Sediment transport processes in the Pearl River Estuary as revealed by grain-size end-member modeling and sediment trend analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Tao; Li, Tuan-Jie

2018-04-01

The analysis of grain-size distribution enables us to decipher sediment transport processes and understand the causal relations between dynamic processes and grain-size distributions. In the present study, grain sizes were measured from surface sediments collected in the Pearl River Estuary and its adjacent coastal areas. End-member modeling analysis attempts to unmix the grain sizes into geologically meaningful populations. Six grain-size end-members were identified. Their dominant modes are 0 Φ, 1.5 Φ, 2.75 Φ, 4.5 Φ, 7 Φ, and 8 Φ, corresponding to coarse sand, medium sand, fine sand, very coarse silt, silt, and clay, respectively. The spatial distributions of the six end-members are influenced by sediment transport and depositional processes. The two coarsest end-members (coarse sand and medium sand) may reflect relict sediments deposited during the last glacial period. The fine sand end-member would be difficult to transport under fair weather conditions, and likely indicates storm deposits. The three remaining fine-grained end-members (very coarse silt, silt, and clay) are recognized as suspended particles transported by saltwater intrusion via the flood tidal current, the Guangdong Coastal Current, and riverine outflow. The grain-size trend analysis shows distinct transport patterns for the three fine-grained end-members. The landward transport of the very coarse silt end-member occurs in the eastern part of the estuary, the seaward transport of the silt end-member occurs in the western part, and the east-west transport of the clay end-member occurs in the coastal areas. The results show that grain-size end-member modeling analysis in combination with sediment trend analysis help to better understand sediment transport patterns and the associated transport mechanisms.

78 FR 76098 - Rail Transportation of Grain, Rate Regulation Review

Science.gov (United States)

2013-12-16

..., DOT. ACTION: Request for Comments. SUMMARY: The Surface Transportation Board invites public comment on... proceeding in January 2008, the Board reasoned that guidelines for simplified rate procedures had recently... relationship between carriers and grain interests, and that if future regulatory action were warranted, it...

75 FR 41693 - Export Inspection and Weighing Waiver for High Quality Specialty Grains Transported in Containers

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-19

... Specialty Grains Transported in Containers AGENCY: Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration... rule to potentially make permanent the current waiver for high quality grain exported in containers... exported in containers that was established by a final rule on December 13, 2005 (70 FR 73556). This...

Mesoscopic conductance fluctuations in high-T{sub c} grain boundary Josephson junctions: Coherent quasiparticle transport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tafuri, F. [Dip. Ingegneria dell' Informazione, Seconda Universita di Napoli, 81031 Aversa (Italy); CNR-INFM Coherentia, Dip. Scienze Fisiche, Universita di Napoli Federico II, 80125 Naples (Italy)], E-mail: tafuri@na.infn.it; Tagliacozzo, A.; Born, D.; Stornaiuolo, D. [CNR-INFM Coherentia, Dip. Scienze Fisiche, Universita di Napoli Federico II, 80125 Naples (Italy); Gambale, E.; Dalena, D. [Dip. Ingegneria dell' Informazione, Seconda Universita di Napoli, 81031 Aversa (Italy); Lombardi, F. [Department of Microelectronics and Nanoscience, MINA, Chalmers University of Technology, 41296 Goeteborg (Sweden)

2007-09-01

Magneto-fluctuations of the normal resistance R{sub N} have been reproducibly observed in YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7-{delta}} (HTS) biepitaxial grain boundary junctions at low temperatures. We attribute them to mesoscopic transport in narrow channels across the grain boundary line. The Thouless energy appears to be the relevant energy scale. Possible implications on the understanding of coherent transport of quasiparticles in HTS and of the dissipation mechanisms are discussed.

76 FR 45397 - Export Inspection and Weighing Waiver for High Quality Specialty Grain Transported in Containers

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-29

...-AB18 Export Inspection and Weighing Waiver for High Quality Specialty Grain Transported in Containers... permanent a waiver due to expire on July 31, 2012, for high quality specialty grain exported in containers... of high quality specialty grain exported in containers are small entities that up until recently...

Influence of orientation mismatch on charge transport across grain boundaries in tri-isopropylsilylethynyl (TIPS) pentacene thin films.

Science.gov (United States)

Steiner, Florian; Poelking, Carl; Niedzialek, Dorota; Andrienko, Denis; Nelson, Jenny

2017-05-03

We present a multi-scale model for charge transport across grain boundaries in molecular electronic materials that incorporates packing disorder, electrostatic and polarisation effects. We choose quasi two-dimensional films of tri-isopropylsilylethynyl pentacene (TIPS-P) as a model system representative of technologically relevant crystalline organic semiconductors. We use atomistic molecular dynamics, with a force-field specific for TIPS-P, to generate and equilibrate polycrystalline two-dimensional thin films. The energy landscape is obtained by calculating contributions from electrostatic interactions and polarization. The variation in these contributions leads to energetic barriers between grains. Subsequently, charge transport is simulated using a kinetic Monte-Carlo algorithm. Two-grain systems with varied mutual orientation are studied. We find relatively little effect of long grain boundaries due to the presence of low impedance pathways. However, effects could be more pronounced for systems with limited inter-grain contact areas. Furthermore, we present a lattice model to generalize the model for small molecular systems. In the general case, depending on molecular architecture and packing, grain boundaries can result in interfacial energy barriers, traps or a combination of both with qualitatively different effects on charge transport.

Iron transport, deposition and bioavailability in the wheat and barley grain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Borg, Søren; Brinch-Pedersen, Henrik; Tauris, Birgitte

2009-01-01

will briefly review existing knowledge on the distribution and transport pathways of iron in the two small grained cereals, barley and wheat, and focus on the efforts made to increase the iron content in cereals in general. However, mineral content is not the only factor of relevance for improving......). The nutritional impact of increasing mineral content accordingly has to be seen in the context of mineral bioavailability. Finally, we will briefly report on recent data from barley, where laser capture microdissection of the different grain tissues combined with gene expression profiling has provided some...

Large modulation of carrier transport by grain-boundary molecular packing and microstructure in organic thin films

KAUST Repository

Rivnay, Jonathan

2009-11-08

Solution-processable organic semiconductors are central to developing viable printed electronics, and performance comparable to that of amorphous silicon has been reported for films grown from soluble semiconductors. However, the seemingly desirable formation of large crystalline domains introduces grain boundaries, resulting in substantial device-to-device performance variations. Indeed, for films where the grain-boundary structure is random, a few unfavourable grain boundaries may dominate device performance. Here we isolate the effects of molecular-level structure at grain boundaries by engineering the microstructure of the high-performance n-type perylenediimide semiconductor PDI8-CN 2 and analyse their consequences for charge transport. A combination of advanced X-ray scattering, first-principles computation and transistor characterization applied to PDI8-CN 2 films reveals that grain-boundary orientation modulates carrier mobility by approximately two orders of magnitude. For PDI8-CN 2 we show that the molecular packing motif (that is, herringbone versus slip-stacked) plays a decisive part in grain-boundary-induced transport anisotropy. The results of this study provide important guidelines for designing device-optimized molecular semiconductors. © 2009 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

Structure and transport at grain boundaries in polycrystalline olivine: An atomic-scale perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Mantisi, Boris; Sator, Nicolas; Guillot, Bertrand

2017-12-01

Structure and transport properties at grain boundaries in polycrystalline olivine have been investigated at the atomic scale by molecular dynamics simulation (MD) using an empirical ionocovalent interaction potential. On the time scale of the simulation (a few tens of nanoseconds for a system size of ∼650,000 atoms) grain boundaries and grain interior were identified by mapping the atomic displacements along the simulation run. In the investigated temperature range (1300-1700 K) the mean thickness of the grain boundary phase is evaluated between 0.5 and 2 nm, a value which depends on temperature and grain size. The structure of the grain boundary phase is found to be disordered (amorphous-like) and is different from the one exhibited by the supercooled liquid. The self-diffusion coefficients of major elements in the intergranular region range from ∼10-13 to 10-10 m2/s between 1300 and 1700 K (with DSigb Kubo relation expressing the viscosity as function of the stress tensor time correlation function. In spite of a slow convergence of the calculation by MD, the grain boundary viscosity was estimated about ∼105 Pa s at 1500 K, a value in agreement with high-temperature viscoelastic relaxation data. An interesting information gained from MD is that sliding at grain boundaries is essentially controlled by the internal friction between the intergranular phase and the grain edges.

Microstructure of Josephson junctions: Effect on supercurrent transport in YBCO grain boundary and barrier layer junctions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Merkle, K.L.; Huang, Y.

1998-01-01

The electric transport of high-temperature superconductors, such as YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x (YBCO), can be strongly restricted by the presence of high-angle grain boundaries (GB). This weak-link behavior is governed by the macroscopic GB geometry and the microscopic grain boundary structure and composition at the atomic level. Whereas grain boundaries present a considerable impediment to high current applications of high T c materials, there is considerable commercial interest in exploiting the weak-link-nature of grain boundaries for the design of microelectronic devices, such as superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs). The Josephson junctions which form the basis of this technology can also be formed by introducing artificial barriers into the superconductor. The authors have examined both types of Josephson junctions by EM techniques in an effort to understand the connection between microstructure/chemistry and electrical transport properties. This knowledge is a valuable resource for the design and production of improved devices

Implications of a North American grain marketing system for prairie transportation and elevators

Science.gov (United States)

1997-09-01

The balance of this report will examine the experiences U.S. production agriculture has had with deregulation of the transportation industry. It will highlight the evolution of the procurement segment of grain marketing, concentrating on the wheat or...

Electroosmotic transport in fine grained sediments with respect to pore throats

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krauss, H.; Zorn, R.; Haus, R.; Czurda, K. [Dept. of Applied Geology, Univ. Karlsruhe (Germany)

2001-07-01

Electroosmotic experiments were performed with two different fine grained soils, which were consolidated in different ways. The electroosmotic permeability was calculated using the transported volume of water under a dc electric field. In addition to the pH-values prior and after the experiments near the anode and cathode the dominating pore throat-diameters of the samples were analysed by mercury porosimetry. The electroosmotic permeability can be correlated with the dominating pore throat-diameter. Not only chemical parameters like zeta-potential or ion-concentration but also the kind and structure of the soil particles characterize electroosmotic transport. (orig.)

Phonon thermal transport through tilt grain boundaries in strontium titanate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zheng, Zexi; Chen, Xiang; Yang, Shengfeng; Xiong, Liming; Chen, Youping [Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611 (United States); Deng, Bowen; Chernatynskiy, Aleksandr [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611 (United States)

2014-08-21

In this work, we perform nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations to study phonon scattering at two tilt grain boundaries (GBs) in SrTiO{sub 3}. Mode-wise energy transmission coefficients are obtained based on phonon wave-packet dynamics simulations. The Kapitza conductance is then quantified using a lattice dynamics approach. The obtained results of the Kapitza conductance of both GBs compare well with those obtained by the direct method, except for the temperature dependence. Contrary to common belief, the results of this work show that the optical modes in SrTiO{sub 3} contribute significantly to phonon thermal transport, accounting for over 50% of the Kapitza conductance. To understand the effect of the GB structural disorder on phonon transport, we compare the local phonon density of states of the atoms in the GB region with that in the single crystalline grain region. Our results show that the excess vibrational modes introduced by the structural disorder do not have a significant effect on phonon scattering at the GBs, but the absence of certain modes in the GB region appears to be responsible for phonon reflections at GBs. This work has also demonstrated phonon mode conversion and simultaneous generation of new modes. Some of the new modes have the same frequency as the initial wave packet, while some have the same wave vector but lower frequencies.

Phonon thermal transport through tilt grain boundaries in strontium titanate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zheng, Zexi; Chen, Xiang; Yang, Shengfeng; Xiong, Liming; Chen, Youping; Deng, Bowen; Chernatynskiy, Aleksandr

2014-01-01

In this work, we perform nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations to study phonon scattering at two tilt grain boundaries (GBs) in SrTiO 3 . Mode-wise energy transmission coefficients are obtained based on phonon wave-packet dynamics simulations. The Kapitza conductance is then quantified using a lattice dynamics approach. The obtained results of the Kapitza conductance of both GBs compare well with those obtained by the direct method, except for the temperature dependence. Contrary to common belief, the results of this work show that the optical modes in SrTiO 3 contribute significantly to phonon thermal transport, accounting for over 50% of the Kapitza conductance. To understand the effect of the GB structural disorder on phonon transport, we compare the local phonon density of states of the atoms in the GB region with that in the single crystalline grain region. Our results show that the excess vibrational modes introduced by the structural disorder do not have a significant effect on phonon scattering at the GBs, but the absence of certain modes in the GB region appears to be responsible for phonon reflections at GBs. This work has also demonstrated phonon mode conversion and simultaneous generation of new modes. Some of the new modes have the same frequency as the initial wave packet, while some have the same wave vector but lower frequencies

Effect of Melt Convection and Solid Transport on Macrosegregation and Grain Structure in Equiaxed Al-Cu Alloys

Science.gov (United States)

Rerko, Rodney S.; deGroh, Henry C., III; Beckermann, Christoph; Gray, Hugh R. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Macrosegregation in metal casting can be caused by thermal and solutal melt convection, and the transport of unattached solid crystals. These free grains can be a result of, for example, nucleation in the bulk liquid or dendrite fragmentation. In an effort to develop a comprehensive numerical model for the casting of alloys, an experimental study has been conducted to generate benchmark data with which such a solidification model could be tested. The specific goal of the experiments was to examine equiaxed solidification in situations where sinking of grains is (and is not) expected. The objectives were: 1) experimentally study the effects of solid transport and thermosolutal convection on macrosegregation and grain size distribution patterns; and 2) provide a complete set of controlled thermal boundary conditions, temperature data, segregation data, and grain size data, to validate numerical codes. The alloys used were Al-1 wt. pct. Cu, and Al-10 wt. pct. Cu with various amounts of the grain refiner TiB2 added. Cylindrical samples were either cooled from the top, or the bottom. Several trends in the data stand out. In attempting to model these experiments, concentrating on experiments that show clear trends or differences is recommended.

Transport current anisotropy in oriented grained bulk YBa2Cu3Ox superconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Selvamanickam, V.; Salama, K.

1990-01-01

The anisotropy in transport current density has been studied on bulk YBa 2 Cu 3 O x superconductor. The transport current density measurements were performed on oriented grained YBa 2 Cu 3 O x superconductor with the current aligned at different angles to the a endash b plane. The angular dependence of J c shows a rapid drop when the transport current is misaligned from the a endash b plane at small angles and then a slow decrease at higher angles. An anisotropy ratio of about 25 is observed at 77 K and zero field between the J c along a endash b plane and that perpendicular to the plane

Dietary fibre, whole grains, and risk of colorectal cancer: systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aune, D.; Chan, D.S.; Lau, R.; Vieira, R.; Greenwood, D.C.; Kampman, E.; Norat, T.

2011-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between intake of dietary fibre and whole grains and risk of colorectal cancer. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective observational studies. DATA SOURCES: PubMed and several other databases up to December 2010 and the reference lists of

Dietary fibre, whole grains, and risk of colorectal cancer: systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aune, D.; Chan, D.S.M.; Lau, R.; Vieira, R.; Greenwood, D.C.; Kampman, E.; Norat, T.

2011-01-01

Objective To investigate the association between intake of dietary fibre and whole grains and risk of colorectal cancer. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective observational studies. Data sources PubMed and several other databases up to December 2010 and the reference lists of

Flume Experiments on the Influence of Salmon Spawning Density on Grain Stability and Bedload Transport in Gravel-bed Streams

Science.gov (United States)

Buxton, T. H.

2015-12-01

Salmon spawning in streams involves the female salmon digging a pit in the bed where she deposits eggs for fertilization before covering them with gravel excavated from the next pit upstream. Sequences of pit excavation and filling winnow fines, loosen sediment, and move bed material into a tailspill mound resembling the shape of a dune. Research suggests salmonid nests (redds) destabilize streambeds by reducing friction between loosened grains and converging flow that elevates shear stress on redd topography. However, bed stability may be enhanced by form drag from redds in clusters that lower shear stress on the granular bed, but this effect will vary with the proportion of the bed surface that is occupied by redds (P). I used simulated redds and water-worked ("unspawned") beds in a laboratory flume to evaluate these competing influences on grain stability and bedload transport rates with P=0.12, 0.34, and 0.41. Results indicate that competence (largest-grain) and reference transport rate estimates of critical conditions for particle entrainment inversely relate to P. Bedload transport increased as exponential functions of P and excess boundary shear stress. Therefore, redd form drag did not overcome the destabilizing effects of spawning. Instead, grain mobility and bedload transport increased with P because larger areas of the bed were composed of relatively loose, unstable grains and redd topography that experienced elevated shear stress. Consequently, the presence of redds in fish-bearing streams likely reduces the effects of sedimentation from landscape disturbance on stream habitats that salmon use for reproduction.

A retrospective and prospective survey of three-dimensional transport calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakahara, Yasuaki

1985-01-01

A retrospective survey is made on the three-dimensional radiation transport calculations. Introduction is given to computer codes based on the distinctive numerical methods such as the Monte Carlo, Direct Integration, Ssub(n) and Finite Element Methods to solve the three-dimensional transport equations. Prospective discussions are made on pros and cons of these methods. (author)

Phloem Transport Of Arsenic Species From Flag Leaf To Grain During Grain Filling

Science.gov (United States)

Strategies to reduce arsenic (As) in rice grain, below concentrations that represent a serious human health concern, require that the mechanisms of As accumulation within grain be established. Therefore, retranslocation of As species from flag leaves into filling rice grain was ...

Sediment Sources and Transport Pathway Identification Based on Grain-Size Distributions on the SW Coast of Portugal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoqin Du

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Espichel-Sines is an embayed coast in SW Portugal, consisting of two capes at both extremities, a tidal inlet and associated ebb tidal delta, a barrier spit, sandy beaches, sea cliffs, and a submarine canyon. Beach berm, backshore, near shore and inner shelf sediment samples were taken. Samples were analyzed for their grain-size compositions. This study ranks the hypothetical sediment sources influences on the sediment distributions in the study area using the multivariate Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF techniques. Transport pathways in this study were independently identified using the grain size trend analysis (GSTA technique to verify the EOF findings. The results show that the cliff-erosion sediment is composed of pebbles and sand and is the most important sediment source for the entire embayment. The sediment at the inlet mouth is a mixture of pebbles, sand, silt, and clay, which is a minor sediment source that only has local influence. The overall grain-size distributions on the shelf are dominated by the sand except for the high mud content around the tidal delta front in the northern embayment. Sediment transport patterns on the inner shelf at the landward and north sides of the canyon head are landward and northward along the barrier spit, respectively. On the south side of the canyon head, the prevailing sediment transport is seaward. Sediment transport occurs in both directions along the shore.

ORGANIC GRAIN PRODUCTION MARKET OF UKRAINE: PROSPECTS AND TRENDS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Viktoriia Bondar

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the paper is to determine the prospects of the market of organic products in Ukraine. The article studies the market for organic produce dynamic area of organic farmland, number of organic farms in volume production of organic products. Identified key factors influencing the market for organic products Ukraine, outlined areas of the market based on its current state. Grain industry serves as a source of sustainable development of agriculture, determines the socio-economic condition of society and is the basis of agricultural exports. Therefore, the development of the organic market of grain and its products are of particular importance and led to the goal and objectives of bottom investigation. Methodology. The theoretical and methodological basis of the study are works of economists on the development of ecology management, general scientific methods and approaches in the field of business management: historical, dialectical, abstract logical methods of system-structural analysis and synthesis of scientific research and provision of economic theory, management. Results. Proved that Ukraine has considerable potential as a producer of agricultural products, including organic farming, export, consumption in the domestic market. To determine the market trends of organic products studied the dynamics of agricultural surfaces of Ukraine, reserved for growing organic products. To further study the characteristics and trends of the market for organic products in Ukraine, examined the dynamics of the number of organic farms. For determining the main trends and the prospects of the organic products market, and in addition for researching proposals, examined demand for market research of market demand for organic products in terms of production of organic products in Ukraine. Practical implications. The main problem of Ukraine of organic production is exported domestic products as organic production of agricultural products. Analysis of key

Transport current anisotropy in oriented grained bulk YBa2Cu3O(x) superconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Selvamanickam, V.; Salama, K.

1990-01-01

The anisotropy in transport current density has been studied on bulk YBa2Cu3O(x) superconductor. The transport current density measurements were performed on oriented grained YBa2Cu3O(x) superconductor with the current aligned at different angles to the a-b plane. The angular dependence of Jc shows a rapid drop when the transport current is misaligned from the a-b plane at small angles and then a slow decrease at higher angles. An anisotropy ratio of about 25 is observed at 77 K and zero field between the Jc along a-b plane and that perpendicular to the plane. 15 refs

Numerical study of the impact of inoculant and grain transport on macrosegregation and microstructure formation during solidification of an Al-22%Cu alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tveito, K O; M'Hamdi, M; Bedel, M; Zaloz'nik, M; Combeau, H; Kumar, A; Dutta, P

2012-01-01

We investigate the impact of the nucleation law for nucleation on Al-Ti-B inoculant particles, of the motion of inoculant particles and of the motion of grains on the predicted macrosegregation and microstructure in a grain-refined Al-22 wt.% Cu alloy casting. We conduct the study by numerical simulations of a casting experiment in a side-cooled 76×76×254 mm sand mould. Macrosegregation and microstructure formation are studied with a volume-averaged two-phase model accounting for macroscopic heat and solute transport, melt convection, and transport of inoculant particles and equiaxed grains. On the microscopic scale it accounts for nucleation on inoculant particles with a given size distribution (and corresponding activation undercooling distribution)and for the growth of globular solid grains. The growth kinetics is described by accounting for limited solute diffusion in both liquid and solid phases and for convective effects. We show that the consideration of a size distribution of the inoculants has a strong impact on the microstructure(final grain size) prediction. The transport of inoculants significantly increases the microstructure heterogeneities and the grain motion refines the microstructure and reduces the microstructure heterogeneities.

Empirical Study on the Sustainability of China's Grain Quality Improvement: The Role of Transportation, Labor, and Agricultural Machinery.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ming; Duan, Fang; Mao, Zisen

2018-02-05

As a major part of farming sustainability, the issues of grain production and its quality improvement have been important in many countries. This paper aims to address these issues in China. Based on the data from the main production provinces and by applying the stochastic frontier analysis methodology, we find that the improvement of transportation and the use of agricultural machinery have become the main driving forces for grain quality improvement in China. After further studying different provinces' potentials of grain quality improvement, we show that grain quality has increased steadily. Therefore, we can conclude China's grain quality improvement is indeed sustainable. Furthermore, different grains like rice, wheat, and corn share similar characteristics in terms of quality improvement, but the improvement rate for rice is relatively low, while those of corn and wheat are relatively high. Moreover, the overall change of efficiency gain of grain quality improvement is not significant for different provinces. The efficiency gains of the quality improvements for rice and wheat even decrease slightly. In addition, we find that only expanding grain quality improvement potential can simultaneously achieve the dual objectives of improving grain quality and increasing yield.

Coarse-grained Simulations of Sugar Transport and Conformational Changes of Lactose Permease

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jin; Jewel, S. M. Yead; Dutta, Prashanta

2016-11-01

Escherichia coli lactose permease (LacY) actively transports lactose and other galactosides across cell membranes through lactose/H+ symport process. Lactose/H+ symport is a highly complex process that involves sugar translocation, H+ transfer, as well as large-scale protein conformational changes. The complete picture of lactose/H+ symport is largely unclear due to the complexity and multiscale nature of the process. In this work, we develop the force field for sugar molecules compatible with PACE, a hybrid and coarse-grained force field that couples the united-atom protein models with the coarse-grained MARTINI water/lipid. After validation, we implement the new force field to investigate the transport of a β-D-galactopyranosyl-1-thio- β-D-galactopyranoside (TDG) molecule across a wild-type LacY during lactose/H+ symport process. Results show that the local interactions between TDG and LacY at the binding pocket are consistent with the X-ray experiment. Protonation of Glu325 stabilizes the TDG and inward-facing conformation of LacY. Protonation of Glu269 induces a dramatic protein structural reorganization and causes the expulsion of TDG from LacY to both sides of the membrane. The structural changes occur primarily in the N-terminal domain of LacY. This work is supported by NSF Grants: CBET-1250107 and CBET -1604211.

Grain Unloading of Arsenic Species in Rice

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carey, Anne-Marie; Scheckel, Kirk G.; Lombi, Enzo; Newville, Matt; Choi, Yongseong; Norton, Gareth J.; Charnock, John M.; Feldmann, Joerg; Price, Adam H.; Meharg, Andrew A. (EPA); (U. South Australia); (Manchester); (Aberdeen); (UC)

2010-01-11

Rice (Oryza sativa) is the staple food for over half the world's population yet may represent a significant dietary source of inorganic arsenic (As), a nonthreshold, class 1 human carcinogen. Rice grain As is dominated by the inorganic species, and the organic species dimethylarsinic acid (DMA). To investigate how As species are unloaded into grain rice, panicles were excised during grain filling and hydroponically pulsed with arsenite, arsenate, glutathione-complexed As, or DMA. Total As concentrations in flag leaf, grain, and husk, were quantified by inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy and As speciation in the fresh grain was determined by x-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy. The roles of phloem and xylem transport were investigated by applying a {+-} stem-girdling treatment to a second set of panicles, limiting phloem transport to the grain in panicles pulsed with arsenite or DMA. The results demonstrate that DMA is translocated to the rice grain with over an order magnitude greater efficiency than inorganic species and is more mobile than arsenite in both the phloem and the xylem. Phloem transport accounted for 90% of arsenite, and 55% of DMA, transport to the grain. Synchrotron x-ray fluorescence mapping and fluorescence microtomography revealed marked differences in the pattern of As unloading into the grain between DMA and arsenite-challenged grain. Arsenite was retained in the ovular vascular trace and DMA dispersed throughout the external grain parts and into the endosperm. This study also demonstrates that DMA speciation is altered in planta, potentially through complexation with thiols.

Transport, retention, and size perturbation of graphene oxide in saturated porous media: Effects of input concentration and grain size

Science.gov (United States)

Accurately predicting the fate and transport of graphene oxide (GO) in porous media is critical to assess its environmental impact. In this work, sand column experiments were conducted to determine the effect of input concentration and grain size on transport, retention, and size perturbation of GO ...

A Numerical Model of Anisotropic Mass Transport Through Grain Boundary Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yibo

Tin (Sn) thin films are commonly used in electronic circuit applications as coatings on contacts and solders for joining components. It is widely observed, for some such system, that whiskers---long, thin crystalline structures---emerge and grow from the film. The Sn whisker phenomenon has become a highly active research area since Sn whiskers have caused a large amount of damage and loss in manufacturing, military, medical and power industries. Though lead (Pb) addition to Sn has been used to solve this problem for over five decades, the adverse environmental and health effects of Pb have motivated legislation to severely constrain Pb use in society. People are researching and seeking the reasons which cause whiskers and corresponding methods to solve the problem. The contributing factors to cause a Sn whisker are potentially many and much still remains unknown. Better understanding of fundamental driving forces should point toward strategies to improve (a) the accuracy with which we can predict whisker formation, and (b) our ability to mitigate the phenomenon. This thesis summarizes recent important research achievements in understanding Sn whisker formation and growth, both experimentally and theoretically. Focus is then placed on examining the role that anisotropy in grain boundary diffusivity plays in determining whisker characteristics (specifically, whether they form and, if so, where on a surface). To study this aspect of the problem and to enable future studies on stress driven grain boundary diffusion, this thesis presents a numerical anisotropic mass transport model. In addition to presenting details of the model and implementation, model predictions for a set of increasingly complex grain boundary networks are discussed. Preliminary results from the model provide evidence that anisotropic grain boundary diffusion may be a primary driving mechanism in whisker formation.

A grain-boundary diffusion model of dynamic grain growth during superplastic deformation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Byung-Nam; Hiraga, Keijiro; Sakka, Yoshio; Ahn, Byung-Wook

1999-01-01

Dynamic grain growth during superplastic deformation is modelled on the basis of a grain-boundary diffusion mechanism. On the grain boundary where a static and a dynamic potential difference coexist, matter transport along the boundary is assumed to contribute to dynamic grain growth through depositing the matter on the grain surface located opposite to the direction of grain-boundary migration. The amount of the diffusive matter during deformation is calculated for an aggregate of spherical grains and is converted to the increment of mean boundary migration velocity. The obtained relationship between the strain rate and the dynamic grain growth rate is shown to be independent of deformation mechanisms, provided that the grain growth is controlled by grain-boundary diffusion. The strain dependence, strain-rate dependence and temperature dependence of grain growth predicted from this model are consistent with those observed in superplastic ZrO 2 -dispersed Al 2 O 3

Empirical Study on the Sustainability of China’s Grain Quality Improvement: The Role of Transportation, Labor, and Agricultural Machinery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ming Zhang

2018-02-01

Full Text Available As a major part of farming sustainability, the issues of grain production and its quality improvement have been important in many countries. This paper aims to address these issues in China. Based on the data from the main production provinces and by applying the stochastic frontier analysis methodology, we find that the improvement of transportation and the use of agricultural machinery have become the main driving forces for grain quality improvement in China. After further studying different provinces’ potentials of grain quality improvement, we show that grain quality has increased steadily. Therefore, we can conclude China’s grain quality improvement is indeed sustainable. Furthermore, different grains like rice, wheat, and corn share similar characteristics in terms of quality improvement, but the improvement rate for rice is relatively low, while those of corn and wheat are relatively high. Moreover, the overall change of efficiency gain of grain quality improvement is not significant for different provinces. The efficiency gains of the quality improvements for rice and wheat even decrease slightly. In addition, we find that only expanding grain quality improvement potential can simultaneously achieve the dual objectives of improving grain quality and increasing yield.

Empirical Study on the Sustainability of China’s Grain Quality Improvement: The Role of Transportation, Labor, and Agricultural Machinery

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ming; Duan, Fang; Mao, Zisen

2018-01-01

As a major part of farming sustainability, the issues of grain production and its quality improvement have been important in many countries. This paper aims to address these issues in China. Based on the data from the main production provinces and by applying the stochastic frontier analysis methodology, we find that the improvement of transportation and the use of agricultural machinery have become the main driving forces for grain quality improvement in China. After further studying different provinces’ potentials of grain quality improvement, we show that grain quality has increased steadily. Therefore, we can conclude China’s grain quality improvement is indeed sustainable. Furthermore, different grains like rice, wheat, and corn share similar characteristics in terms of quality improvement, but the improvement rate for rice is relatively low, while those of corn and wheat are relatively high. Moreover, the overall change of efficiency gain of grain quality improvement is not significant for different provinces. The efficiency gains of the quality improvements for rice and wheat even decrease slightly. In addition, we find that only expanding grain quality improvement potential can simultaneously achieve the dual objectives of improving grain quality and increasing yield. PMID:29401727

78 FR 58383 - Renewal of National Grain Car Council

Science.gov (United States)

2013-09-23

... of National Grain Car Council AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT. ACTION: Notice of intent to... of the National Grain Car Council (NGCC). ADDRESSES: A copy of the charter is available at the... solutions and recommendations to the STB on matters affecting grain transportation. The NGCC functions...

76 FR 59186 - Renewal of National Grain Car Council

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-23

... of National Grain Car Council AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT. ACTION: Notice of intent to... National Grain Car Council (NGCC). ADDRESSES: A copy of the charter is available at the Library of the... grain transportation. The NGCC functions solely as an advisory body, and complies with the provisions of...

Grain size of fine-grained windblown sediment: a powerful proxy for process identification

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vandenberghe, J.

2013-01-01

Dust transport by the wind is not a uniform process but may occur in different modes according to source area conditions and transport height and distance. Subsequently, these differences are expressed in terms of grain-size and fluxes of the aeolian deposits. Transport distances may vary from

The economic substantiation for choosing the hopper car for the transportation of grain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bitutskaya A. M.

2016-07-01

Full Text Available the article studied the choice of parameters for the hopper car for transportation the most popular grain cargoes and on the basis of this calculated the required fleet. The authors point out the economic feasibility of the purchase of specialized cars only in case when the total value of required depot of cars, which is calculated by increasing the proportion of «light» cargo in the total cargo turnover, is lower for specialized cars than for universal.

Quality of interhospital transport of critically ill patients: a prospective audit

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ligtenberg, JJM; Arnold, LG; Stienstra, Y; van der Werf, TS; Tulleken, JE; Zijlstra, JG; Meertens, John H. J. M.

Introduction The aim of transferring a critically ill patient to the intensive care unit (ICU) of a tertiary referral centre is to improve prognosis. The transport itself must be as safe as possible and should not pose additional risks. We performed a prospective audit of the quality of

The influence of vortex pinning and grain boundary structure on critical currents across grain boundaries in YBa2Cu3Ox

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, D. J.

1998-01-01

We have used studies of single grain boundaries in YBCO thin films and bulk bicrystals to study the influence of vortex pinning along a grain boundary on dissipation. The critical current density for transport across grain boundaries in thin films is typically more than an order of magnitude larger than that measured for transport across grain boundaries in bulk samples. For low disorientation angles, the difference in critical current density within the grains that form the boundary can contribute to the substantial differences in current density measured across the boundary. However, substantial differences exist in the critical current density across boundaries in thin film compared to bulk bicrystals even in the higher angle regime in which grain boundary dissipation dominates. The differences in critical current density in this regime can be understood on the basis of vortex pinning along the boundary

Nucleotide-induced conformational dynamics in ABC transporters from structure-based coarse grained modelling.

Science.gov (United States)

Flechsig, Holger

2016-02-01

ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters are integral membrane proteins which mediate the exchange of diverse substrates across membranes powered by ATP molecules. Our understanding of their activity is still hampered since the conformational dynamics underlying the operation of such proteins cannot yet be resolved in detailed molecular dynamics studies. Here a coarse grained model which allows to mimic binding of nucleotides and follow subsequent conformational motions of full-length transporter structures in computer simulations is proposed and implemented. To justify its explanatory quality, the model is first applied to the maltose transporter system for which multiple conformations are known and we find that the model predictions agree remarkably well with the experimental data. For the MalK subunit the switching from open to the closed dimer configuration upon ATP binding is reproduced and, moreover, for the full-length maltose transporter, progression from inward-facing to the outward-facing state is correctly obtained. For the heme transporter HmuUV, for which only the free structure could yet be determined, the model was then applied to predict nucleotide-induced conformational motions. Upon binding of ATP-mimicking ligands the structure changed from a conformation in which the nucleotide-binding domains formed an open shape, to a conformation in which they were found in tight contact, while, at the same time, a pronounced rotation of the transmembrane domains was observed. This finding is supported by normal mode analysis, and, comparison with structural data of the homologous vitamin B12 transporter BtuCD suggests that the observed rotation mechanism may contribute a common functional aspect for this class of ABC transporters. Although in HmuuV noticeable rearrangement of essential transmembrane helices was detected, there are no indications from our simulations that ATP binding alone may facilitate propagation of substrate molecules in this transporter

Grain Flow at High Stresses

Science.gov (United States)

McSaveney, M. J.

2015-12-01

The transport mechanism of rapid long-runout rock avalanches was a hotly debated topic when I came on the scene in 1967. So how come it is still debated today? My explanation is that it is the expected outcome of peer review, poor comprehension, and technological advances outpacing intellectual advances. Why think about the problem when we can model it! So let us think about the problem. Shreve thought that rock avalanches fell upon and trapped a layer of air. What physics was he thinking about? It is how feathers and tissue papers fall. When my rock avalanches fly, they fly like unlubricated bricks using the physics of projectiles and ballistics. But the main transport mechanism is not flight. The dominant impression from watching a rock avalanche in motion is of fluid flow, as Heim described it in 1882. A rock avalanche is a very large grain flow. Bagnold studied dispersive grain flows, but why should one assume that rock avalanches are dispersive grain flows as many do. The more common grain flow type is a dense grain flow and rock avalanches are dense grain flows in which the weight can and does generate very high stresses at grain contacts. Brittle rock deforms elastically up to its compressive strength, whereupon it breaks, releasing elastic strain as transient elastic strain (seismic energy to a seismologist, acoustic energy to a physicist). Melosh and others have shown that acoustic energy can fluidize a grain mass. There is no exotic physics behind grain flow at high stress. When grains break, the released elastic strain has to go somewhere, and it goes somewhere principally by transmission though grain contacts. Depending on the state of stress at the grain contact, the contact will pass the stress or will slip at conventional values of Coulomb friction. Enough thinking! A physical model of the entire process is too big for any laboratory. So whose numerical model will do it?

Coarse-grained Simulations of Substrate Export through Multidrug Efflux Transporter AcrB

Science.gov (United States)

Jewel, Yead; Dutta, Prashanta; Liu, Jin

2017-11-01

The treatment of bacterial infectious diseases hampered by the overexpression of multidrug resistance (MDR) systems. The MDR system actively pumps the antibiotic drugs as well as other toxic compounds out of the cells. During the pumping, AcrB (one of the key MDR components) undergoes a series of large-scale proton/substrate dependent conformational changes. In this work, we implement a hybrid coarse-grained PACE force field that couples the united-atom protein model with the coarse-grained MARTINI water/lipid, to investigate the conformational changes of AcrB. We first develop the substrate force field which is compatible with PACE, then we implement the force field to explore large scale structural changes of AcrB in microsecond simulations. The effects of the substrate and the protonation states of two key residues: Asp407 and Asp408, are investigated. Our results show that the drug export through AcrB is proton as well as substrate dependent. Our simulations explain molecular mechanisms of substrate transport through AcrB complex, as well as provide valuable insights for designing proper antibiotic drugs. Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01GM122081.

Incorporation of Fine-Grained Sediment Erodibility Measurements into Sediment Transport Modeling, Capitol Lake, Washington

Science.gov (United States)

Stevens, Andrew W.; Gelfenbaum, Guy; Elias, Edwin; Jones, Craig

2008-01-01

Capitol Lake was created in 1951 with the construction of a concrete dam and control gate that prevented salt-water intrusion into the newly formed lake and regulated flow of the Deschutes River into southern Puget Sound. Physical processes associated with the former tidally dominated estuary were altered, and the dam structure itself likely caused an increase in retention of sediment flowing into the lake from the Deschutes River. Several efforts to manage sediment accumulation in the lake, including dredging and the construction of sediment traps upriver, failed to stop the lake from filling with sediment. The Deschutes Estuary Feasibility Study (DEFS) was carried out to evaluate the possibility of removing the dam and restoring estuarine processes as an alternative ongoing lake management. An important component of DEFS was the creation of a hydrodynamic and sediment transport model of the restored Deschutes Estuary. Results from model simulations indicated that estuarine processes would be restored under each of four restoration alternatives, and that over time, the restored estuary would have morphological features similar to the predam estuary. The model also predicted that after dam-removal, a large portion of the sediment eroded from the lake bottom would be deposited near the Port of Olympia and a marina located in lower Budd Inlet seaward of the present dam. The volume of sediment transported downstream was a critical piece of information that managers needed to estimate the total cost of the proposed restoration project. However, the ability of the model to predict the magnitude of sediment transport in general and, in particular, the volume of sediment deposition in the port and marina was limited by a lack of information on the erodibility of fine-grained sediments in Capitol Lake. Cores at several sites throughout Capitol Lake were collected between October 31 and November 1, 2007. The erodibility of sediments in the cores was later determined in the

Accumulation and conversion of sugars by developing wheat grains. VII. Effect of changes in sieve tube and endosperm cavity sap concentrations on the grain filling rate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fisher, D.B.; Gifford, R.M.

1987-01-01

The extent to which wheat grain growth is dependent on transport pool solute concentration was investigated by the use of illumination and partial grain removal to vary solute concentrations in the sieve tube and endosperm cavity saps of the wheat ear (Triticum aestivum L.). Short-term grain growth rates were estimated indirectly from the product of phloem area, sieve tube sap concentration, and 32 P translocation velocity. On a per grain basis, calculated rates of mass transport through the peduncle were fairly constant over a substantial range in other transport parameters (i.e. velocity, concentration, phloem area, and grain number). The rates were about 40% higher than expected; this probably reflects some unavoidable bias on faster-moving tracer in the velocity estimates. Sieve tube sap concentration increased in all experiments (by 20 to 64%), with a concomitant decline in velocity (to as low as 8% of the initial value). Endosperm cavity sucrose concentration also increased in all experiments, but cavity sap osmolality and total amino acid concentration remained nearly constant. No evidence was found for an increase in the rate of mass transport per grain through the peduncle in response to the treatments. This apparent unresponsiveness of grain growth rate to increased cavity sap sucrose concentration conflicts with earlier in vitro endosperm studies showing that sucrose uptake increased with increasing external sucrose concentration up to 150 to 200 millimolar

Cooperative doping effects of Ti and nano-SiC on transport critical current density and grain connectivity of in situ MgB{sub 2} tapes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pan, X.F., E-mail: PAN.Xifeng@nims.go.jp [National Institute for Materials Science, Superconducting Materials Research Center, 1-2-1, Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0047 (Japan)] [Key Laboratory of Magnetic Levitation and Maglev Trains (Ministry of Education of China), Superconductivity R and D Center (SRDC), Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031 (China); Matsumoto, A.; Kumakura, H. [National Institute for Materials Science, Superconducting Materials Research Center, 1-2-1, Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0047 (Japan); Cheng, C.H.; Zhao, Y. [Key Laboratory of Magnetic Levitation and Maglev Trains (Ministry of Education of China), Superconductivity R and D Center (SRDC), Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031 (China)] [School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, NSW (Australia)

2011-11-15

We studied the cooperative doping effects of Ti and nano-SiC on transport J{sub c} and grain connectivity of MgB{sub 2} tape. Ti doping significantly weakens the current dependence of T{sub c} of MgB{sub 2} tapes at self-field, and does not change T{sub c} or slightly increases T{sub c}. Further Ti adding can enhance in-field J{sub c} performance of SiC doped MgB{sub 2} tapes by a factor of 50-100% at 4.2 K and 10 T. Ti addition improves the J{sub c} performance of undoped and SiC doped MgB{sub 2} by modifying their grains connection. By now, nano-SiC powder (20-30 nm) is still the most effective additive for improving upper critical field and critical current density of MgB{sub 2}-based superconducting materials. However, some decomposed carbon aggregates at grain boundaries and results in serious weak-links of MgB{sub 2} grains, and these weak-links limit the further improvement of critical current density, J{sub c} of MgB{sub 2}, especially at lower fields. Ti doping is reported to increase the compactness of MgB{sub 2}, and modify its intergranular coupling by forming ultrathin TiB{sub 2} layer at grain boundaries. In this work, we studied the cooperative doping effects of Ti and nano-SiC on transport J{sub c} and grain connectivity of MgB{sub 2} and the possibility to improve transport J{sub c} of SiC doped MgB{sub 2} by introducing Ti additive. The results suggest the Ti addition can obviously improve J{sub c} of MgB{sub 2} at lower fields and also enhance the J{sub c} of SiC doped MgB{sub 2} by improving their grain connectivity which shows serious intergranular weak-links.

Tracing magnetic fields with aligned grains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lazarian, A.

2007-01-01

Magnetic fields play a crucial role in various astrophysical processes, including star formation, accretion of matter, transport processes (e.g., transport of heat), and cosmic rays. One of the easiest ways to determine the magnetic field direction is via polarization of radiation resulting from extinction or/and emission by aligned dust grains. Reliability of interpretation of the polarization maps in terms of magnetic fields depends on how well we understand the grain-alignment theory. Explaining what makes grains aligned has been one of the big issues of the modern astronomy. Numerous exciting physical effects have been discovered in the course of research undertaken in this field. As both the theory and observations matured, it became clear that the grain-alignment phenomenon is inherent not only in diffuse interstellar medium or molecular clouds but also is a generic property of the dust in circumstellar regions, interplanetary space and cometary comae. Currently the grain-alignment theory is a predictive one, and its results nicely match observations. Among its predictions is a subtle phenomenon of radiative torques. This phenomenon, after having stayed in oblivion for many years after its discovery, is currently viewed as the most powerful means of alignment. In this article, I shall review the basic physical processes involved in grain alignment, and the currently known mechanisms of alignment. I shall also discuss possible niches for different alignment mechanisms. I shall dwell on the importance of the concept of grain helicity for understanding of many properties of grain alignment, and shall demonstrate that rather arbitrarily shaped grains exhibit helicity when they interact with gaseous and radiative flows

77 FR 20882 - Manning Grain Company; Acquisition and Operation Exemption; Fillmore Western Railway Company

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-06

... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35612] Manning Grain Company; Acquisition and Operation Exemption; Fillmore Western Railway Company Manning Grain Company (MGC... Docket No. FD 35607, Manning Rail, Inc.--Acquisition and Operation Exemption--Manning Grain Company...

regional grain allocation and transportation in China

African Journals Online (AJOL)

use

2011-12-14

Dec 14, 2011 ... China was partitioned into eight regions, and the virtual water flow due to regional grain allocation and ... strategy can be choices which can realize Chinese food security and ..... Globalization of water: Sharing the planet's ...

Fine-grained sediment dispersal along the California coast

Science.gov (United States)

Warrick, Jonathan A.; Storlazzi, Curt D.

2013-01-01

Fine-grained sediment (silt and clay) enters coastal waters from rivers, eroding coastal bluffs, resuspension of seabed sediment, and human activities such as dredging and beach nourishment. The amount of sediment in coastal waters is an important factor in ocean ecosystem health, but little information exists on both the natural and human-driven magnitudes of fine-grained sediment delivery to the coastal zone, its residence time there, and its transport out of the system—information upon which to base environmental assessments. To help fill these information gaps, the U.S. Geological Survey has partnered with Federal, State, and local agencies to monitor fine-grained sediment dispersal patterns and fate in the coastal regions of California. Results of these studies suggest that the waves and currents of many of the nearshore coastal settings of California are adequately energetic to transport fine-grained sediment quickly through coastal systems. These findings will help with the management and regulation of fine-grained sediment along the U.S. west coast.

Enhanced Sucrose Loading Improves Rice Yield by Increasing Grain Size.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Liang; Lu, Qingtao; Wen, Xiaogang; Lu, Congming

2015-12-01

Yield in cereals is a function of grain number and size. Sucrose (Suc), the main carbohydrate product of photosynthesis in higher plants, is transported long distances from source leaves to sink organs such as seeds and roots. Here, we report that transgenic rice plants (Oryza sativa) expressing the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) phloem-specific Suc transporter (AtSUC2), which loads Suc into the phloem under control of the phloem protein2 promoter (pPP2), showed an increase in grain yield of up to 16% relative to wild-type plants in field trials. Compared with wild-type plants, pPP2::AtSUC2 plants had larger spikelet hulls and larger and heavier grains. Grain filling was accelerated in the transgenic plants, and more photoassimilate was transported from the leaves to the grain. In addition, microarray analyses revealed that carbohydrate, amino acid, and lipid metabolism was enhanced in the leaves and grain of pPP2::AtSUC2 plants. Thus, enhancing Suc loading represents a promising strategy to improve rice yield to feed the global population. © 2015 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

An Application for the Improvement of the Transportation System of the Flour in a Grain Mill using "PID Compact"

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eugen Răduca

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The paper presents an application based on a PLC Simatic S7-1200, using the "PID_Compact" logical function, which can be used for the improvement of control systems. We also present a practical application: a system for the improvement of the transportation system of the flour in a grain mill using "PID Compact" .

Molecular dynamics study of grain boundary diffusion of hydrogen in tungsten

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Von Toussaint, U; Gori, S; Manhard, A; Höschen, T; Höschen, C

2011-01-01

Understanding the influence of the microstructure of tungsten on hydrogen transport is crucial for the use of tungsten as first-wall material in fusion reactors. Here, we report the results of molecular dynamics and transition state studies on the influence of grain boundaries in tungsten on the transport of hydrogen. An exhaustive mapping of possible minimum activation energy migration trajectories for hydrogen as the trace impurity reveals a strongly modified activation energy distribution in the neighborhood of grain boundaries together with an altered connectivity matrix. The results indicate that grain boundaries in polycrystalline tungsten may provide an important transport channel, especially for neutron-damaged tungsten.

Whole grain foods and health - A Scandinavian perspective

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Frølich, Wenche; Aman, Per; Tetens, Inge

2013-01-01

and health effects of the final whole grain products. Future research should consider the specific properties of each cereal and its processing methods to further identify the uniqueness and health potentials of whole grain products. This would enable the authorities to provide more specific food......The food-based dietary guidelines in the Scandinavian countries that recommend an intake of minimum 75 g whole grain per 10 MJ (2,388 kcal) per day are mainly derived from prospective cohort studies where quantitative but little qualitative details are available on whole grain products....... The objective of the current paper is to clarify possible differences in nutritional and health effects of the types of whole grain grown and consumed in the Scandinavian countries. A further objective is to substantiate how processing may influence the nutritional value and potential health effects...

FORMATION INNOVATIVELY FOCUSED INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE GRAIN MARKET

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. S. Latynin

2014-01-01

network character. The basic directions of development of transport service in view of an innovative component should become use of new cars with the increased carrying capacity and volume the body, allowing to reduce a transport component in the prices grain; improvement of road conditions due to construction a network of roads with the firm covering, connecting interfarm divisions and fields of a crop rotation; wider application on transport works of high-speed wheel tractors.

Producing laminated NiAl with bimodal distribution of grain size by solid–liquid reaction treatment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fan, G.H.; Wang, Q.W.; Du, Y.

2014-01-01

The prospect of combining laminated structure design and grain size tailoring to toughen brittle materials is examined. Laminated NiAl consisting of coarse-grained layers and fine-grained layers was fabricated by solid–liquid reaction treatment of stacking Ni and Al foils. The fracture toughness...

Retardation of grain boundary self-diffusion in nickel doped with antimony and tin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Padgett, R.A.; White, C.L.

