, rutine, pinocembrin, coumaric acid, caffeic acid and caffeic acid phenethyl ester, that have already been described in these propolis with conventional HPLC. Although all propolis samples inhibited the mutans streptococci growth, it was observed a wide spectrum of action (MIC 0.90 to 8.22 µgmL-1. Given that results it becomes increasingly evident the need of standardization procedures, where we combine both the determination of botanical and the chemical characterization of the extracts. Research conducted to date, describes a promising effectiveness of propolis in the prevention of caries and other diseases of the oral cavity, making it necessary to develop studies to identify and understand the therapeutic targets or mechanisms of molecular action of the various compounds present on them.

  13. Chemical and botanical characterization of Chilean propolis and biological activity on cariogenic bacteria Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barrientos, Leticia; Herrera, Christian L; Montenegro, Gloria; Ortega, Ximena; Veloz, Jorge; Alvear, Marysol; Cuevas, Alejandro; Saavedra, Nicolás; Salazar, Luis A

    2013-01-01

    Propolis is a non-toxic natural substance with multiple pharmacological properties including anti-cancer, antioxidant, fungicidal, antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory among others. The aim of this study was to determine the chemical and botanical characterization of Chilean propolis samples and to evaluate their biological activity against the cariogenic bacteria Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus. Twenty propolis samples were obtained from beekeeping producers from the central and southern regions of Chile. The botanical profile was determined by palynological analysis. Total phenolic contents were determined using colorimetric assays. Reverse phase HPLC and HPLC-MS were used to determine the chemical composition. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined on S. mutans and S. sobrinus. All propolis samples were dominated by structures from native plant species. The characterization by HPLC/MS, evidenced the presence of quercetin, myricetin, kaempferol, rutine, pinocembrin, coumaric acid, caffeic acid and caffeic acid phenethyl ester, that have already been described in these propolis with conventional HPLC. Although all propolis samples inhibited the mutans streptococci growth, it was observed a wide spectrum of action (MIC 0.90 to 8.22 μg mL(-1)). Given that results it becomes increasingly evident the need of standardization procedures, where we combine both the determination of botanical and the chemical characterization of the extracts. Research conducted to date, describes a promising effectiveness of propolis in the prevention of caries and other diseases of the oral cavity, making it necessary to develop studies to identify and understand the therapeutic targets or mechanisms of molecular action of the various compounds present on them.

  14. Characterization of Chemical Suicides in the United States and Its Adverse Impact on Responders and Bystanders

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ayana R. Anderson

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: A suicide trend that involves mixing household chemicals to produce hydrogen sulfide or hydrogen cyanide, commonly referred to as a detergent, hydrogen sulfide, or chemical suicide is a continuing problem in the United States (U.S.. Because there is not one database responsible for tracking chemical suicides, the actual number of incidents in the U.S. is unknown. To prevent morbidity and mortality associated with chemical suicides, it is important to characterize the incidents that have occurred in the U.S. Methods: The author analyzed data from 2011-2013 from state health departments participating in the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry’s National Toxic Substance Incidents Program (NTSIP. NTSIP is a web-based chemical incident surveillance system that tracks the public health consequences (e.g., morbidity, mortality from acute chemical releases. Reporting sources for NTSIP incidents typically include first responders, hospitals, state environmental agencies, and media outlets. To find chemical suicide incidents in NTSIP’s database, the author queried open text fields in the comment, synopsis, and contributing factors variables for potential incidents. Results: Five of the nine states participating in NTSIP reported a total of 22 chemical suicide incidents or attempted suicides during 2011-2013. These states reported a total of 43 victims: 15 suicide victims who died, seven people who attempted suicide but survived, eight responders, and four employees working at a coroner’s office; the remainder were members of the general public. None of the injured responders reported receiving HazMat technician-level training, and none had documented appropriate personal protective equipment. Conclusion: Chemical suicides produce lethal gases that can pose a threat to responders and bystanders. Describing the characteristics of these incidents can help raise awareness among responders and the public about the dangers of

  15. Modelling Dietary Exposure to Chemical Components in Heat-Processed Meats

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Georgiadis, Stylianos; Jakobsen, Lea Sletting; Nielsen, Bo Friis

    Several chemical compounds that potentially increase the risk of developing cancer in humans are formed during heat processing of meat. Estimating the overall health impact of these compounds in the population requires accurate estimation of the exposure to the chemicals, as well as the probabili.......g. the Poisson-Lognormal approach, are promising tools to address this obstacle. The exposure estimates can then be applied to dose-response models to quantify the cancer risk.......Several chemical compounds that potentially increase the risk of developing cancer in humans are formed during heat processing of meat. Estimating the overall health impact of these compounds in the population requires accurate estimation of the exposure to the chemicals, as well as the probability...... that different levels of exposure result in disease. The overall goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of variability of exposure patterns and uncertainty of exposure data in burden of disease estimates. We focus on the first phase of burden of disease modelling, i.e. the estimation of exposure...

  16. Chemical memory reactions induced bursting dynamics in gene expression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tian, Tianhai

    2013-01-01

    Memory is a ubiquitous phenomenon in biological systems in which the present system state is not entirely determined by the current conditions but also depends on the time evolutionary path of the system. Specifically, many memorial phenomena are characterized by chemical memory reactions that may fire under particular system conditions. These conditional chemical reactions contradict to the extant stochastic approaches for modeling chemical kinetics and have increasingly posed significant challenges to mathematical modeling and computer simulation. To tackle the challenge, I proposed a novel theory consisting of the memory chemical master equations and memory stochastic simulation algorithm. A stochastic model for single-gene expression was proposed to illustrate the key function of memory reactions in inducing bursting dynamics of gene expression that has been observed in experiments recently. The importance of memory reactions has been further validated by the stochastic model of the p53-MDM2 core module. Simulations showed that memory reactions is a major mechanism for realizing both sustained oscillations of p53 protein numbers in single cells and damped oscillations over a population of cells. These successful applications of the memory modeling framework suggested that this innovative theory is an effective and powerful tool to study memory process and conditional chemical reactions in a wide range of complex biological systems.

  17. ACTINIDE REMOVAL PROCESS SAMPLE ANALYSIS, CHEMICAL MODELING, AND FILTRATION EVALUATION

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Martino, C.; Herman, D.; Pike, J.; Peters, T.

    2014-06-05

    Filtration within the Actinide Removal Process (ARP) currently limits the throughput in interim salt processing at the Savannah River Site. In this process, batches of salt solution with Monosodium Titanate (MST) sorbent are concentrated by crossflow filtration. The filtrate is subsequently processed to remove cesium in the Modular Caustic Side Solvent Extraction Unit (MCU) followed by disposal in saltstone grout. The concentrated MST slurry is washed and sent to the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) for vitrification. During recent ARP processing, there has been a degradation of filter performance manifested as the inability to maintain high filtrate flux throughout a multi-batch cycle. The objectives of this effort were to characterize the feed streams, to determine if solids (in addition to MST) are precipitating and causing the degraded performance of the filters, and to assess the particle size and rheological data to address potential filtration impacts. Equilibrium modelling with OLI Analyzer{sup TM} and OLI ESP{sup TM} was performed to determine chemical components at risk of precipitation and to simulate the ARP process. The performance of ARP filtration was evaluated to review potential causes of the observed filter behavior. Task activities for this study included extensive physical and chemical analysis of samples from the Late Wash Pump Tank (LWPT) and the Late Wash Hold Tank (LWHT) within ARP as well as samples of the tank farm feed from Tank 49H. The samples from the LWPT and LWHT were obtained from several stages of processing of Salt Batch 6D, Cycle 6, Batch 16.

  18. A Conceptual Model to Identify Intent to Use Chemical-Biological Weapons

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mary Zalesny

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper describes a conceptual model to identify and interrelate indicators of intent of non-state actors to use chemical or biological weapons. The model expands on earlier efforts to understand intent to use weapons of mass destruction by building upon well-researched theories of intent and behavior and focusing on a sub-set of weapons of mass destruction (WMD to account for the distinct challenges of employing different types of WMD in violent acts. The conceptual model is presented as a first, critical step in developing a computational model for assessing the potential for groups to use chemical or biological weapons.

  19. Model abstraction addressing long-term simulations of chemical degradation of large-scale concrete structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jacques, D.; Perko, J.; Seetharam, S.; Mallants, D.

    2012-01-01

    This paper presents a methodology to assess the spatial-temporal evolution of chemical degradation fronts in real-size concrete structures typical of a near-surface radioactive waste disposal facility. The methodology consists of the abstraction of a so-called full (complicated) model accounting for the multicomponent - multi-scale nature of concrete to an abstracted (simplified) model which simulates chemical concrete degradation based on a single component in the aqueous and solid phase. The abstracted model is verified against chemical degradation fronts simulated with the full model under both diffusive and advective transport conditions. Implementation in the multi-physics simulation tool COMSOL allows simulation of the spatial-temporal evolution of chemical degradation fronts in large-scale concrete structures. (authors)

  20. Probabilistic consequence model of accidenal or intentional chemical releases.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chang, Y.-S.; Samsa, M. E.; Folga, S. M.; Hartmann, H. M.

    2008-06-02

    In this work, general methodologies for evaluating the impacts of large-scale toxic chemical releases are proposed. The potential numbers of injuries and fatalities, the numbers of hospital beds, and the geographical areas rendered unusable during and some time after the occurrence and passage of a toxic plume are estimated on a probabilistic basis. To arrive at these estimates, historical accidental release data, maximum stored volumes, and meteorological data were used as inputs into the SLAB accidental chemical release model. Toxic gas footprints from the model were overlaid onto detailed population and hospital distribution data for a given region to estimate potential impacts. Output results are in the form of a generic statistical distribution of injuries and fatalities associated with specific toxic chemicals and regions of the United States. In addition, indoor hazards were estimated, so the model can provide contingency plans for either shelter-in-place or evacuation when an accident occurs. The stochastic distributions of injuries and fatalities are being used in a U.S. Department of Homeland Security-sponsored decision support system as source terms for a Monte Carlo simulation that evaluates potential measures for mitigating terrorist threats. This information can also be used to support the formulation of evacuation plans and to estimate damage and cleanup costs.

  1. Complex confining layers : a physical and geochemical characterization of heterogeneous unconsolidated fluvial deposits using a facies-based approach

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Helvoort, Pieter-Jan van

    2003-01-01

    A proper characterization of physical and chemical heterogeneities in the subsoil is an important condition for successful modeling of groundwater flow and solute transport. This study focuses on the physical and chemical characterization of a complex confining layer in the Rhine–Meuse deltaic plain

  2. Chemical characterization of nuclear fuel materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ramakumar, K.L.

    2011-01-01

    India is fabricating nuclear fuels for various types of reactors, for example, (U-Pu) MOX fuel of varying Pu content for boiling water reactors (BWRs), pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWRs), prototype fast breeder reactors (PFBRs), (U-Pu) carbide fuel fast breeder test reactor (FBTR), and U-based fuels for research reactors. Nuclear fuel being the heart of the reactor, its chemical and physical characterisation is an important component of this design. Both the fuel materials and finished fuel products are to be characterised for this purpose. Quality control (both chemical and physical) provides a means to ensure that the quality of the fabricated fuel conforms to the specifications for the fuel laid down by the fuel designer. Chemical specifications are worked out for the major and minor constituents which affect the fuel properties and hence its performance under conditions prevailing in an operating reactor. Each fuel batch has to be subjected to comprehensive chemical quality control for trace constituents, stoichiometry and isotopic composition. A number of advanced process and quality control steps are required to ensure the quality of the fuels. Further more, in the case of Pu-based fuels, it is necessary to extract maximum quality data by employing different evaluation techniques which would result in minimum scrap/waste generation of valuable plutonium. The task of quality control during fabrication of nuclear fuels of various types is both challenging and difficult. The underlying philosophy is total quality control of the fuel by proper mix of process and quality control steps at various stages of fuel manufacture starting from the feed materials. It is also desirable to adapt more than one analytical technique to increase the confidence and reliability of the quality data generated. This is all the most required when certified reference materials are not available. In addition, the adaptation of non-destructive techniques in the chemical quality

  3. Depressurization accident analysis of MPBR by PBRSIM with chemical reaction model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    No, Hee Cheon; Kadak, A. C.

    2002-01-01

    The simple model for natural circulation is implemented into PBR S IM to provide air inlet velocity from the containment air space. For the friction and form loss only the pebble region is considered conservatively modeling laminar flow through a packed bed. For the chemical reaction model of PBR S IM the oxidation rate is determined as the minimum value of three mechanisms estimated at each time step: oxygen mass flow rate entering the bottom of the reflector, oxidation rate by kinetics, and oxygen mass flow rate arriving at the graphite surface by diffusion. Oxygen mass flux arriving at the graphite surface by diffusion is estimated based on energy-mass analogy. Two types of exothermic chemical reaction are considered: (C + zO 2 → xCO + yCO 2 ) and (2CO + O 2 2CO 2 ). The heterogeneous and homogeneous chemical reaction rates by kinetics are determined by INEEL and Bruno correlations, respectively. The instantaneous depressurization accident of MPBR is simulated using PBR S IM with chemical model. The air inlet velocity is initially rapidly dropped within 10 hr and reaches a saturation value of about 1.5cm/s. The oxidation rate by the diffusion process becomes lower than that by the chemical kinetics above 600K. The maximum pebble bed temperatures without and with chemical reaction reach the peak values of 1560 and 1617 .deg. C at 80 hr and 92 hr, respectively. As the averaged temperatures in the bottom reflector and the pebble bed regions increase with time, (C+1/2O2 ->CO) reaction becomes dominant over (C+O 2 →CO 2 ) reaction. Also, the CO generated by (C+1/2O 2 →CO) reaction will be consumed by (2CO+O 2 →2CO 2 ) reaction and the energy homogeneously generated by this CO depletion reaction becomes dominant over the heterogeneous reaction

  4. UNCERTAINTIES IN GALACTIC CHEMICAL EVOLUTION MODELS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Côté, Benoit; Ritter, Christian; Herwig, Falk; O’Shea, Brian W.; Pignatari, Marco; Jones, Samuel; Fryer, Chris L.

    2016-01-01

    We use a simple one-zone galactic chemical evolution model to quantify the uncertainties generated by the input parameters in numerical predictions for a galaxy with properties similar to those of the Milky Way. We compiled several studies from the literature to gather the current constraints for our simulations regarding the typical value and uncertainty of the following seven basic parameters: the lower and upper mass limits of the stellar initial mass function (IMF), the slope of the high-mass end of the stellar IMF, the slope of the delay-time distribution function of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), the number of SNe Ia per M ⊙ formed, the total stellar mass formed, and the final mass of gas. We derived a probability distribution function to express the range of likely values for every parameter, which were then included in a Monte Carlo code to run several hundred simulations with randomly selected input parameters. This approach enables us to analyze the predicted chemical evolution of 16 elements in a statistical manner by identifying the most probable solutions, along with their 68% and 95% confidence levels. Our results show that the overall uncertainties are shaped by several input parameters that individually contribute at different metallicities, and thus at different galactic ages. The level of uncertainty then depends on the metallicity and is different from one element to another. Among the seven input parameters considered in this work, the slope of the IMF and the number of SNe Ia are currently the two main sources of uncertainty. The thicknesses of the uncertainty bands bounded by the 68% and 95% confidence levels are generally within 0.3 and 0.6 dex, respectively. When looking at the evolution of individual elements as a function of galactic age instead of metallicity, those same thicknesses range from 0.1 to 0.6 dex for the 68% confidence levels and from 0.3 to 1.0 dex for the 95% confidence levels. The uncertainty in our chemical evolution model

  5. Modelling of chemical evolution of low pH cements at long term

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El Bitouri, Y.; Buffo-Lacarriere, L.; Sellier, A.; Bourbon, X.

    2015-01-01

    In the context of the underground radioactive waste repository, low-pH cements were developed to reduce interactions between concrete and clay barrier. These cements contain high proportions of mineral additions like silica fume, fly ash or blast furnace slag for example. The high ratio of cement replacement by pozzolanic additions allows to reduce the pH by a global reduction of Ca/Si ratio of the hydrates (according to the one observed on CEM I pastes). In order to predict the short term development of the hydration for each component of this cement, a multiphasic hydration model, previously developed, is used. The model predicts the evolution of hydration degree of each anhydrous phase and consequently the quantity of each hydrate in paste (CH, aluminates, CSH with different Ca/Si ratios). However, this model is not suitable to determine the long term mineralogical and chemical evolution of the material, due to the internal change induced by chemical imbalance between initial hydrates. In order to evaluate the chemical characteristics of low pH cement based materials, and thus assess its chemical stability in the context of radioactive waste storage, a complementary model of chemical evolution at long term is proposed. This original model is based on 'solid-solution' principles. It assumes that the microdiffusion of calcium plays a major role to explain how the different Ca/Si ratio of initial C-S-H tends together toward a medium stabilized value. The main mechanisms and full development of the model equations are presented first. Next, a comparison of the model with experimental data issue from EDS (Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy) analysis on low pH cement allows to test the model. (authors)

  6. Exploring Contextual Models in Chemical Patent Search

    Science.gov (United States)

    Urbain, Jay; Frieder, Ophir

    We explore the development of probabilistic retrieval models for integrating term statistics with entity search using multiple levels of document context to improve the performance of chemical patent search. A distributed indexing model was developed to enable efficient named entity search and aggregation of term statistics at multiple levels of patent structure including individual words, sentences, claims, descriptions, abstracts, and titles. The system can be scaled to an arbitrary number of compute instances in a cloud computing environment to support concurrent indexing and query processing operations on large patent collections.

  7. Agaricus bohusii from Serbia: chemical characterization, antioxidant potential and antifungal preserving properties in cream cheese

    OpenAIRE

    Reis, Filipa S.; Stojković, Dejan; Soković, Marina; Glamočlija, Jasmina; Ćirić, Ana; Barros, Lillian; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.

    2012-01-01

    Mushrooms are widely appreciated all over the world for their nutritional and bioactive properties. They have been considered valuable health foods being a source of many different nutraceuticals, including antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds [1,2]. Agaricus bohusii Bon is an edible and prized mushroom especially common in Serbia and southern Europe. As far as we know, there are no studies about this species. In the present work, a detailed chemical characterization of A. bohusii was ...

  8. Physical and chemical characterization of synthetic calcined sludge

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Slates, R.V.; Mosley, W.C. Jr.; Tiffany, B.; Stone, J.A.

    1982-03-01

    Calcined synthetic sludge was chemically characterized in support of engineering studies to design a processing plant to solidify highly radioactive waste at the Savannah River Plant. An analytical technique is described which provides quantitative data by mass spectrometric analysis of gases evolved during thermogravimetric analysis without measurements of gas flow rates or mass spectrometer sensitivities. Scanning electron microprobe analysis, Mossbauer spectroscopy, and several other common analytical methods were also used. Calcined sludge consists primarily of amorphous particles of hydrous oxides with iron, manganese, nickel, and calcium distributed fairly uniformly throughout the powder. Iron, manganese, nickel, and calcium exist in forms that are highly insoluble in water, but aluminum, sulfate, nitrate, and sodium exhibit relative water solubilities that increase in the given order from 60% to 94%. Evolved gas analysis in a helium atmosphere showed that calcined sludge is completely dehydrated by heating to 400 0 C, carbon dioxide is evolved between 100 to 700 0 C with maximum evolution at 500 0 C, and oxygen is evolved between 400 and 1000 0 C. Evolved gas analyses are also reported for uncalcined sludge. A spinel-type oxide similar to NiFe 2 O 4 was detected by x-ray diffraction analysis at very low-level in calcined sludge

  9. Synthesis and characterization of chemically activated carbon derived from arecanut shell

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. S. Jadhav

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Activated carbon (AC was prepared from areca-nut shell (AS by chemical activation using phosphoric acid (PA. Activated carbon was prepared in three batches using phosphoric acid of 50 gm, 100 gm, and 300 gm with varying impregnation ratios by weight of 1:1, 2:1 and 3:1, 4:1 each. Characterization of the prepared activated carbon was done by methylene blue number (MBN, iodine number (IN, acid adsorption test (AAT, and elemental composition. Activation was carried out at 400 C. It was found that activated carbon derived from areca-nut shell shown improved results for methylene blue number (MBN, iodine number (IN, and acid adsorption test(AAT. Thermal analysis was carried out to know the weight loss and SEM was performed to know the morphology of AC.

  10. Alternative chemical-based synthesis routes and characterization of nano-scale particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brocchi, E.A.; Motta, M.S.; Solorzano, I.G.; Jena, P.K.; Moura, F.J.

    2004-01-01

    Different nano-scale particles have been synthesized by alternative routes: nitrates dehydratation and oxide, or co-formed oxides, reduction by hydrogen. Chemical-based synthesis routes are described and thermodynamics studies and kinetics data are presented to support the feasibility for obtaining single-phase oxides and co-formed two-phase oxides. In addition, the reduction reaction has been applied to successfully produce metal/ceramic nanocomposites. Structural characterization has been carried out by means of X-ray diffraction and, more extensively, transmission electron microscopy operating in conventional diffraction contrast mode (CTEM) and high-resolution mode (HRTEM). Nano-scale size distribution of oxide particles is well demonstrated together with their defect-free structure in the lower range, around 20 nm, size. Structural features related to the synthesized nano-composites are also presented

  11. Physical and chemical characterization of titanium-alginate samples for biomedical applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Morani, L.M.; Ribeiro, A.A.; Oliveira, M.V. de; Dantas, F.M.L., E-mail: marize.varella@int.gov.b [Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia (INT), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Leao, M.H.M.R. [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (EQ/UFRJ), RJ (Brazil). Escola de Quimica

    2010-07-01

    The sol-gel technique combined with powder metallurgy may be an alternative to produce titanium parts for bioengineering, with the advantage of eliminating the powder compaction step, which may introduce defects. The present work introduces a system consisted of titanium powder and sodium alginate suspension, which undergoes reticulation in contact with a calcium salt solution, obtaining titanium/calcium alginate hydrogel with granule morphology. The characterization of the raw materials and granules of calcium alginate and titanium/calcium alginate was performed by x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. The granules topography was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy/EDS. Titanium and sodium alginate chemical composition were adequate for use as raw materials, showing that the methodology used is suitable for processing titanium samples for further consolidation by sintering, in order to produce titanium parts. (author)

  12. Importance of predictor variables for models of chemical function

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Importance of random forest predictors for all classification models of chemical function. This dataset is associated with the following publication: Isaacs , K., M....

  13. Modelling oral up-take of hydrophobic and super-hydrophobic chemicals in fish.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larisch, Wolfgang; Goss, Kai-Uwe

    2018-01-24

    We have extended a recently published toxicokinetic model for fish (TK-fish) towards the oral up-take of contaminants. Validation with hydrophobic chemicals revealed that diffusive transport through aqueous boundary layers in the gastro-intestinal tract and in the blood is the limiting process. This process can only be modelled correctly if facilitated transport by albumin or bile micelles through these boundary layers is accounted for. In a case study we have investigated the up-take of a super hydrophobic chemical, Dechlorane Plus. Our results suggest that there is no indication of a hydrophobicity or size cut-off in the bioconcentration of this chemical. Based on an extremely high, but mechanistically sound facilitation factor we received model results in good agreement with experimental values from the literature. The results also indicate that established experimental procedures for BCF determination cannot cover the very slow up-take and clearance kinetics that are to be expected for such a chemical.

  14. Micro-poromechanics model of fluid-saturated chemically active fibrous media.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Misra, Anil; Parthasarathy, Ranganathan; Singh, Viraj; Spencer, Paulette

    2015-02-01

    We have developed a micromechanics based model for chemically active saturated fibrous media that incorporates fiber network microstructure, chemical potential driven fluid flow, and micro-poromechanics. The stress-strain relationship of the dry fibrous media is first obtained by considering the fiber behavior. The constitutive relationships applicable to saturated media are then derived in the poromechanics framework using Hill's volume averaging. The advantage of this approach is that the resultant continuum model accounts for the discrete nature of the individual fibers while retaining a form suitable for porous materials. As a result, the model is able to predict the influence of micro-scale phenomena, such as the fiber pre-strain caused by osmotic effects and evolution of fiber network structure with loading, on the overall behavior and in particular, on the poromechanics parameters. Additionally, the model can describe fluid-flow related rate-dependent behavior under confined and unconfined conditions and varying chemical environments. The significance of the approach is demonstrated by simulating unconfined drained monotonic uniaxial compression under different surrounding fluid bath molarity, and fluid-flow related creep and relaxation at different loading-levels and different surrounding fluid bath molarity. The model predictions conform to the experimental observations for saturated soft fibrous materials. The method can potentially be extended to other porous materials such as bone, clays, foams and concrete.

