CERN Document Server

substrate). Within each group of simulations, three lubricant film thicknesses are studied to examine the effect of varying lubricant thickness. Statistical data are collected from each simulation and presented in this work. Via these data, together with the evolution, of atomic and molecular configurations, a very detailed picture of the properties of this thin film interface is presented. In particular, we conclude that perfluoropolyether lubricant forms distinct molecular layers when confined between two substrates, the rate of heat generation under shearing conditions typical of those in a head-disk interface is insufficient for thermal mechanisms to result directly in lubricant degradation, and mechanical stresses attained in the head-disk interface are unlikely to result in any significant degree of lubricant degradation. This thesis examines the tribology of a head-disk interface in an operating hard disk drive via ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Total-dose irradiation seriously damages MOS devices and their circuit performance. Threshold voltage shifts, transconductance degradation and increase in off-state leakage current are generally observed for irradiated devices. These instabilities are essentially due to positive and/or negative charge trapping in SiO_2 and interface trap generation at the SiO_2/Si interface. Radiation hardening of CMOS VLSIs is to eliminate these trapping effects, and for this purpose, special considerations for fabrication processes and layout design are necessary. In this paper, basic mechanisms for radiation-induced charge trapping and related effects on MOS devices are reviewed. Also discussed are radiation-hardening technologies from both fabrication-process and layout-design viewpoints. Using these technologies, 1 #mu#m radiation-hard CMOS gate arrays have been successfully developed. Experimental data taken for 2k-gate test chips indicate that radiation ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Accelerated aging tests on tin-oxide-coated anodized aluminium selective absorber surfaces have been performed. It is shown that the tin oxide layer provides excellent protection for the anodized surface. The thermal stability of the double layer is equal to, or better than, the stability of the bare anodized surface. Both surfaces degrade very slowly at 450deg C. The anodic layer is porous and therefore not very scratch resistant and it degrades when exposed to humidity, both acidic and alcaline. It is shown that the tin oxide film, which is hard and chemically very stable, almost completely protects the anodized surface from chemical degradation. The mechanical wear resistance is also considerably improved. The optical selectivity does not quite match that of the the anodized surface, but the remarkable stability together with the solar parameters of {alpha}=0.91 and hemispherical emittance {epsilon}= ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A systematic study of structure-mechanical properties relation is reported for MoSi{sub 2}-SiC nanolayer composites. Alternating layers of MoSi{sub 2} and SiC were synthesized by DC magnetron and rf-diode sputtering, respectively. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy was used to examine three distinct reactions in the specimens when exposed to different annealing conditions: Crystallization and phase transformation of MoSi{sub 2}, crystallization of SiC, and spheroidization of the layer structures. Nanoindentation was employed to characterize the mechanical response as a function of structural changes. As-sputtered material exhibits amorphous structures in both types of layers and has a hardness of 11 GPa and a modulus of 217GPa. Subsequent heat treatment induces crystallization of MoSi{sub 2} to form the C40 structure at 500C and SiC to form the a structure at 700C. The crystallization process is directly responsible for hardness ...

KoreaScience (Korea)

Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boat sampling technique (BST) is a surface sampling technique, which has been developed for obtaining, in-situ, metal samples from the surface of an operating component without affecting its operating service life. The BST is non-destructive in nature and the sample is obtained without plastic deformation or without thermal degradation of the parent material. The shape and size of the sample depends upon the shape of the cutter and the surface geometry of the parent material. Miniature test specimens are generated from the sample and the specimens are subjected to various tests, viz. Metallurgical Evaluation, Metallographic Evaluation, Micro-hardness Evaluation, sensitisation test, small punch test etc. to confirm the integrity and assessment of safe operating life of the component. This paper highlights design objective of boat sampling technique, description of sampling module, sampling cutter and its performance evaluation, cutting process, ...

International Science & Technology Center (ISTC)

Hard Nano-Strutural Coatings Resistant to the Extreme Conditions of Chemical, Abrasive and High Energy Media for Thermonuclear Power, Oil and Gas and Chemical Industries

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The biodegradation of nylon by lignin-degrading fungi was investigated. The fungus IZU-154 significantly degraded nylon-66 membrane under ligninolytic conditions. Nuclear magnetic resonance analysis...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

Ti-Ag and Ti-Pd-Ag solar cell contacts structure and degradation dependence on high temperature and humidity environmental exposure

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Zirconia-based restorations are widely used in prosthetic dentistry; however, their susceptibility to hydrothermal degradation remains elusive. We hypothesized that CAD/CAM machining and subsequent...Full Text Available

KoreaScience (Korea)

Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Engineering ceramics have excellent properties such as high strength, high hardness and high heat resistance compared with metallic materials. To apply the ceramic in fast reactor environment, it is necessary to evaluate the sodium compatibility and the influence of sodium on the mechanical properties of ceramics. In this study, the influence of high temperature sodium on the mechanical properties of sintered ceramics of conventional and high purity Al_2O_3, SiC, SiAlON, AlN and unidirectional solidified ceramics of Al_2O_3/YAG eutectic composite were investigated by means of flexure tests. Test specimens were exposed in liquid sodium at 823K and 923K for 3.6Ms. There were no changes in the flexural strength of the conventional and high purity Al_2O_3, AlN and Al_2O_3/YAG eutectic composite after the sodium exposure at 823K. On the contrary, the decrease in the flexural strength was observed in SiC and SiAlON. After the sodium exposure at 923K, there were also no ...

KoreaScience (Korea)

Full Text Available

J-STORE (Japan)

Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

... entitled: In-country Pilot Activities: Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation)...

KoreaScience (Korea)

Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

Sep 1, 2011 ... Title: Hardness, density, and shrinkage characteristics of silk-oak from Hawaii. Author: Youngs, R. L.. Date: 1964. Source: Research note FPL ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This report covers the test methods and equipment for testing aircraft armor both hard and soft. The hard armor are the typical ceramic type while the soft armor are various types of layered composite materials. 10 figs. (JEF)

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of the various models or simulations for predicting drug release from bulk-degrading systems. A brief description of bulk degradation processes and factors affecting the degradation rate, and consequently the release kinetics, is presented first. Next, several important classical models, often used as the basis for subsequent model development, are discussed. Both mathematical models and Monte-Carlo based simulations have been developed for controlled release from bulk-degrading systems. The mathematical models can be further subdivided into two categories. First, the diffusion-based models whose transport mechanism is mainly governed by diffusion, but with degradation-dependent diffusion coefficients. These are generally simpler and easier...

Science.gov (United States)

The mixture of 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D) and chloropicrin (CP) is used as a preplant soil fumigant. In comparison with individual fumigants, application of a mixture may affect the environmental dissipation and fate of each chemical, such as emission and degradation. We investigated the degradation of CP, 1,3-D, and their mixture in fresh soils and sterile soils, and evaluated the competitive characteristic of fumigants in the mixture. The degradation of low concentrations of CP in fresh soil was accelerated at early times in the presence of 1,3-D, whereas the addition of CP reduced the degradation rate of trans-1,3-D, possibly by inhibiting the activity of trans-1,3-D degrading microorganisms. The potential of applying amendments to the soil to increase the rate of CP and 1,3-D degradation was also illustrated. The degradation of both ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The conversion of coal to oil can be carried out in two ways. A synthesis route and a degradation route. Each of these routes are described and several degradation processes are explored. The testing of several fuels produced from coal is also given considerations.

Science.gov (United States)

A novel reactor combining a flame-deposited nanostructured titanium dioxide film and a set of embedded ceramic electrodes was designed, developed and tested for degradation of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) in water. On applying a voltage to the ceramic electrodes, a surface coro...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The kinetics of the degradation of trichloroethylene (TCE) and seven other chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons by Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b were studied. All experiments were performed with cells...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Enrichment cultures were used to determine the conditions promoting fastest methanogenic propionate degradation and growth by adapting the cultures to various physical and chemical conditions and measuring...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

... without the problem of purple plague. The Au-Ni-In evaporated ... surface and bonding degradation (purple plague) St step-stress ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The biodegradation of ring-"1"4C- and methyl-"1"4C-labeled paraquat by the soil yeast Lipomyces starkeyi was studied in vitro. It was found that the degradation of paraquat (acting as a sole source of culture nitrogen) resulted in the accumulation in the extracellular medium of radiolabeled acetic acid. The culture also evolved radiolabeled CO_2. The results suggest that the degradation of paraquat by L. starkeyi is associated with the integrity of the cell wall and that disruption or removal of the wall results in a complete loss of degradative capability. A mechanism for the degradation of paraquat by this organism is postulated.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

(Jun 1984). United States Clough, RL Gillen, KT Sandia Nat'l Laboratories

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Loss of organic matter is one of the main forms of soil degradation in Mediterranean agricultural soils, and external sources of organic matter are required to improve soil properties. the two-phase centrifugation system in the olive-oil extraction industry produces a large amount of olive mill waste sludge (TPOMW) which can be used to add organic C to degraded soils. (Author)

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Background Photopolymerizable poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogels offer a platform to deliver cells in vivo and support three-dimensional cell culture but should be designed to degrade in sync with neotissue development and endure the physiologic environment. Questions/purposes We asked whether (1) incorporation of degradation into PEG hydrogels facilitates tissue development comprised of essential cartilage macromolecules; (2) with early loading before pericellular matrix formation, the duration of load affects matrix production; and (3) dynamic loading in general influences macroscopic tissue development. Methods Primary bovine chondrocytes were encapsulated in hydrogels (n?=?3 for each condition). The independent variables were hydrogel degradation (nondegrading PEG and degrading olig...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The fundamental mechanisms underlying the chemical degradation of polymers can change as a function of environmental stress level. When this occurs, it greatly complicates any attempt to use accelerated tests for predicting long-term material degradation behaviors. Understanding how degradation mechanisms can change at different stress levels facilitates both the design and the interpretation of aging tests. Oxidative degradation is a predominant mechanism for many polymers exposed to a variety of different environments in the presence of air, and there are two mechanistic considerations which are widely applicable to material oxidation. One involves a physical process, oxygen diffusion, as a rate-limiting step. This mechanism can predominate at high stress levels. The second is a chemical process, the time-dependent decomposition of peroxide species. This leads to chain branching and can become a ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The theoretical hardness against total dose of the six-transistor SRAM cell is investigated in detail. An explicit analytical expression of the maximum tolerable threshold voltage shift is derived for two cross-coupled inverters. A numerical method is used to explore the hardness of the read and write operations. Both N- and P-channel access transistors designs are considered and their respective advantages are compared. The study points out that the radiation hardness mainly relies on the technology. Results obtained with the very robust Gate-All-Around process are finally presented.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

High interelectrode voltage peaks have been observed simultaneously with the emission of hard X-ray bursts from a flash X-ray tube. The magnitude of the voltage peaks may exceed twice the initial charging voltage. It has also been observed that the discharge emits bursts of X-and P-band microwaves radiation which are coincident with the emission of the hard X-ray bursts. The results indicate that the microwaves and X-rays have a common origin in discharge plasma movements and an acceleration model for electrons in the plasma is presented as one possible explanation of the observed phenomena.