1984-01-01

Many important metallurgical phenomena are strongly influenced or controlled by grain boundary mass transport. There is also much evidence that the composition of grain boundaries is often significantly different from the overall composition of metals and alloys, owing to strong segregation of residual (and often undetected) impurities. This segregation, which does not always advertise its presence through grain boundary brittleness, may vary markedly from heat to heat, and occasionally from specimen to specimen within a given heat. Unfortunately, there are relatively few experimental observations of how such segregation affects grain boundary mass transport, and even less fundamental understanding of how these effects occur. In this paper we present autoradiographic results on self-diffusion of 63 Ni in nickel and nickel doped with antimony and tin. While these results do not permit a quantitative evaluation of the grain boundary diffusivity, D, they qualitatively illustrate the dramatic effect that these solute elements have on the ability of nickel grain boundaries to act as preferential paths for mass transport

TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE OF UKRAINE: THE MODERN REALITIES AND DEVELOPMENT PROSPECTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tetiana Stroiko

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the article is to conduct a complex research of the state of transport structure of Ukraine and substantiate prospects of its development. The developed transport system and corresponding infrastructure are a guarantee of high level of the country’s development, increasing the level of its investing attractiveness. Moreover, transport infrastructure serves as a uniting factor in the process of integration. Thus, the main function of transport infrastructure is the formation of external conditions for the management of economic entities. It is determined that the development of a state directly depends on how efficiently it performs management in different spheres. First of all, it concerns transport infrastructure. Today, the global trends necessitate constant perfection of management of transport infrastructure, in particular, investment attraction. The state and development level of transport infrastructure is one of the most important factors of socio-economic development of both member states of the European Union and Ukraine. Transport infrastructure occupies a services market sector with a market share of 75%. And in the macroeconomic context, the share of transport infrastructure in the overall volume of gross domestic product of Ukraine is 7%. In the modern management conditions, a negative dynamics of transportation and its share in the gross domestic product of Ukraine are determined mostly by the influence of economic crisis processes and negative state of development of transport infrastructure of the country. For the evaluation of activities of transport of Ukraine, we used the main indicators of its performance as criteria. The main criteria of performance evaluation of transport are: the volume of cargo transportation, cargo turnover, the ratio of modes of transport in cargo transportation, the volume of passenger transportation, passenger turnover, the cost of transportation, the ratio of passenger and cargo

Continental-scale transport of sediments by the Baltic Ice Stream elucidated by coupled grain size and Nd provenance analyses

Science.gov (United States)

Boswell, Steven M.; Toucanne, Samuel; Creyts, Timothy T.; Hemming, Sidney R.

2018-05-01

We introduce a methodology for determining the transport distance of subglacially comminuted and entrained sediments. We pilot this method on sediments from the terminal margin of the Baltic Ice Stream, the largest ice stream of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet during the Last Glacial Maximum. A strong correlation (R2 = 0.83) between the εNd and latitudes of circum-Baltic river sediments enables us to use εNd as a calibrated measure of distance. The proportion of subglacially transported sediments in a sample is estimated from grain size ratios in the silt fraction (investigations of Fennoscandinavian erosion, and is consistent with rapid ice flow into the Baltic basins prior to the Last Glacial Maximum. The methodology introduced here could be used to infer the distances of glacigenic sediment transport from Late Pleistocene and earlier glaciations.

Whole Grain Consumption and Risk of Ischemic Stroke: Results From 2 Prospective Cohort Studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Juan, Juan; Liu, Gang; Willett, Walter C; Hu, Frank B; Rexrode, Kathryn M; Sun, Qi

2017-12-01

Higher intake of whole grains may exert cardiometabolic benefits, although findings on stroke risk are inconclusive. The potentially differential effects of individual whole grain foods on ischemic stroke have not been examined. We analyzed whole grain consumption in relation to ischemic stroke among 71 750 women from the Nurses' Health Study and 42 823 men from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study who were free of cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and cancer at baseline (1984 and 1986, respectively) through 2010 using a Cox proportional hazards model. Validated semiquantitative food frequency questionnaires were used to assess consumption of whole grain intake, including whole grain cold breakfast cereal, dark bread, oatmeal, brown rice, popcorn, bran, and germ. Self-reported incident cases of ischemic stroke were confirmed through medical record review. During 2 820 128 person-years of follow-up in the 2 cohorts, 2458 cases of ischemic stroke were identified and confirmed. Intake of total whole grains was not associated with risk of ischemic stroke after adjustment for covariates: the pooled hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) comparing extreme intake levels was 1.04 (0.91-1.19). However, intake of whole grain cold breakfast cereal and total bran was inversely associated with ischemic stroke after multivariate adjustment: the pooled hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) were 0.88 (0.80-0.96; P trend =0.008) and 0.89 (0.79-1.00; P trend =0.004), respectively. Other whole grain foods were not associated with a lower risk of ischemic stroke. Although overall consumption of whole grains was not associated with lower risk of ischemic stroke, greater consumption of whole grain cold breakfast cereal and bran was significantly associated with a lower risk of ischemic stroke. More studies are needed to replicate these associations between individual whole grain foods and risk of ischemic stroke among other populations. © 2017 American Heart

Thermal dileptons from coarse-grained transport as fireball probes at SIS energies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Galatyuk, Tetyana; Seck, Florian; Hohler, Paul M.; Rapp, Ralf; Stroth, Joachim

2016-01-01

Utilizing a coarse-graining method to convert hadronic transport simulations of Au+Au collisions at SIS energies into local temperature, baryon and pion densities, we compute the pertinent radiation of thermal dileptons based on an in-medium ρ spectral function that describes available spectra at ultrarelativistic collision energies. In particular, we analyze how far the resulting yields and slopes of the invariant-mass spectra can probe the lifetime and temperatures of the fireball. We find that dilepton radiation sets in after the initial overlap phase of the colliding nuclei of about 7 fm/c, and lasts for about 13 fm/c. This duration closely coincides with the development of the transverse collectivity of the baryons, thus establishing a direct correlation between hadronic collective effects and thermal EM radiation, and supporting a near local equilibration of the system. This fireball ''lifetime'' is substantially smaller than the typical 20-30 fm/c that naive considerations of the density evolution alone would suggest. We furthermore find that the total dilepton yield radiated into the invariant-mass window of M = 0.3-0.7 GeV/c 2 normalized to the number of charged pions, follows a relation to the lifetime found earlier in the (ultra-)relativistic regime of heavy-ion collisions, and thus corroborates the versatility of this tool. The spectral slopes of the invariant-mass spectra above the φ -meson mass provide a thermometer of the hottest phases of the collision, and agree well with the maximal temperatures extracted from the coarse-grained hadron spectra. (orig.)

Sedimentary differentiation of aeolian grains at the White Sands National Monument, New Mexico, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Fenton, Lori K.; Bishop, Janice L.; King, Sara; Lafuente, Barbara; Horgan, Briony; Bustos, David; Sarrazin, Philippe

2017-06-01

Gypsum (CaSO4·2H2O) has been identified as a major component of part of Olympia Undae in the northern polar region of Mars, along with the mafic minerals more typical of Martian dune fields. The source and age of the gypsum is disputed, with the proposed explanations having vastly different implications for Mars' geological history. Furthermore, the transport of low density gypsum grains relative to and concurrently with denser grains has yet to be investigated in an aeolian setting. To address this knowledge gap, we performed a field study at White Sands National Monument (WSNM) in New Mexico, USA. Although gypsum dominates the bulk of the dune field, a dolomite-rich [CaMg(CO3)2] transport pathway along the northern border of WSNM provides a suitable analog site to study the transport of gypsum grains relative to the somewhat harder and denser carbonate grains. We collected samples along the stoss slope of a dune and on two coarse-grained ripples at the upwind margin of the dune field where minerals other than gypsum were most common. For comparison, additional samples were taken along the stoss slope of a dune outside the dolomite transport pathway, in the center of the dune field. Visible and near-infrared (VNIR), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and Raman analyses of different sample size fractions reveal that dolomite is only prevalent in grains larger than ∼1 mm. Other minerals, most notably calcite, are also present in smaller quantities among the coarse grains. The abundance of these coarse grains, relative to gypsum grains of the same size, drops off sharply at the upwind margin of the dune field. In contrast, gypsum dominated the finer fraction (MCD) are consistent with the observed concentration of gypsum at dune crests. Density-driven differentiation in transport should not influence sediment fluxes of finer grains (<1 mm) as strongly on Earth, suggesting that the high ratio of fine gypsum grains to other minerals at WSNM is caused by a relatively

Marketing and transportation of grain by local cooperatives

Science.gov (United States)

1993-11-01

This study focuses on first-handlers-of-grain cooperatives for the fiscal years ending in calendar year 1991. It is comparable with studies previously conducted by the Agricultural Cooperative Service covering 1985-86 (ACS Research Report 70), 1982-8...

77 FR 23806 - Manning Rail, Inc.-Acquisition and Operation Exemption-Manning Grain Company

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-20

... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35607] Manning Rail, Inc.--Acquisition and Operation Exemption--Manning Grain Company Manning Rail, Inc. (MRI), a noncarrier, has filed a verified notice of exemption \\1\\ under 49 CFR 1150.31 to acquire from Manning Grain Company (MGC) and...

Anisotropy and intergrain current density in oriented grained bulk YBa2Cu3Ox superconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Selvamanickam, V.; Salama, K.

1990-01-01

The intergrain transport current density and its anisotropy have been studied in oriented grained bulk YBa 2 Cu 3 O x superconductors fabricated by the liquid phase processing method. Current density measurements were performed on oriented grained samples with the transport current aligned at different angles to the a-b plane. In these measurements, the transport current passed through several oriented grain boundaries. The results indicate that the critical current density drops rapidly when the transport current flows at small angles to the a-b plane and then decreases slowly at larger angles. At 77 K and zero magnetic field, an anisotropy ratio of about 25 is observed between J c along a-b plane and that perpendicular to the plane. Further, the critical current density in these samples is found to depend weakly on magnetic field even though the current crosses grain boundaries. These results support the notion that grain boundaries of these superconductors are different in nature from those of solid-state sintered samples.

Oxygen diffusion in nanocrystalline yttria-stabilized zirconia: the effect of grain boundaries.

Science.gov (United States)

De Souza, Roger A; Pietrowski, Martha J; Anselmi-Tamburini, Umberto; Kim, Sangtae; Munir, Zuhair A; Martin, Manfred

2008-04-21

The transport of oxygen in dense samples of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), of average grain size d approximately 50 nm, has been studied by means of 18O/16O exchange annealing and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). Oxygen diffusion coefficients (D*) and oxygen surface exchange coefficients (k*) were measured for temperatures 673grain boundaries. Rather, the analysis indicates that grain boundaries hinder oxygen transport.

Safety in intrahospital transportation: evaluation of respiratory and hemodynamic parameters. A prospective cohort study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bruno Franco Mazza

Full Text Available CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Intrahospital transportation of mechanically ventilated patients is a high-risk situation. We aimed to determine whether transfers could be safely performed by using a transportation routine. DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective cohort study with "before and after" evaluation. METHODS: Mechanically ventilated patients who needed transportation were included. Hemodynamic and respiratory parameters were measured before and after transportation. Statistical analysis consisted of variance analysis and paired Student's t test. Results were considered significant if P 5, FiO2 > 0.4 and vasoactive drug use comprised 42.4%, 24.3%, 21.6% and 33.0% of cases, respectively. Mean duration of transportation was 43.4 ± 18.9 minutes. Complications occurred in 32.4%. There was a significant increase in CO2 (before transportation, 29.6 ± 7.3 and after transportation, 34.9 ± 7.0; P = 0.000; a trend towards improved PO2/FiO2 ratio (before transportation, 318.0 ± 137.0 and after transportation, 356.8 ± 119.9; P = 0.053; increased heart rate (before transportation, 80.9 ± 18.7 and after transportation, 85.5 ± 17.6; P = 0.08; and no significant change in mean arterial blood pressure (P = 0.93. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that intrahospital transportation can be safely performed. Our low incidence of complications was possibly related to both the presence of a multidisciplinary transportation team and proper equipment.

Anomalous transport of charged dust grains in a magnetized collisional plasma: A molecular dynamics study

Science.gov (United States)

Bezbaruah, Pratikshya; Das, Nilakshi

2018-05-01

Anomalous diffusion of charged dust grains immersed in a plasma in the presence of strong ion-neutral collision, flowing ions, and a magnetic field has been observed. Molecular Dynamics simulation confirms the deviation from normal diffusion in an ensemble of dust grains probed in laboratory plasma chambers. Collisional effects are significant in governing the nature of diffusion. In order to have a clear idea on the transport of particles in a real experimental situation, the contribution of streaming ions and the magnetic field along with collision is considered through the relevant interaction potential. The nonlinear evolution of Mean Square Displacement is an indication of the modification in particle trajectories due to several effects as mentioned above. It is found that strong collision and ion flow significantly affect the interparticle interaction potential in the presence of the magnetic field and lead to the appearance of the asymmetric type of Debye Hückel (D H) potential. Due to the combined effect of the magnetic field, ion flow, and collision, dusty plasma exhibits a completely novel behavior. The coupling parameter Γ enhances the asymmetric D H type potential arising due to ion flow, and this may drive the system to a disordered state.

Simulating Hydrologic Flow and Reactive Transport with PFLOTRAN and PETSc on Emerging Fine-Grained Parallel Computer Architectures

Science.gov (United States)

Mills, R. T.; Rupp, K.; Smith, B. F.; Brown, J.; Knepley, M.; Zhang, H.; Adams, M.; Hammond, G. E.

2017-12-01

As the high-performance computing community pushes towards the exascale horizon, power and heat considerations have driven the increasing importance and prevalence of fine-grained parallelism in new computer architectures. High-performance computing centers have become increasingly reliant on GPGPU accelerators and "manycore" processors such as the Intel Xeon Phi line, and 512-bit SIMD registers have even been introduced in the latest generation of Intel's mainstream Xeon server processors. The high degree of fine-grained parallelism and more complicated memory hierarchy considerations of such "manycore" processors present several challenges to existing scientific software. Here, we consider how the massively parallel, open-source hydrologic flow and reactive transport code PFLOTRAN - and the underlying Portable, Extensible Toolkit for Scientific Computation (PETSc) library on which it is built - can best take advantage of such architectures. We will discuss some key features of these novel architectures and our code optimizations and algorithmic developments targeted at them, and present experiences drawn from working with a wide range of PFLOTRAN benchmark problems on these architectures.

The Impact of Grain Alignment of the Electron Transporting Layer on the Performance of Inverted Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells

KAUST Repository

Banavoth, Murali

2015-08-13

This report presents a new strategy for improving solar cell power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) through grain alignment and morphology control of the ZnO electron transport layer (ETL) prepared by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. The systematic control over the ETL\\'s grain alignment and thickness is shown, by varying the deposition pressure and operating substrate temperature during the deposition. Notably, a high PCE of 6.9%, short circuit current density (Jsc) of 12.8 mA cm-2, open circuit voltage (Voc) of 910 mV, and fill factor of 59% are demonstrated using the poly(benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b\\']dithiophene-thieno[3,4-c]pyrrole-4,6-dione):[6,6]-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester polymer blend with ETLs prepared at room temperature exhibiting oriented and aligned rod-like ZnO grains. Increasing the deposition temperature during the ZnO sputtering induces morphological cleavage of the rod-like ZnO grains and therefore reduced conductivity from 7.2 × 10-13 to ≈1.7 × 10-14 S m-1 and PCE from 6.9% to 4.28%. An investigation of the charge carrier dynamics by femtosecond (fs) transient absorption spectroscopy with broadband capability reveals clear evidence of faster carrier recombination for a ZnO layer deposited at higher temperature, which is consistent with the conductivity and device performance. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The Impact of Grain Alignment of the Electron Transporting Layer on the Performance of Inverted Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells

KAUST Repository

Banavoth, Murali; El Labban, Abdulrahman; Eid, Jessica; Alarousu, Erkki; Shi, Dong; Zhang, Qiang; Zhang, Xixiang; Bakr, Osman; Mohammed, Omar F.

2015-01-01

This report presents a new strategy for improving solar cell power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) through grain alignment and morphology control of the ZnO electron transport layer (ETL) prepared by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. The systematic control over the ETL's grain alignment and thickness is shown, by varying the deposition pressure and operating substrate temperature during the deposition. Notably, a high PCE of 6.9%, short circuit current density (Jsc) of 12.8 mA cm-2, open circuit voltage (Voc) of 910 mV, and fill factor of 59% are demonstrated using the poly(benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene-thieno[3,4-c]pyrrole-4,6-dione):[6,6]-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester polymer blend with ETLs prepared at room temperature exhibiting oriented and aligned rod-like ZnO grains. Increasing the deposition temperature during the ZnO sputtering induces morphological cleavage of the rod-like ZnO grains and therefore reduced conductivity from 7.2 × 10-13 to ≈1.7 × 10-14 S m-1 and PCE from 6.9% to 4.28%. An investigation of the charge carrier dynamics by femtosecond (fs) transient absorption spectroscopy with broadband capability reveals clear evidence of faster carrier recombination for a ZnO layer deposited at higher temperature, which is consistent with the conductivity and device performance. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Simulation of grain boundary effects on electronic transport in metals, and detailed causes of scattering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Feldman, Baruch [Process Technology Modeling, Design and Technology Solutions, Technology and Manufacturing Group, Intel Corporation, Santa Clara, CA 95052 (United States); Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195 (United States); Park, Seongjun; Haverty, Michael; Shankar, Sadasivan [Process Technology Modeling, Design and Technology Solutions, Technology and Manufacturing Group, Intel Corporation, Santa Clara, CA 95052 (United States); Dunham, Scott T. [Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195 (United States); Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195 (United States)

2010-07-15

We present first-principles simulations of single grain boundary reflectivity of electrons in noble metals, Cu and Ag. We examine twin and non-twin grain boundaries using non-equilibrium Green's function and first principles methods. We also investigate the determinants of reflectivity in grain boundaries by modeling atomic vacancies, disorder, and orientation and find that both the change in grain orientation and disorder in the boundary itself contribute significantly to reflectivity. We find that grain boundary reflectivity may vary widely depending on the grain boundary structure, consistent with published experimental results. Finally, we examine the reflectivity from multiple grain boundaries and find that grain boundary reflectivity may depend on neighboring grain boundaries. This study raises some potential limitations in the independent grain boundary assumptions of the Mayadas-Shatzkes (MS) model. (Abstract Copyright [2010], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Design and simulation of betavoltaic battery using large-grain polysilicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yao, Shulin; Song, Zijun; Wang, Xiang; San, Haisheng; Yu, Yuxi

2012-01-01

In this paper, we present the design and simulation of a p–n junction betavoltaic battery based on large-grain polysilicon. By the Monte Carlo simulation, the average penetration depth were obtained, according to which the optimal depletion region width was designed. The carriers transport model of large-grain polysilicon is used to determine the diffusion length of minority carrier. By optimizing the doping concentration, the maximum power conversion efficiency can be achieved to be 0.90% with a 10 mCi/cm 2 Ni-63 source radiation. - Highlights: ► Ni 63 is employed as the pure beta radioisotope source. ► The planar p–n junction betavoltaic battery is based on large-grain polysilicon. ► The carriers transport model of large-grain polysilicon is used to determine the diffusion length of minority carrier. ► The average penetration depth was obtained by using the Monte Carlo Method.

Thiamine supplementation facilitates thiamine transporter expression in the rumen epithelium and attenuates high-grain-induced inflammation in low-yielding dairy cows.

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, X H; Yang, L; Beckers, Y; Xue, F G; Tang, Z W; Jiang, L S; Xiong, B H

2017-07-01

An experiment was conducted to uncover the effects of increasing dietary grain levels on expression of thiamine transporters in ruminal epithelium, and to assess the protective effects of thiamine against high-grain-induced inflammation in dairy cows. Six rumen-fistulated, lactating Holstein dairy cows (627 ± 16.9 kg of body weight, 180 ± 6 d in milk; mean ± standard deviation) were randomly assigned to a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square design trial. Three treatments were control (20% dietary starch, dry matter basis), high-grain diet (HG, 33.2% dietary starch, DM basis), and HG diet supplemented with 180 mg of thiamine/kg of dry matter intake. On d 19 and 20 of each period, milk performance was measured. On d 21, ruminal pH, endotoxic lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and thiamine contents in rumen and blood, and plasma inflammatory cytokines were detected; a rumen papillae biopsy was taken on d 21 to determine the gene and protein expression of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling pathways. The HG diet decreased ruminal pH (5.93 vs. 6.49), increased milk yield from 17.9 to 20.2 kg/d, and lowered milk fat and protein from 4.28 to 3.83%, and from 3.38 to 3.11%, respectively. The HG feeding reduced thiamine content in rumen (2.89 vs. 8.97 μg/L) and blood (11.66 vs. 17.63 μg/L), and the relative expression value of thiamine transporter-2 (0.37-fold) and mitochondrial thiamine pyrophosphate transporter (0.33-fold) was downregulated by HG feeding. The HG-fed cows exhibited higher endotoxin LPS in rumen fluid (134,380 vs. 11,815 endotoxin units/mL), and higher plasma concentrations of lipopolysaccharide binding protein and pro-inflammatory cytokines when compared with the control group. The gene and protein expression of tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), IL1B, and IL6 in rumen epithelium increased when cows were fed the HG diet, indicating that local inflammation occurred. The depressions in ruminal pH, milk fat, and protein of HG-fed cows were reversed by thiamine

Silencing of ABCC13 transporter in wheat reveals its involvement in grain development, phytic acid accumulation and lateral root formation.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhati, Kaushal Kumar; Alok, Anshu; Kumar, Anil; Kaur, Jagdeep; Tiwari, Siddharth; Pandey, Ajay Kumar

2016-07-01

Low phytic acid is a trait desired in cereal crops and can be achieved by manipulating the genes involved either in its biosynthesis or its transport in the vacuoles. Previously, we have demonstrated that the wheat TaABCC13 protein is a functional transporter, primarily involved in heavy metal tolerance, and a probable candidate gene to achieve low phytate wheat. In the current study, RNA silencing was used to knockdown the expression of TaABCC13 in order to evaluate its functional importance in wheat. Transgenic plants with significantly reduced TaABCC13 transcripts in either seeds or roots were selected for further studies. Homozygous RNAi lines K1B4 and K4G7 exhibited 34-22% reduction of the phytic acid content in the mature grains (T4 seeds). These transgenic lines were defective for spike development, as characterized by reduced grain filling and numbers of spikelets. The seeds of transgenic wheat had delayed germination, but the viability of the seedlings was unaffected. Interestingly, early emergence of lateral roots was observed in TaABCC13-silenced lines as compared to non-transgenic lines. In addition, these lines also had defects in metal uptake and development of lateral roots in the presence of cadmium stress. Our results suggest roles of TaABCC13 in lateral root initiation and enhanced sensitivity towards heavy metals. Taken together, these data demonstrate that wheat ABCC13 is functionally important for grain development and plays an important role during detoxification of heavy metals. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

CREATION OF EXPORT-ORIENTED NETWORK OF GRAIN ELEVATORS IN UKRAINE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. M. Kozachenko

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Purpose. The scientific paper highlights improving the efficiency of export rail transportation of grain cargoes in Ukraine by introducing shipper routing and concentration of loading at the terminal grain elevators. Methodology. According to the experience of the USA and Canada, one of the most effective ways to reduce costs in the grain to-port supply chain is a shipper routing of the rail traffic. Shipper routing for transportation of grain cargoes involves the concentration of their loading on the multiple junctions. The junctions are proposed to be selected with the use of cluster analysis methods. For the formation of the grain loading concentration areas the authors used methods of set theory and multi-criteria optimization. Findings. Based on agglomerative cluster analysis algorithm, the junctions on a network of Ukrainian railways are selected and the areas of possible concentration of grain loading are formed. DSU-algorithm allowed distinguishing the overlapping and non-overlapping areas of concentration. The problem of selecting non-overlapping areas of the grain loading concentration is formalized as the problem of multiobjective integer programming with boolean variables. The solution of this problem by a modified simplex algorithm allows selecting on the railway network of Ukraine 24 districts of possible grain loading concentration, which cover 70 stations and at minimal additional cost provide routing of about 7.5 million tons of grain per year. Originality. The originality of the work lies in the fact that the authors developed the mathematical procedure for selection of junctions and concentration areas of grain loading at the Ukrainian railway network, taking into account the economic efficiency of the process. Practicalvalue. Application of the developed method of grain loading concentration for the formation of unit trains will significantly reduce the logistics costs in the supply chain of grain to Ukrainian ports for

Creating prospective value chains for renewable road transport energy sources up to 2050 in Nordic Countries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wessberg, Nina; Leinonen, Anna; Tuominen, Anu

2013-01-01

If the Nordic energy and transport sectors are to meet the 2050 energy and climate policy targets, major systemic changes are necessary. Along with new technologies, changes are required also in other societal functions such as business models and consumer habits. The transition requires...... cooperation between public and private actors. This paper discusses the paradigm change towards 2050 Nordic road transport system based on renewable energy. More precisely, it proposes an approach for creation and analysis of prospective value networks up to the year 2050. The value networks arise from three...... application with a set of practical tools to support development of implementation strategies and policy programmes in the fields of energy and transport....

Physiology and biochemistry of source-regulated protein accumulation in the wheat grain.

Science.gov (United States)

Barneix, Atilio J

2007-05-01

Wheat is unique among cereals for the baking qualities of its flour, which are dependent upon the type and concentration of its proteins. As a consequence, the grain protein concentration (GPC) is one of the main determinants of wheat international market price. More than 50-70% of the final grain N is accumulated before flowering and later remobilized to the grain, N fertilization being the common practice used to produce high GPC. However, after incremental additions of N fertilizer, GPC reaches a maximum and then remains constant, without any increase in N uptake or remobilization by the crop, thus decreasing the efficiency of N fertilizer. Although, the genetic and molecular mechanisms that regulate N uptake by the roots are being clarified quickly, the regulation and physiology of N transport from the leaves to the grain remains less clear. In this review, the possible regulatory points involved in N transport to the grain and the difficulties for increasing GPC are discussed. It has been demonstrated that protein synthesis in the grain is source-limited, and that the grain can accumulate protein limited only by the amino acids provided by the phloem. It has also been shown that there is no limitation in the amino acid/sugar ratios that can be exported to the phloem. On the other hand, NO(3)(-) uptake transporters are depressed when the plant concentration of some amino acids, such as glutamine, is high. It has also been shown that a high N supply increases cytokinins concentration, preventing leaf senescence and proteolysis. Based on this information, it is postulated that there are two main regulatory points during grain filling when plant N status is ample. On the one hand, the N uptake transporters in the roots are depressed due to the high amino acids concentration in the tissues, and N uptake is low. On the other, a high amino acids concentration keeps the cytokinins level high, repressing leaf protein degradation and decreasing amino acid export to the

Superconductivity of individual grains and inter-grain boundaries for polycrystalline FeSr2YCu2O6+y

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamaguchi, K.; Hata, Y.; Mochiku, T.; Yasuoka, H.

2013-01-01

Polycrystalline FeSr 2 YCu 2 O 6+y was synthesized and its transport and magnetic properties were studied. Diamagnetism was observed below 60 K. Zero resistivity was observed below 38 K under zero magnetic field and below 10 K under 160 kOe. A two-step transition was observed in resistivity measurement due to the superconductivity in individual grains and across inter-grain boundaries. The critical current density in individual grains, J c intra , at 2 K under 1 kOe was deduced 3.4 × 10 5 A/cm 2 from the Bean model. In contrast, the critical current density in inter-grain boundaries, J c inter , at 2 K was 1.7 A/cm 2 in voltage–current measurement. The two-step transition seems to result from the large difference between J c intra and J c inter

Monte Carlo tests of small-world architecture for coarse-grained networks of the United States railroad and highway transportation systems

Science.gov (United States)

Aldrich, Preston R.; El-Zabet, Jermeen; Hassan, Seerat; Briguglio, Joseph; Aliaj, Enela; Radcliffe, Maria; Mirza, Taha; Comar, Timothy; Nadolski, Jeremy; Huebner, Cynthia D.

2015-11-01

Several studies have shown that human transportation networks exhibit small-world structure, meaning they have high local clustering and are easily traversed. However, some have concluded this without statistical evaluations, and others have compared observed structure to globally random rather than planar models. Here, we use Monte Carlo randomizations to test US transportation infrastructure data for small-worldness. Coarse-grained network models were generated from GIS data wherein nodes represent the 3105 contiguous US counties and weighted edges represent the number of highway or railroad links between counties; thus, we focus on linkage topologies and not geodesic distances. We compared railroad and highway transportation networks with a simple planar network based on county edge-sharing, and with networks that were globally randomized and those that were randomized while preserving their planarity. We conclude that terrestrial transportation networks have small-world architecture, as it is classically defined relative to global randomizations. However, this topological structure is sufficiently explained by the planarity of the graphs, and in fact the topological patterns established by the transportation links actually serve to reduce the amount of small-world structure.

Sputtering of nano-grains by energetic ions

CERN Document Server

Bringa, E M

2002-01-01

Sputtering from grains with a size of tens of nanometers is important in a number of astrophysical environments having a variety of plasma properties and can have applications in nano-technology. Since energy deposition by incident ions or electrons can create 'hot' regions in a small grain, thermal spike (TS) models have been applied to estimate the sputtering. The excitations produced by a fast ion are often assumed to form a 'hot' cylindrical track. In this paper we use molecular dynamics (MD) calculations to describe the energy transport and sputtering due to the creation of a 'hot' track in a grain with one quarter million atoms. We show the enhancement due to grain size and find that TS models work over a limited range of excitation densities. Discrepancies of several orders of magnitude are found when comparing our MD results for sputtering of small dust grains to those obtained by the astrophysical community using spike models.

Whole grain and refined grain consumption and the risk of type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of cohort studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Aune, Dagfinn; Norat, Teresa; Romundstad, Pål; Vatten, Lars J

2013-11-01

Several studies have suggested a protective effect of intake of whole grains, but not refined grains on type 2 diabetes risk, but the dose-response relationship between different types of grains and type 2 diabetes has not been established. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies of grain intake and type 2 diabetes. We searched the PubMed database for studies of grain intake and risk of type 2 diabetes, up to June 5th, 2013. Summary relative risks were calculated using a random effects model. Sixteen cohort studies were included in the analyses. The summary relative risk per 3 servings per day was 0.68 (95% CI 0.58-0.81, I(2) = 82%, n = 10) for whole grains and 0.95 (95% CI 0.88-1.04, I(2) = 53%, n = 6) for refined grains. A nonlinear association was observed for whole grains, p nonlinearity cereals, wheat bran and brown rice, but these results were based on few studies, while white rice was associated with increased risk. Our meta-analysis suggests that a high whole grain intake, but not refined grains, is associated with reduced type 2 diabetes risk. However, a positive association with intake of white rice and inverse associations between several specific types of whole grains and type 2 diabetes warrant further investigations. Our results support public health recommendations to replace refined grains with whole grains and suggest that at least two servings of whole grains per day should be consumed to reduce type 2 diabetes risk.

Identification and characterization of calcium transporter gene family in finger millet in relation to grain calcium content.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Uma M; Metwal, Mamta; Singh, Manoj; Taj, Gohar; Kumar, Anil

2015-07-15

Calcium (Ca) is an essential mineral for proper growth and development of plants as well as animals. In plants including cereals, calcium is deposited in seed during its development which is mediated by specialized Ca transporters. Common cereal seeds contain very low amounts of Ca while the finger millet (Eleusine coracana) contains exceptionally high amounts of Ca in seed. In order to understand the role of Ca transporters in grain Ca accumulation, developing seed transcriptome of two finger millet genotypes (GP-1, low Ca and GP-45 high Ca) differing in seed Ca content was sequenced using Illumina paired-end sequencing technology and members of Ca transporter gene family were identified. Out of 109,218 and 120,130 contigs, 86 and 81 contigs encoding Ca transporters were identified in GP-1 and GP-45, respectively. After removal of redundant sequences, a total of 19 sequences were confirmed as Ca transporter genes, which includes 11 Ca(2+) ATPases, 07 Ca(2+)/cation exchangers and 01 Ca(2+) channel. The differential expressions of all genes were analyzed from transcriptome data and it was observed that 9 and 3 genes were highly expressed in GP-45 and GP-1 genotypes respectively. Validation of transcriptome expression data of selected Ca transporter genes was performed on different stages of developing spikes of both genotypes grown under different concentrations of exogenous Ca. In both genotypes, significant correlation was observed between the expression of these genes, especially EcCaX3, and on the amount of Ca accumulated in seed. The positive correlation of seed mass with the amount of Ca concentration was also observed. The efficient Ca transport property and responsiveness of EcCAX3 towards exogenous Ca could be utilized in future biofortification program. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Laboratory measurements of grain-bedrock interactions using inertial sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Maniatis, Georgios; Hoey, Trevor; Hodge, Rebecca; Valyrakis, Manousos; Drysdale, Tim

2016-04-01

Sediment transport in steep mountain streams is characterized by the movement of coarse particles (diameter c.100 mm) over beds that are not fully sediment-covered. Under such conditions, individual grain dynamics become important for the prediction of sediment movement and subsequently for understanding grain-bedrock interaction. Technological advances in micro-mechanical-electrical systems now provide opportunities to measure individual grain dynamics and impact forces from inside the sediments (grain inertial frame of reference) instead of trying to infer them indirectly from water flow dynamics. We previously presented a new prototype sensor specifically developed for monitoring sediment transport [Maniatis et al. EGU 2014], and have shown how the definition of the physics of the grain using the inertial frame and subsequent derived measurements which have the potential to enhance the prediction of sediment entrainment [Maniatis et al. 2015]. Here we present the latest version of this sensor and we focus on beginning of the cessation of grain motion: the initial interaction with the bed after the translation phase. The sensor is housed in a spherical case, diameter 80mm, and is constructed using solid aluminum (density = 2.7 kg.m-3) after detailed 3D-CAD modelling. A complete Inertial Measurement Unit (a combination of micro- accelerometer, gyroscope and compass) was placed at the center of the mass of the assembly, with measurement ranges of 400g for acceleration, and 1200 rads/sec for angular velocity. In a 0.9m wide laboratory flume, bed slope = 0.02, the entrainment threshold of the sensor was measured, and the water flow was then set to this value. The sensor was then rolled freely from a static cylindrical bar positioned exactly on the surface of the flowing water. As the sensor enters the flow we record a very short period of transport (1-1.5 sec) followed by the impact on the channel bed. The measured Total Kinetic Energy (Joules) includes the

Design of Grain Refiners for Aluminium Alloys

Science.gov (United States)

Tronche, A.; Greer, A. L.

The efficiency of a grain refiner can be quantified as the number of grains per nucleant particle in the solidified product. Even for effective refiners in aluminium, such as Al-5Ti-1B, it is known from experiments that efficiencies are very low, at best 10-3 to 102. It is of interest to explore the reasons for such low values, and to assess the prospects for increased efficiency though design of refiners. Recently it has been shown [1] that a simple recalescence-based model can make quantitative predictions of grain size as a function of refiner addition level, cooling rate and solute content. In the model, the initiation of grains is limited by the free growth from nucleant particles, the size distribution of which is very important. The present work uses this model as the basis for discussing the effect of particle size distribution on grain refiner performance. Larger particles (of TiB2 in the case of present interest) promote greater efficiency, as do narrower size distributions. It is shown that even if the size distribution could be exactly specified, compromises would have to be made to balance efficiency (defined as above) with other desirable characteristics of a refiner.

YBa2Cu3O7-x 45 degree [001] tilt grain boundaries induced by controlled low-energy sputtering of MgO substrates: Transport properties and atomic-scale structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vuchic, B.V.; Merkle, K.L.; Funkhouser, J.W.; Bucholz, D.B.; Dean, K.A.; Chang, R.P.H.; Marks, L.D.

1994-10-01

Grain boundaries can act as weak links in the high T c materials. If properly controlled, these grain boundaries can be used in various device applications. We have been able to reproducibly form 45 degree [001] tilt grain boundary junctions in YBa 2 Cu 3 0 7-x thin films. The films were grown on MgO substrates using a pre-growth substrate treatment. A low energy broad beam Argon ion source was used to irradiate a select region of (100) MgO substrates. The film on the milled portion of the substrate grows predominantly with a grain orientation rotated 45 degree about the c-axis with respect to the grain on the unmilled portion. Backscattered electron Kikuchi patterns have been used to confirm that the rotation occurs across the entire milled portion of the substrate. Transport properties of these films are discussed and related to high resolution electron microstructural and microchemical analyses of the grain boundaries. This technique has potential use in device applications as a method for controlled grain boundary engineering

DEVELOPMENT OF GRAIN MARKET IN UKRAINE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aleksandr Maslak

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The subject of the research is a set of theoretical, methodological and practical fundamentals of organizational and economic functioning are integrated agricultural formations in the grain market of Ukraine. The methodological basis of research is the complex analysis of economic processes in the grain market in Ukraine and the world. During research we used such methods as method of systematization and comparison, statistic, economic, balance, constructive, target-oriented, and the methods of induction and deduction, analogy and comparison. Main aim of this article is the analysis of the situation on the grain market in Ukraine, defining the role of integrated agricultural formations in this market, improving the organizational-economic mechanism of its functioning, identifies ways of improving the competitiveness of Ukraine among world exporters of grain. Using results of the studies we examined trends grain market in Ukraine; influence of businesses in grain production; analysis of constraints to improve production efficiency of grain; defined domestic (internal needs of grain in Ukraine; assessed the status and expediency transformation infrastructure of the grain market of Ukraine; defined priority directions of development of the grain market in Ukraine. As a result of the preparation of articles, it is obtained the following conclusions: Ukraine is the world's largest producers and exporters of grain, the production of integrated agricultural units to a third of the total grain; technical condition of farm does not meet the needs of production; the domestic market is unable to provide the existing demand for grain production, contributing to export growth; Ukraine has a number of problems due to increased grain production, namely the shortage of storage capacity for the storage of grain, limited performance transshipment of grain in port elevators and imperfection and depreciation of transport systems; solving the existing problems is

The Prospect of Internet of Things and Big Data Analytics in Transportation System

Science.gov (United States)

Noori Hussein, Waleed; Kamarudin, L. M.; Hussain, Haider N.; Zakaria, A.; Badlishah Ahmed, R.; Zahri, N. A. H.

2018-05-01

Internet of Things (IoT); the new dawn technology that describes how data, people and interconnected physical objects act based on communicated information, and big data analytics have been adopted by diverse domains for varying purposes. Manufacturing, agriculture, banks, oil and gas, healthcare, retail, hospitality, and food services are few of the sectors that have adopted and massively utilized IoT and big data analytics. The transportation industry is also an early adopter, with significant attendant effects on its processes of tracking shipment, freight monitoring, and transparent warehousing. This is recorded in countries like England, Singapore, Portugal, and Germany, while Malaysia is currently assessing the potentials and researching a purpose-driven adoption and implementation. This paper, based on review of related literature, presents a summary of the inherent prospects in adopting IoT and big data analytics in the Malaysia transportation system. Efficient and safe port environment, predictive maintenance and remote management, boundary-less software platform and connected ecosystem, among others, are the inherent benefits in the IoT and big data analytics for the Malaysia transportation system.

The exceptional sediment load of fine-grained dispersal systems: Example of the Yellow River, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Hongbo; Nittrouer, Jeffrey A; Naito, Kensuke; Fu, Xudong; Zhang, Yuanfeng; Moodie, Andrew J; Wang, Yuanjian; Wu, Baosheng; Parker, Gary

2017-05-01

Sedimentary dispersal systems with fine-grained beds are common, yet the physics of sediment movement within them remains poorly constrained. We analyze sediment transport data for the best-documented, fine-grained river worldwide, the Huanghe (Yellow River) of China, where sediment flux is underpredicted by an order of magnitude according to well-accepted sediment transport relations. Our theoretical framework, bolstered by field observations, demonstrates that the Huanghe tends toward upper-stage plane bed, yielding minimal form drag, thus markedly enhancing sediment transport efficiency. We present a sediment transport formulation applicable to all river systems with silt to coarse-sand beds. This formulation demonstrates a remarkably sensitive dependence on grain size within a certain narrow range and therefore has special relevance to silt-sand fluvial systems, particularly those affected by dams.

The exceptional sediment load of fine-grained dispersal systems: Example of the Yellow River, China

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Hongbo; Nittrouer, Jeffrey A.; Naito, Kensuke; Fu, Xudong; Zhang, Yuanfeng; Moodie, Andrew J.; Wang, Yuanjian; Wu, Baosheng; Parker, Gary

2017-01-01

Sedimentary dispersal systems with fine-grained beds are common, yet the physics of sediment movement within them remains poorly constrained. We analyze sediment transport data for the best-documented, fine-grained river worldwide, the Huanghe (Yellow River) of China, where sediment flux is underpredicted by an order of magnitude according to well-accepted sediment transport relations. Our theoretical framework, bolstered by field observations, demonstrates that the Huanghe tends toward upper-stage plane bed, yielding minimal form drag, thus markedly enhancing sediment transport efficiency. We present a sediment transport formulation applicable to all river systems with silt to coarse-sand beds. This formulation demonstrates a remarkably sensitive dependence on grain size within a certain narrow range and therefore has special relevance to silt-sand fluvial systems, particularly those affected by dams. PMID:28508078

Prospects of application of artificial neural networks for forecasting of cargo transportation volume in transport systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. T. Yakupov

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of research – to identify the prospects for the use of neural network approach in relation to the tasks of economic forecasting of logistics performance, in particular of volume freight traffic in the transport system promiscuous regional freight traffic, as well as to substantiate the effectiveness of the use of artificial neural networks (ANN, as compared with the efficiency of traditional extrapolative methods of forecasting. The authors consider the possibility of forecasting to use ANN for these economic indicators not as an alternative to the traditional methods of statistical forecasting, but as one of the available simple means for solving complex problems.Materials and methods. When predicting the ANN, three methods of learning were used: 1 the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm-network training stops when the generalization ceases to improve, which is shown by the increase in the mean square error of the output value; 2 Bayes regularization method - network training is stopped in accordance with the minimization of adaptive weights; 3 the method of scaled conjugate gradients, which is used to find the local extremum of a function on the basis of information about its values and gradient. The Neural Network Toolbox package is used for forecasting. The neural network model consists of a hidden layer of neurons with a sigmoidal activation function and an output neuron with a linear activation function, the input values of the dynamic time series, and the predicted value is removed from the output. For a more objective assessment of the prospects of the ANN application, the results of the forecast are presented in comparison with the results obtained in predicting the method of exponential smoothing.Results. When predicting the volumes of freight transportation by rail, satisfactory indicators of the verification of forecasting by both the method of exponential smoothing and ANN had been obtained, although the neural network

Passive acoustic measurement of bedload grain size distribution using self-generated noise

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Petrut

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Monitoring sediment transport processes in rivers is of particular interest to engineers and scientists to assess the stability of rivers and hydraulic structures. Various methods for sediment transport process description were proposed using conventional or surrogate measurement techniques. This paper addresses the topic of the passive acoustic monitoring of bedload transport in rivers and especially the estimation of the bedload grain size distribution from self-generated noise. It discusses the feasibility of linking the acoustic signal spectrum shape to bedload grain sizes involved in elastic impacts with the river bed treated as a massive slab. Bedload grain size distribution is estimated by a regularized algebraic inversion scheme fed with the power spectrum density of river noise estimated from one hydrophone. The inversion methodology relies upon a physical model that predicts the acoustic field generated by the collision between rigid bodies. Here we proposed an analytic model of the acoustic energy spectrum generated by the impacts between a sphere and a slab. The proposed model computes the power spectral density of bedload noise using a linear system of analytic energy spectra weighted by the grain size distribution. The algebraic system of equations is then solved by least square optimization and solution regularization methods. The result of inversion leads directly to the estimation of the bedload grain size distribution. The inversion method was applied to real acoustic data from passive acoustics experiments realized on the Isère River, in France. The inversion of in situ measured spectra reveals good estimations of grain size distribution, fairly close to what was estimated by physical sampling instruments. These results illustrate the potential of the hydrophone technique to be used as a standalone method that could ensure high spatial and temporal resolution measurements for sediment transport in rivers.

Passive acoustic measurement of bedload grain size distribution using self-generated noise

Science.gov (United States)

Petrut, Teodor; Geay, Thomas; Gervaise, Cédric; Belleudy, Philippe; Zanker, Sebastien

2018-01-01

Monitoring sediment transport processes in rivers is of particular interest to engineers and scientists to assess the stability of rivers and hydraulic structures. Various methods for sediment transport process description were proposed using conventional or surrogate measurement techniques. This paper addresses the topic of the passive acoustic monitoring of bedload transport in rivers and especially the estimation of the bedload grain size distribution from self-generated noise. It discusses the feasibility of linking the acoustic signal spectrum shape to bedload grain sizes involved in elastic impacts with the river bed treated as a massive slab. Bedload grain size distribution is estimated by a regularized algebraic inversion scheme fed with the power spectrum density of river noise estimated from one hydrophone. The inversion methodology relies upon a physical model that predicts the acoustic field generated by the collision between rigid bodies. Here we proposed an analytic model of the acoustic energy spectrum generated by the impacts between a sphere and a slab. The proposed model computes the power spectral density of bedload noise using a linear system of analytic energy spectra weighted by the grain size distribution. The algebraic system of equations is then solved by least square optimization and solution regularization methods. The result of inversion leads directly to the estimation of the bedload grain size distribution. The inversion method was applied to real acoustic data from passive acoustics experiments realized on the Isère River, in France. The inversion of in situ measured spectra reveals good estimations of grain size distribution, fairly close to what was estimated by physical sampling instruments. These results illustrate the potential of the hydrophone technique to be used as a standalone method that could ensure high spatial and temporal resolution measurements for sediment transport in rivers.

Sand transport, erosion and granular electrification

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Merrison, J.P.

2012-01-01

is expanding our current understanding and outline the areas of advancement needed in the future. Presentation is made of current models for wind driven detachment/entrainment and the transport rates of sand and dust, including the effects of contact induced grain electrification. This ubiquitous phenomenon...... can affect grain transport through the generation of intense electric fields and processes of electrostatic assembly. Importantly the transport of sand is characterized by saltation, which is known to be an active process for erosion and therefore a source for dust and sand formation. Using novel...... erosion simulation techniques the link between grain transport rates and erosion rates has been quantified. Furthermore this can be linked to production rates for dust and has been associated with chemical and mineral alteration through a process of mechanical activation of fractured surfaces. This work...

Surface Textural Analysis of Quartz Grains from Modern Point Bar Deposits in Lower Reaches of the Yellow River

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Yong; Liu, Cong; Lu, Ping; Zhang, Yu; Nie, Qi; Wen, Yiming

2018-01-01

The surfaces of quartz grains contain characteristic textures formed during the process of transport, due to their stable physical and chemical properties. The surface textures include the information about source area, transporting force, sedimentary environment and evolution history of sediment. Surface textures of quartz grains from modern point bar deposits in the lower reaches of the Yellow River are observed and studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results indicate that there are 22 kinds of surface textures. The overall surface morphology of quartz grains shows short transporting time and distance and weak abrasive action of the river water. The combined surface textures caused by mechanical action indicate that quartz grains are transporting in a high-energy hydrodynamic condition and suffer a strong mechanical impact and abrasion. The common solution pits prove that the chemical property of transportation medium is very active and quartz grains receive an obvious chemical action. The combination of these surface textures can be an identification mark of fluvial environment, and that is: quartz grains are main subangular outline, whose roundness is higher with the farther motion distance; Surface fluctuation degree of quartz grains is relatively high, and gives priority to high and medium relief; V-shaped percussion marks are very abundant caused by mechanical action; The conchoidal of different sizes and steps are common-developed with paragenesis relationship; Solution pits are common-developed as well. The study makes up for the blank of surface textures analysis of quartz grains from modern fluvial deposits in China. It provides new ideas and evidence for studies of the sedimentary process and environmental significance, although the deep meanings of these micro textures remain to be further researched.

The bio refinery; producing feed and fuel from grain.

Science.gov (United States)

Scholey, D V; Burton, E J; Williams, P E V

2016-04-15

It is both possible and practicable to produce feed and fuel from grain. Using the value of grain to produce renewable energy for transport, while using the remaining protein content of the grain as a valuable protein source for livestock and for fish, can be seen as a complimentary and optimal use of all the grain constituents. Consideration must be given to maximise the value of the yeast components, as substantial yeast is generated during the fermentation of the grain starch to produce ethanol. Yeast is a nutritionally rich feed ingredient, with potential for use both as feed protein and as a feed supplement with possible immunity and gut health enhancing properties. Bioprocessing, with the consequent economies of scale, is a process whereby the value of grain can be optimised in a way that is traditional, natural and sustainable for primarily producing protein and oil for feed with a co-product ethanol as a renewable fuel. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Computer Modeling of Sand Transport on Mars Using a Compart-Mentalized Fluids Algorithm (CFA)

Science.gov (United States)

Marshall, J.; Stratton, D.

1999-01-01

It has been postulated that aeolian transport on Mars may be significantly different from that on Earth. From laboratory experiments simulating martian grain transport [2], it has been observed that (saltating) grains striking the bed can cause hundreds of secondary reptation trajectories when impact occurs at speeds postulated for Mars. Some of the ballistically induced trajectories "die ouf' and effectively join the ranks on the creep population that is merely nudged along by impact. Many of the induced reptation trajectories, however, are sufficiently high for the grains to become part of the saltation load (it is irrelevant to the boundary layer how a grain attained its initial lift force). When these grains, in turn, strike the surface, they too are capable of inducing more reptating grains. This cascading effect has been discussed in connection with terrestrial aeolian transport in an attempt to dispel the notion that sand motion is divisible only into creep and saltation loads. On Earth, only a few grains are splashed by impact. On Mars, it may be hundreds. We developed a computer model to address this phenomenon because there are some important ramifications: First, this ratio may mean that martian aeolian transport is dominated by reptation flux rather than saltation. On Earth, the flux would be a roughly balanced mixture between reptation/creep and saltation. On Venus, there would be no transport other than by saltation. In other words, an understanding of planetary aeolian processes may not be necessarily understood by extrapolating from the "Earth case", with only gravity and atmospheric density/viscosity being considered as variables. Second, the reptation flux on Mars may be self sustaining, so that little input is required by the wind once transport has been initiated. The number of grains saturating the boundary layer near the bed may mean that average grain speed on Mars might conceivably be less than that on Earth. This would say much for models

A kinetic and microautoradiographic study of 14C-sucrose translocation into developing wheat grains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ning Wang; Fisher, D.B.

1991-01-01

The kinetics of 14 C-photosynthate import by developing wheat grains was followed after pulse-labeling the flag leaf with 14 CO 2 . Samples were collected from four successive points along the transport pathway to and within the grain: exuding aphid stylets on the peduncle, exuding grain pedicels, the grain crease tissues, and the liquid contents of the endosperm cavity. In addition, microautoradiographs were prepared of the grain crease tissues during movement of the 14 C pulse into the grain. At all times, sucrose accounted for 93 to 97% of the total 14 C present at all four sampling sites. The main features of the 14 C kinetics could be accounted for by a simple compartmental model consisting of sucrose pools in series. Microautoradiographs of the crease tissues showed fairly uniform labeling of vascular parenchyma at all times, with a sharp gradient in labeling across the chalaza to the nucellus. Thus the principal resistance to post-phloem solute transport through the maternal tissues appears to be in the symplastic pathway across the chalaza

Environmental monitoring of Columbia River sediments: Grain-size distribution and contaminant association

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blanton, M.L.; Gardiner, W.W.; Dirkes, R.L.