  15. Chemical characterization of ancient pottery from the southwest Amazonia using neutron activation analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carvalho, Patricia R.; Munita, Casimiro S.; Neves, Eduardo G.; Zimpel, Carlos A.; Universidade de Sao Paulo

    2017-01-01

    The analyzes carried out in this work aims to contribute to the discussion about the ceramic objects founded in Monte Castelo's sambaqui located at Southwest Amazonia. The first study accomplished by Miller in 1980 suggests that this archaeological site is inserted in the old contexts of production of ceramics in the Amazon. Until today, there are not any physical and chemical analysis studies in this ceramics and this kind of studies may help archaeological studies performed at the sambaqui. With this purpose, this work presents a preliminary study of chemical characterization of eighty-seven ceramic samples using the Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA). The analyzed elements were: As, K, La, Lu, Na, Nd, Sm, U, Yb, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Eu, Fe, Hf, Rb, Sc, Ta, Tb, Th. With the purpose to study the similarity/dissimilarity between the samples cluster and discriminant analysis were used. The results showed the existence of three different chemical groups that are in agreement with the archaeological studies made by Miller which found a sequence of cultural development, with three main occupational components whose dating ranging from 8.400 to 4.000 b.P. In this way, the results of this work are in agreement with miller's studies and suggest Bacabal's phase as the oldest ceramist culture in the Southwest of the Amazon. (author)

  16. Chemical characterization of ancient pottery from the southwest Amazonia using neutron activation analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Carvalho, Patricia R.; Munita, Casimiro S.; Neves, Eduardo G.; Zimpel, Carlos A., E-mail: camunita@ipen.br, E-mail: edgneves@usp.br [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil); Universidade de Sao Paulo (MAE/USP), SP (Brazil). Museu de Arqueologia e Etnologia

    2017-11-01

    The analyzes carried out in this work aims to contribute to the discussion about the ceramic objects founded in Monte Castelo's sambaqui located at Southwest Amazonia. The first study accomplished by Miller in 1980 suggests that this archaeological site is inserted in the old contexts of production of ceramics in the Amazon. Until today, there are not any physical and chemical analysis studies in this ceramics and this kind of studies may help archaeological studies performed at the sambaqui. With this purpose, this work presents a preliminary study of chemical characterization of eighty-seven ceramic samples using the Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA). The analyzed elements were: As, K, La, Lu, Na, Nd, Sm, U, Yb, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Eu, Fe, Hf, Rb, Sc, Ta, Tb, Th. With the purpose to study the similarity/dissimilarity between the samples cluster and discriminant analysis were used. The results showed the existence of three different chemical groups that are in agreement with the archaeological studies made by Miller which found a sequence of cultural development, with three main occupational components whose dating ranging from 8.400 to 4.000 b.P. In this way, the results of this work are in agreement with miller's studies and suggest Bacabal's phase as the oldest ceramist culture in the Southwest of the Amazon. (author)

  17. Track models and radiation chemical yields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chatterjee, A.; Magee, J.L.

    1987-01-01

    The authors are concerned only with systems in which single track effects dominate and radiation chemical yields are sums of yields for individual tracks. The authors know that the energy deposits of heavy particle tracks are composed of spurs along the particle trajectory (about one-half of the energy) and a more diffuse pattern composed of the tracks of knock-on electrons, called the penumbra (about one-half of the energy). The simplest way to introduce the concept of a unified track model for heavy particles is to consider the special case of the track of a heavy particle with an LET below 0.2-0.3eV/A, which in practice limits us to protons, deuterons, or particles with energy above 100 MeV per nucleon. At these LET values, to a good approximation, spurs formed by the main particle track can be considered to remain isolated throughout the radiation chemical reactions

  18. Multi-model approach to characterize human handwriting motion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chihi, I; Abdelkrim, A; Benrejeb, M

    2016-02-01

    This paper deals with characterization and modelling of human handwriting motion from two forearm muscle activity signals, called electromyography signals (EMG). In this work, an experimental approach was used to record the coordinates of a pen tip moving on the (x, y) plane and EMG signals during the handwriting act. The main purpose is to design a new mathematical model which characterizes this biological process. Based on a multi-model approach, this system was originally developed to generate letters and geometric forms written by different writers. A Recursive Least Squares algorithm is used to estimate the parameters of each sub-model of the multi-model basis. Simulations show good agreement between predicted results and the recorded data.

  19. Progress report on SYVAC chemical speciation modelling studies during 1983/4

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cross, J.; Smith, G.L.; Williams, D.R.

    1984-01-01

    This report summarises progress made on the SYVAC (System Variability Analysis program) chemical speciation project during 1983-4. Chemical speciation is defined and its importance in the SYVAC approach to Radioactive Waste Management is discussed. Computer modelling of chemical equilibria is described and the two programs presently operational at UWIST - SOLMNQ and MINEQL - are compared and discussed in detail. In view of the shortcomings of the databases supplied with these programs, a new database of equilibrium constants has been compiled containing 483 aqueous species and 329 solid phases, including data for the radionuclides uranium, plutonium, americium, neptunium and thorium. The collaborative work with AERE, Harwell, is reported. A leaching experiment carried out at Harwell has been modelled using the chemical speciation programs. The results for uranium, plutonium, americium and neptunium, are presented. However, the experimental data provided by AERE is insufficient for accurate simulations. Chemical speciation studies relating to specific sites require accurate characterisation of the groundwater, i.e. chemical composition, Eh and pH. In the absence of such information, preliminary studies have been made using an average granite groundwater. The results of these studies are presented and include solubility and speciation plots for uranium, plutonium, thorium and neptunium. The future aims of the project are discussed. (author)

  20. Detailed characterizations of a Comparative Reactivity Method (CRM) instrument: experiments vs. modelling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michoud, V.; Hansen, R. F.; Locoge, N.; Stevens, P. S.; Dusanter, S.

    2015-04-01

    simple chemical mechanism, taking into account the inorganic chemistry from IUPAC 2001 and a simple organic chemistry scheme including only a generic RO2 compounds for all oxidized organic trace gases; and (2) a more exhaustive chemical mechanism, based on the Master Chemical Mechanism (MCM), including the chemistry of the different trace gases used during laboratory experiments. Both mechanisms take into account self- and cross-reactions of radical species. The simulations using these mechanisms allow reproducing the magnitude of the corrections needed to account for NO interferences and a deviation from pseudo first-order kinetics, as well as their dependence on the Pyrrole-to-OH ratio and on bimolecular reaction rate constants of trace gases. The reasonable agreement found between laboratory experiments and model simulations gives confidence in the parameterizations proposed to correct the Total OH reactivity measured by CRM. However, it must be noted that the parameterizations presented in this paper are suitable for the CRM instrument used during the laboratory characterization and may be not appropriate for other CRM instruments, even if similar behaviours should be observed. It is therefore recommended that each group characterizes its own instrument following the recommendations given in this study. Finally, the assessment of the limit of detection and total uncertainties is discussed and an example of field deployment of this CRM instrument is presented.

  1. Models and Modelling Tools for Chemical Product and Process Design

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gani, Rafiqul

    2016-01-01

    The design, development and reliability of a chemical product and the process to manufacture it, need to be consistent with the end-use characteristics of the desired product. One of the common ways to match the desired product-process characteristics is through trial and error based experiments......-based framework is that in the design, development and/or manufacturing of a chemical product-process, the knowledge of the applied phenomena together with the product-process design details can be provided with diverse degrees of abstractions and details. This would allow the experimental resources...... to be employed for validation and fine-tuning of the solutions from the model-based framework, thereby, removing the need for trial and error experimental steps. Also, questions related to economic feasibility, operability and sustainability, among others, can be considered in the early stages of design. However...

  2. Integrated modelling of physical, chemical and biological weather

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kurganskiy, Alexander

    . This is an online-coupled meteorology-chemistry model where chemical constituents and different types of aerosols are an integrated part of the dynamical model, i.e., these constituents are transported in the same way as, e.g., water vapor and cloud water, and, at the same time, the aerosols can interactively...... impact radiation and cloud micro-physics. The birch pollen modelling study has been performed for domains covering Europe and western Russia. Verification of the simulated birch pollen concentrations against in-situ observations showed good agreement obtaining the best score for two Danish sites...

  3. Automated chemical kinetic modeling via hybrid reactive molecular dynamics and quantum chemistry simulations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Döntgen, Malte; Schmalz, Felix; Kopp, Wassja A; Kröger, Leif C; Leonhard, Kai

    2018-06-13

    An automated scheme for obtaining chemical kinetic models from scratch using reactive molecular dynamics and quantum chemistry simulations is presented. This methodology combines the phase space sampling of reactive molecular dynamics with the thermochemistry and kinetics prediction capabilities of quantum mechanics. This scheme provides the NASA polynomial and modified Arrhenius equation parameters for all species and reactions that are observed during the simulation and supplies them in the ChemKin format. The ab initio level of theory for predictions is easily exchangeable and the presently used G3MP2 level of theory is found to reliably reproduce hydrogen and methane oxidation thermochemistry and kinetics data. Chemical kinetic models obtained with this approach are ready-to-use for, e.g., ignition delay time simulations, as shown for hydrogen combustion. The presented extension of the ChemTraYzer approach can be used as a basis for methodologically advancing chemical kinetic modeling schemes and as a black-box approach to generate chemical kinetic models.

  4. Chemical characterization and chemotaxonomy of Hypericum hirsutum L. 1753 from Vojvodina (Serbia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kladar Nebojša V.

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The genus Hypericum includes over 500 widely distributed species. The main representative is St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum L. (1753, Hypericaceae, the only approved biological source of Hyperici herba by WHO and EMEA monographs. It is frequently used in the form of oil macerate for treatment of burns, scars, eczema and gas­trointestinal disorders, as well as in the form of water and alcoholic extracts as clinically proved antidepressant. Available data suggest that the amounts of secondary metabolites in the plant vary depending on ecological factors of the habitat, and consequently affect the quality of herbal drug. The reports show that other species of the genus have similar chemical profile as H. perforatum. But, there are also Hypericum species in which some of the secondary metabolites of interest occur in higher quantities than in H. perforatum. As previous data suggest, Hypericum hirsutum L. 1753, could be such example. Therefore, the aim of this study was to chemically characterize water-alcoholic extracts of H. hirsutum samples, collected at four localities in Vojvodina (Republic of Serbia by liquid chromatography (HPLC-DAD. The obtained results suggest a good match (in a term of a presence of investigated compounds of previously published results describing chemical profile of H. perforatum water-alcoholic extracts with examined H. hirsutum extracts. Also, chemotaxonomic analysis showed variations in quantity of secondary metabolites in the examined extracts. This opens the door to further investigation of H. hirsutum as a new source of bioactive secondary metabolites and additional markers in Hypericum chemotaxonomy.

  5. Chemical Characterization and Antioxidant Potential of Wild Ganoderma Species from Ghana.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Obodai, Mary; Mensah, Deborah L Narh; Fernandes, Ângela; Kortei, Nii Korley; Dzomeku, Matilda; Teegarden, Matthew; Schwartz, Steven J; Barros, Lillian; Prempeh, Juanita; Takli, Richard K; Ferreira, Isabel C F R

    2017-01-25

    The chemical characterization and antioxidant potential of twelve wild strains of Ganoderma sp. from Ghana, nine (LS1-LS9) of which were found growing wild simultaneously on the same dying Delonix regia tree, were evaluated. Parameters evaluated included the nutritional value, composition in sugars, fatty acids, phenolic and other organic compounds and some vitamins and vitamin precursors. Antioxidant potential was evaluated by investigating reducing power, radical scavenging activity and lipid peroxidation inhibition using five in vitro assays. Protein, carbohydrate, fat, ash and energy contents ranged between 15.7-24.5 g/100 g·dw, 73.31-81.90 g/100 g, 0.48-1.40 g/100 g, 0.68-2.12 g/100 g ash and 396.1-402.02 kcal/100 g, respectively. Fatty acids such as linoleic, oleic and palmitic acids were relatively abundant. Free sugars included rhamnose, fructose, mannitol, sucrose and trehalose. Total tocopherols, organic acids and phenolic compounds' content ranged between 741-3191 µg/100 g, 77-1003 mg/100 g and 7.6-489 µg/100 g, respectively. There were variations in the β-glucans, ergosterol and vitamin D₂ contents. The three major minerals in decreasing order were K > P > S. Ganoderma sp. strain AM1 showed the highest antioxidant activity. This study reveals, for the first time, chemical characteristics of Ganoderma spp. which grew simultaneously on the same tree.

  6. Multiple chemical sensitivity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tran, Marie Thi Dao; Arendt-Nielsen, Lars; Kupers, Ron

    2013-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) is a chronic condition characterized by recurrent, non-specific symptoms in response to chemically unrelated exposures in non-toxic concentrations. Although the pathophysiology of MCS remains unknown, central sensitization may be an important factor...

  7. Chemical Structure and Dynamics annual report 1997

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Colson, S.D.; McDowell, R.S.

    1998-03-01

    The Chemical Structure and Dynamics (CS and D) program is a major component of the William R. Wiley Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), developed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to provide a state-of-the-art collaborative facility for studies of chemical structure and dynamics. The authors respond to the need for a fundamental, molecular level understanding of chemistry at a wide variety of environmentally important interfaces by: (1) extending the experimental characterization and theoretical description of chemical reactions to encompass the effects of condensed media and interfaces; (2) developing a multidisciplinary capability for describing interfacial chemical processes within which the new knowledge generated can be brought to bear on complex phenomena in environmental chemistry and in nuclear waste processing and storage; and (3) developing state-of-the-art analytical methods for characterizing complex materials of the types found in stored wastes and contaminated soils, and for detecting and monitoring trace atmospheric species. The focus of the research is defined primarily by DOE's environmental problems: fate and transport of contaminants in the subsurface environment, processing and storage of waste materials, cellular effects of chemical and radiological insult, and atmospheric chemistry as it relates to air quality and global change. Twenty-seven projects are described under the following topical sections: Reaction mechanisms at interfaces; High-energy processes at environmental interfaces; Cluster models of the condensed phase; and Miscellaneous

  8. Chemical Structure and Dynamics annual report 1997

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Colson, S.D.; McDowell, R.S.

    1998-03-01

    The Chemical Structure and Dynamics (CS and D) program is a major component of the William R. Wiley Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), developed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to provide a state-of-the-art collaborative facility for studies of chemical structure and dynamics. The authors respond to the need for a fundamental, molecular level understanding of chemistry at a wide variety of environmentally important interfaces by: (1) extending the experimental characterization and theoretical description of chemical reactions to encompass the effects of condensed media and interfaces; (2) developing a multidisciplinary capability for describing interfacial chemical processes within which the new knowledge generated can be brought to bear on complex phenomena in environmental chemistry and in nuclear waste processing and storage; and (3) developing state-of-the-art analytical methods for characterizing complex materials of the types found in stored wastes and contaminated soils, and for detecting and monitoring trace atmospheric species. The focus of the research is defined primarily by DOE`s environmental problems: fate and transport of contaminants in the subsurface environment, processing and storage of waste materials, cellular effects of chemical and radiological insult, and atmospheric chemistry as it relates to air quality and global change. Twenty-seven projects are described under the following topical sections: Reaction mechanisms at interfaces; High-energy processes at environmental interfaces; Cluster models of the condensed phase; and Miscellaneous.

  9. Abundance gradients in disc galaxies and chemical evolution models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Diaz, A.I.

    1989-01-01

    The present state of abundance gradients and chemical evolution models of spiral galaxies is reviewed. An up to date compilation of abundance data in the literature concerning HII regions over galactic discs is presented. From these data Oxygen and Nitrogen radial gradients are computed. The slope of the Oxygen gradient is shown to have a break at a radius between 1.5 and 1.75 times the value of the effective radius of the disc, i.e. the radius containing half of the light of the disc. The gradient is steeper in the central parts of the disc and becomes flatter in the outer parts. N/O gradients are shown to be rather different from galaxy to galaxy and only a weak trend of N/O with O/H is found. The existing chemical evolution models for spiral galaxies are reviewed with special emphasis in the interpretation of numerical models having a large number of parameters. (author)

  10. Chemical characterization using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry of two extracts from Phyllanthus orbicularis HBK

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gutierrez Gaiten, Yamilet Irene; Miranda Martinez, Migdalia; Bello Alarcon, Adonis

    2011-01-01

    The objective of this paper was the chemical characterization of two extracts from Phyllanthus orbicularis HBK through gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. To this end, maceration with N-hexane and ethyl acetate was used to obtain the respective extracts. The study of the hexane extract identified 17 components in which hydrocarbonate structures prevailed, mainly cyclooctacosane. In the ethyl acetate extract, 19 compounds were detected, being the terpenoids the predominant, although the most abundant was sterol g-sitosterol. For the first time, the identified compounds are reported for this species

  11. Engineered Barrier System Thermal-Hydraulic-Chemical Column Test Report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    W.E. Lowry

    2001-01-01

    The Engineered Barrier System (EBS) Thermal-Hydraulic-Chemical (THC) Column Tests provide data needed for model validation. The EBS Degradation, Flow, and Transport Process Modeling Report (PMR) will be based on supporting models for in-drift THC coupled processes, and the in-drift physical and chemical environment. These models describe the complex chemical interaction of EBS materials, including granular materials, with the thermal and hydrologic conditions that will be present in the repository emplacement drifts. Of particular interest are the coupled processes that result in mineral and salt dissolution/precipitation in the EBS environment. Test data are needed for thermal, hydrologic, and geochemical model validation and to support selection of introduced materials (CRWMS M and O 1999c). These column tests evaluated granular crushed tuff as potential invert ballast or backfill material, under accelerated thermal and hydrologic environments. The objectives of the THC column testing are to: (1) Characterize THC coupled processes that could affect performance of EBS components, particularly the magnitude of permeability reduction (increases or decreases), the nature of minerals produced, and chemical fractionation (i.e., concentrative separation of salts and minerals due to boiling-point elevation). (2) Generate data for validating THC predictive models that will support the EBS Degradation, Flow, and Transport PMR, Rev. 01

  12. Characterization of Cellulase Enzyme Inhibitors Formed During the Chemical Pretreatments of Rice Straw

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rajan, Kalavathy

    Production of fuels and chemicals from a renewable and inexpensive resource such as lignocellulosic biomass is a lucrative and sustainable option for the advanced biofuel and bio-based chemical platform. Agricultural residues constitute the bulk of potential feedstock available for cellulosic fuel production. On a global scale, rice straw is the largest source of agricultural residues and is therefore an ideal crop model for biomass deconstruction studies. Lignocellulosic biofuel production involves the processes of biomass conditioning, enzymatic saccharification, microbial fermentation and ethanol distillation, and one of the major factors affecting its techno-economic feasibility is the biomass recalcitrance to enzymatic saccharification. Preconditioning of lignocellulosic biomass, using chemical, physico-chemical, mechanical and biological pretreatments, is often practiced such that biomass becomes available to downstream processing. Pretreatments, such as dilute acid and hot water, are effective means of biomass conversion. However, despite their processing importance, preconditioning biomass also results in the production of carbohydrate and lignin degradation products that are inhibitory to downstream saccharification enzymes. The saccharification enzyme cocktail is made up of endo-cellulase, exo-cellulase and beta-glucosidase enzymes, whose role is to cleave cellulose polymers into glucose monomers. Specifically, endo-cellulase and exo-cellulase enzymes cleave cellulose chains in the middle and at the end, resulting in cellobiose molecules, which are hydrolyzed into glucose by beta-glucosidase. Unfortunately, degradation compounds generated during pretreatment inhibit the saccharification enzyme cocktail. Various research groups have identified specific classes of inhibitors formed during biomass pretreatment and have studied their inhibitory effect on the saccharification cocktail. These various research groups prepared surrogate solutions in an attempt to

  13. chemical and mineralogical characterization of lateritic iron ore

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    DJFLEX

    2010-04-22

    Apr 22, 2010 ... The laterite iron ore deposit at Auchi, Edo State, Nigeria was studied chemically and mineralogically. The results of the chemical ... SAMPLE PREPARATION. The samples .... 2µm) and were subjected to X-ray diffraction using.

  14. Development and chemical characterization of flour obtained from the external mesocarp of "pequizeiro" fruit

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manoel Soares Soares Júnior

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this work was to develop a recommendation for the chemical peeling of pequi fruit and characterize the flour obtained from the external mesocarp of "Pequizeiro", pequi tree (Caryocar brasiliense Camb.. The technology applied to obtain the external mesocarp pequi flour included the epicarp removal with NaOH solution. The Response Surface Method was used to optimize the chemical peeling process by applying the Central Composite Rotatable Design, with eleven trials including three replicates at the central point, varying the NaOH aqueous solution concentration and fruit immersion time. The mass loss was evaluated through the analysis of variance and using bi and three dimensional graphs. The chemical characteristics of the external mesocarp pequi flour evaluated were: moisture content, ashes, proteins, lipids, total carbohydrates, dietary fiber, and some minerals. The best combination for an efficient removal of the fruit peel with the lowest mass loss was reached with 7.05 minutes of immersion in a 5.08 g.L-1 NaOH aqueous solution. This study indicated that the external mesocarp pequi flour is a food source rich in dietary fiber, carbohydrates, ashes, magnesium, calcium, manganese, and copper, but it is poor in lipids, zinc, and iron.

  15. Chemical transport in a fissured rock: verification of a numerical model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rasmuson, A.; Narasimham, T.N.; Neretnieks.

    1982-01-01

    Due to the very long-term, high toxicity of some nuclear waste products, models are required to predict, in certain cases, the spatial and temporal distribution of chemical concentration less than 0.001% of the concentration released from the repository. A numerical model, TRUMP, which solves the advective diffusion equation in general three dimensions, with or without decay and source term has been verified. The method is based on an integrated finite difference approach. The studies show that as long as the magnitude of advectance is equal to or less than that of conductance for the closed surface bonding any volume element in the region (that is, numerical Peclet number -3 % or less. The realistic input parameters used in the sample calculations suggest that such a range of Peclet numbers is indeed likely to characterize deep groundwater systems in granitic and ancient argillaceous systems. A sensitivity analysis based on the errors in prediction introduced due to uncertainties in input parameters are likely to be larger than the computational inaccuracies introduced by the numerical model. Currently, a disadvantage in the TRUMP model is that the iterative method of solving the set of simultaneous equations is rather slow when time constants vary widely over the flow region. Although the iterative solution may be very desirable for large three-dimensional problems in order to minimize computer storage, it seems desirable to use a direct solver technique in conjunction with the mixed explicit-implicit approach whenever possible. Work in this direction is in progress

  16. Source apportionment of toxic chemical pollutants at Trombay region

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sahu, S.K.; Pandit, G.G.; Puranik, V.D.

    2007-05-01

    Anthropogenic activities like industrial production and transportation, a wide range of chemical pollutants such as trace and toxic metals, pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons etc. eventually find their way into various environmental compartments. One of the main issues of environmental pollution is the chemical composition of aerosols and their sources. In spite of all the efforts a considerable part of the atmospheric aerosol mass is still not accounted for. This report describes some of the activities of Environmental Assessment Division which are having direct relevance to the public health and regulatory bodies. Extensive studies were carried out in our laboratories for the Trombay site, over the years; on the organic as well as inorganic pollution in the environment to understand inter compartmental behaviour of these chemical pollutants. In this report an attempt has been made to collect different size fractionated ambient aerosols and to quantify the percentage contribution of each size fraction to the total aerosol mass. Subsequently, an effort has been made for chemical characterization (inorganic, organic and carbon content) of these particulate matter using different analytical techniques. The comprehensive data set on chemical characterization of particulate matter thus generated is being used with receptor modeling techniques to identify the possible sources contributing to the observed concentrations of the measured pollutants. The use of this comprehensive data set in receptor modeling has been helpful in distinguishing the source types in a better way. Receptor modeling techniques are powerful tools that can be used to locate sources of pollutants to the atmosphere. The major advantage of the receptor models is that actual ambient data are used to apportion source contributions, negating the need for dispersion calculations. Pollution sources affecting the sampling site were statistically identified using varimax rotated factor analysis of

  17. Application of nonliner reduction techniques in chemical process modeling: a review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Muhaimin, Z; Aziz, N.; Abd Shukor, S.R.