CERN Document Server

CH Cygni is a symbiotic star consisting of an M giant and an accreting white dwarf, which is known to be a highly variable X-ray source with a complex, two-component, spectra. Here we report on two Suzaku observations of CH Cyg, taken in 2006 January and May, during which the system was seen to be in a soft X-ray bright, hard X-ray faint state. Based on the extraordinary strength of the 6.4 keV fluorescent Fe K-alpha line, we show that the hard X-rays observed with Suzaku are dominated by scattering.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

... base alloys alloys beams chemical reactions elements hardness irradiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Counter-current regeneration of 2-stage sodium zeolite softeners has been employed in reducing hardness leakage level of steamflooding water to less than 1 ppm when raw water contains as much as 5,000 ppm of the total dissolved solids. Hardness leakage is caused by sodium displacement of calcium and magnesium from the bottom of the exchanger bed. This study presents nomographs providing for rapid calculations to be made, for which a convenient operational mode does not already exist. The nomographs relate the hardness leakage as a function of salt quality and influent water quality and present solutions for predicting the leakage level, salt quality requirement or the treatability of raw water required for steamflooding projects.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundThe ongoing epidemiological transition in Mexico minimizes the relative impact of neurocysticercosis (NC) on public health. However, hard data on the disease frequency...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

Oct 30, 2009... of Belgian sheepherding dogs that are popular with the police and military. ... "She was a hard-working K-9 and she will be missed." ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

No abstract prepared.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Radiation-and-thermal-combined degradation of some kinds of cable insulating and jacketing materials was evaluated by accelerated aging tests. Plasticized polyvinyl chloride (PVC), silicone rubber, crosslinked and non-crosslinked halogen-free flame-retardant polyolefins (NH-XLPO and NH-PO) and ethylene-propylene rubber (EP rubber) of experimental formulation were degraded at accelerated rates, that are 50-1000 times the degradation rate under standard conditions (e.g.; 1Gy/h, 50degC), and a method to assess the lifetime of these materials under standard conditions was studied. The degradation was investigated by measuring tensile properties. In the accelerated aging tests, rates of elongation decrease owing to degradation for these materials were in proportion to the increase in accelerated rate. The PVC lifetime estimated from sequential aging tests had a tendency to extend beyond ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The resistance of six tropical hardwoods to fungal degradation by two wild-type strains of Phanerochaete chrysosporium Burdsall was investigated using vermiculite burial and wood-block weight loss techniques. Radiation-induced wood-polymer composites (WPC), based on two hardwoods Ramin and Rubberwood with methyl methacrylate, were prepared, and samples were also exposed to the wood-rotting fungus. A significant improvement in resistance to fungal decay was observed in the WPC. Scanning-electron micrographs of the two woods and their composites after fungal degradation are presented and discussed.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alloy 800 has been used for steam generator (SG) tubing for more than 30 years, primarily in CANDU reactors worldwide and in reactors in Germany. Extensive laboratory testing and in-service experience suggest that the Alloy 800 tubing has excellent resistance to corrosion-related degradation under appropriate operating conditions. In planning refurbishment of nuclear plants stations, a key concern is the longevity of existing SGs up to the 60-year lifetime of the refurbished plant. The paper reviews an existing methodology based on the concept of the improvement factor, and refines its estimation based on data specific to CANDU operating conditions. The paper presents a more advanced Bayesian probabilistic approach to estimate the degradation free lifetime distribution of Alloy 800 tubing, which is used to quantify the probability of degradation during the service life and to evaluate the impact of potential occurrences of ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Telomeres protect the chromosome ends from unscheduled DNA repair and degradation. Telomeres are heterochromatic domains composed of repetitive DNA (TTAGGG repeats) bound to an array of specialized...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We report on studies of device degradation in organic photovoltaic devices based on blends of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM). Since delamination, oxidation, and chemical interactions at the metal electrode/organic interface have long been posited as degradation pathways in organic electronic devices, we first investigated the stability of a variety of electrodes for devices stored in an inert, dark environment. Second, a set of experiments was designed to separate the effects at the metal/organic interface from the degradation of the active layer or the hole extraction interface. To do this, Ca/Al electrodes were deposited to complete half of a substrate's devices, and samples were left both under constant illumination and 10% illumination (10% duty cycle of 1 sun illumination) in a glovebox environment. After more than 200 h of measurement, additional electrodes ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The results of following the oxidative degradation of a plastic-bonded explosive (PBX 9501) are reported. Into over 1100 sealed containers were placed samples of PBX 9501 and combinations of its components and aged at relatively low temperatures to induce oxidative degradation of the samples. One of the components of the explosive is a poly(ester urethane) polymer and the oxidative degradation of the samples were following by measuring the molecular weight change of the polymer by gel permeation chromatography (coupled with both differential refractive index and multiangle laser light scattering detectors). Multiple temperatures between 40 and 64 degreeC were used to accelerate the aging of the samples. Interesting induction period behavior, along with both molecular weight increasing (cro...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Eukaryotes may influence pollutant degradation processes in groundwater ecosystems by activities such as predation on bacteria and recycling of nutrients. Culture-independent community profiling and...Full Text Available

Wastenet

added to provide resistance to UV degradation, and vulcanization control. ...Sulphur is used to vulcanize the rubber ...additives and solvents age resistors, processing aids, accelerators, vulcanizing agents, softeners and fillers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alloy 800 has been used for steam generator (SG) tubing for more than 30 years, primarily in CANDU reactors and in reactors in Germany. Extensive laboratory testing and in-service experience suggest that the Alloy 800 tubing has excellent resistance to corrosion-related degradation under specified and appropriate operating conditions. In planning refurbishment of CANDU stations, a key concern is the longevity of existing SGs up to the 60 year lifetime of the refurbished plant. The paper reviews an existing methodology based on the concept of the improvement factor, and estimates it based on experimental data specific to CANDU operating conditions. The paper presents a more advanced probabilistic approach to estimate the degradation free lifetime distribution of Alloy 800 tubing, which is used to quantify the probability of degradation during the service life and to evaluate the impact of potential occurrences of ...

Science.gov (United States)

Protein isolated from hen egg-white and functions as a bacteriostatic enzyme by degrading bacterial cell walls. First enzyme ever characterized by protein ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The average angle of repose and the packing density of random planar heaps of hard disks falling ballistically onto a sticky base line, where the first layer of disks is quenched in random positions, are computed for heaps with a small fixed number of gaps in the base layer. The results we find appear to be almost independent of the size of the heap and they agree with those obtained from computer simulations of large systems.

CERN Document Server

We study the high-energy emission of the Galactic black hole candidate GX 339-4 using INTEGRAL/SPI and simultaneous RXTE/PCA data. By the end of January 2007, when it reached its peak luminosity in hard X-rays, the source was in a bright hard state. The SPI data from this period show a good signal to noise ratio, allowing a detailed study of the spectral energy distribution up to several hundred keV. As a main result, we report on the detection of a variable hard spectral feature (>150 keV) which represents a significant excess with respect to the cutoff power law shape of the spectrum. The SPI data suggest that the intensity of this feature is positively correlated with the 25 - 50 keV luminosity of the source and the associated variability time scale is shorter than 7 hours. The simultaneous PCA data, however, show no significant change in the spectral shape, indicating that the source is not undergoing a canonical ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Micro-Vickers hardness measurement has been used to determine the composition of functionally graded materials (FGMs). Materials used in the present study are Al-SiC, Al-Shirasu and Al-Al{sub 3}Ni FGMs, which are fabricated by a centrifugal method. The micro-hardness of the aluminum matrix for Al-SiC FGM markedly increases as the volume fraction of SiC particles increases. However, the tendency is not so clear in the cases of Al-Shirasu and Al-Al{sub 3}Ni FGMs. Plastic strain energy due to thermal misfits between the matrix and dipersed particles is calculated based on an elasto-plastic analysis by applying a shell theory after Lee et al. The hardness is correlated theoretically with the composition gradient through the mean plastic strain energy (responsible for dislocation density). It is concluded that the composition gradient of metal-based FGMs can be determined from micro-hardness measurements. ...

CERN Document Server

We examine the accretion properties in a sample of 42 hard (3-60keV) X-ray selected nearby broad-line AGNs. The energy range in the sample is harder than that usually used in the similar previous studies. These AGNs are mainly complied from the RXTE All Sky Survey (XSS), and complemented by the released INTEGRAL AGN catalog. The black hole masses, bolometric luminosities of AGN, and Eddington ratios are derived from their optical spectra in terms of the broad H$\\beta$ emission line. The tight correlation between the hard X-ray (3-20keV) and bolometric/line luminosity is well identified in our sample. Also identified is a strong inverse Baldwin relationship of the H$\\beta$ emission line. In addition, all these hard X-ray AGNs are biased toward luminous objects with high Eddington ratio (mostly between 0.01 to 0.1) and low column density ($<10^{22} \\mathrm{cm^{-2}}$), which is most likely due to the selection effect of ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Degradation of cellulosics or starch in alkaline solution produces mostly organic acids which are monocarboxylic in nature. Seven of the organic acids have been identified as formic, acetic, glycolic, lactic, 2-hydroxybutyric, 2-hydroxyisobutyric and 2-hydroxyvaleric acids. In total, their yields amount to 41-46% of starting material weight.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The organization of lin genes and IS6100 was studied in three strains of Sphingomonas paucimobilis (B90A, Sp+, and UT26) which degraded hexachlorocyclohexane...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asialoorosomucoid (ASOR) is internalized and degraded by HepG2 cells after binding to the asialoglycoprotein (ASGP) receptor, internalization through the coated pit/coated vesicle pathway, and trafficking to lysosomes. Primaquine, an 8-aminoquinoline antimalarial compound, inhibits ASOR degradation at concentrations greater than 0.2 mM by neutralizing intracellular acid compartments. This leads to alterations in surface receptor number, receptor-ligand dissociation, and receptor recycling. We have investigated the effects of primaquine on 125I-ASOR uptake and degradation as a function of primaquine concentration and duration of exposure. Concentrations below those required for neutralization of acidic compartments block 125I-ASOR degradation in HepG2 cells and lead to intracellular ligand accumulation. This effect is maximal at 80 microM primaquine. The intracellular 125I-ASOR is undegraded, dissociated ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

It was shown that the incorporation of "1"4C-linoleic acid in cerebrosides of normal and psoriatic human skin is different. In psoriatic epidermis and corium the turnover of this fatty acid is significantly elevated. It is suggested that in psoriasis the epidermal cell is not able to build up a regular carbohydrate sequences of lipids because the false carbohydrate chain activates the degradation of glycolipids and in compensating for the increased degradation raises the synthesis rate of glycolipids. (orig./MG).