1995-04-01

Based on the results of this study and literature review, the following conclusions can be made: Sediment grain size and TOC (total organic carbon) influence contaminant fate and transport (in general, sediments with higher TOC content and finer grain-size distribution can have higher contaminant burdens than sediments from a given river section that have less TOC and greater amounts of coarse-grained sediments). Physiochemical sediment characteristics are highly variable among monitoring sites along the Columbia River. Sediment grain characterization and TOC analysis should be included in interpretations of sediment-monitoring data.

Environmental monitoring of Columbia River sediments: Grain-size distribution and contaminant association

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blanton, M.L.; Gardiner, W.W.; Dirkes, R.L.

1995-04-01

Based on the results of this study and literature review, the following conclusions can be made: Sediment grain size and TOC (total organic carbon) influence contaminant fate and transport (in general, sediments with higher TOC content and finer grain-size distribution can have higher contaminant burdens than sediments from a given river section that have less TOC and greater amounts of coarse-grained sediments). Physiochemical sediment characteristics are highly variable among monitoring sites along the Columbia River. Sediment grain characterization and TOC analysis should be included in interpretations of sediment-monitoring data

Grain boundary effects in nanocrystalline diamond

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Mareš, Jiří J.; Hubík, Pavel; Krištofik, Jozef; Nesládek, Miloš

2008-01-01

Roč. 205, č. 9 (2008), 2163-2168 ISSN 1862-6300 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA202/06/0040 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10100521 Keywords : diamond film * grain boundary * superconductivity * noise * ballistic transport Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 1.205, year: 2008

GEMS Revealed: Spectrum Imaging of Aggregate Grains in Interplanetary Dust

Science.gov (United States)

Keller, L. P.; Messenger, S.; Christoffersen, R.

2005-01-01

Anhydrous interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) of cometary origin contain abundant materials that formed in the early solar nebula. These materials were transported outward and subsequently mixed with molecular cloud materials and presolar grains in the region where comets accreted [1]. GEMS (glass with embedded metal and sulfides) grains are a major component of these primitive anhydrous IDPs, along with crystalline Mg-rich silicates, Fe-Ni sulfides, carbonaceous material, and other trace phases. Some GEMS grains (5%) are demonstrably presolar based on their oxygen isotopic compositions [2]. However, most GEMS grains are isotopically solar and have bulk chemical compositions that are incompatible with inferred compositions of interstellar dust, suggesting a solar system origin [3]. An alternative hypothesis is that GEMS grains represent highly irradiated interstellar grains whose oxygen isotopic compositions were homogenized through processing in the interstellar medium (ISM) [4]. We have obtained the first quantitative X-ray maps (spectrum images) showing the distribution of major and minor elements in individual GEMS grains. Nanometer-scale chemical maps provide critical data required to evaluate the differing models regarding the origin of GEMS grains.

The iron-chelate transporter OsYSL9 plays a role in iron distribution in developing rice grains.

Science.gov (United States)

Senoura, Takeshi; Sakashita, Emi; Kobayashi, Takanori; Takahashi, Michiko; Aung, May Sann; Masuda, Hiroshi; Nakanishi, Hiromi; Nishizawa, Naoko K

2017-11-01

Rice OsYSL9 is a novel transporter for Fe(II)-nicotianamine and Fe(III)-deoxymugineic acid that is responsible for internal iron transport, especially from endosperm to embryo in developing seeds. Metal chelators are essential for safe and efficient metal translocation in plants. Graminaceous plants utilize specific ferric iron chelators, mugineic acid family phytosiderophores, to take up sparingly soluble iron from the soil. Yellow Stripe 1-Like (YSL) family transporters are responsible for transport of metal-phytosiderophores and structurally similar metal-nicotianamine complexes. Among the rice YSL family members (OsYSL) whose functions have not yet been clarified, OsYSL9 belongs to an uncharacterized subgroup containing highly conserved homologs in graminaceous species. In the present report, we showed that OsYSL9 localizes mainly to the plasma membrane and transports both iron(II)-nicotianamine and iron(III)-deoxymugineic acid into the cell. Expression of OsYSL9 was induced in the roots but repressed in the nonjuvenile leaves in response to iron deficiency. In iron-deficient roots, OsYSL9 was induced in the vascular cylinder but not in epidermal cells. Although OsYSL9-knockdown plants did not show a growth defect under iron-sufficient conditions, these plants were more sensitive to iron deficiency in the nonjuvenile stage compared with non-transgenic plants. At the grain-filling stage, OsYSL9 expression was strongly and transiently induced in the scutellum of the embryo and in endosperm cells surrounding the embryo. The iron concentration was decreased in embryos of OsYSL9-knockdown plants but was increased in residual parts of brown seeds. These results suggested that OsYSL9 is involved in iron translocation within plant parts and particularly iron translocation from endosperm to embryo in developing seeds.

Effect of texture on grain boundary misorientation distributions in polycrystalline high temperature superconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goyal, A.; Specht, E.D.; Kroeger, D.M.; Mason, T.A.

1996-01-01

Computer simulations were performed to determine the most probable grain boundary misorientation distribution (GBMD) in model polycrystalline superconductors. GBMDs in polycrystalline superconductors can be expected to dictate the macroscopic transport critical current density, J c . Calculations were performed by simulating model polycrystals and then determining the GBMD. Such distributions were calculated for random materials having cubic, tetragonal, and orthorhombic crystal symmetry. In addition, since most high temperature superconductors are tetragonal or pseudotetragonal, the effect of macroscopic uniaxial and biaxial grain orientation texture on the GBMD was determined for tetragonal materials. It is found that macroscopic texture drastically alters the grain boundary misorientation distribution. The fraction of low angle boundaries increases significantly with uniaxial and biaxial texture. The results of this study are important in correlating the macroscopic transport J c with the measured grain orientation texture as determined by x-ray diffraction copyright 1996 American Institute of Physics

Spatially resolved mapping of electrical conductivity across individual domain (grain) boundaries in graphene.

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, Kendal W; Zhang, X-G; Vlassiouk, Ivan V; He, Guowei; Feenstra, Randall M; Li, An-Ping

2013-09-24

All large-scale graphene films contain extended topological defects dividing graphene into domains or grains. Here, we spatially map electronic transport near specific domain and grain boundaries in both epitaxial graphene grown on SiC and CVD graphene on Cu subsequently transferred to a SiO2 substrate, with one-to-one correspondence to boundary structures. Boundaries coinciding with the substrate step on SiC exhibit a significant potential barrier for electron transport of epitaxial graphene due to the reduced charge transfer from the substrate near the step edge. Moreover, monolayer-bilayer boundaries exhibit a high resistance that can change depending on the height of substrate step coinciding at the boundary. In CVD graphene, the resistance of a grain boundary changes with the width of the disordered transition region between adjacent grains. A quantitative modeling of boundary resistance reveals the increased electron Fermi wave vector within the boundary region, possibly due to boundary induced charge density variation. Understanding how resistance change with domain (grain) boundary structure in graphene is a crucial first step for controlled engineering of defects in large-scale graphene films.

Advantageous grain boundaries in iron pnictide superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Katase, Takayoshi; Ishimaru, Yoshihiro; Tsukamoto, Akira; Hiramatsu, Hidenori; Kamiya, Toshio; Tanabe, Keiichi; Hosono, Hideo

2011-01-01

High critical temperature superconductors have zero power consumption and could be used to produce ideal electric power lines. The principal obstacle in fabricating superconducting wires and tapes is grain boundaries—the misalignment of crystalline orientations at grain boundaries, which is unavoidable for polycrystals, largely deteriorates critical current density. Here we report that high critical temperature iron pnictide superconductors have advantages over cuprates with respect to these grain boundary issues. The transport properties through well-defined bicrystal grain boundary junctions with various misorientation angles (θGB) were systematically investigated for cobalt-doped BaFe2As2 (BaFe2As2:Co) epitaxial films fabricated on bicrystal substrates. The critical current density through bicrystal grain boundary (JcBGB) remained high (>1 MA cm−2) and nearly constant up to a critical angle θc of ∼9°, which is substantially larger than the θc of ∼5° for YBa2Cu3O7–δ. Even at θGB>θc, the decay of JcBGB was much slower than that of YBa2Cu3O7–δ. PMID:21811238

Size-Selective Modes of Aeolian Transport on Earth and Mars

Science.gov (United States)

Swann, C.; Ewing, R. C.; Sherman, D. J.; McLean, C. J.

2016-12-01

Aeolian sand transport is a dominant driver of surface change and dust emission on Mars. Estimates of aeolian sand transport on Earth and Mars rely on terrestrial transport models that do not differentiate between transport modes (e.g., creep vs. saltation), which limits estimates of the critical threshold for transport and the total sand flux during a transport event. A gap remains in understanding how the different modes contribute to the total sand flux. Experiments conducted at the MARtian Surface WInd Tunnel separated modes of transport for uniform and mixed grain size surfaces at Earth and Martian atmospheric pressures. Crushed walnut shells with a density of 1.0 gm/cm3 were used. Experiments resolved grain size distributions for creeping and saltating grains over 3 uniform surfaces, U1, U2, and U3, with median grain sizes of 308 µm, 721 µm, and 1294 µm, and a mixed grain size surface, M1, with median grain sizes of 519 µm. A mesh trap located 5 cm above the test bed and a surface creep trap were deployed to capture particles moving as saltation and creep. Grains that entered the creep trap at angles ≥ 75° were categorized as moving in creep mode only. Only U1 and M1 surfaces captured enough surface creep at both Earth and Mars pressure for statistically significant grain size analysis. Our experiments show that size selective transport differs between Earth and Mars conditions. The median grain size of particles moving in creep for both uniform and mixed surfaces are larger under Earth conditions. (U1Earth = 385 µm vs. U1Mars = 355 µm; M1Earth = 762 vs. M1Mars = 697 µm ). However, particles moving in saltation were larger under Mars conditions (U1Earth = 282 µm; U1Mars = 309 µm; M1Earth = 347 µm; M1Mars = 454 µm ). Similar to terrestrial experiments, the median size of surface creep is larger than the median grain size of saltation. Median sizes of U1, U2, U3 at Mars conditions for creep was 355 µm, 774 µm and 1574 µm. Saltation at Mars

Model for phonon transmission through a NbN grain-size distribution: Comparison with tunneling-spectroscopy observations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chicault, R.; Joly, Y.

1990-01-01

Transport properties of phonons in granular NbN thin film with left-angle 111 right-angle texture are discussed. We propose a model in which each grain has an acoustic resonance when phonons propagate parallel to the film and where a coupling through the amorphous boundaries exists. A statistical study shows that the most homogeneous chains in the grain stack are selected because of the strong efficiency of their transport properties and that they give a fine structure of phonon modes even if the grain-size distribution is quite large. A reasonable agreement is obtained between our tunneling-spectroscopy experiments and the model. A typical experimental result has been fitted using an inelastic phonon-electron-interaction mean free path Λ ph ∼215 nm and a mean grain size d M ∼25.7 nm, the full width at half maximum of the grain distribution being 14 nm

The Relationship Between Microscopic Grain Surface Structure and the Dynamic Capillary-Driven Advance of Water Films over Individual Dry Natural Sand Grains

Science.gov (United States)

Kibbey, T. C. G.; Adegbule, A.; Yan, S.

2017-12-01

The movement of nonvolatile solutes in unsaturated porous media at low water contents depends on transport in surface-associated water films. The focus of the work described here was on studying solute movement in water films advancing by capillary forces over initially-dry grain surfaces, to understand how microscopic surface roughness features influence the initial velocity of water film advance. For this work, water containing a non-adsorbing conservative tracer was used to track the movement of advancing water films. A stainless steel capillary tube connected to an external reservoir a fixed distance below the grain surface was used to transmit solution to the grain surface under negative pressure (positive capillary pressure), consistent with conditions that might be expected in the unsaturated zone. The small internal diameter of the capillary prevents solution from draining out of the capillary back into the reservoir. When the capillary is contacted with a grain surface, capillary forces that result from contact between the fluid and the rough grain surface cause water films to wick across the grain surface. Multiple experiments were conducted on the same grain, rotating the grain and varying the capillary contact point around the circumference of the grain. Imaging was conducted at fixed intervals using an automated Extended Depth of Field (EDF) imaging system, and images were analyzed to determine initial velocity. Grain surfaces were then characterized through scanning electron microscope (SEM) imaging, using a hybrid stereoscopic reconstruction method designed to extract maximum detail in creating elevation maps of geologic surfaces from tilted pairs of SEM images. The resulting elevation maps were used to relate surface roughness profiles around the grain with initial velocities. Results suggest that velocity varies significant with contact point around an individual grain, and correlates quantitatively with the local grain surface structure

Cadmium translocation and accumulation in developing barley grains

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chen, Fei; Wu, Feibo; Dong, Jing

2007-01-01

 Soil cadmium (Cd) contamination has posed a serious problem for safe food production and become a potential agricultural and environmental hazard worldwide. In order to study the transport of Cd into the developing grains, detached ears of two-rowed barley cv. ZAU 3 were cultured in Cd stressed...... of detached spike showed increase Cd accumulation for 5 days, followed by sharp decrease till day 10 and increase again after 12.5 days. Awn-removal and stem-girdling markedly decreased Cd concentration in grains, and sucrose or zinc (Zn) addition to the medium and higher relative humidity (RH) also induced...

Modelling dust transport in tokamaks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin, J.D.; Martin, J.D.; Bacharis, M.; Coppins, M.; Counsell, G.F.; Allen, J.E.; Counsell, G.F.

2008-01-01

The DTOKS code, which models dust transport through tokamak plasmas, is described. The floating potential and charge of a dust grain in a plasma and the fluxes of energy to and from it are calculated. From this model, the temperature of the dust grain can be estimated. A plasma background is supplied by a standard tokamak edge modelling code (B2SOLPS5.0), and dust transport through MAST (the Mega-Amp Spherical Tokamak) and ITER plasmas is presented. We conclude that micron-radius tungsten dust can reach the separatrix in ITER. (authors)

Infrared emission from isolated dust clouds in the presence of very small dust grains

Science.gov (United States)

Lis, Dariusz C.; Leung, Chun M.

1991-01-01

Models of the effects of small grain-generated temperature fluctuations on the IR spectrum and surface brightness of externally heated interstellar dust clouds are presently constructed on the basis of a continuum radiation transport computer code which encompasses the transient heating of small dust grains. The models assume a constant fractional abundance of large and small grains throughout the given cloud. A comparison of model results with IRAS observations indicates that the observed 12-25 micron band emissions are associated with about 10-A radius grains, while the 60-100 micron emission is primarily due to large grains which are heated under the equilibrium conditions.

Grain boundary structures in La2/3Ca1/3MnO3 thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, D. J.; Lin, Y.-K.; Vlasko-Vlasov, V.; Welp, U.

1999-01-01

As with many other oxide-based compounds that exhibit electronic behavior, structural defects have a strong influence on the electronic properties of the CMR manganites. In this work, the authors have studied the effect of grain boundaries on the transport properties and on the local orientation of magnetization. Thin films of the perovskite-related La 2/3 Ca 1/3 MnO 3 compound were deposited onto bicrystal substrates using pulsed laser deposition. Transport measurements showed some enhancement of magnetoresistance across the grain boundary. The structure of the boundary was evaluated by electron microscopy. In contrast with the highly meandering boundaries typically observed in bicrystals of high temperature superconductors, the boundaries in these films are relatively straight and well defined. However, magneto-optical imaging showed that the local magnetization was oriented out of the plane at the grain boundary while it was oriented within the plane in the grains on either side. This coordinated reorientation of local magnetization near the grain boundary leads to enhanced magnetoresistance across the boundary in low fields

Laboratory Measurements of Optical and Physical Properties of Individual Lunar Dust Grains

Science.gov (United States)

Abbas, M. M.; Tankosic, D.; Craven, P. D.; Hoover, R. B.

2006-01-01

The lunar surface is covered with a thick layer of sub-micron/micron size dust grains formed by meteoritic impact over billions of years. The fine dust grains are levitated and transported on the lunar surface, and transient dust clouds over the lunar horizon were observed by experiments during the Apollo 17 mission. Theoretical models suggest that the dust grains on the lunar surface are charged by the solar UV radiation as well as the solar wind. Even without any physical activity, the dust grains are levitated by electrostatic fields and transported away from the surface in the near vacuum environment of the Moon. The current dust charging and levitation models, however, do not fully explain the observed phenomena. Since the abundance of dust on the Moon's surface with its observed adhesive characteristics has the potential of severe impact on human habitat and operations and lifetime of a variety of equipment, it is necessary to investigate the charging properties and the lunar dust phenomena in order to develop appropriate mitigating strategies. Photoelectric emission induced by the solar UV radiation with photon energies higher than the work function of the grain materials is recognized to be the dominant process for charging of the lunar dust, and requires measurements of the photoelectric yields to determine the charging and equilibrium potentials of individual dust grains. In this paper, we present the first laboratory measurements of the photoelectric yields of individual sub-micron/micron size dust grains selected from sample returns of Apollo 17, and Luna 24 missions, as well as similar size dust grains from the JSC-1 simulants. The experimental results were obtained on a laboratory facility based on an electrodynamic balance that permits a variety of experiments to be conducted on individual sub-micron/micron size dust grains in simulated space environments. The photoelectric emission measurements indicate grain size dependence with the yield

Grain size controls on sediment supply from debris-mantled dryland hillslopes

Science.gov (United States)

Michaelides, K.

2011-12-01

Debris-mantled hillslopes are common in arid and semiarid environments where low rates of chemical weathering give rise to thin, non-cohesive soils mantled with a layer of coarse rock fragments derived from weathered bedrock that can reach boulder size. The grain size distributions (GSDs) on the surface of these hillslopes interact with different magnitudes and frequencies of runoff-producing rainfall events that selectively transport grain sizes of different classes depending on flow, grain position on the slope, and hillslope attributes. Sediment transport over many runoff events determines sediment delivery to the slope base, which ultimately modifies the GSD of valley floors. The relationship between hillslope attributes and sediment flux forms the basis of geomorphic transport laws used to model the topographic evolution of drainage basins over >104 y timescales, but the specific responses of sediment flux across the hillslope and the corresponding changes in GSDs to individual storm events are poorly understood. Sheetwash erosion of coarse fragments presents a particular set of conditions for sediment transport that is poorly resolved in current models. A particle-based model for sheetwash sediment transport on debris-mantled hillslopes was developed within a rainfall-runoff model. The rainfall-runoff model produces spatial values of flow depth and velocity which are used to drive a particle-by-particle force-balance model derived from first principles for grain sizes > 1 mm. Particles on the hillslope surface are represented explicitly and can be composed of mixed grain sizes of any distribution or of uniform sizes of any diameter. The model resolves all the forces on each particle at each time and space step based on the flow hydraulics acting on them, so no assumptions are made about incipient motion using Shield's criterion. This research examines how the interplay between hillslope GSD, hillslope attributes (gradient and length) and runoff

Origin of the high performance of perovskite solar cells with large grains

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Jian; Shi, Tongfei, E-mail: tongfeishi@gmail.com; Li, Xinhua; Zhou, Bukang; Cao, Huaxiang; Wang, Yuqi [Key Laboratory of Materials Physics, Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031 (China)

2016-02-01

Due to excellent carrier transport characteristics, CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}PbI{sub 3} film made of large single crystal grains is considered as a key to improve upon already remarkable perovskite solar cell (PSC) efficiency. We have used a simple and efficient solvent vapor annealing method to obtain CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}PbI{sub 3} films with grain size over 1 μm. PSCs with different grain size films have been fabricated and verified the potential of large grains for improving solar cells performance. Moreover, the larger grain films have shown stronger light absorption ability and more photon-generated carriers under the same illumination. A detailed temperature-dependent PL study has indicated that it originates from larger radius and lower binding energy of donor-acceptor-pair (DAP) in larger grains, which makes the DAP is easily to be separated and difficult to be recombine.

Using Mosaicity to Tune Thermal Transport in Polycrystalline AlN Thin Films

KAUST Repository

Singh, Shivkant

2018-05-17

The effect of controlling the c-axis alignment (mosaicity) to the cross-plane thermal transport in textured polycrystalline aluminum nitride (AlN) thin films is experimentally and theoretically investigated. We show that by controlling the sputtering conditions we are able to deposit AlN thin films with varying c-axis grain tilt (mosaicity) from 10° to 0°. Microstructural characterization shows that the films are nearly identical in thickness and grain size, and the difference in mosaicity alters the grain interface quality. This has a significant effect to thermal transport where a thermal conductivity of 4.22 W/mK vs. 8.09 W/mK are measured for samples with tilt angles of 10° vs. 0° respectively. The modified Callaway model was used to fit the theoretical curves to the experimental results using various phonon scattering mechanisms at the grain interface. It was found that using a non-gray model gives an overview of the phonon scattering at the grain boundaries, whereas treating the grain boundary as an array of dislocation lines with varying angle relative to the heat flow, best describes the mechanism of the thermal transport. Lastly, our results show that controlling the quality of the grain interface provides a tuning knob to control thermal transport in polycrystalline materials.

Using Mosaicity to Tune Thermal Transport in Polycrystalline AlN Thin Films

KAUST Repository

Singh, Shivkant; Shervin, Shahab; Sun, Haiding; Yarali, Milad; Chen, Jie; Lin, Ronghui; Li, Kuang-Hui; Li, Xiaohang; Ryou, Jae-Hyun; Mavrokefalos, Anastassios

2018-01-01

The effect of controlling the c-axis alignment (mosaicity) to the cross-plane thermal transport in textured polycrystalline aluminum nitride (AlN) thin films is experimentally and theoretically investigated. We show that by controlling the sputtering conditions we are able to deposit AlN thin films with varying c-axis grain tilt (mosaicity) from 10° to 0°. Microstructural characterization shows that the films are nearly identical in thickness and grain size, and the difference in mosaicity alters the grain interface quality. This has a significant effect to thermal transport where a thermal conductivity of 4.22 W/mK vs. 8.09 W/mK are measured for samples with tilt angles of 10° vs. 0° respectively. The modified Callaway model was used to fit the theoretical curves to the experimental results using various phonon scattering mechanisms at the grain interface. It was found that using a non-gray model gives an overview of the phonon scattering at the grain boundaries, whereas treating the grain boundary as an array of dislocation lines with varying angle relative to the heat flow, best describes the mechanism of the thermal transport. Lastly, our results show that controlling the quality of the grain interface provides a tuning knob to control thermal transport in polycrystalline materials.

First-Principles Calculations of Electronic States and Self-Doping Effects at a 45° Grain Boundary in the High Temperature YBa2Cu3O7 Superconductor

KAUST Repository

Schwingenschlö gl, Udo; Schuster, Cosima

2009-01-01

The charge redistribution at grain boundaries determines the applicability of high-Tc superconductors in electronic devices because the transport across the grains can be hindered considerably. We investigate the local charge transfer and the modification of the electronic states in the vicinity of the grain-grain interface by ab initio calculations for a (normal-state) 45°-tilted [001] grain boundary in YBa2Cu3O7. Our results explain the suppressed interface transport and the influence of grain boundary doping in a quantitative manner, in accordance with the experimental situation. The charge redistribution is found to be strongly inhomogeneous, which has a substantial effect on transport properties since it gives rise to a self-doping of 0.10±0.02 holes per Cu atom.

First-Principles Calculations of Electronic States and Self-Doping Effects at a 45° Grain Boundary in the High Temperature YBa2Cu3O7 Superconductor

KAUST Repository

Schwingenschlögl, Udo

2009-06-03

The charge redistribution at grain boundaries determines the applicability of high-Tc superconductors in electronic devices because the transport across the grains can be hindered considerably. We investigate the local charge transfer and the modification of the electronic states in the vicinity of the grain-grain interface by ab initio calculations for a (normal-state) 45°-tilted [001] grain boundary in YBa2Cu3O7. Our results explain the suppressed interface transport and the influence of grain boundary doping in a quantitative manner, in accordance with the experimental situation. The charge redistribution is found to be strongly inhomogeneous, which has a substantial effect on transport properties since it gives rise to a self-doping of 0.10±0.02 holes per Cu atom.

Inheritance of grain yield and its correlation with yield components in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

SAM

2014-03-19

Mar 19, 2014 ... average yield of wheat in China is 4.75 t ha-1, which is low compared to other .... Analysis of variance for combining ability for grain yield plant-1. Source of variation ..... Hayman BI (1954). The theory and analysis of diallel crosses. .... Analysis and prospect of China wheat market in 2011. Food and Oil.

49 CFR 1242.74 - Adjusting and transferring loads, and car loading devices and grain doors (accounts XX-33-71 and...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 9 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Adjusting and transferring loads, and car loading devices and grain doors (accounts XX-33-71 and XX-33-72). 1242.74 Section 1242.74 Transportation Other... loads, and car loading devices and grain doors (accounts XX-33-71 and XX-33-72). These accounts pertain...

Studying of influence of fiber reinforcing at fine-grained concrete applying in transport construction

Science.gov (United States)

Begunov, Oleg; Alexandrova, Olga; Solovyov, Vadim

2017-10-01

We observed causes of using fiber in nowadays construction industry and its influence on a final product properties, where the fine-grained concrete basing of repairing dry construction mix was used as a base. However, in Russia we do not have such experience. If we’re talking about changes occurring in the fine-grained concrete all of its are known about it, either in concrete, but in dry-construction mixes changes may have another purpose. Advantages and disadvantages of using fiber were oblieved also in that article. The main subject of this research is the influence of fiber on a mechanical properties of fine-grained concrete. The most attention is paid to estimate the influence of a concrete’s properties by metal fibers: casting time (initial and final), workability and strength (tensile strength and compressive strength) in this article. The most popular different type of metal fiber compares for its length and width and the optimum quantity of metal component chooses, which will indicate the maximum possible affirmative result of its using. Dependences comparing properties of fine-grained properties with fiber’s type, measurements and quantity which show the evident result of researching are discussed.

Film grain synthesis and its application to re-graining

Science.gov (United States)

Schallauer, Peter; Mörzinger, Roland

2006-01-01

Digital film restoration and special effects compositing require more and more automatic procedures for movie regraining. Missing or inhomogeneous grain decreases perceived quality. For the purpose of grain synthesis an existing texture synthesis algorithm has been evaluated and optimized. We show that this algorithm can produce synthetic grain which is perceptually similar to a given grain template, which has high spatial and temporal variation and which can be applied to multi-spectral images. Furthermore a re-grain application framework is proposed, which synthesises based on an input grain template artificial grain and composites this together with the original image content. Due to its modular approach this framework supports manual as well as automatic re-graining applications. Two example applications are presented, one for re-graining an entire movie and one for fully automatic re-graining of image regions produced by restoration algorithms. Low computational cost of the proposed algorithms allows application in industrial grade software.

Drying grain using a hydrothermally treated liquid lignite fuel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bukurov, Z.; Cvijanovic, P.; Bukurov, M. [Univ. of Novi Sad (Yugoslavia); Ljubicic, B.R. [Univ. of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND (United States)

1995-12-01

A shortage of domestic oil and natural gas resources in Yugoslavia, particularly for agricultural and industrial purposes, has motivated the authors to explore the possibility of using liquid lignite as an alternate fuel for drying grain. This paper presents a technical and economic assessment of the possibility of retrofitting grain-drying plants currently fueled by oil or natural gas to liquid lignite fuel. All estimates are based on lignite taken from the Kovin deposit. Proposed technology includes underwater mining techniques, aqueous ash removal, hydrothermal processing, solids concentration, pipeline transport up to 120 km, and liquid lignite direct combustion. For the characterization of Kovin lignite, standard ASTM procedures were used: proximate, ultimate, ash, heating value, and Theological analyses were performed. Results from an extensive economic analysis indicate a delivered cost of US$20/ton for the liquid lignite. For the 70 of the grain-drying plants in the province of Vojvodina, this would mean a total yearly saving of about US $2,500,000. The advantages of this concept are obvious: easy to transport and store, nonflammable, nonexplosive, nontoxic, 30%-40% cheaper than imported oil and gas, domestic fuel is at hand. The authors believe that liquid lignite, rather than an alternative, is becoming more and more an imperative.

Dust grain charging in a wake of other grains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miloch, W. J.; Block, D.

2012-01-01

The charging of dust grain in the wake of another grains in sonic and supersonic collisionless plasma flows is studied by numerical simulations. We consider two grains aligned with the flow, as well as dust chains and multiple grain arrangements. It is found that the dust charge depends significantly on the flow speed, distance between the grains, and the grain arrangement. For two and three grains aligned, the charges on downstream grains depend linearly on the flow velocity and intergrain distance. The simulations are carried out with DiP3D, a three dimensional particle-in-cell code with both electrons and ions represented as numerical particles [W. J. Miloch et al., Phys. Plasmas 17, 103703 (2010)].

A Comparison of Certain Knowledges in Agriculture Needed by Workers in Farming, in Grain Elevator Businesses, and in Agricultural Equipment Businesses.

Science.gov (United States)

Fiscus, Keith Eugene

Questionnaires to determine the vocational and technical education needed by prospective workers in farming and in grain elevator and agricultural equipment businesses were administered to 20 workers in each of the jobs of (1) farm manager, (2) grain elevator manager, operator, salesman, and deliveryman, and (3) agricultural equipment manager,…

Heart rate and leukocytes after air and ground transportation in artificially ventilated neonates: a prospective observational study.

Science.gov (United States)

Grosek, Stefan; Mlakar, Gorazd; Vidmar, Ivan; Ihan, Alojz; Primozic, Janez

2009-01-01

To evaluate the effect of interhospital air and ground transportation of artificially ventilated neonates on heart rate and peripheral blood leukocyte counts. Prospective, observational study. Level III multidisciplinary Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Fifty-eight near-term artificially ventilated transported neonates between May 2006 and April 2007. Day-helicopter, day- and night-ground transportation. Heart rate at retrieval, on admission to the ICU and 1 h later, and peripheral blood leukocyte counts on admission and 1 d later were compared. Fifteen neonates were transported by helicopter during the daytime (D-HEL), 20 by daytime ground and 23 by nighttime ground transportation (D-GROUND, N-GROUND). No differences in delivery mode, birth weight, gestational age, gender, primary diagnoses for transportation, response time and duration of transportation were found between the groups. Similarly, no differences in pH, pCO(2), blood pressure and skin temperature at retrieval and on admission to the ICU were found between the three groups. The mean heart rate at retrieval did not differ significantly, while on arrival in the ICU and 1 h later the D-GROUND group of patients showed a significantly higher mean heart rate compared to the D-HEL and N-GROUND groups. Moreover, leukocyte counts on arrival in the ICU showed significantly higher leukocyte counts in the D-GROUND group of patients compared to the D-HEL group of patients. These results demonstrate that there is an association between daytime ground transportation and higher heart rate and peripheral blood leukocytes.

Past, present and prospect of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) based model for sediment transport prediction

Science.gov (United States)

Afan, Haitham Abdulmohsin; El-shafie, Ahmed; Mohtar, Wan Hanna Melini Wan; Yaseen, Zaher Mundher

2016-10-01

An accurate model for sediment prediction is a priority for all hydrological researchers. Many conventional methods have shown an inability to achieve an accurate prediction of suspended sediment. These methods are unable to understand the behaviour of sediment transport in rivers due to the complexity, noise, non-stationarity, and dynamism of the sediment pattern. In the past two decades, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and computational approaches have become a remarkable tool for developing an accurate model. These approaches are considered a powerful tool for solving any non-linear model, as they can deal easily with a large number of data and sophisticated models. This paper is a review of all AI approaches that have been applied in sediment modelling. The current research focuses on the development of AI application in sediment transport. In addition, the review identifies major challenges and opportunities for prospective research. Throughout the literature, complementary models superior to classical modelling.

Comparative Study of Magnetic Ordering and Electrical Transport in Bulk and Nano-Grained Nd{sub 0.67}Sr{sub 0.33}MnO{sub 3} Manganites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arun, B. [Materials Science and Technology Division, CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Trivandrum (India); Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR, Trivandrum (India); Suneesh, M.V. [Materials Science and Technology Division, CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Trivandrum (India); Vasundhara, M., E-mail: vasu.mutta@gmail.com [Materials Science and Technology Division, CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Trivandrum (India)

2016-11-15

We have prepared bulk and nano-sized Nd{sub 0.67}Sr{sub 0.33}MnO{sub 3} manganites by solid state and low-temperature mild solgel methods respectively. Both the compounds crystallized into an orthorhombic structure with Pbnm space group confirmed from Rietveld refinement of X-ray powder diffraction patterns. Nano-grained compound shows an average particle size of 22 nm with broad grain size distribution revealed from the Transmission electron micrographs. It appeared that the long range ferromagnetic order becomes unstable upon the reduction of the samples dimension down to nano meter scale. DC magnetization and AC susceptibility results showed frustration of spins in nano-grained compound and thereby it could lead to a cluster glass-like behaviour. Temperature dependence of electrical resistivity under different magnetic fields shows the broad maxima at higher temperatures and a low temperature upturn in both the compounds, however, the latter is more prominent in the nano grained compound. Combination of Kondo effect with electron and phonon interactions govern the low temperature resistivity and a small polaron hopping mechanism dominates at high temperatures for both the compounds. The magnetoresistance is understood by the effect of spin polarized tunneling through the grain boundary. The experimental results revealed that the reduction in particle size influences severely on the magnetic, electrical and magneto transport properties. - Highlights: • Long range ferromagnetic ordered state become unstable in case of nano compound. • It shows broad magnetic transition and cluster glass nature. • Kondo effect with electron-phonon interactions dominate the resistivity at low temperature.

Observing grain boundaries in CVD-grown monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides

KAUST Repository

Ly, Thuchue

2014-11-25

Two-dimensional monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMdCs), driven by graphene science, revisit optical and electronic properties, which are markedly different from bulk characteristics. These properties are easily modified due to accessibility of all the atoms viable to ambient gases, and therefore, there is no guarantee that impurities and defects such as vacancies, grain boundaries, and wrinkles behave as those of ideal bulk. On the other hand, this could be advantageous in engineering such defects. Here, we report a method of observing grain boundary distribution of monolayer TMdCs by a selective oxidation. This was implemented by exposing directly the TMdC layer grown on sapphire without transfer to ultraviolet light irradiation under moisture-rich conditions. The generated oxygen and hydroxyl radicals selectively functionalized defective grain boundaries in TMdCs to provoke morphological changes at the boundary, where the grain boundary distribution was observed by atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. This paves the way toward the investigation of transport properties engineered by defects and grain boundaries. (Figure Presented).

Measurements of Photoelectric Yield and Physical Properties of Individual Lunar Dust Grains

Science.gov (United States)

Abbas, M. M.; Tankosic, D.; Craven, P. D.; Spann, J. F.; LeClair, A.; West, F. A.; Taylor, L.; Hoover, R.

2005-01-01

Micron size dust grains levitated and transported on the lunar surface constitute a major problem for the robotic and human habitat missions for the Moon. It is well known since the Apollo missions that the lunar surface is covered with a thick layer of micron/sub-micron size dust grains. Transient dust clouds over the lunar horizon were observed by experiments during the Apollo 17 mission. Theoretical models suggest that the dust grains on the lunar surface are charged by the solar UV radiation as well as the solar wind. Even without any physical activity, the dust grains are levitated by electrostatic fields and transported away from the surface in the near vacuum environment of the Moon. The current dust charging and the levitation models, however, do not fully explain the observed phenomena. Since the abundance of dust on the Moon's surface with its observed adhesive characteristics is believed to have a severe impact on the human habitat and the lifetime and operations of a variety of equipment, it is necessary to investigate the phenomena and the charging properties of the lunar dust in order to develop appropriate mitigating strategies. We will present results of some recent laboratory experiments on individual micro/sub-micron size dust grains levitated in electrodynamic balance in simulated space environments. The experiments involve photoelectric emission measurements of individual micron size lunar dust grains illuminated with UV radiation in the 120-160 nm wavelength range. The photoelectric yields are required to determine the charging properties of lunar dust illuminated by solar UV radiation. We will present some recent results of laboratory measurement of the photoelectric yields and the physical properties of individual micron size dust grains from the Apollo and Luna-24 sample returns as well as the JSC-1 lunar simulants.

Grain-filling duration and grain yield relationships in wheat mutants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larik, A.S.

1987-01-01

Nine stable mutants of bread wheat along with their mother cultivars were investigated for grain-filling characteristics in relation to grain yield. Significant differences among mutants for grain-filling duration and grain-filling index were observed. Inspite of the consistent differences in grain-filling duration there was no significant association between grain-filling duration and grain yield in C-591 and Nayab mutants. Failure to detect an yield advantage due to differences in grain-filling duration in these genotypes suggests that any advantage derived from alteration of grain-filling period may have been outweighed by the coincident changes in length of the vegetative period. Other factors such as synchrony of anthesis may have limited out ability to find an association between grainfilling duration and grain yield. On the contrary, significant association between grain-filling duration and grain yield displayed by indus-66 indus-66 mutants derived from gamma rays, shows the ability of gamma rays to induce functional alternations in the pattern of gene arrangements controlling these traits. Thus, the vaability observed in these physiological traits suggests that selection for these traits could be useful in improving grain yield. (author)

Whole grain consumption and risk of colorectal cancer: a population-based cohort of 60?000 women

OpenAIRE

Larsson, S C; Giovannucci, E; Bergkvist, L; Wolk, A

2005-01-01

We examined prospectively the association between whole grain consumption and colorectal cancer risk in the population-based Swedish Mammography Cohort. A total of 61?433 women completed a food-frequency questionnaire at baseline (1987?1990) and, through linkage with the Swedish Cancer Registry, 805 incident cases of colorectal cancer were identified during a mean follow-up of 14.8 years. High consumption of whole grains was associated with a lower risk of colon cancer, but not of rectal canc...

Complex Role of Secondary Electron Emissions in Dust Grain Charging in Space Environments: Measurements on Apollo 11 and 17 Dust Grains

Science.gov (United States)

Abbas, M. M.; Tankosic, D.; Spann, J. F.; LeClair, A. C.

2010-01-01

Dust grains in various astrophysical environments are generally charged electrostatically by photoelectric emissions with radiation from nearby sources, or by electron/ion collisions by sticking or secondary electron emissions. Knowledge of the dust grain charges and equilibrium potentials is important for understanding of a variety of physical and dynamical processes in the interstellar medium (ISM), and heliospheric, interplanetary, planetary, and lunar environments. The high vacuum environment on the lunar surface leads to some unusual physical and dynamical phenomena involving dust grains with high adhesive characteristics, and levitation and transportation over long distances. It has been well recognized that the charging properties of individual micron/submicron size dust grains are expected to be substantially different from the corresponding values for bulk materials and theoretical models. In this paper we present experimental results on charging of individual dust grains selected from Apollo 11 and Apollo 17 dust samples by exposing them to mono-energetic electron beams in the 10- 400 eV energy range. The charging rates of positively and negatively charged particles of approximately 0.2 to 13 microns diameters are discussed in terms of the secondary electron emission (SEE) process, which is found to be a complex charging process at electron energies as low as 10-25 eV, with strong particle size dependence. The measurements indicate substantial differences between dust charging properties of individual small size dust grains and of bulk materials.

Atomic density effects on temperature characteristics and thermal transport at grain boundaries through a proper bin size selection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vo, Truong Quoc; Kim, BoHung, E-mail: muratbarisik@iyte.edu.tr, E-mail: bohungk@ulsan.ac.kr [School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ulsan, Daehak-ro 93, Namgu, Ulsan 680-749 (Korea, Republic of); Barisik, Murat, E-mail: muratbarisik@iyte.edu.tr, E-mail: bohungk@ulsan.ac.kr [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Izmir Institute of Technology, Urla, Izmir 35430 (Turkey)

2016-05-21

This study focuses on the proper characterization of temperature profiles across grain boundaries (GBs) in order to calculate the correct interfacial thermal resistance (ITR) and reveal the influence of GB geometries onto thermal transport. The solid-solid interfaces resulting from the orientation difference between the (001), (011), and (111) copper surfaces were investigated. Temperature discontinuities were observed at the boundary of grains due to the phonon mismatch, phonon backscattering, and atomic forces between dissimilar structures at the GBs. We observed that the temperature decreases gradually in the GB area rather than a sharp drop at the interface. As a result, three distinct temperature gradients developed at the GB which were different than the one observed in the bulk solid. This behavior extends a couple molecular diameters into both sides of the interface where we defined a thickness at GB based on the measured temperature profiles for characterization. Results showed dependence on the selection of the bin size used to average the temperature data from the molecular dynamics system. The bin size on the order of the crystal layer spacing was found to present an accurate temperature profile through the GB. We further calculated the GB thickness of various cases by using potential energy (PE) distributions which showed agreement with direct measurements from the temperature profile and validated the proper binning. The variation of grain crystal orientation developed different molecular densities which were characterized by the average atomic surface density (ASD) definition. Our results revealed that the ASD is the primary factor affecting the structural disorders and heat transfer at the solid-solid interfaces. Using a system in which the planes are highly close-packed can enhance the probability of interactions and the degree of overlap between vibrational density of states (VDOS) of atoms forming at interfaces, leading to a reduced ITR. Thus, an

77 FR 74592 - Supplemental Determination for Renewable Fuels Produced Under the Final RFS2 Program From Grain...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-17

... biodiesel and renewable diesel. Regulated categories include: NAICS \\1\\ Examples of potentially regulated... feedstock transport includes emissions from transporting bushels of harvested grain sorghum from the farm to the ethanol production facility, as well as the emissions associated with transporting ethanol from...

On Techniques to Characterize and Correlate Grain Size, Grain Boundary Orientation and the Strength of the SiC Layer of TRISO Coated Particles: A Preliminary Study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

I.J.van Rooyen; J.L. Dunzik Gougar; T. Trowbridge; Philip M van Rooyen

2012-10-01

The mechanical properties of the silicon carbide (SiC) layer of the TRi-ISOtropic (TRISO) coated particle (CP) for high temperature gas reactors (HTGR) are performance parameters that have not yet been standardized by the international HTR community. Presented in this paper are the results of characterizing coated particles to reveal the effect of annealing temperature (1000 to 2100°C) on the strength and grain size of unirradiated coated particles. This work was further expanded to include possible relationships between the grain size and strength values. The comparative results of two strength measurement techniques and grain size measured by the Lineal intercept method are included. Preliminary grain boundary characterization results determined by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) are included. These results are also important for future fission product transport studies, as grain boundary diffusion is identified as a possible mechanism by which 110mAg, one of the fission activation products, might be released through intact SiC layers. Temperature is a parameter known to influence the grain size of SiC and therefore it is important to investigate the effect of high temperature annealing on the SiC grain size. Recommendations and future work will also be briefly discussed.

LABORATORY STRATEGIES FOR HYDRATE FORMATION IN FINE-GRAINED SEDIMENTS

KAUST Repository

Lei, L.; Santamarina, Carlos

2018-01-01

Fine‐grained sediments limit hydrate nucleation, shift the phase boundary and hinder gas supply. Laboratory experiments in this study explore different strategies to overcome these challenges, including the use of a more soluble guest molecule rather than methane, grain‐scale gas‐storage within porous diatoms, ice‐to‐hydrate transformation to grow lenses at predefined locations, forced gas injection into water saturated sediments, and long‐term guest molecule transport. Tomographic images, thermal and pressure data provide rich information on hydrate formation and morphology. Results show that hydrate formation is inherently displacive in fine‐grained sediments; lenses are thicker and closer to each other in compressible, high specific surface area sediments subjected to low effective stress. Temperature and pressure trajectories follow a shifted phase boundary that is consistent with capillary effects. Exo‐pore growth results in freshly formed hydrate with a striped and porous structure; this open structure becomes an effective pathway for gas transport to the growing hydrate front. Ice‐to‐hydrate transformation goes through a liquid stage at pre‐melt temperatures; then, capillarity and cryogenic suction compete, and some water becomes imbibed into the sediment faster than hydrate reformation. The geometry of hydrate lenses and the internal hydrate structure continue evolving long after the exothermal response to hydrate formation has completely decayed. Multiple time‐dependent processes occur during hydrate formation, including gas, water and heat transport, sediment compressibility, reaction rate and the stochastic nucleation process. Hydrate formation strategies conceived for this study highlight the inherent difficulties in emulating hydrate formation in fine‐grained sediments within the relatively short time‐scale available for laboratory experiments.

LABORATORY STRATEGIES FOR HYDRATE FORMATION IN FINE-GRAINED SEDIMENTS

KAUST Repository

Lei, L.

2018-04-02

Fine‐grained sediments limit hydrate nucleation, shift the phase boundary and hinder gas supply. Laboratory experiments in this study explore different strategies to overcome these challenges, including the use of a more soluble guest molecule rather than methane, grain‐scale gas‐storage within porous diatoms, ice‐to‐hydrate transformation to grow lenses at predefined locations, forced gas injection into water saturated sediments, and long‐term guest molecule transport. Tomographic images, thermal and pressure data provide rich information on hydrate formation and morphology. Results show that hydrate formation is inherently displacive in fine‐grained sediments; lenses are thicker and closer to each other in compressible, high specific surface area sediments subjected to low effective stress. Temperature and pressure trajectories follow a shifted phase boundary that is consistent with capillary effects. Exo‐pore growth results in freshly formed hydrate with a striped and porous structure; this open structure becomes an effective pathway for gas transport to the growing hydrate front. Ice‐to‐hydrate transformation goes through a liquid stage at pre‐melt temperatures; then, capillarity and cryogenic suction compete, and some water becomes imbibed into the sediment faster than hydrate reformation. The geometry of hydrate lenses and the internal hydrate structure continue evolving long after the exothermal response to hydrate formation has completely decayed. Multiple time‐dependent processes occur during hydrate formation, including gas, water and heat transport, sediment compressibility, reaction rate and the stochastic nucleation process. Hydrate formation strategies conceived for this study highlight the inherent difficulties in emulating hydrate formation in fine‐grained sediments within the relatively short time‐scale available for laboratory experiments.

Giant grains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leitch-Devlin, M.A.; Millar, T.J.; Williams, D.A.

1976-01-01

Infrared observations of the Orion nebula have been interpreted by Rowan-Robinson (1975) to imply the existence of 'giant' grains, radius approximately 10 -2 cm, throughout a volume about a parsec in diameter. Although Rowan-Robinson's model of the nebula has been criticized and the presence of such grains in Orion is disputed, the proposition is accepted, that they exist, and in this paper situations in which giant grains could arise are examined. It is found that, while a giant-grain component to the interstellar grain density may exist, it is difficult to understand how giant grains arise to the extent apparently required by the Orion nebula model. (Auth.)

77 FR 34915 - Notice of Data Availability Concerning Renewable Fuels Produced From Grain Sorghum Under the RFS...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-12

... biodiesel and renewable diesel. Regulated categories include: NAICS \\1\\ Examples of potentially regulated.... If an ethanol facility is interested in transporting DG long distances to sell to distant feedlots... transport includes emissions from transporting bushels of harvested grain sorghum from the farm to ethanol...

Isotopic provenance analysis and terrane tectonics: a warning about sediment transport distances

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bassett, K.N.

1999-01-01

Full text: In the last 10 years the field of provenance analysis has undergone a revolution with the development of single-crystal isotopic dating techniques, the most common being U/Pb zircon and 40Ar/39Ar techniques. These have allowed age determination of single crystals thus providing more detail about probable provenance of each individual grain rather than an averaged population of grains. The usefulness for resolving complex terrane accretion and translation histories was immediately obvious and there have been many studies in many different regions aimed at tracking terrane motions by provenance of individual grains upward through the stratigraphy of a basin. Recent research in the North American Cordilleran terranes and in the New Zealand Torlesse Superterrane show how widely used and powerful these provenance analysis techniques are. However, isotopic provenance analysis has often been presented as key information to resolve controversies around terrane translation histories with very little discussion of the context of sedimentary facies and sediment transport mechanisms. An example is the recent use of U/Pb detrital zircon ages as the supposedly controversy-ending evidence for the amount of lateral translation of the Insular Superterrane in British Columbia (Baja BC) (Mahoney et al., 1999). The zircon grains were separated from fine-grained turbidite deposits and could easily have been transported over very large distances by a variety of mechanisms; yet they were presented as definitively resolving the Baja BC controversy. Modern examples illustrate the problem of using the provenance of fine grained sediment to constrain terrane tectonics. Sediment in the tip of the Bengal submarine fan was transported ∼3000 km from source, first by fluvial processes then by sediment gravity flow in the submarine fan. The detrital isotopic ages of single grains are the same as the depositional ages indicating a very rapid unroofing and transport rate with minimal

Optical photon transport in powdered-phosphor scintillators. Part II. Calculation of single-scattering transport parameters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Poludniowski, Gavin G. [Joint Department of Physics, Division of Radiotherapy and Imaging, Institute of Cancer Research and Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Downs Road, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5PT, United Kingdom and Centre for Vision Speech and Signal Processing (CVSSP), Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH (United Kingdom); Evans, Philip M. [Centre for Vision Speech and Signal Processing (CVSSP), Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH (United Kingdom)

2013-04-15

Purpose: Monte Carlo methods based on the Boltzmann transport equation (BTE) have previously been used to model light transport in powdered-phosphor scintillator screens. Physically motivated guesses or, alternatively, the complexities of Mie theory have been used by some authors to provide the necessary inputs of transport parameters. The purpose of Part II of this work is to: (i) validate predictions of modulation transform function (MTF) using the BTE and calculated values of transport parameters, against experimental data published for two Gd{sub 2}O{sub 2}S:Tb screens; (ii) investigate the impact of size-distribution and emission spectrum on Mie predictions of transport parameters; (iii) suggest simpler and novel geometrical optics-based models for these parameters and compare to the predictions of Mie theory. A computer code package called phsphr is made available that allows the MTF predictions for the screens modeled to be reproduced and novel screens to be simulated. Methods: The transport parameters of interest are the scattering efficiency (Q{sub sct}), absorption efficiency (Q{sub abs}), and the scatter anisotropy (g). Calculations of these parameters are made using the analytic method of Mie theory, for spherical grains of radii 0.1-5.0 {mu}m. The sensitivity of the transport parameters to emission wavelength is investigated using an emission spectrum representative of that of Gd{sub 2}O{sub 2}S:Tb. The impact of a grain-size distribution in the screen on the parameters is investigated using a Gaussian size-distribution ({sigma}= 1%, 5%, or 10% of mean radius). Two simple and novel alternative models to Mie theory are suggested: a geometrical optics and diffraction model (GODM) and an extension of this (GODM+). Comparisons to measured MTF are made for two commercial screens: Lanex Fast Back and Lanex Fast Front (Eastman Kodak Company, Inc.). Results: The Mie theory predictions of transport parameters were shown to be highly sensitive to both grain size

Sedimentary controls on modern sand grain coat formation

Science.gov (United States)

Dowey, Patrick J.; Worden, Richard H.; Utley, James; Hodgson, David M.