    2006-01-01

    Model reduction techniques have been used widely in engineering fields for electrical, mechanical as well as chemical engineering. The basic idea of reduction technique is to replace the original system by an approximating system with much smaller state-space dimension. A reduced order model is more beneficial to process and industrial field in terms of control purposes. This paper is to provide a review on application of nonlinear reduction techniques in chemical processes. The advantages and disadvantages of each technique reviewed are also highlighted

  18. Chemical and radiolytical characterization of perfluorocarbon fluids used as coolants for LHC experiments : radiolysis effects in perfluorohexane fluids.

    CERN Document Server

    Ilie, Soran; Teissandier, B; CERN. Geneva. TS Department

    2007-01-01

    Perfluorohexane fluids, used as coolants within High Energy Physics Detectors in the Large Hadrons Collider (LHC) at CERN, were irradiated using gammas 60Co and characterized using different analytical techniques. The aim of this work was the assessment of radiation induced effects as a function of the chemical nature of these fluids and their impurity content. Were evidenced the radioinduced polymers and acidity, as well as different chemical by-products. Purification tests and measurements were carried out on different irradiated fluid samples to assess the efficiency of such purification treatments in view of their re-use in the HEP detector cooling systems.

  19. A model for chemically-induced mechanical loading on MEMS

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Amiot, Fabien

    2007-01-01

    The development of full displacement field measurements as an alternative to the optical lever technique to measure the mechanical response for microelectro-mechanical systems components in their environment calls for a modeling of chemically-induced mechanical fields (stress, strain, and displac......The development of full displacement field measurements as an alternative to the optical lever technique to measure the mechanical response for microelectro-mechanical systems components in their environment calls for a modeling of chemically-induced mechanical fields (stress, strain...... of the system free energy and its dependence on the surface amount. It is solved in the cantilever case thanks to an asymptotic analysis, and an approached closed-form solution is obtained for the interfacial stress field. Finally, some conclusions regarding the transducer efficiency of cantilevers are drawn...

  20. Applicability of western chemical dietary exposure models to the Chinese population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Shizhen; Price, Oliver; Liu, Zhengtao; Jones, Kevin C; Sweetman, Andrew J

    2015-07-01

    A range of exposure models, which have been developed in Europe and North America, are playing an increasingly important role in priority setting and the risk assessment of chemicals. However, the applicability of these tools, which are based on Western dietary exposure pathways, to estimate chemical exposure to the Chinese population to support the development of a risk-based environment and exposure assessment, is unclear. Three frequently used modelling tools, EUSES, RAIDAR and ACC-HUMANsteady, have been evaluated in terms of human dietary exposure estimation by application to a range of chemicals with different physicochemical properties under both model default and Chinese dietary scenarios. Hence, the modelling approaches were assessed by considering dietary pattern differences only. The predicted dietary exposure pathways were compared under both scenarios using a range of hypothetical and current emerging contaminants. Although the differences across models are greater than those between dietary scenarios, model predictions indicated that dietary preference can have a significant impact on human exposure, with the relatively high consumption of vegetables and cereals resulting in higher exposure via plants-based foodstuffs under Chinese consumption patterns compared to Western diets. The selected models demonstrated a good ability to identify key dietary exposure pathways which can be used for screening purposes and an evaluative risk assessment. However, some model adaptations will be required to cover a number of important Chinese exposure pathways, such as freshwater farmed-fish, grains and pork. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. A decision support framework for characterizing and managing dermal exposures to chemicals during Emergency Management and Operations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dotson, G Scott; Hudson, Naomi L; Maier, Andrew

    2015-01-01

    Emergency Management and Operations (EMO) personnel are in need of resources and tools to assist in understanding the health risks associated with dermal exposures during chemical incidents. This article reviews available resources and presents a conceptual framework for a decision support system (DSS) that assists in characterizing and managing risk during chemical emergencies involving dermal exposures. The framework merges principles of three decision-making techniques: 1) scenario planning, 2) risk analysis, and 3) multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA). This DSS facilitates dynamic decision making during each of the distinct life cycle phases of an emergency incident (ie, preparedness, response, or recovery) and identifies EMO needs. A checklist tool provides key questions intended to guide users through the complexities of conducting a dermal risk assessment. The questions define the scope of the framework for resource identification and application to support decision-making needs. The framework consists of three primary modules: 1) resource compilation, 2) prioritization, and 3) decision. The modules systematically identify, organize, and rank relevant information resources relating to the hazards of dermal exposures to chemicals and risk management strategies. Each module is subdivided into critical elements designed to further delineate the resources based on relevant incident phase and type of information. The DSS framework provides a much needed structure based on contemporary decision analysis principles for 1) documenting key questions for EMO problem formulation and 2) a method for systematically organizing, screening, and prioritizing information resources on dermal hazards, exposures, risk characterization, and management.

  2. Human, Social, Cultural Behavior (HSCB) Modeling Workshop I: Characterizing the Capability Needs for HSCB Modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    2008-07-01

    The expectations correspond to different roles individuals perform SocialConstructionis Social constructionism is a school of thought Peter L...HUMAN, SOCIAL , CULTURAL BEHAVIOR (HSCB) MODELING WORKSHOP I: CHARACTERIZING THE CAPABILITY NEEDS FOR HSCB MODELING FINAL REPORT... Social , Cultural Behavior (HSCB) Modeling Workshop I: Characterizing the Capability Needs for HSCB Modeling 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c

  3. Study and structural and chemical characterization of human dental smalt by electron microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Belio R, I.A.; Reyes G, J.

    1998-01-01

    The study of human dental smalt has been subject to investigation for this methods with electron microscopy, electron diffraction, X-ray diffraction and image simulation programs have been used with the purpose to determine its chemical and structural characteristics of the organic and inorganic materials. This work has been held mainly for the characterization of hydroxyapatite (Ca) 10 (PO 4 ) 6 (OH 4 ) 2 , inorganic material which conforms the dental smalt in 97%, so observing its structural unity which is composed by the prisms and these by crystals and atoms. It was subsequently initiated the study of the organic material, with is precursor of itself. (Author)

  4. Cholesterol photo-oxidation: A chemical reaction network for kinetic modeling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barnaba, Carlo; Rodríguez-Estrada, Maria Teresa; Lercker, Giovanni; García, Hugo Sergio; Medina-Meza, Ilce Gabriela

    2016-12-01

    In this work we studied the effect of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) methyl esters on cholesterol photo-induced oxidation. The oxidative routes were modeled with a chemical reaction network (CRN), which represents the first application of CRN to the oxidative degradation of a food-related lipid matrix. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, T-I), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, T-II) and a mixture of both (T-III) were added to cholesterol using hematoporphyrin as sensitizer, and were exposed to a fluorescent lamp for 48h. High amounts of Type I cholesterol oxidation products (COPs) were recovered (epimers 7α- and 7β-OH, 7-keto and 25-OH), as well as 5β,6β-epoxy. Fitting the experimental data with the CRN allowed characterizing the associated kinetics. DHA and EPA exerted different effects on the oxidative process. DHA showed a protective effect to 7-hydroxy derivatives, whereas EPA enhanced side-chain oxidation and 7β-OH kinetic rates. The mixture of PUFAs increased the kinetic rates several fold, particularly for 25-OH. With respect to the control, the formation of β-epoxy was reduced, suggesting potential inhibition in the presence of PUFAs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. New trajectory-driven aerosol and chemical process model Chemical and Aerosol Lagrangian Model (CALM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. Tunved

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available A new Chemical and Aerosol Lagrangian Model (CALM has been developed and tested. The model incorporates all central aerosol dynamical processes, from nucleation, condensation, coagulation and deposition to cloud formation and in-cloud processing. The model is tested and evaluated against observations performed at the SMEAR II station located at Hyytiälä (61° 51' N, 24° 17' E over a time period of two years, 2000–2001. The model shows good agreement with measurements throughout most of the year, but fails in reproducing the aerosol properties during the winter season, resulting in poor agreement between model and measurements especially during December–January. Nevertheless, through the rest of the year both trends and magnitude of modal concentrations show good agreement with observation, as do the monthly average size distribution properties. The model is also shown to capture individual nucleation events to a certain degree. This indicates that nucleation largely is controlled by the availability of nucleating material (as prescribed by the [H2SO4], availability of condensing material (in this model 15% of primary reactions of monoterpenes (MT are assumed to produce low volatile species and the properties of the size distribution (more specifically, the condensation sink. This is further demonstrated by the fact that the model captures the annual trend in nuclei mode concentration. The model is also used, alongside sensitivity tests, to examine which processes dominate the aerosol size distribution physical properties. It is shown, in agreement with previous studies, that nucleation governs the number concentration during transport from clean areas. It is also shown that primary number emissions almost exclusively govern the CN concentration when air from Central Europe is advected north over Scandinavia. We also show that biogenic emissions have a large influence on the amount of potential CCN observed

  6. Modeling the transport of chemical warfare agents and simulants in polymeric substrates for reactive decontamination

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pearl, Thomas; Mantooth, Brent; Varady, Mark; Willis, Matthew

    2014-03-01

    Chemical warfare agent simulants are often used for environmental testing in place of highly toxic agents. This work sets the foundation for modeling decontamination of absorbing polymeric materials with the focus on determining relationships between agents and simulants. The correlations of agents to simulants must consider the three way interactions in the chemical-material-decontaminant system where transport and reaction occur in polymer materials. To this end, diffusion modeling of the subsurface transport of simulants and live chemical warfare agents was conducted for various polymer systems (e.g., paint coatings) with and without reaction pathways with applied decontamination. The models utilized 1D and 2D finite difference diffusion and reaction models to simulate absorption and reaction in the polymers, and subsequent flux of the chemicals out of the polymers. Experimental data including vapor flux measurements and dynamic contact angle measurements were used to determine model input parameters. Through modeling, an understanding of the relationship of simulant to live chemical warfare agent was established, focusing on vapor emission of agents and simulants from materials.

  7. Physical-chemical characterization of pre-cooked mixed rice flour and barley bagasse

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Diego Palmiro Ramirez Ascheri

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available The extrusion processing parameters, chemical composition and water content of the flour mixture may affect the structure of rice flour, leading to products with different rheological behavior and hygroscopicity. Therefore, this work aimed to study the rheological properties and water adsorption of mixed flours of broken rice and barley bagasse obtained by extrusion cooking. Samples were prepared from a mixture of grits/bagasse between 82/18 and 73/27 (w/w with water content between 18.04 and 26.96%, using a single screw extruder. The rheological properties of the extruded flour were determined by a rapid viscosity analyzer to evaluate the cooking profile of the pastes by observing the pasting temperature, maximum viscosity, breakdown and retrogradation. The adsorption process was performed by weighing the samples stored at temperatures of 25, 30, 35 and 45 °C with water activity between 0.112 and 0.973. The isotherms were fitted using the following mathematical models: Halsey, Oswin, Smith, GAB and Peleg. The extruded composite flours were characterized by their lack of initial viscosity. The pasting temperature (40-67 °C, maximum viscosity (690-1146 cP, breakdown viscosity (0-175 cP and retrogradation (613-1382 cP were lower than for raw rice flour. The Peleg equation fitted well to the water adsorption data and can be used to represent the sigmoidal type II shape of the water adsorption isotherms for the extruded mixed flours from rice grits and barley bagasse.

  8. Chemical Equilibrium Modeling of Hanford Waste Tank Processing: Applications of Fundamental Science

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Felmy, Andrew R.; Wang, Zheming; Dixon, David A.; Hess, Nancy J.

    2004-01-01

    The development of computational models based upon fundamental science is one means of quantitatively transferring the results of scientific investigations to practical application by engineers in laboratory and field situations. This manuscript describes one example of such efforts, specifically the development and application of chemical equilibrium models to different waste management issues at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hanford Site. The development of the chemical models is described with an emphasis on the fundamental science investigations that have been undertaken in model development followed by examples of different waste management applications. The waste management issues include the leaching of waste slurries to selective remove non-hazardous components and the separation of Sr90 and transuranics from the waste supernatants. The fundamental science contributions include: molecular simulations of the energetics of different molecular clusters to assist in determining the species present in solution, advanced synchrotron research to determine the chemical form of precipitates, and laser based spectroscopic studies of solutions and solids.

  9. Physical and Chemical Environmental Abstraction Model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nowak, E.

    2000-01-01

    As directed by a written development plan (CRWMS M and O 1999a), Task 1, an overall conceptualization of the physical and chemical environment (P/CE) in the emplacement drift is documented in this Analysis/Model Report (AMR). Included are the physical components of the engineered barrier system (EBS). The intended use of this descriptive conceptualization is to assist the Performance Assessment Department (PAD) in modeling the physical and chemical environment within a repository drift. It is also intended to assist PAD in providing a more integrated and complete in-drift geochemical model abstraction and to answer the key technical issues raised in the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Issue Resolution Status Report (IRSR) for the Evolution of the Near-Field Environment (NFE) Revision 2 (NRC 1999). EBS-related features, events, and processes (FEPs) have been assembled and discussed in ''EBS FEPs/Degradation Modes Abstraction'' (CRWMS M and O 2000a). Reference AMRs listed in Section 6 address FEPs that have not been screened out. This conceptualization does not directly address those FEPs. Additional tasks described in the written development plan are recommended for future work in Section 7.3. To achieve the stated purpose, the scope of this document includes: (1) the role of in-drift physical and chemical environments in the Total System Performance Assessment (TSPA) (Section 6.1); (2) the configuration of engineered components (features) and critical locations in drifts (Sections 6.2.1 and 6.3, portions taken from EBS Radionuclide Transport Abstraction (CRWMS M and O 2000b)); (3) overview and critical locations of processes that can affect P/CE (Section 6.3); (4) couplings and relationships among features and processes in the drifts (Section 6.4); and (5) identities and uses of parameters transmitted to TSPA by some of the reference AMRs (Section 6.5). This AMR originally considered a design with backfill, and is now being updated (REV 00 ICN1) to address

  10. In silico environmental chemical science: properties and processes from statistical and computational modelling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tratnyek, P. G.; Bylaska, Eric J.; Weber, Eric J.

    2017-01-01

    Quantitative structure–activity relationships (QSARs) have long been used in the environmental sciences. More recently, molecular modeling and chemoinformatic methods have become widespread. These methods have the potential to expand and accelerate advances in environmental chemistry because they complement observational and experimental data with “in silico” results and analysis. The opportunities and challenges that arise at the intersection between statistical and theoretical in silico methods are most apparent in the context of properties that determine the environmental fate and effects of chemical contaminants (degradation rate constants, partition coefficients, toxicities, etc.). The main example of this is the calibration of QSARs using descriptor variable data calculated from molecular modeling, which can make QSARs more useful for predicting property data that are unavailable, but also can make them more powerful tools for diagnosis of fate determining pathways and mechanisms. Emerging opportunities for “in silico environmental chemical science” are to move beyond the calculation of specific chemical properties using statistical models and toward more fully in silico models, prediction of transformation pathways and products, incorporation of environmental factors into model predictions, integration of databases and predictive models into more comprehensive and efficient tools for exposure assessment, and extending the applicability of all the above from chemicals to biologicals and materials.

  11. In silico environmental chemical science: properties and processes from statistical and computational modelling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tratnyek, Paul G; Bylaska, Eric J; Weber, Eric J

    2017-03-22

    Quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs) have long been used in the environmental sciences. More recently, molecular modeling and chemoinformatic methods have become widespread. These methods have the potential to expand and accelerate advances in environmental chemistry because they complement observational and experimental data with "in silico" results and analysis. The opportunities and challenges that arise at the intersection between statistical and theoretical in silico methods are most apparent in the context of properties that determine the environmental fate and effects of chemical contaminants (degradation rate constants, partition coefficients, toxicities, etc.). The main example of this is the calibration of QSARs using descriptor variable data calculated from molecular modeling, which can make QSARs more useful for predicting property data that are unavailable, but also can make them more powerful tools for diagnosis of fate determining pathways and mechanisms. Emerging opportunities for "in silico environmental chemical science" are to move beyond the calculation of specific chemical properties using statistical models and toward more fully in silico models, prediction of transformation pathways and products, incorporation of environmental factors into model predictions, integration of databases and predictive models into more comprehensive and efficient tools for exposure assessment, and extending the applicability of all the above from chemicals to biologicals and materials.

  12. Toward the antioxidant and chemical characterization of mycorrhizal mushrooms from northeast Portugal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reis, Filipa S; Heleno, Sandrina A; Barros, Lillian; Sousa, Maria João; Martins, Anabela; Santos-Buelga, Celestino; Ferreira, Isabel C F R

    2011-08-01

    Mushrooms are widely appreciated all over the world for their nutritional properties and pharmacological value as sources of important bioactive compounds. Mycorrhizal macrofungi associate with plant roots constituting a symbiotic relationship. This symbiosis could influence the production of secondary metabolites, including bioactive compounds. We focused on the evaluation of antioxidant potential and chemical composition of mycorrhizal mushrooms species from Northeast Portugal: Amanita caesarea, Amanita muscaria, Amanita pantherina, Chroogomphus fulmineus, Cortinarius anomalus, Cortinarius collinitus, Cortinarius violaceus, Lactarius quietus, Lactarius volemus, Russula sardonia, Suillus luteus, and Tricholoma ustale. A similar profile of metabolites was observed in the studied species with the order sugars > fat > ascorbic acid > phenolic compounds > tocopherols. Nevertheless, the samples revealed different compositions: prevalence of sugars in L. volemus, fat and ascorbic acid in A. muscaria, phenolic compounds in C. anomalus and tocopherols, and antioxidant activity in S. luteus. Chemical characterization of 12 mycorrhizal mushrooms was achieved. They are sources of nutraceuticals, such as sugars and fatty acids, and contain bioactive compounds, such as vitamins and phenolic acids. Edible species can be incorporated in diets as sources of antioxidants, while nonedible species can be explored as sources of bioactive metabolites. © 2011 Institute of Food Technologists®

  13. STRATAQ: A three-dimensional Chemical Transport Model of the stratosphere

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B. Grassi

    2002-06-01

    Full Text Available A three-dimensional (3-D Chemical Transport Model (CTM of the stratosphere has been developed and used for a test study of the evolution of chemical species in the arctic lower stratosphere during winter 1996/97. This particular winter has been chosen for testing the model’s capabilities for its remarkable dynamical situation (very cold and strong polar vortex along with the availability of sparse chlorine, HNO3 and O3 data, showing also very low O3 values in late March/April. Due to those unusual features, the winter 1996/97 can be considered an excellent example of the impact of both dynamics and heterogeneous reactions on the chemistry of the stratosphere. Model integration has been performed from January to March 1997 and the resulting long-lived and short-lived tracer fields compared with available measurements. The model includes a detailed gas phase chemical scheme and a parameterization of the heterogeneous reactions occurring on liquid aerosol and polar stratospheric cloud (PSC surfaces. The transport is calculated using a semi-lagrangian flux scheme, forced by meteorological analyses. In such form, the STRATAQ CTM model is suitable for short-term integrations to study transport and chemical evolution related to "real" meteorological situations. Model simulation during the chosen winter shows intense PSC formation, with noticeable local HNO3 capture by PSCs, and the activation of vortex air leading to chlorine production and subsequent O3 destruction. The resulting model fields show generally good agreement with satellite data (MLS and TOMS, although the available observations, due to their limited number and time/space sparse nature, are not enough to effectively constraint the model. In particular, the model seems to perform well in reproducing the rapid processing of air inside the polar vortex on PSC converting reservoir species in active chlorine. In addition, it satisfactorily reproduces the morphology of the continuous O3

  14. STRATAQ: A three-dimensional Chemical Transport Model of the stratosphere

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B. Grassi

    Full Text Available A three-dimensional (3-D Chemical Transport Model (CTM of the stratosphere has been developed and used for a test study of the evolution of chemical species in the arctic lower stratosphere during winter 1996/97. This particular winter has been chosen for testing the model’s capabilities for its remarkable dynamical situation (very cold and strong polar vortex along with the availability of sparse chlorine, HNO3 and O3 data, showing also very low O3 values in late March/April. Due to those unusual features, the winter 1996/97 can be considered an excellent example of the impact of both dynamics and heterogeneous reactions on the chemistry of the stratosphere. Model integration has been performed from January to March 1997 and the resulting long-lived and short-lived tracer fields compared with available measurements. The model includes a detailed gas phase chemical scheme and a parameterization of the heterogeneous reactions occurring on liquid aerosol and polar stratospheric cloud (PSC surfaces. The transport is calculated using a semi-lagrangian flux scheme, forced by meteorological analyses. In such form, the STRATAQ CTM model is suitable for short-term integrations to study transport and chemical evolution related to "real" meteorological situations. Model simulation during the chosen winter shows intense PSC formation, with noticeable local HNO3 capture by PSCs, and the activation of vortex air leading to chlorine production and subsequent O3 destruction. The resulting model fields show generally good agreement with satellite data (MLS and TOMS, although the available observations, due to their limited number and time/space sparse nature, are not enough to effectively constraint the model. In particular, the model seems to perform well in reproducing the rapid processing of air inside the polar vortex on PSC converting reservoir species in active chlorine. In addition, it

  15. Characterization of sildenafil citrate tablets of different sources by near infrared chemical imaging and chemometric tools.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sabin, Guilherme P; Lozano, Valeria A; Rocha, Werickson F C; Romão, Wanderson; Ortiz, Rafael S; Poppi, Ronei J

    2013-11-01

    The chemical imaging technique by near infrared spectroscopy was applied for characterization of formulations in tablets of sildenafil citrate of six different sources. Five formulations were provided by Brazilian Federal Police and correspond to several trademarks of prohibited marketing and one was an authentic sample of Viagra. In a first step of the study, multivariate curve resolution was properly chosen for the estimation of the distribution map of concentration of the active ingredient in tablets of different sources, where the chemical composition of all excipients constituents was not truly known. In such cases, it is very difficult to establish an appropriate calibration technique, so that only the information of sildenafil is considered independently of the excipients. This determination was possible only by reaching the second-order advantage, where the analyte quantification can be performed in the presence of unknown interferences. In a second step, the normalized histograms of images from active ingredient were grouped according to their similarities by hierarchical cluster analysis. Finally it was possible to recognize the patterns of distribution maps of concentration of sildenafil citrate, distinguishing the true formulation of Viagra. This concept can be used to improve the knowledge of industrial products and processes, as well as, for characterization of counterfeit drugs. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  16. Developing a predictive model for the chemical composition of soot nanoparticles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Violi, Angela [Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States); Michelsen, Hope [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States); Hansen, Nils [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States); Wilson, Kevin [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

    2017-04-07

    In order to provide the scientific foundation to enable technology breakthroughs in transportation fuel, it is important to develop a combustion modeling capability to optimize the operation and design of evolving fuels in advanced engines for transportation applications. The goal of this proposal is to develop a validated predictive model to describe the chemical composition of soot nanoparticles in premixed and diffusion flames. Atomistic studies in conjunction with state-of-the-art experiments are the distinguishing characteristics of this unique interdisciplinary effort. The modeling effort has been conducted at the University of Michigan by Prof. A. Violi. The experimental work has entailed a series of studies using different techniques to analyze gas-phase soot precursor chemistry and soot particle production in premixed and diffusion flames. Measurements have provided spatial distributions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and other gas-phase species and size and composition of incipient soot nanoparticles for comparison with model results. The experimental team includes Dr. N. Hansen and H. Michelsen at Sandia National Labs' Combustion Research Facility, and Dr. K. Wilson as collaborator at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab's Advanced Light Source. Our results show that the chemical and physical properties of nanoparticles affect the coagulation behavior in soot formation, and our results on an experimentally validated, predictive model for the chemical composition of soot nanoparticles will not only enhance our understanding of soot formation since but will also allow the prediction of particle size distributions under combustion conditions. These results provide a novel description of soot formation based on physical and chemical properties of the particles for use in the next generation of soot models and an enhanced capability for facilitating the design of alternative fuels and the engines they will power.