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

In this study we show the effect of anti-sulfatide (RmAb) antibodies and inflammatory cytokines, TNF-α and IFN-γ in inducing myelin basic protein (MBP) degradation in myelin...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Radiation-and-thermal-combined degradation of ethylene-propylene rubber (EP rubber) and chlorosulfonated polyethylene (CSM) as cable insulating and jacketing materials were evaluated by accelerated aging tests and a method to assess the lifetime of these materials under practical application was studied. EP rubber and CSM of experimental formulation were degraded at accelerated rates, that are 50 [approx] 1000 times the degradation rate under a standard condition (1Gy/h, 50degC). The degradation was investigated by measuring the tensile properties. In the accelerated aging tests, rates of elongation decrease owing to degradation for both EP rubber and CSM were in proportion to increase in accelerated rate. Behaviors of elongation changes showed little difference with accelerated rate. EP rubber lifetime estimated from sequential aging test had a tendency to extend beyond that from ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In order to clarify the alkali-resistance of fibers to be utilized as reinforcing materials for concrete, such as glass fiber, Aramid fiber, and carbon fiber, accelerated aging tests in alkaline solution were conducted. In detail, the degree of degradation of the fracture strength and Young's modulus were investigated through static tensile strength tests after soaking in alkaline solution of these fibers and then the mechanism of degradation was examined by observation using a scanning electron microscope. The conclusion obtained was as follows. Glass fiber was easily degraded in the alkaline solution and the progress of degradation was simulated quantitatively by the method proposed in this paper, which was based on a diffusion theory. Both Aramid fiber and carbon fiber showed a significant alkali-resistance without degrading. The reaction of glass fiber with alkaline ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The effects of gate and drain bias stresses on thin film transistors fabricated in polysilicon films crystallized using the advanced sequential lateral solidification excimer laser annealing (SLS ELA) process, which yields very elongated polysilicon grains and allows the fabrication of TFTs without grain boundary barriers to current flow, are investigated as a function of the active layer thickness and of the TFT orientation relative to the grains. The application of hot carrier stress, with a condition of V_G_S = V_D_S/2, was determined to induce threshold voltage, subthreshold swing and transconductance degradation for TFTs in thicker polysilicon films and the associated stress-induced increase in the active layer trap density was evaluated. However, this device degradation was drastically reduced for TFTs fabricated in ultra-thin films. Furthermore, the application of the same stress condition to TFTs oriented vertically to the elongated ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Two series of diffusion tests were performed to examine the degradation of dichloromethane (DCM) as it diffuses through clay. The first series showed the use of a synthetic leachate with no significant initial bacterial population diffusing through a plug of intact clay; there was an induction period of 95--135 d, during which diffusion was as expected in the absence of degradation, followed by a second stage, where degradation occurred with an apparent half-life of less than 55 d at a temperature of 24 C. The second series of tests examined the diffusion of an actual leachate from the Keele Valley Landfill (KVL) (which provided both nutrients and a source of bacteria), through a compacted clay. In these tests, the induction period was reduced to 40--60 d, after which the apparent half-life was 20 d or less at 27 C. The diffusion coefficient for DCM was approximately 8 {times} 10{sup {minus}10} m{sup 2}/s, with partitioning ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

In the paper, the effect of Ni content, WC grain size and Mo2C addition on WC-6.25wt%TiC-9.3wt%Ni cemented carbide were investigated to improve the properties of Ni-bonded cemented carbides. The results show that the decrease of Ni content will result in the decrease of transverse rupture strength and increase of hardness; with the decrease of WC particle size, hardness increases due to the refinement of WC grains, however, the transverse rupture strength decrease due to the decrease of Ni binder thickness; Mo2C proves to be an effective grain growth inhibitor. With the increase of Mo2C content, the WC grains are refined and the hardness and transverse rupture strength are improved. Generally, when the Ni content is decreased to 8.4wt%, 13.45mm WC is used and 1.2wt% Mo2C is added, a higher...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A study of the influence of the concentration of secondary addition, high concentrations of primary dopant, diffusion enhancer and stabilizer on radiation hardness is presented. It is concluded that the diffusion enhancing technique is the most powerful method for improving radiation hardness. A new polystyrene scintillator which contains 2% pT, 0.02% POPOP, 20% diffusion enhancer and 0.02% stabilizer gave 91% of initial light output immediately after 3 Mrad irradiation in air. Data are presented that show that scintillator prepared from commercial polymer is more radiation-hard and has greater light output than scintillator prepared from monomer. It is assumed that this difference is due to different molecular weight distributions. Some protocols for acceleration of aging (yellowing and crazing) are presented. It is shown that one of the main reasons for aging of plastic scintillators is residual monomer. 10 refs., 18 ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Molecular dynamics simulations have been carried out of the radial distribution function of the hard sphere fluid for a range of densities in the equilibrium fluid and just into the metastable region. The first derivative of the hard-sphere radial distribution function at contact was computed and its density dependence fitted to a simple analytic form. Comparisons were made with semi-empirical formulae from the literature, and of these the formula proposed by Tao et al (1992 Phys. Rev. A 46 8007) was found to be in best agreement with the simulation data, although it slightly underestimates the derivative at the higher packing fractions in excess of about 0.45. Close to contact, within a few per cent of the particle diameter, the radial distribution function can be represented well by a second order polynomial. An exponential function, which has some useful analytic features, can also be applied in this region.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The introduction of tolerance to radiation (''radiation-hardness'') into large electronic systems is one of the major tasks to which this Handbook will be put. The practices recommended here for inculcating radiation-tolerance in equipment require advanced physical modeling techniques, precise engineering procedures, and firm assurance procedures. The degree to which these procedures should be used in an equipment project can be measured by the severity of the raw radiation environment, the desired reliability of the system, and the requirement of that project for radiation-sensitive technologies. The balance of device/circuit design versus shielding will depend on whether the radiation is highly penetrating -- as in isotope handling or military environments -- or readily attenuated, as in space. In this chapter the authors have attempted to summarize the essential features of the radiation hardening of large assemblies of equipment and how effective control of ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leptonic pair production on nuclei ad EMC-effect are discussed within the frames of the flucton model with scaling distortion. Cumulative production of direct photons and leptonic pairs as a test of the model of hard collisions is considered. The results of calculations of massive leptonic pair production cross sections on nucleus fluctons, caculations of the ratio of deuterium and iron structural functions, cross sections of direct photon production on sup(181)Ta nuclei at Esub(p)=400 GeV and cross section of #pi#-meson production in the model of hard collisions are presented. Experimental discovery of direct cumulative photons is concluded to be important for understanding the mechanism of parton hard scattering from nucleus fluctons.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Trichloroethene (TCE), a common groundwater contaminant, can be degraded under certain conditions by microorganisms that occur naturally in the subsurface. TCE can be degraded under anaerobic conditions to less chlorinated compounds and ultimately into the non-chlorinated, non-hazardous end product, ethene, via anaerobic reductive dechlorination (ARD). ARD is widely recognized as a TCE degradation mechanism, and occurs in active groundwater remediation and can occur during monitored natural attenuation (MNA). MNA relies on natural processes, such as dispersion and degradation, to reduce contaminant concentrations to acceptable levels without active human intervention other than monitoring. TCE can also be biodegraded under aerobic conditions via cometabolism, in which microbial enzymes produced for other purposes fortuitously also react with TCE. In cometabolism, TCE is oxidized directly to ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

A stiff skin forms on surface areas of a flat polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) upon exposure to focused ion beam (FIB) leading to ordered surface wrinkles. By controlling the FIB fluence and area of exposure...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

These sky images are scanned for point sources above a specified ... The threshold criteria are: a) Gold: >4 sigma in both the Soft AND Hard bands. b) Silver: ... Filtering: Currently, there is no plan for filtering within the GCN based ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

ObjectivesPericardial tamponade after cardiac surgery is difficult to diagnose, thereby rendering timing of rethoracotomy hard. We aimed at identifying factors predicting the outcome...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Plasma nitriding in glow discharge is a process of modifying surface properties of a material by which surface hardness, corrosion resistance, fatigue strength etc. of a material can be improved

Science.gov (United States)

This report discusses the following topics on superconductivity: nonlinearities in hard superconductors such as surface impedance of a type II superconductimg half space and harmonic generation and intermodulation due to alternating transport currents; and nonlinearities in superconducting weak links such as harmonic generation by a long Josephson Junction in a superconducting slab.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Excimer laser processing enables both thermally-driven transformations and the incorporation of solutes into the surface of materials through melting and diffusional mixing. We have examined the effect of excimer laser processing on the microstructure and surface mechanical properties of titanium alloys. Changes in the surface hardness due to laser processing were studied using a Nanoindenter [trademark]. Alloying experiments using both mixing of evaporated surface layers of boron and laser gas alloying in air and in nitrogen all result in changes in the surface hardness of the material. Alloying with boron results in an amorphous surface which is somewhat harder than the as polished surface. Laser processing in air and pure nitrogen results in incorporation of oxygen and nitrogen and the development of fine ([approximately] 50 nm) precipitates of TiO and TiN respectively. Substantial increases in surface hardness result ...

Science.gov (United States)

The October 2000 terrorist attack on the guided-missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67) in the port of Aden, Yemen, is commonly viewed in the larger context of al-Qa'ida's September 11th campaign. Beyond the initial official investigations, the military force...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

An ex-employee's claims that inadequate enforcement of radiation safety regulations allowed excess radiation exposure thereby causing his deteriorating health was not substantiated by a thorough investigation.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundA goal of human genetics is to discover genetic factors that influence individuals' susceptibility to common diseases. Most common diseases are thought to result from the...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

68 replaced carbon steel piping in secondary system of pressurized water reactor (PWR) has been investigated by visual examination for checking thinning conditions. It is well known that the flow-accelerated corrosion (FAC) was inhibited by traces of Cr in steel. Therefore, the chemical compositions of those steels have been measured. In addition, the micro structure and hardness of those steels have been investigated. And the relationship between those material variables and FAC rate was considered. As the results, (1) The Cr contents in those steels were below 0.1 wt% except one sample. Minute quantities of chromium increase the resistance against FAC. But the water velocity was thought to be the dominant factor rather than chemical composition in steel, at least such as below 0.1%Cr. (2) Hardness of all piping has been satisfied the specifications of each materials. The hardness of steels was not correlated with wall ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The adhesive proteins secreted by marine mussels form a natural glue that cures rapidly to form strong and durable bonds in aqueous environments. These mussel adhesive proteins contain an unusual...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Laser surface alloying with gaseous nitrogen was utilized to improve the wear resistance of a Ti-6Al-4V alloy. Wear-resistant composite coatings reinforced by hard TiN dendrites were produced 'in-situ' on a substrate of a Ti-6Al-4V alloy. The hardness and wear resistance of the laser alloyed coating under two-body abrasive and block-on-ring full-sliding wear conditions were significantly enhanced. (orig.)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A flow field and particle trajectory in a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) between two rotating disks in axisymmetric enclosures is investigated using CFD code FLUENT/UNS. The RNG k-{epsilon} model is used as a turbulent model. In this study, the flow field between two disks are symmetric, and the flow field near the enclosure is very complex. Cross stream vectors are shown both for blowing and no blowing from the hub. The larger a particle, the more fast the particle deposits at the walls. In the case of blowing from the hub, the more fast the particle deposits at the walls. (author). 9 refs., 12 figs., 1 tab.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wood-plastic combination (WPC) was produced by #gamma#-irradiation of persimmon impregnated with acrylonitrile and styrene. The hardness and strength of WPC obtained were higher than those of an unmodified wood. Thus, it was found that the WPC is suited for a head of golf club, because the Shore hardness value of WPC is 36% greater than that of unmodified wood. An impregnation method of monomers with some pigments could produce colored WPC without diminishing natural grain. Head of golf club could be manufactured from colored WPC in practice. (auhtor).