2017-05-01

Coated sand grains can influence reservoir quality evolution during sandstone diagenesis. Porosity can be reduced and fluid flow restricted where grain coats encroach into pore space. Conversely pore-lining grain coats can restrict the growth of pore-filling quartz cement in deeply buried sandstones, and thus can result in unusually high porosity in deeply buried sandstones. Being able to predict the distribution of coated sand grains within petroleum reservoirs is thus important to help find good reservoir quality. Here we report a modern analogue study of 12 sediment cores from the Anllóns Estuary, Galicia, NW Spain, collected from a range of sub-environments, to help develop an understanding of the occurrence and distribution of coated grains. The cores were described for grain size, bioturbation and sedimentary structures, and then sub-sampled for electron and light microscopy, laser granulometry, and X-ray diffraction analysis. The Anllóns Estuary is sand-dominated with intertidal sand flats and saltmarsh environments at the margins; there is a shallowing/fining-upwards trend in the estuary-fill succession. Grain coats are present in nearly every sample analysed; they are between 1 μm and 100 μm thick and typically lack internal organisation. The extent of grain coat coverage can exceed 25% in some samples with coverage highest in the top 20 cm of cores. Samples from muddy intertidal flat and the muddy saltmarsh environments, close to the margins of the estuary, have the highest coat coverage (mean coat coverage of 20.2% and 21.3%, respectively). The lowest mean coat coverage occurs in the sandy saltmarsh (10.4%), beyond the upper tidal limit and sandy intertidal flat environments (8.4%), close to the main estuary channel. Mean coat coverage correlates with the concentration of clay fraction. The primary controls on the distribution of fine-grained sediment, and therefore grain coat distribution, are primary sediment transport and deposition processes that

A Threshold Continuum for Aeolian Sand Transport

Science.gov (United States)

Swann, C.; Ewing, R. C.; Sherman, D. J.

2015-12-01

The threshold of motion for aeolian sand transport marks the initial entrainment of sand particles by the force of the wind. This is typically defined and modeled as a singular wind speed for a given grain size and is based on field and laboratory experimental data. However, the definition of threshold varies significantly between these empirical models, largely because the definition is based on visual-observations of initial grain movement. For example, in his seminal experiments, Bagnold defined threshold of motion when he observed that 100% of the bed was in motion. Others have used 50% and lesser values. Differences in threshold models, in turn, result is large errors in predicting the fluxes associated with sand and dust transport. Here we use a wind tunnel and novel sediment trap to capture the fractions of sand in creep, reptation and saltation at Earth and Mars pressures and show that the threshold of motion for aeolian sand transport is best defined as a continuum in which grains progress through stages defined by the proportion of grains in creep and saltation. We propose the use of scale dependent thresholds modeled by distinct probability distribution functions that differentiate the threshold based on micro to macro scale applications. For example, a geologic timescale application corresponds to a threshold when 100% of the bed in motion whereas a sub-second application corresponds to a threshold when a single particle is set in motion. We provide quantitative measurements (number and mode of particle movement) corresponding to visual observations, percent of bed in motion and degrees of transport intermittency for Earth and Mars. Understanding transport as a continuum provides a basis for revaluating sand transport thresholds on Earth, Mars and Titan.

Carpel size, grain filling, and morphology determine individual grain weight in wheat.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Quan; Mayes, Sean; Sparkes, Debbie L

2015-11-01

Individual grain weight is a major yield component in wheat. To provide a comprehensive understanding of grain weight determination, the carpel size at anthesis, grain dry matter accumulation, grain water uptake and loss, grain morphological expansion, and final grain weight at different positions within spikelets were investigated in a recombinant inbred line mapping population of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)×spelt (Triticum spelta L.). Carpel size, grain dry matter and water accumulation, and grain dimensions interacted strongly with each other. Furthermore, larger carpels, a faster grain filling rate, earlier and longer grain filling, more grain water, faster grain water absorption and loss rates, and larger grain dimensions were associated with higher grain weight. Frequent quantitative trait locus (QTL) coincidences between these traits were observed, particularly those on chromosomes 2A, 3B, 4A, 5A, 5DL, and 7B, each of which harboured 16-49 QTLs associated with >12 traits. Analysis of the allelic effects of coincident QTLs confirmed their physiological relationships, indicating that the complex but orderly grain filling processes result mainly from pleiotropy or the tight linkages of functionally related genes. After grain filling, distal grains within spikelets were smaller than basal grains, primarily due to later grain filling and a slower initial grain filling rate, followed by synchronous maturation among different grains. Distal grain weight was improved by increased assimilate availability from anthesis. These findings provide deeper insight into grain weight determination in wheat, and the high level of QTL coincidences allows simultaneous improvement of multiple grain filling traits in breeding. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

DNA microarray revealed and RNAi plants confirmed key genes conferring low Cd accumulation in barley grains

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sun, Hongyan; Chen, Zhong-Hua; Chen, Fei

2015-01-01

Background Understanding the mechanism of low Cd accumulation in crops is crucial for sustainable safe food production in Cd-contaminated soils. Results Confocal microscopy, atomic absorption spectrometry, gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence analyses revealed a distinct difference in Cd...... with a substantial difference between the two genotypes. Cd stress led to higher expression of genes involved in transport, carbohydrate metabolism and signal transduction in the low-grain-Cd-accumulating genotype. Novel transporter genes such as zinc transporter genes were identified as being associated with low Cd...... accumulation. Quantitative RT-PCR confirmed our microarray data. Furthermore, suppression of the zinc transporter genes HvZIP3 and HvZIP8 by RNAi silencing showed increased Cd accumulation and reduced Zn and Mn concentrations in barley grains. Thus, HvZIP3 and HvZIP8 could be candidate genes related to low...

A sandpile model of grain blocking and consequences for sediment dynamics in step-pool streams

Science.gov (United States)

Molnar, P.

2012-04-01

Coarse grains (cobbles to boulders) are set in motion in steep mountain streams by floods with sufficient energy to erode the particles locally and transport them downstream. During transport, grains are often blocked and form width-spannings structures called steps, separated by pools. The step-pool system is a transient, self-organizing and self-sustaining structure. The temporary storage of sediment in steps and the release of that sediment in avalanche-like pulses when steps collapse, leads to a complex nonlinear threshold-driven dynamics in sediment transport which has been observed in laboratory experiments (e.g., Zimmermann et al., 2010) and in the field (e.g., Turowski et al., 2011). The basic question in this paper is if the emergent statistical properties of sediment transport in step-pool systems may be linked to the transient state of the bed, i.e. sediment storage and morphology, and to the dynamics in sediment input. The hypothesis is that this state, in which sediment transporting events due to the collapse and rebuilding of steps of all sizes occur, is analogous to a critical state in self-organized open dissipative dynamical systems (Bak et al., 1988). To exlore the process of self-organization, a cellular automaton sandpile model is used to simulate the processes of grain blocking and hydraulically-driven step collapse in a 1-d channel. Particles are injected at the top of the channel and are allowed to travel downstream based on various local threshold rules, with the travel distance drawn from a chosen probability distribution. In sandpile modelling this is a simple 1-d limited non-local model, however it has been shown to have nontrivial dynamical behaviour (Kadanoff et al., 1989), and it captures the essence of stochastic sediment transport in step-pool systems. The numerical simulations are used to illustrate the differences between input and output sediment transport rates, mainly focussing on the magnification of intermittency and

Grain boundary layer behavior in ZnO/Si heterostructure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Bingce; Liu Cihui; Yi Bo

2010-01-01

The grain boundary layer behavior in ZnO/Si heterostucture is investigated. The current-voltage (I-V) curves, deep level transient spectra (DLTS) and capacitance-voltage (C-V) curves are measured. The transport currents of ZnO/Si heterojunction are dominated by grain boundary layer as high densities of interfacial states existed. The interesting phenomenon that the crossing of In I-V curves of ZnO/Si heterojunction at various measurement temperatures and the decrease of its effective barrier height with the decrement of temperature are in contradiction with the ideal heterojunction thermal emission model is observed. The details will be discussed in the following. (semiconductor physics)

Ion drag force on dust grains in the magnetized edge plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matyash, K.; Schneider, R.; Ikkurthi, V.R.; Melzer, A.

2009-01-01

A 3-dimensional Particle-Particle Particle-Mesh (P3M) code [K. Matyash, R. Schneider, F. Taccogna, D. Tskhakaya, J. Nucl. Mater. 363-365 (2007) 458] is applied to simulate a small-size (smaller than a Debye length) spherical dust grain confined in the magnetized plasma near the material wall of a tokamak. Plasma particles (electrons and ions) are treated kinetically (Particle-in-Cell with Monte Carlo Collisions (PIC MCC)), which allows to resolve self-consistently the electrostatic sheath in front of the wall. In order to describe accurately the plasma particles' motion close to the dust grain, the PIC technique is supplemented with Molecular Dynamics (MD), employing an analytic electrostatic potential for the interaction with the dust grain. The charging of a spherical, conducting dust grain confined in the sheath potential close to the wall of a tokamak is simulated. A magnetic field normal to the wall was investigated. The ion drag force resulting from dust grain collisions with the streaming ions is calculated. This force is critical for a realistic description of the dust particle dynamics and transport in fusion plasmas.

How grain boundaries affect the efficiency of poly-CdTe solar-cells: A fundamental atomic-scale study of grain boundary dislocation cores using CdTe bi-crystal thin films.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klie, Robert [Univ. of Illinois, Chicago, IL (United States)

2016-10-25

It is now widely accepted that grain boundaries in poly-crystalline CdTe thin film devices have a detrimental effect on the minority carrier lifetimes, the open circuit voltage and therefore the overall solar-cell performance. The goal of this project was to develop a fundamental understanding of the role of grain boundaries in CdTe on the carrier life-time, open-circuit voltage, Voc, and the diffusion of impurities. To achieve this goal, i) CdTe bi-crystals were fabricated with various misorientation angels, ii) the atomic- and electronic structures of the grain boundaries were characterized using scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), and iii) first-principles density functional theory modeling was performed on the structures determined by STEM to predict the grain boundary potential. The transport properties and minority carrier lifetimes of the bi-crystal grain boundaries were measured using a variety of approaches, including TRPL, and provided feedback to the characterization and modeling effort about the effectiveness of the proposed models.

Grain Boundaries Act as Solid Walls for Charge Carrier Diffusion in Large Crystal MAPI Thin Films.

Science.gov (United States)

Ciesielski, Richard; Schäfer, Frank; Hartmann, Nicolai F; Giesbrecht, Nadja; Bein, Thomas; Docampo, Pablo; Hartschuh, Achim

2018-03-07

Micro- and nanocrystalline methylammonium lead iodide (MAPI)-based thin-film solar cells today reach power conversion efficiencies of over 20%. We investigate the impact of grain boundaries on charge carrier transport in large crystal MAPI thin films using time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) microscopy and numerical model calculations. Crystal sizes in the range of several tens of micrometers allow for the spatially and time resolved study of boundary effects. Whereas long-ranged diffusive charge carrier transport is observed within single crystals, no detectable diffusive transport occurs across grain boundaries. The observed PL transients are found to crucially depend on the microscopic geometry of the crystal and the point of observation. In particular, spatially restricted diffusion of charge carriers leads to slower PL decay near crystal edges as compared to the crystal center. In contrast to many reports in the literature, our experimental results show no quenching or additional loss channels due to grain boundaries for the studied material, which thus do not negatively affect the performance of the derived thin-film devices.

A Field Exercise in Fluvial Sediment Transport.

Science.gov (United States)

Tharp, Thomas M.

1983-01-01

Describes an investigation which introduces the mathematical principles of stream hydraulics and fluvial sediment in a practical context. The investigation has four stages: defining hydrology of the stream; defining channel hydraulics in a study reach; measuring grain size; and calculating transportable grain size and comparing measure stream-bed…

Prevalence of IgE antibodies to grain and grain dust in grain elevator workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, D M; Romeo, P A; Olenchock, S A

1986-01-01

IgE-mediated allergic reactions have been postulated to contribute to respiratory reactions seen in workers exposed to grain dusts. In an attempt better to define the prevalence of IgE antibodies in workers exposed to grain dusts, we performed the radioallergosorbent test (RAST) on worker sera using both commercial allergens prepared from grain and worksite allergens prepared from grain dust samples collected at the worksite. We found that the two types of reagents identified different populations with respect to the specificity of IgE antibodies present. The RAST assay performed using worksite allergens correlated well with skin test procedures. These results may allow us to gain better understanding of allergy associated with grain dust exposure, and document the utility of the RAST assay in assessment of occupational allergies. PMID:3709478

Prevalence of IgE antibodies to grain and grain dust in grain elevator workers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lewis, D.M.; Romeo, P.A.; Olenchock, S.A.

1986-04-01

IgE-mediated allergic reactions have been postulated to contribute to respiratory reactions seen in workers exposed to grain dusts. In an attempt better to define the prevalence of IgE antibodies in workers exposed to grain dusts, we performed the radioallergosorbent test (RAST) on worker sera using both commercial allergens prepared from grain and worksite allergens prepared from grain dust samples collected at the worksite. We found that the two types of reagents identified different populations with respect to the specificity of IgE antibodies present. The RAST assay performed using worksite allergens correlated well with skin test procedures. These results may allow us to gain better understanding of allergy associated with grain dust exposure, and document the utility of the RAST assay in assessment of occupational allergies.

Prevalence of IgE antibodies to grain and grain dust in grain elevator workers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lewis, D.M.; Romeo, P.A.; Olenchock, S.A.

1986-01-01

IgE-mediated allergic reactions have been postulated to contribute to respiratory reactions seen in workers exposed to grain dusts. In an attempt better to define the prevalence of IgE antibodies in workers exposed to grain dusts, we performed the radioallergosorbent test (RAST) on worker sera using both commercial allergens prepared from grain and worksite allergens prepared from grain dust samples collected at the worksite. We found that the two types of reagents identified different populations with respect to the specificity of IgE antibodies present. The RAST assay performed using worksite allergens correlated well with skin test procedures. These results may allow us to gain better understanding of allergy associated with grain dust exposure, and document the utility of the RAST assay in assessment of occupational allergies

Fine-Grained Turbidites: Facies, Attributes and Process Implications

Science.gov (United States)

Stow, Dorrik; Omoniyi, Bayonle

2016-04-01

Within turbidite systems, fine-grained sediments are still the poor relation and sport several contrasting facies models linked to process of deposition. These are volumetrically the dominant facies in deepwater and, from a resource perspective, they form important marginal and tight reservoirs, and have great potential for unconventional shale gas, source rocks and seals. They are also significant hosts of metals and rare earth elements. Based on a large number of studies of modern, ancient and subsurface systems, including 1000s of metres of section logging, we define the principal genetic elements of fine-grained deepwater facies, present a new synthesis of facies models and their sedimentary attributes. The principal architectural elements include: non-channelised slope-aprons, channel-fill, channel levee and overbank, turbidite lobes, mass-transport deposits, contourite drifts, basin sheets and drapes. These comprise a variable intercalation of fine-grained facies - thin-bedded and very thin-bedded turbidites, contourites, hemipelagites and pelagites - and associated coarse-grained facies. Characteristic attributes used to discriminate between these different elements are: facies and facies associations; sand-shale ratio, sand and shale geometry and dimensions, sand connectivity; sediment texture and small-scale sedimentary structures; sediment fabric and microfabric; and small-scale vertical sequences of bed thickness. To some extent, we can relate facies and attribute characteristics to different depositional environments. We identify four distinct facies models: (a) silt-laminated mud turbidites, (b) siliciclastic mud turbidites, (c) carbonate mud turbidites, (d) disorganized silty-mud turbidites, and (e) hemiturbidites. Within the grainsize-velocity matrix turbidite plot, these all fall within the region of mean size < 0.063mm, maximum grainsize (one percentile) <0.2mm, and depositional velocity 0.1-0.5 m/s. Silt-laminated turbidites and many mud

[Spatial change of the grain-size of aeolian sediments in Qira oasis-desert ecotone, Northwest China].

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Yong Chong; Xu, Li Shuai

2017-04-18

In order to understand the environmental influence of oasis-desert ecotone to oasis ecological system, we comparatively analyzed the grain size characteristics of various aeolian sediments, including the sediments in oasis-desert ecotone, shelterbelt and the inside oasis and in Qira River valley. The results showed that the grain size characteristics (including grain-size distribution curve, grain size parameters, and content of different size classes) of sediments in the oasis-desert ecotone were consistent along the prevailing wind direction with a grain-size range of 0.3-200 μm and modal size of 67 μm. All of the sediments were good sorting and mainly composed of suspension components and saltation components, but not denatured saltation and creeping components (>200 μm). They were typically aeolian deposits being short-range transported. The grain sizes of sediments in oasis-desert ecotone were smaller than that in the material sources of Qira River valley and desert (0.3-800 μm), but very similar to those of the modern aeolian deposits in oasis-desert ecotone, shelterbelt and the inside oasis. The denatured saltation and creep components (>200 μm) were suppressed to transport into oasis-desert ecotone because of the high vegetation cover in oasis-desert ecotone. Therefore, like the shelterbelts, the oasis-desert ecotone could also block the invasion of desert. They safeguarded the oasis ecological environment together.

Numerical investigation on the regression rate of hybrid rocket motor with star swirl fuel grain

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Shuai; Hu, Fan; Zhang, Weihua

2016-10-01

Although hybrid rocket motor is prospected to have distinct advantages over liquid and solid rocket motor, low regression rate and insufficient efficiency are two major disadvantages which have prevented it from being commercially viable. In recent years, complex fuel grain configurations are attractive in overcoming the disadvantages with the help of Rapid Prototyping technology. In this work, an attempt has been made to numerically investigate the flow field characteristics and local regression rate distribution inside the hybrid rocket motor with complex star swirl grain. A propellant combination with GOX and HTPB has been chosen. The numerical model is established based on the three dimensional Navier-Stokes equations with turbulence, combustion, and coupled gas/solid phase formulations. The calculated fuel regression rate is compared with the experimental data to validate the accuracy of numerical model. The results indicate that, comparing the star swirl grain with the tube grain under the conditions of the same port area and the same grain length, the burning surface area rises about 200%, the spatially averaged regression rate rises as high as about 60%, and the oxidizer can combust sufficiently due to the big vortex around the axis in the aft-mixing chamber. The combustion efficiency of star swirl grain is better and more stable than that of tube grain.

Mechanical behavior of ultrafine-grained materials under combined static and dynamic loadings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guo Y.Z.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Ultrafine-grained (UFG materials have extensive prospects for engineering application due to their excellent mechanical properties. However, the grain size decrease reduces their strain hardening ability and makes UFG materials more susceptible to deformation instability such as shear localization. In most cases, critical shear strain is taken as the criterion for formation of shear localization under impact loading or adiabatic shear band (ASB. Recently, some researchers found that the formation of ASB was determined only by the dynamic loading process and had nothing to do with its static loading history. They proposed for coarse-grained metals a dynamic stored energy-based criterion for ASB and verified it by some experiments. In this study, we will focus on the shear localization behavior of UFG metals such as UFG titanium and magnesium alloy AZ31. Quasi-static loading and dynamic loading will be applied on the same specimen alternately. The shear localization behavior will be analyzed and the criterion of its formation will be evaluated.

Abnormal grain growth: a non-equilibrium thermodynamic model for multi-grain binary systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Svoboda, J; Fischer, F D

2014-01-01

Abnormal grain growth as the abrupt growth of a group of the largest grains in a multi-grain system is treated within the context of unequal retardation of grain growth due to the segregation of solute atoms from the bulk of the grains into the grain boundaries. During grain boundary migration, the segregated solute atoms are dragged under a small driving force or left behind the migrating grain boundary under a large driving force. Thus, the solute atoms in the grain boundaries of large grains, exhibiting a large driving force, can be released from the grain boundary. The mobility of these grain boundaries becomes significantly higher and abnormal grain growth is spontaneously provoked. The mean-field model presented here assumes that each grain is described by its grain radius and by its individual segregation parameter. The thermodynamic extremal principle is engaged to obtain explicit evolution equations for the radius and segregation parameter of each grain. Simulations of grain growth kinetics for various conditions of segregation with the same initial setting (100 000 grains with a given radius distribution) are presented. Depending on the diffusion coefficients of the solute in the grain boundaries, abnormal grain growth may be strongly or marginally pronounced. Solute segregation and drag can also significantly contribute to the stabilization of the grain structure. Qualitative agreement with several experimental results is reported. (paper)

Thermodynamically consistent coarse graining of biocatalysts beyond Michaelis–Menten

Science.gov (United States)

Wachtel, Artur; Rao, Riccardo; Esposito, Massimiliano

2018-04-01

Starting from the detailed catalytic mechanism of a biocatalyst we provide a coarse-graining procedure which, by construction, is thermodynamically consistent. This procedure provides stoichiometries, reaction fluxes (rate laws), and reaction forces (Gibbs energies of reaction) for the coarse-grained level. It can treat active transporters and molecular machines, and thus extends the applicability of ideas that originated in enzyme kinetics. Our results lay the foundations for systematic studies of the thermodynamics of large-scale biochemical reaction networks. Moreover, we identify the conditions under which a relation between one-way fluxes and forces holds at the coarse-grained level as it holds at the detailed level. In doing so, we clarify the speculations and broad claims made in the literature about such a general flux–force relation. As a further consequence we show that, in contrast to common belief, the second law of thermodynamics does not require the currents and the forces of biochemical reaction networks to be always aligned.

Permeability of Granite Including Macro-Fracture Naturally Filled with Fine-Grained Minerals

Science.gov (United States)

Nara, Yoshitaka; Kato, Masaji; Niri, Ryuhei; Kohno, Masanori; Sato, Toshinori; Fukuda, Daisuke; Sato, Tsutomu; Takahashi, Manabu

2018-03-01

Information on the permeability of rock is essential for various geoengineering projects, such as geological disposal of radioactive wastes, hydrocarbon extraction, and natural hazard risk mitigation. It is especially important to investigate how fractures and pores influence the physical and transport properties of rock. Infiltration of groundwater through the damage zone fills fractures in granite with fine-grained minerals. However, the permeability of rock possessing a fracture naturally filled with fine-grained mineral grains has yet to be investigated. In this study, the permeabilities of granite samples, including a macro-fracture filled with clay and a mineral vein, are investigated. The permeability of granite with a fine-grained mineral vein agrees well with that of the intact sample, whereas the permeability of granite possessing a macro-fracture filled with clay is lower than that of the macro-fractured sample. The decrease in the permeability is due to the filling of fine-grained minerals and clay in the macro-fracture. It is concluded that the permeability of granite increases due to the existence of the fractures, but decreases upon filling them with fine-grained minerals.

High annealing temperature induced rapid grain coarsening for efficient perovskite solar cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Xiaobing; Zhi, Lili; Jia, Yi; Li, Yahui; Cui, Xian; Zhao, Ke; Ci, Lijie; Ding, Kongxian; Wei, Jinquan

2018-08-15

Thermal annealing plays multiple roles in fabricating high quality perovskite films. Generally, it might result in large perovskite grains by elevating annealing temperature, but might also lead to decomposition of perovskite. Here, we study the effects of annealing temperature on the coarsening of perovskite grains in a temperature range from 100 to 250 °C, and find that the coarsening rate of the perovskite grain increase significantly with the annealing temperature. Compared with the perovskite films annealed at 100 °C, high quality perovskite films with large columnar grains are obtained by annealing perovskite precursor films at 250 °C for only 10 s. As a result, the power conversion efficiency of best solar cell increased from 12.35% to 16.35% due to its low recombination rate and high efficient charge transportation in solar cells. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Carpel size, grain filling, and morphology determine individual grain weight in wheat

OpenAIRE

Xie, Quan; Mayes, Sean; Sparkes, Debbie L.

2015-01-01

Individual grain weight is a major yield component in wheat. To provide a comprehensive understanding of grain weight determination, the carpel size at anthesis, grain dry matter accumulation, grain water uptake and loss, grain morphological expansion, and final grain weight at different positions within spikelets were investigated in a recombinant inbred line mapping population of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)?spelt (Triticum spelta L.). Carpel size, grain dry matter and water accumulat...

Bedload transport measurements with impact plate geophones in two Austrian mountain streams (Fischbach and Ruetz): system calibration, grain size estimation, and environmental signal pick-up

Science.gov (United States)

Rickenmann, Dieter; Fritschi, Bruno

2017-10-01

The Swiss plate geophone system is a bedload surrogate measuring technique that has been installed in more than 20 streams, primarily in the European Alps. Here we report about calibration measurements performed in two mountain streams in Austria. The Fischbach and Ruetz gravel-bed streams are characterized by important runoff and bedload transport during the snowmelt season. A total of 31 (Fischbach) and 21 (Ruetz) direct bedload samples were obtained during a 6-year period. Using the number of geophone impulses and total transported bedload mass for each measurement to derive a calibration function results in a strong linear relation for the Fischbach, whereas there is only a poor linear calibration relation for the Ruetz measurements. Instead, using geophone impulse rates and bedload transport rates indicates that two power law relations best represent the Fischbach data, depending on transport intensity; for lower transport intensities, the same power law relation is also in reasonable agreement with the Ruetz data. These results are compared with data and findings from other field sites and flume studies. We further show that the observed coarsening of the grain size distribution with increasing bedload flux can be qualitatively reproduced from the geophone signal, when using the impulse counts along with amplitude information. Finally, we discuss implausible geophone impulse counts that were recorded during periods with smaller discharges without any bedload transport, and that are likely caused by vehicle movement very near to the measuring sites.

Low-frequency electromagnetic iirradiation treatment of grain in harvester

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. V. Zhalnin

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Treatment of crop seeds by low-frequency electromagnetic field contributes to obtaining high and stable yields. After this treatment in a laboratory environment crop production can increase from 15 to 40 percent. To research an effect of magnetic field on a seed material in the field we developed technological design for a seeds treatment in a combine harvester «Enisey-1200 NМ». Three modules of low frequency electromagnetic waves source were mounted in the design of transporting working elements from the threshing apparatus to the grain tank for the impact they have on the moving of freshly threshed grain portion. Conditions of magnetization of seeds vere varied. Influence of modes of grain treatment at threshing of spring wheat in a harvester on the effectiveness of the stimulation vere researched. A comparative laboratory analysis of quality of grain, magnetic directly in the harvester, and 3 months after thrashing showed that the new technology allows to increase sowing qualities of grain. Electromagnetic irradiation of grain in a harvester increases the germination of seeds from 6 to 20 percent, germination energy about 30 percent, also raises the weight of the plant parts and more qualitatively clears seeds of a peel that promotes best storage. Regime of magnetization determines a germination ability and readiness og seeds. The most pronounced effect of the grain magnetization is observed under irradiation becomes apparent for more than 9 minutes. Irradiation of grain placed in the hopper of the combine is more effective. The optimum parameters of electromagnetic radiation is a frequency equaled to 16 Hz, the value of magnetic induction of 6 mT. We proposed to extend the technology field stimulation of seeds with low-frequency magnetic field in order to increase germination and yield of different crops. An application of the proposed design of the electromagnetic module for any model and size of modern types of grain and rice harvesters

Neutron activation analysis of gold and prospectiveness of its application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tong Chunhan.

1988-01-01

NAA of gold is a method of high sensitivity and high percision, especially when epithermal neutron activation is applied. NAA is particularly emphasized in the process of gold reference standards preparation. In addition to the pure instrumental NAA, the NAA with pre-enrichment before sctivation is developed. This technque has been successfully used in assessment of micro and fine grained Au-Ag-phlymetal ores in Guixian, Guangxi. Through this example, prospectiveness of NAA application in Au-Ag-prospecting, fast assessment and trace element geochemistry investigation is seen

A label-free quantitative shotgun proteomics analysis of rice grain development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Koh Hee-Jong

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Although a great deal of rice proteomic research has been conducted, there are relatively few studies specifically addressing the rice grain proteome. The existing rice grain proteomic researches have focused on the identification of differentially expressed proteins or monitoring protein expression patterns during grain filling stages. Results Proteins were extracted from rice grains 10, 20, and 30 days after flowering, as well as from fully mature grains. By merging all of the identified proteins in this study, we identified 4,172 non-redundant proteins with a wide range of molecular weights (from 5.2 kDa to 611 kDa and pI values (from pH 2.9 to pH 12.6. A Genome Ontology category enrichment analysis for the 4,172 proteins revealed that 52 categories were enriched, including the carbohydrate metabolic process, transport, localization, lipid metabolic process, and secondary metabolic process. The relative abundances of the 1,784 reproducibly identified proteins were compared to detect 484 differentially expressed proteins during rice grain development. Clustering analysis and Genome Ontology category enrichment analysis revealed that proteins involved in the metabolic process were enriched through all stages of development, suggesting that proteome changes occurred even in the desiccation phase. Interestingly, enrichments of proteins involved in protein folding were detected in the desiccation phase and in fully mature grain. Conclusion This is the first report conducting comprehensive identification of rice grain proteins. With a label free shotgun proteomic approach, we identified large number of rice grain proteins and compared the expression patterns of reproducibly identified proteins during rice grain development. Clustering analysis, Genome Ontology category enrichment analysis, and the analysis of composite expression profiles revealed dynamic changes of metabolisms during rice grain development. Interestingly, we

Friction Freeform Fabrication of Superalloy Inconel 718: Prospects and Problems

Science.gov (United States)

Dilip, J. J. S.; Janaki Ram, G. D.

2014-01-01

Friction Freeform Fabrication is a new solid-state additive manufacturing process. The present investigation reports a detailed study on the prospects of this process for additive part fabrication in superalloy Inconel 718. Using a rotary friction welding machine and employing alloy 718 consumable rods in solution treated condition, cylindrical-shaped multi-layer friction deposits (10 mm diameter) were successfully produced. In the as-deposited condition, the deposits showed very fine grain size with no grain boundary δ phase. The deposits responded well to direct aging and showed satisfactory room-temperature tensile properties. However, their stress rupture performance was unsatisfactory because of their layered microstructure with very fine grain size and no grain boundary δ phase. The problem was overcome by heat treating the deposits first at 1353 K (1080 °C) (for increasing the grain size) and then at 1223 K (950 °C) (for precipitating the δ phase). Overall, the current study shows that Friction Freeform Fabrication is a very useful process for additive part fabrication in alloy 718.

Grain dissection as a grain size reducing mechanism during ice microdynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Steinbach, Florian; Kuiper, Ernst N.; Eichler, Jan; Bons, Paul D.; Drury, Martin R.; Griera, Albert; Pennock, Gill M.; Weikusat, Ilka

2017-04-01

Ice sheets are valuable paleo-climate archives, but can lose their integrity by ice flow. An understanding of the microdynamic mechanisms controlling the flow of ice is essential when assessing climatic and environmental developments related to ice sheets and glaciers. For instance, the development of a consistent mechanistic grain size law would support larger scale ice flow models. Recent research made significant progress in numerically modelling deformation and recrystallisation mechanisms in the polycrystalline ice and ice-air aggregate (Llorens et al., 2016a,b; Steinbach et al., 2016). The numerical setup assumed grain size reduction is achieved by the progressive transformation of subgrain boundaries into new high angle grain boundaries splitting an existing grain. This mechanism is usually termed polygonisation. Analogue experiments suggested, that strain induced grain boundary migration can cause bulges to migrate through the whole of a grain separating one region of the grain from another (Jessell, 1986; Urai, 1987). This mechanism of grain dissection could provide an alternative grain size reducing mechanism, but has not yet been observed during ice microdynamics. In this contribution, we present results using an updated numerical approach allowing for grain dissection. The approach is based on coupling the full field theory crystal visco-plasticity code (VPFFT) of Lebensohn (2001) to the multi-process modelling platform Elle (Bons et al., 2008). VPFFT predicts the mechanical fields resulting from short strain increments, dynamic recrystallisation process are implemented in Elle. The novel approach includes improvements to allow for grain dissection, which was topologically impossible during earlier simulations. The simulations are supported by microstructural observations from NEEM (North Greenland Eemian Ice Drilling) ice core. Mappings of c-axis orientations using the automatic fabric analyser and full crystallographic orientations using electron

Size and density distribution of very small dust grains in the Barnard 5 cloud

Science.gov (United States)

Lis, Dariusz C.; Leung, Chun Ming

1991-01-01

The effects of the temperature fluctuations in small graphite grains on the energy spectrum and the IR surface brightness of an isolated dust cloud heated externally by the interstellar radiation field were investigated using a series of models based on a radiation transport computer code. This code treats self-consistently the thermal coupling between the transient heating of very small dust grains and the equilibrium heating of conventional large grains. The model results were compared with the IRAS observations of the Barnard 5 (B5) cloud, showing that the 25-micron emission of the cloud must be produced by small grains with a 6-10 A radius, which also contribute about 50 percent to the observed 12-micron emission. The remaining 12 micron flux may be produced by the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The 60-and 100-micron radiation is dominated by emission from large grains heated under equilibrium conditions.

Quantifying grain shape with MorpheoLV: A case study using Holocene glacial marine sediments

Science.gov (United States)

Charpentier, Isabelle; Staszyc, Alicia B.; Wellner, Julia S.; Alejandro, Vanessa

2017-06-01

As demonstrated in earlier works, quantitative grain shape analysis has revealed to be a strong proxy for determining sediment transport history and depositional environments. MorpheoLV, devoted to the calculation of roughness coefficients from pictures of unique clastic sediment grains using Fourier analysis, drives computations for a collection of samples of grain images. This process may be applied to sedimentary deposits assuming core/interval/image archives for the storage of samples collected along depth. This study uses a 25.8 m jumbo piston core, NBP1203 JPC36, taken from a 100 m thick sedimentary drift deposit from Perseverance Drift on the northern Antarctic Peninsula continental shelf. Changes in ocean and ice conditions throughout the Holocene recorded in this sedimentary archive can be assessed by studying grain shape, grain texture, and other proxies. Ninety six intervals were sampled and a total of 2319 individual particle images were used. Microtextures of individual grains observed by SEM show a very high abundance of authigenically precipitated silica that obscures the original grain shape. Grain roughness, computed along depth with MorpheoLV, only shows small variation confirming the qualitative observation deduced from the SEM. Despite this, trends can be seen confirming the reliability of MorpheoLV as a tool for quantitative grain shape analysis.

Quantifying grain shape with MorpheoLV: A case study using Holocene glacial marine sediments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Charpentier Isabelle

2017-01-01

Full Text Available As demonstrated in earlier works, quantitative grain shape analysis has revealed to be a strong proxy for determining sediment transport history and depositional environments. MorpheoLV, devoted to the calculation of roughness coefficients from pictures of unique clastic sediment grains using Fourier analysis, drives computations for a collection of samples of grain images. This process may be applied to sedimentary deposits assuming core/interval/image archives for the storage of samples collected along depth. This study uses a 25.8 m jumbo piston core, NBP1203 JPC36, taken from a ~100 m thick sedimentary drift deposit from Perseverance Drift on the northern Antarctic Peninsula continental shelf. Changes in ocean and ice conditions throughout the Holocene recorded in this sedimentary archive can be assessed by studying grain shape, grain texture, and other proxies. Ninety six intervals were sampled and a total of 2319 individual particle images were used. Microtextures of individual grains observed by SEM show a very high abundance of authigenically precipitated silica that obscures the original grain shape. Grain roughness, computed along depth with MorpheoLV, only shows small variation confirming the qualitative observation deduced from the SEM. Despite this, trends can be seen confirming the reliability of MorpheoLV as a tool for quantitative grain shape analysis.

Grain-size sorting and slope failure in experimental subaqueous grain flows

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kleinhans, M.G.; Asch, Th.W.J. van

2005-01-01

Grain-size sorting in subaqueous grain flows of a continuous range of grain sizes is studied experimentally with three mixtures. The observed pattern is a combination of stratification and gradual segregation. The stratification is caused by kinematic sieving in the grain flow. The segregation is

Whole-plant dynamic system of nitrogen use for vegetative growth and grain filling in rice plants (Oryza sativa L. as revealed through the production of 350 grains from a germinated seed over 150 days: a review and synthesis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tadakatsu Yoneyama

2016-08-01

Full Text Available A single germinated rice (Oryza sativa L seed can produce 350 grains with the sequential development of 15 leaves on the main stem and 7 ‒ 10 leaves on 4 productive tillers (forming 5 panicles in total, using nitrogen (N taken up from the environment over a 150-day growing season. Nitrogen travels from uptake sites to the grain through growing organ-directed cycling among sequentially developed organs. Over the past 40 years, the dynamic system for N allocation during vegetative growth and grain filling has been elucidated through studies on N and 15N transport as well as enzymes and transporters involved. In this review, we synthesize the information obtained in these studies along the following main points: (1 During vegetative growth before grain-filling, about half of the total N in the growing organs, including young leaves, tillers, root tips and differentiating panicles is supplied via phloem from mature source organs such as leaves and roots, after turnover and remobilization of proteins, whereas the other half is newly taken up and supplied via xylem, with an efficient xylem-to-phloem transfer at stem nodes. Thus, the growth of new organs depends equally on both N sources. (2 A large fraction (as much as 80% of the grain N is derived largely from mature organs such as leaves and stems by degradation, including the autophagy pathway of chloroplast proteins (e.g., Rubisco. (3 Mobilized proteinogenic amino acids, including arginine, lysine, proline and valine, are derived mainly from protein degradation, with amino acid transporters playing a role in transferring these amino acids across cell membranes of source and sink organs, and enabling their efficient reutilization in the latter. On the other hand, amino acids such as glutamine, glutamic acid, γ-amino butyric acid, aspartic acid, and alanine are produced by assimilation of newly taken up N by roots and transported via xylem and phloem. The formation of 350 filled grains over 50

The influence of sediment transport rate on the development of structure in gravel bed rivers

Science.gov (United States)

Ockelford, Annie; Rice, Steve; Powell, Mark; Reid, Ian; Nguyen, Thao; Tate, Nick; Wood, Jo

2013-04-01

Although adjustments of surface grain size are known to be strongly influenced by sediment transport rate little work has systematically explored how different transport rates can affect the development of surface structure in gravel bed rivers. Specifically, it has been well established that the transport of mixed sized sediments leads to the development of a coarser surface or armour layer which occurs over larger areas of the gravel bed. Armour layer development is known to moderate overall sediment transport rate as well as being extremely sensitive to changes in applied shear stress. However, during this armouring process a bed is created where, smaller gain scale changes, to the bed surface are also apparent such as the development of pebble clusters and imbricate structures. Although these smaller scale changes affect the overall surface grain size distribution very little their presence has the ability to significantly increase the surface stability and hence alter overall sediment transport rates. Consequently, the interplay between the moderation of transport rate as a function of surface coarsening at a larger scale and moderation of transport rate as a function of the development of structure on the bed surface at the smaller scale is complicated and warrants further investigation. During experiments a unimodal grain size distribution (σg = 1.30, D50 = 8.8mm) was exposed to 3 different levels of constant discharge that produced sediment transport conditions ranging from marginal transport to conditions approaching full mobility of all size fractions. Sediment was re-circulated during the experiments surface grain size distribution bed load and fractional transport rates were measured at a high temporal resolution such that the time evolution of the beds could be fully described. Discussion concentrates on analysing the effects of the evolving bed condition sediment transport rate (capacity) and transported grain size (competence). The outcome of this

Modulation of transport properties of optimally doped La{sub 1.85}Sr{sub 0.15}CuO{sub 4} thin films via electric field modification of the grain boundaries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hassan, Muhammad Umair [Center for Micro and Nano Devices, Department of Physics, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Islamabad (Pakistan); Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge (United Kingdom); Wimbush, Stuart C. [The MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand)

2015-09-15

Modulation of the transport properties of a superconducting La{sub 1.85}Sr{sub 0.15}CuO{sub 4}-based ionic-liquid gated transistor has been achieved. For an applied gate bias V{sub g} ≥ 2 V, the characteristic sheet resistivity vs. temperature (R{sub s}-T) curves exhibit a fully reversible foot feature below the superconducting transition temperature (T{sub c}). In contrast to the behaviour expected from the large charge carrier density of this high-T{sub c} superconductor material, the normal state conductance above T{sub c} also exhibits a large modulation, indicating a larger charge screening length than that predicted from a simple Thomas-Fermi model. We regard these changes as due to electrostatic modification of the charge density at structural imperfections such as grain boundaries present within the sample. Such modification alters the coupling between superconducting domains and dictates the overall R{sub s}-T trend of the gated film. To explain our findings, we employ Mannhart's model of electronic band bending at the grain boundaries and propose that this band bending can be modulated by large electric fields resulting in the observed modulation of the transport properties of the device. (copyright 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Uptake and translocation of Cd in different rice cultivars and the relation with Cd accumulation in rice grain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Jianguo; Qian Min; Cai Guoliang; Yang Jianchang; Zhu Qingsen

2007-01-01

The variations among six rice cultivars in cadmium (Cd) uptake and translocation were investigated with pot soil experiments. The results showed that only a very small portion (0.73%) of Cd absorbed by rice plant was transferred into grain. With regard to plant total Cd uptake, Cd concentrations and quantity accumulations in roots, stems and leaves, the differences among the cultivars (between the largest one and the smallest one) were less than one time. But for Cd concentrations and Cd quantity accumulations in the grains, the differences were more than five and eight times, respectively. With respect to Cd distribution portions in plant organs, the diversities among the cultivars were also small in roots, stems and leaves, but much larger in grains. Grain Cd concentrations correlated positively and significantly (P < 0.01) with Cd quantity accumulations in plant, Cd distribution ratios to aboveground parts, and especially with Cd distribution ratios from aboveground parts to the grain. The results indicated that Cd concentration in rice grain was governed somewhat by plant Cd uptake and the transport of Cd from root to shoot, and in a greater extent, by the transport of Cd from shoot to grain. Cd was not distributed evenly in different products after rice grain processing. The average Cd concentration in cortex (embryo) was five times more than that in chaff and polished rice. With regard to Cd quantity accumulation in the products, near 40% in cortex (embryo), 45% in polished rice and 15% in chaff averagely

Sediment transport via needle ice: a new method for diffusive transport on laboratory-scale hillslopes

Science.gov (United States)

Sweeney, K. E.; Roering, J. J.; Rempel, A. W.

2012-12-01

Convex hilltops formed by diffusive sediment transport are a fundamental feature of soil-mantled landscapes worldwide. Additionally, the competition and interaction between hillslopes and valleys control basic topographic metrics, such as relief, drainage density, and breaks in slope-area scaling. Despite recent progress in erosive landscape experiments, no published work has explored the competition of hillslope diffusion and channel advection experimentally. Here, we present preliminary findings on the plausibility of needle ice driven frost creep as a mechanism for laboratory hillslope transport of wet sediment. In nature, needle ice is a diurnal form of ice segregation, whereby liquid water held in sediment pore space is driven upward toward a near-surface freezing front by a temperature-controlled liquid pressure gradient. As needles grow perpendicular to the surface, sediment is incorporated in the growing needle ice by temperature perturbations and associated downward shifts in the freezing front. Sediment then moves downslope due to melting or sublimation of the ice needles. We constructed a slope of saturated sediment in a freezer to constrain the temperature, grain size, and soil moisture limits on laboratory needle ice growth and sediment transport. Surficial sediment transport is measured during experimentation by tracking the movement of colored grains. Additionally, at the end of each run we measure depth-dependent sediment transport by taking slices of the experimental slope and observing the displacement of buried columns of colored grains. In agreement with past work, we find that with temperatures just below freezing, soil moisture above 35%, and silt-sized sediment, the moisture migration induced by freezing releases enough latent heat to maintain the location of the freezing front and encourage needle ice growth. Our experiments demonstrate that the amount of sediment incorporated during needle growth, i.e., the transport efficiency, can be

Grain growth behavior of Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} pebbles fabricated by agar method for tritium breeder

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xiang, Maoqiao [School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, 30 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083 (China); Zhang, Yingchun, E-mail: zycustb@126.com [School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, 30 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083 (China); Zhang, Yun; Wang, Chaofu; Liu, Wei [School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, 30 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083 (China); Yu, Yonghong [Department of Physics, Renmin University of China, Beijing, 100872 (China)

2016-11-15

Highlights: • Grain sizes of Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} were adjusted by different silicon sources. • Grain growth exponent of Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} was about 3. • Grain growth activation energy of Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} was about 125.54 kJ/mol. • Grain growth of Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} pebble was controlled by vapor transport. - Abstract: The Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} tritium breeding pebbles will be filled in the blanket and used for 2 years or more at high temperatures, which would increase the grain size and affect tritium release. Hence, grain sizes of the Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} pebbles fabricated by agar method were investigated, and two kinds of different silicon sources (crystal and amorphous SiO{sub 2}) with different particle sizes were used. The particle size of SiO{sub 2} could affect grain size and density of the Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} pebble. And the isothermal sintering was carried out to study the grain growth kinetics of Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4}. The grain growth exponent (n) and the activation energy (Q) were calculated by the phenomenological kinetic equation. The calculated n values were 4.10, 3.98, 3.34 and 2.96, and corresponding Q values were 152.15, 147.99, 125.54 and 110.58 kJ/mol, respectively. At the higher sintering temperatures (950 and 1000 °C), the grain growth of Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} was controlled by vapor transport.

Interpreting Hydraulic Conditions from Morphology, Sedimentology, and Grain Size of Sand Bars in the Colorado River in Grand Canyon

Science.gov (United States)

Rubin, D. M.; Topping, D. J.; Schmidt, J. C.; Grams, P. E.; Buscombe, D.; East, A. E.; Wright, S. A.

2015-12-01

During three decades of research on sand bars and sediment transport in the Colorado River in Grand Canyon, we have collected unprecedented quantities of data on bar morphology, sedimentary structures, grain size of sand on the riverbed (~40,000 measurements), grain size of sand in flood deposits (dozens of vertical grain-size profiles), and time series of suspended sediment concentration and grain size (more than 3 million measurements using acoustic and laser-diffraction instruments sampling every 15 minutes at several locations). These data, which include measurements of flow and suspended sediment as well as sediment within the deposits, show that grain size within flood deposits generally coarsens or fines proportionally to the grain size of sediment that was in suspension when the beds were deposited. The inverse problem of calculating changing flow conditions from a vertical profile of grain size within a deposit is difficult because at least two processes can cause similar changes. For example, upward coarsening in a deposit can result from either an increase in discharge of the flow (causing coarser sand to be transported to the depositional site), or from winnowing of the upstream supply of sand (causing suspended sand to coarsen because a greater proportion of the bed that is supplying sediment is covered with coarse grains). These two processes can be easy to distinguish where suspended-sediment observations are available: flow-regulated changes cause concentration and grain size of sand in suspension to be positively correlated, whereas changes in supply can cause concentration and grain size of sand in suspension to be negatively correlated. The latter case (supply regulation) is more typical of flood deposits in Grand Canyon.

Silicon Decreases Dimethylarsinic Acid Concentration in Rice Grain and Mitigates Straighthead Disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Limmer, Matthew Alan; Wise, Patrick; Dykes, Gretchen E; Seyfferth, Angelia L

2018-04-17

While root Si transporters play a role in the uptake of arsenite and organic As species dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) and monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) in rice ( Oryza sativa L.), the impact of Si addition on the accumulation of DMA and MMA in reproductive tissues has not been directly evaluated, particularly in isolation from inorganic As species. Furthermore, DMA and MMA are suspected causal agents of straighthead disorder. We performed a hydroponic study to disentangle the impact of Si on accumulation of DMA and MMA in rice grain. At 5 μM, MMA was toxic to rice, regardless of Si addition, although Si significantly decreased root MMA concentrations. Plants dosed with 5 μM DMA grew well vegetatively but exhibited straighthead disorder at the lowest Si dose, and this DMA-induced yield loss reversed with increasing solution Si. Increasing Si also significantly decreased DMA concentrations in roots, straw, husk, and grain, particularly in mature plants. Si restricted grain DMA through competition for root uptake and downregulation of root Si transporters particularly at later stages of growth when Si uptake was greatest. Our finding that DMA causes straighthead disorder under low Si availability but not under high Si availability suggests Si as a straighthead management strategy.

A comparison of grain boundary evolution during grain growth in fcc metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brons, J.G.; Thompson, G.B.

2013-01-01

Grain growth of Cu and Ni thin films, subjected to in situ annealing within a transmission electron microscope, has been quantified using a precession-enhanced electron diffraction technique. The orientation of each grain and its misorientation with respect to its neighboring grains were calculated. The Cu underwent grain growth that maintained a monomodal grain size distribution, with its low-angle grain boundaries being consumed, and the Ni exhibited grain size distributions in stages, from monomodal to bimodal to monomodal. The onset of Ni’s abnormal grain growth was accompanied by a sharp increase in the Σ3 and Σ9 boundary fractions, which is attributed to simulation predictions of their increased mobility. These Σ3 and Σ9 fractions then dropped to their room temperature values during the third stage of grain growth. In addition to the Σ3 and Σ9 boundaries, the Σ5 and Σ7 boundaries also underwent an increase in total boundary fraction with increasing temperature in both metals

Elevated temperature mechanical properties of novel ultra-fine grained Cu–Nb composites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Primorac, Mladen-Mateo [Department of Materials Physics, Montanuniversität Leoben (Austria); Abad, Manuel David; Hosemann, Peter [Department of Nuclear Engineering, University of California, Berkeley (United States); Kreuzeder, Marius [Department of Materials Physics, Montanuniversität Leoben (Austria); Maier, Verena [Department of Materials Physics, Montanuniversität Leoben (Austria); Erich-Schmid Institute for Materials Science, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Leoben (Austria); Kiener, Daniel, E-mail: daniel.kiener@unileoben.ac.at [Department of Materials Physics, Montanuniversität Leoben (Austria)

2015-02-11

Ultra-fine grained materials exhibit outstanding properties and are therefore favorable for prospective applications. One of these promising systems is the composite assembled by the body centered cubic niobium and the face centered cubic copper. Cu–Nb composites show a high hardness and good thermal stability, as well as a high radiation damage tolerance. These properties make the material interesting for use in nuclear reactors. The aim of this work was to create a polycrystalline ultra-fine grained composite for high temperature applications. The samples were manufactured via a powder metallurgical route using high pressure torsion, exhibiting a randomly distributed oriented grain size between 100 and 200 nm. The mechanical properties and the governing plastic deformation behavior as a function of temperature were determined by high temperature nanoindentation up to 500 °C. It was found that in the lower temperature regions up to 300 °C the plastic deformation is mainly governed by dislocation interactions, such as dislocation glide and the nucleation of kink pairs. For higher temperatures, thermally activated processes at grain boundaries are proposed to be the main mechanism governing plastic deformation. This mechanistic view is supported by temperature dependent changes in hardness, strain rate sensitivity, activation volume, and activation energy.