  17. Integrated modeling and characterization of local crack chemistry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Savchik, J.A.; Burke, M.S.

    1996-01-01

    The MULTEQ computer program has become an industry wide tool which can be used to calculate the chemical composition in a flow occluded region as the solution within concentrates due to a local boiling process. These results can be used to assess corrosion concerns in plant equipment such as steam generators. Corrosion modeling attempts to quantify corrosion assessments by accounting for the mass transport processes involved in the corrosion mechanism. MULTEQ has played an ever increasing role in defining the local chemistry for such corrosion models. This paper will outline how the integration of corrosion modeling with the analysis of corrosion films and deposits can lead to the development of a useful modeling tool, wherein MULTEQ is interactively linked to a diffusion and migration transport process. This would provide a capability to make detailed inferences of the local crack chemistry based on the analyses of the local corrosion films and deposits inside a crack and thus provide guidance for chemical fixes to avoid cracking. This methodology is demonstrated for a simple example of a cracked tube. This application points out the utility of coupling MULTEQ with a mass transport process and the feasibility of an option in a future version of MULTEQ that would permit relating film and deposit analyses to the local chemical environment. This would increase the amount of information obtained from removed tube analyses and laboratory testing that can contribute to an overall program for mitigating tubing and crevice corrosion

  18. Integrated modeling and characterization of local crack chemistry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Savchik, J.A.; Burke, M.S.

    1995-01-01

    The MULTEQ computer program has become an industry wide tool which can be used to calculate the chemical composition in a flow occluded region as the solution within concentrates due to a local boiling process. These results can be used to assess corrosion concerns in plant equipment such as steam generators. Corrosion modeling attempts to quantify corrosion assessments by accounting for the mass transport processes involved in the corrosion mechanism. MULTEQ has played an ever increasing role in defining the local chemistry for such corrosion models. This paper will outline how the integration of corrosion modeling with the analysis of corrosion films and deposits can lead to the development of a useful modeling tool, wherein MULTEQ is interactively linked to a diffusion and migration transport process. This would provide a capability to make detailed inferences of the local crack chemistry based on the analyses of the local corrosion films and deposits inside a crack and thus provide guidance for chemical fixes to avoid cracking. This methodology is demonstrated for a simple example of a cracked tube. This application points out the utility of coupling MULTEQ with a mass transport process and the feasibility of an option in a future version of MULTEQ that would permit relating film and deposit analyses to the local chemical environment. This would increase the amount of information obtained from removed tube analyses and laboratory testing that can contribute to an overall program for mitigating tubing and crevice corrosion

  19. Physical and chemical characterization of adsorbed protein onto gold electrode functionalized with Tunisian coral and nacre

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hamza, Samir; Bouchemi, Meryem; Slimane, Noureddine; Azari, Zitouni

    2013-01-01

    Bone substitutes are more and more used in bone surgery because of their biologic safety, clinic efficiency and facility to synthesize. Bone substitutes with active osteogenic properties, associating biomaterials with organic macromolecule components of the extracellular matrix (protein, GAG) are recommended. Nevertheless, we should have a simple technique to control interactions between proteins and the material. Natural coral and nacre have been found to be impressive bone graft substitutes. In this work, we characterize nacre and coral powder using energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). We used electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy to evaluate bovine serum albumin (BSA) as model protein, adsorbed to these biomaterial surfaces. In order to understand the nacre/coral-protein interfacial compatibility, it is necessary to investigate the wettability. - Highlights: ► The structural and physico-chemical properties of material operated as a bone substitute. ► This study investigated the adsorption of BSA onto coral and nacre. ► X-ray diffraction analysis of coral and nacre. ► Simple technique to control interactions between proteins and the biomaterial.

  20. Synthesis and Characterization of Chemically Etched Nanostructured Silicon

    KAUST Repository

    Mughal, Asad Jahangir

    2012-05-01

    Silicon is an essential element in today’s modern world. Nanostructured Si is a more recently studied variant, which has currently garnered much attention. When its spatial dimensions are confined below a certain limit, its optical properties change dramatically. It transforms from an indirect bandgap material that does not absorb or emit light efficiently into one which can emit visible light at room temperatures. Although much work has been conducted in understanding the properties of nanostructured Si, in particular porous Si surfaces, a clear understanding of the origin of photoluminescence has not yet been produced. Typical synthesis approaches used to produce nanostructured Si, in particular porous Si and nanocrystalline Si have involved complex preparations used at high temperatures, pressures, or currents. The purpose of this thesis is to develop an easier synthesis approach to produce nanostructured Si as well as arrive at a clearer understanding of the origin of photoluminescence in these systems. We used a simple chemical etching technique followed by sonication to produce nanostructured Si suspensions. The etching process involved producing pores on the surface of a Si substrate in a solution containing hydrofluoric acid and an oxidant. Nanocrystalline Si as well as nanoscale amorphous porous Si suspensions were successfully synthesized using this process. We probed into the phase, composition, and origin of photoluminescence in these materials, through the use of several characterization techniques. TEM and SEM were used to determine morphology and phase. FT-IR and XPS were employed to study chemical compositions, and steady state and time resolved optical spectroscopy techniques were applied to resolve their photoluminescent properties. Our work has revealed that the type of oxidant utilized during etching had a significant impact on the final product. When using nitric acid as the oxidant, we formed nanocrystalline Si suspensions composed of

  1. High Throughput Exposure Modeling of Semi-Volatile Chemicals in Articles of Commerce (ACS)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Risk due to chemical exposure is a function of both chemical hazard and exposure. Near-field exposures to chemicals in consumer products are identified as the main drivers of exposure and yet are not well quantified or understood. The ExpoCast project is developing a model that e...

  2. Modeling of non-additive mixture properties using the Online CHEmical database and Modeling environment (OCHEM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oprisiu Ioana

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract The Online Chemical Modeling Environment (OCHEM, http://ochem.eu is a web-based platform that provides tools for automation of typical steps necessary to create a predictive QSAR/QSPR model. The platform consists of two major subsystems: a database of experimental measurements and a modeling framework. So far, OCHEM has been limited to the processing of individual compounds. In this work, we extended OCHEM with a new ability to store and model properties of binary non-additive mixtures. The developed system is publicly accessible, meaning that any user on the Web can store new data for binary mixtures and develop models to predict their non-additive properties. The database already contains almost 10,000 data points for the density, bubble point, and azeotropic behavior of binary mixtures. For these data, we developed models for both qualitative (azeotrope/zeotrope and quantitative endpoints (density and bubble points using different learning methods and specially developed descriptors for mixtures. The prediction performance of the models was similar to or more accurate than results reported in previous studies. Thus, we have developed and made publicly available a powerful system for modeling mixtures of chemical compounds on the Web.

  3. Characterization and Modeling of Atmospheric Flow Within and Above Plant Canopies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Souza Freire Grion, Livia

    The turbulent flow within and above plant canopies is responsible for the exchange of momentum, heat, gases and particles between vegetation and the atmosphere. Turbulence is also responsible for the mixing of air inside the canopy, playing an important role in chemical and biophysical processes occurring in the plants' environment. In the last fifty years, research has significantly advanced the understanding of and ability to model the flow field within and above the canopy, but important issues remain unsolved. In this work, we focus on (i) the estimation of turbulent mixing timescales within the canopy from field data; and (ii) the development of new computationally efficient modeling approaches for the coupled canopy-atmosphere flow field. The turbulent mixing timescale represents how quickly turbulence creates a well-mixed environment within the canopy. When the mixing timescale is much smaller than the timescale of other relevant processes (e.g. chemical reactions, deposition), the system can be assumed to be well-mixed and detailed modeling of turbulence is not critical to predict the system evolution. Conversely, if the mixing timescale is comparable or larger than the other timescales, turbulence becomes a controlling factor for the concentration of the variables involved; hence, turbulence needs to be taken into account when studying and modeling such processes. In this work, we used a combination of ozone concentration and high-frequency velocity data measured within and above the canopy in the Amazon rainforest to characterize turbulent mixing. The eddy diffusivity parameter (used as a proxy for mixing efficiency) was applied in a simple theoretical model of one-dimensional diffusion, providing an estimate of turbulent mixing timescales as a function of height within the canopy and time-of-day. Results showed that, during the day, the Amazon rainforest is characterized by well-mixed conditions with mixing timescales smaller than thirty minutes in the

  4. Physico-chemical characterization of SOA derived from catechol and guaiacol – a model substance for the aromatic fraction of atmospheric HULIS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. Whitmore

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Secondary organic aerosol (SOA was produced from the aromatic precursors catechol and guaiacol by reaction with ozone in the presence and absence of simulated sunlight and humidity and investigated for its properties as a proxy for HUmic-LIke Substances (HULIS. Beside a small particle size, a relatively low molecular weight and typical optical features in the UV/VIS spectral range, HULIS contain a typical aromatic and/or olefinic chemical structure and highly oxidized functional groups within a high chemical diversity. Various methods were used to characterize the secondary organic aerosols obtained: Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR demonstrated the formation of several carbonyl containing functional groups as well as structural and functional differences between aerosols formed at different environmental conditions. UV/VIS spectroscopy of filter samples showed that the particulate matter absorbs far into the visible range up to more than 500 nm. Ultrahigh resolved mass spectroscopy (ICR-FT/MS determined O/C-ratios between 0.3 and 1 and observed m/z ratios between 200 and 450 to be most abundant. Temperature-programmed-pyrolysis mass spectroscopy (TPP-MS identified carboxylic acids and lactones/esters as major functional groups. Particle sizing using a condensation-nucleus-counter and differential-mobility-particle-sizer (CNC/DMPS monitored the formation of small particles during the SOA formation process. Particle imaging, using field-emission-gun scanning electron microscopy (FEG-SEM, showed spherical particles, forming clusters and chains. We conclude that catechol and guaiacol are appropriate precursors for studies of the processing of aromatic SOA with atmospheric HULIS properties on the laboratory scale.

  5. Model for screening-level assessment of near-field human exposure to neutral organic chemicals released indoors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Xianming; Arnot, Jon A; Wania, Frank

    2014-10-21

    Screening organic chemicals for hazard and risk to human health requires near-field human exposure models that can be readily parametrized with available data. The integration of a model of human exposure, uptake, and bioaccumulation into an indoor mass balance model provides a quantitative framework linking emissions in indoor environments with human intake rates (iRs), intake fractions (iFs) and steady-state concentrations in humans (C) through consideration of dermal permeation, inhalation, and nondietary ingestion exposure pathways. Parameterized based on representative indoor and adult human characteristics, the model is applied here to 40 chemicals of relevance in the context of human exposure assessment. Intake fractions and human concentrations (C(U)) calculated with the model based on a unit emission rate to air for these 40 chemicals span 2 and 5 orders of magnitude, respectively. Differences in priority ranking based on either iF or C(U) can be attributed to the absorption, biotransformation and elimination processes within the human body. The model is further applied to a large data set of hypothetical chemicals representative of many in-use chemicals to show how the dominant exposure pathways, iF and C(U) change as a function of chemical properties and to illustrate the capacity of the model for high-throughput screening. These simulations provide hypotheses for the combination of chemical properties that may result in high exposure and internal dose. The model is further exploited to highlight the role human contaminant uptake plays in the overall fate of certain chemicals indoors and consequently human exposure.

  6. Recycling-oriented characterization of plastic frames and printed circuit boards from mobile phones by electronic and chemical imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Palmieri, Roberta; Bonifazi, Giuseppe; Serranti, Silvia

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • A recycling oriented characterization of end-of-life mobile phones was carried out. • Characterization was developed in a zero-waste-perspective, aiming to recover all the mobile phone materials. • Plastic frames and printed circuit boards were analyzed by electronic and chemical imaging. • Suitable milling/classification strategies were set up to define specialized-pre-concentrated-streams. • The proposed approach can improve the recovery of polymers, base/precious metals, rare earths and critical raw materials. - Abstract: This study characterizes the composition of plastic frames and printed circuit boards from end-of-life mobile phones. This knowledge may help define an optimal processing strategy for using these items as potential raw materials. Correct handling of such a waste is essential for its further “sustainable” recovery, especially to maximize the extraction of base, rare and precious metals, minimizing the environmental impact of the entire process chain. A combination of electronic and chemical imaging techniques was thus examined, applied and critically evaluated in order to optimize the processing, through the identification and the topological assessment of the materials of interest and their quantitative distribution. To reach this goal, end-of-life mobile phone derived wastes have been systematically characterized adopting both “traditional” (e.g. scanning electronic microscopy combined with microanalysis and Raman spectroscopy) and innovative (e.g. hyperspectral imaging in short wave infrared field) techniques, with reference to frames and printed circuit boards. Results showed as the combination of both the approaches (i.e. traditional and classical) could dramatically improve recycling strategies set up, as well as final products recovery

  7. Recycling-oriented characterization of plastic frames and printed circuit boards from mobile phones by electronic and chemical imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Palmieri, Roberta; Bonifazi, Giuseppe; Serranti, Silvia, E-mail: silvia.serranti@uniroma1.it

    2014-11-15

    Highlights: • A recycling oriented characterization of end-of-life mobile phones was carried out. • Characterization was developed in a zero-waste-perspective, aiming to recover all the mobile phone materials. • Plastic frames and printed circuit boards were analyzed by electronic and chemical imaging. • Suitable milling/classification strategies were set up to define specialized-pre-concentrated-streams. • The proposed approach can improve the recovery of polymers, base/precious metals, rare earths and critical raw materials. - Abstract: This study characterizes the composition of plastic frames and printed circuit boards from end-of-life mobile phones. This knowledge may help define an optimal processing strategy for using these items as potential raw materials. Correct handling of such a waste is essential for its further “sustainable” recovery, especially to maximize the extraction of base, rare and precious metals, minimizing the environmental impact of the entire process chain. A combination of electronic and chemical imaging techniques was thus examined, applied and critically evaluated in order to optimize the processing, through the identification and the topological assessment of the materials of interest and their quantitative distribution. To reach this goal, end-of-life mobile phone derived wastes have been systematically characterized adopting both “traditional” (e.g. scanning electronic microscopy combined with microanalysis and Raman spectroscopy) and innovative (e.g. hyperspectral imaging in short wave infrared field) techniques, with reference to frames and printed circuit boards. Results showed as the combination of both the approaches (i.e. traditional and classical) could dramatically improve recycling strategies set up, as well as final products recovery.

  8. On the Chemical Characterization of Organic Matter in Rain at Mexico City.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montero-Martinez, G.; Andraca-Ayala, G. L.; Hernández-Nagay, D. P.; Mendoza-Trejo, A.; Rivera-Arellano, J.; Rosado-Abon, A.; Roy, P. D.

    2016-12-01

    The chemical composition of the aerosol plays a central role in atmospheric processes and has influence on the hydrological cycle. Clouds form through the nucleation of water vapor on certain atmospheric aerosol particles, called cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). Also, precipitating particles scavenge some other aerosol particles on their way to the surface. Atmospheric particles are a mixture of organic and inorganic materials, both soluble and insoluble in water. Aerosol chemical characterization indicates a larger variety of compounds in urban areas respect to other regions. Thus, chemical composition of rainwater may represent an important aspect for estimating atmospheric air pollution. It has been recognized that organic species present in aerosol particles are important in the formation of cloud droplets. Therefore, the information about the organic compounds in precipitation samples may be helpful to understand their effects on the formation of clouds and rain, as well as their sources. Organic acids are ubiquitous components of aerosols and have been identified in precipitation water. In this work, preliminary results of the content of soluble organic (neutral and acidic) matter in rainwater samples collected in Mexico City during 2015 will be presented. The organic compounds content was performed by using an ionic chromatographic methodology with gradient elution; so the total amount was evaluated as the sum of four fractions: neutral/basic, mono-, bi-, and poly-acid compounds. The outcomes suggest that most of the amount of organic substances soluble in water is contained by the neutral/basic and mono-acid fractions. Regarding the total amount of water soluble organic compounds, the rain samples collected in Mexico City are in agreement with some others reported for large urban areas.

  9. Chemical modeling of a high-density inductively-coupled plasma reactor containing silane

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kovalgin, Alexeij Y.; Boogaard, A.; Brunets, I.; Holleman, J.; Schmitz, Jurriaan

    We carried out the modeling of chemical reactions in a silane-containing remote Inductively Coupled Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (ICPECVD) system, intended for deposition of silicon, silicon oxide, and silicon nitride layers. The required electron densities and Electron Energy

  10. General extrapolation model for an important chemical dose-rate effect

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gillen, K.T.; Clough, R.L.

    1984-12-01

    In order to extrapolate material accelerated aging data, methodologies must be developed based on sufficient understanding of the processes leading to material degradation. One of the most important mechanisms leading to chemical dose-rate effects in polymers involves the breakdown of intermediate hydroperoxide species. A general model for this mechanism is derived based on the underlying chemical steps. The results lead to a general formalism for understanding dose rate and sequential aging effects when hydroperoxide breakdown is important. We apply the model to combined radiation/temperature aging data for a PVC material and show that this data is consistent with the model and that model extrapolations are in excellent agreement with 12-year real-time aging results from an actual nuclear plant. This model and other techniques discussed in this report can aid in the selection of appropriate accelerated aging methods and can also be used to compare and select materials for use in safety-related components. This will result in increased assurance that equipment qualification procedures are adequate

  11. Toward Automated Inventory Modeling in Life Cycle Assessment: The Utility of Semantic Data Modeling to Predict Real-WorldChemical Production

    Science.gov (United States)

    A set of coupled semantic data models, i.e., ontologies, are presented to advance a methodology towards automated inventory modeling of chemical manufacturing in life cycle assessment. The cradle-to-gate life cycle inventory for chemical manufacturing is a detailed collection of ...

  12. CONSISTENT USE OF THE KALMAN FILTER IN CHEMICAL TRANSPORT MODELS (CTMS) FOR DEDUCING EMISSIONS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Past research has shown that emissions can be deduced using observed concentrations of a chemical, a Chemical Transport Model (CTM), and the Kalman filter in an inverse modeling application. An expression was derived for the relationship between the "observable" (i.e., the con...

  13. Modeling of the chemical stage in water radiolysis using Petri nets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barilla, J; Simr, P; Lokajíček, M; Pisaková, H

    2014-01-01

    The biological effect of ionizing radiation is mediated practically always by the clusters of radicals formed by densely ionizing track ends of primary or secondary particles. In the case of low-LET radiation the direct effect may be practically neglected and the radical clusters meet a DNA molecule always some time after their formation. The corresponding damage effect (formation of DSB) depends then on the evolution running in individual clusters, being influenced by present chemical agents. Two main parallel processes influence then final effect: diffusion of corresponding radical clusters (lowering radical concentrations) and chemical reactions of all chemical substances present in the clusters. The processes running in the corresponding radical clusters will be modeled with the help of continuous Petri net, which enables us to study the concurrent influence of both the processes: lowering concentration of radicals due diffusion and due chemical reactions. The given model may be helpful especially when the effect of radicals on DSB formation (DNA damage) at the presence of different substances influencing radiobiological effect is to be studied

  14. Ampelographic and chemical characterization of Reggio Emilia and Modena (northern Italy) grapes for two traditional seasonings: 'saba' and 'agresto'.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simone, Giuseppe Vasile; Montevecchi, Giuseppe; Masino, Francesca; Matrella, Valentina; Imazio, Serena Anna; Antonelli, Andrea; Bignami, Cristina

    2013-11-01

    'Saba' and 'agresto' are traditional Italian products both based on unfermented grape juices that are concentrated by heating. The former is obtained from ripe grapes and the latter from unripe grapes. In this work, we have characterized the main red-skinned (Ancellotta, Fortana, Lambrusco di Sorbara, Lambrusco grasparossa, Lambrusco salamino and Uva Tosca) and white-skinned (Lugliatica, Spergola, Trebbiano di Spagna and Trebbiano modenese) cultivars used for 'saba' and 'agresto' production, focusing on the variability expressed by ampelographic traits, physical and chemical parameters and anthocyanin profile. The cultivars examined were effectively discriminated on the basis of their different composition profile by analysis of variance and principal component analysis. In particular, a peculiar anthocyanin profile was traced by absolute and relative values for each cultivar. The identification of the main anthocyanins of some local cultivars, their chemical characterization and their ampelographic description were one of the main achievements of this work. The use of red grapes to obtain 'saba' seems more rational for the presence of higher amounts of antioxidant substances. Ancellotta showed several factors interesting for 'saba' production, such as the very high anthocyanin content, including anthocyanin antioxidants. A more detailed investigation on 'agresto' technology is required. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry.

  15. A MODELING AND SIMULATION LANGUAGE FOR BIOLOGICAL CELLS WITH COUPLED MECHANICAL AND CHEMICAL PROCESSES.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Somogyi, Endre; Glazier, James A

    2017-04-01

    Biological cells are the prototypical example of active matter. Cells sense and respond to mechanical, chemical and electrical environmental stimuli with a range of behaviors, including dynamic changes in morphology and mechanical properties, chemical uptake and secretion, cell differentiation, proliferation, death, and migration. Modeling and simulation of such dynamic phenomena poses a number of computational challenges. A modeling language describing cellular dynamics must naturally represent complex intra and extra-cellular spatial structures and coupled mechanical, chemical and electrical processes. Domain experts will find a modeling language most useful when it is based on concepts, terms and principles native to the problem domain. A compiler must then be able to generate an executable model from this physically motivated description. Finally, an executable model must efficiently calculate the time evolution of such dynamic and inhomogeneous phenomena. We present a spatial hybrid systems modeling language, compiler and mesh-free Lagrangian based simulation engine which will enable domain experts to define models using natural, biologically motivated constructs and to simulate time evolution of coupled cellular, mechanical and chemical processes acting on a time varying number of cells and their environment.

  16. Sensory, chemical and morphological characterization of Cucurbita maxima and Cucurbita moschata genotypes from different geographical origins

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pevicharova Galina

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Cucurbita spp. is one of the most important vegetable crops in the world. They are characterized by great polymorphism according plants and fruits traits. The fruits are consumed in different ways as boiled, baked, dried or processed in puree and juice. The aim of the study was to assess variation of fruit sensory, chemical and morphological characteristics of Cucurbita genotypes in order to find appropriate parental components for the future high quality breeding programme. During 2-year period nine winter squash (Cucurbita maxima Duch. and three pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata Duch. genotypes originating from different geographical regions were tested on their morphological characters, basic chemical components and sensory profile. Cluster analysis and Principle component analysis were applied in order to identify similarities of different genotypes. According to the fruit characteristics and plant habitus significant differences were recorded. Considerable variation in the content of dry matter, ascorbic acid, total sugars, total pigments, beta-carotene and sensory assessment of the boiled fruits was established. Accession Moskatna carotina had the best flavour and chemical composition. The studied Cucurbita genotypes are a good basis for performing a breeding program to improve the sensory quality of fruits and increase basic chemical components especially those with antioxidant effect.

  17. A Coupled Chemical and Mass Transport Model for Concrete Durability

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Mads Mønster; Johannesson, Björn; Geiker, Mette Rica

    2012-01-01

    In this paper a general continuum theory is used to evaluate the service life of cement based materials, in terms of mass transport processes and chemical degradation of the solid matrix. The model established is a reactive mass transport model, based on an extended version of the Poisson-Nernst-...