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glow discharge plasma nitriding of AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel has been carried out for different processing time under optimum discharge conditions established by spectroscopic analysis. The treated samples were analysed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) to explore the changes induced in the crystallographic structure. The XRD pattern confirmed the formation of an expanded austenite phase (#gamma#_N) owing to incorporation of nitrogen as an interstitial solid solution in the iron lattice. A Vickers microhardness tester was used to evaluate the surface hardness as a function of indentation depth (#mu#m). The results showed clear evidence of surface changes with substantial increase in surface hardness.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The distributions of the effective numbers of 6q-fluctons in the energy, momentum and distance to the center of mass of nucleus are studied. Many characteristics of these distributions are shown to be universal, i.e. independent of the flucton size. The saturation of the flucton density in A > 80 nuclei and other peculiarities are found, which define different behavior of the effective numbers of fluctons and deuterons. This fact provides an explanation of the known underestimate by a factor of 1.5-6 of the cross sections of hard inclusive (p, p'd) process on nuclei calculated in the quasi-elastic approximation.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The efficiency of NbC on WC grain coarsening in a WC-10wt.%Co hardmetal alloy was demonstrated by hardness measurement and WC granulation observation. The heterogeneous and overall grain growth were controlled. A low temperature experimentally produced NbC was used and compared to the inhibition potential of a commercial NbC powder. The results were the same in terms of structural fineness and hardness. The dispersion of the experimental NbC was not a problem, in spite of its size. The experimental NbC has very large particles, formed by agglomerates of small crystallites. During milling these agglomerates could be broken down. (orig.)

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Wild and tissue cultured plants of Portulaca grandiflora Hook. have shown to be able to decolorize a sulfonated diazo dye Navy Blue HE2R (NBHE2R) up to 98% in 40h. A significant induction in the activities of lignin peroxidase, tyrosinase and DCIP reductase was observed in the roots during dye decolorization. The wild plants and tissue cultures could independently decolorize and degrade NBHE2R into metabolites viz. N-benzylacetamide and 6-diazenyl-4-hydroxynaphthalene-2-sulfonic acid. A dye mixture and a textile effluent were also decolorized efficiently by P. grandiflora. The phytotoxicity study revealed reduction in the toxicity due to metabolites formed after dye degradation.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Chemical modification of poly(?-caprolactone) PCL by oxidation with potassium permanganate in solution was investigated. According to the data obtained from Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and nuclear magnetic resonance 1H NMR, after the oxidation reactions the PCL chains exhibited new functional groups (vinyl and hydroxyl) and possible intermolecular recombination, producing an oxidized-polycaprolactone (PCL-OX). Solution viscometry indicated that degradation also occurred during the oxidation reactions (30% drop in viscosity average molecular weight was detected). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) also indicated that PCL was chemically modified and degraded. The successive self-nucleation/annealing (SSA) treatment confirmed that a reduction (or interruption) in line...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

MCrAlY coatings are widely used on hot section components of gas turbines to provide hot corrosion and/or oxidation protection by formation of an oxide layer on the surface. As the protective oxide scale exfoliates during service, aluminum from the coating diffuses outward for reformation of the protective scale. Aluminum may also diffuse inward due to the differences in composition between the coating and the substrate. Thus, the coatings degrade due to oxidation, oxide scale spallation, and inward and outward diffusion of aluminum. Service life of these coatings is controlled by the aluminum content in the coating, operating temperature and start- shutdown cycles. In-service degradation of CoCrAlY and CoNiCrAlY coatings is presented. A procedure to predict the remaining service life of coatings under oxidizing conditions is discussed. (orig.) 12 refs.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Biodegradable helicoidal stent prototypes made up of layers of poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) and poly(L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) polymers were fabricated by temperature conditioning the stents at different stages of fabrication. The process incorporated elastic memory, or self-expandability in the stent, which is desirable to minimize stent recoil. The collapse pressures of such stents were studied, with and without in vitro degradation. The effects of thickness and the composition of each layer on the collapse pressure were modeled using the simple series model. Results of the in vitro studies for over 3 months showed that collapse pressure of the stents depended mainly on the degradation and other side-effects brought about by the degradation of different polymer compositions. General...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Recently, we have found the anomalous degradation of electrical performance in silicon solar cells irradiated with charged particles in a high-fluence region. This anomalous phenomenon has two typical features, which are sudden-drop-down of electrical performances in a high-fluence region and slight recovery of the short circuit current I{sub SC} just before the sudden-drop-down. These features cannot be understood by a conventional model coming from the decrease of minority-carriers life-time. We introduce this anomalous degradation of the electrical performance in Si solar cells irradiated with electrons or protons. We also report the result of simulation for the fluence dependence of the I{sub SC}, and discuss the mechanism of this anomalous phenomenon. (author)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Experience with multiwire proportional chambers at high rates at the Argonne Zero Gradient Synchrotron is described. A buildup of silicon on the sense wires was observed where the beam passed through the chamber. Analysis of the chamber gas indicated that the density of silicon was probably less than 10 ppM.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

We previously reported that acetaminophen (APAP) caused apoptosis of C6 glioma cells. Therefore, we hypothesized that the level of p53, which usually stimulates apoptosis, might be increased...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chemoheterotrophic thermophilic bacteria were used to achieve enhanced hydrocarbon degradation during slurry-phase treatment of oily waste sludges from petroleum refinery operations. Aerobic and anaerobic bacterial cultures were examined under thermophilic conditions to assess the effects of mode of metabolism on the potential for petroleum hydrocarbon degradation. The study determined that both aerobic and anaerobic thermophilic bacteria are capable of growth on petroleum hydrocarbons. Thermophilic methanogenesis is feasible during the degradation of hydrocarbons when a strict anaerobic condition is achieved in a slurry bioreactor. Aerobic thermophilic bacteria achieved the largest apparent reduction in chemical oxygen demand, freon extractable oil, total and volatile solid,s and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) when treating oily waste sludges. The observed shift with time in the molecular weight distribution of ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

BackgroundIn Arabidopsis, INDOLE-3-BUTYRIC ACID RESPONSE5 (IBR5), a putative dual-specificity protein phosphatase,...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

In many dinoflagellate species, the plastid genome has been proposed to exist as a limited number of single-gene minicircles, and many genes normally found in the plastid genome are nuclear-encoded....Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The stability of prothrombin and factor VII was studied using accelerated degradation tests in three preparations of freeze-dried pooled normal plasmas. In a previous report (Brozović, Gurd,...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

This study investigated the feasibility of a slow-release inoculation approach as a bioaugmentation strategy for the degradation of lindane (γ-hexachlorocyclohexane [γ-HCH]). Slow-release...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

By pretreating simian virus 40-infected BSC-1 cells with glucosamine, [³H]uridine labeling of both cellular and viral RNA can be halted instantaneously by addition of cold uridine. We have...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Deforestation is rapidly transforming primary forests across the tropics into human-dominated landscapes. Consequently, conservationists need to understand how different taxa respond and adapt to these...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The ubiquitin–proteasome pathway is the principal system for extralysosomal protein degradation in eukaryotic cells, and is essential for the regulation and maintenance of basic cellular processes,...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

1. The proteolytic enzyme pronase, which degrades the endothelial cell glycocalyx, was perfused through single capillaries of frog mesentery. Hydraulic conductivity (Lp) of each vessel was determined...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

We investigated nutrient limitations during hydrocarbon degradation in a sandy soil and found that fixed nitrogen was initially a limiting nutrient but that N limitation could sometimes be overcome...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Microorganisms in the environment can often adapt to use xenobiotic chemicals as novel growth and energy substrates. Specialized enzyme systems and metabolic pathways for the degradation of man-made...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Both DOE and DOD use water and/or steam in the process of removing high explosives, resulting in large quantities of contaminated water, which is then run through activated carbon, which then has to be decontaminated. Research has been underway to utilize microorganisms to degrade RDX and HMX.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Two gram-negative, motile bacteria isolated from deep subsurface sediments mineralized the nitrogen-containing polyaromatic hydrocarbon quinoline under aerobic conditions and transformed quinoline to...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Myosin phosphatase target subunit 1 (MYPT1) is the regulatory subunit of myosin light chain phosphatase (MLCP). It plays a critical role in vasodilatation induced by cGMP-elevating agents such as nitric...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In this paper the authors show the means putting in place for examination of steam generators tubes. These means (eddy current probes, ultrasonic testing) associated with a knowledge on degradation phenomena allow mapping controlled tubes and limiting undesirable obturations.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Laboratory studies investigated the influence of dissolved oxygen tension (DOT) on microbial degradation of hexadecane in cultures with sediment-seawater suspensions. With a fermentor system, it was...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

Chlorinated organics are frequently found as harmful soil contaminants and persisted for extended periods of time. A novel approach, named pulsed corona discharge plasma (PCDP), was employed for the degradation of pentachlorophenol (PCP) in soil. Experimental results showed that 87% of PCP could be smoothly removed in 60 min. Increasing pulse voltage, enhancing soil pH, lowering humic acid (HA) in soil and reducing granular size of the soil were found to be favorable for PCP degradation efficiency. Oxidation and physical processes simultaneously contributed to PCP removal in soil and ozone was the main factor in PCDP treatment. C-Cl bonds in PCP were cleaved during PCDP treatment by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. The mineralization of PCP was confirmed by total organic carbon (TOC) and dechlorination analyses. The main intermediate products such as tetrachlorocatechol, tetrachlorohydroquinone, acetic acid, formic acid, ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Microbial degradation of aromatic hydrocarbons has been studied with the aim of developing applications for the removal of toxic compounds. Efforts have been directed toward the genetic manipulation...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Degradation reactions of a nylon 6 battery separator material have been studied in 4-34% aqueous KOH electrolytes at 35/sup 0/-110/sup 0/C. In a Ni/Cd cell, this degradation involves a slow hydrolysis reaction followed by fast electrochemical oxidations of the hydrolysis reaction products. Arrhenius activation energy of the hydrolysis reaction in 34% KOH was 20.0 +- 0.3 kcal/mole. A plot of the hydrolysis rate at 100/sup 0/C vs. hydroxyl ion concentration gave a rate maximum at about 16% KOH, and the mechanism for this effect is discussed. Electrochemical oxidations of the hydrolysis product, 6-aminocaproate ion, appear to proceed rapidly in several sequential steps at a nickel oxide electrode. In a Ni/Cd cell, the combination of nylon separator hydrolysis followed by electrochemical oxidation of the products can seriously degrade the battery lifetime. The rate of the hydrolysis of nylon 66 separator material was ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Sphingomonas (formerly Pseudomonas) paucimobilis UT26 utilizes γ-hexachlorocyclohexane (γ-HCH), a halogenated organic insecticide,...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) has been used extensively against agricultural pests and in public health programs for the control of mosquitoes. Commercial formulations of HCH consist of a mixture of four...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

Boron (B) is an essential plant micronutrient that is toxic at higher levels. NIP5;1 is a boric acid channel required for B uptake and growth under B deficiency. Accumulation of the NIP5;1 transcript is upregulated under B deficiency in Arabidopsis thaliana roots. To elucidate the mechanism of regulation, the 5' untranslated region (UTR) of NIP5;1 was tested for its ability to confer B-dependent regulation using ?-glucuronidase and green fluorescent protein as reporters. This analysis showed that the 5' UTR was involved in NIP5;1 transcript accumulation in response to B conditions. We also found that high-B conditions trigger NIP5;1 mRNA degradation and that the sequence from +182 to +200 bp in the 5' UTR is required for this mRNA destabilization. In the nip5;1-1 mutant background, a NIP5;1 complementation construct without the 5' UTR produced high levels of mRNA accumulation, increased B concentrations in tissues, and reduced growth under high-B conditions. These ...