Atom Probe Tomography of Phase and Grain Boundaries in Experimentally-Deformed and Hot-Pressed Wehrlite

Science.gov (United States)

Cukjati, J.; Parman, S. W.; Cooper, R. F.; Zhao, N.

2017-12-01

Atom probe tomography (APT) was used to characterize the chemistry of three grain boundaries: an olivine-olivine (ol-ol) and olivine-clinopyroxene (ol-cpx) boundary in fine-grained experimentally-deformed wehrlite and an ol-cpx boundary in a fine-grained, hot-pressed wehrlite. Grain boundaries were extracted and formed into APT tips using a focused ion beam (FIB). The tips were analyzed in a reflectron-equipped LEAP4000HR (Harvard University) at 1% or 0.5% detection rate, 5pJ laser energy and 100kHz pulse rate. Total ion counts are between 40 and 100 million per tip. Examination of grain and phase boundaries in wehrlite are of interest since slow-diffusing and olivine-incompatible cations present in cpx (e.g. Ca and Al) may control diffusion-accommodated grain boundary sliding and affect mantle rheology (Sundberg & Cooper, 2008). At steady state, ol-cpx aggregates are weaker than either ol or cpx end member, the results of which are not currently well-explained. We investigate grain boundary widths to understand the transport of olivine-incompatible elements. Widths of grain/phase boundary chemical segregation are between 3nm and 6nm for deformed ol-ol and ol-cpx samples; minimally-deformed (hot-pressed) samples having slightly wider chemical segregation widths. Chemical segregation widths were determined from profiles of Na, Al, P, Cl, K, Ca, or Ni, although not all listed elements can be used for all samples (e.g. Na, K segregation profiles can only be observed for ol-ol sample). These estimates are consistent with prior estimates of grain boundary segregation by atom probe tomography on ol-ol and opx-opx samples (Bachhav et al., 2015) and are less than ol-ol interface widths analyzed by STEM/EDX (Hiraga, Anderson, & Kohlstedt, 2007). STEM/EDX will be performed on deformed wehrlite to investigate chemical profile as a function of applied stress orientation and at length scales between those observable by APT and EPMA. Determination of phase boundary chemistry and

Palladium transport in SiC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olivier, E.J.; Neethling, J.H.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► We investigate the reaction of Pd with SiC at typical HTGR operating temperatures. ► The high temperature mobility of palladium silicides within polycrystalline SiC was studied. ► Corrosion of SiC by Pd was seen in all cases. ► The preferential corrosion and penetration of Pd along grain boundaries in SiC was found. ► The penetration and transport of palladium silicides in SiC along grain boundaries was found. - Abstract: This paper reports on a transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) study of Pd corroded SiC. The reaction of Pd with different types of SiC at typical HTGR operating temperatures was examined. In addition the high temperature mobility of palladium silicides within polycrystalline SiC was investigated. The results indicated corrosion of the SiC by Pd in all cases studied. The corrosion leads to the formation of palladium silicides within the SiC, with the predominant phase found being Pd 2 Si. Evidence for the preferential corrosion and penetration of Pd along grain boundaries in polycrystalline SiC was found. The penetration and transport, without significant corrosion, of palladium silicides into polycrystalline SiC along grain boundaries was also observed. Implications of the findings with reference to the use of Tri Isotropic particles in HTGRs will be discussed.

Grain Size Distribution in Mudstones: A Question of Nature vs. Nurture

Science.gov (United States)

Schieber, J.

2011-12-01

Grain size distribution in mudstones is affected by the composition of the source material, the processes of transport and deposition, and post-depositional diagenetic modification. With regard to source, it does make a difference whether for example a slate belt is eroded vs a stable craton. The former setting tends to provide a broad range of detrital quartz in the sub 62 micron size range in addition to clays and greenschist grade rock fragments, whereas the latter may be biased towards coarser quartz silt (30-60 microns), in addition to clays and mica flakes. In flume experiments, when fine grained materials are transported in turbulent flows at velocities that allow floccules to transfer to bedload, a systematic shift of grain size distribution towards an increasingly finer grained suspended load is observed as velocity is lowered. This implies that the bedload floccules are initially constructed of only the coarsest clay particles at high velocities, and that finer clay particles become incorporated into floccules as velocity is lowered. Implications for the rock record are that clay beds deposited from decelerating flows should show subtle internal grading of coarser clay particles; and that clay beds deposited from continuous fast flows should show a uniform distribution of coarse clays. Still water settled clays should show a well developed lower (coarser) and upper (finer) subdivision. A final complication arises when diagenetic processes, such as the dissolution of biogenic silica, give rise to diagenetic quartz grains in the silt to sand size range. This diagenetic silica precipitates in fossil cavities and pore spaces of uncompacted muds, and on casual inspection can be mistaken for detrital quartz. In distal mudstone successions close to 100 % of "apparent" quartz silt can be of that origin, and reworking by bottom currents can further enhance a detrital perception by producing rippled and laminated silt beds. Although understanding how size

Mechanism of secondary recrystallization of Goss grains in grain-oriented electrical steel

Science.gov (United States)

Hayakawa, Yasuyuki

2017-12-01

Since its invention by Goss in 1934, grain-oriented (GO) electrical steel has been widely used as a core material in transformers. GO exhibits a grain size of over several millimeters attained by secondary recrystallization during high-temperature final batch annealing. In addition to the unusually large grain size, the crystal direction in the rolling direction is aligned with , which is the easy magnetization axis of α-iron. Secondary recrystallization is the phenomenon in which a certain very small number of {110} (Goss) grains grow selectively (about one in 106 primary grains) at the expense of many other primary recrystallized grains. The question of why the Goss orientation is exclusively selected during secondary recrystallization has long been a main research subject in this field. The general criterion for secondary recrystallization is a small and uniform primary grain size, which is achieved through the inhibition of normal grain growth by fine precipitates called inhibitors. This paper describes several conceivable mechanisms of secondary recrystallization of Goss grains mainly based on the selective growth model.

On the substitution of energy sources: Prospective of the natural gas market share in the Brazilian urban transportation and dwelling sectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamimura, A.; Guerra, S.M.G.; Sauer, I.L.

2006-01-01

The substitution process resultant of the competition between two opponents fighting for the same resource or market is pointed out through a dynamic model derived from biomathematics. A brief description of the origin of the method based on coupled non-linear differential equations (NLDE) is presented. Numerical adherence of the proposed model to explain several substitution phenomena which have occurred in the past is examined. The proposed method is particularly suitable for prospective analysis and scenarios assessment. In this sense, two applications of the model to prospect the dynamic substitution process in the Brazilian case are done: firstly, the development of the urban gas pipeline system in substituting for the bottled LPG in the dwelling sector and, secondly, the substitution of the urban Diesel transportation fleet by compressed natural gas (CNG) buses

AUTOMATION OF TRACEABILITY PROCESS AT GRAIN TERMINAL LLC “ UKRTRANSAGRO"

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F. A. TRISHYN

2017-07-01

Full Text Available A positive trend of growth in both grain production and export is indicated. In the current marketing year the export potential of the Ukrainian grain market is close to the record level. However, the high positions in the rating of world exporters are achieved not only due to the high export potential, but also because of higher quality and logistics. These factors depend directly on the quality of enterprise management and all processes occurring at it. One of the perspective ways of enterprise development is the implementation of the traceability system and further automation of the traceability process. European integration laws are obliging Ukrainian enterprises to have a traceability system. Traceability is an ability to follow the movement of a feed or food through specified stages of production, processing and distribution. The process of traceability is managing by people, which implies a human factor. Automation will allow, in a greater extent, to exclude the human factor that will mean decreasing of errors in documentation and will speed up the process of grain transshipment. Research work on the process was carried out on the most modern grain terminal - LLC “UkrTransAgro”. The terminal is located in the Ukrainian water area of the Azov Sea (Mariupol, Ukraine. Characteristics of the terminal: capacity of a simultaneous storage - 48,120 thousand tons, acceptance of crops from transport - 4,500 tons / day; acceptance of crops from railway transport - 3000 tons / day, transshipment capacity - up to 1.2 million tons per year, shipment to the sea vessels - 7000 tons / day. The analysis of the automation level of the grain terminal is carried out. The company uses software from 1C - «1C: Enterprise 8. Accounting for grain elevator, mill, and feed mill for Ukraine». This software is used for quantitative and qualitative registration at the elevator in accordance with industry guidelines and standards. The software product has many

Contrasting response of biomass and grain yield to severe drought in Cappelle Desprez and Plainsman V wheat cultivars

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kenny Paul

2016-02-01

Full Text Available We report a case study of natural variations and correlations of some photosynthetic parameters, green biomass and grain yield in Cappelle Desprez and Plainsman V winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cultivars, which are classified as being drought sensitive and tolerant, respectively. We monitored biomass accumulation from secondary leaves in the vegetative phase and grain yield from flag leaves in the grain filling period. Interestingly, we observed higher biomass production, but lower grain yield stability in the sensitive Cappelle cultivar, as compared to the tolerant Plainsman cv. Higher biomass production in the sensitive variety was correlated with enhanced water-use efficiency. Increased cyclic electron flow around PSI was also observed in the Cappelle cv. under drought stress as shown by light intensity dependence of the ratio of maximal quantum yields of Photosystem I and Photosystem II, as well by the plot of the Photosystem I electron transport rate as a function of Photosystem II electron transport rate. Higher CO2 uptake rate in flag leaves of the drought-stressed Plainsman cv. during grain filling period correlates well with its higher grain yield and prolonged transpiration rate through spikes. The increase in drought factor (DFI and performance (PI indices calculated from variable chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of secondary leaves also showed correlation with higher biomass in the Cappelle cultivar during the biomass accumulation period. However, during the grain filling period, DFI and PI parameters of the flag leaves were higher in the tolerant Plainsman V cultivar and showed correlation with grain yield stability. Our results suggest that overall biomass and grain yield may respond differentially to drought stress in different wheat cultivars and therefore phenotyping for green biomass cannot be used as a general approach to predict grain yield. We also conclude that photosynthetic efficiency of flag and secondary leaves

Autonomous bed-sediment imaging-systems for revealing temporal variability of grain size

Science.gov (United States)

Buscombe, Daniel; Rubin, David M.; Lacy, Jessica R.; Storlazzi, Curt D.; Hatcher, Gerald; Chezar, Henry; Wyland, Robert; Sherwood, Christopher R.

2014-01-01

We describe a remotely operated video microscope system, designed to provide high-resolution images of seabed sediments. Two versions were developed, which differ in how they raise the camera from the seabed. The first used hydraulics and the second used the energy associated with wave orbital motion. Images were analyzed using automated frequency-domain methods, which following a rigorous partially supervised quality control procedure, yielded estimates to within 20% of the true size as determined by on-screen manual measurements of grains. Long-term grain-size variability at a sandy inner shelf site offshore of Santa Cruz, California, USA, was investigated using the hydraulic system. Eighteen months of high frequency (min to h), high-resolution (μm) images were collected, and grain size distributions compiled. The data constitutes the longest known high-frequency record of seabed-grain size at this sample frequency, at any location. Short-term grain-size variability of sand in an energetic surf zone at Praa Sands, Cornwall, UK was investigated using the ‘wave-powered’ system. The data are the first high-frequency record of grain size at a single location of a highly mobile and evolving bed in a natural surf zone. Using this technology, it is now possible to measure bed-sediment-grain size at a time-scale comparable with flow conditions. Results suggest models of sediment transport at sandy, wave-dominated, nearshore locations should allow for substantial changes in grain-size distribution over time-scales as short as a few hours.

Intake of whole grain products and risk of breast cancer by hormone receptor status and histology among postmenopausal women

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Egeberg, Rikke; Olsen, Anja; Loft, Steffen

2009-01-01

No clear relationship between whole grain products and risk of breast cancer has been established. In a large prospective cohort study, we investigated the association between intake of whole grain products and risk of breast cancer by tumour receptor status [oestrogen receptor (ER......) and progesterone receptor (PR)] and tumour histology (ductal/lobular). It was further investigated whether the association differed by use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). The study included 25,278 postmenopausal women participating in the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health cohort study (1993-1997). During a mean...... follow-up time of 9.6 years, 978 breast cancer cases were diagnosed. Associations between intake of whole grain products and the breast cancer rate were analysed using Cox's regression model. A higher intake of whole grain products was not associated with a lower risk of breast cancer. Per an increment...

Grain-boundary engineering applied to grain growth in a high temperature material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huda, Z.

1993-01-01

Crystallography of grain boundaries are determined for a high temperature material, before and after grain growth processes, so as to study the induction of special properties useful for application in components of a gas-turbine engine. The philosophy of grain-boundary engineering is applied to grain growth in APK-6, a powder formed nickel-base superalloy so as to establish the possible structure/property relationships. The alloy in the as received condition is shown to possess a strong texture and contained coincident site lattices (CSL) boundaries with most boundaries having sigma values in the range of 3 > sigma > 25. A normal grain-growth heat treatment result in a good population of low angle grain boundaries, and drastically reduces the proportion of CSL boundaries. A strong [011] annealing texture is observed after an intermediate grain growth; most grain boundaries, here, tend to be high angle indicating a possibility of possessing special properties. (author)

Ionizing radiation for insect control in grain and grain products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tilton, E.W.; Brower, J.H.

1987-01-01

A technical review summarizes and discusses information on various aspects of the use of ionizing radiation for the control of insect infestation in grains and grain products. Topics include: the effects of ionizing radiation on insects infesting stored-grain products; the 2 main types of irradiators (electron accelerators; radioisotopes (e.g.: Co-60; Cs-137); dosimetry systems and methodology; variations in radiation resistance by stored-product pests; the proper selection of radiation dose; the effects of combining various treatments (temperature, infrared/microwave radiation, hypoxia, chemicals) with ionizing radiation; sublethal radiation for controlling bulk grain insects; the feeding capacity of irradiated insects; the susceptibility of insecticide-resistant insects to ionizing radiation; and the possible resistance of insects to ionizing radiation. Practical aspects of removing insects from irradiated grain also are discussed

Microcrystalline silicon, grain boundaries and role of oxygen

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kočka, Jan; Stuchlíková, The-Ha; Ledinský, Martin; Stuchlík, Jiří; Mates, Tomáš; Fejfar, Antonín

2009-01-01

Roč. 93, č. 8 (2009), s. 1444-1447 ISSN 0927-0248 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LC06040; GA AV ČR KAN400100701; GA ČR(CZ) GD202/05/H003; GA MŠk LC510; GA AV ČR IAA1010413 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10100521 Keywords : microcrystalline silicon * grain boundaries * electronic transport * hydrogen * oxygen Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 3.858, year: 2009

Stress-assisted grain growth in nanocrystalline metals: Grain boundary mediated mechanisms and stabilization through alloying

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Yang; Tucker, Garritt J.; Trelewicz, Jason R.

2017-01-01

The mechanisms of stress-assisted grain growth are explored using molecular dynamics simulations of nanoindentation in nanocrystalline Ni and Ni-1 at.% P as a function of grain size and deformation temperature. Grain coalescence is primarily confined to the high stress region beneath the simulated indentation zone in nanocrystalline Ni with a grain size of 3 nm. Grain orientation and atomic displacement vector mapping demonstrates that coalescence transpires through grain rotation and grain boundary migration, which are manifested in the grain interior and grain boundary components of the average microrotation. A doubling of the grain size to 6 nm and addition of 1 at.% P eliminates stress-assisted grain growth in Ni. In the absence of grain coalescence, deformation is accommodated by grain boundary-mediated dislocation plasticity and thermally activated in pure nanocrystalline Ni. By adding solute to the grain boundaries, the temperature-dependent deformation behavior observed in both the lattice and grain boundaries inverts, indicating that the individual processes of dislocation and grain boundary plasticity will exhibit different activity based on boundary chemistry and deformation temperature.

Hormonal changes in the grains of rice subjected to water stress during grain filling.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, J; Zhang, J; Wang, Z; Zhu, Q; Wang, W

2001-09-01

Lodging-resistant rice (Oryza sativa) cultivars usually show slow grain filling when nitrogen is applied in large amounts. This study investigated the possibility that a hormonal change may mediate the effect of water deficit that enhances whole plant senescence and speeds up grain filling. Two rice cultivars showing high lodging resistance and slow grain filling were field grown and applied with either normal or high amount nitrogen (HN) at heading. Well-watered and water-stressed (WS) treatments were imposed 9 days post anthesis to maturity. Results showed that WS increased partitioning of fixed (14)CO(2) into grains, accelerated the grain filling rate but shortened the grain filling period, whereas the HN did the opposite way. Cytokinin (zeatin + zeatin riboside) and indole-3-acetic acid contents in the grains transiently increased at early filling stage and WS treatments hastened their declines at the late grain filling stage. Gibberellins (GAs; GA(1) + GA(4)) in the grains were also high at early grain filling but HN enhanced, whereas WS substantially reduced, its accumulation. Opposite to GAs, abscisic acid (ABA) in the grains was low at early grain filling but WS remarkably enhanced its accumulation. The peak values of ABA were significantly correlated with the maximum grain filling rates (r = 0.92**, P water stress during grain filling, especially a decrease in GAs and an increase in ABA, enhances the remobilization of prestored carbon to the grains and accelerates the grain filling rate.

Grain dynamics and inter-grain coupling in dusty plasma Coulomb crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahman, H.U.; Mohideen, U.; Smith, M.A.; Rosenberg, M.; Mendis, D.A.

2001-01-01

We review our results on the lattice structure and the lattice dynamics of dusty plasma Coulomb crystals formed in rectangular conductive grooves. The basic structure appears to be made of mutually repulsive columns of grains confined by the walls of the groove. The columns are oriented along the direction of the electrode sheath electric field. Inter-grain coupling as a function of plasma temperature and density were investigated by measurement of these parameters. A simple phenomenological model wherein the inter-grain spacing along the column results from an attractive electric field induced dipole-dipole force balanced by a repulsive monopole Coulomb force is consistent with observed features of the Coulomb crystal. In addition, here we present some preliminary measurements of the vibration and rotation dynamics of the individual grains in the Coulomb crystal. The thermal energy of the dust grain thus calculated is much less than the inter-grain Coulomb potential energy as required for the formation of stable structures. Also the observed rotational frequency is consistent with the assumption of thermal equilibrium between the dust grains and the neutral gas. (orig.)

Sediment transport by runoff on debris-mantled dryland hillslopes

Science.gov (United States)

Michaelides, Katerina; Martin, Gareth J.

2012-09-01

Hillslopes supply sediment to river channels, and therefore impact drainage basin functioning and evolution. The relationship between hillslope attributes and sediment flux forms the basis of geomorphic transport laws used to model the long-term topographic evolution of drainage basins, but their specific interactions during individual storm events are not well understood. Runoff-driven erosion of coarse particles, prevalent in dryland environments, presents a particular set of conditions for sediment transport that is poorly resolved in current models. In order to address this gap, we developed a particle-based, force-balance model for sheetwash sediment transport on coarse, debris-mantled hillslopes within a rainfall-runoff model. We use the model to examine how the interplay between hillslope attributes (gradient, length and grain size distribution) and runoff characteristics affects sediment transport, grain-size changes on the hillslope, and sediment supply to the slope base. The relationship between sediment flux and hillslope gradient was found to transition from linear above a threshold to sigmoidal depending on hillslope length, initial grain sizes, and runoff characteristics. Grain sizes supplied to the slope base vary in a complex manner with hillslope attributes but an overall coarsening of the hillslopes is found to occur with increasing gradient, corroborating previous findings from field measurements. Intense, short duration storms result in within-hillslope sediment redistribution and equifinality in sediment supply for different hillslope characteristics, which explain the lack of field evidence for any systematic relationships. Our model findings provide insights into hillslope responses to climatic forcing and have theoretical implications for modeling hillslope evolution in dry lands.

Geochemical prospecting for rare earth elements using termite mound materials

Science.gov (United States)

Horiuchi, Yu; Ohno, Tetsuji; Hoshino, Mihoko; Shin, Ki-Cheol; Murakami, Hiroyasu; Tsunematsu, Maiko; Watanabe, Yasushi

2014-12-01

The Blockspruit fluorite prospect, located in North West State of the Republic of South Africa, occurs within an actinolite rock zone that was emplaced into the Kenkelbos-type granite of Proterozoic age. There are a large number of termite mounds in the prospect. For geochemical prospecting for rare earth elements (REEs), in total, 200 samples of termite mound material were collected from actinolite rock and granite zones in the prospect. Geochemical analyses of these termite mound materials were conducted by two methods: portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Comparison of the two methods broadly indicates positive correlations of REEs (La, Ce, Pr, Nd, and Y), in particular Y and La having a strong correlation. As the result of modal abundance analyses, the actinolite rock at surface mainly consists of ferro-actinolite (89.89 wt%) and includes xenotime (0.26 wt%) and monazite (0.21 wt%) grains as REE minerals. Termite mound materials from actinolite rock also contain xenotime (0.27 wt%) and monazite (0.41 wt%) grains. In addition, termite mound materials from the actinolite rock zone have high hematite and Fe silicate contents compared to those from granite zone. These relationships suggest that REE minerals in termite mound materials originate form actinolite rock. Geochemical anomaly maps of Y, La, and Fe concentrations drawn based on the result of the portable XRF analyses show that high concentrations of these elements trend from SW to NE which broadly correspond to occurrences of actinolite body. These results indicate that termite mounds are an effective tool for REE geochemical prospection in the study area for both light REEs and Y, but a more detailed survey is required to establish the distribution of the actinolite rock body.

Palaeoenvironmental implication of grain-size compositions of terrace deposits on the western Chinese Loess Plateau

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xingxing; Sun, Youbin; Vandenberghe, Jef; Li, Ying; An, Zhisheng

2018-06-01

Sedimentary sequences that developed on river terraces have been widely investigated to reconstruct high-resolution palaeoclimatic changes since the last deglaciation. However, frequent changes in sedimentary facies make palaeoenvironmental interpretation of grain-size variations relatively complicated. In this paper, we employed multiple grain-size parameters to discriminate the sedimentary characteristics of aeolian and fluvial facies in the Dadiwan (DDW) section on the western Chinese Loess Plateau. We found that wind and fluvial dynamics have quite different impacts on the grain-size compositions, with distinctive imprints on the distribution pattern. By using a lognormal distribution fitting approach, two major grain-size components sensitive to aeolian and fluvial processes, respectively, were distinguished from the grain-size compositions of the DDW terrace deposits. The fine grain-size component (GSC2) represents mixing of long-distance aeolian and short-distance fluvial inputs, whilst the coarse grain-size component (GSC3) is mainly transported by wind from short-distance sources. Thus GSC3 can be used to infer the wind intensity. Grain-size variations reveal that the wind intensity experienced a stepwise shift from large-amplitude variations during the last deglaciation to small-amplitude oscillations in the Holocene, corresponding well to climate changes from regional to global context.

Bioinformatic analysis of the distribution of inorganic carbon transporters and prospective targets for bioengineering to increase Ci uptake by cyanobacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Gaudana, Sandeep B; Zarzycki, Jan; Moparthi, Vamsi K; Kerfeld, Cheryl A

2015-10-01

Cyanobacteria have evolved a carbon-concentrating mechanism (CCM) which has enabled them to inhabit diverse environments encompassing a range of inorganic carbon (Ci: [Formula: see text] and CO2) concentrations. Several uptake systems facilitate inorganic carbon accumulation in the cell, which can in turn be fixed by ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase. Here we survey the distribution of genes encoding known Ci uptake systems in cyanobacterial genomes and, using a pfam- and gene context-based approach, identify in the marine (alpha) cyanobacteria a heretofore unrecognized number of putative counterparts to the well-known Ci transporters of beta cyanobacteria. In addition, our analysis shows that there is a huge repertoire of transport systems in cyanobacteria of unknown function, many with homology to characterized Ci transporters. These can be viewed as prospective targets for conversion into ancillary Ci transporters through bioengineering. Increasing intracellular Ci concentration coupled with efforts to increase carbon fixation will be beneficial for the downstream conversion of fixed carbon into value-added products including biofuels. In addition to CCM transporter homologs, we also survey the occurrence of rhodopsin homologs in cyanobacteria, including bacteriorhodopsin, a class of retinal-binding, light-activated proton pumps. Because they are light driven and because of the apparent ease of altering their ion selectivity, we use this as an example of re-purposing an endogenous transporter for the augmentation of Ci uptake by cyanobacteria and potentially chloroplasts.

Microbiota of kefir grains

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomislav Pogačić

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Kefir grains represent the unique microbial community consisting of bacteria, yeasts, and sometimes filamentous moulds creating complex symbiotic community. The complexity of their physical and microbial structures is the reason that the kefir grains are still not unequivocally elucidated. Microbiota of kefir grains has been studied by many microbiological and molecular approaches. The development of metagenomics, based on the identification without cultivation, is opening new possibilities for identification of previously nonisolated and non-identified microbial species from the kefir grains. Considering recent studies, there are over 50 microbial species associated with kefir grains. The aim of this review is to summarise the microbiota composition of kefir grains. Moreover, because of technological and microbiological significance of the kefir grains, the paper provides an insight into the microbiological and molecular methods applied to study microbial biodiversity of kefir grains.

A proteomics survey on wheat susceptibility to Fusarium head blight during grain development.

Science.gov (United States)

Chetouhi, Cherif; Bonhomme, Ludovic; Lecomte, Philippe; Cambon, Florence; Merlino, Marielle; Biron, David Georges; Langin, Thierry

2015-02-01

The mycotoxigenic fungal species Fusarium graminearum is able to attack several important cereal crops, such as wheat and barley. By causing Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) disease, F. graminearum induces yield and quality losses and poses a public health concern due to in planta mycotoxin production. The molecular and physiological plant responses to FHB, and the cellular biochemical pathways used by F. graminearum to complete its infectious process remain still unknown. In this study, a proteomics approach, combining 2D-gel approach and mass spectrometry, has been used to determine the specific protein patterns associated with the development of the fungal infection during grain growth on susceptible wheat. Our results reveal that F. graminearum infection does not deeply alter the grain proteome and does not significantly disturb the first steps of grain ontogeny but impacts molecular changes during the grain filling stage (impact on starch synthesis and storage proteins). The differentially regulated proteins identified were mainly involved in stress and defence mechanisms, primary metabolism, and main cellular processes such as signalling and transport. Our survey suggests that F. graminearum could take advantage of putative susceptibility factors closely related to grain development processes and thus provide new insights into key molecular events controlling the susceptible response to FHB in wheat grains.

Origins of GEMS Grains

Science.gov (United States)

Messenger, S.; Walker, R. M.

2012-01-01

Interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) collected in the Earth s stratosphere contain high abundances of submicrometer amorphous silicates known as GEMS grains. From their birth as condensates in the outflows of oxygen-rich evolved stars, processing in interstellar space, and incorporation into disks around new stars, amorphous silicates predominate in most astrophysical environments. Amorphous silicates were a major building block of our Solar System and are prominent in infrared spectra of comets. Anhydrous interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) thought to derive from comets contain abundant amorphous silicates known as GEMS (glass with embedded metal and sulfides) grains. GEMS grains have been proposed to be isotopically and chemically homogenized interstellar amorphous silicate dust. We evaluated this hypothesis through coordinated chemical and isotopic analyses of GEMS grains in a suite of IDPs to constrain their origins. GEMS grains show order of magnitude variations in Mg, Fe, Ca, and S abundances. GEMS grains do not match the average element abundances inferred for ISM dust containing on average, too little Mg, Fe, and Ca, and too much S. GEMS grains have complementary compositions to the crystalline components in IDPs suggesting that they formed from the same reservoir. We did not observe any unequivocal microstructural or chemical evidence that GEMS grains experienced prolonged exposure to radiation. We identified four GEMS grains having O isotopic compositions that point to origins in red giant branch or asymptotic giant branch stars and supernovae. Based on their O isotopic compositions, we estimate that 1-6% of GEMS grains are surviving circumstellar grains. The remaining 94-99% of GEMS grains have O isotopic compositions that are indistinguishable from terrestrial materials and carbonaceous chondrites. These isotopically solar GEMS grains either formed in the Solar System or were completely homogenized in the interstellar medium (ISM). However, the

Back to Acid Soil Fields: The Citrate Transporter SbMATE Is a Major Asset for Sustainable Grain Yield for Sorghum Cultivated on Acid Soils

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Geraldo Carvalho Jr

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Aluminum (Al toxicity damages plant roots and limits crop production on acid soils, which comprise up to 50% of the world’s arable lands. A major Al tolerance locus on chromosome 3, AltSB, controls aluminum tolerance in sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L. Moench] via SbMATE, an Al-activated plasma membrane transporter that mediates Al exclusion from sensitive regions in the root apex. As is the case with other known Al tolerance genes, SbMATE was cloned based on studies conducted under controlled environmental conditions, in nutrient solution. Therefore, its impact on grain yield on acid soils remains undetermined. To determine the real world impact of SbMATE, multi-trait quantitative trait loci (QTL mapping in hydroponics, and, in the field, revealed a large-effect QTL colocalized with the Al tolerance locus AltSB, where SbMATE lies, conferring a 0.6 ton ha–1 grain yield increase on acid soils. A second QTL for Al tolerance in hydroponics, where the positive allele was also donated by the Al tolerant parent, SC283, was found on chromosome 9, indicating the presence of distinct Al tolerance genes in the sorghum genome, or genes acting in the SbMATE pathway leading to Al-activated citrate release. There was no yield penalty for AltSB, consistent with the highly localized Al regulated SbMATE expression in the root tip, and Al-dependent transport activity. A female effect of 0.5 ton ha–1 independently demonstrated the effectiveness of AltSB in hybrids. Al tolerance conferred by AltSB is thus an indispensable asset for sorghum production and food security on acid soils, many of which are located in developing countries.

The effects of irradiation on grain coat color and grain texture in winter wheat

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miao Bingliang; Liu Xueyu

1989-01-01

Dry seeds of the variety ''Yangmai 5'' with red grain coat, semihard grain texture, and the variety ''Ningmai 3'' with red grain coat, soft grain texture were irradiated with Y-rays at various doses.The effect on M1 grain coat color was different between two varieties, the higher doses made grain coat color of ''Yangmai 5'' redder, but had hardly effect on ''Ningmai 3''.The effect on M1 grain texture showed that the grain texture became softer with doses increased.It was found that there were 0.6% of positive ( red to white ) grain coat color mutants and 2.0% of negative(hard to soft) grain texture mutants in M2 of ''Yangmai 5'', and there were 0.7% of negative ( white to red ) grain coat color mutants and 3.6% of positive ( soft to hard ) grain texture mutants in M2 of ''Ningmai 3''. It seemed that the positive mutants selected in M3 were stable in M4. The results showed that γ-rays can be used to improve the grain coat color andgrain texture of wheat varieties

Palladium transport in SiC

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Olivier, E.J., E-mail: jolivier@nmmu.ac.za [Centre for High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth (South Africa); Neethling, J.H. [Centre for High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth (South Africa)

2012-03-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We investigate the reaction of Pd with SiC at typical HTGR operating temperatures. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The high temperature mobility of palladium silicides within polycrystalline SiC was studied. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Corrosion of SiC by Pd was seen in all cases. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The preferential corrosion and penetration of Pd along grain boundaries in SiC was found. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The penetration and transport of palladium silicides in SiC along grain boundaries was found. - Abstract: This paper reports on a transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) study of Pd corroded SiC. The reaction of Pd with different types of SiC at typical HTGR operating temperatures was examined. In addition the high temperature mobility of palladium silicides within polycrystalline SiC was investigated. The results indicated corrosion of the SiC by Pd in all cases studied. The corrosion leads to the formation of palladium silicides within the SiC, with the predominant phase found being Pd{sub 2}Si. Evidence for the preferential corrosion and penetration of Pd along grain boundaries in polycrystalline SiC was found. The penetration and transport, without significant corrosion, of palladium silicides into polycrystalline SiC along grain boundaries was also observed. Implications of the findings with reference to the use of Tri Isotropic particles in HTGRs will be discussed.

The origin of dose distributions in fluvial sediments, and the prospect of dating single grains from fluvial deposits using optically stimulated luminescence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olley, J.M.; Caitcheon, G.G.; Roberts, R.G.

1999-01-01

We examine the causes of the asymmetric distributions of dose observed from measurements of the optically stimulated luminescence emitted by small aliquots of fluvial quartz, and deduce that the asymmetry arises as a result of samples being composed of a mix of mainly well bleached grains with grains that were effectively unbleached at the time of deposition. We demonstrate that the shapes of the dose distributions can be used to assess the likelihood that aliquots consist only of grains that were well-bleached at the time of deposition. The more asymmetric the distribution, the greater the probability that the aliquots with the lowest dose most closely represent the true burial dose. Single grains with differing doses are present in each of the samples examined, and the population with the lowest dose gives an optical age consistent with the expected burial age. This result implies that the beta-dose heterogeneity in these deposits is small, and that the effects of micro-dosimetric variations on optical dating of individual grains are not significant for these samples. We demonstrate that single-grain dating of fluvial material is possible and practicable using standard Risoe optical dating equipment, and we conclude that application of a new regenerative-dose protocol to single grains of quartz, using the lowest dose population to estimate the burial dose, is the best available means of obtaining reliable luminescence ages for heterogeneously bleached fluvial sediments

Grain boundary and grain interior conduction in γ'-Bi2MoO6

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vera, C.M.C.; Aragon, R.

2005-01-01

Impedance spectroscopy of fine grained ( 2 MoO 6 samples, in the frequency range of 0.1 Hz-250 kHz, relevant to sensor applications, up to 800 deg. C, has been used to characterize grain boundary and grain interior contributions to conduction. Above 500 deg. C, the grain boundary contribution is no longer rate limiting and conduction is dominated by the grain interior component. The corresponding activation energies are 0.98 eV for grain boundary and 0.73 eV for grain interior components. The weak dependence of conductivity on oxygen partial pressure below 500 deg. C can be attributed to electrode-electrolyte interface phenomena, whereas the robust response to ethanol is commensurate with changes in intrinsic ionic conductivity

SURFACE-ACTIVE PROPERTIES OF THE DISTILLERS GRAINS AND THE PECTINS ISOLATED FROM THEM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. S. Kaisheva

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Distillers grains are a huge secondary raw material resource, prospective for different fields, including pharmaceutical use, because of a rich content of biologically active compounds. The purpose of this paper was to estimate possibilities of the pharmaceutical use of distillers grains as the additive agent by means of surface-active properties of distillers grains study as well as pectins, isolated from them. We have established the surface-active properties of the liquid phase of the distillers wheat grains by means of higher pressure of air bubbles with the use of Rehbinder’s apparatus. It contained 6.67 mol/m3 pectins, and pectins isolated from a solid phase of the same distillers grains: surface activity 11.67 and 7.54, saturated surface excess amounted to 1.28×10-5 and 6.25×10-5 mol/m2, critical concentration of micelle formation amounted to 1.32 mol/m3 and 1.48 mol/m3 respectively. Surface-active characteristics of distillers grains and isolated pectins are comparable with well-known natural polysaccharides (sodium alginate, polygalacturonic acid, beet bin pectin, which are used as additive agents in technology of medicinal plants. We have determined the sizes of pectins molecules from distillers grains in the unsaturated adsorption layers, which differed from the well-known polysaccharides by lesser square (2.658 Å2, radius (0.920 Å, diameter of cross-section (1.840 Å and the volume (2727 Å3 at the bigger mass per surface unit (1.031×10-4 кг and a length (1026 Å. The data obtained by the sizes of pectin molecules are the favorable factor, which conduced their high biological availability. 

Intensification of Development of Mixed Transportation of Freight in Ukraine through Formation of the Network of Transportation and Logistic Centres and Transportation and Logistic Clusters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karpenko Oksana O.

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Development of mixed transportation is a prospective direction of development of the transportation system of Ukraine. The article analyses the modern state of development of mixed transportation of freight in Ukraine. The most popular types of combined transportation (refers to multi-modal are container and contrailer trains, which are formed both in Ukraine (Viking and Yaroslav and in other countries, first of all, Belarus (Zubr. One of the reasons of underdevelopment of mixed transportation of freight in Ukraine is absence of a developed network of transportation and logistic centres. The article offers to form a network of transportation and logistic centres in Ukraine as a way of intensification of development of mixed transportations of freight, since they facilitate co-ordination of use of various types of transport and support integrated management of material flows. Transportation and logistic centres should become a start-up complex, around which transportation and logistic clusters would be gradually formed. Transportation and logistic clusters is a new efficient form of network organisation and management of transportation and logistic services and they also ensure growth of efficiency of use of the regional transportation and logistic potential of Ukraine. The article shows prospective supporting transportation and logistic centres and centres of formation of transportation and logistic clusters in the territory of Ukraine. Formation of efficient transportation and logistic system of Ukraine on the basis of a network of transportation and logistic clusters would facilitate entering of Ukraine into the world transportation environment and would allow acceleration of introduction of efficient logistic schemes of freight delivery, in particular, mixed transportation of freight.

Grain Entrapment Pressure on the Torso: Can You Breathe while Buried in Grain?

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, Kevin G; Jones, Carol L

2017-04-26

The pressure applied to the chest and back of a simulated grain entrapment victim was measured. Pressure sensors were attached to the chest and back of a manikin that was buried in grain in the vertical position. Measurements were made in four grain types at four grain depths ranging from the top of the manikin's shoulders to 0.61 m (24 in.) over the head. The pressure ranged from 1.6 to 4.0 kPa (0.23 to 0.57 psi). Based on available physiological information, this amount of pressure is unlikely to limit the respiration of an otherwise healthy adult male victim. However, other factors, such as the victim's age, gender, and body position in the grain, may influence respiration. The aspiration of grain appears to be the most likely asphyxiation risk during grain bin entrapment. Entering a grain storage bin is inherently dangerous, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines for permit-required confined spaces and grain handling facilities must be followed. Due to the risk of grain aspiration during engulfment, the development of safety equipment that could help protect the airway of a victim should be investigated. Copyright© by the American Society of Agricultural Engineers.

Development of a mobile sensor for robust assessment of river bed grain forces

Science.gov (United States)

Maniatis, G.; Hoey, T.; Sventek, J.; Hodge, R. A.

2013-12-01

The forces experienced by sediment grains at entrainment and during transport, and those exerted on river beds, are significant for the development of river systems and landscape evolution. The assessment of local grain forces has been approached using two different methodologies. The first approach uses static impact sensors at points or cross-sections to measure velocity and/or acceleration. A second approach uses mobile natural or artificial 'smart' pebbles instrumented with inertia micro-sensors for directly measuring the local forces experienced by individual grains. The two approaches have yielded significantly different magnitudes of impact forces. Static sensors (piezoelectric plates connected to accelerometers) temporally smooth the impacts from several grains and infrequently detect the higher forces (up to ×100g) generated by direct single-grain impacts. The second method is currently unable to record the full range of impacts in real rivers due to the low measurement range of the deployed inertia sensors (×3g). Laboratory applications have required only low-range accelerometers, so excluding the magnitude of natural impacts from the design criteria. Here we present the first results from the development of a mobile sensor, designed for the purpose of measuring local grain-forces in a natural riverbed. We present two sets of measurements. The first group presents the calibration of a wide range micro-accelerometer from a set of vertical drop experiments (gravitational acceleration) and further experiments on a shaking table moving with pre-defined acceleration. The second group of measurements are from incipient motion experiments performed in a 9m x0.9m flume (slope 0.001 to 0.018) under steadily increasing discharge. Initially the spherical sensor grain was placed on an artificial surface of hemispheres of identical diameter to the sensor (111mm). Incipient motion was assessed under both whole and half-diameter exposure for each slope. Subsequently

Grain-size dependence of the deterioration of oxygen transport for pure and 3 mol% Zr-doped Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3-δ induced by thermal annealing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Saher, S.; Meffert, M.; Störmer, H.; Gerthsen, D.; Bouwmeester, Henricus J.M.

2017-01-01

In this study, the influence of long-term annealing at intermediate temperatures on oxygen transport of Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3 d (BSCF) and 3 mol% Zr-doped BSCF (BSCF-Z3) ceramics with different grain sizes was studied by means of in situ electrical conductivity relaxation (ECR) measurements.

Associations of whole and refined grain intakes with adiposity-related cancer risk in the Framingham Offspring Cohort (1991-2013)

Science.gov (United States)

Objective: The objective of this prospective cohort study is to evaluate associations between whole and refined grains and their food sources in relation to risk of adiposity-related cancers combined and three of the most commonly diagnosed site-specific cancers in the US: breast, prostate, and colo...

Microstructure and transport properties of [0 0 1]-tilt bicrystal grain boundaries in iron pnictide superconductor, cobalt-doped BaFe2As2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hiramatsu, Hidenori; Katase, Takayoshi; Ishimaru, Yoshihiro; Tsukamoto, Akira; Kamiya, Toshio; Tanabe, Keiichi; Hosono, Hideo

2012-01-01

Relationships between microstructure and transport properties of bicrystal grain boundary (BGB) junctions were studied in cobalt-doped BaFe 2 As 2 (BaFe 2 As 2 :Co) epitaxial films grown on [0 0 1]-tilt bicrystal substrates of MgO and (La, Sr)(Al, Ta)O 3 with misorientation angles θ GB = 3–45°. The θ GB of BaFe 2 As 2 :Co BGBs were exactly transferred from those of the bicrystal substrates. No segregation of impurities was detected at the BGB junction interfaces, and the chemical compositions of the BGBs were uniform and the same as those in the bulk film regions. A transition from a strongly-coupled GB behavior to a weak-link behavior was observed in current density–voltage characteristics under self-field around θ GB ∼ 9°. The critical current density decreased from (1.2–1.6) × 10 6 A/cm 2 of the intragrain transport to (0.7–1.1) × 10 5 A/cm 2 of θ GB = 45° because supercurrent becomes more governed by Josephson current with increasing θ GB .

Grain Handling and Storage.

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Troy G.; Minor, John

This text for a secondary- or postecondary-level course in grain handling and storage contains ten chapters. Chapter titles are (1) Introduction to Grain Handling and Storage, (2) Elevator Safety, (3) Grain Grading and Seed Identification, (4) Moisture Control, (5) Insect and Rodent Control, (6) Grain Inventory Control, (7) Elevator Maintenance,…

Grain Grading and Handling.

Science.gov (United States)

Rendleman, Matt; Legacy, James

This publication provides an introduction to grain grading and handling for adult students in vocational and technical education programs. Organized in five chapters, the booklet provides a brief overview of the jobs performed at a grain elevator and of the techniques used to grade grain. The first chapter introduces the grain industry and…

Increasing Sucrose Uptake Capacity of Wheat Grains Stimulates Storage Protein Synthesis1[W

Science.gov (United States)

Weichert, Nicola; Saalbach, Isolde; Weichert, Heiko; Kohl, Stefan; Erban, Alexander; Kopka, Joachim; Hause, Bettina; Varshney, Alok; Sreenivasulu, Nese; Strickert, Marc; Kumlehn, Jochen; Weschke, Winfriede; Weber, Hans

2010-01-01

Increasing grain sink strength by improving assimilate uptake capacity could be a promising approach toward getting higher yield. The barley (Hordeum vulgare) sucrose transporter HvSUT1 (SUT) was expressed under control of the endosperm-specific Hordein B1 promoter (HO). Compared with the wild type, transgenic HOSUT grains take up more sucrose (Suc) in vitro, showing that the transgene is functional. Grain Suc levels are not altered, indicating that Suc fluxes are influenced rather than steady-state levels. HOSUT grains have increased percentages of total nitrogen and prolamins, which is reflected in increased levels of phenylalanine, tyrosine, tryptophan, isoleucine, and leucine at late grain development. Transcript profiling indicates specific stimulation of prolamin gene expression at the onset of storage phase. Changes in gene expression and metabolite levels related to carbon metabolism and amino acid biosynthesis suggest deregulated carbon-nitrogen balance, which together indicate carbon sufficiency and relative depletion of nitrogen. Genes, deregulated together with prolamin genes, might represent candidates, which respond positively to assimilate supply and are related to sugar-starch metabolism, cytokinin and brassinosteroid functions, cell proliferation, and sugar/abscisic acid signaling. Genes showing inverse expression patterns represent potential negative regulators. It is concluded that HvSUT1 overexpression increases grain protein content but also deregulates the metabolic status of wheat (Triticum aestivum) grains, accompanied by up-regulated gene expression of positive and negative regulators related to sugar signaling and assimilate supply. In HOSUT grains, alternating stimulation of positive and negative regulators causes oscillatory patterns of gene expression and highlights the capacity and great flexibility to adjust wheat grain storage metabolism in response to metabolic alterations. PMID:20018590

Concurrent grain boundary motion and grain rotation under an applied stress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gorkaya, Tatiana; Molodov, Konstantin D.; Molodov, Dmitri A.; Gottstein, Guenter

2011-01-01

Simultaneous shear coupling and grain rotation were observed experimentally during grain boundary migration in high-purity Al bicrystals subjected to an external mechanical stress at elevated temperatures. This behavior is interpreted in terms of the structure of the investigated planar 18.2 o non-tilt grain boundary with a 20 o twist component. For characterization of the grain rotation after annealing under stress the bicrystal surface topography across the boundary was measured by atomic force microscopy. The temperature dependence of the boundary migration rate was measured and the migration activation energy determined.

Laboratory Measurements on Charging of Individual Micron-Size Apollo-11 Dust Grains by Secondary Electron Emissions

Science.gov (United States)

Tankosic, D.; Abbas, M. M.

2012-01-01

Observations made during Apollo missions, as well as theoretical models indicate that the lunar surface and dust grains are electrostatically charged, levitated and transported. Lunar dust grains are charged by UV photoelectric emissions on the lunar dayside and by the impact of the solar wind electrons on the nightside. The knowledge of charging properties of individual lunar dust grains is important for developing appropriate theoretical models and mitigating strategies. Currently, very limited experimental data are available for charging of individual micron-size size lunar dust grains in particular by low energy electron impact. However, experimental results based on extensive laboratory measurements on the charging of individual 0.2-13 micron size lunar dust grains by the secondary electron emissions (SEE) have been presented in a recent publication. The SEE process of charging of micron-size dust grains, however, is found to be very complex phenomena with strong particle size dependence. In this paper we present some examples of the complex nature of the SEE properties of positively charged individual lunar dust grains levitated in an electrodynamic balance (EDB), and show that they remain unaffected by the variation of the AC field employed in the above mentioned measurements.

Methods of assessing grain-size distribution during grain growth

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tweed, Cherry J.; Hansen, Niels; Ralph, Brian

1985-01-01

This paper considers methods of obtaining grain-size distributions and ways of describing them. In order to collect statistically useful amounts of data, an automatic image analyzer is used, and the resulting data are subjected to a series of tests that evaluate the differences between two related...... distributions (before and after grain growth). The distributions are measured from two-dimensional sections, and both the data and the corresponding true three-dimensional grain-size distributions (obtained by stereological analysis) are collected. The techniques described here are illustrated by reference...

Use of Electrophoresis for Transporting Nano-Iron in Porous Media

Science.gov (United States)

Research was conducted to evaluate if electrophoresis could transport surface stabilized nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) through fine grained sand with the intent of remediating a contaminant in situ. The experimental procedure involved determining the transport rates of poly...

Grain boundary structure and properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balluffi, R.W.

1979-01-01

An attempt is made to distinguish those fundamental aspects of grain boundaries which should be relevant to the problem of the time dependent fracture of high temperature structural materials. These include the basic phenomena which are thought to be associated with cavitation and cracking at grain boundaries during service and with the more general microstructural changes which occur during both processing and service. A very brief discussion of the current state of our knowledge of these fundamentals is given. Included are the following: (1) structure of ideal perfect boundaries; (2) defect structure of grain boundaries; (3) diffusion at grain boundaries; (4) grain boundaries as sources/sinks for point defects; (5) grain boundary migration; (6) dislocation phenomena at grain boundaries; (7) atomic bonding and cohesion at grain boundaries; (8) non-equilibrium properties of grain boundaries; and (9) techniques for studying grain boundaries

Grain-Size Analysis of Debris Flow Alluvial Fans in Panxi Area along Jinsha River, China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wen Zhang

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The basic geometric parameters of 236 debris flow catchments were determined by interpreting SPOT5 remote sensing images with a resolution of 2.5 m in a 209 km section along the Jinsha River in the Panxi area, China. A total of 27 large-scale debris flow catchments were selected for detailed in situ investigation. Samples were taken from two profiles in the deposition zone for each debris flow catchment. The φ value gradation method of the grain size was used to obtain 54 histograms with abscissa in a logarithmic scale. Five types of debris flows were summarized from the outline of the histogram. Four grain size parameters were calculated: mean grain size, standard deviation, coefficient of skewness, and coefficient of kurtosis. These four values were used to evaluate the features of the histogram. The grain index that reflects the transport (kinetic energy information of debris flows was defined to describe the characteristics of the debris-flow materials. Furthermore, a normalized grain index based on the catchment area was proposed to allow evaluation of the debris flow mobility. The characteristics of the debris-flow materials were well-described by the histogram of grain-size distribution and the normalized grain index.

Laboratory Measurements of Charging of Apollo 17 Lunar Dust Grains by Low Energy Electrons

Science.gov (United States)

Abbas, Mian M.; Tankosic, Dragana; Spann, James F.; Dube, Michael J.; Gaskin, Jessica

2007-01-01

It is well recognized that the charging properties of individual micron/sub-micron size dust grains by various processes are expected to be substantially different from the currently available measurements made on bulk materials. Solar UV radiation and the solar wind plasma charge micron size dust grains on the lunar surface with virtually no atmosphere. The electrostatically charged dust grains are believed to be levitated and transported long distances over the lunar terminator from the day to the night side. The current models do not fully explain the lunar dust phenomena and laboratory measurements are needed to experimentally determine the charging properties of lunar dust grains. An experimental facility has been developed in the Dusty Plasma Laboratory at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center MSFC for investigating the charging properties of individual micron/sub-micron size positively or negatively charged dust grains by levitating them in an electrodynamic balance in simulated space environments. In this paper, we present laboratory measurements on charging of Apollo 17 individual lunar dust grains by low energy electron beams in the 5-100 eV energy range. The measurements are made by levitating Apollo 17 dust grains of 0.2 to 10 micrometer diameters, in an electrodynamic balance and exposing them to mono-energetic electron beams. The charging rates and the equilibrium potentials produced by direct electron impact and by secondary electron emission processes are discussed.

Interstellar grains

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoyle, F.; Wickramasinghe, N.C.