  18. High-throughput LC-MS method for the rapid characterization of multiple chemical constituents and metabolites of Da-Bu-Yin-Wan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xianna; Sun, Hui; Zhang, Aihua; Liu, Zhidong; Zou, Di; Song, Yanhua; Liu, Liang; Wang, Xijun

    2017-11-01

    Traditional Chinese medicine is the clinical experience accumulated by Chinese people against diseases. Da-Bu-Yin-Wan is a famous traditional Chinese medicine formula consisting of Phellodendri amurensis Rupr., Anemarrhenae asphodeloides Bge., Radix Rehmanniae Preparata and Chinemys reevesii. In this study, ultra high performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight high-definition mass spectrometry with the control software of Masslynx (V4.1) was established for comprehensive screening and identification of the chemical constituents and serum metabolites of Da-Bu-Yin-Wan in vivo and in vitro. Consequently, 70 peaks in the methanol extract from Da-Bu-Yin-Wan and 38 peaks absorbed into rat blood were characterized. The 70 constituents in vitro included alkaloids, flavonoids, polysaccharide, limonoids, flavonoid, etc. And the 38 constituents consist of 22 absorbed prototypes and 16 metabolites of Da-Bu-Yin-Wan absorbed in vivo. We fully clarified the chemical constituents of Da-Bu-Yin-Wan and provided a scientific strategy for the screening and characterization of the chemical constituents and metabolites of traditional Chinese medicine in vitro and in vivo. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  19. The ground water chemical characteristics of Beishan area-the China's potential high level radioactive waste repository

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang Tianxiao; Guo Yonghai

    2004-01-01

    The ground water chemical characteristics have impact on nuclide migration in high level waste repository, so the study on the ground water chemical characteristics is an important aspect in site screening and characterization. The geochemical modeling of the reaction trend between ground water and solid phase, the water-rock interaction modeling of the formation and evolution of ground water chemistry, the modeling of the reaction between ground water and nuclear waste are all carried out in this paper to study the ground water chemical characteristics in Beishan area. The study illustrates that the ground water chemical characteristics in Beishan area is favorable to the disposal of high level nuclear waste and to prevent the nuclides migration. (author)

  20. Vadose zone characterization of highly radioactive contaminated soil at the Hanford Site

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Buckmaster, M.A.

    1993-05-01

    The Hanford Site in south-central Washington State contains over 1500 identified waste sites and numerous groundwater plumes that will be characterized and remediated over the next 30 years. As a result of the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order, the US Department of Energy has initiated a remedial investigation/feasibility study at the 200-BP-1 operable unit. The 200-BP-1 remedial investigation is the first Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 investigation on the Hanford Site that involves drilling into highly radioactive and chemically contaminated soils. The initial phase of site characterization was designed to assess the nature and extent of contamination associated with the source waste site within the 200-BP-1 operable unit. Characterization activities consisted of drilling and sampling the waste site, chemical and physical analysis of samples, and development of a conceptual vadose zone model. Predicted modeling concentrations compared favorably to analytical data collected during the initial characterization activities

  1. Enhanced Geothermal Systems Research and Development: Models of Subsurface Chemical Processes Affecting Fluid Flow

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moller, Nancy; Weare J. H.

    2008-05-29

    Successful exploitation of the vast amount of heat stored beneath the earth’s surface in hydrothermal and fluid-limited, low permeability geothermal resources would greatly expand the Nation’s domestic energy inventory and thereby promote a more secure energy supply, a stronger economy and a cleaner environment. However, a major factor limiting the expanded development of current hydrothermal resources as well as the production of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) is insufficient knowledge about the chemical processes controlling subsurface fluid flow. With funding from past grants from the DOE geothermal program and other agencies, we successfully developed advanced equation of state (EOS) and simulation technologies that accurately describe the chemistry of geothermal reservoirs and energy production processes via their free energies for wide XTP ranges. Using the specific interaction equations of Pitzer, we showed that our TEQUIL chemical models can correctly simulate behavior (e.g., mineral scaling and saturation ratios, gas break out, brine mixing effects, down hole temperatures and fluid chemical composition, spent brine incompatibilities) within the compositional range (Na-K-Ca-Cl-SO4-CO3-H2O-SiO2-CO2(g)) and temperature range (T < 350°C) associated with many current geothermal energy production sites that produce brines with temperatures below the critical point of water. The goal of research carried out under DOE grant DE-FG36-04GO14300 (10/1/2004-12/31/2007) was to expand the compositional range of our Pitzer-based TEQUIL fluid/rock interaction models to include the important aluminum and silica interactions (T < 350°C). Aluminum is the third most abundant element in the earth’s crust; and, as a constituent of aluminosilicate minerals, it is found in two thirds of the minerals in the earth’s crust. The ability to accurately characterize effects of temperature, fluid mixing and interactions between major rock-forming minerals and hydrothermal and

  2. Room temperature synthesis and characterization of CdO nanowires by chemical bath deposition (CBD) method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dhawale, D.S.; More, A.M.; Latthe, S.S.; Rajpure, K.Y.; Lokhande, C.D.

    2008-01-01

    A chemical synthesis process for the fabrication of CdO nanowires is described. In the present work, transparent and conductive CdO films were synthesized on the glass substrate using chemical bath deposition (CBD) at room temperature. These films were annealed in air at 623 K and characterized for the structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties were studied by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), optical and electrical resistivity. The XRD analysis showed that the as-deposited amorphous can be converted in to polycrystalline after annealing. Annealed CdO nanowires are 60-65 nm in diameter and length ranges typically from 2.5 to 3 μm. The optical properties revealed the presence of direct and indirect band gaps with energies 2.42 and 2.04 eV, respectively. Electrical resistivity measurement showed semiconducting behavior and thermoemf measurement showed n-type electrical conductivity

  3. Chemical characterization earthenware on the Alta California Frontier

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Skowronek, Russell K.; Ginn, Sarah; Blackman, M.; Bishop, Ronald L.; Garcia Herans, M.

    2001-01-01

    Throughout what was Alta California archaeological have found in Spanish and Mexican Period missions, presides, pueblos, and ranchos fragments of hand-modeled and wheel-thrown, unglazed, low fired earthenware's. the extraordinary visual similarities between earthenware's found hundreds of miles apart has been explained by some as the most of the ceramics were produced and used locally. The research presented in this paper is based on the use of neutron activation analysis to compositionally characterize the paste of a sample of these earthenware's. Samples from the missions sites of Dolores, Santa Clara, San Jose, Santa Cruz, San Antonio and San Juan Capistrano and the presiders of san Francisco, Monterey, and San Diego have been analyzed

  4. Influence of ionization on the Gupta and on the Park chemical models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morsa, Luigi; Zuppardi, Gennaro

    2014-12-01

    This study is an extension of former works by the present authors, in which the influence of the chemical models by Gupta and by Park was evaluated on thermo-fluid-dynamic parameters in the flow field, including transport coefficients, related characteristic numbers and heat flux on two current capsules (EXPERT and Orion) during the high altitude re-entry path. The results verified that the models, even computing different air compositions in the flow field, compute only slight different compositions on the capsule surface, therefore the difference in the heat flux is not very relevant. In the above mentioned studies, ionization was neglected because the velocities of the capsules (about 5000 m/s for EXPERT and about 7600 m/s for Orion) were not high enough to activate meaningful ionization. The aim of the present work is to evaluate the incidence of ionization, linked to the chemical models by Gupta and by Park, on both heat flux and thermo fluid-dynamic parameters. The present computer tests were carried out by a direct simulation Monte Carlo code (DS2V) in the velocity interval 7600-12000 m/s, considering only the Orion capsule at an altitude of 85 km. The results verified what already found namely when ionization is not considered, the chemical models compute only a slight different gas composition in the core of the shock wave and practically the same composition on the surface therefore the same heat flux. On the opposite, the results verified that when ionization is considered, the chemical models compute different compositions in the whole shock layer and on the surface therefore different heat flux. The analysis of the results relies on a qualitative and a quantitative evaluation of the effects of ionization on both chemical models. The main result of the study is that when ionization is taken into account, the Park model is more reactive than the Gupta model; consequently, the heat flux computed by Park is lower than the one computed by Gupta; using the

  5. Journal of NIRE, Vol. 5, No. 1, January 1996. Special issue: Behavior in the environment and countermeasure technology of hazardous chemicals

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1996-01-01

    Contents: Technique for Management of Hazardous Chemical Substances --Risk Assessment; Behaviors of Chemicals in the Aquatic Environment; Numerical Model of Chemical Fate in an Environment; Source Characterization and Chemical Processes of Volatile Organic Compounds in the Atmosphere; Development of Sensor for Hazardous Substances; Removal of Chemical Substances from the Atmosphere by Photocatalysis; Microbial Degradation of Organic Xenobiotics in Environment.

  6. Current Chemical Risk Management Activities

    Science.gov (United States)

    EPA's existing chemicals programs address pollution prevention, risk assessment, hazard and exposure assessment and/or characterization, and risk management for chemicals substances in commercial use.

  7. Analytical model of chemical phase and formation of DSB in chromosomes by ionizing radiation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barilla, Jiří; Lokajíček, Miloš; Pisaková, Hana; Simr, Pavel

    2013-03-01

    Mathematical analytical model of the processes running in individual radical clusters during the chemical phase (under the presence of radiomodifiers) proposed by us earlier has been further developed and improved. It has been applied to the data presented by Blok and Loman characterizing the oxygen effect in SSB and DSB formation (in water solution and at low-LET radiation) also in the region of very small oxygen concentrations, which cannot be studied with the help of experiments done with living cells. In this new analysis the values of all reaction rates and diffusion parameters known from literature have been made use of. The great increase of SSB and DSB at zero oxygen concentration may follow from the fact that at small oxygen concentrations the oxygen absorbs other radicals while at higher concentrations the formation of oxygen radicals prevails. It explains the double oxygen effect found already earlier by Ewing. The model may be easily extended to include also the effects of other radiomodifiers present in medium during irradiation.

  8. Analytical model of chemical phase and formation of DSB in chromosomes by ionizing radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barilla, Jiři; Simr, Pavel; Lokajíček, Miloš; Pisaková, Hana

    2013-01-01

    Mathematical analytical model of the processes running in individual radical clusters during the chemical phase (under the presence of radiomodifiers) proposed by us earlier has been further developed and improved. It has been applied to the data presented by Blok and Loman characterizing the oxygen effect in SSB and DSB formation (in water solution and at low-LET radiation) also in the region of very small oxygen concentrations, which cannot be studied with the help of experiments done with living cells. In this new analysis the values of all reaction rates and diffusion parameters known from literature have been made use of. The great increase of SSB and DSB at zero oxygen concentration may follow from the fact that at small oxygen concentrations the oxygen absorbs other radicals while at higher concentrations the formation of oxygen radicals prevails. It explains the double oxygen effect found already earlier by Ewing. The model may be easily extended to include also the effects of other radiomodifiers present in medium during irradiation.

  9. Chemical bath deposition of indium sulphide thin films: preparation and characterization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lokhande, C.D.; Ennaoui, A.; Patil, P.S.; Giersig, M.; Diesner, K.; Muller, M.; Tributsch, H. [Hahn-Meitner-Institut Berlin GmbH (Germany). Bereich Physikalische Chemie

    1999-02-26

    Indium sulphide (In{sub 2}S{sub 3}) thin films have been successfully deposited on different substrates under varying deposition conditions using chemical bath deposition technique. The deposition mechanism of In{sub 2}S{sub 3} thin films from thioacetamide deposition bath has been proposed. Films have been characterized with respect to their crystalline structure, composition, optical and electrical properties by means of X-ray diffraction, TEM, EDAX, optical absorption, TRMC (time resolved microwave conductivity) and RBS. Films on glass substrates were amorphous and on FTO (flourine doped tin oxide coated) glass substrates were polycrystalline (element of phase). The optical band gap of In{sub 2}S{sub 3} thin film was estimated to be 2.75 eV. The as-deposited films were photoactive as evidenced by TRMC studies. The presence of oxygen in the film was detected by RBS analysis. (orig.) 27 refs.

  10. Mathematical model of phase transformations in thermo-chemical cathodes with zirconium insertion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kavokin, A.A.; Kazmi, I.H.

    2007-01-01

    The mathematical model of thermo-chemical processes in the cathode of plasmatron working in the gas environment is investigated. The model describes electromagnetic, temperature and concentration fields taking into account kinetic of phase transformation and chemical reaction in accordance with a state diagram. The offered approach is simpler than the Stefan's approach of describing an analogical phase transformation. As an example the case of copper cathodes with the zirconium insertion in the environment of oxygen is considered. The influence of separate parts of process on distribution of temperature inside of the insertion is estimated. On the basis of this analysis the opportunity of use of stationary approach for electric and temperature fields is shown and analytical formulas for temperature are received. After that a numerical solution for gas concentration distribution is obtained. The calculations on the specified model show that the size of area of a phase zirconium oxides depends mainly upon coefficient of diffusion of oxygen. The calculations for various types of dependencies of gas diffusion coefficient from temperature are concluded. The results of calculations develop understanding of some features of oxidation process of a zirconium insertion. Typical example of multi phase process model is the mathematical description of a heat and mass transfer occurring in metal which is being heated by an electric arch in the gas medium (1, 2, 4). The macroscopic model of physical and chemical transformations can be described as follows (3). As a metal is heated on the surface of an electrode as a function of rising results in the border dividing solid and liquid phases moves ahead deep into the electrode. At the same time there is a diffusion of gas in electrode and formation of new chemical compounds which can noticeably differ in the physical and chemical properties from each other and metal of the electrode. Moreover we shall name a phase of substance not

  11. Analytical Methods for Chemical and Sensory Characterization of Scent-Markings in Large Wild Mammals: A Review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Simone B. Soso

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available In conjoining the disciplines of “ethology” and “chemistry” the field of “Ethochemistry” has been instituted. Ethochemistry is an effective tool in conservation efforts of endangered species and the understanding of behavioral patterns across all species. Chemical constituents of scent-markings have an important, yet poorly understood function in territoriality, reproduction, dominance, and impact on evolutionary biology, especially in large mammals. Particular attention has recently been focused on scent-marking analysis of great cats (Kalahari leopards (Panthera pardus, puma (Puma concolor snow leopard (Panthera uncia, African lions (Panthera leo, cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus, and tigers (Panthera tigris for the purpose of conservation. Sensory analyses of scent-markings could address knowledge gaps in ethochemistry. The objective of this review is to summarize the current state-of-the art of both the chemical and sensory analyses of scent-markings in wild mammals. Specific focus is placed on sampling and sample preparation, chemical analysis, sensory analysis, and simultaneous chemical and sensory analyses. Constituents of exocrine and endocrine secretions have been most commonly studied with chromatography-based analytical separations. Odor analysis of scent-markings provides an insight into the animal’s sensory perception. A limited number of articles have been published in the area of sensory characterization of scent marks. Simultaneous chemical and sensory analyses with chromatography-olfactometry hyphenation could potentially aid conservation efforts by linking perceived odor, compounds responsible for odor, and resulting behavior.

  12. Annual Report 1998: Chemical Structure and Dynamics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    SD Colson; RS McDowell

    1999-05-10

    The Chemical Structure and Dynamics (CS&D) program is a major component of the William R. Wiley Environmental Molecular Sciences Labo- ratory (EMSL), developed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to provide a state-of- the-art collaborative facility for studies of chemical structure and dynamics. We respond to the need for a fundamental, molecular-level understanding of chemistry at a wide variety of environmentally important interfaces by (1) extending the experimental characterization and theoretical description of chemical reactions to encompass the effects of condensed media and interfaces; (2) developing a multidisciplinary capability for describing interracial chemical processes within which the new knowledge generated can be brought to bear on complex phenomena in envi- ronmental chemistry and in nuclear waste proc- essing and storage; and (3) developing state-of- the-art analytical methods for characterizing com- plex materials of the types found in stored wastes and contaminated soils, and for detecting and monitoring trace atmospheric species. Our program aims at achieving a quantitative understanding of chemical reactions at interfaces and, more generally, in condensed media, compa- rable to that currently available for gas-phase reactions. This understanding will form the basis for the development of a priori theories for pre- dicting macroscopic chemical behavior in con- densed and heterogeneous media, which will add significantly to the value of field-scale envi- ronmental models, predictions of short- and long- term nuclear waste storage stabilities, and other areas related to the primary missions of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

  13. Isolation, characterization, spectroscopic properties and quantum chemical computations of an important phytoalexin resveratrol as antioxidant component from Vitis labrusca L. and their chemical compositions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Güder, Aytaç; Korkmaz, Halil; Gökce, Halil; Alpaslan, Yelda Bingöl; Alpaslan, Gökhan

    2014-12-01

    In this study, isolation and characterization of trans-resveratrol (RES) as an antioxidant compound were carried out from VLE, VLG and VLS. Furthermore, antioxidant activities were evaluated by using six different methods. Finally, total phenolic, flavonoid, ascorbic acid, anthocyanin, lycopene, β-carotene and vitamin E contents were carried out. In addition, the FT-IR, 13C and 1H NMR chemical shifts and UV-vis. spectra of trans-resveratrol were experimentally recorded. Quantum chemical computations such as the molecular geometry, vibrational frequencies, UV-vis. spectroscopic parameters, HOMOs-LUMOs energies, molecular electrostatic potential (MEP), natural bond orbitals (NBO) and nonlinear optics (NLO) properties of title molecule have been calculated by using DFT/B3PW91 method with 6-311++G(d,p) basis set in ground state for the first time. The obtained results show that the calculated spectroscopic data are in a good agreement with experimental data.

  14. Physico-chemical characterization of nano-emulsions in cosmetic matrix enriched on omega-3.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kabri, Tin-Hinan; Arab-Tehrany, Elmira; Belhaj, Nabila; Linder, Michel

    2011-09-21

    Nano-emulsions, as non-equilibrium systems, present characteristics and properties which depend not only on composition but also on their method of preparation. To obtain better penetration, nanocosmeceuticals use nano-sized systems for the delivery of active ingredients to targeted cells. In this work, nano-emulsions composed of miglyol, rapeseed oil and salmon oil were developed as a cosmetic matrix. Measurements of different physico-chemical properties of nano-emulsions were taken according to size, electrophoretic mobility, conductivity, viscosity, turbidity, cristallization and melting point. The RHLB was calculated for each formulation in order to achieve maximum stability. Both tween 80 and soya lecithin were found to stabilize formulations. The results showed that rapeseed oil and miglyol are the predominant parameters for determining the expression of results concerning the characterization of emulsion. Based on the mixture design, we achieved the optimal point using the following formulation: 56.5% rapessed oil, 35.5% miglyol, and 8% salmon oil. We considered this formulation to be the best as a nanocosmeceutical product due to the small size, good turbidity, and average HLB. This study demonstrates the influence of formulation on the physico-chemical properties of each nano-emulsion obtained by the mixture design.

  15. A Coupled Chemical and Mass Transport Model for Concrete Durability

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Mads Mønster; Johannesson, Björn; Geiker, Mette Rica

    2012-01-01

    -Raphson iteration scheme arising from the non-linearity. The overall model is a transient problem, solved using a single parameter formulation. The sorption hysteresis and chemical equilibrium is included as source or sink terms. The advantages with this formulation is that each node in the discrete system has...... their individual sorption hysteresis isotherm which is of great importance when describing non fully water saturated system e.g. caused by time depended boundary conditions. Chemical equilibrium is also established in each node of the discrete system, where the rate of chemical degradation is determined.......g. charge balance, from the mass transport calculation could cause the above mentioned numerical problems. Two different test cases are studied, the sorption hysteresis in different depth of the sample, caused by time depended boundary condition and the chemical degradation of the solid matrix in a ten year...

  16. Developing Computer Model-Based Assessment of Chemical Reasoning: A Feasibility Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Xiufeng; Waight, Noemi; Gregorius, Roberto; Smith, Erica; Park, Mihwa

    2012-01-01

    This paper reports a feasibility study on developing computer model-based assessments of chemical reasoning at the high school level. Computer models are flash and NetLogo environments to make simultaneously available three domains in chemistry: macroscopic, submicroscopic, and symbolic. Students interact with computer models to answer assessment…

  17. Representations of Chemical Bonding Models in School Textbooks--Help or Hindrance for Understanding?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bergqvist, Anna; Drechsler, Michal; De Jong, Onno; Rundgren, Shu-Nu Chang

    2013-01-01

    Models play an important and central role in science as well as in science education. Chemical bonding is one of the most important topics in upper secondary school chemistry, and this topic is dominated by the use of models. In the past decade, research has shown that chemical bonding is a topic that students find difficult, and therefore, a wide…

  18. PVT characterization and viscosity modeling and prediction of crude oils

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cisneros, Eduardo Salvador P.; Dalberg, Anders; Stenby, Erling Halfdan

    2004-01-01

    In previous works, the general, one-parameter friction theory (f-theory), models have been applied to the accurate viscosity modeling of reservoir fluids. As a base, the f-theory approach requires a compositional characterization procedure for the application of an equation of state (EOS), in most...... pressure, is also presented. The combination of the mass characterization scheme presented in this work and the f-theory, can also deliver accurate viscosity modeling results. Additionally, depending on how extensive the compositional characterization is, the approach,presented in this work may also...... deliver accurate viscosity predictions. The modeling approach presented in this work can deliver accurate viscosity and density modeling and prediction results over wide ranges of reservoir conditions, including the compositional changes induced by recovery processes such as gas injection....

  19. Chemical kinetic modeling of H{sub 2} applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Marinov, N.M.; Westbrook, C.K.; Cloutman, L.D. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)] [and others

    1995-09-01

    Work being carried out at LLNL has concentrated on studies of the role of chemical kinetics in a variety of problems related to hydrogen combustion in practical combustion systems, with an emphasis on vehicle propulsion. Use of hydrogen offers significant advantages over fossil fuels, and computer modeling provides advantages when used in concert with experimental studies. Many numerical {open_quotes}experiments{close_quotes} can be carried out quickly and efficiently, reducing the cost and time of system development, and many new and speculative concepts can be screened to identify those with sufficient promise to pursue experimentally. This project uses chemical kinetic and fluid dynamic computational modeling to examine the combustion characteristics of systems burning hydrogen, either as the only fuel or mixed with natural gas. Oxidation kinetics are combined with pollutant formation kinetics, including formation of oxides of nitrogen but also including air toxics in natural gas combustion. We have refined many of the elementary kinetic reaction steps in the detailed reaction mechanism for hydrogen oxidation. To extend the model to pressures characteristic of internal combustion engines, it was necessary to apply theoretical pressure falloff formalisms for several key steps in the reaction mechanism. We have continued development of simplified reaction mechanisms for hydrogen oxidation, we have implemented those mechanisms into multidimensional computational fluid dynamics models, and we have used models of chemistry and fluid dynamics to address selected application problems. At the present time, we are using computed high pressure flame, and auto-ignition data to further refine the simplified kinetics models that are then to be used in multidimensional fluid mechanics models. Detailed kinetics studies have investigated hydrogen flames and ignition of hydrogen behind shock waves, intended to refine the detailed reactions mechanisms.

  20. Cheminformatics Analysis of EPA ToxCast Chemical Libraries ...

    Science.gov (United States)

    An important goal of toxicology research is the development of robust methods that use in vitro and chemical structure information to predict in vivo toxicity endpoints. The US EPA ToxCast program is addressing this goal using ~600 in vitro assays to create bioactivity profiles on a set of 320 compounds, mostly pesticide actives, that have well characterized in vivo toxicity. These 320 compounds (EPA-320 set evaluated in Phase I of ToxCast) are a subset of a much larger set of ~10,000 candidates that are of interest to the EPA (called here EPA-10K). Predictive models of in vivo toxicity are being constructed from the in vitro assay data on the EPA-320 chemical set. These models require validation on additional chemicals prior to wide acceptance, and this will be carried out by evaluating compounds from EPA-10K in Phase II of ToxCast. We have used cheminformatics approaches including clustering, data visualization, and QSAR to develop models for EPA-320 that could help prioritizing EPA-10K validation chemicals. Both chemical descriptors, as well as calculated physicochemical properties have been used. Compounds from EPA-10K are prioritized based on their similarity to EPA-320 using different similarity metrics, with similarity thresholds defining the domain of applicability for the predictive models built for EPA-320 set. In addition, prioritized lists of compounds of increasing dissimilarity from the EPA-320 have been produced, to test the ability of the EPA-320

  1. Combinatorial QSAR modeling of chemical toxicants tested against Tetrahymena pyriformis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Hao; Tropsha, Alexander; Fourches, Denis; Varnek, Alexandre; Papa, Ester; Gramatica, Paola; Oberg, Tomas; Dao, Phuong; Cherkasov, Artem; Tetko, Igor V

    2008-04-01

    Selecting most rigorous quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) approaches is of great importance in the development of robust and predictive models of chemical toxicity. To address this issue in a systematic way, we have formed an international virtual collaboratory consisting of six independent groups with shared interests in computational chemical toxicology. We have compiled an aqueous toxicity data set containing 983 unique compounds tested in the same laboratory over a decade against Tetrahymena pyriformis. A modeling set including 644 compounds was selected randomly from the original set and distributed to all groups that used their own QSAR tools for model development. The remaining 339 compounds in the original set (external set I) as well as 110 additional compounds (external set II) published recently by the same laboratory (after this computational study was already in progress) were used as two independent validation sets to assess the external predictive power of individual models. In total, our virtual collaboratory has developed 15 different types of QSAR models of aquatic toxicity for the training set. The internal prediction accuracy for the modeling set ranged from 0.76 to 0.93 as measured by the leave-one-out cross-validation correlation coefficient ( Q abs2). The prediction accuracy for the external validation sets I and II ranged from 0.71 to 0.85 (linear regression coefficient R absI2) and from 0.38 to 0.83 (linear regression coefficient R absII2), respectively. The use of an applicability domain threshold implemented in most models generally improved the external prediction accuracy but at the same time led to a decrease in chemical space coverage. Finally, several consensus models were developed by averaging the predicted aquatic toxicity for every compound using all 15 models, with or without taking into account their respective applicability domains. We find that consensus models afford higher prediction accuracy for the

  2. A new general methodology for incorporating physico-chemical transformations into multi-phase wastewater treatment process models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lizarralde, I; Fernández-Arévalo, T; Brouckaert, C; Vanrolleghem, P; Ikumi, D S; Ekama, G A; Ayesa, E; Grau, P

    2015-05-01

    This paper introduces a new general methodology for incorporating physico-chemical and chemical transformations into multi-phase wastewater treatment process models in a systematic and rigorous way under a Plant-Wide modelling (PWM) framework. The methodology presented in this paper requires the selection of the relevant biochemical, chemical and physico-chemical transformations taking place and the definition of the mass transport for the co-existing phases. As an example a mathematical model has been constructed to describe a system for biological COD, nitrogen and phosphorus removal, liquid-gas transfer, precipitation processes, and chemical reactions. The capability of the model has been tested by comparing simulated and experimental results for a nutrient removal system with sludge digestion. Finally, a scenario analysis has been undertaken to show the potential of the obtained mathematical model to study phosphorus recovery. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Chemical characterization of microparticles by laser ablation in an ion trap mass spectrometer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dale, J.M.; Whitten, W.B.; Ramsey, J.M.