Science.gov (United States)

Biodegradation/solubilization of coal is described. The degradation of dibenzothiophene by two bacterial strains is reported. The effects of adding salicylate to the treatments was also investigated. 2 figs., 5 tabs. (CBS)

Science.gov (United States)

In biotechnology, acrylamide is being used in DNA and RNA analysis using the polyacrylamide gel electrophoreses procedure. Polymerized acrylamide is degraded into acrylamide through time; it is converted into a hazardous contaminant that is carcinogenic and neurotoxic to animals and humans. Because ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The behavior of the superconducting transition temperature T/sub c/ of single-crystal and polycrystalline V_3Si was investigated as a function of low-fluence neutron irradiation. It is found that the initial degradation of T/sub c/ is sample-dependent, some specimens showing no degradation in T/sub c/ up to a fluence of 2 x 10"1"8 n/cm"2. This and many other earlier observations on low-fluence behavior are explained in terms of a recently proposed model of radiation damage in A-15 compounds.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Non-thermal plasma treatment is a promising technique for the destruction of volatile organic compounds in waste gas. A relatively unexplored technique is the atmospheric negative dc multi-pin-to-plate glow discharge. This paper reports experimental results of allyl alcohol degradation and ozone production in this type of plasma. A new model was developed to describe these processes quantitatively. The model contains a detailed chemical degradation scheme, and describes the physics of the plasma by assuming that the fraction of electrons that takes part in chemical reactions is an exponential function of the reduced field. The model captured the experimental kinetic data to less than 2 ppm standard deviation.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Inactivation of aflatoxin B1 was studied by using gamma radiation and hydrogen peroxide. A 100-krad dose of gamma radiation was sufficient to inactivate 50 micrograms of aflatoxin B1 in the presence of 5% hydrogen peroxide, and 400 krad was required for total degradation of 100 micrograms of aflatoxin in the same system. Degradation of aflatoxin B1 was confirmed by high-pressure liquid chromatographic and thin-layer chromatographic analysis. Ames microsomal mutagenicity test showed loss of aflatoxin activity. This method of detoxification also reduces the toxin levels effectively in artificially contaminated groundnuts.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The radiation degradation behavior of three commercial polyvinyl chloride (PVC) materials has been investigated. All three exhibit an interesting reversal in the trend of the tensile strength part way through the aging experiment: the tensile strength first drops, then rises. The early drop is associated with oxidative scission; the rise is associated with crosslinking and is preceded by the material reaching the gel point. It was also found that the tensile elongation tended to level out in advanced stages of aging with the leveling-out values dependent on the dose rate. These phenomena pose complications for the design of accelerated aging tests.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Global climate policy initiatives are now being proposed to compensate tropical forest nations for reducing carbon emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD). These proposals have the potential to include developing countries more actively in international greenhouse gas mitigation and to address a substantial share of the world's emissions which come from tropical deforestation. For such a policy to be viable it must have a credible benchmark against which emissions reduction can be calculated. This benchmark, sometimes termed a baseline or reference emissions scenario, can be based directly on historical emissions or can use historical emissions as input for business as usual projections. Here, we review existing data and methods that could be used to measure historical deforestation and forest degradation reference scenarios including FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations) national statistics and ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We have investigated the effect of plasma nitriding and plasma nitrocarburizing on the microstructure and properties of electroplated chromium. Plasma nitriding and plasma nitrocarburizing are applied to 15-100 [mu]m thick electroplated hard chromium coatings to increase both the wear and the corrosion resistance. The properties of the plasma-modified hard chromium layers are characterized by measuring the wear resistance with a Taber wear tester and the corrosion resistance with a salt spray fog test. Cyclic voltammetry is performed in a standard electrochemical cell using a 0.5 M H[sub 2]SO[sub 4] solution acidified to pH 0.3. The compound layer after plasma nitriding consists of CrN and Cr[sub 2]N with a maximum hardness of about 1100 HK[sub 0.01]. After plasma nitrocarburizing, Cr[sub 3]C[sub 2] and Cr[sub 7]C[sub 3] are formed. After plasma nitrocarburizing, the maximum hardness is increased up to ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Diamond-like carbon thin films for tribological applications were deposited by d.c.-magnetron sputtering of a graphite target in a pure argon atmosphere or in a reactive hydrogen or methane atmosphere at pressures between 0.1 and 1 Pa in a graded constitution to improve adhesion and reduce residual stress. The temperature of the metallic, carbon- and ceramic-like substrates was below 100 C. The mechanical, thermal, electronic and optical properties of the carbon thin films show a significant dependence on the ion energy. Below 220 eV, strongly adherent black conductive films with hardness values up to 2000 HV0.05 were obtained. Hard and superhard diamond-like carbon thin films were deposited in an energy range between 220 and 370 eV with hardness values up to 4000 HV0.05. They are insulating, optically transparent and show a high degree of hardness combined with high compressive stress in the order of 4 ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sintered glass-ceramics were produced from coal fly ashes, red mud from aluminum production and silica fume. The capabilities of Tuncbilek fly ash and a mixture of Orhaneli fly ash, red mud and silica fume to be vitrified and devitrified by sintering process were investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. To determine the effect of binder in the sintering technique, glass powders were pressed without or with the addition of polyvinyl alcohol. Owing to microstructural observations, density and hardness measurements, it can be said that physical properties and the hardness of the produced samples strongly depended on the crystallization degree of the samples. Toxicity characteristic leaching procedure test results showed that glass-ceramic samples produced by using sintering technique could be considered as nonhazardous materials. Chemical durability of the sintered glass-ceramic samples was also good. ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A systematic study was made on MoSi{sub 2}-based nanolayer coatings. Alternating layers with thickness 1-20 nm were prepared by sputtering. Nitrided MoSi{sub 2} has a very high crystallization temperature, >1000 C, and MoSi{sub 2}Nx (x=3-4) can be used as a stable second phase reinforcement or diffusion barrier coatings. Mechanical properties depend strongly on phase and morphology of the layers: hardness and modulus is significantly increased in the crystallization. The nanolayers have much higher hardness but lower modulus (which project higher toughness in the nanolayers). Wear resistance is improved with decreasing layer thickness. Single phase MoSi{sub 2}Nx (x=0-4.2) has a wide range of hardness and modulus with varying N content and annealing, suggesting the possibility of engineering MoSi{sub 2}Nx to produce different material properties for different mechanical applications. Most of this paper is made up of ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

An experimental evaluation of the Fano factor F in silicon at hard X-ray energies (5.9-136.5 keV) has been performed by means of a low-noise, high charge collection efficiency silicon drift detector with on-chip electronics. A dependence of F from the detector temperature as well as from the energy of the X-ray photons has been found. Assuming a pair creation energy equal to 3.64 eV, at +20 deg. C the F factor was observed to vary from 0.124{+-}0.006 at 5.9 keV up to 0.159{+-}0.002 at 122 keV. At -35 deg. C, the change of F with respect to the photon energy was less remarkable but nevertheless statistically significant, from 0.123{+-}0.002 at 5.9 keV up to 0.134{+-}0.001 at 122 keV. To our knowledge, the present results represent the first experimental evidence of an energy dependence of the Fano factor in silicon at hard X-ray energies.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The plastic displacements around Knoop indentations made in hard titanium/aluminum multilayered films on soft aluminum alloy substrates have been studied. Indentations were cross-sectioned and imaged using the focused-ion-beam (FIB) milling and high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. The FIB milling method has the advantage of removing material in a localized region without producing mechanical damage to the specimen. The micrographs of the cross-sectioned indentations indicate that most of the plastic deformation around the indentation is dominated by the soft aluminum substrate. There is a very small change in the multilayered film thickness around the indentation{emdash}less than 10{percent}. The plastic deformation of the thin film resembles a membrane being deflected by a localized pressure gradient across the membrane. Stress-induced voids are also observed in the multilayered film, especially in the area around the indentation apex. ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The effects of key metallurgical variables on the low fluence hardening in a set of A533B model steels were evaluated over a wide range of irradiation temperatures. Above about 163 degrees C hardening increased with higher copper and nickel contents, as is typical of the pressure vessel operating regime around 290 degrees C. However, at 121 degrees C the hardening was generally lower and unaffected by copper and nickel variations. This observation of decreased hardening with lower temperature (e.g. an open-quotes invertedclose quotes temperature dependence) is tentatively attributed to a reduced contribution of copper precipitation. Tensile data for a set of commercial steels with a range of (uncontrolled) compositions also showed minimal sensitivity to copper variations at 121 degrees C. Unlike the hardness data no systematic reductions in the yield stress increases were observed between 163 and 121 degrees C. However, the ultimate tensile strength did decrease at ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In this work, an attempt was made to develop a novel type of wear-resistant composite employing a TiNi alloy matrix reinforced by hard particles. Titanium carbide was chosen as the reinforcing phase because of its high hardness and TiNi alloy as the matrix due to its pseudoelasticity and good toughness. TiC particles may sustain external load, while the TiNi matrix may accommodate deformation, absorb impact energy and retain the hard particles. Such a combination is expected to lead to an enhanced wear resistance, compared to TiNi alloy. As a matter of fact, some efforts were previously made to develop TiNi-matrix composite reinforced by ceramic particles. However, the emphasis of those studies was put on effects of the reinforcing particles on the phase transformation behavior, shape memory effect and some mechanical properties of the composite; no attempt was made to explore the potential benefit of the material for wear ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The effect of severe plastic deformation by cold high pressure torsion (HPT) on radio frequency (RF) plasma nitriding of pure iron, as well as St2K50 and X5CrNi1810 steels was investigated. Nitriding was carried out for 3 h in a nitrogen atmosphere at a pressure of 10{sup -5} bar and temperatures of 350 and 400 deg. C. Nitrided specimens were analysed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction and micro hardness measurements. It was found that HPT enhances the effect of nitriding leading almost to doubling of the thickness of the nitrided layer for pure iron and the high alloyed steel. The largest increase in hardness was observed when HPT was combined with RF plasma nitriding at 350 deg. C. In the case of pure iron, the X-ray diffraction spectra showed the formation of {epsilon} and {gamma}' nitrides in the compound layer, with a preferential formation of {gamma}' at the expense of the {alpha}-phase at the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The influences of temperature and duration of tempering on hardness and microstructure were investigated at high-temperature martensitic and low-carbon steels with 9% chrome and the further alloying elements molybdenium, vanadium, niobium and partially tungsten. After austenitizing and subsequent air cooling the steels were tempered at temperatures below, at and above Ac{sub 1b} for different times and finally a hardness test was performed. Making use of the temperature dependence of the hardness tempering diagrams were constructed and the Hollomon-Jaffe-Parameter on the three steels was determined within its application limits. Micrographs of the structure shows the formation of the carbides and the martensite. At tempering temperatures below Ac{sub 1b} a decrease of hardness occurs, above Ac{sub 1b}, a hardness rise due to the partial austenitizing was obtained. While hardening ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Photoelectrochemical oxidation is a potentially interesting method for destroying toxic organic materials. We have studied the photoelectrocatalytic activity of TiO{sub 2} films made by thermal oxidation of titanium, low pressure chemical vapour deposition (LPCVD), and anodisation of titanium. Two model organic compounds have been investigated for photooxidation: methyl phosphonic acid (MPA) which is a nerve gas analogue and 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) which is a chlorinated aromatic compound considered a standard for the evaluation of the TiO{sub 2} / UV processes. In addition to photoelectrochemical characterisation the films have been characterised by profilometry, XRD, AFM, photocurrent spectroscopy and Raman microscopy. Correlations have been made between the physical properties of the thin films and their catalytic activities. The most catalytic sample of thermally oxidised titanium was prepared at 400 deg C, and the presence of anatase was shown by XRD, MPA ...