1980-11-01

Interstellar extinction of starlight was observed and plotted as a function of inverse wavelength. Agreement with the calculated effects of the particle distribution is shown. The main kinds of grain distinguished are: (1) graphite spheres of radius 0.02 microns, making up 10% of the total grain mass (2) small dielectric spheres of radius 0.04 microns making up 25% and (3) hollow dielectric cylinders containing metallic iron, with diameters of 2/3 microns making up 45%. The remaining 20% consists of other metals, metal oxides, and polysiloxanes. Absorption factor evidence suggests that the main dielectric component of the grains is organic material.

Reproductive performance of reindeer fed all-grain and hay-grain rations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. M. Blanchard

1986-06-01

Full Text Available Reproductive performance of grain-fed reindeer {Rangifer tarandus was evaluated over a 2-year period. Groups of pregnant reindeer were fed one of three rations, (1 100% whole-grain barley, (2 98.9% whole-grain barley and 1.2% mineral and trace element supplement, and (3 70% whole-grain barley and 30% finely-chopped bluegrass hay. Reindeer fed unsupplemented whole-barley failed to produce a single live calf. The addition of mineral and trace element supplement to the ration did not result in any significant improvement in reproductive performance. Eighty-five percent of the reindeer consuming unsupplemented and supplemented all-barley rations became pregnant; however, 76% of the pregnancies resulted in stillborn calves. One-hundred percent of the cows maintained on the grain/hay ration produced live calves. We speculate that reproductive failure in reindeer cows maintained on all-grain rations is most likely a result of a diet induced disfunction in maternal rumen and/or carbohydrate metabolism rather than a micro-nutrient deficiency. More research is neeeded to determine which metabolic pathways are affected.

Cross border trade in grain between Nigeria and neighbouring Niger: Risk management assessment along Sokoto Illela-Konni border land

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John Chiwuzulum Odozi

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Grain is an important marketable commodity that is hampered by risk of interrelated dimensions, particularly in borderlands of West Africa. Assessing the extent of risk in borderlands can be valuable for policy-makers and likely to contribute to increased regional trade through effective management. Risk management along the grain supply chain was investigated. The methodology was qualitative using desk review of literature and field survey and interviews. While the survey revealed evidence of substantial volume of grain exchange, most of the traders indicated transportation, high taxes and low production of grain as the most important risk factors limiting trade. Production was found to be limited by low access to agricultural insurance, fertilizer, irrigation and credit. Although farmers had access to production information, market information was inadequate. While public grain reserve exists to manage price risk; the capacity was insignificant compared to the magnitude of grain trade in the region. The guaranteed minimum grain price was not collectively determined but by government and their contractors.

Measurements of Charging of Apollo 17 Lunar Dust Grains by Electron Impact

Science.gov (United States)

Abbas, Mian M.; Tankosic, Dragana; Spann, James F.; Dube, Michael J.

2008-01-01

It is well known since the Apollo missions that the lunar surface is covered with a thick layer of micron size dust grains with unusually high adhesive characteristics. The dust grains observed to be levitated and transported on the lunar surface are believed to have a hazardous impact on the robotic and human missions to the Moon. The observed dust phenomena are attributed to the lunar dust being charged positively during the day by UV photoelectric emissions, and negatively during the night by the solar wind electrons. The current dust charging and the levitation models, however, do not fully explain the observed phenomena, with the uncertainty of dust charging processes and the equilibrium potentials of the individual dust grains. It is well recognized that the charging properties of individual dust grains are substantially different from those determined from measurements made on bulk materials that are currently available. An experimental facility has been developed in the Dusty Plasma Laboratory at MSFC for investigating the charging and optical properties of individual micron/sub-micron size positively or negatively charged dust grains by levitating them in an electrodynamic balance in simulated space environments. In this paper, we present the laboratory measurements on charging of Apollo 17 individual lunar dust grains by a low energy electron beam. The charging rates and the equilibrium potentials produced by direct electron impact and by secondary electron emission process are discussed.

Consumption of Whole-Grain Bread and Risk of Colorectal Cancer among Norwegian Women (the NOWAC Study).

Science.gov (United States)

Bakken, Toril; Braaten, Tonje; Olsen, Anja; Kyrø, Cecilie; Lund, Eiliv; Skeie, Guri

2016-01-13

There is evidence that consumption of foods containing dietary fiber decreases the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). Whole grains contain dietary fiber, as well as a range of micronutrients and bioactive compounds, but the association between the consumption of whole grains and the risk of CRC remains less studied. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between whole-grain bread consumption and CRC incidence among Norwegian women, using data from a prospective cohort study (the Norwegian Women and Cancer Study). Dietary intake was estimated from the food-frequency questionnaires of 78,254 women in the cohort (median age: 55 years), and these women were then followed up for CRC incidence. During the 9 years of median follow-up, 795 women were diagnosed with CRC (316 proximal, 193 distal, 218 rectal). Associations between whole-grain bread consumption and the risk of CRC (including colorectal subsites) were investigated using Cox proportional hazards regression models. When compared to the low consumption group, the hazard ratio for CRC was 0.89 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.72-1.09) for the high consumption group and 0.86 (95% CI: 0.72-1.02) for the medium consumption group in a multivariable model. Overall, no association between whole-grain bread consumption and CRC was found.

Why do interstellar grains exist

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seab, C.G.; Hollenbach, D.J.; Mckee, C.F.; Tielens, A.G.G.M.

1986-01-01

There exists a discrepancy between calculated destruction rates of grains in the interstellar medium and postulated sources of new grains. This problem was examined by modelling the global life cycle of grains in the galaxy. The model includes: grain destruction due to supernovae shock waves; grain injection from cool stars, planetary nebulae, star formation, novae, and supernovae; grain growth by accretion in dark clouds; and a mixing scheme between phases of the interstellar medium. Grain growth in molecular clouds is considered as a mechanism or increasing the formation rate. To decrease the shock destruction rate, several new physical processes, such as partial vaporization effects in grain-grain collisions, breakdown of the small Larmor radius approximation for betatron acceleration, and relaxation of the steady-state shock assumption are included

Evolution of grain boundary character distributions in alloy 825 tubes during high temperature annealing: Is grain boundary engineering achieved through recrystallization or grain growth?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bai, Qin; Zhao, Qing; Xia, Shuang; Wang, Baoshun; Zhou, Bangxin; Su, Cheng

2017-01-01

Grain boundary engineering (GBE) of nickel-based alloy 825 tubes was carried out with different cold drawing deformations by using a draw-bench on a factory production line and subsequent annealing at various temperatures. The microstructure evolution of alloy 825 during thermal-mechanical processing (TMP) was characterized by means of the electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) technique to study the TMP effects on the grain boundary network and the evolution of grain boundary character distributions during high temperature annealing. The results showed that the proportion of ∑ 3 n coincidence site lattice (CSL) boundaries of alloy 825 tubes could be increased to > 75% by the TMP of 5% cold drawing and subsequent annealing at 1050 °C for 10 min. The microstructures of the partially recrystallized samples and the fully recrystallized samples suggested that the proportion of low ∑ CSL grain boundaries depended on the annealing time. The frequency of low ∑ CSL grain boundaries increases rapidly with increasing annealing time associating with the formation of large-size highly-twinned grains-cluster microstructure during recrystallization. However, upon further increasing annealing time, the frequency of low ∑ CSL grain boundaries decreased markedly during grain growth. So it is concluded that grain boundary engineering is achieved through recrystallization rather than grain growth. - Highlights: •The grain boundary engineering (GBE) is applicable to 825 tubes. •GBE is achieved through recrystallization rather than grain growth. •The low ∑ CSL grain boundaries in 825 tubes can be increased to > 75%.

Neutrophilic respiratory tract inflammation and peripheral blood neutrophilia after grain sorghum dust extract challenge.

Science.gov (United States)

Von Essen, S G; O'Neill, D P; McGranaghan, S; Olenchock, S A; Rennard, S I

1995-11-01

To determine if inhalation of grain sorghum dust in the laboratory would cause neutrophilic upper and lower respiratory tract inflammation in human volunteers, as well as systemic signs of illness. Prospective. University of Nebraska Medical Center. Thirty normal volunteers. Inhalation challenge with 20 mL of a nebulized solution of filter-sterilized grain sorghum dust extract (GSDE). One group received prednisone, 20 mg for 2 days, prior to the challenge. Bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed 24 h after challenge, with samples collected as bronchial and alveolar fractions. Findings included visible signs of airways inflammation, quantified as the bronchitis index. The percentage of bronchial neutrophils was significantly increased in those challenged with GSDE vs the control solution, Hanks' balanced salt solution (40.3 +/- 4.5% vs 14.3 +/- 5.1%, p grain dust extract. To explain the increase in peripheral blood neutrophil counts, the capacity of the peripheral blood neutrophils to migrate in chemotaxis experiments was examined. The results demonstrate an increase in peripheral blood neutrophils and an increase in chemotactic responsiveness. Inhalation challenge with a grain dust extract causes respiratory tract inflammation and a peripheral blood neutrophilia. One reason for this may be an increase in activated peripheral blood neutrophils.

Dietary fiber and whole-grain consumption in relation to colorectal cancer in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Schatzkin, Arthur; Mouw, Traci; Park, Yikyung; Subar, Amy F; Kipnis, Victor; Hollenbeck, Albert; Leitzmann, Michael F; Thompson, Frances E

2007-05-01

Whether the intake of dietary fiber can protect against colorectal cancer is a long-standing question of considerable public health import, but the epidemiologic evidence has been inconsistent. The objective was to investigate the relation between dietary fiber and whole-grain food intakes and invasive colorectal cancer in the prospective National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study. The analytic cohort consisted of 291 988 men and 197 623 women aged 50-71 y. Diet was assessed with a self-administered food-frequency questionnaire at baseline in 1995-1996; 2974 incident colorectal cancer cases were identified during 5 y of follow-up. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the relative risks (RRs) and 95% CIs. Total dietary fiber intake was not associated with colorectal cancer. The multivariate RR for the highest compared with the lowest intake quintile (RR(Q5-Q1)) was 0.99 (95% CI: 0.85, 1.15; P for trend = 0.96). In analyses of fiber from different food sources, only fiber from grains was associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer (multivariate RR(Q5-Q1): 0.86; 95% CI: 0.76, 0.98; P for trend = 0.01). Whole-grain intake was inversely associated with colorectal cancer risk: the multivariate RR(Q5-Q1) was 0.79 (95% CI: 0.70, 0.89) for the whole cohort (P for trend cancer. In this large prospective cohort study, total dietary fiber intake was not associated with colorectal cancer risk, whereas whole-grain consumption was associated with a modest reduced risk.

Transient peristaltic transport of grains in a liquid

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marconati Marco

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Pumping suspensions and pastes has always been a significant technological challenge in a number of industrial applications ranging from food processing to mining. Peristaltic pumps have become popular to pump and/or dose complex fluids, due to their robustness. During the transport of suspensions with peristaltic pumps, clogging issues may arise, particularly during transient operations. That is a matter of particular concern whenever the pumping device is used intermittently to generate flow only on demand. Further understanding of the transient dynamics of such systems and of the conditions that can lead to jamming would result in more robust peristaltic pump design. To achieve these goals, an experimental setup that simplifies the statorrotor assembly of a peristaltic hose pump was used. In this setup, a roller transfers momentum to a liquid suspension, upon application of a constant load. The evolution of the velocity of the roller was recorded for different concentrations of mono-dispersed spheres of different diameters. The flow is found not to be strongly dependent on the dispersed particle volume fraction, if the size of the suspended phase is comparable with the hose diameter. Conversely, the flow is strongly slowed down when their size is small and the particle concentration is increased. These findings could help improving the design of peristaltic pumps by a more appropriate sizing, given the diameter of the hose and that of the particles to be transported.

Transient peristaltic transport of grains in a liquid

Science.gov (United States)

Marconati, Marco; Rault, Sharvari; Charkhi, Farshad; Burbidge, Adam; Engmann, Jan; Ramaioli, Marco

2017-06-01

Pumping suspensions and pastes has always been a significant technological challenge in a number of industrial applications ranging from food processing to mining. Peristaltic pumps have become popular to pump and/or dose complex fluids, due to their robustness. During the transport of suspensions with peristaltic pumps, clogging issues may arise, particularly during transient operations. That is a matter of particular concern whenever the pumping device is used intermittently to generate flow only on demand. Further understanding of the transient dynamics of such systems and of the conditions that can lead to jamming would result in more robust peristaltic pump design. To achieve these goals, an experimental setup that simplifies the statorrotor assembly of a peristaltic hose pump was used. In this setup, a roller transfers momentum to a liquid suspension, upon application of a constant load. The evolution of the velocity of the roller was recorded for different concentrations of mono-dispersed spheres of different diameters. The flow is found not to be strongly dependent on the dispersed particle volume fraction, if the size of the suspended phase is comparable with the hose diameter. Conversely, the flow is strongly slowed down when their size is small and the particle concentration is increased. These findings could help improving the design of peristaltic pumps by a more appropriate sizing, given the diameter of the hose and that of the particles to be transported.

A Rare Allele of GS2 Enhances Grain Size and Grain Yield in Rice.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Jiang; Wang, Yuexing; Fang, Yunxia; Zeng, Longjun; Xu, Jie; Yu, Haiping; Shi, Zhenyuan; Pan, Jiangjie; Zhang, Dong; Kang, Shujing; Zhu, Li; Dong, Guojun; Guo, Longbiao; Zeng, Dali; Zhang, Guangheng; Xie, Lihong; Xiong, Guosheng; Li, Jiayang; Qian, Qian

2015-10-05

Grain size determines grain weight and affects grain quality. Several major quantitative trait loci (QTLs) regulating grain size have been cloned; however, our understanding of the underlying mechanism that regulates the size of rice grains remains fragmentary. Here, we report the cloning and characterization of a dominant QTL, grain size on chromosome 2 (GS2), which encodes Growth-Regulating Factor 4 (OsGRF4), a transcriptional regulator. GS2 localizes to the nucleus and may act as a transcription activator. A rare mutation of GS2 affecting the binding site of a microRNA, OsmiR396c, causes elevated expression of GS2/OsGRF4. The increase in GS2 expression leads to larger cells and increased numbers of cells, which thus enhances grain weight and yield. The introduction of this rare allele of GS2/OsGRF4 into rice cultivars could significantly enhance grain weight and increase grain yield, with possible applications in breeding high-yield rice varieties. Copyright © 2015 The Author. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Transport Services Market of North-East Asia: Trends and Prospects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Borisovna Bardal

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The paper considers changes of directions and scale of traffic flows generated by the NEA countries during the period from 1990 to 2013. Using the international statistics data (volume and structure of NEA trade flows within and outside the region the author analyzes the main tendencies of NEA foreign trade as it’s the basis of international freight and passenger traffic. The study also gives the dynamics of transport systems of the NEA countries. With the help of the national statistics data the author focuses on the transformation of transport systems of the NEA «Big Three»: Japan, Republic of Korea and China. For these three countries the article examines the key formation stages of transport systems, analyzes the structure changes in transport modes of freight and passenger traffic, dynamics of the transport infrastructure elements (density of ground networks and GDP cargo consumption. The paper shows stimulating and restricting conditions to integration of national transport systems of the NEA countries, in particular, institutional and technological factors prevailing in the regional transport market

Tracing cohesive sediment transportation at river mouths around Tokyo, Japan by Cesium originated from Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant

Science.gov (United States)

koibuchi, Y.

2012-12-01

Sediment transport at river mouths, which consists of suspended-load and bed-load, has not been fully understood, since bed-load transport of cohesive sand is difficult to observe. Especially, the impact of sediment transport on the total amount of fine-grained cohesive sediment has not been elucidated. Cesium-134 and cesium-137 were spread from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) after the earthquake of March 11 of 2011, and attached to the fine-grained sand on the land. The contaminated sand flowed into the river mouths through the rivers possibly due to the complex physical processes in estuarine areas. To evaluate the fine-grained sediment transport around Tokyo and Tokyo Bay, field observations were carried out utilizing radionuclide originated from FDNPP as an effective tracer. The cohesive sediment transport at three different river mouths around Tokyo was successfully quantified. The cohesive sediment transport deposited in the estuary was found to be greatly dependent on the land use, geometry, river discharge and salinity. In addition,the transport driven by the rainfall was minute, and its behavior was quite different from suspended solids. Although further field observations of radionuclide are necessary, it is clear that fine-grained sediment in the bay from rivers already settled on the river mouth by aggregation. The settled sand will not move even in rainfall events. Consequently, the transport of radionuclide to the Pacific Ocean may not occur.; Cesium distribution around Tokyo Bay ; Cesium Concentration in Edogawa river

Front tracking based modeling of the solid grain growth on the adaptive control volume grid

Science.gov (United States)

Seredyński, Mirosław; Łapka, Piotr

2017-07-01

The paper presents the micro-scale model of unconstrained solidification of the grain immersed in under-cooled liquid, based on the front tracking approach. For this length scale, the interface tracked through the domain is meant as the solid-liquid boundary. To prevent generation of huge meshes the energy transport equation is discretized on the adaptive control volume (c.v.) mesh. The coupling of dynamically changing mesh and moving front position is addressed. Preliminary results of simulation of a test case, the growth of single grain, are presented and discussed.

A radioactive waste transportation package monitoring system for normal transport and accident emergency response conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, G.S.; Cashwell, J.W.; Apple, M.L.

1993-01-01

This paper addresses spent fuel and high level waste transportation history and prospects, discusses accident histories of radioactive material transport, discusses emergency responder needs and provides a general description of the Transportation Intelligent Monitoring System (TRANSIMS) design. The key objectives of the monitoring system are twofold: (1) to facilitate effective emergency response to accidents involving a radioactive waste transportation package, while minimizing risk to the public and emergency first-response personnel, and (2) to allow remote monitoring of transportation vehicle and payload conditions to enable research into radioactive material transportation for normal and accident conditions. (J.P.N.)

User manual of Soil and Cesium Transport (SACT), a program to predict long-term Cs distribution using USLE for soil erosion, transportation and deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saito, Hiroshi; Yamaguchi, Masaaki; Kitamura, Akihiro

2016-12-01

This manual provides useful and necessary information to users of 'SACT' (Soil and Cesium Transport), which Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has developed to predict a long-term distribution of Cs deposited on the land surface of Fukushima due to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station accident on March 11, 2011. SACT calculates soil movement (erosion, transportation and deposition) and resulting Cs migration, and predicts its future distribution, with the assumption that Cs is adhered to soil initially. SACT uses USLE (Universal Soil Loss Equation) for potential soil loss and simple hydraulic equations for soil transportation and deposition in which soil is divided into course-grained sand and fine-grained silt/clay. The amount of Cs moved with soil is predicted by the amount of above-mentioned soil movement and concentration ratio of Cs for each grain-size. SACT utilizes the 'ArcGIS' software and the GIS (Geographical Information System). SACT is characterized by its simplicity which enables fast calculation for wide area for long-term duration, using existing simple equations including USLE. Data for used parameters are widely available, and site-specific calculations are possible by using data obtained from the targeted area. (author)

Grain size statistics and depositional pattern of the Ecca Group sandstones, Karoo Supergroup in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Baiyegunhi Christopher

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Grain size analysis is a vital sedimentological tool used to unravel the hydrodynamic conditions, mode of transportation and deposition of detrital sediments. In this study, detailed grain-size analysis was carried out on thirty-five sandstone samples from the Ecca Group in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Grain-size statistical parameters, bivariate analysis, linear discriminate functions, Passega diagrams and log-probability curves were used to reveal the depositional processes, sedimentation mechanisms, hydrodynamic energy conditions and to discriminate different depositional environments. The grain-size parameters show that most of the sandstones are very fine to fine grained, moderately well sorted, mostly near-symmetrical and mesokurtic in nature. The abundance of very fine to fine grained sandstones indicate the dominance of low energy environment. The bivariate plots show that the samples are mostly grouped, except for the Prince Albert samples that show scattered trend, which is due to the either mixture of two modes in equal proportion in bimodal sediments or good sorting in unimodal sediments. The linear discriminant function analysis is dominantly indicative of turbidity current deposits under shallow marine environments for samples from the Prince Albert, Collingham and Ripon Formations, while those samples from the Fort Brown Formation are lacustrine or deltaic deposits. The C-M plots indicated that the sediments were deposited mainly by suspension and saltation, and graded suspension. Visher diagrams show that saltation is the major process of transportation, followed by suspension.

Grain size statistics and depositional pattern of the Ecca Group sandstones, Karoo Supergroup in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Baiyegunhi, Christopher; Liu, Kuiwu; Gwavava, Oswald

2017-11-01

Grain size analysis is a vital sedimentological tool used to unravel the hydrodynamic conditions, mode of transportation and deposition of detrital sediments. In this study, detailed grain-size analysis was carried out on thirty-five sandstone samples from the Ecca Group in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Grain-size statistical parameters, bivariate analysis, linear discriminate functions, Passega diagrams and log-probability curves were used to reveal the depositional processes, sedimentation mechanisms, hydrodynamic energy conditions and to discriminate different depositional environments. The grain-size parameters show that most of the sandstones are very fine to fine grained, moderately well sorted, mostly near-symmetrical and mesokurtic in nature. The abundance of very fine to fine grained sandstones indicate the dominance of low energy environment. The bivariate plots show that the samples are mostly grouped, except for the Prince Albert samples that show scattered trend, which is due to the either mixture of two modes in equal proportion in bimodal sediments or good sorting in unimodal sediments. The linear discriminant function analysis is dominantly indicative of turbidity current deposits under shallow marine environments for samples from the Prince Albert, Collingham and Ripon Formations, while those samples from the Fort Brown Formation are lacustrine or deltaic deposits. The C-M plots indicated that the sediments were deposited mainly by suspension and saltation, and graded suspension. Visher diagrams show that saltation is the major process of transportation, followed by suspension.

Transmission and Andreev reflection in one-dimensional chain with randomly doped superconducting grains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu Dongsheng; Xiong Shijie

2002-01-01

We investigate the transport properties and Andreev reflection in one-dimensional (1D) systems with randomly doped superconducting grains. The superconducting grains are described by the Bogoliubov-de Gene Hamiltonian and the conductance is calculated by using the transfer matrix method and Landauer-Buettiker formula. It is found that although the quasiparticle states are localized due to the randomness and the low dimensionality, the conductance is still kept finite in the thermodynamical limit due to the Andreev reflection. We also investigate the effect of correlation of disorder in such systems and the results show the delocalization of quasiparticle states and suppression of Andreev reflection in a wide energy window

Quantification of Fine-grained Sediment Concentration in the Aquatic Environment Using Optical and Acoustic Sensors: Insight from Lab Experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, K.; Champagne, B. N.

2017-12-01

The transport of sediment in the coastal zone and continental shelf is highly impacted by fluvial and oceanographic dynamics. In Louisiana, the Mississippi River delivers a bulk of water, sediment, and nutrients to the coast. However, coastal land loss highlights the importance of the sediment deposited at the mouth of the river. Sediment is the foundation to build land and suspended sediment concentration (SSC) tracks the delivery, deposition, and erosion of sediment. On a more applicable scale, variables such as SSC can be used to calculate sediment transport flux, an important parameter for projects such as sediment diversions and barrier island restoration. In order to rely on suspended sediment concentration (SSC) as continuous data, lab experiments are needed to establish the relationship between turbidity and SSC. Factors such as sensor type (optical or acoustic) and grain size (coarse or fine) can greatly impact the estimated SSC. In this study, fine-grained sediment was collected from multiple sites in coastal Louisiana and used to calibrate both optical backscatter (OBS) and acoustic backscatter (ABS) sensors to establish the relationship between sensor type and accuracy of the SSC estimation. Multiple grain-size analyses using a Laser Diffraction Particle Size Analyzer helped determine the effects of sensor accuracy regarding grain size. The results of these experiments were combined in order to establish the calibration curves of SSC. Our results indicated that the OBS-3A sensor's turbidity data were more correlated with the SSC than the OBS-5+'s data. Possible explanations for this could be due to differences between the instruments' measuring ranges and their sensitivity to various grain sizes. This technology development has a broad impact to the studies of sediment delivery, transport, and deposition in multiple types of coastal protection and restoration projects.

Effects of grain size and grain boundaries on defect production in nanocrystalline 3C-SiC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Swaminathan, N.; Kamenski, Paul J.; Morgan, Dane; Szlufarska, Izabela

2010-01-01

Cascade simulations in single crystal and nanocrystalline SiC have been conducted in order to determine the role of grain boundaries and grain size on defect production during primary radiation damage. Cascades are performed with 4 and 10 keV silicon as the primary knock-on atom (PKA). Total defect production is found to increase with decreasing grain size, and this effect is shown to be due to increased production in grain boundaries and changing grain boundary volume fraction. In order to consider in-grain defect production, a new mapping methodology is developed to properly normalize in-grain defect production rates for nanocrystalline materials. It is shown that the presence of grain boundaries does not affect the total normalized in-grain defect production significantly (the changes are lower than ∼20%) for the PKA energies considered. Defect production in the single grain containing the PKA is also studied and found to increase for smaller grain sizes. In particular, for smaller grain sizes the defect production decreases with increasing distance from the grain boundary while for larger grain sizes the presence of the grain boundaries has negligible effect on defect production. The results suggest that experimentally observed changes in radiation resistance of nanocrystalline materials may be due to long-term damage evolution rather than changes in defect production rates from primary damage.

Ecological Networks in Stored Grain: Key Postharvest Nodes for Emerging Pests, Pathogens, and Mycotoxins.

Science.gov (United States)

Hernandez Nopsa, John F; Daglish, Gregory J; Hagstrum, David W; Leslie, John F; Phillips, Thomas W; Scoglio, Caterina; Thomas-Sharma, Sara; Walter, Gimme H; Garrett, Karen A

2015-10-01

Wheat is at peak quality soon after harvest. Subsequently, diverse biota use wheat as a resource in storage, including insects and mycotoxin-producing fungi. Transportation networks for stored grain are crucial to food security and provide a model system for an analysis of the population structure, evolution, and dispersal of biota in networks. We evaluated the structure of rail networks for grain transport in the United States and Eastern Australia to identify the shortest paths for the anthropogenic dispersal of pests and mycotoxins, as well as the major sources, sinks, and bridges for movement. We found important differences in the risk profile in these two countries and identified priority control points for sampling, detection, and management. An understanding of these key locations and roles within the network is a new type of basic research result in postharvest science and will provide insights for the integrated pest management of high-risk subpopulations, such as pesticide-resistant insect pests.

Grain dust and the lungs.

Science.gov (United States)

Chan-Yeung, M.; Ashley, M. J.; Grzybowski, S.

1978-01-01

Grain dust is composed of a large number of materials, including various types of grain and their disintegration products, silica, fungi, insects and mites. The clinical syndromes described in relation to exposure to grain dust are chronic bronchitis, grain dust asthma, extrinsic allergic alveolitis, grain fever and silo-filler's lung. Rhinitis and conjunctivitis are also common in grain workers. While the concentration and the quality of dust influence the frequency and the type of clinical syndrome in grain workers, host factors are also important. Of the latter, smoking is the most important factor influencing the frequency of chronic bronchitis. The role of atopy and of bronchial hyperreactivity in grain dust asthma has yet to be assessed. Several well designed studies are currently being carried out in North America not only to delineate the frequency of the respiratory abnormalities, the pathogenetic mechanisms and the host factors, but also to establish a meaningful threshold limit concentration for grain dust. Images p1272-a PMID:348288

Calcium in pollen-pistil interaction in Petunia hybrida Hort. I. Localization of Ca2+ ions in mature pollen grain using pyroantimonate and autoradiographic methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Bednarska, E; Butowt, R

1994-01-01

The localization of Ca2+ in the mature pollen grain and the flow of these ions from the somatic tissues of the anther to the pollen grains has been studied using pyroantimonate and autoradiographic methods. In the pollen grain, Ca2+ ions have been localized in the sporoderm and in the cytoplasmic vesicles of probably dictyosomal origin. Calcium ions were transported into the sporoderm together with the compounds of degenerating tapetum. The material of degenerating tapetum forms pollen coat surrounding the mature pollen grain.

Large Tc depression at low angle [100] tilt grain boundaries in bulk Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ bicrystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Q.; Tsay, Y.N.; Zhu, Y.; Suenaga, M.; Gu, G.D.; Koshizuka, N.

1997-01-01

Large depression of T c at 7 degree [100] tilt grain boundaries was observed in bulk Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8+δ (Bi2212) bicrystals by measuring the zero-field electrical transport properties of the grain boundaries and the constituent single crystals over an extended range of currents and voltages. The T c -depressed region was determined to be around 20 nm, comparable to the width of the strain field associated with the observed array of grain-boundary dislocations. Superconducting coupling of the grain boundaries increases sharply as temperature decreases below the grain-boundary T c congruent 68 K. copyright 1997 American Institute of Physics

Coarse-grained debris flow dynamics on erodible beds

Science.gov (United States)

Lanzoni, Stefano; Gregoretti, Carlo; Stancanelli, Laura Maria

2017-03-01

A systematic set of flume experiments is used to investigate the features of velocity profiles within the body of coarse-grained debris flows and the dependence of the transport sediment concentration on the relevant parameters (runoff discharge, bed slope, grain size, and form). The flows are generated in a 10 m long laboratory flume, initially filled with a layer consisting of loose debris. After saturation, a prescribed water discharge is suddenly supplied over the granular bed, and the runoff triggers a debris flow wave that reaches nearly steady conditions. Three types of material have been used in the tests: gravel with mean grain size of 3 and 5 mm, and 3 mm glass spheres. Measured parameters included: triggering water discharge, volumetric sediment discharge, sediment concentration, flow depth, and velocity profiles. The dynamic similarity with full-sized debris flows is discussed on the basis of the relevant dimensionless parameters. Concentration data highlight the dependence on the slope angle and the importance of the quasi-static friction angle. The effects of flow rheology on the shape of velocity profiles are analyzed with attention to the role of different stress-generating mechanisms. A remarkable collapse of the dimensionless profiles is obtained by scaling the debris flow velocity with the runoff velocity, and a power law characterization is proposed following a heuristic approach. The shape of the profiles suggests a smooth transition between the different rheological regimes (collisional and frictional) that establish in the upper and lower regions of the flow and is compatible with the presence of multiple length scales dictated by the type of contacts (instantaneous or long lasting) between grains.

Charge transport in conjugated polymers: a multiscale picture

Science.gov (United States)

Ruehle, Victor; Kirkpatrick, James; Kremer, Kurt; Andrienko, Denis

2009-03-01

A framework to study charge transport in conjugated polymers using realistic morphologies is developed. First, the atomistic force field is refined using first-principles calculations. Systematic coarse graining is then performed to extend simulation times and system sizes accessible to molecular dynamics simulations. Material morphologies are generated using the coarse grained and atomistic models. Finally, the charge mobility is obtained using temperature activated hopping picture for charge transport [1]. The framework is tested on neutral and oxidized polypyrrole with different structural ordering [2]. [4pt] [1] J. Kirkpatrick, V. Marcon, J. Nelson, K. Kremer, D. Andrienko, Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 227402 (2007)[0pt] [2] V. Ruehle, J. Kirkpatrick, K. Kremer, D. Andrienko, Phys. Stat. Solidi B, 245, 844 (2008)

Grain centre mapping - 3DXRD measurements of average grain characteristics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Oddershede, Jette; Schmidt, Søren; Lyckegaard, Allan

2014-01-01

characteristics of each grain (such as their centre-of-mass positions, volumes, phases, orientations and/or elastic strain tensor components), while the exact locations of the grain boundaries are unknown. In the present chapter a detailed description of the setup and software for both grain centre mapping...... and the closely related boxscan method is given. Both validation experiments and applications for in situ studies of microstructural changes during plastic deformation and crack growth are given. Finally an outlook with special emphasis on coupling the measured results with modelling is given....

Grain Boundary Segregation in Metals

CERN Document Server

Lejcek, Pavel

2010-01-01

Grain boundaries are important structural components of polycrystalline materials used in the vast majority of technical applications. Because grain boundaries form a continuous network throughout such materials, their properties may limit their practical use. One of the serious phenomena which evoke these limitations is the grain boundary segregation of impurities. It results in the loss of grain boundary cohesion and consequently, in brittle fracture of the materials. The current book deals with fundamentals of grain boundary segregation in metallic materials and its relationship to the grain boundary structure, classification and other materials properties.

Textural Maturity Analysis and Sedimentary Environment Discrimination Based on Grain Shape Data

Science.gov (United States)

Tunwal, M.; Mulchrone, K. F.; Meere, P. A.

2017-12-01

Morphological analysis of clastic sedimentary grains is an important source of information regarding the processes involved in their formation, transportation and deposition. However, a standardised approach for quantitative grain shape analysis is generally lacking. In this contribution we report on a study where fully automated image analysis techniques were applied to loose sediment samples collected from glacial, aeolian, beach and fluvial environments. A range of shape parameters are evaluated for their usefulness in textural characterisation of populations of grains. The utility of grain shape data in ranking textural maturity of samples within a given sedimentary environment is evaluated. Furthermore, discrimination of sedimentary environment on the basis of grain shape information is explored. The data gathered demonstrates a clear progression in textural maturity in terms of roundness, angularity, irregularity, fractal dimension, convexity, solidity and rectangularity. Textural maturity can be readily categorised using automated grain shape parameter analysis. However, absolute discrimination between different depositional environments on the basis of shape parameters alone is less certain. For example, the aeolian environment is quite distinct whereas fluvial, glacial and beach samples are inherently variable and tend to overlap each other in terms of textural maturity. This is most likely due to a collection of similar processes and sources operating within these environments. This study strongly demonstrates the merit of quantitative population-based shape parameter analysis of texture and indicates that it can play a key role in characterising both loose and consolidated sediments. This project is funded by the Irish Petroleum Infrastructure Programme (www.pip.ie)

Grain boundary migration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dimitrov, O.

1975-01-01

Well-established aspects of grain-boundary migration are first briefly reviewed (influences of driving force, temperature, orientation and foreign atoms). Recent developments of the experimental methods and results are then examined, by considering the various driving of resistive forces acting on grain boundaries. Finally, the evolution in the theoretical models of grain-boundary motion is described, on the one hand for ideally pure metals and, on the other hand, in the presence of solute impurity atoms [fr

Sediment transport direction in fluviatile Karharbari sandstone, Giridih Basin, Bihar

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tewari, R C; Casshyap, S M

1978-01-01

The sandstone is pebbly, very coarse grained in the lower part, and coarse to medium grained in the upper part. Shale and coal respectively constitute 9 and 5% of the strata Small and large erosional channels and successive sets of large scale cross-bedding characterize the sandstone. Palaeo- currents reveal that the paleodrainage and sediment transport were dominantly directed from SSW to NNE.

Works carried out by DGEMP about energy prospects for 2030-2050

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

The 2004 year has been rich in publications and analyses about energy prospects. The French general direction of energy and raw materials (DGEMP) from the Ministry of Economy, Finances and Industry, has organized a round table on June 30, 2004 in order to present and compare different energy scenarios at the 2030 and 2050 prospects. The aim is to evaluate the available modeling system and to prepare the reflexions to implement. This paper presents: the limitations of a long-term energy prospect and the main hypotheses made, and the main results of the prospective studies carried out by DGEMP at the 2030 and 2050 prospects. The conclusions of this study is that there exists forbidden actions (postponing the implementation of energy saving actions, consuming fossil-fuels for thermal and power generation purposes and keeping petroleum preponderance in transportation), necessary actions (increase of energy efficiency in all sectors, saving peak-use power, changing transportation habits, developing nuclear and renewable energies), and some technology rupture needs (low emission technologies, power storage and hydrogen uses, CO 2 captation and sequestration). (J.S.)

Transport of Cryptosporidium parvum Oocysts in Charge Heterogeneous Porous Media: Microfluidics Experiment and Numerical Simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Y.; Meng, X.; Guo, Z.; Zhang, C.; Nguyen, T. H.; Hu, D.; Ji, J.; Yang, X.

2017-12-01

Colloidal attachment on charge heterogeneous grains has significant environmental implications for transport of hazardous colloids, such as pathogens, in the aquifer, where iron, manganese, and aluminium oxide minerals are the major source of surface charge heterogeneity of the aquifer grains. A patchwise surface charge model is often used to describe the surface charge heterogeneity of the grains. In the patchwise model, the colloidal attachment efficiency is linearly correlated with the fraction of the favorable patches (θ=λ(θf - θu)+θu). However, our previous microfluidic study showed that the attachment efficiency of oocysts of Cryptosporidium parvum, a waterborne protozoan parasite, was not linear correlated with the fraction of the favorable patches (λ). In this study, we developed a pore scale model to simulate colloidal transport and attachment on charge heterogeneous grains. The flow field was simulated using the LBM method and colloidal transport and attachment were simulated using the Lagrange particle tracking method. The pore scale model was calibrated with experimental results of colloidal and oocyst transport in microfluidic devices and was then used to simulate oocyst transport in charge heterogeneous porous media under a variety of environmental relative conditions, i.e. the fraction of favorable patchwise, ionic strength, and pH. The results of the pore scale simulations were used to evaluate the effect of surface charge heterogeneity on upscaling of oocyst transport from pore to continuum scale and to develop an applicable correlation between colloidal attachment efficiency and the fraction of the favorable patches.

Grain boundary motion and grain rotation in aluminum bicrystals: recent experiments and simulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Molodov, D A; Barrales-Mora, L A; Brandenburg, J-E

2015-01-01

The results of experimental and computational efforts over recent years to study the motion of geometrically different grain boundaries and grain rotation under various driving forces are briefly reviewed. Novel in-situ measuring techniques based on orientation contrast imaging and applied simulation techniques are described. The experimental results obtained on specially grown aluminum bicrystals are presented and discussed. Particularly, the faceting and migration behavior of low angle grain boundaries under the curvature force is addressed. In contrast to the pure tilt boundaries, which remained flat/faceted and immobile during annealing at elevated temperatures, mixed tilt-twist boundaries readily assumed a curved shape and steadily moved under the capillary force. Computational analysis revealed that this behavior is due to the inclinational anisotropy of grain boundary energy, which in turn depends on boundary geometry. The shape evolution and shrinkage kinetics of cylindrical grains with different tilt and mixed boundaries were studied by molecular dynamics simulations. The mobility of low angle <100> boundaries with misorientation angles higher than 10°, obtained by both the experiments and simulations, was found not to differ from that of the high angle boundaries, but decreases essentially with further decrease of misorientation. The shape evolution of the embedded grains in simulations was found to relate directly to results of the energy computations. Further simulation results revealed that the shrinkage of grains with pure tilt boundaries is accompanied by grain rotation. In contrast, grains with the tilt-twist boundaries composed of dislocations with the mixed edge-screw character do not rotate during their shrinkage. Stress driven boundary migration in aluminium bicrystals was observed to be coupled to a tangential translation of the grains. The activation enthalpy of high angle boundary migration was found to vary non-monotonically with

Characterization of 68Zn uptake, translocation, and accumulation into developing grains and young leaves of high Zn-density rice genotype*

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Chun-yong; Feng, Ying; Shohag, Md. Jahidul Islam; Lu, Ling-li; Wei, Yan-yan; Gao, Chong; Yang, Xiao-e

2011-01-01

Zinc (Zn) is an essential micronutrient for humans, but Zn deficiency has become serious as equally as iron (Fe) and vitamin A deficiencies nowadays. Selection and breeding of high Zn-density crops is a suitable, cost-effective, and sustainable way to improve human health. However, the mechanism of high Zn density in rice grain is not fully understood, especially how Zn transports from soil to grains. Hydroponics experiments were carried out to compare Zn uptake and distribution in two different Zn-density rice genotypes using stable isotope technique. At seedling stage, IR68144 showed higher 68Zn uptake and transport rate to the shoot for the short-term, but no significant difference was observed in both genotypes for the long-term. Zn in xylem sap of IR68144 was consistently higher, and IR68144 exhibited higher Zn absorption ratio than IR64 at sufficient (2.0 µmol/L) or surplus (8.0 µmol/L) Zn supply level. IR64 and IR68144 showed similar patterns of 68Zn accumulation in new leaves at seedling stage and in developing grains at ripening stage, whereas 68Zn in new leaves and grains of IR68144 was consistently higher. These results suggested that a rapid root-to-shoot translocation and enhanced xylem loading capacity may be the crucial processes for high Zn density in rice grains. PMID:21528496

Large grain CBMM Nb ingot slices: An ideal test bed for exploring the microstructure-electromagnetic property relationships relevant to SRF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sung, Zu-Hawn; Lee, Peter J.; Polyanskii, Anatolii; Balachandran, Shreyas; Chetri, Santosh; Larbalestier, David C.; Wang, Mingmin; Compton, Christopher; Bieler, Thomas R.

2015-01-01

High purity (RRR > 200), large grain (> 5-10 cm) niobium ingot slices have been successfully used to fabricate radio frequency (RF) cavities for particle accelerators. They offer significantly reduced fabrication cost by eliminating processing steps and furthermore they provide the opportunity to study the influence of individual grain boundaries in SRF Nb. Here we summarize our measurements of grain boundary (GB) effects on the superconducting properties of large grain high purity niobium sheet manufactured by CBMM. We show by magneto-optical (MO) imaging that GBs allow premature flux penetration, but only when they are oriented close to the direction of the magnetic field. However, even low angle GBs produced by minor deformations commensurate with half-cell forming produce localized flux penetration. The transport properties of grain boundaries were investigated by direct transport across them and evidence for preferential vortex flow along the GBs of SRF Nb was observed for the first time. Using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and micro crystallographic analysis with electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD), we were able to quantitatively characterize surface substructures that can lead to localized thermal breakdown of superconductivity. Important to these studies was the development of sample preparation techniques that made the cutout single, bi-crystal and tri-crystal Nb coupons as representative as possible of the surface properties of cavities manufactured by standard techniques

Effect of Al on Grain Refinement and Mechanical Properties of Mg-3Nd Casting Alloy

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Lei; Feng, Yicheng; Wang, Liping; Chen, Yanhong; Guo, Erjun

2018-05-01

The effect of Al on the grain refinement and mechanical properties of as-cast Mg-3Nd alloy was investigated systematically by a series of microstructural analysis, solidification analysis and tensile tests. The results show that Al has an obvious refining effect on the as-cast Mg-3Nd alloy. With increasing Al content, the grain size of the as-cast Mg-3Nd alloy decreases firstly, then increases slightly after the Al content reaching 3 wt.%, and the minimum grain size of the Mg-3Nd alloy is 48 ± 4.0 μm. The refining mechanism can be attributed to the formation of Al2Nd particles, which play an important role in the heterogeneous nucleation. The strength and elongation of the Mg-3Nd alloy refined by Al also increase with increasing Al content and slightly decrease when the Al content is more than 3 wt.%, and the strengthening mechanism is attributed to the grain refinement as well as dispersed intermetallic particles. Furthermore, the microstructural thermal stability of the Mg-3Nd-3Al alloy is higher than that of the Mg-3Nd-0.5Zr alloy. Overall, the Mg-3Nd alloy with Al addition is a novel alloy with wide and potential application prospects.

Consumption of Whole-Grain Bread and Risk of Colorectal Cancer among Norwegian Women (the NOWAC Study)

Science.gov (United States)

Bakken, Toril; Braaten, Tonje; Olsen, Anja; Kyrø, Cecilie; Lund, Eiliv; Skeie, Guri

2016-01-01

There is evidence that consumption of foods containing dietary fiber decreases the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). Whole grains contain dietary fiber, as well as a range of micronutrients and bioactive compounds, but the association between the consumption of whole grains and the risk of CRC remains less studied. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between whole-grain bread consumption and CRC incidence among Norwegian women, using data from a prospective cohort study (the Norwegian Women and Cancer Study). Dietary intake was estimated from the food-frequency questionnaires of 78,254 women in the cohort (median age: 55 years), and these women were then followed up for CRC incidence. During the 9 years of median follow-up, 795 women were diagnosed with CRC (316 proximal, 193 distal, 218 rectal). Associations between whole-grain bread consumption and the risk of CRC (including colorectal subsites) were investigated using Cox proportional hazards regression models. When compared to the low consumption group, the hazard ratio for CRC was 0.89 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.72–1.09) for the high consumption group and 0.86 (95% CI: 0.72–1.02) for the medium consumption group in a multivariable model. Overall, no association between whole-grain bread consumption and CRC was found. PMID:26771634

Consumption of Whole-Grain Bread and Risk of Colorectal Cancer among Norwegian Women (the NOWAC Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Toril Bakken

2016-01-01

Full Text Available There is evidence that consumption of foods containing dietary fiber decreases the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC. Whole grains contain dietary fiber, as well as a range of micronutrients and bioactive compounds, but the association between the consumption of whole grains and the risk of CRC remains less studied. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between whole-grain bread consumption and CRC incidence among Norwegian women, using data from a prospective cohort study (the Norwegian Women and Cancer Study. Dietary intake was estimated from the food-frequency questionnaires of 78,254 women in the cohort (median age: 55 years, and these women were then followed up for CRC incidence. During the 9 years of median follow-up, 795 women were diagnosed with CRC (316 proximal, 193 distal, 218 rectal. Associations between whole-grain bread consumption and the risk of CRC (including colorectal subsites were investigated using Cox proportional hazards regression models. When compared to the low consumption group, the hazard ratio for CRC was 0.89 (95% confidence interval (CI: 0.72–1.09 for the high consumption group and 0.86 (95% CI: 0.72–1.02 for the medium consumption group in a multivariable model. Overall, no association between whole-grain bread consumption and CRC was found.

Calcium in pollen-pistil interaction in 'Petunia hybrida Hor'. Pt. 1. Localization of Ca2+ ions in mature pollen grain using pyroantimonate and autoradiographic methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bednarska, E.; Butowt, R.

1994-01-01

The localization of Ca 2+ in the mature pollen grain and the flow of these ions the somatic tissues of the anther to the pollen grains has been studied using pyroantimonate and autoradiographic methods. In the pollen grain, Ca 2+ ions have been localized in the sporoderm in the cytoplasmic vesicles of probably dictyosomal origin. Calcium ions were transported into the sporoderm together with the compounds of degenerating tapetum. The material of degenerating tapetum forms pollen coat surrounding the mature pollen grains. (author). 18 refs, 9 figs

75 FR 76254 - Official Performance and Procedural Requirements for Grain Weighing Equipment and Related Grain...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-08

... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration 7 CFR Part 802 [Docket GIPSA-2010-FGIS-0012] RIN 0580-AB19 Official Performance and Procedural Requirements for Grain Weighing Equipment and Related Grain Handling Systems AGENCY: Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards...

Improving 6061-Al Grain Growth and Penetration across HIP-Bonded Clad Interfaces in Monolithic Fuel Plates: Initial Studies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hackenberg, Robert E. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); McCabe, Rodney J. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Montalvo, Joel D. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Clarke, Kester D. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Dvornak, Matthew J. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Edwards, Randall L. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Crapps, Justin M. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Trujillo, R. Ralph [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Aikin, Beverly [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Vargas, Victor D. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Hollis, Kendall J. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Lienert, Thomas J. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Forsyth, Robert T. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Harada, Kiichi L. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2013-05-06

Grain penetration across aluminum-aluminum cladding interfaces in research reactor fuel plates is desirable and was obtained by a legacy roll-bonding process, which attained 20-80% grain penetration. Significant grain penetration in monolithic fuel plates produced by Hot Isostatic Press (HIP) fabrication processing is equally desirable but has yet to be attained. The goal of this study was to modify the 6061-Al in such a way as to promote a much greater extent of crossinterface grain penetration in monolithic fuel plates fabricated by the HIP process. This study documents the outcomes of several strategies attempted to attain this goal. The grain response was characterized using light optical microscopy (LOM) electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) as a function of these prospective process modifications done to the aluminum prior to the HIP cycle. The strategies included (1) adding macroscopic gaps in the sandwiches to enhance Al flow, (2) adding engineering asperities to enhance Al flow, (3) adding stored energy (cold work), and (4) alternative cleaning and coating. Additionally, two aqueous cleaning methods were compared as baseline control conditions. The results of the preliminary scoping studies in all the categories are presented. In general, none of these approaches were able to obtain >10% grain penetration. Recommended future work includes further development of macroscopic grooving, transferred-arc cleaning, and combinations of these with one another and with other processes.

Bedload transport in an inlet channel during a tidal cycle

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ernstsen, V. B.; Becker, M.; Winter, C.

2007-01-01

  Based on high-resolution swath bathymetry measurements at centimetre-scale precision conducted during a tidal cycle in a dune field in the Grådyb tidal inlet channel in the DanishWadden Sea, a simple tool to calculate bedload transport is presented. Bedload transport was related to simultaneous...... variations in grain-size composition of the mobilised sediment should be taken into account by sediment transport formulae....

78 FR 33224 - Safety Zone; Grain-Shipment and Grain-Shipment Assist Vessels, Columbia and Willamette Rivers

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-04

... 1625-AA00 Safety Zone; Grain-Shipment and Grain-Shipment Assist Vessels, Columbia and Willamette Rivers... Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone around all inbound and outbound grain-shipment and grain-shipment assist vessels involved in commerce with the Columbia Grain facility on the Willamette River in...

78 FR 57261 - Safety Zone; Grain-Shipment and Grain-Shipment Assist Vessels, Columbia and Willamette Rivers

Science.gov (United States)

2013-09-18

... 1625-AA00 Safety Zone; Grain-Shipment and Grain-Shipment Assist Vessels, Columbia and Willamette Rivers... temporary safety zone around all inbound and outbound grain-shipment and grain-shipment assist vessels involved in commerce with the Columbia Grain facility on the Willamette River in Portland, OR, the United...

The origin of dose distributions in fluvial sediments, and the prospect of dating single grains from fluvial deposits using optically stimulated luminescence

CERN Document Server

Olley, J M; Roberts, R G

1999-01-01

We examine the causes of the asymmetric distributions of dose observed from measurements of the optically stimulated luminescence emitted by small aliquots of fluvial quartz, and deduce that the asymmetry arises as a result of samples being composed of a mix of mainly well bleached grains with grains that were effectively unbleached at the time of deposition. We demonstrate that the shapes of the dose distributions can be used to assess the likelihood that aliquots consist only of grains that were well-bleached at the time of deposition. The more asymmetric the distribution, the greater the probability that the aliquots with the lowest dose most closely represent the true burial dose. Single grains with differing doses are present in each of the samples examined, and the population with the lowest dose gives an optical age consistent with the expected burial age. This result implies that the beta-dose heterogeneity in these deposits is small, and that the effects of micro-dosimetric variations on optical dati...