    1991-01-01

    We are developing a new technique for the chemical characterization of microparticles based upon the use of electrodynamic traps. The electrodynamic trap has achieved widespread use in the mass spectrometry community in the form of the ion trap mass spectrometer or quadrupole ion trap. Small macroscopic particles can be confined or leviated within the electrode structure of a three-dimensional quadrupole electrodynamic trap in the same way as fundamental charges or molecular ions by using a combination of ac and dc potentials. Our concept is to use the same electrode structure to perform both microparticle levitation and ion trapping/mass analysis. The microparticle will first be trapped and spatially stabilized within the trap for characterization by optical probes, i.e., absorption, fluorescence, or Raman spectroscopy. After the particle has been optically characterized, it is further characterized using mass spectrometry. Ions are generated from the particle surface using laser ablation or desorption. The characteristics of the applied voltages are changed to trap the ions formed by the laser with the ions subsequently mass analyzed. The work described in this paper focuses on the ability to perform laser desorption experiments on microparticles contained within the ion trap. Laser desorption has previously been demonstrated in ion trap devices by applying the sample to a probe which is inserted so as to place the sample at the surface of the ring electrode. Our technique requires the placement of a microparticle in the center of the trap. Our initial experiments have been performed on falling microparticles rather than levitated particles to eliminate voltage switching requirements when changing from particle to ion trapping modes

  4. In silico prediction of toxicity of non-congeneric industrial chemicals using ensemble learning based modeling approaches

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Singh, Kunwar P., E-mail: kpsingh_52@yahoo.com; Gupta, Shikha

    2014-03-15

    Ensemble learning approach based decision treeboost (DTB) and decision tree forest (DTF) models are introduced in order to establish quantitative structure–toxicity relationship (QSTR) for the prediction of toxicity of 1450 diverse chemicals. Eight non-quantum mechanical molecular descriptors were derived. Structural diversity of the chemicals was evaluated using Tanimoto similarity index. Stochastic gradient boosting and bagging algorithms supplemented DTB and DTF models were constructed for classification and function optimization problems using the toxicity end-point in T. pyriformis. Special attention was drawn to prediction ability and robustness of the models, investigated both in external and 10-fold cross validation processes. In complete data, optimal DTB and DTF models rendered accuracies of 98.90%, 98.83% in two-category and 98.14%, 98.14% in four-category toxicity classifications. Both the models further yielded classification accuracies of 100% in external toxicity data of T. pyriformis. The constructed regression models (DTB and DTF) using five descriptors yielded correlation coefficients (R{sup 2}) of 0.945, 0.944 between the measured and predicted toxicities with mean squared errors (MSEs) of 0.059, and 0.064 in complete T. pyriformis data. The T. pyriformis regression models (DTB and DTF) applied to the external toxicity data sets yielded R{sup 2} and MSE values of 0.637, 0.655; 0.534, 0.507 (marine bacteria) and 0.741, 0.691; 0.155, 0.173 (algae). The results suggest for wide applicability of the inter-species models in predicting toxicity of new chemicals for regulatory purposes. These approaches provide useful strategy and robust tools in the screening of ecotoxicological risk or environmental hazard potential of chemicals. - Graphical abstract: Importance of input variables in DTB and DTF classification models for (a) two-category, and (b) four-category toxicity intervals in T. pyriformis data. Generalization and predictive abilities of the

  5. In silico prediction of toxicity of non-congeneric industrial chemicals using ensemble learning based modeling approaches

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, Kunwar P.; Gupta, Shikha

    2014-01-01

    Ensemble learning approach based decision treeboost (DTB) and decision tree forest (DTF) models are introduced in order to establish quantitative structure–toxicity relationship (QSTR) for the prediction of toxicity of 1450 diverse chemicals. Eight non-quantum mechanical molecular descriptors were derived. Structural diversity of the chemicals was evaluated using Tanimoto similarity index. Stochastic gradient boosting and bagging algorithms supplemented DTB and DTF models were constructed for classification and function optimization problems using the toxicity end-point in T. pyriformis. Special attention was drawn to prediction ability and robustness of the models, investigated both in external and 10-fold cross validation processes. In complete data, optimal DTB and DTF models rendered accuracies of 98.90%, 98.83% in two-category and 98.14%, 98.14% in four-category toxicity classifications. Both the models further yielded classification accuracies of 100% in external toxicity data of T. pyriformis. The constructed regression models (DTB and DTF) using five descriptors yielded correlation coefficients (R 2 ) of 0.945, 0.944 between the measured and predicted toxicities with mean squared errors (MSEs) of 0.059, and 0.064 in complete T. pyriformis data. The T. pyriformis regression models (DTB and DTF) applied to the external toxicity data sets yielded R 2 and MSE values of 0.637, 0.655; 0.534, 0.507 (marine bacteria) and 0.741, 0.691; 0.155, 0.173 (algae). The results suggest for wide applicability of the inter-species models in predicting toxicity of new chemicals for regulatory purposes. These approaches provide useful strategy and robust tools in the screening of ecotoxicological risk or environmental hazard potential of chemicals. - Graphical abstract: Importance of input variables in DTB and DTF classification models for (a) two-category, and (b) four-category toxicity intervals in T. pyriformis data. Generalization and predictive abilities of the

  6. Experimental and Chemical Kinetic Modeling Study of Dimethylcyclohexane Oxidation and Pyrolysis

    KAUST Repository

    Eldeeb, Mazen A.

    2016-08-30

    A combined experimental and chemical kinetic modeling study of the high-temperature ignition and pyrolysis of 1,3-dimethylcyclohexane (13DMCH) is presented. Ignition delay times are measured behind reflected shock waves over a temperature range of 1049–1544 K and pressures of 3.0–12 atm. Pyrolysis is investigated at average pressures of 4.0 atm at temperatures of 1238, 1302, and 1406 K. By means of mid-infrared direct laser absorption at 3.39 μm, fuel concentration time histories are measured under ignition and pyrolytic conditions. A detailed chemical kinetic model for 13DMCH combustion is developed. Ignition measurements show that the ignition delay times of 13DMCH are longer than those of its isomer, ethylcyclohexane. The proposed chemical kinetic model predicts reasonably well the effects of equivalence ratio and pressure, with overall good agreement between predicted and measured ignition delay times, except at low dilution levels and high pressures. Simulated fuel concentration profiles agree reasonably well with the measured profiles, and both highlight the influence of pyrolysis on the overall ignition kinetics at high temperatures. Sensitivity and reaction pathway analyses provide further insight into the kinetic processes controlling ignition and pyrolysis. The work contributes toward improved understanding and modeling of the oxidation and pyrolysis kinetics of cycloalkanes.

  7. Experimental Characterization and Modeling of PEM Fuel Cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jespersen, Jesper Lebæk

    fundamental knowledge of the transport and electrochemical processes of PEM fuel cells and to provide methods for obtaining high quality data for PEM fuel cell simulation model validation. In this thesis three different areas of experimental characterization techniques was investigated, they include: Stack...... for obtaining very detailed data of the manifold flow. Moreover, the tools complement each other well, as high quality validation data can be obtained from PIV measurements to verify CFD models. AC Impedance Spectroscopy was used to thoroughly characterize a HTPEM single cell. The measurement method...... was furthermore transferred onto a Labview platform, which signiffcantly improves the exibility and lowers the cost of using this method. This technique is expected to bea very important future tool, used both for material characterization, celldiagnostic, system optimization and as a control input parameter...

  8. A detailed chemical kinetic model for pyrolysis of the lignin model compound chroman

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    James Bland

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The pyrolysis of woody biomass, including the lignin component, is emerging as a potential technology for the production of renewable fuels and commodity chemicals. Here we describe the construction and implementation of an elementary chemical kinetic model for pyrolysis of the lignin model compound chroman and its reaction intermediate ortho-quinone methide (o-QM. The model is developed using both experimental and theoretical data, and represents a hybrid approach to kinetic modeling that has the potential to provide molecular level insight into reaction pathways and intermediates while accurately describing reaction rates and product formation. The kinetic model developed here can replicate all known aspects of chroman pyrolysis, and provides new information on elementary reaction steps. Chroman pyrolysis is found to proceed via an initial retro-Diels–Alder reaction to form o-QM + ethene (C2H4, followed by dissociation of o-QM to the C6H6 isomers benzene and fulvene (+ CO. At temperatures of around 1000–1200 K and above fulvene rapidly isomerizes to benzene, where an activation energy of around 270 kJ mol-1 is required to reproduce experimental observations. A new G3SX level energy surface for the isomerization of fulvene to benzene supports this result. Our modeling also suggests that thermal decomposition of fulvene may be important at around 950 K and above. This study demonstrates that theoretical protocols can provide a significant contribution to the development of kinetic models for biomass pyrolysis by elucidating reaction mechanisms, intermediates, and products, and also by supplying realistic rate coefficients and thermochemical properties.

  9. Coupled sulfur isotopic and chemical mass transfer modeling: Approach and application to dynamic hydrothermal processes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Janecky, D.R.

    1988-01-01

    A computational modeling code (EQPSreverse arrowS) has been developed to examine sulfur isotopic distribution pathways coupled with calculations of chemical mass transfer pathways. A post processor approach to EQ6 calculations was chosen so that a variety of isotopic pathways could be examined for each reaction pathway. Two types of major bounding conditions were implemented: (1) equilibrium isotopic exchange between sulfate and sulfide species or exchange only accompanying chemical reduction and oxidation events, and (2) existence or lack of isotopic exchange between solution species and precipitated minerals, parallel to the open and closed chemical system formulations of chemical mass transfer modeling codes. All of the chemical data necessary to explicitly calculate isotopic distribution pathways is generated by most mass transfer modeling codes and can be input to the EQPS code. Routines are built in to directly handle EQ6 tabular files. Chemical reaction models of seafloor hydrothermal vent processes and accompanying sulfur isotopic distribution pathways illustrate the capabilities of coupling EQPSreverse arrowS with EQ6 calculations, including the extent of differences that can exist due to the isotopic bounding condition assumptions described above. 11 refs., 2 figs

  10. State of chemical modeling modules for the degradation of concrete and cements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Meike, A.

    1997-04-15

    This report describes the conceptual framework upon which modeling activities will be needed to predict the chemistry of water in contact with concrete and its degradation products cover a broad area, from developing databases for existing abiotic codes, to developing codes that can simulate the chemical impact of microbial activities at a level of sophistication equivalent to that of the abiotic modeling codes, and ultimately, to simulating drift-scale chemical systems in support of hydrological, geochemical,a nd engineering efforts.

  11. Chemical, physical and isotopic characterization of U3Si2, for nuclear forensics purposes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rosa, Daniele Scarpim

    2011-01-01

    In the early 1990's, the first illicit trafficking of nuclear and radioactive materials was observed mainly in Europe. A decade marked by numerous cases of seizures of these materials. As a result, these events have become the subject of criminal forensic investigations and develop from there, nuclear forensics. In Brazil there are no illicit trafficking official records of nuclear material, however, is widely known the extraction and illegal transportation of radioactive geological materials, and the materials pieces attachment used as shielding for radioactive sources. One of the main tools used in nuclear forensics is the nuclear materials databases establishment. These documents must contain the most information as possible about the physical, chemical and nuclear material seized, allowing the identification of their origin, manufacturing process or age. Thus, it sets characteristic composition standards of each material, called 'chemical signatures' (chemical finger print). In this work nuclear forensic protocol was adopted as well as the three stages of assessment suggested by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in identifying the origin of uranium silicide (U 3 Si 2 ). Assays were performed in order to make physical, chemical and isotopic characterization of the studied materials and compared the data with those obtained for other uranium compounds (Uranium tetrafluoride, UF 4 ; uranium oxide, UO 2 and U 3 O 8 ; Yellow cake) by establishing a characteristic signature for each one. Through the assays the uranium compounds were classify by origin groups, as far as they are from different manufactured process and/ or origin. It was also possible to show the importance of a nuclear forensic database during an investigation of a nuclear forensic event. (author)

  12. Single-Crystalline cooperite (PtS): Crystal-Chemical characterization, ESR spectroscopy, and {sup 195}Pt NMR spectroscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rozhdestvina, V. I., E-mail: veronika@ascnet.ru; Ivanov, A. V.; Zaremba, M. A. [Far East Division, Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Geology and Nature Management (Russian Federation); Antsutkin, O. N.; Forsling, W. [Lulea University of Technology (Sweden)

    2008-05-15

    Single-crystalline cooperite (PtS) with a nearly stoichiometric composition was characterized in detail by X-ray diffraction, electron-probe X-ray microanalysis, and high-resolution scanning electron microscopy. For the first time it was demonstrated that {sup 195}Pt static and MAS NMR spectroscopy can be used for studying natural platinum minerals. The {sup 195}Pt chemical-shift tensor of cooperite was found to be consistent with the axial symmetry and is characterized by the following principal values: {delta}{sub xx} = -5920 ppm, {delta}{sub yy} = -3734 ppm, {delta}{sub zz} = +4023 ppm, and {delta}{sub iso} = -1850 ppm. According to the ESR data, the samples of cooperite contain copper(II), which is adsorbed on the surface during the layer-by-layer crystal growth and is not involved in the crystal lattice.

  13. Cellular automaton model of mass transport with chemical reactions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karapiperis, T.; Blankleider, B.

    1993-10-01

    The transport and chemical reactions of solutes are modelled as a cellular automaton in which molecules of different species perform a random walk on a regular lattice and react according to a local probabilistic rule. The model describes advection and diffusion in a simple way, and as no restriction is placed on the number of particles at a lattice site, it is also able to describe a wide variety of chemical reactions. Assuming molecular chaos and a smooth density function, we obtain the standard reaction-transport equations in the continuum limit. Simulations on one-and two-dimensional lattices show that the discrete model can be used to approximate the solutions of the continuum equations. We discuss discrepancies which arise from correlations between molecules and how these discrepancies disappear as the continuum limit is approached. Of particular interest are simulations displaying long-time behaviour which depends on long-wavelength statistical fluctuations not accounted for by the standard equations. The model is applied to the reactions a + b ↔ c and a + b → c with homogeneous and inhomogeneous initial conditions as well as to systems subject to autocatalytic reactions and displaying spontaneous formation of spatial concentration patterns. (author) 9 figs., 34 refs

  14. Modeling turbulence structure. Chemical kinetics interaction in turbulent reactive flows

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Magnussen, B F [The Norwegian Univ. of Science and Technology, Trondheim (Norway)

    1998-12-31

    The challenge of the mathematical modelling is to transfer basic physical knowledge into a mathematical formulation such that this knowledge can be utilized in computational simulation of practical problems. The combustion phenomena can be subdivided into a large set of interconnected phenomena like flow, turbulence, thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, radiation, extinction, ignition etc. Combustion in one application differs from combustion in another area by the relative importance of the various phenomena. The difference in fuel, geometry and operational conditions often causes the differences. The computer offers the opportunity to treat the individual phenomena and their interactions by models with wide operational domains. The relative magnitude of the various phenomena therefore becomes the consequence of operational conditions and geometry and need not to be specified on the basis of experience for the given problem. In mathematical modelling of turbulent combustion, one of the big challenges is how to treat the interaction between the chemical reactions and the fluid flow i.e. the turbulence. Different scientists adhere to different concepts like the laminar flamelet approach, the pdf approach of the Eddy Dissipation Concept. Each of these approaches offers different opportunities and problems. All these models are based on a sound physical basis, however none of these have general validity in taking into consideration all detail of the physical chemical interaction. The merits of the models can only be judged by their ability to reproduce physical reality and consequences of operational and geometric conditions in a combustion system. The presentation demonstrates and discusses the development of a coherent combustion technology for energy conversion and safety based on the Eddy Dissipation Concept by Magnussen. (author) 30 refs.

  15. Modeling turbulence structure. Chemical kinetics interaction in turbulent reactive flows

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Magnussen, B.F. [The Norwegian Univ. of Science and Technology, Trondheim (Norway)

    1997-12-31

    The challenge of the mathematical modelling is to transfer basic physical knowledge into a mathematical formulation such that this knowledge can be utilized in computational simulation of practical problems. The combustion phenomena can be subdivided into a large set of interconnected phenomena like flow, turbulence, thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, radiation, extinction, ignition etc. Combustion in one application differs from combustion in another area by the relative importance of the various phenomena. The difference in fuel, geometry and operational conditions often causes the differences. The computer offers the opportunity to treat the individual phenomena and their interactions by models with wide operational domains. The relative magnitude of the various phenomena therefore becomes the consequence of operational conditions and geometry and need not to be specified on the basis of experience for the given problem. In mathematical modelling of turbulent combustion, one of the big challenges is how to treat the interaction between the chemical reactions and the fluid flow i.e. the turbulence. Different scientists adhere to different concepts like the laminar flamelet approach, the pdf approach of the Eddy Dissipation Concept. Each of these approaches offers different opportunities and problems. All these models are based on a sound physical basis, however none of these have general validity in taking into consideration all detail of the physical chemical interaction. The merits of the models can only be judged by their ability to reproduce physical reality and consequences of operational and geometric conditions in a combustion system. The presentation demonstrates and discusses the development of a coherent combustion technology for energy conversion and safety based on the Eddy Dissipation Concept by Magnussen. (author) 30 refs.

  16. Physico-Chemical Characterization and Pollution Index ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    MICHAEL HORSFALL

    bodies; groundwater and surface water (Slomwcznska ... may then enter the environment and pollute the surrounding water ... In order to avoid chemical and biological changes that have the ..... disposal of treated leachates to inland surface water .... India. 3(5): 147-153. Kumar, D., and Alappat, B. J. (2003b). A technique.

  17. Part 6: Modelling of simultaneous chemical-biological P removal ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    drinie

    approaches taken in modelling the chemical P removal processes. In the literature .... to 2 mgP/l) for an iron dose of ~1 to 10 mg/l as Fe - refer to dashed line in Fig. 1). ...... systems exhibiting biological enhanced phosphate removal. Part 3:.

  18. Modelling chemical behavior of water reactor fuel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ball, R G.J.; Hanshaw, J; Mason, P K; Mignanelli, M A [AEA Technology, Harwell (United Kingdom)

    1997-08-01

    For many applications, large computer codes have been developed which use correlation`s, simplifications and approximations in order to describe the complex situations which may occur during the operation of nuclear power plant or during fault scenarios. However, it is important to have a firm physical basis for simplifications and approximations in such codes and, therefore, there has been an emphasis on modelling the behaviour of materials and processes on a more detailed or fundamental basis. The application of fundamental modelling techniques to simulated various chemical phenomena in thermal reactor fuel systems are described in this paper. These methods include thermochemical modelling, kinetic and mass transfer modelling and atomistic simulation and examples of each approach are presented. In each of these applications a summary of the methods are discussed together with the assessment process adopted to provide the fundamental parameters which form the basis of the calculation. (author). 25 refs, 9 figs, 2 tabs.

  19. Chemical Characterization and Reactivity of Fuel-Oxidizer Reaction Product

    Science.gov (United States)

    David, Dennis D.; Dee, Louis A.; Beeson, Harold D.

    1997-01-01

    Fuel-oxidizer reaction product (FORP), the product of incomplete reaction of monomethylhydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide propellants prepared under laboratory conditions and from firings of Shuttle Reaction Control System thrusters, has been characterized by chemical and thermal analysis. The composition of FORP is variable but falls within a limited range of compositions that depend on three factors: the fuel-oxidizer ratio at the time of formation; whether the composition of the post-formation atmosphere is reducing or oxidizing; and the reaction or post-reaction temperature. A typical composition contains methylhydrazinium nitrate, ammonium nitrate, methylammonium nitrate, and trace amounts of hydrazinium nitrate and 1,1-dimethylhydrazinium nitrate. Thermal decomposition reactions of the FORP compositions used in this study were unremarkable. Neither the various compositions of FORP, the pure major components of FORP, nor mixtures of FORP with propellant system corrosion products showed any unusual thermal activity when decomposed under laboratory conditions. Off-limit thruster operations were simulated by rapid mixing of liquid monomethylhydrazine and liquid nitrogen tetroxide in a confined space. These tests demonstrated that monomethylhydrazine, methylhydrazinium nitrate, ammonium nitrate, or Inconel corrosion products can induce a mixture of monomethylhydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide to produce component-damaging energies. Damaging events required FORP or metal salts to be present at the initial mixing of monomethylhydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide.

  20. Chemical, physical, structural and morphological characterization of the electric arc furnace dust

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Machado, Janaina G.M.S.; Brehm, Feliciane Andrade; Moraes, Carlos Alberto Mendes; Santos, Carlos Alberto dos; Vilela, Antonio Cezar Faria; Cunha, Joao Batista Marimon da

    2006-01-01

    Electric arc furnace dust (EAFD) is a hazardous industrial waste generated in the collection of particulate material during steelmaking process via electric arc furnace. Important elements to the industry such as, Fe and Zn are the main ones in EAFD. Due to their presence, it becomes very important to know how these elements are combined before studying new technologies for its processing. The aim of this work was to carry out a chemical, physical, structural and morphological characterization of the EAFD. The investigation was carried out by using granulometry analysis, chemical analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy via SEM (EDS), X-ray mapping analysis via SEM, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Moessbauer spectroscopy. By XRD the following phases were detected: ZnFe 2 O 4 , Fe 3 O 4 , MgFe 2 O 4 , FeCr 2 O 4 , Ca 0.15 Fe 2.85 O 4 , MgO, Mn 3 O 4 , SiO 2 and ZnO. On the other hand, the phases detected by Moessbauer spectroscopy were: ZnFe 2 O 4 , Fe 3 O 4 , Ca 0.15 Fe 2.85 O 4 and FeCr 2 O 4 . Magnesium ferrite (MgFe 2 O 4 ), observed in the XRD pattern as overlapped peaks, was not identified in the Moessbauer spectroscopy analysis

  1. A kinetic model for chemical neurotransmission

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramirez-Santiago, Guillermo; Martinez-Valencia, Alejandro; Fernandez de Miguel, Francisco

    Recent experimental observations in presynaptic terminals at the neuromuscular junction indicate that there are stereotyped patterns of cooperativeness in the fusion of adjacent vesicles. That is, a vesicle in hemifusion process appears on the side of a fused vesicle and which is followed by another vesicle in a priming state while the next one is in a docking state. In this talk we present a kinetic model for this morphological pattern in which each vesicle state previous to the exocytosis is represented by a kinetic state. This chain states kinetic model can be analyzed by means of a Master equation whose solution is simulated with the stochastic Gillespie algorithm. With this approach we have reproduced the responses to the basal release in the absence of stimulation evoked by the electrical activity and the phenomena of facilitation and depression of neuromuscular synapses. This model offers new perspectives to understand the underlying phenomena in chemical neurotransmission based on molecular interactions that result in the cooperativity between vesicles during neurotransmitter release. DGAPA Grants IN118410 and IN200914 and Conacyt Grant 130031.