Science.gov (United States)

The kinetics of benzoate degradation by the anaerobic syntrophic bacterium, Syntrophus buswellii, was studied in coculture with Desulfovibrio strain G11. The threshold value for benzoate degradation was dependent on the acetate concentration with benzoate threshold values ranging from 2.4 [mu]M at 20 mM acetate to 30.0 [mu]M at 65 mM acetate. Increasing acetate concentrations also inhibited the rate of benzoate degradation with a apparent K[sub i] for acetate inhibition of 7.0 mM. Lower threshold values were obtained when nitrate rather than sulfate was the terminal electron acceptor. These data are consistent with a thermodynamic explanation for the threshold, and suggest that there is a minimum Gibbs free energy value required for the degradation of benzoate. An acetoacetyl-CoA thiolase has been isolated from Syntrophomonas wolfei; it is apparently a key enzyme controlling the synthesis of ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Radiation induced polymerization of methylmethacrylate and copolymerization of styrene-acrylonitrile mixture in mamrase Carpinus betulus was carried out by means of #gamma#-ray, under different moisture levels and additives. Under all conditions the degree of polymerization was as high as 60%. No pronounced differences were observed in the kinetics of the polymerization of MMA either with moisture content of wood nor with kind and amount of additives. At high moisture (80% RH) content the dimensional stability of wood-PMMA was increased four fold as compared with untreated wood. The hardness increased about 100% for a weight conversion of monomer of about 30 to 40%. Hardness of this wood-polymer composite is comparable to that of the best noble woods in the world. (author).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The NACE MR-01-75 standard imposes a restriction of 22HRC maximum for regions of a pipeline girth weld that are not in direct contact with H[sub 2]S containing environments. TWI have demonstrated in an earlier project for the Pipeline Research Committee (PRC) that it may be permissible to relax this maximum hardness requirement. Such a relaxation, which already exists in the BS4515: 1984 standard, offers potential benefits when applied to the capping pass and heat affected zone of a pipeline girth weld. This report presents additional data to supplement that obtained in a previous PRC project conducted at TWI. Further pipe materials with differing pipe wall thicknesses have been welded, exposed to an internal H[sub 2]S containing environment and examined for sulphide stress corrosion cracking.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The corrosion behavior of hard metals with VC and Cr3C2 grain growth inhibitors was investigated in alkaline solutions by electrochemical methods. The two inhibitors have opposite effects on the corrosion behavior: Cr3C2 significantly improves the corrosion behavior, whereas VC-containing alloys show a poor resistance. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) and analytical transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses of the distributions of Cr and V in the composite material, as well as in the surface layers formed during corrosion were employed to clarify the influence of these elements on the corrosion behavior. The measurements showed that VC is precipitated mostly along the WC/binder interface after the liquid-phase sintering process, while Cr3C2 is almost homogene...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) observations of the bright supernova remnant Cas A have revealed a hard power law component above 10 keV in addition to two thermal components inferred from ASCA measurements of the many line centroids from low-Z elements. The power law can be shown to be consistent with synchrotron emission from radio to hard x-rays by electrons of up to 4 x 10"1"3 eV. Measurement of the 1157 keV line by CGRO from "4"4Sc in the chain of decay of "4"4Ti predicts that the two "4"4Ti lines at 68 and 78 keV should appear at the CGRO intensity. RXTE has placed upper limits on such lines that are marginally consistent with the CGRO measurement. Implications of these results on sites for cosmic ray acceleration and nucleosynthesis are discussed.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In the present investigation, the properties of plasma nitrided AISI 304 steel were studied by changing the presence of nitrogen in the gas mixture. The plasma nitriding was performed at temperature -560 deg C, pressure -4 mbar and duration 24 hours. The nitrided samples were characterized by evaluating the phase composition, micro hardness, and diffusion layer thickness. The phase analysis indicates the mixed phases of CrN and Fe_3N, Fe_3N and Fe_4N which has the highest intensity. The results show the glow discharge plasma nitriding in presence of N_2 (80 vol. %) and H_2 (rest) produced higher hardness as well as higher case depth. (author)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

With the aim of optimizing the nitriding process, experimental studies of the plasma nitriding of four selected steels were carried out, using a d.c. glow discharge. The process parameters were varied systematically. By means of transmission and scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction, the microstructures, including the thicknesses of the compound zones and the diffusion zones of the nitrided steels, were obtained. Using cross-sectional samples and a micro-Vickers indenter, hardness depth profiles were also obtained. From the time and temperature dependences of the hardness profiles, effective diffusion constants and corresponding activation enthalpies were obtained. Furthermore, in an attempt to shed some light on the atomistic nitriding mechanisms, the glow discharges were studied by measuring energy spectra of the energetic ions hitting the cathode (the steel test specimens). It was shown that an increase of the mean energy of the ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Given the important role of parent-youth communication in adolescent well-being and quality of life, we sought to examine the relationship between specific communication variables and youth perceived quality of life in general and as a deaf or hard-of-hearing (DHH) individual. A convenience sample of 230 youth (mean age = 14.1, standard deviation = 2.2; 24% used sign only, 40% speech only, and 36% sign + speech) was surveyed on communication-related issues, generic and DHH-specific quality of life, and depression symptoms. Higher youth perception of their ability to understand parents' communication was significantly correlated with perceived quality of life as well as lower reported depressive symptoms and lower perceived stigma. Youth who use speech as their single mode of communication ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Magnetic properties of Fe-Co-Mo-Cu-B alloy system with Co up to 26at.% were investigated. After proper thermal treatment, the nanocrystalline grain remains tiny, the density hardly increases, but the room-temperature saturation attains 1.5T mainly due to a high enough Curie temperature. The generally observed slant hysteresis loops point to ribbon surfaces, which stress the ribbon interior and induce a specific magnetoelastic contribution to hard-ribbon-axis magnetic anisotropy even after vacuum annealing. The effect does not come from cobalt but rather from the lack of silicon. Partial removal of the surfaces resulted in a decrease of the loop tilt.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

A test bench was designed and assembled to carry out impact tests on samples and components. The system allows simple and rapid adjustment of the test parameters, such as the shot size and air pressure, with good repeatability of the results. Tests on steel and light alloys were carried out under both as-produced condition and on thin hard-coated samples. Significant reductions in dimple dimensions were seen after coating. FE models simulating the experiments overestimated the dimple depths, although the parameter trend was satisfactorily captured. The residual stresses from coating and shot peening determined numerically are believed to have been proven effective against fatigue.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Effect of oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fiber and poly(methyl acrylate) grafted OPEFB on several mechanical properties of poly(vinyl chloride)/epoxidized natural rubber (PVC/ENR) blends were studied. The composites were prepared by mixing the fiber and the PVC/ENR blends using HAKEE Rheomixer at the rotor speed of 50 rpm, mixing temperature 150degreeC, and mixing period of 20 min. The fiber loadings were varied from 0 to 30% and the effect of fiber content in the composites on their ultimate tensile strength (UTS), Youngs modulus, elongation at break, flexural modulus, hardness, and impact strength were determined. An increasing trend was observed in the Youngs modulus, flexural modulus, and hardness with the addition of grafted and ungrafted fiber to the PVC/ENR blends. However the i...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

In this work AISI 1045 steel were duplex treated via plasma nitriding of chromized layer. Samples were pack chromized by using a powder mixture consisting of ferrochromium, ammonium chloride and alumina at 1273K for 5h. The samples were then plasma-nitrided for 5h at 803K and 823K, in a gas mixture of 75%N2+25%H2. The treated specimens were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and Vickers micro-hardness test. The thickness of chromized layer before nitriding was about 8mm and it was increased after plasma nitriding. According to XRD analysis, the chromized layer was composed of chromium and iron carbides. Plasma nitriding of chromized layer resulted in the formation of chromium and iron nitrides and carbides. The hardness of the duplex layer...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The energy, angular momentum, and distance (measured from the center of mass of the nucleus) distributions of the effective number of 6/ital q/-fluctons are investigated and it is shown that many of the characteristics of these distributions are universal, i.e., independent of the flucton size. ''Saturation'' of the flucton density in nuclei with mass /ital A//approx gt/80 and certain other features that determine the difference between the behaviors of the effective numbers of fluctons and deuterons are reported. This is used to explain the well known underestimation (by a factor of 1.5--6) of the cross section for the hard inclusive (/ital p/, /ital p/'/ital d/) process on nuclei calculated in the quasielastic formalism. See S. G. Kadmenskii and V. I. Furman, /ital Alpha/ /ital decay/ /ital and elated/ /ital nuclear/ /reactions/ (in Russian), Energoatomizdat, Moscow, 1985.

CERN Document Server

Silicon sensors have about ten times improved radiation hardness around 130 K temperature, compared with the state-of-art sensors close to room temperature. This is based on the Lazarus effect studied by the RD39 Collaboration of CERN. Other benefits of low temperatures will also be discussed. We shall describe the conceptual design of low-mass detector modules cooled using two-phase flow of argon in miniature cooling pipes integrated in the module structure between the sensors and the readout hybrid circuit. The main engineering features of the cooling system and mechanical support structures are discussed, as well as the benefits arising from the operation of the tracker under cryogenic vacuum. 4 Refs.

CERN Document Server

Regulatory genes called small RNAs (sRNAs) are known to play critical roles in cellular responses to changing environments. For several sRNAs, regulation is effected by coupled stoichiometric degradation with messenger RNAs (mRNAs). The nonlinearity inherent in this regulatory scheme indicates that exact analytical solutions for the corresponding stochastic models are intractable. Here, we present a variational approach to analyze a well-studied stochastic model for regulation by sRNAs via coupled degradation. The proposed approach is efficient and provides accurate estimates of mean mRNA levels as well as higher order terms. Results from the variational ansatz are in excellent agreement with data from stochastic simulations for a wide range of parameters, including regions of parameter space where mean-field approaches break down. The proposed approach can be applied to quantitatively model stochastic gene expression in complex regulatory ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

PWR steam generators have suffered from a variety of degradation phenomena. This paper identifies the corrosion-related defects and their probable causes and suggests approaches to correct and prevent corrosive activity. In the attempt to solve the degradation problems, research programs have concentrated on modifying materials, stresses, and the chemical environment in both new and operating steam generators. The following corrosion-related defects have been studied: tube wastage, denting, primary side (ID) intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC), OD-initiated intergranular attack (IGA), pitting, and corrosion fatigue. Plants affected by wastage have greatly reduced their problem by adopting an all volatile treatment (AVT). In the case of denting, a less aggressive chemical environment is recommended. Primary side IGSCC responds to temperature reduction, stress relief, and material improvements, while flushing and boric acid addition ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

CANDU steam generators and heat exchangers have been afflicted with a significant variety of degradation mechanisms. Until recently, detection and characterization of most of the varieties of flaws required usage of several different eddy current techniques. Tubes needed to be scanned multiple times to ensure they were inspected for all possible degradation mechanisms. The time required to deploy so many different types of techniques to inspect the steam generator tubes has had a significant impact on the inspection schedules. The X-Probe was designed with an array of eddy current coils capable of detecting, characterizing and sizing axial, circumferential and volumetric flaws. The X-Probe is a fast-scanning probe with scanning speed equivalent to speeds typically used for simple bobbin coil probes. With its capability of fulfilling most if not all of the functions of the other tube-testing eddy current probes, it can inspect each tube for all ...