Drug Metabolizing Enzyme and Transporter Gene Variation, Nicotine Metabolism, Prospective Abstinence, and Cigarette Consumption.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew W Bergen

Full Text Available The Nicotine Metabolite Ratio (NMR, ratio of trans-3'-hydroxycotinine and cotinine, has previously been associated with CYP2A6 activity, response to smoking cessation treatments, and cigarette consumption. We searched for drug metabolizing enzyme and transporter (DMET gene variation associated with the NMR and prospective abstinence in 2,946 participants of laboratory studies of nicotine metabolism and of clinical trials of smoking cessation therapies. Stage I was a meta-analysis of the association of 507 common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs at 173 DMET genes with the NMR in 449 participants of two laboratory studies. Nominally significant associations were identified in ten genes after adjustment for intragenic SNPs; CYP2A6 and two CYP2A6 SNPs attained experiment-wide significance adjusted for correlated SNPs (CYP2A6 PACT=4.1E-7, rs4803381 PACT=4.5E-5, rs1137115, PACT=1.2E-3. Stage II was mega-regression analyses of 10 DMET SNPs with pretreatment NMR and prospective abstinence in up to 2,497 participants from eight trials. rs4803381 and rs1137115 SNPs were associated with pretreatment NMR at genome-wide significance. In post-hoc analyses of CYP2A6 SNPs, we observed nominally significant association with: abstinence in one pharmacotherapy arm; cigarette consumption among all trial participants; and lung cancer in four case:control studies. CYP2A6 minor alleles were associated with reduced NMR, CPD, and lung cancer risk. We confirmed the major role that CYP2A6 plays in nicotine metabolism, and made novel findings with respect to genome-wide significance and associations with CPD, abstinence and lung cancer risk. Additional multivariate analyses with patient variables and genetic modeling will improve prediction of nicotine metabolism, disease risk and smoking cessation treatment prognosis.

Grain-size data from four cores from Walker Lake, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yount, J.C.; Quimby, M.F.

1990-01-01

A number of cores, taken from within and near Walker Lake, Nevada are being studied by various investigators in order to evaluate the late-Pleistocene paleoclimate of the west-central Great Basin. In particular, the cores provide records that can be interpreted in terms of past climate and compared to proposed numerical models of the region's climate. All of these studies are being carried out as part of an evaluation of the regional paleoclimatic setting of a proposed high-level nuclear waste storage facility at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Changes in past climate often manifest themselves in changes in sedimentary processes or in changes in the volume of sediment transported by those processes. One fundamental sediment property that can be related to depositional processes is grain size. Grain size effects other physical properties of sediment such as porosity and permeability which, in turn, affect the movement and chemistry of fluids. The purposes of this report are: (1) to document procedures of sample preparation and analysis, and (2) to summarize grain-size statistics for 659 samples from Walker Lake cores 84-4, 84-5, 84-8 and 85-2. Plots of mean particle diameter, percent sand, and the ratio of silt to clay are illustrated for various depth intervals within each core. Summary plots of mean grain size, sorting, and skewness parameters allow comparison of textural data between each core. 15 refs., 8 figs., 3 tabs

Grain destruction in interstellar shocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seab, C.G.; Shull, J.M.

1984-01-01

One of the principal methods for removing grains from the Interstellar Medium is to destroy them in shock waves. Previous theoretical studies of shock destruction have generally assumed only a single size and type of grain; most do not account for the effect of the grain destruction on the structure of the shock. Earlier calculations have been improved in three ways: first, by using a ''complete'' grain model including a distribution of sizes and types of grains; second, by using a self-consistent shock structure that incorporates the changing elemental depletions as the grains are destroyed; and third, by calculating the shock-processed ultraviolet extinction curves for comparison with observations. (author)

Carrier Transport, Recombination, and the Effects of Grain Boundaries in Polycrystalline Cadmium Telluride Thin Films for Photovoltaics

Science.gov (United States)

Tuteja, Mohit

Cadmium Telluride (CdTe), a chalcogenide semiconductor, is currently used as the absorber layer in one of the highest efficiency thin film solar cell technologies. Current efficiency records are over 22%. In 2011, CdTe solar cells accounted for 8% of all solar cells installed. This is because, in part, CdTe has a low degradation rate, high optical absorption coefficient, and high tolerance to intrinsic defects. Solar cells based on polycrystalline CdTe exhibit a higher short-circuit current, fill factor, and power conversion efficiency than their single crystal counterparts. This is despite the fact that polycrystalline CdTe devices exhibit lower open-circuit voltages. This is contrary to the observation for silicon and III-V semiconductors, where material defects cause a dramatic drop in device performance. For example, grain boundaries in covalently-bonded semiconductors (a) act as carrier recombination centers, and (b) lead to localized energy states, causing carrier trapping. Despite significant research to date, the mechanism responsible for the superior current collection properties of polycrystalline CdTe solar cells has not been conclusively answered. This dissertation focuses on the macro-scale electronic band structure, and micro scale electronic properties of grains and grain boundaries in device-grade CdTe thin films to answer this open question. My research utilized a variety of experimental techniques. Samples were obtained from leading groups fabricating the material and devices. A CdCl 2 anneal is commonly performed as part of this fabrication and its effects were also investigated. Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy was employed to study the band structure and defect states in CdTe polycrystals. Cadmium vacancy- and chlorine-related states lead to carrier recombination, as in CdTe films grown by other methods. Comparing polycrystalline and single crystal CdTe, showed that the key to explaining the improved performance of polycrystalline CdTe does

Grain boundary transport properties in YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub x} coated conductors.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berghuis, P.; Miller, D. J.; Kim, D. H.; Gray, K. E.; Feenstra, R.; Christen, D. K.

2000-11-02

Critical current data obtained as a function of magnetic field on an isolated grain boundary (GB) of a coated conductor and two other types of bicrystal GBs of YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub x} show a peak in the critical current and an unusual hysteresis. These results provide support for a new mechanism for enhanced GB critical currents, arising from interactions of GB vortices with pinned Abrikosov vortices in the banks of a GB, as suggested by Gurevich and Cooley. A substantial fraction of this enhancement, which can exceed a factor of ten, also occurs upon surpassing the critical current of the grains after zero field cooling. A bulk GB and thin film GBs show qualitatively identical results.

PROSPECTS OF INTERNATIONAL FREIGHT TRANSPORT IN THE EAST-WEST DIRECTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paweł DROŹDZIEL

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The article deals with the assets of building broad-gauge lines in Europe. The delivery time for international transport of goods affects international business in terms of the capital put into goods and subsequently affects its turnover rate. The current disproportion of different line gauges in Europe causes significant problems in the transport of goods especially in commodity streams in the East - West direction. Based on previous research of commodity streams in international trade and a comprehensive analysis of all performed studies for building broad gauge lines, the assets of building these lines included the development of employment, increasing the transport capacity and the building of transshipment stations in Slovakia. The current geopolitical developments have also a significant impact on international transport and important transport links, therefore diversifying these risks is a logical consideration to ensure the smooth delivery of goods and thus the development of international trade.

The effect of grain size on the mechanical response of a metastable austenitic stainless steel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sinclair C.W.

2013-11-01

Full Text Available The combination of high environmental resistance and excellent strength, elongation and energy absorption make austenitic stainless steels potentially attractive for transportation applications. In the case of metastable grades that undergo a strain induced martensitic transformation it is possible to significantly change the mechanical properties simply by changing the austenite grain size. Predicting such behaviour using physically based models is, however, extremely challenging. Here, some recent work on the coupling between grain size and mechanical response will be presented for a metastable AISI 301 LN stainless steel. Successes and continuing challenges will be highlighted.

Inductive current measurements in an oriented grained YBa2Cu3Ox superconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kupfer, H.; Keller, C.; Salama, K.; Selvamanickam, V.

1989-01-01

The critical current of grain aligned YBa 2 Cu 3 O x bulk material was investigated by inductive flux profile and ac susceptibility measurements. The induced current was directed perpendicular to the a-b plane oriented grains where high values of the transport current, have been previously reported. In spite of the unfavorable geometry of the investigated shielding current, no features of granularity were observed. The results yield a uniform bulk critical current density j c of 3x10 4 A/cm 2 at zero field and 77 K. Field and temperature dependences of this j c are discussed and compared with those in a granular Y-Ba-Cu-O material

Plant Density Effect on Grain Number and Weight of Two Winter Wheat Cultivars at Different Spikelet and Grain Positions

Science.gov (United States)

Ni, Yingli; Zheng, Mengjing; Yang, Dongqing; Jin, Min; Chen, Jin; Wang, Zhenlin; Yin, Yanping

2016-01-01

In winter wheat, grain development is asynchronous. The grain number and grain weight vary significantly at different spikelet and grain positions among wheat cultivars grown at different plant densities. In this study, two winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars, ‘Wennong6’ and ‘Jimai20’, were grown under four different plant densities for two seasons, in order to study the effect of plant density on the grain number and grain weight at different spikelet and grain positions. The results showed that the effects of spikelet and grain positions on grain weight varied with the grain number of spikelets. In both cultivars, the single-grain weight of the basal and middle two-grain spikelets was higher at the 2nd grain position than that at the 1st grain position, while the opposite occurred in the top two-grain spikelets. In the three-grain spikelets, the distribution of the single-grain weight was different between cultivars. In the four-grain spikelets of Wennong6, the single-grain weight was the highest at the 2nd grain position, followed by the 1st, 3rd, and 4th grain positions. Regardless of the spikelet and grain positions, the single-grain weight was the highest at the 1st and 2nd grain positions and the lowest at the 3rd and 4th grain positions. Overall, plant density affected the yield by controlling the seed-setting characteristics of the tiller spike. Therefore, wheat yield can be increased by decreasing the sterile basal and top spikelets and enhancing the grain weight at the 3rd and 4th grain positions, while maintaining it at the 1st and 2nd grain positions on the spikelet. PMID:27171343

Modelling of grain refinement driven by negative grain boundary energy

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Fischer, F. D.; Zickler, G. A.; Svoboda, Jiří

2017-01-01

Roč. 97, č. 23 (2017), s. 1963-1977 ISSN 1478-6435 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA15-06390S Institutional support: RVO:68081723 Keywords : grain refinement * grain nucleation * distribution concept * jump on distribution function Subject RIV: BJ - Thermodynamics OBOR OECD: Thermodynamics Impact factor: 1.505, year: 2016

Achievable space elevators for space transportation and starship acceleration

Science.gov (United States)

Pearson, Jerome

1990-04-01

Space elevator concepts for low-cost space launches are reviewed. Previous concepts suffered from requirements for ultra-high-strength materials, dynamically unstable systems, or from danger of collision with space debris. The use of magnetic grain streams solves these problems. Magnetic grain streams can support short space elevators for lifting payloads cheaply into Earth orbit, overcoming the material strength problem in building space elevators. Alternatively, the stream could support an international spaceport circling the Earth daily tens of miles above the equator, accessible to advanced aircraft. Mars could be equipped with a similar grain stream, using material from its moons Phobos and Deimos. Grain-stream arcs about the sun could be used for fast launches to the outer planets and for accelerating starships to near lightspeed for interstellar reconnaisance. Grain streams are essentially impervious to collisions, and could reduce the cost of space transportation by an order of magnitude.

Grain Interactions in Crystal Plasticity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boyle, K.P.; Curtin, W.A.

2005-01-01

The plastic response of a sheet metal is governed by the collective response of the underlying grains. Intragranular plasticity depends on intrinsic variables such as crystallographic orientation and on extrinsic variables such as grain interactions; however, the role of the latter is not well understood. A finite element crystal plasticity formulation is used to investigate the importance of grain interactions on intragranular plastic deformation in initially untextured polycrystalline aggregates. A statistical analysis reveals that grain interactions are of equal (or more) importance for determining the average intragranular deviations from the applied strain as compared to the orientation of the grain itself. Furthermore, the influence of the surrounding grains is found to extend past nearest neighbor interactions. It is concluded that the stochastic nature of the mesoscale environment must be considered for a proper understanding of the plastic response of sheet metals at the grain-scale

Stabilisation of the grain market by the flexible use of grain for bioethanol

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Helming, J.F.M.; Pronk, A.; Woltjer, I.

2010-01-01

This report reviews whether the grain market and grain price can be stabilised by the variation of the use of grain in the EU-27's production of bioethanol. The time horizon of this study is 2020, whereby account is taken of the minimum 10% obligation for biofuel use in the EU-27. An economic

Is air transport of stroke patients faster than ground transport?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hesselfeldt, Rasmus; Gyllenborg, Jesper; Steinmetz, Jacob

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND: Helicopters are widely used for interhospital transfers of stroke patients, but the benefit is sparsely documented. We hypothesised that helicopter transport would reduce system delay to thrombolytic treatment at the regional stroke centre. METHODS: In this prospective controlled...... observational study, we included patients referred to a stroke centre if their ground transport time exceeded 30 min, or they were transported by a secondarily dispatched, physician-staffed helicopter. The primary endpoint was time from telephone contact to triaging neurologist to arrival in the stroke centre....... Secondary endpoints included modified Rankin Scale at 3 months, 30-day and 1-year mortality. RESULTS: A total of 330 patients were included; 265 with ground transport and 65 with helicopter, of which 87 (33%) and 22 (34%), received thrombolysis, respectively (p=0.88). Time from contact to triaging...

Inter-grain coupling and grain charge in dusty plasma Coulomb crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, M. A.; Goodrich, J.; Mohideen, U.; Rahman, H. U.; Rosenberg, M.; Mendis, D. A.

1998-01-01

We have studied the lattice structure and grain charge of dusty plasma Coulomb crystals formed in rectangular conductive grooves as a function of plasma temperature and density. The crystal appears to be made of mutually repulsive columns of grains confined by the walls of the groove. The columns are oriented along the direction of the electrode sheath electric field. A simple phenomenological model wherein the inter-grain spacing results from an attractive electric field induced dipole-dipole force balanced by a repulsive monopole Coulomb force is consistent with observed features of the Coulomb crystal

Present Status and Future Prospects in Bulk Processing of HIGH-Tc Superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, S.; Chu, C. W.

The following sections are included: * INTRODUCTION * HIGH SUPERCONDUCTING TRANSITION TEMPERATURE * HIGH CRITICAL CURRENT DENSITY * Grain Boundary Weak Links * Nature of Weak Links * Possible Processing Approaches for Weak Link Problem * Processing Techniques for Texture Formation * Flux Creep in HTSC * Desirable Pinning Defects * Processing for Flux Pinning Enhancement * PROSPECTS FOR BULK APPLICATIONS * Magnetic Field Gener * Energy Storage * Magnetic Shielding * Other Applications * CONCLUDING REMARKS * ACKNOWLEDGMENT * REFERENCES

Nonequilibrium mesoscopic transport: a genealogy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Das, Mukunda P; Green, Frederick

2012-01-01

Models of nonequilibrium quantum transport underpin all modern electronic devices, from the largest scales to the smallest. Past simplifications such as coarse graining and bulk self-averaging served well to understand electronic materials. Such particular notions become inapplicable at mesoscopic dimensions, edging towards the truly quantum regime. Nevertheless a unifying thread continues to run through transport physics, animating the design of small-scale electronic technology: microscopic conservation and nonequilibrium dissipation. These fundamentals are inherent in quantum transport and gain even greater and more explicit experimental meaning in the passage to atomic-sized devices. We review their genesis, their theoretical context, and their governing role in the electronic response of meso- and nanoscopic systems. (topical review)

A constitutive model of nanocrystalline metals based on competing grain boundary and grain interior deformation mechanisms

KAUST Repository

Gurses, Ercan

2011-12-01

In this work, a viscoplastic constitutive model for nanocrystalline metals is presented. The model is based on competing grain boundary and grain interior deformation mechanisms. In particular, inelastic deformations caused by grain boundary diffusion, grain boundary sliding and dislocation activities are considered. Effects of pressure on the grain boundary diffusion and sliding mechanisms are taken into account. Furthermore, the influence of grain size distribution on macroscopic response is studied. The model is shown to capture the fundamental mechanical characteristics of nanocrystalline metals. These include grain size dependence of the strength, i.e., both the traditional and the inverse Hall-Petch effects, the tension-compression asymmetry and the enhanced rate sensitivity. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Association of Long-Term Exposure to Transportation Noise and Traffic-Related Air Pollution with the Incidence of Diabetes: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, Charlotte; Sbihi, Hind; Tamburic, Lillian; Brauer, Michael; Frank, Lawrence D; Davies, Hugh W

2017-08-31

Evidence for an association between transportation noise and cardiovascular disease has increased; however, few studies have examined metabolic outcomes such as diabetes or accounted for environmental coexposures such as air pollution, greenness, or walkability. Because diabetes prevalence is increasing and may be on the causal pathway between noise and cardiovascular disease, we examined the influence of long-term residential transportation noise exposure and traffic-related air pollution on the incidence of diabetes using a population-based cohort in British Columbia, Canada. We examined the influence of transportation noise exposure over a 5-y period (1994-1998) on incident diabetes cases in a population-based prospective cohort study (n=380,738) of metropolitan Vancouver (BC) residents who were 45-85 y old, with 4-y of follow-up (1999-2002). Annual average transportation noise (Lden), air pollution [black carbon, particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter Transportation noise was associated with the incidence of diabetes [interquartile range (IQR) increase, 6.8 A-weighted decibels (dBA); OR=1.08 (95% CI: 1.05, 1.10)]. This association remained after adjustment for environmental coexposures including traffic-related air pollutants, greenness, and neighborhood walkability. After adjustment for coexposure to noise, traffic-related air pollutants were not associated with the incidence of diabetes, whereas greenness was protective. We found a positive association between residential transportation noise and diabetes, adding to the growing body of evidence that noise pollution exposure may be independently linked to metabolic health and should be considered when developing public health interventions. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP1279.

Correlated XANES, TEM, and NanoSIMS of presolar graphite grains

Science.gov (United States)

Groopman, Evan E.; Nittler, Larry R.

2018-01-01

We report correlated XANES, TEM, and NanoSIMS measurements of twelve presolar graphite grains extracted from primitive meteorites and for which isotopic data indicate predominantly Type-II supernovae origins. We find continued evidence for isotopic heterogeneities in presolar graphite grains, including the first observation of a radial gradient in the inferred initial 26Al/27Al within a presolar graphite grain. The XANES spectra of these samples show a variety of minor absorbances near the C K-edge, attributable to vinyl-keto, aliphatic, carboxyl, and carbonate molecules, as well as possible damage during sample preparation. Each sample exhibits homogeneous C K-edge XANES spectra within the graphite, however, showing no correlation with isotopic heterogeneities. Gradients in the isotope ratios of C, N, O, and Al could be due to both processes during condensation, e.g., mixing in stellar ejecta and granular transport, and post-condensation effects, such as isotope dilution and exchange with isotopically normal material in the early Solar System or laboratory, the latter of which is a significant issue for high-density presolar graphite grains. It remains unknown whether the mechanisms behind isotope exchange would also affect the local chemistry and therefore the XANES spectra. Ti L-edge XANES from most Ti-rich subgrains match standard spectra for TiC and potentially TiCN. A rare rutile (TiO2) subgrain has been identified, though it lacks the lowest energy L3 peak typically seen in standard spectra. Ca has also been identified by EDXS in TiC subgrains, likely due to the decay of live 44Ti at the time of formation. Future NanoSIMS measurements will determine the variability of initial 44Ti in TiC subgrains, an important constraint on mixing in the ejecta of the grains' parent supernovae.

Prospects of whole grain crops of wheat, rye and triticale under different fertilizer regimes for energy production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Johannes Ravn; Deleuran, Lise Christina; Wollenweber, Bernd

2007-01-01

is an advantage for biomass for energy purposes. The mineral content of the grain fraction changed only little between years and locations. By contrast, large variations in the analysed ions in the straw fraction between years and locations were observed. The use of K fertilizers resulted in a significantly...

Signal or noise? Separating grain size-dependent Nd isotope variability from provenance shifts in Indus delta sediments, Pakistan

Science.gov (United States)

Jonell, T. N.; Li, Y.; Blusztajn, J.; Giosan, L.; Clift, P. D.

2017-12-01

Rare earth element (REE) radioisotope systems, such as neodymium (Nd), have been traditionally used as powerful tracers of source provenance, chemical weathering intensity, and sedimentary processes over geologic timescales. More recently, the effects of physical fractionation (hydraulic sorting) of sediments during transport have called into question the utility of Nd isotopes as a provenance tool. Is source terrane Nd provenance resolvable if sediment transport strongly induces noise? Can grain-size sorting effects be quantified? This study works to address such questions by utilizing grain size analysis, trace element geochemistry, and Nd isotope geochemistry of bulk and grain-size fractions (Pakistan. Here we evaluate how grain size effects drive Nd isotope variability and further resolve the total uncertainties associated with Nd isotope compositions of bulk sediments. Results from the Indus delta indicate bulk sediment ɛNd compositions are most similar to the <63 µm fraction as a result of strong mineralogical control on bulk compositions by silt- to clay-sized monazite and/or allanite. Replicate analyses determine that the best reproducibility (± 0.15 ɛNd points) is observed in the 125-250 µm fraction. The bulk and finest fractions display the worst reproducibility (±0.3 ɛNd points). Standard deviations (2σ) indicate that bulk sediment uncertainties are no more than ±1.0 ɛNd points. This argues that excursions of ≥1.0 ɛNd points in any bulk Indus delta sediments must in part reflect an external shift in provenance irrespective of sample composition, grain size, and grain size distribution. Sample standard deviations (2s) estimate that any terrigenous bulk sediment composition should vary no greater than ±1.1 ɛNd points if provenance remains constant. Findings from this study indicate that although there are grain-size dependent Nd isotope effects, they are minimal in the Indus delta such that resolvable provenance-driven trends can be

Investigation of Single Phase NanoCellulose Transport through Porous Media

Science.gov (United States)

Dziuba, Carter Jordan

The application of nanotechnology to the petroleum industry has seen many recent advancements. Nanocellulose is an emerging nanoparticle at the forefront of research. Before nanocellulose can be injected into petroleum reservoirs, further understanding is needed as to the retention mechanisms that occur during nanocellulose transport through porous media. A series of unconsolidated sandpack floods were preformed with nanocellulose and the resulting retention and permeability reduction were measured. The experimental variables include nanocellulose type, sand grain size, flowrate, and salinity. It was found that all types of nanocellulose tested showed significantly different transport properties. Retention and permeability reduction increased as grain size decreased or flowrate decreased. As a general trend, the larger the size of aggregates in bulk solution, the greater the retention and permeability reduction. Salinity was found to be the primary parameter affecting transport. Increased salinity caused additional aggregation which resulted in increased straining and filter cake formation.

Genotypic differences among rice cultivars in lead accumulation and translocation and the relation with grain Pb levels.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jianguo; Ma, Xinmei; Wang, Mingxin; Sun, Xiangwu

2013-04-01

In order to understand the differences among rice cultivars and genotypes in lead (Pb) uptake and translocation, and their relationship with Pb accumulation in rice grains, pot soil experiments were carried out with six rice cultivars of diverse types under different soil Pb levels. The results showed that the differences among rice cultivars in Pb concentrations varied largely with plant organs, and the magnitudes of the differences were larger in ears and grains than in shoots and roots. Pb concentrations in ears and grains differed significantly (price types, and were in the order: Hybrid Indica>Indica>Japonica. Grain Pb concentrations were correlated significantly (price cultivars in translocation factors (TF) of Pb from shoots to ears/grains were generally larger than the TF of Pb from roots to shoots. The differences among rice types in TF of Pb from shoots to ears/grains were generally significant (pIndica>Japonica. But the differences between rice types in the TF of Pb from roots to shoots were mostly insignificant (p>0.05). In general, grain Pb concentrations were correlated significantly (p0.05) with the TF of Pb from roots to shoots. So the Pb in shoots, but not in roots, may be the main sources of Pb transferred to the grains. Pb concentrations in rice grains are likely to be determined mainly by the translocations of Pb from shoots to the grains, and little by the transport from roots to shoots. Pb concentration in ears of heading can be used as an index of Pb level in the grains. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Photoelectric charging of dust grains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ignatov, A. M.

2009-01-01

Photoemission from the surface of a dust grain in vacuum is considered. It is shown that the cutoff in the energy spectrum of emitted electrons leads to the formation of a steady-state electron cloud. The equation describing the distribution of the electric potential in the vicinity of a dust grain is solved numerically. The dust grain charge is found as a function of the grain size.

Aeolian Sand Transport in the Planetary Context: Respective Roles of Aerodynamic and Bed-Dilatancy Thresholds

Science.gov (United States)

Marshall, J. R.; Borucki, J.; Bratton, C.

1999-09-01

The traditional view of aeolian sand transport generally estimates flux from the perspective of aerodynamic forces creating the airborne grain population, although it has been recognized that "reptation" causes a significant part of the total airborne flux; reptation involves both ballistic injection of grains into the air stream by the impact of saltating grains as well as the "nudging" of surface grains into a creeping motion. Whilst aerodynamic forces may initiate sand motion, it is proposed here that within a fully-matured grain cloud, flux is actually governed by two thresholds: an aerodynamic threshold, and a bed-dilatancy threshold. It is the latter which controls the reptation population, and its significance increases proportionally with transport energy. Because we only have experience with terrestrial sand transport, extrapolations of aeolian theory to Mars and Venus have adjusted only the aerodynamic factor, taking gravitational forces and atmospheric density as the prime variables in the aerodynamic equations, but neglecting reptation. The basis for our perspective on the importance of reptation and bed dilatancy is a set of experiments that were designed to simulate sand transport across the surface of a martian dune. Using a modified sporting crossbow in which a sand-impelling sabot replaced the bolt-firing mechanism, individual grains of sand were fired at loose sand targets with glancing angles typical of saltation impact; grains were projected at about 80 m/s to simulate velocities commensurate with those predicted for extreme martian aeolian conditions. The sabot impelling method permitted study of individual impacts without the masking effect of bed mobilization encountered in wind-tunnel studies. At these martian impact velocities, grains produced small craters formed by the ejection of several hundred grains from the bed. Unexpectedly, the craters were not elongated, despite glancing impact; the craters were very close to circular in planform

Impact fracture experiments simulating interstellar grain-grain collisions

Science.gov (United States)

Freund, Friedemann; Chang, Sherwood; Dickinson, J. Thomas

1990-01-01

Oxide and silicate grains condensing during the early phases of the formation of the solar system or in the outflow of stars are exposed to high partial pressures of the low-z elements H, C, N and O and their simple gaseous compounds. Though refractory minerals are nominally anhydrous and non-carbonate, if they crystallize in the presence of H2O, N2 and CO or CO2 gases, they dissolve traces of the gaseous components. The question arises: How does the presence of dissolved gases or gas components manifest itself when grain-grain collisions occur. What are the gases emitted when grains are shattered during a collision event. Researchers report on fracture experiments in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV, approximately less than 10 to the -8th power mbar) designed to measure (by means of a quadrupole mass spectrometer, QMS, with microns to ms time resolution) the emission of gases and vapors during and after impact (up to 1.5 sec). Two terrestrial materials were chosen which represent structural and compositional extremes: olivine (San Carlos, AZ), a densely packed Mg-Fe(2+) silicate from the upper mantle, available as 6 to 12 mm single crystals, and obsidian (Oregon), a structurally open, alkaline-SiO2-rich volcanic glass. In the olivine crystals OH- groups have been identified spectroscopically, as well as H2 molecules. Obsidian is a water-rich glass containing OH- besides H2O molecules. Olivine from the mantle often contains CO2, either as CO2-rich fluid in fluid inclusions or structurally dissolved or both. By analogy to synthetic glasses CO2 in the obsidian may be present in form of CO2 molecules in voids of molecular dimensions, or as carbonate anions, CO3(2-). No organic molecules have been detected spectroscopically in either material. Results indicate that refractory oxide/silicates which contain dissolved traces of the H2O and CO/CO2 components but no spectroscopically detectable traces of organics may release complex H-C-O (possibly H-C-N-O) molecules upon fracture

Microbiota of kefir grains

OpenAIRE

Tomislav Pogačić; Sanja Šinko; Šimun Zamberlin; Dubravka Samaržija

2013-01-01

Kefir grains represent the unique microbial community consisting of bacteria, yeasts, and sometimes filamentous moulds creating complex symbiotic community. The complexity of their physical and microbial structures is the reason that the kefir grains are still not unequivocally elucidated. Microbiota of kefir grains has been studied by many microbiological and molecular approaches. The development of metagenomics, based on the identification without cultivation, is opening new possibilities f...

Calcium in pollen-pistil interaction in `Petunia hybrida Hor`. Pt. 1. Localization of Ca{sup 2+} ions in mature pollen grain using pyroantimonate and autoradiographic methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bednarska, E.; Butowt, R. [Uniwersytet Mikolaja Kopernika, Torun (Poland)

1994-12-31

The localization of Ca{sup 2+} in the mature pollen grain and the flow of these ions the somatic tissues of the anther to the pollen grains has been studied using pyroantimonate and autoradiographic methods. In the pollen grain, Ca{sup 2+} ions have been localized in the sporoderm in the cytoplasmic vesicles of probably dictyosomal origin. Calcium ions were transported into the sporoderm together with the compounds of degenerating tapetum. The material of degenerating tapetum forms pollen coat surrounding the mature pollen grains. (author). 18 refs, 9 figs.

Interplay between grain structure and protein adsorption on functional response of osteoblasts: ultrafine-grained versus coarse-grained substrates.

Science.gov (United States)

Misra, R D K; Nune, C; Pesacreta, T C; Somani, M C; Karjalainen, L P

2013-01-01

The rapid adsorption of proteins is the starting and primary biological response that occurs when a biomedical device is implanted in the physiological system. The biological response, however, depends on the surface characteristics of the device. Considering the significant interest in nano-/ultrafine surfaces and nanostructured coatings, we describe here, the interplay between grain structure and protein adsorption (bovine serum albumin: BSA) on osteoblasts functions by comparing nanograined/ultrafine-grained (NG/UFG) and coarse-grained (CG: grain size in the micrometer range) substrates by investigating cell-substrate interactions. The protein adsorption on NG/UFG surface was beneficial in favorably modulating biological functions including cell attachment, proliferation, and viability, whereas the effect was less pronounced on protein adsorbed CG surface. Additionally, immunofluorescence studies demonstrated stronger vinculin signals associated with actin stress fibers in the outer regions of the cells and cellular extensions on protein adsorbed NG/UFG surface. The functional response followed the sequence: NG/UFG(BSA) > NG/UFG > CG(BSA) > CG. The differences in the cellular response on bare and protein adsorbed NG/UFG and CG surfaces are attributed to cumulative contribution of grain structure and degree of hydrophilicity. The study underscores the potential advantages of protein adsorption on artificial biomedical devices to enhance the bioactivity and regulate biological functions. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Bedload transport over run-of-river dams, Delaware, U.S.A.

Science.gov (United States)

Pearson, Adam J.; Pizzuto, Jim

2015-11-01

We document the detailed morphology and bed sediment size distribution of a stream channel upstream and downstream of a 200-year-old run-of-river dam on the Red Clay Creek, a fifth order stream in the Piedmont of northern Delaware, and combine these data with HEC-RAS modeling and bedload transport computations. We hypothesize that coarse bed material can be carried through run-of-river impoundments before they completely fill with sediment, and we explore mechanisms to facilitate this transport. Only 25% of the accommodation space in our study site is filled with sediment, and maximum water depths are approximately equal to the dam height. All grain-size fractions present upstream of the impoundment are also present throughout the impoundment. A characteristic coarse-grained sloping ramp leads from the floor of the impoundment to the crest of the dam. A 2.3-m-deep plunge pool has been excavated below the dam, followed immediately downstream by a mid-channel bar composed of coarse bed material similar in size distribution to the bed material of the impoundment. The mid-channel bar stores 1472 m3 of sediment, exceeding the volume excavated from the plunge pool by a factor of 2.8. These field observations are typical of five other sites nearby and suggest that all bed material grain-size fractions supplied from upstream can be transported through the impoundment, up the sloping ramp, and over the top of the dam. Sediment transport computations suggest that all grain sizes are in transport upstream and within the impoundment at all discharges with return periods from 1 to 50 years. Our computations suggest that transport of coarse bed material through the impoundment is facilitated by its smooth, sandy bed. Model results suggest that the impoundment is currently aggrading at 0.26 m/year, but bed elevations may be recovering after recent scour from a series of large floods during water year 2011-2012. We propose that impoundments upstream of these run-of-river dams

Whole grains and health: attitudes to whole grains against a prevailing background of increased marketing and promotion.

Science.gov (United States)

McMackin, Elaine; Dean, Moira; Woodside, Jayne V; McKinley, Michelle C

2013-04-01

To explore current awareness and perceptions of whole grain foods and perceived barriers and facilitators of whole grain consumption. Focus groups were conducted to investigate consumer attitudes to whole grains. Discussions were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. Discussions were held throughout Northern Ireland with adults who were at least partly responsible for food shopping. Seven focus groups were held (n 43; thirty-three females, ten males). All participants were aware of the term 'whole grain' and had a basic level of awareness of their health benefits. Prominent barriers and facilitators of whole grain intake were related to perceptions of the sensory properties (most dominant factor) of whole grains; knowledge of how to locate, identify and use whole grains; and awareness of the health benefits, perceived cost and family influences. Parents of young children appeared to be altruistically motivated with many stating they wanted to ensure their children consumed whole grains in order to establish good eating habits. Participants were generally aware of the term 'whole grain'; however, even against a background of increased availability and promotion of whole grain foods, many key barriers to whole grain consumption were still evident. Alongside general education efforts, opportunities and challenges exist for the food industry to develop novel, but affordable, food products that are able to deliver whole grains in a wide variety of forms, including whole grains 'in disguise' for those who are most resistant to change.

FOREIGN EXPERIENCE OF MANAGEMENT AND NORMATIVELY-LEGAL ADJUSTING BY INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORTATIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nataliya Grigorievna Kuftinova

2015-09-01

Full Text Available In this article foreign experience of management is examined by international transportations and prospects of development of management information by bus transportations and transportations of loads. Normatively-legal adjusting, basic norms of domestic law as article of intergovernmental agreements on international transportations.

Evidence of sealing and brine distribution at grain boundaries in natural fine-grained Halite (Qum Kuh salt fountain, Central Iran): implications for rheology of salt extrusions

Science.gov (United States)

Desbois, Guillaume; Urai, Janos L.; de Bresser, J. H. P.

2010-05-01

When grain boundary movement is stopped, surface energy related forces reassert themselves driving the system to its equilibrium conditions ([2], [6], [7], [8]). This could result in growth of islands and shrinking of channels and hence in healing the boundary by internal redistribution of fluid and solid in the contact region. Such islands are proposed to grow preferentially close to the contact rim and promote the healing of the grain-grain contact, which in turn prevents transport in or out the boundary region and thus traps the fluids in isolated inclusions. This contribution is focused on observation of grain boundary microstructures in natural mylonitic rocksalt collected from the distal part of Kum-Quh salt fountain (central Iran) in order to give unprecedented insight of grain boundary microstructures using argon-beam cross-sectioning to prepare high quality polished surfaces suitable for high-resolution SEM imaging. The possibility to use our SEM under cryogenic conditions allows also imaging the in-situ distribution of fluids. Results show that brine at grain boundaries occurs as thick layers (> µm in scale) corresponding to cross-sectioned wetted triple junction tubes, as filling at triple junction and as array of isolated fluids inclusions at grain-grain contacts. Close observations at islands contacts suggest the presence of a very thin fluid film (Journal of Structural Geology. [2] Ghoussoub J., and Leroy Y.M. (2001), Solid-fluid phase transformation within grain boundaries during compaction by pressure solution, J. Mech. Phys. Solids, 49, 737 2385-2430. 738 [3] Jackson, M.P.A., (1985). Natural strain in diapiric and glacial rock salt, with emphasis on Oakwood dome, East Texas, Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin, Texas. [4] Schléder Z. and Urai J.L. (2007). Deformation and recrystallization mechanisms in mylonitic shear zones in naturally deformed extrusive Eocene-Oligocene rock salt from Eyvanekey plateau and Garmsar

Grain boundary and grain interior conduction in {gamma}'-Bi{sub 2}MoO{sub 6}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vera, C.M.C. [Laboratorio de Peliculas Delgadas, Facultad de Ingenieria, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Paseo Colon 850, 1063 Buenos Aires (Argentina)]. E-mail: cvera@fi.uba.ar; Aragon, R. [Laboratorio de Peliculas Delgadas, Facultad de Ingenieria, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Paseo Colon 850, 1063 Buenos Aires (Argentina); CINSO, CONICET, CITEFA, Lasalle 4397, Villa Martelli, Buenos Aires (Argentina)

2005-07-25

Impedance spectroscopy of fine grained (<10 {mu}m) {gamma}'-Bi{sub 2}MoO{sub 6} samples, in the frequency range of 0.1 Hz-250 kHz, relevant to sensor applications, up to 800 deg. C, has been used to characterize grain boundary and grain interior contributions to conduction. Above 500 deg. C, the grain boundary contribution is no longer rate limiting and conduction is dominated by the grain interior component. The corresponding activation energies are 0.98 eV for grain boundary and 0.73 eV for grain interior components. The weak dependence of conductivity on oxygen partial pressure below 500 deg. C can be attributed to electrode-electrolyte interface phenomena, whereas the robust response to ethanol is commensurate with changes in intrinsic ionic conductivity.

A UNIFIED MODEL OF GRAIN ALIGNMENT: RADIATIVE ALIGNMENT OF INTERSTELLAR GRAINS WITH MAGNETIC INCLUSIONS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoang, Thiem [Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Toronto, 60 St. George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3H8 (Canada); Lazarian, A. [Department of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison (United States)

2016-11-10

The radiative torque (RAT) alignment of interstellar grains with ordinary paramagnetic susceptibilities has been supported by earlier studies. The alignment of such grains depends on the so-called RAT parameter q {sup max}, which is determined by the grain shape. In this paper, we elaborate on our model of RAT alignment for grains with enhanced magnetic susceptibility due to iron inclusions, such that RAT alignment is magnetically enhanced, which we term the MRAT mechanism. Such grains can be aligned with high angular momentum at the so-called high- J attractor points, achieving a high degree of alignment. Using our analytical model of RATs, we derive the critical value of the magnetic relaxation parameter δ {sub m} to produce high- J attractor points as functions of q {sup max} and the anisotropic radiation angle relative to the magnetic field ψ . We find that if about 10% of the total iron abundance present in silicate grains is forming iron clusters, this is sufficient to produce high- J attractor points for all reasonable values of q {sup max}. To calculate the degree of grain alignment, we carry out numerical simulations of MRAT alignment by including stochastic excitations from gas collisions and magnetic fluctuations. We show that large grains can achieve perfect alignment when the high- J attractor point is present, regardless of the values of q {sup max}. Our obtained results pave the way for the physical modeling of polarized thermal dust emission as well as magnetic dipole emission. We also find that millimeter-sized grains in accretion disks may be aligned with the magnetic field if they are incorporated with iron nanoparticles.

Selection of common bean lines with high grain yield and high grain calcium and iron concentrations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nerinéia Dalfollo Ribeiro

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Genetic improvement of common bean nutritional quality has advantages in marketing and can contribute to society as a food source. The objective of this study was to evaluate the genetic variability for grain yield, calcium and iron concentrations in grains of inbred common bean lines obtained by different breeding methods. For this, 136 F7 inbred lines were obtained using the Pedigree method and 136 F7 inbred lines were obtained using the Single-Seed Descent (SSD method. The lines showed genetic variability for grain yield, and concentrations of calcium and iron independently of the method of advancing segregating populations. The Pedigree method allows obtaining a greater number of lines with high grain yield. Selection using the SSD method allows the identification of a larger number of lines with high concentrations of calcium and iron in grains. Weak negative correlations were found between grain yield and calcium concentration (r = -0.0994 and grain yield and iron concentration (r = -0.3926. Several lines show genetic superiority for grain yield and concentrations of calcium and iron in grains and their selection can result in new common bean cultivars with high nutritional quality.

Grain subproteome responses to nitrogen and sulfur supply in diploid wheat Triticum monococcum ssp. monococcum.

Science.gov (United States)

Bonnot, Titouan; Bancel, Emmanuelle; Alvarez, David; Davanture, Marlène; Boudet, Julie; Pailloux, Marie; Zivy, Michel; Ravel, Catherine; Martre, Pierre

2017-09-01

Wheat grain storage proteins (GSPs) make up most of the protein content of grain and determine flour end-use value. The synthesis and accumulation of GSPs depend highly on nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) availability and it is important to understand the underlying control mechanisms. Here we studied how the einkorn (Triticum monococcum ssp. monococcum) grain proteome responds to different amounts of N and S supply during grain development. GSP composition at grain maturity was clearly impacted by nutrition treatments, due to early changes in the rate of GSP accumulation during grain filling. Large-scale analysis of the nuclear and albumin-globulin subproteomes during this key developmental phase revealed that the abundance of 203 proteins was significantly modified by the nutrition treatments. Our results showed that the grain proteome was highly affected by perturbation in the N:S balance. S supply strongly increased the rate of accumulation of S-rich α/β-gliadin and γ-gliadin, and the abundance of several other proteins involved in glutathione metabolism. Post-anthesis N supply resulted in the activation of amino acid metabolism at the expense of carbohydrate metabolism and the activation of transport processes including nucleocytoplasmic transit. Protein accumulation networks were analyzed. Several central actors in the response were identified whose variation in abundance was related to variation in the amounts of many other proteins and are thus potentially important for GSP accumulation. This detailed analysis of grain subproteomes provides information on how wheat GSP composition can possibly be controlled in low-level fertilization condition. © 2017 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Kansas Agents Study Grain Marketing

Science.gov (United States)

Schoeff, Robert W.

1973-01-01

Author is an extension specialist in feed and grain marketing for Kansas State University. He describes a tour set up to educate members of the Kansas Grain and Feed Dealers' Association in the area of grain marketing and exporting. (GB)

Advection-diffusion model for normal grain growth and the stagnation of normal grain growth in thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lou, C.

2002-01-01

An advection-diffusion model has been set up to describe normal grain growth. In this model grains are divided into different groups according to their topological classes (number of sides of a grain). Topological transformations are modelled by advective and diffusive flows governed by advective and diffusive coefficients respectively, which are assumed to be proportional to topological classes. The ordinary differential equations governing self-similar time-independent grain size distribution can be derived analytically from continuity equations. It is proved that the time-independent distributions obtained by solving the ordinary differential equations have the same form as the time-dependent distributions obtained by solving the continuity equations. The advection-diffusion model is extended to describe the stagnation of normal grain growth in thin films. Grain boundary grooving prevents grain boundaries from moving, and the correlation between neighbouring grains accelerates the stagnation of normal grain growth. After introducing grain boundary grooving and the correlation between neighbouring grains into the model, the grain size distribution is close to a lognormal distribution, which is usually found in experiments. A vertex computer simulation of normal grain growth has also been carried out to make a cross comparison with the advection-diffusion model. The result from the simulation did not verify the assumption that the advective and diffusive coefficients are proportional to topological classes. Instead, we have observed that topological transformations usually occur on certain topological classes. This suggests that the advection-diffusion model can be improved by making a more realistic assumption on topological transformations. (author)

Underlying physical aspects of fluctuations in YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7-{delta}} grain boundary Josephson junctions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stornaiuolo, D. [CNR-INFM Coherentia, Dip. Scienze Fisiche, Universita di Napoli Federico II, 80125 Napoli (Italy); Gambale, E. [Dip. Ingegneria dell' Informazione, Seconda Universita di Napoli, 81031 Aversa (Italy); Bauch, T. [Department of Microelectronics and Nanoscience, MINA, Chalmers University of Technology, 41296 Goeteborg (Sweden); Born, D. [Dip. Ingegneria dell' Informazione, Seconda Universita di Napoli, 81031 Aversa (Italy); Cedergren, K. [Department of Microelectronics and Nanoscience, MINA, Chalmers University of Technology, 41296 Goeteborg (Sweden); Dalena, D. [Dip. Ingegneria dell' Informazione, Seconda Universita di Napoli, 81031 Aversa (Italy); Barone, A.; Tagliacozzo, A. [CNR-INFM Coherentia, Dip. Scienze Fisiche, Universita di Napoli Federico II, 80125 Napoli (Italy); Lombardi, F. [Department of Microelectronics and Nanoscience, MINA, Chalmers University of Technology, 41296 Goeteborg (Sweden); Tafuri, F. [CNR-INFM Coherentia, Dip. Scienze Fisiche, Universita di Napoli Federico II, 80125 Napoli (Italy); Dip. Ingegneria dell' Informazione, Seconda Universita di Napoli, 81031 Aversa (Italy)], E-mail: tafuri@na.infn.it

2008-02-15

High quality YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7-{delta}} biepitaxial grain boundary junctions allowed one of the first evidences of macroscopic quantum behavior and mesoscopic transport in high critical temperature superconductors (HTS) systems. Both these studies touch delicate issues on fluctuations and give important feedback on the understanding of coherent transport of quasiparticles and of the dissipation mechanisms in HTS.

Whole grain and body weight changes in apparently healthy adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies123

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pol, Korrie; Christensen, Robin; Bartels, Else M

2013-01-01

Background: Whole grains have received increased attention for their potential role in weight regulation. A high intake has been associated with smaller weight gain in prospective cohort studies, whereas the evidence from randomized controlled studies has been less consistent. Objective: We...... assessed the effects of whole-grain compared with non–whole-grain foods on changes in body weight, percentage of body fat, and waist circumference by using a meta-analytic approach. Design: We conducted a systematic literature search in selected databases. Studies were included in the review if they were...... weight compared with control consumption, but a small beneficial effect on body fat may be present. The relatively short duration of intervention studies (≤16 wk) may explain the lack of difference in body weight and fat. Discrepancies between studies may be caused by differences in study design....

Effect of thickness and cold substrate on transport properties of thermally evaporated CdTe thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Mongy, A.Abd; Hashem, H.M.; Ramadan, A.A.

2005-01-01

The correlation between the structural characteristics (stoichiometry and crystallite size) of CdTe films and their electronic transport properties were the aims of the present study to bring attention to the dual importance of grain size and conversion of the semiconductivity type with changing film thickness. Two main parameters were considered: the substrate temperature and film thickness. Transport properties were influenced by grain boundaries as well as by native doping. Optical measurements showed two main direct transitions at energies: E 1 ∼1.55 eV (fundamental gap) and E 2 ∼2.49 eV (due to valence band splitting). Both transitions were found to be thickness dependent with a marked change at a film thickness of about 300 nm. In the case of low substrate temperature, the scaling relation between resistivity and grain size showed a deviation from linear behavior at a size of 20 nm and the transmission coefficient is reduced. Also, the deposition on cold substrate enhanced both dark and photoconductivity for films of thickness ≥300 nm. It is also proved that the carrier transport was affected by the transmission coef-ficient for carriers to pass a single grain boundary as well as the number of grain boundaries per mean free path. (copyright 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Effect of thickness and cold substrate on transport properties of thermally evaporated CdTe thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

El-Mongy, A.Abd; Hashem, H.M.; Ramadan, A.A. [Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Helwan University, Helwan, Cairo (Egypt)

2005-08-01

The correlation between the structural characteristics (stoichiometry and crystallite size) of CdTe films and their electronic transport properties were the aims of the present study to bring attention to the dual importance of grain size and conversion of the semiconductivity type with changing film thickness. Two main parameters were considered: the substrate temperature and film thickness. Transport properties were influenced by grain boundaries as well as by native doping. Optical measurements showed two main direct transitions at energies: E{sub 1} {approx}1.55 eV (fundamental gap) and E{sub 2}{approx}2.49 eV (due to valence band splitting). Both transitions were found to be thickness dependent with a marked change at a film thickness of about 300 nm. In the case of low substrate temperature, the scaling relation between resistivity and grain size showed a deviation from linear behavior at a size of 20 nm and the transmission coefficient is reduced. Also, the deposition on cold substrate enhanced both dark and photoconductivity for films of thickness {>=}300 nm. It is also proved that the carrier transport was affected by the transmission coef-ficient for carriers to pass a single grain boundary as well as the number of grain boundaries per mean free path. (copyright 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Bio-fuels energy policy and grain transportation flows : implications for inland waterways and short sea shipping.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-15

This project develops a foundation for analysis of the effects of U.S. biofuel energy policy on domestic : and international grain flows and patterns. The primary deliverable of this project is an updated and : expanded spatial equilibrium model of w...

Atomic transport properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Freyss, M.

2015-01-01

As presented in the first chapter of this book, atomic transport properties govern a large panel of nuclear fuel properties, from its microstructure after fabrication to its behaviour under irradiation: grain growth, oxidation, fission product release, gas bubble nucleation. The modelling of the atomic transport properties is therefore the key to understanding and predicting the material behaviour under irradiation or in storage conditions. In particular, it is noteworthy that many modelling techniques within the so-called multi-scale modelling scheme of materials make use of atomic transport data as input parameters: activation energies of diffusion, diffusion coefficients, diffusion mechanisms, all of which are then required to be known accurately. Modelling approaches that are readily used or which could be used to determine atomic transport properties of nuclear materials are reviewed here. They comprise, on the one hand, static atomistic calculations, in which the migration mechanism is fixed and the corresponding migration energy barrier is calculated, and, on the other hand, molecular dynamics calculations and kinetic Monte-Carlo simulations, for which the time evolution of the system is explicitly calculated. (author)

Origins of amorphous interstellar grains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hasegawa, H.

1984-01-01

The existence of amorphous interstellar grains has been suggested from infrared observations. Some carbon stars show the far infrared emission with a lambda -1 wavelength dependence. Far infrared emission supposed to be due to silicate grains often show the lambda -1 wavelength dependence. Mid infrared spectra around 10 μm have broad structure. These may be due to the amorphous silicate grains. The condition that the condensed grains from the cosmic gas are amorphous is discussed. (author)

Transportal anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with quadrupled hamstring tendon graft: A prospective outcome study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chandan Kumar

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL reconstruction has been one of the most commonly performed procedures throughout the world. Unsatisfactory outcome with conventional ACL reconstruction has been attributed to nonanatomic graft placement. Researchers have advised placing the graft in the native footprint of ACL to avoid nonanatomic graft placement. The goal of this study was to analyze the outcome of anatomic single bundle ACL reconstruction using transportal technique. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective outcome study conducted on 85 consecutive patients of ACL reconstruction of which 62 patients met inclusion and exclusion criteria and were analyzed for final results. All the patients underwent ACL reconstruction by quadrupled hamstring tendon graft using transportal technique and the accessory anteromedial (AAM portal for femoral tunnel creation. The graft was fixed with endobutton on femoral side and bioabsorbable screw on the tibial side. Patients were evaluated for range of motion, International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC score, and Lysholm scores at a minimum followup period of 2 years. The mean pre- and postoperative scores were compared using Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results: The mean Lysholm and IKDC scores improved significantly (P < 0.0001 from preoperative value. According to IKDC score, 90.3% (n = 56 were either normal or near normal at final followup. According to Lysholm score, 75.8% of patients had excellent and 13.3% had good results. Preoperatively, pivot shift was present in 85.5% (n = 53 of patients which reduced to 4.8% (n = 3 postoperatively. Infection and knee stiffness occurred in two patients, and femoral tunnel blowout and graft re-rupture occurred in one patient each. Conclusion: Anatomic ACL reconstruction by AAM portal is a reproducible technique which gives good clinical outcome at short-term followup.