  2. Chemical synthesis, characterization studies and reactivity of a catalytic material based on ZrO2-H3PW12O40

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hernandez Enriquez, Juan Manuel; Garcia Alamilla, Ricardo; Paramo Garcia, Ulises; Rodrigo, Rebeca Silva; Garcia Serrano, Luz Arcelia

    2013-01-01

    In this work, the preparation and characterization of materials such as zirconium oxide (ZrO 2 ) and phosphotungstic acid promoted zirconium oxide (ZrO 2 -H 3 PW 12 O 40 ) is presented. Physico-chemical characterization results showed that addition of H 3 PW 12 O 40 acted as both a textural and chemical promoter of zirconium oxide. The incorporation of phosphotungstic acid into the ZrO 2 matrix delayed the sintering of the material and stabilized ZrO 2 in the tetragonal phase. ZrO 2 acidity was also enhanced, developing strong acid sites on its surface. The Pt/ZrO 2 -H 3 PW 12 O 40 catalyst was active for n-pentane isomerization at 250 deg C, exhibiting high selectivity to iso-pentane (95%). This result is probably due to its suitable acidity (author)

  3. PHYSICAL-CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF ATEMÓIA FRUIT IN DIFFERENT MATURATION STAGES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Priscilla Vanúbia Queiroz de Medeiro

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available In sight of scarcity of references and information on the atemóia, this work considered to evaluate some chemical and physical analyses in intention to characterize two maturation stages. The used fruits in the experiment had been gotten in the Agropólo Mossoró-Assú, in the state of the Great River of the North. For this, the following analyses had been carried through: length and diameter of the fruit, total firmness of the pulp, soluble solids, pH, titulável total acidity and vitamin level C total. Differences between stadiums of maturation with degradation of the cellular components and the reserves of the fruits had been observed, thus reducing the firmness of the pulp and liberating simple sugars, respectively. It occurred increment in the acidity and consequence decrease in the value of pH. The vitamin C level didn't suffer significant alterations between such stages.

  4. Ultrasonic-assisted chemical reduction synthesis and structural characterization of copper nanoparticles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anh-Nga, Nguyen T.; Tuan-Anh, Nguyen; Thanh-Quoc, Nguyen; Ha, Do Tuong

    2018-04-01

    Copper nanoparticles, due to their special properties, small dimensions and low-cost preparation, have many potential applications such as in optical, electronics, catalysis, sensors, antibacterial agents. In this study, copper nanoparticles were synthesized by chemical reduction method with different conditions in order to investigate the optimum conditions which gave the smallest (particle diameter) dimensions. The synthesis step used copper (II) acetate salt as precursor, ascorbic acid as reducing agent, glycerin and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as protector and stabilizer. The assistance of ultrasonic was were considered as the significant factor affecting the size of the synthesized particles. The results showed that the copper nanoparticles have been successfully synthesized with the diameter as small as 20-40 nm and the conditions of ultrasonic waves were 48 kHz of frequency, 20 minutes of treated time and 65-70 °C of temperature. The synthesized copper nanoparticles were characterized by optical absorption spectrum, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry.

  5. Assimilation of stratospheric ozone in the chemical transport model STRATAQ

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B. Grassi

    2004-09-01

    Full Text Available We describe a sequential assimilation approach useful for assimilating tracer measurements into a three-dimensional chemical transport model (CTM of the stratosphere. The numerical code, developed largely according to Kha00, uses parameterizations and simplifications allowing assimilation of sparse observations and the simultaneous evaluation of analysis errors, with reasonable computational requirements. Assimilation parameters are set by using χ2 and OmF (Observation minus Forecast statistics. The CTM used here is a high resolution three-dimensional model. It includes a detailed chemical package and is driven by UKMO (United Kingdom Meteorological Office analyses. We illustrate the method using assimilation of Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite/Microwave Limb Sounder (UARS/MLS ozone observations for three weeks during the 1996 antarctic spring. The comparison of results from the simulations with TOMS (Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer measurements shows improved total ozone fields due to assimilation of MLS observations. Moreover, the assimilation gives indications on a possible model weakness in reproducing polar ozone values during springtime.

  6. Assimilation of stratospheric ozone in the chemical transport model STRATAQ

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B. Grassi

    2004-09-01

    Full Text Available We describe a sequential assimilation approach useful for assimilating tracer measurements into a three-dimensional chemical transport model (CTM of the stratosphere. The numerical code, developed largely according to Kha00, uses parameterizations and simplifications allowing assimilation of sparse observations and the simultaneous evaluation of analysis errors, with reasonable computational requirements. Assimilation parameters are set by using χ2 and OmF (Observation minus Forecast statistics. The CTM used here is a high resolution three-dimensional model. It includes a detailed chemical package and is driven by UKMO (United Kingdom Meteorological Office analyses. We illustrate the method using assimilation of Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite/Microwave Limb Sounder (UARS/MLS ozone observations for three weeks during the 1996 antarctic spring. The comparison of results from the simulations with TOMS (Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer measurements shows improved total ozone fields due to assimilation of MLS observations. Moreover, the assimilation gives indications on a possible model weakness in reproducing polar ozone values during springtime.

  7. An in vitro method for detecting chemical sensitization using human reconstructed skin models and its applicability to cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and medical device safety testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McKim, James M; Keller, Donald J; Gorski, Joel R

    2012-12-01

    Chemical sensitization is a serious condition caused by small reactive molecules and is characterized by a delayed type hypersensitivity known as allergic contact dermatitis (ACD). Contact with these molecules via dermal exposure represent a significant concern for chemical manufacturers. Recent legislation in the EU has created the need to develop non-animal alternative methods for many routine safety studies including sensitization. Although most of the alternative research has focused on pure chemicals that possess reasonable solubility properties, it is important for any successful in vitro method to have the ability to test compounds with low aqueous solubility. This is especially true for the medical device industry where device extracts must be prepared in both polar and non-polar vehicles in order to evaluate chemical sensitization. The aim of this research was to demonstrate the functionality and applicability of the human reconstituted skin models (MatTek Epiderm(®) and SkinEthic RHE) as a test system for the evaluation of chemical sensitization and its potential use for medical device testing. In addition, the development of the human 3D skin model should allow the in vitro sensitization assay to be used for finished product testing in the personal care, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries. This approach combines solubility, chemical reactivity, cytotoxicity, and activation of the Nrf2/ARE expression pathway to identify and categorize chemical sensitizers. Known chemical sensitizers representing extreme/strong-, moderate-, weak-, and non-sensitizing potency categories were first evaluated in the skin models at six exposure concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 2500 µM for 24 h. The expression of eight Nrf2/ARE, one AhR/XRE and two Nrf1/MRE controlled gene were measured by qRT-PCR. The fold-induction at each exposure concentration was combined with reactivity and cytotoxicity data to determine the sensitization potential. The results demonstrated that

  8. An approach for assessing human exposures to chemical mixtures in the environment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rice, Glenn; MacDonell, Margaret; Hertzberg, Richard C.; Teuschler, Linda; Picel, Kurt; Butler, Jim; Chang, Young-Soo; Hartmann, Heidi

    2008-01-01

    Humans are exposed daily to multiple chemicals, including incidental exposures to complex chemical mixtures released into the environment and to combinations of chemicals that already co-exist in the environment because of previous releases from various sources. Exposures to chemical mixtures can occur through multiple pathways and across multiple routes. In this paper, we propose an iterative approach for assessing exposures to environmental chemical mixtures; it is similar to single-chemical approaches. Our approach encompasses two elements of the Risk Assessment Paradigm: Problem Formulation and Exposure Assessment. Multiple phases of the assessment occur in each element of the paradigm. During Problem Formulation, analysts identify and characterize the source(s) of the chemical mixture, ensure that dose-response and exposure assessment measures are concordant, and develop a preliminary evaluation of the mixture's fate. During Exposure Assessment, analysts evaluate the fate of the chemicals comprising the mixture using appropriate models and measurement data, characterize the exposure scenario, and estimate human exposure to the mixture. We also describe the utility of grouping the chemicals to be analyzed based on both physical-chemical properties and an understanding of environmental fate. In the article, we also highlight the need for understanding of changes in the mixture composition in the environment due to differential transport, differential degradation, and differential partitioning to other media. The section describes the application of the method to various chemical mixtures, highlighting issues associated with assessing exposures to chemical mixtures in the environment

  9. Modelling of water-gas-rock geo-chemical interactions. Application to mineral diagenesis in geological reservoirs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bildstein, Olivier

    1998-01-01

    Mineral diagenesis in tanks results from interactions between minerals, water, and possibly gases, over geological periods of time. The associated phenomena may have a crucial importance for reservoir characterization because of their impact on petrophysical properties. The objective of this research thesis is thus to develop a model which integrates geochemical functions necessary to simulate diagenetic reactions, and which is numerically efficient enough to perform the coupling with a transport model. After a recall of thermodynamic and kinetic backgrounds, the author discusses how the nature of available analytic and experimental data influenced choices made for the formalization of physical-chemical phenomena and for behaviour laws to be considered. Numerical and computational aspects are presented in the second part. The model is validated by using simple examples. The different possible steps during the kinetic competition between two mineral are highlighted, as well the competition between mineral reaction kinetics and water flow rate across the rock. Redox reactions are also considered. In the third part, the author reports the application of new model functions, and highlights the contribution of the modelling to the understanding of some complex geochemical phenomena and to the prediction of reservoir quality. The model is applied to several diagenetic transformations: cementation of dolomitic limestone by anhydride, illite precipitation, and thermal reduction of sulphates [fr

  10. Chemical evolution of the galactic disk

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wyse, R.F.G.; Gilmore, G.

    1987-01-01

    The distribution of enriched material in the stars and gas of their Galaxy contains information pertaining to the chemical evolution of the Milky Way from its formation epoch to the present day, and provides general constraints on theories of galaxy formation. The separate stellar components of the Galaxy cannot readily be understood if treated in isolation, but a reasonably self-consistent model for Galactic chemical evolution may be found if one considers together the chemical properties of the extreme spheroid, thick disk and thin disk populations of the Galaxy. The three major stellar components of the Galaxy are characterized by their distinct spatial distributions, metallicity structure, and kinematics, with the newly-identified thick disk being approximately three times more massive than the classical metal-poor, non-rotating extreme spheroid. Stellar evolution in the thick disk straightforwardly provides the desired pre-enrichment for resolution of the thin disk G dwarf problem

  11. Dynamic Monte-Carlo modeling of hydrogen retention and chemical erosion from Tore Supra deposits

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rai, A.; Schneider, R.; Warrier, M.; Roubin, P.; Martin, C.

    2009-01-01

    A multi-scale model has been developed to study the hydrogen retention [A. Rai, R. Schneider, M. Warrier, J. Nucl. Mater. 374 (2008) 304] and chemical erosion of porous graphite. To model the chemical erosion process due to thermal hydrogen ions, Kueppers cycle [J. Kueppers, Surf. Sci. Rep. 22 (1995) 249; M. Wittmann, J. Kueppers, J. Nucl. Mater. 227 (1996) 186] has been introduced. The model is applied to study hydrogen transport in deposits collected from the leading edge of neutralizers of Tore Supra. The effect of internal structure on chemical erosion is studied. The MD study [E. Salonen et al., J. Nucl. Mater. 290-293 (2001) 144] shows that the experimentally observed decrease of erosion yield at higher fluxes is due to the decrease of carbon collision cross-section at a surface due to shielding by hydrogen atom already present on the surface. Inspired by this study, a simple multi-scale model is developed to describe the flux dependence of chemical erosion. The idea is to use the local chemistry effect from the Kueppers model to calculate the hydrocarbon molecule formation process and then to find the release probability of the produced hydrocarbon based on the purely geometrical constraints. The model represents quite well the trends in experimental data.

  12. Quantum chemical modeling of zeolite-catalyzed methylation reactions: toward chemical accuracy for barriers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Svelle, Stian; Tuma, Christian; Rozanska, Xavier; Kerber, Torsten; Sauer, Joachim

    2009-01-21

    The methylation of ethene, propene, and t-2-butene by methanol over the acidic microporous H-ZSM-5 catalyst has been investigated by a range of computational methods. Density functional theory (DFT) with periodic boundary conditions (PBE functional) fails to describe the experimentally determined decrease of apparent energy barriers with the alkene size due to inadequate description of dispersion forces. Adding a damped dispersion term expressed as a parametrized sum over atom pair C(6) contributions leads to uniformly underestimated barriers due to self-interaction errors. A hybrid MP2:DFT scheme is presented that combines MP2 energy calculations on a series of cluster models of increasing size with periodic DFT calculations, which allows extrapolation to the periodic MP2 limit. Additionally, errors caused by the use of finite basis sets, contributions of higher order correlation effects, zero-point vibrational energy, and thermal contributions to the enthalpy were evaluated and added to the "periodic" MP2 estimate. This multistep approach leads to enthalpy barriers at 623 K of 104, 77, and 48 kJ/mol for ethene, propene, and t-2-butene, respectively, which deviate from the experimentally measured values by 0, +13, and +8 kJ/mol. Hence, enthalpy barriers can be calculated with near chemical accuracy, which constitutes significant progress in the quantum chemical modeling of reactions in heterogeneous catalysis in general and microporous zeolites in particular.

  13. Estimating surface water concentrations of “down-the-drain” chemicals in China using a global model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Whelan, M.J.; Hodges, J.E.N.; Williams, R.J.; Keller, V.D.J.; Price, O.R.; Li, M.

    2012-01-01

    Predictions of surface water exposure to “down-the-drain” chemicals are presented which employ grid-based spatially-referenced data on average monthly runoff, population density, country-specific per capita domestic water and substance use rates and sewage treatment provision. Water and chemical load are routed through the landscape using flow directions derived from digital elevation data, accounting for in-stream chemical losses using simple first order kinetics. Although the spatial and temporal resolution of the model are relatively coarse, the model still has advantages over spatially inexplicit “unit-world” approaches, which apply arbitrary dilution factors, in terms of predicting the location of exposure hotspots and the statistical distribution of concentrations. The latter can be employed in probabilistic risk assessments. Here the model was applied to predict surface water exposure to “down-the-drain” chemicals in China for different levels of sewage treatment provision. Predicted spatial patterns of concentration were consistent with observed water quality classes for China. - Highlights: ► A global-scale model of “down-the-drain” chemical concentrations is presented. ► The model was used to predict spatial patterns of exposure in China. ► Predictions were consistent with observed water quality classes. ► The model can identify hotspots and statistical distributions of concentrations. - A global-scale model was used to predict spatial patterns of “down-the-drain” chemical concentrations in China. Predictions were consistent with observed water quality classes, demonstrating the potential value of the model.

  14. Application of high-throughput mini-bioreactor system for systematic scale-down modeling, process characterization, and control strategy development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Janakiraman, Vijay; Kwiatkowski, Chris; Kshirsagar, Rashmi; Ryll, Thomas; Huang, Yao-Ming

    2015-01-01

    High-throughput systems and processes have typically been targeted for process development and optimization in the bioprocessing industry. For process characterization, bench scale bioreactors have been the system of choice. Due to the need for performing different process conditions for multiple process parameters, the process characterization studies typically span several months and are considered time and resource intensive. In this study, we have shown the application of a high-throughput mini-bioreactor system viz. the Advanced Microscale Bioreactor (ambr15(TM) ), to perform process characterization in less than a month and develop an input control strategy. As a pre-requisite to process characterization, a scale-down model was first developed in the ambr system (15 mL) using statistical multivariate analysis techniques that showed comparability with both manufacturing scale (15,000 L) and bench scale (5 L). Volumetric sparge rates were matched between ambr and manufacturing scale, and the ambr process matched the pCO2 profiles as well as several other process and product quality parameters. The scale-down model was used to perform the process characterization DoE study and product quality results were generated. Upon comparison with DoE data from the bench scale bioreactors, similar effects of process parameters on process yield and product quality were identified between the two systems. We used the ambr data for setting action limits for the critical controlled parameters (CCPs), which were comparable to those from bench scale bioreactor data. In other words, the current work shows that the ambr15(TM) system is capable of replacing the bench scale bioreactor system for routine process development and process characterization. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

  15. Long-term Chemical Characterization of Submicron Aerosol Particles in the Amazon Forest - ATTO Station

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carbone, S.; Brito, J.; Rizzo, L. V.; Holanda, B. A.; Cirino, G. G.; Saturno, J.; Krüger, M. L.; Pöhlker, C.; Ng, N. L.; Xu, L.; Andreae, M. O.; Artaxo, P.

    2015-12-01

    The study of the chemical composition of aerosol particles in the Amazon forest represents a step forward to understand the strong coupling between the atmosphere and the forest. For this reason submicron aerosol particles were investigated in the Amazon forest, where biogenic and anthropogenic aerosol particles coexist at the different seasons (wet/dry). The measurements were performed at the ATTO station, which is located about 150 km northeast of Manaus. At ATTO station the Aerosol chemical speciation monitor (ACSM, Aerodyne) and the Multiangle absorption photometer (MAAP, Thermo 5012) have been operated continuously from March 2014 to July 2015. In this study, long-term measurements (near-real-time, ~30 minutes) of PM1 chemical composition were investigated for the first time in this environment.The wet season presented lower concentrations than the dry season (~5 times). In terms of chemical composition, both seasons were dominated by organics (75 and 63%) followed by sulfate (11 and 13%). Nitrate presented different ratio values between the mass-to-charges 30 to 46 (main nitrate fragments) suggesting the presence of nitrate as inorganic and organic nitrate during both seasons. The results indicated that about 75% of the nitrate signal was from organic nitrate during the dry season. In addition, several episodes with elevated amount of chloride, likely in the form of sea-salt from the Atlantic Ocean, were observed during the wet season. During those episodes, chloride comprised up to 7% of the PM1. During the dry season, chloride was also observed; however, with different volatility, which suggested that Chloride was present in different form and source. Moreover, the constant presence of sulfate and BC during the wet season might be related to biomass burning emissions from Africa. BC concentration was 2.5 times higher during the dry season. Further characterization of the organic fraction was accomplished with the positive matrix factorization (PMF), which

  16. Chemical and microstructural characterization of recycled zircaloy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martinez, Luis G.; Pereira, Luiz A.T.; Rossi, Jesualdo L.; Takiishi, Hidetoshi; Sato, Ivone M.; Scapin, Marcos A.; Orlando, Marcos T.D.

    2011-01-01

    PWR reactors employ as nuclear fuel UO 2 pellets with Zircaloy clad. Brazil is autonomous in the nuclear fuel cycle, from uranium mining to enrichment and nuclear fuel manufacture. However, the industrial production of nuclear zirconium alloys does not meet the demand, leading to importation of Zircaloy for fuel manufacturing. In the fabrication of fuel elements parts, machining chips of alloys are generated. As the Zircaloy chips cannot be discarded as ordinary metallic waste, the recycling of this material is strategic in economical and environmental aspects. In this work are described two methods that are being developed to recycle Zircaloy chips. The first method the Zircaloy machining chips are melted using an electric arc furnace to obtain small laboratory ingots. The second method uses powder metallurgy technique. By this later method, the Zircaloy chips are submitted to a hydriding process and the resulting material is milled in a high-energy ball mill. The powder is cold isostatically pressed and vacuum sintered. The elemental composition of the materials obtained using both methods is being determined using X-ray fluorescence techniques and compared to the specifications of nuclear grade Zircaloy and to the composition of the starting chips. The phase composition of the laboratory ingots was determined using X-ray diffraction. The ingots were vacuum annealed and the microstructures resulting from both processing methods before and after heat treatments were characterized using optical and scanning electron microscopy. The hardness of the materials was evaluated. A methodology of chemical analysis using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, for composition certification, was established and tested. The results showed that recycled Zircaloy presented adequate microstructure for nuclear use. The good results of the powder metallurgy method suggest the possibility of producing small parts, like cladding cap-ends, using near net shape sintering. (author)

  17. Diabatic models with transferrable parameters for generalized chemical reactions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reimers, Jeffrey R; McKemmish, Laura K; McKenzie, Ross H; Hush, Noel S

    2017-01-01

    Diabatic models applied to adiabatic electron-transfer theory yield many equations involving just a few parameters that connect ground-state geometries and vibration frequencies to excited-state transition energies and vibration frequencies to the rate constants for electron-transfer reactions, utilizing properties of the conical-intersection seam linking the ground and excited states through the Pseudo Jahn-Teller effect. We review how such simplicity in basic understanding can also be obtained for general chemical reactions. The key feature that must be recognized is that electron-transfer (or hole transfer) processes typically involve one electron (hole) moving between two orbitals, whereas general reactions typically involve two electrons or even four electrons for processes in aromatic molecules. Each additional moving electron leads to new high-energy but interrelated conical-intersection seams that distort the shape of the critical lowest-energy seam. Recognizing this feature shows how conical-intersection descriptors can be transferred between systems, and how general chemical reactions can be compared using the same set of simple parameters. Mathematical relationships are presented depicting how different conical-intersection seams relate to each other, showing that complex problems can be reduced into an effective interaction between the ground-state and a critical excited state to provide the first semi-quantitative implementation of Shaik’s “twin state” concept. Applications are made (i) demonstrating why the chemistry of the first-row elements is qualitatively so different to that of the second and later rows, (ii) deducing the bond-length alternation in hypothetical cyclohexatriene from the observed UV spectroscopy of benzene, (iii) demonstrating that commonly used procedures for modelling surface hopping based on inclusion of only the first-derivative correction to the Born-Oppenheimer approximation are valid in no region of the chemical

  18. Model nebulae and determination of the chemical composition of the Magellanic Clouds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aller, L H; Keyes, C D; Czyzak, S J

    1979-04-01

    An analysis of previously presented photoelectric spectrophotometry of HII regions (emission-line diffuse nebulae) in the two Magellanic Clouds is carried out with the aid of theoretical nebular models, which are used primarily as interpolation devices. Some advantages and limitations of such theoretical models are discussed. A comparison of the finally obtained chemical compositions with those found by other observers shows generally a good agreement, suggesting that it is possible to obtain reliable chemical compositions from low excitation gaseous nebulae in our own galaxy as well as in distant stellar systems.

  19. Atomic Resolution Imaging and Quantification of Chemical Functionality of Surfaces

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schwarz, Udo D. [Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science; Altman, Eric I. [Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States). Dept. of Chemical and Environmental Engineering

    2014-12-10

    The work carried out from 2006-2014 under DoE support was targeted at developing new approaches to the atomic-scale characterization of surfaces that include species-selective imaging and an ability to quantify chemical surface interactions with site-specific accuracy. The newly established methods were subsequently applied to gain insight into the local chemical interactions that govern the catalytic properties of model catalysts of interest to DoE. The foundation of our work was the development of three-dimensional atomic force microscopy (3DAFM), a new measurement mode that allows the mapping of the complete surface force and energy fields with picometer resolution in space (x, y, and z) and piconewton/millielectron volts in force/energy. From this experimental platform, we further expanded by adding the simultaneous recording of tunneling current (3D-AFM/STM) using chemically well-defined tips. Through comparison with simulations, we were able to achieve precise quantification and assignment of local chemical interactions to exact positions within the lattice. During the course of the project, the novel techniques were applied to surface-oxidized copper, titanium dioxide, and silicon oxide. On these materials, defect-induced changes to the chemical surface reactivity and electronic charge density were characterized with site-specific accuracy.

  20. A Conceptual Framework for Predicting the Toxicity of Reactive Chemicals: Modeling Soft Electrophilicity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Although the literature is replete with QSAR models developed for many toxic effects caused by reversible chemical interactions, the development of QSARs for the toxic effects of reactive chemicals lacks a consistent approach. While limitations exit, an appropriate starting-point...