Science.gov (United States)

Microbial degradation of aromatic hydrocarbons has been studied with the aim of developing applications for the removal of toxic compounds. Efforts have been directed toward the genetic manipulation of mesophilic bacteria to improve their ability to degrade pollutants, even though many pollution problems occur in sea waters and in effluents of industrial processes which are characterized by low temperatures. From these considerations the idea of engineering a psychrophilic microorganism for the oxidation of aromatic compounds was developed.In a previous paper it was demonstrated that the recombinant Antarctic Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis TAC125 (PhTAC/tou) expressing a toluene-o-xylene monooxygenase (ToMO) is able to convert several aromatic compounds into corresponding catechols. In our work we improved the metabolic capability of PhTAC/tou cells by combining action of recombinant ToMO enzyme with that of the endogenous P. haloplanktis ...

Science.gov (United States)

Internal hydrological processes in suburban watersheds and their effects on water quality warrant investigation. Instrument clusters (throughfall collectors, suction lysimeters, monitoring wells, and shallow and deep piezometers) were installed at several locations within three small (50 - 70 ha) watersheds (one forested, two with different degrees of suburban development) in the Croton Watershed, southeastern New York. Biweekly and storm samples were analyzed for base cations, selected anions, and DOC over a one-year period. The topographic index (TI) quantified landscape position; flowpath analyses determined degree of development at each cluster, using % impervious cover as the metric. Water quality degradation was observed in sites with medium and high TI values; no such effect was observed along the ridges, i.e., low TI values. At medium TI values, areas with more than 5% impervious had degraded water quality. At high TI values, the water ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

For many centuries paper was the main material for recording cultural achievements all over the world. Paper is mostly made from cellulose with small amounts of organic and inorganic additives, which allow its identification and characterization and may also contribute to its degradation. Prior to 1850, paper was made entirely from rags, using hemp, flax and cotton fibres. After this period, due to the enormous increase in demand, wood pulp began to be commonly used as raw material, resulting in rapid degradation of paper. Spectroscopic techniques represent one of the most powerful tools to investigate the constituents of paper documents in order to establish its identification and its state of degradation. This review describes the application of selected spectroscopic techniques used for paper characterization and conservation. The spectroscopic techniques that have been used and will be reviewed include: ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The Steam Generator (SG) tubing degradation caused by corrosion and other age-related mechanisms continues to be a significant safety and cost concern for many Nuclear Power Plants (NPP). The understanding of the steam generator ageing mechanisms is the key to effective management of steam generator ageing and consists of the knowledge of steam generator materials and these one properties, stressors and operating conditions, like degradation sites and wear mechanisms. The principal types of corrosion are presented which can occur in CANDU steam generator. There are also presented the operation conditions, the specifications referring to the water chemistry and the construction materials of Steam Generator, the factors that have a great influence on the corrosion behaviour during the whole exploitation period of this equipment. (R.P.)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In nuclear reactor safety research, the question of the possible consequences of delayed core reflood during severe accidents or anticipated transient without scram transients in boiling water reactors (BWRs) has been raised. One can envisage a very low probability accident scenario leading to core uncovery and core heat-up, followed by control blade melting and subsequential delayed reflooding of the core with unborated water before its degradation. Reflooding of the hot core causes significant increases in the peak heating, melting, and hydrogen production rates, thus increasing the probability of core degradation. However, as has been established, debris beds formed from shattered fuel rods and quenched fuel melt will be undermoderated. The reflood process of a voided, intact core was examined using the TRAC/BFI CODE.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A section of the northern margin of the Guineo-Congolian rain forest of the Central African Republic is studied to determine to what extent deforestation is evolving. Three sites are presented to highlight the diversity in local environmental settings at the northern margin of the closed equatorial rain forest: the contiguous equatorial rain forest, the boundary between the closed rain forest and the grasslands, and a predominantly secondary grassland environment. Proven image processing procedures for determining land cover and vegetation vigor were applied to Landsat MSS data to determine land cover characteristics and identify alterations in land cover that indicate potentially degraded forest environments. Land cover was independently assessed using spectral signatures determined from a statistical clustering routine. The images presented and image analyses contribute insights and information to an ongoing effort to determine more reliable data on the status of ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

This paper studies the electrical characteristics of hydrogenated amorphous silicon thin-film transistors (a-Si:H TFTs) under flat and bending situations after AC/DC stress at different temperatures. Stress temperature was varied from 77K to 400K, and threshold voltage shifts were extracted to analyze degradation mechanisms. It was found that high temperature and mechanical bending played important roles under AC stress, with an enhanced stress effect resulting in a more serious degradation. This study also discusses the dependence between the accumulated sum of bias rising and falling time and the threshold voltage shifts under AC stress.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Conversion of tropical forests to oil palm plantations in Malaysia and Indonesia has resulted in large-scale environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity and significant carbon emissions. For both countries to participate in the United Nation's REDD (Reduced Emission from Deforestation and Degradation) mechanism, assessment of forest carbon stocks, including the estimated loss in carbon from conversion to plantation, is needed. In this study, we use a combination of field and remote sensing data to quantify both the magnitude and the geographical distribution of carbon stock in forests and timber plantations, in Sabah, Malaysia, which has been the site of significant expansion of oil palm cultivation over the last two decades. Forest structure data from 129ha of research and inventory p...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A systematic study of the effects of environmental factors on nylon 66 and Kevlar 29 strength degradation in parachute components is being conducted at Sandia National Laboratories. It includes: (1) accelerated aging studies in air, inert environments, humidity, ozone, and smog; (2) a 25-year surveillance program of parachutes in a variety of natural climatic environments; (3) moisture absorption as a function of humidity; (4) effects of surface coatings normally applied to parachutes; and (5) development of nondestructive evaluation techniques which can be used to map mechanical properties over the entire parachute surface. The accelerated aging and moisture absorption studies show that air, humidity, and smog contribute to degradation. Chemiluminescence, gas chromatographic pyrograms, and uv spectroscopy show promise as nondestructive evaluation techniques.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Material degradation of pressure tubes, which are the most important components in CANDU fuel channel, can only be evaluated by removing and examining them(material surveillance). This study aimed at establishment of overall evaluation technology including the evaluation of the material degradation for the integrity of pressure tubes of Wolsung units. Material tests for pressure tubes were performed as follows; (1) Evaluation on life limiting factors of pressure tubes (2) Review on leak-before-break and integrity maintenance technology of pressure tubes (3) Survey on selection criteria for tubes to be inspected and on related regulations for material surveillance (4) Analysis of material surveillance test procedure (5) Basic examinations of Wolsung unit 1 pressure tube material(TEM, texture, chemical component etc) (6) Manufacture of test equipments and test (DHCV, hydriding, grip and tensile specimen etc). 23 figs, 6 tabs, 59 refs. (Author).

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

In preparation for studying the hydrolytic degradation of Estane 5703 in the plastic-bonded explosive PBX 9501, the sorption (solubility) and diffusion of water in PBX 9501 and each of its components are studied experimentally and modeled theoretically. Experiments are reported that measure the weight gain or loss due to a change in the relative humidity (RH). For all of the components, the equilibrium amount of water sorbed per gram of sample is linear in the RH at low relative humidities but curves upwards at higher relative humidities. This behavior is modeled with a water cluster model. Diffusion coefficients are determined by modeling the time dependence of the water concentrations assuming Fickian diffusion, and that fits the data for some of the materials. However, all the samples t...

CERN Document Server

We describe a large class of chemical reaction networks, those endowed with a subtle structural property called concordance. We show that the class of concordant networks coincides precisely with the class of networks which, when taken with any weakly monotonic kinetics, invariably give rise to kinetic systems that are injective --- a quality that, among other things, precludes the possibility of switch-like transitions between distinct positive steady states. We also provide persistence characteristics of concordant networks, instability implications of discordance, and consequences of stronger variants of concordance. Some of our results are in the spirit of recent ones by Banaji and Craciun, but here we do not require that every species suffer a degradation reaction. This is especially important in studying biochemical networks, for which it is rare to have all species degrade.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

After a brief review of the degradations occurring on tubes of Inconel 600 in steam generators of PWR power stations emphasis is put on the conditioning of the secondary water and more particularly on the condensate treatment in the units of Doel which work on heavily polluted brackish water. The important role of non-destructive testing and eddy-current testing is also pointed out, method developed by Laborelec. The operational experience shows that Belgian stations are nearly not concerned by the degradations mostly found in power stations in other countries which shows the efficiency of the conditioning of the secondary water. On the other hand, other problems have occurred, resulting from: damage caused by foreign objects; fouling of tube before commissioning, cracking of bends and at the limit of the dudgeoning and leaking plugs. (AF).

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The influence of additionally injected short-wavelength photobleaching light on the radiation hardness of Ge-doped graded index fibers working at 1,300 nm wavelength is investigated. Predictions are complicated by the fact that more efficient shortwave bleaching light experiences higher radiation-induced loss. Promising results are found for low fiber temperatures (approx-lt -50 C) and bleaching light of about 835 nm wavelength.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The quantitative imaging of a phase object using 16 keV x-rays is reported. The theoretical basis of the techniques is presented along with its implementation using a synchrotron x-ray source. It is found that the phase image is in quantitative agreement with independent measurements of the object. 13 refs., 5 figs.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In order to investigate interactions of (Ti,W)(C,N) and (Ti,Mo)(C,N) with binder metals solid/solid diffusion couples were annealed. These two-dimensional arrangements provide good access to phase reactions occurring upon sintering already in the solid state. It was found in (Ti,W)(C,N)/Co- and (Ti,W)(C,N)/Ni-based couples that the reaction zone is thinner in contact with Co than with Ni. It was also observed that the reaction rate with both Co and Ni is lower if nitrogen is added to the hard phases. Beside a thickness variation of the diffusion zones a change in the microstructure was found. At the interface of nitrogen-free hard phases in contact with Co elongated microstructural constituents are formed with the main axis perpendicular to the interface, while at the interface of nitrogen-containing hard phases these elongated microstructural constituents were found in contact with Ni. Also phase reactions and the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

MPFDs are a new class of detectors that utilize properties from existing radiation detector designs. A majority of these characteristics come from fission chamber designs. These include radiation hardness, gamma-ray background insensitivity, and large signal output.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This study by CTES, L.C. meets two main objectives. First, evaluate the feasibility of using coiled tubing (CT) to drill 1.0 inches-2.5 inches diameter directional holes in hard rocks. Second, develop a conceptual design for a micro borehole drilling platform (MBDP) meeting specific size, weight, and performance requirements. The Statement of Work (SOW) in Appendix A contains detailed specifications for the feasibility study and conceptual design.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The loosening equipment consists of a base machine and four-link suspension mechanism which is a cross frame with loosening gear connected to the base machine by universal hinges. In order to improve the reliability of the machine, the drive of transverse shifting in the cross frame is made of symmetrically arranged, shock-absorbing, hydraulic cylinders which are connected by additional universal hinges to the base machine and the lower pull rods. The design of the loosening machine guarantees its reliable operation on soil with significant quantity of hard inclusions.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The influence of RTA (Rapid Thermal Anneal) treatment on MOS radiation hardness is demonstrated and compared with classical furnace treatment. In the case of the RTA, the oxide trapped charge is found to depend on: (i) the anneal temperature as expected, data are in good agreement with a recently developed model of oxygen out-diffusion; (ii) the location across the wafer with a radial dependence, results could be related to stress induced by thermal gradient.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Geological, geophysical, and engineering-geological research conducted at the 'Yeniseisky' site obtained data on climatic, geomorphologic, geological conditions, structure and properties of composing rock, and conditions of underground water recharge and discharge. These results provide sufficient information to make an estimate of the suitability of locating a radioactive waste (R W) underground isolation facility at the Nizhnekansky granitoid massif

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The mechanisms underlying life machinery are still not completely understood. Something is known, something is ?probably? known, other things are still unknown. Scientists all over the world are working very hard to clarify the processes regulating the cell life cycle and bioinformaticians try to support them by developing specialized automated tools. Within the plethora of applications devoted to the study of life mechanisms, tools for the analysis and comparison of biological networks are catching the attention of many researchers. It is interesting to investigate why.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Landscape visive pollution due to photo-biodegradable plastic bags is assessed in an ideal case, the most favorable to their use. The result is that mean permanent visive pollution is 100 times higher than established norms. Both photo and biodegradability of plastic bags in the real world are discussed. The conclusion is that photo-biodegradability does not solve the problem of landscape visive pollution due to plastic bags.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Methods of preparation, stability in solutions and in the solid phase, composition of orthophosphate crystallohydrates and condensed uranyl- and uranium (4) phosphates, are considered. Structures of these compounds are discussed; it is shown that they are steric polymers with an uranylphosphate framework. The problem of phosphate-anion polymerization in the process of thermal decomposition is discussed. It is established that condensed uranyl polyphosphates are not stable during storage, capable of degradation, its degree increasing with the phosphate chain length and uranium content.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

It is shown that thermodynamic properties can be used to determine whether, the degradation in Tsub(c) with increasing disorder observed in some A-15 compounds, is due to a reduction in electronic density of states and/or electron-phonon interaction or is due instead to an increase in Coulomb repulsion ..mu..* coming from increased localization as suggested by Anderson et al.

Environmental Research Database

DescriptionInefficient utilisation of dietary nitrogen (N) by animals results in the excretion of N in varying forms, with adverse environmental consequences. Grass silage is a major component of the diet of ruminant livestock in the UK, but the protein in silage is very highly degraded as a result of the ensilage process. This results in poor capture of the silage N by rumen microbes leading to overall poor utilisation for the synthesis of milk or meat. As a result, significant quantities of dietary N are [continued...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The radiation life time of reactor pressure vessel (RPV) is the most important limiting factor for the term of exploitation of the whole power unit. The main degradation mechanism of RPV metal is the neutron induced embrittlement. Processes of radiation ageing running in RPV metal lead to fracture toughness decrease and to increased probability of brittle fracture of the vessel under thermal shocks. This explains the importance of RPV integrity assessment and rest life time management

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The degradation of chlorinated solvents by reduction at the surface of zero-valent metals and bimetallic systems has emerged as an important approach to the in-situ remediation of ground water. Reduction by iron metal was studied in batch and column systems to develop a mechanistic understanding of the reaction chemistry and to determine the factors that affect dechlorination rate and long term performance in field applications.

Wastenet

... Three prototype reactors were constructed and the photocatalysts used were TiO2 for hydroxyl radical generation, dyes such as methylene blue and rose bengal for singlet oxygen generation, and ferric chloride/hydrogen peroxide in Photo-Fenton OH radical generation. Singlet oxygen was effective against some of the pesticides but reacted slowly or not at all with others. All pesticides were degraded by OH radical generating agents (such as methylene blue)...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission stipulates in 10 CFR 61 that disposed low-level radioactive waste (LLW) be stabilized. To provide guidance to disposal vendors and nuclear station waste generators for implementing those requirements, the NRC developed the Technical Position on Waste Form, Revision 1. That document details a specified set of recommended testing procedures and criteria, including several tests for determining the biodegradation properties of waste forms. Information has been presented by a number of researchers, which indicated that those tests may be inappropriate for examining microbial degradation of cement-solidified LLW. Cement has been widely used to solidify LLW; however, the resulting waste forms are sometimes susceptible to failure due to the actions of waste constituents, stress, and environment. The purpose of this research program was to develop modified microbial degradation test procedures that would be more ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wetlands can potentially sequester vast amounts of carbon. However, over 50% of wetlands globally have been degraded or lost. Restoration of wetland systems may therefore result in increased sequestration of carbon. Preliminary results of our investigations into atmospheric carbon sequestration by restored coastal wetlands indicate that carbon can be sequestered in substantial quantities in the first 2-50 years after restoration of natural hydrology and sediment accretion processes.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Radiation degradation of polycarbonate (PC) and polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) used as cable connector was evaluated using DSC, TGA, and mechanical properties. Glass transition temperature, melting temperature, 5% weight loss temperature, elongation at break, and tensile strength measurements were carried out for each of {gamma}-ray irradiated samples. In the results of those analyses, PC has radiation resistance better than PBT as a cable connector material.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The performance of two-cell planar solid oxide fuel cell stacks using coal syngas, with and without hydrogen sulfide (H{sub 2}S), was studied. All cells were tested at 850 C with a constant current load of 15.2 A (current density of 0.22 A cm{sup -2} per cell) and 30% fuel utilization. The H{sub 2}S injection immediately and significantly affected the power degradation of the stack system regardless of the carrier fuel. Results for the test with only H{sub 2} and N{sub 2} in the presence of H{sub 2}S (119-120 ppm) indicated that the power decay and area-specific resistance (ASR) degradation values were lower than those for the tests where simulated syngas containing CO and increased water content was used. The results indicate that contact points in the stack contributed to the power degradation of the system. Other factors, including contamination from the upstream fuel gas tubing, may have contributed to the higher ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nondestructive inspection of carbon fibre-reinforced plastics (CRFP) using eddy current methods is based not only on the conductivity of the fibres. High frequencies (up to 10 MHz) give access to capacitive effects reflecting properties of the matrix. The paper presents a method using rotating eddy current probes to measure the anisotropic electrical properties. Potential applications of this method are the structural identification of laminates and the estimating of its degradation. (orig.)

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The use of β-lactam antibiotics has led to the evolution and global spread of a variety of resistance mechanisms, including β-lactamases, a group of enzymes that degrade the β-lactam...Full Text Available

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

In Pseudomonas paucimobilis UT26, gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane (gamma-HCH) is converted to 2,5-dichloro-2,5-cyclohexadiene-1,4-diol (2,5-DDOL), which is then metabolized to 2,5-dichlorohydroquinone....Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The biodegradation of one of the most commonly used commercially available dispersants in the treatment of hydrocarbon out-flow was studied. The culture mediums employed were sea water, sterile sea water, and medium M19 (Merck). The latter two were inoculated with two kinds of microorganisms of the Pseudomona genus isolated from sludge from a waste treatment plant. The dispersants used is a commercial product made of anionic sulphated dispersants (1.710% by weight); anionic sulphonated dispersants (0.144%) and non-ionic dispersants (8.146%), both accompained by hidrocarbonated solvent (90%). The degradation processes occurred at differents temperatures (20, 30 and 37). The greatest degradation was obtained at 30 degree centigree. The degradation percentages obtained with the miscroorganisms were 40% of the anionic total and 70% of the non-ionic total after 56 hours for the 5:2 strain and 40% of the anionic total and 9.3% of ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The Battery Life Estimator (BLE) Manual has been prepared to assist developers in their efforts to estimate the calendar life of advanced batteries for automotive applications. Testing requirements and procedures are defined by the various manuals previously published under the United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC). The purpose of this manual is to describe and standardize a method for estimating calendar life based on statistical models and degradation data acquired from typical USABC battery testing.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Surveillance of a population, such as a weapon stockpile, is needed to discover manufacturing defects as well as deterioration as the population ages. This article considers the risks of sampling rates for surveillance from three perspectives: detection probability of defects in a proportion of a population with pass/fail data, detection of a trend in a defective proportion of the population with pass/fail data, and detection of a trend with quantitative degradation measurements. Understanding of these risks will help the decision maker choose a sampling rate to protect against such problems of a specified size at a tolerable risk.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The behaviour of the packaging materials under radiation field has a great importance in radiation processing, because, in most cases, they are finally responsible for the preservation of the beneficent changes achieved in irradiated products. For example, in radiation sterilisation and food irradiation, the packages must preserve the sterilisation, respectively the sanitisation. They must preserve also the physical barrier feature. The radiation effects on plastics were extensively studied in the last decades for nuclear industry and more recently for radiation processing. The two major effects of nuclear radiation on polymeric materials are the degradation and cross-linking. The degradation consists in breaking of macromolecules after interaction with nuclear particles, amplified by the free radicals which persist long periods, especially in crystalline polymers. Oxygen could penetrate the sample and interact with free radicals so that the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

There is no possibility to check any inner part at real welded joint at nuclear power station (NPS) during operation because any destructive test cannot be used. In practice there is checked surface of weld. There are used four methodical instructions for the check of real welds: 1. The visual inspection, 2. The measurement of hardness, 3. The chemical composition checking and 4. The microstructure replica analysis. It is necessary to know how these information of weld surface are in accordance with characteristics of inner parts of weld. If there is not any difference between surface weld microstructure and internal weld microstructure of experimental weld it is supposed to that there is not any difference in other measured properties of welds. If is changed structural characteristics of microstructure, it is changed also hardness, chemical analysis etc. It was observed that the microstructure of real welds is almost the same with simulated ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Radio frequency (RF) plasma nitriding using different input plasma processing powers (250-600 W) improves the surface of titanium by forming hard phases of TiN, Ti_2N, and Ti (N) into the surface. The characteristics of the compound layer have been investigated by optical microscopy, microhardness measurements, and X-ray diffraction. The effect of plasma power on the sample temperature, electron temperature, and plasma density was studied using Langmuir double probe. The measured surface hardness value of the compound layer is 2190 HV 0.1 for treated sample at plasma power 500 W. The compound thickness continuously increases as the plasma power increases. The highest nitriding rate of 5.88 #mu#m"2/s was recorded when the input plasma power was adjusted at 550 W. This high nitriding rate of treated titanium samples is ascribed to the high concentration of active nitrogen species in the plasma atmosphere and the formed microcracks near to the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

By using a plasma nitriding procedure at the PUPR Mirror Cusp Plasma machine, surface hardness is increased in 302/304-type stainless steel samples by exposing them to high-ion-density plasma at high vacuum. This method successfully dopes the surface of the material with strengthening nitrogen ions, without the use of chemical procedures that sacrifice the resistance to corrosion of the given material. A 500 V negative bias is placed on the sample exposed to the nitrogen plasma, where high-energy ions are therefore attracted and immersed into the metallic matrix microns into the surface of the stainless steel. This potential maintains a constant surface temperature at approximately 800 deg. C. The plasma parameters including ion density and plasma temperature were diagnosed using single Langmuir probes. The stainless steel samples were then tested using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Vickers micro-hardness testing to determine the ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simultaneous nitriding and ageing heat treatments of precipitation hardenable tool steel was carried out inside a DC-pulsed plasma nitriding reactor. A single heat treatment cycle was done, as the plasma nitriding and age hardening processes occur approximately at the same ranges of temperatures and times. Specimens of Cr-Ni-Mo-Al age hardenable steel, in the solubilized and solubilized and aged conditions, were tested. Plasma nitriding and ageing, carried out at 500 deg. C for times ranging between 2 and 8 h, increased the surface hardness up to 1000 HV, producing case depths between 100 and 200 #mu#m. The core hardness of solubilized samples increased from 30 to 39 Rockwell C after the plasma nitriding treatment proving the possibility of nitriding and ageing at the same treatment cycle. The pre-aged samples did not show any overageing after the simultaneous plasma nitriding and ageing treatments. The corrosion resistance after plasma ...