  1. Prioritising chemicals used in personal care products in China for environmental risk assessment: Application of the RAIDAR model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gouin, Todd; Egmond, Roger van; Price, Oliver R.; Hodges, Juliet E.N.

    2012-01-01

    China represents a significant market for the sale of personal care products (PCPs). Given the continuous emission of hundreds of chemicals used in PCPs to waste water and the aquatic environment after regular use, methods for prioritising the environmental risk assessment for China are needed. In an effort to assess the prioritisation of chemicals used in PCPs in China, we have identified the chemical ingredients used in 2500 PCPs released to the Chinese market in 2009, and estimated the annual emission of these chemicals. The physical-chemical property data for these substances have been estimated and used as model inputs in the RAIDAR model. In general, the RAIDAR model provides an overall assessment of the multimedia fate of chemicals, and provides a holistic approach for prioritising chemical ingredients. The prioritisation exercise conducted in this study is shown to be strongly influenced by loss processes, such as the removal efficiencies of WWT plants and biotransformation. - Highlights: ► Chemicals used in PCPs in China are prioritised using the RAIDAR model. ► Chemicals used in PCPs are estimated to have Risk assessment factors <<1. ► Loss processes strongly influence how chemicals are prioritised. - The application of the Risk IDentification And Ranking (RAIDAR) model is shown to be a potentially effective tool for prioritising chemicals used in personal care products in China.

  2. Developing, Applying, and Evaluating Models for Rapid Screening of Chemical Exposures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Arnot, J.; Shin, H.; Ernstoff, Alexi

    2015-01-01

    provides an introduction to underlying principles of some models used for exposure- and risk-based HTS for chemical prioritization for human health, including tools used in the ExpoDat project (USEtox, RAIDAR, CalTox) and other initiatives (SHEDS-HT). Case study examples of HTS include(i) model...

  3. Fracture initiation associated with chemical degradation: observation and modeling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Byoungho Choi; Zhenwen Zhou; Chudnovsky, Alexander [Illinois Univ., Dept. of Civil and Materials Engineering (M/C 246), Chicago, IL (United States); Stivala, Salvatore S. [Stevens Inst. of Technology, Dept. of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Hoboken, NJ (United States); Sehanobish, Kalyan; Bosnyak, Clive P. [Dow Chemical Co., Freeport, TX (United States)

    2005-01-01

    The fracture initiation in engineering thermoplastics resulting from chemical degradation is usually observed in the form of a microcrack network within a surface layer of degraded polymer exposed to a combined action of mechanical stresses and chemically aggressive environment. Degradation of polymers is usually manifested in a reduction of molecular weight, increase of crystallinity in semi crystalline polymers, increase of material density, a subtle increase in yield strength, and a dramatic reduction in toughness. An increase in material density, i.e., shrinkage of the degraded layer is constrained by adjacent unchanged material results in a buildup of tensile stress within the degraded layer and compressive stress in the adjacent unchanged material due to increasing incompatibility between the two. These stresses are an addition to preexisting manufacturing and service stresses. At a certain level of degradation, a combination of toughness reduction and increase of tensile stress result in fracture initiation. A quantitative model of the described above processes is presented in these work. For specificity, the internally pressurized plastic pipes that transport a fluid containing a chemically aggressive (oxidizing) agent is used as the model of fracture initiation. Experimental observations of material density and toughness dependence on degradation reported elsewhere are employed in the model. An equation for determination of a critical level of degradation corresponding to the offset of fracture is constructed. The critical level of degradation for fracture initiation depends on the rates of toughness deterioration and build-up of the degradation related stresses as well as on the manufacturing and service stresses. A method for evaluation of the time interval prior to fracture initiation is also formulated. (Author)

  4. Physico-chemical characterization of nano-emulsions in cosmetic matrix enriched on omega-3

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Linder Michel

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Nano-emulsions, as non-equilibrium systems, present characteristics and properties which depend not only on composition but also on their method of preparation. To obtain better penetration, nanocosmeceuticals use nano-sized systems for the delivery of active ingredients to targeted cells. In this work, nano-emulsions composed of miglyol, rapeseed oil and salmon oil were developed as a cosmetic matrix. Measurements of different physico-chemical properties of nano-emulsions were taken according to size, electrophoretic mobility, conductivity, viscosity, turbidity, cristallization and melting point. The RHLB was calculated for each formulation in order to achieve maximum stability. Results Both tween 80 and soya lecithin were found to stabilize formulations. The results showed that rapeseed oil and miglyol are the predominant parameters for determining the expression of results concerning the characterization of emulsion. Based on the mixture design, we achieved the optimal point using the following formulation: 56.5% rapessed oil, 35.5% miglyol, and 8% salmon oil. We considered this formulation to be the best as a nanocosmeceutical product due to the small size, good turbidity, and average HLB. Conclusions This study demonstrates the influence of formulation on the physico-chemical properties of each nano-emulsion obtained by the mixture design.

  5. Chemical characterization of diets consumed in the COSEAS restaurant, by neutron activation analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Favaro, Deborah I.T.; Chioccola, Gabriella S.; Bortoli, Maritsa C.; Cozzolino, Silvia M.F.

    2005-01-01

    This study presents the results of chemical characterization of meals (lunch) offered by COSEAS/USP-SP restaurant, during 5 non consecutive days. These meals were collected in triplicate, in the same way they are offered to the users, being freeze-dried and prepared for chemical analysis. In the total, 15 samples were collected. The proximate composition was determined by using the standard methodologies according to AOAC (1995). The contents of some micronutrients (Ca, Fe, K, Na, Se and Zn) were determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis. The methodology validation was performed by certified reference materials analyses: Oyster Tissue (NIST SRM 1566 b ), Orchard Leaves (NIST SRM 1541) and Peach Leaves (NIST SRM 1547). >From concentration results the daily intake of each micronutrient was calculated considering this meal as 40% of the total daily intake and the values were compared to the new dietary recommendations of micronutrients (Dietary Reference Intakes-DRIs, Institute of Medicine, USA), for the women in the life stage from 19 to 30 years. Comparing the average values found with the recommended values, it was verified that macronutrients and Fe, Se and Zn micronutrients reached the values set by new DRIs. For Ca and K the daily intake was inadequate and Na, exceeded the recommended value. (author)

  6. Chemical structure and dynamics: Annual report 1993

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Colson, S.D.

    1994-07-01

    The Chemical Structure and Dynamics program responds to the need for a fundamental, molecular-level understanding of chemistry at the wide variety of environmentally-important interfaces. The research program is built around the established relationship between structure, thermodynamics, and kinetics. This research effort continues to evolve into a program of rigorous studies of fundamental molecular processes in model systems (e.g., well-characterized surfaces, single-component solutions, clusters, and biological molecules), and studies of complex systems found in the environment. Experimental studies of molecular and supramolecular structures and thermodynamics are key to understanding the nature of matter, and lead to direct comparison with computational results. Kinetic and mechanistic measurements, combined with real-time dynamics measurements of atomic and molecular motions during chemical reactions, provide for a molecular-level description of chemical reactions. The anticipated results of this work are the achievement of a quantitative understanding of chemical processes at complex interfaces, the development of new techniques for the detection and measurement of species at such interfaces, and the interpretation and extrapolation of the observations in terms of models of interfacial chemistry. The Chemical Structure and Dynamics research program includes five areas described in detail in this report: Reaction mechanisms at solid interfaces; Solution and solution interfaces; Structure and dynamics of biological systems; Analytical methods development; and atmospheric chemistry. Extended abstracts are presented for 23 studies.

  7. Comparing rankings of selected TRI organic chemicals for two environments using a level III fugacity model and toxicity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Edwards, F.G.; Egemen, E.; Nirmalakhandan, N.

    1998-01-01

    The Toxics Release Inventory, TRI (USEPA, 1995) is a comprehensive listing of chemicals, mass released, source of releases, and other related information for chemicals which are released into the environment in the US. These chemicals are then ranked according to the mass released as a indication of their environmental impact. Industries have been encouraged to adopt production methods to decrease the release of chemicals which are ranked highly in the TRI. Clearly, this ranking of the chemicals based upon the mass released fails to take into account very important environmental aspects. The first and most obvious aspect is the wide range of toxicity's of the chemicals released. Numerous researchers have proposed systems to rank chemicals according to their toxicity. The second aspect, which a mass released based ranking does not take into account, is the fate and transport of each chemical within the environment. Cohen and Ryan (1985) and Mackay and Paterson (1991) have proposed models to evaluate the fate and transport of chemicals released into the environment. Some authors have incorporated the mass released and toxicity with some fate and transport aspects to rank the impact of released chemicals. But, due to the complexities of modeling the environment, the lack of published data on properties of chemicals, and the lack of information on the speciation of chemicals in complex systems, modeling the fate and transport of toxic chemicals in the environment remains difficult. To provide an indication of the need to rank chemicals according to their environmental impact instead of the mass released, the authors have utilized a subset of 45 organic chemicals from the TRI, modeled the fate and transport of the chemicals using a Level III fugacity model, and compared those equilibrium concentrations with toxicity data to yield a hazard value for each chemical

  8. Physical and chemical characterization of adsorbed protein onto gold electrode functionalized with Tunisian coral and nacre

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hamza, Samir, E-mail: samir.hamza@insat.rnu.tn [Biomaterials and Biomechanics Laboratory, National Institute M.T. Kassab of Orthopedic, 2010 La Manouba, Tunis (Tunisia); National Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology, Centre Urbain Nord, Box 676, 1080 Tunis cedex (Tunisia); Bouchemi, Meryem, E-mail: bouchemimeryem@yahoo.fr [National Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology, Centre Urbain Nord, Box 676, 1080 Tunis cedex (Tunisia); Slimane, Noureddine, E-mail: labiomecanique@yahoo.fr [Biomaterials and Biomechanics Laboratory, National Institute M.T. Kassab of Orthopedic, 2010 La Manouba, Tunis (Tunisia); Azari, Zitouni, E-mail: azari@univ-metz.fr [Laboratory of Biomechanics, Polymer and Structures Mechanics, National School of Engineers of Metz, France, 1 route d' Ars Laquenexy, CS 65820 57078 Metz cedex 03 (France)

    2013-01-01

    Bone substitutes are more and more used in bone surgery because of their biologic safety, clinic efficiency and facility to synthesize. Bone substitutes with active osteogenic properties, associating biomaterials with organic macromolecule components of the extracellular matrix (protein, GAG) are recommended. Nevertheless, we should have a simple technique to control interactions between proteins and the material. Natural coral and nacre have been found to be impressive bone graft substitutes. In this work, we characterize nacre and coral powder using energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). We used electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy to evaluate bovine serum albumin (BSA) as model protein, adsorbed to these biomaterial surfaces. In order to understand the nacre/coral-protein interfacial compatibility, it is necessary to investigate the wettability. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The structural and physico-chemical properties of material operated as a bone substitute. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer This study investigated the adsorption of BSA onto coral and nacre. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer X-ray diffraction analysis of coral and nacre. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Simple technique to control interactions between proteins and the biomaterial.

  9. Synthesis and characterization of M-type barium hexferrite by ultrasonic inter-dispersion of chemical precipitate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garcia Junior, E.S.; Gomes Junior, G.G.; Ogasawara, T.

    2010-01-01

    This work is concerned with the study the synthesis and characterization of M-type barium hexaferrite powder by chemical precipitation type and ultrasonic interdispersion of precursor materials Fe(OH) 3 and Ba(OH) 2 ,separately and ultrasonic inter-dispersion, followed by drying and calcining. In order to guide the experimental work was carried out a preliminary thermodynamic analysis of the system Ba-Fe-H 2 O at 25 deg C. The study shows that the phase formation of M-type barium hexaferrite is obtained at a calcination at 1000 deg C, characterized by X-ray diffraction, the grain growth of the final product of synthesis depending on the calcination temperature is visible by SEM. The synthesis method developed in this research is an option to achieve the results that would be obtained if the co-precipitation of ferric and barium hydroxide was thermodynamically possible, where you can get crystallization of barium hexaferrite in a calcination at 1000 deg C. (author)

  10. Development of Computer Aided Modelling Templates for Model Re-use in Chemical and Biochemical Process and Product Design: Importand export of models

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fedorova, Marina; Tolksdorf, Gregor; Fillinger, Sandra

    2015-01-01

    been established, in order to provide a wider range of modelling capabilities. Through this link, developed models can be exported/imported to/from other modelling-simulation software environments to allow model reusability in chemical and biochemical product and process design. The use of this link...

  11. Characterization of ZnS thin films synthesized through a non-toxic precursors chemical bath

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rodríguez, C.A. [Department of Materials Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Concepción, Edmundo Larenas 270, Concepción 4070409 (Chile); Sandoval-Paz, M.G. [Department of Physics, Faculty of Physics and Mathematics, University of Concepción, Concepción (Chile); Cabello, G. [Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, University of Bío-Bío, Campus Fernando May, Chillán (Chile); Flores, M.; Fernández, H. [Department of Physics, Faculty of Physics and Mathematics, University of Chile, Beauchef 850, Santiago (Chile); Carrasco, C., E-mail: ccarrascoc@udec.cl [Department of Materials Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Concepción, Edmundo Larenas 270, Concepción 4070409 (Chile)

    2014-12-15

    Highlights: • High quality ZnS thin films have been deposited by chemical bath deposition technique from a non-toxic precursor’s solution. • Nanocrystalline ZnS thin films with large band gap energy were synthesized without using ammonia. • Evidence that the growing of the thin films is carried out by means of hydroxide mechanism was found. • The properties of these ZnS thin films are similar and in some cases better than the corresponding ones produced using toxic precursors such as ammonia. - Abstract: In solar cells, ZnS window layer deposited by chemical bath technique can reach the highest conversion efficiency; however, precursors used in the process normally are materials highly volatile, toxic and harmful to the environment and health (typically ammonia and hydrazine). In this work the characterization of ZnS thin films deposited by chemical bath in a non-toxic alkaline solution is reported. The effect of deposition technique (growth in several times) on the properties of the ZnS thin film was studied. The films exhibited a high percentage of optical transmission (greater than 80%); as the deposition time increased a decreasing in the band gap values from 3.83 eV to 3.71 eV was observed. From chemical analysis, the presence of ZnS and Zn(OH){sub 2} was identified and X-ray diffraction patterns exhibited a clear peak corresponding to ZnS hexagonal phase (1 0 3) plane, which was confirmed by electron diffraction patterns. From morphological studies, compact samples with well-defined particles, low roughness, homogeneous and pinhole-free in the surface were observed. From obtained results, it is evident that deposits of ZnS–CBD using a non-toxic solution are suitable as window layer for TFSC.

  12. Chemical Transport Models on Accelerator Architectures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Linford, J.; Sandu, A.

    2008-12-01

    Heterogeneous multicore chipsets with many layers of polymorphic parallelism are becoming increasingly common in high-performance computing systems. Homogeneous co-processors with many streaming processors also offer unprecedented peak floating-point performance. Effective use of parallelism in these new chipsets is paramount. We present optimization techniques for 3D chemical transport models to take full advantage of emerging Cell Broadband Engine and graphical processing unit (GPU) technology. Our techniques achieve 2.15x the per-node performance of an IBM BlueGene/P on the Cell Broadband Engine, and a strongly-scalable 1.75x the per-node performance of an IBM BlueGene/P on an NVIDIA GeForce 8600.

  13. Preparation and characterization of SnO2 thin film by chemical bath deposition method for solar cell application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wan Mohd Zin Wan Yunus; Saeideh Ebrahimiasl; Anuar Kassim

    2009-01-01

    Full text: Tin oxide thin films were synthesized by chemical bath deposition method on glass substrate .The as-deposited thin films were characterized for compositional, structural, surface morphological, optical and electrical properties. The X-ray diffraction patterns of the sample indicate that all samples are polycrystalline structure. AFM images show that the films consist of small uniform grains and are free of pinholes. (author)

  14. Physical and chemical characterization of urban winter-time aerosols by mobile measurements in Helsinki, Finland

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pirjola, Liisa; Niemi, Jarkko V.; Saarikoski, Sanna; Aurela, Minna; Enroth, Joonas; Carbone, Samara; Saarnio, Karri; Kuuluvainen, Heino; Kousa, Anu; Rönkkö, Topi; Hillamo, Risto

    2017-06-01

    A two-week measurement campaign by a mobile laboratory van was performed in urban environments in the Helsinki metropolitan area, Finland, in winter 2012, to obtain a comprehensive view on aerosol properties and sources. The abundances and physico-chemical properties of particles varied strongly in time and space, depending on the main sources of aerosols. Four major types of winter aerosol were recognized: 1) clean background aerosol with low particle number (Ntot) and lung deposited surface area (LDSA) concentrations due to marine air flows from the Atlantic Ocean; 2) long-range transported (LRT) pollution aerosol due to air flows from eastern Europe where the particles were characterized by the high contribution of oxygenated organic aerosol (OOA) and inorganic species, particularly sulphate, but low BC contribution, and their size distribution possessed an additional accumulation mode; 3) fresh smoke plumes from residential wood combustion in suburban small houses, these particles were characterized by high biomass burning organic aerosol (BBOA) and black carbon (BC) concentrations; and 4) fresh emissions from traffic while driving on busy streets in the city centre and on the highways during morning rush hours. This aerosol was characterized by high concentration of Ntot, LDSA, small particles in the nucleation mode, as well as high hydrocarbon-like organic aerosol (HOA) and BC concentrations. In general, secondary components (OOA, NO3, NH4, and SO4) dominated the PM1 chemical composition during the LRT episode accounting for 70-80% of the PM1 mass, whereas fresh primary emissions (BC, HOA and BBOA) dominated the local traffic and wood burning emissions. The major individual particle types observed with electron microscopy analysis (TEM/EDX) were mainly related to residential wood combustion (K/S/C-rich, soot, other C-rich particles), traffic (soot, Si/Al-rich, Fe-rich), heavy fuel oil combustion in heat plants or ships (S with V-Ni-Fe), LRT pollutants (S

  15. Understanding performance properties of chemical engines under a trade-off optimization: Low-dissipation versus endoreversible model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, F. R.; Zhang, Rong; Li, Huichao; Li, C. N.; Liu, Wei; Bai, Long

    2018-05-01

    The trade-off criterion is used to systemically investigate the performance features of two chemical engine models (the low-dissipation model and the endoreversible model). The optimal efficiencies, the dissipation ratios, and the corresponding ratios of the dissipation rates for two models are analytically determined. Furthermore, the performance properties of two kinds of chemical engines are precisely compared and analyzed, and some interesting physics is revealed. Our investigations show that the certain universal equivalence between two models is within the framework of the linear irreversible thermodynamics, and their differences are rooted in the different physical contexts. Our results can contribute to a precise understanding of the general features of chemical engines.

  16. Development and Analysis of Group Contribution Plus Models for Property Prediction of Organic Chemical Systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mustaffa, Azizul Azri

    for the GIPs are then used in the UNIFAC model to calculate activity coefficients. This approach can increase the application range of any “host” UNIFAC model by providing a reliable predictive model towards fast and efficient product development. This PhD project is focused on the analysis and further......Prediction of properties is important in chemical process-product design. Reliable property models are needed for increasingly complex and wider range of chemicals. Group-contribution methods provide useful tool but there is a need to validate them and improve their accuracy when complex chemicals...... are present in the mixtures. In accordance with that, a combined group-contribution and atom connectivity approach that is able to extend the application range of property models has been developed for mixture properties. This so-called Group-ContributionPlus (GCPlus) approach is a hybrid model which combines...

  17. Hydration of Portoguese cements, measurement and modelling of chemical shrinkage

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Maia, Lino; Geiker, Mette Rica; Figueiras, Joaquim A.

    2008-01-01

    form of the dispersion model. The development of hydration varied between the investigated cements; based on the measured data the degree of hydration after 24 h hydration at 20 C varied between 40 and 50%. This should be taken into account when comparing properties of concrete made from the different......Development of cement hydration was studied by measuring the chemical shrinkage of pastes. Five types of Portuguese Portland cement were used in cement pastes with . Chemical shrinkage was measured by gravimetry and dilatometry. In gravimeters results were recorded automatically during at least...

  18. Adhesion of nitrile rubber to UV-assisted surface chemical modified PET fabric, part II: Interfacial characterization of MDI grafted PET

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Razavizadeh, Mahmoud; Jamshidi, Masoud, E-mail: mjamshidi@iust.ac.ir

    2016-08-30

    Highlights: • In this research UV-irradiated PET fabric was chemically modified. • The fabric at first carboxylated under UV irradiation using glutaric anhydride, then it was grafted using isocyanate (i.e. MDI). • The surface of the fabric was characterized before and after each treating satge. • The composite samples were prepared and tested for T-Peel test. The surfaces of the fabrics were surface characterized to understand. - Abstract: Fiber to rubber adhesion is an important subject in rubber industry. It is well known that surface treatment (i.e. physical, mechanical and chemical) is an effective method to improve interfacial bonding of fibers and/or fabrics to rubbers. UV irradiation is an effective method which has been used to increase fabric-rubber interfacial interactions. In this research UV assisted chemical modification of PET fabrics was used to increase PET to nitrile rubber (NBR) adhesion. Nitrile rubber is a perfect selection as fuel and oil resistant rubber. However it has weak bonding to PET fabric. For this purpose PET fabric was carboxylated under UV irradiation and then methylenediphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) was grafted on carboxylated PET. The chemical composition of the fabric before and after surface treatment was investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The sectional morphology of the experimental PET fibers and the interface between rubber compound and PET fabric was studied using scanning electron microscope (SEM). The morphology and structure of the product were analyzed by an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX). FTIR-ATR and H NMR analysis were used to assess surface modifications on the PET irradiated fabrics.

  19. Adhesion of nitrile rubber to UV-assisted surface chemical modified PET fabric, part II: Interfacial characterization of MDI grafted PET

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Razavizadeh, Mahmoud; Jamshidi, Masoud

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • In this research UV-irradiated PET fabric was chemically modified. • The fabric at first carboxylated under UV irradiation using glutaric anhydride, then it was grafted using isocyanate (i.e. MDI). • The surface of the fabric was characterized before and after each treating satge. • The composite samples were prepared and tested for T-Peel test. The surfaces of the fabrics were surface characterized to understand. - Abstract: Fiber to rubber adhesion is an important subject in rubber industry. It is well known that surface treatment (i.e. physical, mechanical and chemical) is an effective method to improve interfacial bonding of fibers and/or fabrics to rubbers. UV irradiation is an effective method which has been used to increase fabric-rubber interfacial interactions. In this research UV assisted chemical modification of PET fabrics was used to increase PET to nitrile rubber (NBR) adhesion. Nitrile rubber is a perfect selection as fuel and oil resistant rubber. However it has weak bonding to PET fabric. For this purpose PET fabric was carboxylated under UV irradiation and then methylenediphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) was grafted on carboxylated PET. The chemical composition of the fabric before and after surface treatment was investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The sectional morphology of the experimental PET fibers and the interface between rubber compound and PET fabric was studied using scanning electron microscope (SEM). The morphology and structure of the product were analyzed by an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX). FTIR-ATR and H NMR analysis were used to assess surface modifications on the PET irradiated fabrics.

  20. Patient-Specific Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Models: Generation and Characterization of Cardiac Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zanella, Fabian; Sheikh, Farah

    2016-01-01

    The generation of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes has been of utmost interest for the study of cardiac development, cardiac disease modeling, and evaluation of cardiotoxic effects of novel candidate drugs. Several protocols have been developed to guide human stem cells toward the cardiogenic path. Pioneering work used serum to promote cardiogenesis; however, low cardiogenic throughputs, lack of chemical definition, and batch-to-batch variability of serum lots constituted a considerable impediment to the implementation of those protocols to large-scale cell biology. Further work focused on the manipulation of pathways that mouse genetics indicated to be fundamental in cardiac development to promote cardiac differentiation in stem cells. Although extremely elegant, those serum-free protocols involved the use of human recombinant cytokines that tend to be quite costly and which can also be variable between lots. The latest generation of cardiogenic protocols aimed for a more cost-effective and reproducible definition of the conditions driving cardiac differentiation, using small molecules to manipulate cardiogenic pathways overriding the need for cytokines. This chapter details methods based on currently available cardiac differentiation protocols for the generation and characterization of robust numbers of hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes under chemically defined conditions.