Tracer concentration contours in grain lattice and grain boundary diffusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Y. S.; Olander, D. R.

1997-01-01

Grain boundary diffusion plays a significant role in fission gas release, which is one of the crucial processes dominating nuclear fuel performance. Gaseous fission products such as Xe and Kr generated during nuclear fission have to diffuse in the grain lattice and the boundary inside fuel pellets before they reach the open spaces in a fuel rod. These processes can be studied by 'tracer diffusion' techniques, by which grain boundary diffusivity can be estimated and directly used for low burn-up fission gas release analysis. However, only a few models accounting for the both processes are available and mostly handle them numerically due to mathematical complexity. Also the numerical solution has limitations in a practical use. In this paper, an approximate analytical solution in case of stationary grain boundary in a polycrystalline solid is developed for the tracer diffusion techniques. This closed-form solution is compared to available exact and numerical solutions and it turns out that it makes computation not only greatly easier but also more accurate than previous models. It can be applied to theoretical modelings for low burn-up fission gas release phenomena and experimental analyses as well, especially for PIE (post irradiation examination). (author)

Thermal transport in nanocrystalline Si and SiGe by ab initio based Monte Carlo simulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Lina; Minnich, Austin J

2017-03-14

Nanocrystalline thermoelectric materials based on Si have long been of interest because Si is earth-abundant, inexpensive, and non-toxic. However, a poor understanding of phonon grain boundary scattering and its effect on thermal conductivity has impeded efforts to improve the thermoelectric figure of merit. Here, we report an ab-initio based computational study of thermal transport in nanocrystalline Si-based materials using a variance-reduced Monte Carlo method with the full phonon dispersion and intrinsic lifetimes from first-principles as input. By fitting the transmission profile of grain boundaries, we obtain excellent agreement with experimental thermal conductivity of nanocrystalline Si [Wang et al. Nano Letters 11, 2206 (2011)]. Based on these calculations, we examine phonon transport in nanocrystalline SiGe alloys with ab-initio electron-phonon scattering rates. Our calculations show that low energy phonons still transport substantial amounts of heat in these materials, despite scattering by electron-phonon interactions, due to the high transmission of phonons at grain boundaries, and thus improvements in ZT are still possible by disrupting these modes. This work demonstrates the important insights into phonon transport that can be obtained using ab-initio based Monte Carlo simulations in complex nanostructured materials.

Grain boundary sweeping and dissolution effects on fission product behaviour under severe fuel damage accident conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rest, J.

1986-01-01

The theoretical FASTGRASS-VFP model has been used in the interpretation of fission gas, iodine, tellurium, and cesium release from severe-fuel-damage (SFD) tests performed in the PBF reactor in Idaho. A theory of grain boundary sweeping of gas bubbles, gas bubble behavior during fuel liquefaction (destruction of grain boundaries due to formation of a U-rich melt phase), and during U-Zr eutectic melting has been included within the FASTGRASS-VFP formalism. The grain-boundary-sweeping theory considers the interaction between the moving grain boundary and two distinct size classes of bubbles, those on grain faces and on grain edges. The theory of the effects of fuel liquefaction and U-Zr eutectic melting on fission product behaviour considers the migration and coalescence of fission gas bubbles in either molten uranium, or a Zircaloy-Uranium eutectic melt. Results of the analyses demonstrate that intragranular fission product behavior during the tests can be interpreted in terms of a grain-growth/grain-boundary-sweeping mechanism that enhances the flow of fission products from within the grains to the grain boundaries. Whereas fuel liquefaction leads to an enhanced release of fission products in trace-irradiated fuel, the occurrence of fuel liquefaction in normally-irradiated fuel can degrade fission product release. This phenomenon is due in part to reduced gas-bubble mobilities in a viscous medium as compared to vapor transport, and in part to a degradation of grain growth rates and the subsequent decrease in grain-boundary sweeping of intragranular fission products into the liquified lamina. The analysis shows that total UO 2 dissolution due to eutectic melting leads to increased release for both trace-irradiated and normally-irradiated fuel. The FASTGRASS-VFP predictions, measured release rates from the above tests, and previously published release rates are compared and differences between fission product behavior in trace-irradiated and in normally

Ferroelectric domain continuity over grain boundaries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mantri, Sukriti; Oddershede, Jette; Damjanovic, Dragan

2017-01-01

Formation and mobility of domain walls in ferroelectric materials is responsible for many of their electrical and mechanical properties. Domain wall continuity across grain boundaries has been observed since the 1950's and is speculated to affect the grain boundary-domain interactions, thereby...... impacting macroscopic ferroelectric properties in polycrystalline systems. However detailed studies of such correlated domain structures across grain boundaries are limited. In this work, we have developed the mathematical requirements for domain wall plane matching at grain boundaries of any given...... orientation. We have also incorporated the effect of grain boundary ferroelectric polarization charge created when any two domains meet at the grain boundary plane. The probability of domain wall continuity for three specific grain misorientations is studied. Use of this knowledge to optimize processing...

Branching-induced grain boundary evolution during directional solidification of columnar dendritic grains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, Chunwen; Li, Junjie; Yu, Honglei; Wang, Zhijun; Lin, Xin; Wang, Jincheng

2017-01-01

We present an investigation of secondary and tertiary branching behavior in diverging grain boundaries (GBs) between two columnar dendritic grains with different crystallographic orientations, both by two-dimensional phase-field simulations and thin-sample experiments. The stochasticity of the GB trajectories and the statistically averaged GB orientations were analyzed in detail. The side-branching dynamics and subsequent branch competition behaviors found in the simulations agreed well with the experimental results. When the orientations of two grains are given, the experimental results indicated that the average GB orientation was independent of the pulling velocity in the dendritic growth regime. The simulation and experimental results, as well as the results reported in the literature exhibit a uniform relation between the percentage of the whole gap region occupied by the favorably oriented grain and the difference in the absolute values of the secondary arm growth directions of the two competitive grains. By describing such a uniform relation with a simple fitting equation, we proposed a simple analytical model for the GB orientation at diverging GBs, which gives a more accurate description of GB orientation selection than the existing models.

The effect of grain refinement and silicon content on grain formation in hypoeutectic Al-Si alloys

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Y.C.; Dahle, A.K.; StJohn, D.H.; Hutt, J.E.C. [Queensland Univ., Brisbane (Australia). Dept. of Mining, Minerals and Mater. Eng.

1999-01-15

The effect of increasing the amount of added grain refiner on grain size and morphology has been investigated for a range of hypoeutectic Al-Si alloys. The results show a transition in grain size at a silicon concentration of about 3 wt% in unrefined alloys; the grain size decreasing with silicon content before the transition, and increasing beyond the transition point. A change in morphology also occurs with increased silicon content. The addition of grain refiner leads to greater refinement for silicon contents below the transition point than for those contents above the transition point, while the transition point seems to remain unchanged. The slope of the grain size versus silicon content curve after the transition seems to be unaffected by the degree of grain refinement. The results are related to the competitive processes of nucleation and constitutional effects during growth and their impact on nucleation kinetics. (orig.) 13 refs.

Use of calcium and boron in the production of grain and sunflower silage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas Newton Martin

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Boron and calcium are related to many physiological processes of the plant, which are affected by its deficiency, such as sugar transport, synthesis and cell wall structure, carbohydrate metabolism and plasma membrane integrity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of boron and calcium application via leaf and soil on the yield components in silage quality and content of macronutrients in leaves of sunflower. The experiment was conducted at Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná – UTFPR, Campus Dois Vizinhos, from September 2008 to April 2009, in a randomized block design with four replications, using the genotype Agrobel - La Tijereta. Morphological characteristics of the plants, the yield components (grain yield and weight of hundred grains, silage quality and content of nutrient uptake were evaluated. The sunflower crop did not respond to application of boron and calcium, to effects on yield components in silage quality and content of nutrients absorbed by plants. However, it was found increases in the partition dry grain and plant height.

Compaction of cereal grain

OpenAIRE

Wychowaniec, J.; Griffiths, I.; Gay, A.; Mughal, A.

2013-01-01

We report on simple shaking experiments to measure the compaction of a column of Firth oat grain. Such grains are elongated anisotropic particles with a bimodal polydispersity. In these experiments, the particle configurations start from an initially disordered, low-packing-fraction state and under vertical shaking evolve to a dense state with evidence of nematic-like structure at the surface of the confining tube. This is accompanied by an increase in the packing fraction of the grain.

Molecular dynamics study on microstructure of near grain boundary distortion region in small grain size nano- NiAl alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, J.Y.; Wang, X.W.; Rifkin, J.; Li, D.X.

2001-12-01

Using the molecular dynamics simulation method, the microstructure of distortion region near curved amorphous-like grain boundary in nano-NiAl alloy is studied. The results showed that due to the internal elastic force of high energy grain boundary, distortion layer exists between grain and grain boundary. The lattice expansion and structure factor decreasing are observed in this region. Stacking fault in sample with grain size 3.8nm is clearly observed across the distortion region at the site very close to grain. The influences of different grain sizes on average distortion degree and volume fractions of distortion region, grain and grain boundary are also discussed. (author)

Luminal uptake and intracellular transport of insulin in renal proximal tubules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hellfritzsch, M.; Christensen, E.I.; Sonne, O.

1986-01-01

It is generally accepted that proteins taken up from the renal tubular fluid are transported into lysosomes in proximal tubule cells. Recently, however, it has been postulated that insulin in isolated perfused rat kidneys did not accumulate in lysosomes but to a certain degree in the Golgi region. The present study was undertaken to investigate the intracellular handling of biologically unaltered insulin in rat renal proximal tubule cells. Rats were prepared for in vivo micropuncture and either a colloidal gold insulin complex or insulin monoiodinated in the A-14 position ( 125 I-insulin) was microinfused into proximal tubules. After 5, 10, 25 or 60 min the tubules were fixed by microinfusion of glutaraldehyde and processed for electron microscopy or electron microscope autoradiography. A qualitative analysis of tubules infused with colloidal gold insulin or 125 I-insulin showed that insulin was taken up by endocytosis and transported to lysosomes, and a quantitative autoradiographic analysis of the 125 I-insulin microinfused tubules showed that the grain density after five min was significantly increased for endocytic vacuoles and for lysosomes. After 60 min the grain density was still significant over lysosomes. The accumulation of grains was non-significant over all other areas analyzed at any time. This study shows that insulin is taken up from the luminal side of the proximal tubule by endocytosis and transported to the lysosomes. There was no significant transport to the Golgi region

7 CFR 868.310 - Grades and grade requirements for the classes Long Grain Milled Rice, Medium Grain Milled Rice...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... Grain Milled Rice, Medium Grain Milled Rice, Short Grain Milled Rice, and Mixed Milled Rice. (See also Â... Milled Rice Principles Governing Application of Standards § 868.310 Grades and grade requirements for the classes Long Grain Milled Rice, Medium Grain Milled Rice, Short Grain Milled Rice, and Mixed Milled Rice...

Meso-microstructural computational simulation of the hydrogen permeation test to calculate intergranular, grain boundary and effective diffusivities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jothi, S., E-mail: s.jothi@swansea.ac.uk [College of Engineering, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP (United Kingdom); Winzer, N. [Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM, Wöhlerstraße 11, 79108 Freiburg (Germany); Croft, T.N.; Brown, S.G.R. [College of Engineering, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP (United Kingdom)

2015-10-05

Highlights: • Characterized polycrystalline nickel microstructure using EBSD analysis. • Development meso-microstructural model based on real microstructure. • Calculated effective diffusivity using experimental electrochemical permeation test. • Calculated intergranular diffusivity of hydrogen using computational FE simulation. • Validated the calculated computation simulation results with experimental results. - Abstract: Hydrogen induced intergranular embrittlement has been identified as a cause of failure of aerospace components such as combustion chambers made from electrodeposited polycrystalline nickel. Accurate computational analysis of this process requires knowledge of the differential in hydrogen transport in the intergranular and intragranular regions. The effective diffusion coefficient of hydrogen may be measured experimentally, though experimental measurement of the intergranular grain boundary diffusion coefficient of hydrogen requires significant effort. Therefore an approach to calculate the intergranular GB hydrogen diffusivity using finite element analysis was developed. The effective diffusivity of hydrogen in polycrystalline nickel was measured using electrochemical permeation tests. Data from electron backscatter diffraction measurements were used to construct microstructural representative volume elements including details of grain size and shape and volume fraction of grains and grain boundaries. A Python optimization code has been developed for the ABAQUS environment to calculate the unknown grain boundary diffusivity.

Silver (Ag) Transport Mechanisms in TRISO coated particles: A Critical Review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

I J van Rooyen; J H Neethling; J A A Engelbrecht; P M van Rooyen; G Strydom

2012-10-01

Transport of 110mAg in the intact SiC layer of TRISO coated particles has been studied for approximately 30 years without arriving at a satisfactory explanation of the transport mechanism. In this paper the possible mechanisms postulated in previous experimental studies, both in-reactor and out-of reactor research environment studies are critically reviewed and of particular interest are relevance to very high temperature gas reactor operating and accident conditions. Among the factors thought to influence Ag transport are grain boundary stoichiometry, SiC grain size and shape, the presence of free silicon, nano-cracks, thermal decomposition, palladium attack, transmutation products, layer thinning and coated particle shape. Additionally new insight to nature and location of fission products has been gained via recent post irradiation electron microscopy examination of TRISO coated particles from the DOE’s fuel development program. The combined effect of critical review and new analyses indicates a direction for investigating possible the Ag transport mechanism including the confidence level with which these mechanisms may be experimentally verified.

Silver (Ag) transport mechanisms in TRISO coated particles: A critical review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rooyen, I.J. van, E-mail: isabella.vanrooyen@inl.gov [Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID 83415-6188 (United States); Dunzik-Gougar, M.L. [Department of Nuclear Engineering, Idaho State University, ID (United States); Rooyen, P.M. van [Philip M. van Rooyen Network Consultants, Midlands Estates (South Africa)

2014-05-01

Transport of {sup 110m}Ag in the intact SiC layer of TRISO coated particles has been studied for approximately 30 years without arriving at a satisfactory explanation of the transport mechanism. In this paper the possible mechanisms postulated in previous experimental studies, both in-reactor and out-of reactor research environment studies are critically reviewed and of particular interest are relevance to very high temperature gas reactor operating and accident conditions. Among the factors thought to influence Ag transport are grain boundary stoichiometry, SiC grain size and shape, the presence of free silicon, nano-cracks, thermal decomposition, palladium attack, transmutation products, layer thinning and coated particle shape. Additionally new insight to nature and location of fission products has been gained via recent post irradiation electron microscopy examination of TRISO coated particles from the DOE's fuel development program. The combined effect of critical review and new analyses indicates a direction for investigating possible the Ag transport mechanism including the confidence level with which these mechanisms may be experimentally verified.

Pressure effect on grain boundary diffusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smirnova, E.S.; Chuvil'deev, V.N.

1997-01-01

The influence of hydrostatic pressure on grain boundary diffusion and grain boundary migration in metallic materials is theoretically investigated. The model is suggested that permits describing changes in activation energy of grain boundary self-diffusion and diffusion permeability of grain boundaries under hydrostatic pressure. The model is based on the ideas about island-type structure of grain boundaries as well as linear relationship of variations in grain boundary free volume to hydrostatic pressure value. Comparison of theoretical data with experimental ones for a number of metals and alloys (α-Zr, Sn-Ge, Cu-In with Co, In, Al as diffusing elements) shows a qualitative agreement

Ochratoxin A in grain dust--estimated exposure and relations to agricultural practices in grain production.

Science.gov (United States)

Halstensen, Anne Straumfors; Nordby, Karl-Christian; Elen, Oleif; Eduard, Wijnand

2004-01-01

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a nephrotoxin frequently contaminating grains. OTA inhalation during grain handling may therefore represent a health risk to farmers, and was the subject of this study. Airborne and settled grain dust was collected during grain work on 84 Norwegian farms. Climate and agricultural practices on each farm were registered. Penicillium spp., Aspergillus spp. and OTA in settled dust were measured. Settled dust contained median 4 microg OTA/kg dust (range 2-128), correlating with Penicillium spp. (median 40 cfu/mg; range 0-32000, rs =0.33; p grain species, districts and agricultural practices. Penicillium levels, but not OTA levels, were higher in storage than in threshing dust (p=0.003), and increased with storage time (rs =0.51, p dust during threshing and median 7 mg/m3 (range 1-110) dust during storage work, equalling median 3.7 pg/m3 (range 0.6-200) and median 40 pg/m3 (range 2-14000) OTA, respectively (p grain work was low, although varying by more than 1,000-fold. However, the farmers may occasionally be highly exposed, particularly during handling of stored grain.

Evolution of orientations and deformation structures within individual grains in cold rolled columnar grained nickel

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wu, G.L.; Godfrey, A.; Winther, Grethe

2011-01-01

Columnar grained Ni is used as a model material allowing simultaneous non-surface investigations of the evolution of crystallographic orientations and deformation microstructures within individual grains as a function of rolling strain up to ε=0.7. Electron channelling contrast and electron...... backscattered diffraction are used to visualise microstructures and crystallographic orientations. It is found that both the microstructural and the textural development depend strongly on the initial grain orientation. A grain size effect is observed on the deformation-induced orientation scatter within...

Effect of acicular ferrite formation on grain refinement in the coarse-grained region of heat-affected zone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wan, X.L.; Wei, R.; Wu, K.M.

2010-01-01

The microstructure of acicular ferrite and its formation for the grain refinement of coarse-grained region of heat-affected zone of high strength low-alloy bainite steels were studied using three-dimensional reconstruction technique. Crystallographic grain size was analyzed by means of electron backscatter diffraction. It was revealed that the microstructure in the coarse-grained region of the heat-affected zone consisted of predominantly bainite packets and a small proportion of acicular ferrite. Acicular ferrite was of lath or plate-like rather than needle or rod-like morphology. Tempering of the coarse-grained region of heat-affected zone showed that the acicular ferrite was more stable than the bainite, indicating that the acicular ferrite was formed prior to bainite. The acicular ferrite laths or plates divided the prior austenite grains into smaller and separate regions, and confining the bainite transformed at lower temperatures in the smaller regions and hence leading to the grain refinement in the coarse-grained region of the heat-affected zone.

Effect of acicular ferrite formation on grain refinement in the coarse-grained region of heat-affected zone

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wan, X.L.; Wei, R. [Institute of Advanced Steels and Welding Technology, Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Systems Science on Metallurgical Processing, Key Laboratory for Ferrous Metallurgy and Resources Utilization of Ministry of Education, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430081 (China); Wu, K.M., E-mail: wukaiming@wust.edu.cn [Institute of Advanced Steels and Welding Technology, Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Systems Science on Metallurgical Processing, Key Laboratory for Ferrous Metallurgy and Resources Utilization of Ministry of Education, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430081 (China)

2010-07-15

The microstructure of acicular ferrite and its formation for the grain refinement of coarse-grained region of heat-affected zone of high strength low-alloy bainite steels were studied using three-dimensional reconstruction technique. Crystallographic grain size was analyzed by means of electron backscatter diffraction. It was revealed that the microstructure in the coarse-grained region of the heat-affected zone consisted of predominantly bainite packets and a small proportion of acicular ferrite. Acicular ferrite was of lath or plate-like rather than needle or rod-like morphology. Tempering of the coarse-grained region of heat-affected zone showed that the acicular ferrite was more stable than the bainite, indicating that the acicular ferrite was formed prior to bainite. The acicular ferrite laths or plates divided the prior austenite grains into smaller and separate regions, and confining the bainite transformed at lower temperatures in the smaller regions and hence leading to the grain refinement in the coarse-grained region of the heat-affected zone.

Evolution of interstellar grains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Greenberg, J.M.

1984-01-01

The principal aim of this chapter is to derive the properties of interstellar grains as a probe of local physical conditions and as a basis for predicting such properties as related to infrared emissivity and radiative transfer which can affect the evolution of dense clouds. The first sections will develop the criteria for grain models based directly on observations of gas and dust. A summary of the chemical evolution of grains and gas in diffuse and dense clouds follows. (author)

A constitutive model of nanocrystalline metals based on competing grain boundary and grain interior deformation mechanisms

KAUST Repository

Gurses, Ercan; El Sayed, Tamer S.

2011-01-01

In this work, a viscoplastic constitutive model for nanocrystalline metals is presented. The model is based on competing grain boundary and grain interior deformation mechanisms. In particular, inelastic deformations caused by grain boundary

Grain Formation Processes in Oxygen-Rich Circumstellar Outflows: Testing the Metastable Eutectic Condensation Hypothesis and Measuring Atom-Grain & Grain-Grain Sticking Coefficients (A Sub-orbital Investigation)

Science.gov (United States)

Nuth, Joseph

An experimentally-based model of grain formation in oxygen-rich circumstellar outflows that includes vapor-solid nucleation, grain growth, thermal annealing and grain aggregation in sufficient detail to predict the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the shells for comparison with observations of a wide range of stellar sources still lacks critical data. In order to gather this data we propose to conduct a series of laboratory experiments using our proven experimental system and microgravity condensation, growth and grain aggregation experiments on sounding rockets with a flight-proven payload provided by Dr. Yuki Kimura of Hokkaido University. We have proposed that solids from a hydrogen-rich, supersaturated, Fe-Mg-SiO vapor condense at metastable eutectic points in this ternary phase diagram. Because the FeOMgO system is totally miscible (has no eutectic or metastable eutectic compositions), this predicts that condensates will be pure Mg-silicate or Fe-silicate grains and that no primary condensate will be a mixed Fe-Mg-silicate. We have shown that this observation leads to a logical explanation as to why pure magnesium olivine and enstatite minerals are detected in circumstellar winds rather than the mixed Mg-Fe-silicate grains that might otherwise be expected (Rietmeijer, Nuth & Karner, 1999). This simplifying hypothesis has been built into our models of circumstellar condensation and growth. However, these experimental results require confirmation and testing since they should apply to other, quite similar condensable systems. We propose to test this hypothesis by condensing solids from the Fe-Mg-AlO ternary vapor system. Since FeO-MgO miscibility also applies to this system, the primary condensates from such a vapor should consist of pure amorphous Fe-aluminates and Mg-aluminates. No mixed Fe-Mg-spinels should be detected as primary condensates if this hypothesis is correct, just as none were detected for the FeO-MgO-SiO system. Confirmation of this

Storing Peanuts in Grain Bags

Science.gov (United States)

A study was executed to determine the potential of storing farmers stock peanuts and shelled peanuts for crushing in hermetically sealed grain bags. The objectives of the study were to evaluate equipment for loading and unloading the grain bags, the capacity of the grain bags, and the changes in qu...

Plant Density Effect on Grain Number and Weight of Two Winter Wheat Cultivars at Different Spikelet and Grain Positions

OpenAIRE

Li, Yong; Cui, Zhengyong; Ni, Yingli; Zheng, Mengjing; Yang, Dongqing; Jin, Min; Chen, Jin; Wang, Zhenlin; Yin, Yanping

2016-01-01

In winter wheat, grain development is asynchronous. The grain number and grain weight vary significantly at different spikelet and grain positions among wheat cultivars grown at different plant densities. In this study, two winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars, 'Wennong6' and 'Jimai20', were grown under four different plant densities for two seasons, in order to study the effect of plant density on the grain number and grain weight at different spikelet and grain positions. The resul...

Segregation of solute elements at grain boundaries in an ultrafine grained Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sha, Gang; Yao, Lan; Liao, Xiaozhou; Ringer, Simon P.; Chao Duan, Zhi; Langdon, Terence G.

2011-01-01

The solute segregation at grain boundaries (GBs) of an ultrafine grained (UFG) Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy processed by equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) at 200 o C was characterised using three-dimensional atom probe. Mg and Cu segregate strongly to the grain boundaries. In contrast, Zn does not always show clear segregation and may even show depletion near the grain boundaries. Trace element Si selectively segregates at some GBs. An increase in the number of ECAP passes leads to a decrease in the grain size but an increase in solute segregation at the boundaries. The significant segregation of alloying elements at the boundaries of ultrafine-grained alloys implies that less solutes will be available in the matrix for precipitation with a decrease in the average grain size. -- Research Highlights: → Atom probe tomography has been employed successfully to reveal unique segregation of solutes at ultrafine grained material. → Mg and Cu elements segregated strongly at the grain boundary of an ultrafine grained Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy processed by 4-pass and 8-pass ECAP at 200 o C. Zn frequently depleted at GBs with a Zn depletion region of 7-15 nm in width on one or both sides of the GBs. Only a small fraction (3/13) of GBs were observed with a low level of Zn segregation where the combined Mg and Cu excess is over 3.1 atom/nm 2 . Si appeared selectively segregated at some of the GBs. → The increase in number of ECAP passes from 4 to 8 correlated with the increase in mean level segregation of Mg and Cu for both solute excess and peak concentration. → The change of plane normal of a grain boundary within 30 o only leads to a slight change in the solute segregation level.

Transport of Chemotactic Bacteria in Porous Media with Structured Heterogeneity

Science.gov (United States)

Ford, R. M.; Wang, M.; Liu, J.; Long, T.

2008-12-01

Chemical contaminants that become trapped in low permeability zones (e.g. clay lenses) are difficult to remediate using conventional pump-and-treat approaches. Chemotactic bacteria that are transported by groundwater through more permeable regions may migrate toward these less permeable zones in response to chemical gradients created by contaminant diffusion from the low permeability source, thereby enhancing the remediation process by directing bacteria to the contaminants they degrade. What effect does the heterogeneity associated with coarse- and fine-grained layers that are characteristic of natural groundwater environments have on the transport of microorganisms and their chemotactic response? To address this question experiments were conducted over a range of scales from a single capillary tube to a laboratory- scale column in both static and flowing systems with and without chemoattractant gradients. In static capillary assays, motile bacteria accumulated at the interface between an aqueous solution and a suspension of agarose particulates. In microfluidic devices with an array of staggered cylinders, chemotactic bacteria migrated transverse to flow in response to a chemoattractant gradient. In sand columns packed with a coarse-grained core and surrounded by a fine-grained annulus, chemotactic bacteria migrated preferentially toward a chemoattractant source along the centerline. Mathematical models and computer simulations were developed to analyze the experimental observations in terms of transport parameters from the advection- disperson-sorption equation.

Grain growth studies on nanocrystalline Ni powder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rane, G.K.; Welzel, U.; Mittemeijer, E.J.

2012-01-01

The microstructure of nanocrystalline Ni powder produced by ball-milling and its thermal stability were investigated by applying different methods of X-ray diffraction line-profile analysis: single-line analysis, whole powder-pattern modelling and the (modified) Warren–Averbach method were employed. The kinetics of grain growth were investigated by both ex-situ and in-situ X-ray diffraction measurements. With increasing milling time, the grain-size reduction is accompanied by a considerable narrowing of the size distribution and an increase in the microstrain. Upon annealing, initial, rapid grain growth occurs, accompanied by the (almost complete) annihilation of microstrain. For longer annealing times, the grain-growth kinetics depend on the initial microstructure: a smaller microstrain with a broad grain-size distribution leads to linear grain growth, followed by parabolic grain growth, whereas a larger microstrain with a narrow grain-size distribution leads to incessant linear grain growth. These effects have been shown to be incompatible with grain-boundary curvature driven growth. The observed kinetics are ascribed to the role of excess free volume at the grain boundaries of nanocrystalline material and the prevalence of an “abnormal grain-growth” mechanism.

Significance of grain boundaries and stacking faults on hydrogen storage properties of Mg2Ni intermetallics processed by high-pressure torsion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hongo, Toshifumi; Edalati, Kaveh; Arita, Makoto; Matsuda, Junko; Akiba, Etsuo; Horita, Zenji

2015-01-01

Mg 2 Ni intermetallics are processed using three different routes to produce three different microstructural features: annealing at high temperature for coarse grain formation, severe plastic deformation through high-pressure torsion (HPT) for nanograin formation, and HPT processing followed by annealing for the introduction of stacking faults. It is found that both grain boundaries and stacking faults are significantly effective to activate the Mg 2 Ni intermetallics for hydrogen storage at 423 K (150 °C). The hydrogenation kinetics is also considerably enhanced by the introduction of large fractions of grain boundaries and stacking faults while the hydrogenation thermodynamics remains unchanged. This study shows that, similar to grain boundaries and cracks, stacking faults can act as quick pathways for the transportation of hydrogen in the hydrogen storage materials

The transportation and accumulation of arsenic, cadmium, and phosphorus in 12 wheat cultivars and their relationships with each other

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shi, Gao Ling; Zhu, Shun; Bai, Sheng Nan; Xia, Yan; Lou, Lai Qing, E-mail: loulq@njau.edu.cn; Cai, Qing Sheng, E-mail: qscai@njau.edu.cn

2015-12-15

Highlights: • As and Cd concentrations in wheat grain differed significantly among 12 cultivars. • As and Cd in wheat grains were correlated with P in straw and grain. • A significant positive correlation was observed between root As and Cd. • Rachis may play a key role in the difference between As and Cd transport to grains. - Abstract: Pot experiments were conducted to investigate the difference in arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and phosphorus (P) uptake, accumulation, and translocation among 12 wheat cultivars and their relationships with each other in soil “naturally” contaminated with both As and Cd. As, Cd, and P concentrations in wheat grain, straw, and root differed significantly (p < 0.05) among the 12 wheat cultivars. The grain As concentration was not correlated with straw and root As, or the total As content in plants, but was significantly (p < 0.05) correlated with As translocation factors (TFs), i.e., TFs{sub (Grain/Root)} and TFs{sub (Grain/Straw)}. The grain Cd concentration was positively correlated with the total Cd content and TFs{sub (Grain/Straw).} The grain P concentration was positively correlated with straw and root P. Both As and Cd concentrations in wheat grains were correlated with P in wheat straw and grain. Compared with As, Cd was more easily transported to the wheat grain, and the rachis played a key role in ensuring this difference. A significant positive correlation was observed between root As and Cd, but no significant relationship was detected between grain As and Cd concentrations. The lack of a relationship between grain As and Cd suggests the possibility of selecting cultivars in which little As and Cd accumulation occurs in the wheat grain.

Grain-to-grain variations in NbC particle size distributions in an austenitic stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barlow, C.Y.; Ralph, B.; Silverman, B.; Jones, A.R.

1979-01-01

Quantitative information has been obtained concerning the size distributions of NbC precipitate particles in different grains in a deformed and aged austenitic stainless steel specimen. The precipitate size distributions obtained differ from one grain to another. The average disparity measured between the mean precipitate sizes was a function of the distance between the grains compared. The results obtained are considered in terms of differences in precipitation behaviour due to variations in the levels of plastic strain in constituent grains of the deformed specimen. (author)

AllAboard: Visual Exploration of Cellphone Mobility Data to Optimise Public Transport.

Science.gov (United States)

Di Lorenzo, G; Sbodio, M; Calabrese, F; Berlingerio, M; Pinelli, F; Nair, R

2016-02-01

The deep penetration of mobile phones offers cities the ability to opportunistically monitor citizens' mobility and use data-driven insights to better plan and manage services. With large scale data on mobility patterns, operators can move away from the costly, mostly survey based, transportation planning processes, to a more data-centric view, that places the instrumented user at the center of development. In this framework, using mobile phone data to perform transit analysis and optimization represents a new frontier with significant societal impact, especially in developing countries. In this paper we present AllAboard, an intelligent tool that analyses cellphone data to help city authorities in visually exploring urban mobility and optimizing public transport. This is performed within a self contained tool, as opposed to the current solutions which rely on a combination of several distinct tools for analysis, reporting, optimisation and planning. An interactive user interface allows transit operators to visually explore the travel demand in both space and time, correlate it with the transit network, and evaluate the quality of service that a transit network provides to the citizens at very fine grain. Operators can visually test scenarios for transit network improvements, and compare the expected impact on the travellers' experience. The system has been tested using real telecommunication data for the city of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, and evaluated from a data mining, optimisation and user prospective.

The Grain-size Patchiness of Braided Gravel-Bed Streams - example of the Urumqi River (northeast Tian Shan, China)

Science.gov (United States)

Guerit, L.; Barrier, L.; Narteau, C.; Métivier, F.; Liu, Y.; Lajeunesse, E.; Gayer, E.; Meunier, P.; Malverti, L.; Ye, B.

2014-02-01

In gravel-bed rivers, sediments are often sorted into patches of different grain-sizes, but in braided streams, the link between this sorting and the channel morpho-sedimentary elements is still unclear. In this study, the size of the bed sediment in the shallow braided gravel-bed Urumqi River is characterized by surface-count and volumetric sampling methods. Three morpho-sedimentary elements are identified in the active threads of the river: chutes at flow constrictions, which pass downstream to anabranches and bars at flow expansions. The surface and surface-layer grain-size distributions of these three elements show that they correspond to only two kinds of grain-size patches: (1) coarse-grained chutes, coarser than the bulk river bed, and (2) finer-grained anabranches and bars, consistent with the bulk river bed. In cross-section, the chute patches are composed of one coarse-grained top layer, which can be interpreted as a local armour layer overlying finer deposits. In contrast, the grain size of the bar-anabranch patches is finer and much more homogeneous in depth than the chute patches. Those patches, which are features of lateral and vertical sorting associated to the transport dynamics that build braided patterns, may be typical of active threads in shallow gravel-bed rivers and should be considered in future works on sorting processes and their geomorphologic and stratigraphic results.

Grain refinement of zinc-aluminium alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zaid, A.I.O.

2006-01-01

It is now well-established that the structure of the zinc-aluminum die casting alloys can be modified by the binary Al-Ti or the ternary Al-Ti-B master alloys. in this paper, grain refinement of zinc-aluminum alloys by rare earth materials is reviewed and discussed. The importance of grain refining of these alloys and parameters affecting it are presented and discussed. These include parameters related to the Zn-Al alloys cast, parameters related to the grain refining elements or alloys and parameters related to the process. The effect of addition of other alloying elements e.g. Zr either alone or in the presence of the main grain refiners Ti or Ti + B on the grain refining efficiency is also reviewed and discussed. Furthermore, based on the grain refinement and the parameters affecting it, a criterion for selection of the optimum grain refiner is suggested. Finally, the recent research work on the effect of grain refiners on the mechanical behaviour, impact strength, wear resistance, and fatigue life of these alloys are presented and discussed. (author)

Pre-accretional sorting of grains in the outer solar nebula

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wozniakiewicz, P. J.; Bradley, J. P.; Ishii, H. A.; Price, M. C.; Brownlee, D. E.

2013-01-01

Despite their micrometer-scale dimensions and nanogram masses, chondritic porous interplanetary dust particles (CP IDPs) are an important class of extraterrestrial material since their properties are consistent with a cometary origin and they show no evidence of significant post-accretional parent body alteration. Consequently, they can provide information about grain accretion in the comet-forming region of the outer solar nebula. We have previously reported our comparative study of the sizes and size distributions of crystalline silicate and sulfide grains in CP IDPs, in which we found these components exhibit a size-density relationship consistent with having been sorted together prior to accretion. Here we extend our data set and include GEMS (glass with embedded metal and sulfide), the most abundant amorphous silicate phase observed in CP IDPs. We find that while the silicate and sulfide sorting trend previously observed is maintained, the GEMS size data do not exhibit any clear relationship to these crystalline components. Therefore, GEMS do not appear to have been sorted with the silicate and sulfide crystals. The disparate sorting trends observed in GEMS and the crystalline grains in CP IDPs present an interesting challenge for modeling early transport and accretion processes. They may indicate that several sorting mechanisms operated on these CP IDP components, or alternatively, they may simply be a reflection of different source environments.

Experimental Study of Dust Grain Charging

Science.gov (United States)

Spann, James F; Venturini, Catherine C.; Comfort, Richard H.; Mian, Abbas M.

1999-01-01

The results of an experimental study of the charging mechanisms of micron size dust grains are presented. Individual dust grains are electrodynamically suspended and exposed to an electron beam of known energy and flux, and to far ultraviolet radiation of known wavelength and intensity. Changes in the charge-to-mass ratio of the grain are directly measured as a function of incident beam (electron and/or photon), grain size and composition. Comparisons of our results to theoretical models that predict the grain response are presented.

Proteomics analysis of maize (Zea mays L.) grain based on iTRAQ reveals molecular mechanisms of poor grain filling in inferior grains.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Tao; Li, Geng; Liu, Peng; Dong, Shuting; Zhang, Jiwang; Zhao, Bin

2017-06-01

In maize, inferior grains (IG) located on the upper part of the ear have poor grain filling process compared to superior grains (SG) located on the middle and lower parts of the ear. This difference limits satisfactory yield and quality; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unknown. Here, using the isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) technology, the proteomes of IG and SG during early and middle grain filling stages were investigated. In total, 4720 proteins were identified in maize grain and 305 differentially accumulated proteins (DiAPs) were detected between IG and SG. These DiAPs were involved in diverse cellular and metabolic processes with preferred distribution in protein synthesis/destination and metabolism. Compared to SG, DiAPs related to cell growth/division and starch synthesis were lag-accumulated and down-regulated in IG, respectively, resulting in smaller sink sizes and lower sink activities in IG. Meanwhile, impediment of the glycolysis pathway in IG may lead to reduce energy supply and building materials for substance synthesis. Additionally, reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis and the defense system were disturbed in IG, which might lead to reduce protection against various environmental stresses. The present study provides new information on the proteomic differences between IG and SG, and explains possible molecular mechanisms for poor grain filling in IG. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

A binomial modeling approach for upscaling colloid transport under unfavorable conditions: organic prediction of extended tailing

Science.gov (United States)

Hilpert, Markus; Rasmuson, Anna; Johnson, William

2017-04-01

Transport of colloids in saturated porous media is significantly influenced by colloidal interactions with grain surfaces. Near-surface fluid domain colloids experience relatively low fluid drag and relatively strong colloidal forces that slow their down-gradient translation relative to colloids in bulk fluid. Near surface fluid domain colloids may re-enter into the bulk fluid via diffusion (nanoparticles) or expulsion at rear flow stagnation zones, they may immobilize (attach) via strong primary minimum interactions, or they may move along a grain-to-grain contact to the near surface fluid domain of an adjacent grain. We introduce a simple model that accounts for all possible permutations of mass transfer within a dual pore and grain network. The primary phenomena thereby represented in the model are mass transfer of colloids between the bulk and near-surface fluid domains and immobilization onto grain surfaces. Colloid movement is described by a sequence of trials in a series of unit cells, and the binomial distribution is used to calculate the probabilities of each possible sequence. Pore-scale simulations provide mechanistically-determined likelihoods and timescales associated with the above pore-scale colloid mass transfer processes, whereas the network-scale model employs pore and grain topology to determine probabilities of transfer from up-gradient bulk and near-surface fluid domains to down-gradient bulk and near-surface fluid domains. Inter-grain transport of colloids in the near surface fluid domain can cause extended tailing.

Palladium assisted silver transport in polycrystalline SiC

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neethling, J.H., E-mail: Jan.Neethling@nmmu.ac.za [Physics Department, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, PO Box 77000, Port Elizabeth 6031 (South Africa); O' Connell, J.H.; Olivier, E.J. [Physics Department, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, PO Box 77000, Port Elizabeth 6031 (South Africa)

2012-10-15

The transport of silver in polycrystalline 3C-SiC and hexagonal 6H-SiC has been investigated by annealing the SiC samples in contact with a Pd-Ag compound at temperatures of 800 and 1000 Degree-Sign C and times of 24 and 67 h. The Pd was added in an attempt to improve the low wetting of SiC by Ag and further because Pd is produced in measurable concentrations in coated particles during reactor operation. Pd is also known to coalesce at the IPyC-SiC interface and to chemically attack the SiC layer. SEM, TEM and EDS were used to show that the Ag penetrates polycrystalline SiC along grain boundaries together with Pd. It is suggested that Ag transport in SiC takes place along grain boundaries in the form of moving nodules consisting of a Ag-Pd mixture. It is assumed that the nodules move along grain boundaries by dissolving the SiC at the leading edge followed by the reprecipitation of SiC at the trailing edge. Since the solubility of Cs in Ag and Pd is extremely low, it is unlikely that Cs will penetrate the SiC together with the Ag-Pd compound if present at the IPyC-SiC interface. If it is assumed that the dominant transport mechanism of Ag in intact polycrystalline SiC is indeed the Pd assisted mechanism, then the stabilization of Pd (and other metallic fission products) in the kernel could be a way of mitigating Ag release from TRISO-coated particles.

Palladium assisted silver transport in polycrystalline SiC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neethling, J.H.; O’Connell, J.H.; Olivier, E.J.

2012-01-01

The transport of silver in polycrystalline 3C-SiC and hexagonal 6H-SiC has been investigated by annealing the SiC samples in contact with a Pd–Ag compound at temperatures of 800 and 1000 °C and times of 24 and 67 h. The Pd was added in an attempt to improve the low wetting of SiC by Ag and further because Pd is produced in measurable concentrations in coated particles during reactor operation. Pd is also known to coalesce at the IPyC–SiC interface and to chemically attack the SiC layer. SEM, TEM and EDS were used to show that the Ag penetrates polycrystalline SiC along grain boundaries together with Pd. It is suggested that Ag transport in SiC takes place along grain boundaries in the form of moving nodules consisting of a Ag–Pd mixture. It is assumed that the nodules move along grain boundaries by dissolving the SiC at the leading edge followed by the reprecipitation of SiC at the trailing edge. Since the solubility of Cs in Ag and Pd is extremely low, it is unlikely that Cs will penetrate the SiC together with the Ag–Pd compound if present at the IPyC–SiC interface. If it is assumed that the dominant transport mechanism of Ag in intact polycrystalline SiC is indeed the Pd assisted mechanism, then the stabilization of Pd (and other metallic fission products) in the kernel could be a way of mitigating Ag release from TRISO-coated particles.

LUNAR DUST GRAIN CHARGING BY ELECTRON IMPACT: COMPLEX ROLE OF SECONDARY ELECTRON EMISSIONS IN SPACE ENVIRONMENTS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abbas, M. M.; Craven, P. D.; LeClair, A. C.; Spann, J. F.; Tankosic, D.

2010-01-01

Dust grains in various astrophysical environments are generally charged electrostatically by photoelectric emissions with radiation from nearby sources, or by electron/ion collisions by sticking or secondary electron emissions (SEEs). The high vacuum environment on the lunar surface leads to some unusual physical and dynamical phenomena involving dust grains with high adhesive characteristics, and levitation and transportation over long distances. Knowledge of the dust grain charges and equilibrium potentials is important for understanding a variety of physical and dynamical processes in the interstellar medium, and heliospheric, interplanetary/planetary, and lunar environments. It has been well recognized that the charging properties of individual micron-/submicron-size dust grains are expected to be substantially different from the corresponding values for bulk materials. In this paper, we present experimental results on the charging of individual 0.2-13 μm size dust grains selected from Apollo 11 and 17 dust samples, and spherical silica particles by exposing them to mono-energetic electron beams in the 10-200 eV energy range. The dust charging process by electron impact involving the SEEs discussed is found to be a complex charging phenomenon with strong particle size dependence. The measurements indicate substantial differences between the polarity and magnitude of the dust charging rates of individual small-size dust grains, and the measurements and model properties of corresponding bulk materials. A more comprehensive plan of measurements of the charging properties of individual dust grains for developing a database for realistic models of dust charging in astrophysical and lunar environments is in progress.

Lunary Dust Grain Charging by Electron Impact: Complex Role of Secondary Electron Emissions in Space Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Abbas, M. M.; Tankosic, D.; Crave, P. D.; LeClair, A.; Spann, J. F.

2010-01-01

Dust grains in various astrophysical environments are generally charged electrostatically by photoelectric emissions with radiation from nearby sources, or by electron/ion collisions by sticking or secondary electron emissions (SEES). The high vacuum environment on the lunar surface leads to some unusual physical and dynamical phenomena involving dust grains with high adhesive characteristics, and levitation and transportation over long distances. Knowledge of the dust grain charges and equilibrium potentials is important for understanding a variety of physical and dynamical processes in the interstellar medium, and heliospheric, interplanetary/ planetary, and lunar environments. It has been well recognized that the charging properties of individual micron-/submicron-size dust grains are expected to be substantially different from the corresponding values for bulk materials. In this paper, we present experimental results on the charging of individual 0.2-13 m size dust grains selected from Apollo 11 and 17 dust samples, and spherical silica particles by exposing them to mono-energetic electron beams in the 10-200 eV energy range. The dust charging process by electron impact involving the SEES discussed is found to be a complex charging phenomenon with strong particle size dependence. The measurements indicate substantial differences between the polarity and magnitude of the dust charging rates of individual small-size dust grains, and the measurements and model properties of corresponding bulk materials. A more comprehensive plan of measurements of the charging properties of individual dust grains for developing a database for realistic models of dust charging in astrophysical and lunar environments is in progress.

Alignment of dust grains in ionized regions

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Nels; Watson, William D.

1993-01-01

The rate at which charged dust grains in a plasma are torqued by passing ions and electrons is calculated. When photo-emission of electrons is not important, attraction of ions by the grain monopole potential increases the rate at which the grains' spins are dealigned by nearly an order of magnitude. Consequently, the energy density of the magnetic field required to align grains in an H II region may be increased by about an order of magnitude. In contrast, electric dipole and quadrupole moments are unlikely to produce large dealignment rates for grains of modest length-to-width ratio. Nonetheless, for positively charged grains these higher-order moments likely prevent monopole repulsion of ions from reducing the dealignment rate far below that for neutral grains. The presence of positive grain charge therefore does not greatly facilitate grain alignment in an H II region.

Concepts on Low Temperature Mechanical Grain Growth

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sharon, John Anthony [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Metallurgy and Materials Joining Dept.; Boyce, Brad Lee [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Metallurgy and Materials Joining Dept.

2013-11-01

In metals, as grain size is reduced below 100nm, conventional dislocation plasticity is suppressed resulting in improvements in strength, hardness, and wears resistance. Existing and emerging components use fine grained metals for these beneficial attributes. However, these benefits can be lost in service if the grains undergo growth during the component’s lifespan. While grain growth is traditionally viewed as a purely thermal process that requires elevated temperature exposure, recent evidence shows that some metals, especially those with nanocrystalline grain structure, can undergo grain growth even at room temperature or below due to mechanical loading. This report has been assembled to survey the key concepts regarding how mechanical loads can drive grain coarsening at room temperature and below. Topics outlined include the atomic level mechanisms that facilitate grain growth, grain boundary mobility, and the impact of boundary structure, loading scheme, and temperature.

Regional elevator survey : grain transportation & industry trends for Great Plains elevators

Science.gov (United States)

2001-08-01

One potential means for gaining insight into the current state of the elevator industry, : and into expectations for future trends, is through a survey. The objective of this study is to profile the transportation and industry characteristics of the ...

Energy for Road Transport - Prospects towards year 2020 and later; Energi foer Vaegtransporter - utsikter mot 2020 och daerefter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aahman, Max

2009-02-15

The last few years, production of alternative fuels has grown significantly. The driving force can be primarily attributed to a growing interest in protecting the climate and the policy initiatives resulting from this, rising oil prices and industrial and agricultural interests. However, the debate has increasingly begun to question the usefulness and impact of a continued expansion of biofuels. The report provides an overview of our knowledge with respect to climate benefits, and economic potential for the 1st generation of ethanol and biodiesel, 2nd generation biofuels and electricity via e.g. plug-in hybrids. The report also provides various scenarios of how Sweden can meet the adopted EU directive on renewable energy in the transport sector to 2020. The substitution of fuels in the transport sector has only just begun. Driving forces, including those visible in the criteria of the EU Directive, however, will aim for more climate-effective fuels based on waste and forest raw material compared to today's efforts. Effective grain based fuels can still retain a relatively large niche even in the longer term, since the investment is justified by several reasons, including agricultural policy. Electric vehicles are expected to be launched in the not too distant future. But it will take a long time before electricity consumption via eg plug-in hybrids is visible in the statistics. Increased demands on energy efficiency can drive a trend towards more expensive vehicles and also to change forms of ownership and use of vehicles, including increased car pooling

Establishment of Grain Farmers' Supply Response Model and Empirical Analysis under Minimum Grain Purchase Price Policy

OpenAIRE

Zhang, Shuang

2012-01-01

Based on farmers' supply behavior theory and price expectations theory, this paper establishes grain farmers' supply response model of two major grain varieties (early indica rice and mixed wheat) in the major producing areas, to test whether the minimum grain purchase price policy can have price-oriented effect on grain production and supply in the major producing areas. Empirical analysis shows that the minimum purchase price published annually by the government has significant positive imp...

A test of systematic coarse-graining of molecular dynamics simulations: Thermodynamic properties

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Chia-Chun; Kulkarni, Pandurang M.; Scott Shell, M.; Gary Leal, L.

2012-10-01

Coarse-graining (CG) techniques have recently attracted great interest for providing descriptions at a mesoscopic level of resolution that preserve fluid thermodynamic and transport behaviors with a reduced number of degrees of freedom and hence less computational effort. One fundamental question arises: how well and to what extent can a "bottom-up" developed mesoscale model recover the physical properties of a molecular scale system? To answer this question, we explore systematically the properties of a CG model that is developed to represent an intermediate mesoscale model between the atomistic and continuum scales. This CG model aims to reduce the computational cost relative to a full atomistic simulation, and we assess to what extent it is possible to preserve both the thermodynamic and transport properties of an underlying reference all-atom Lennard-Jones (LJ) system. In this paper, only the thermodynamic properties are considered in detail. The transport properties will be examined in subsequent work. To coarse-grain, we first use the iterative Boltzmann inversion (IBI) to determine a CG potential for a (1-ϕ)N mesoscale particle system, where ϕ is the degree of coarse-graining, so as to reproduce the radial distribution function (RDF) of an N atomic particle system. Even though the uniqueness theorem guarantees a one to one relationship between the RDF and an effective pairwise potential, we find that RDFs are insensitive to the long-range part of the IBI-determined potentials, which provides some significant flexibility in further matching other properties. We then propose a reformulation of IBI as a robust minimization procedure that enables simultaneous matching of the RDF and the fluid pressure. We find that this new method mainly changes the attractive tail region of the CG potentials, and it improves the isothermal compressibility relative to pure IBI. We also find that there are optimal interaction cutoff lengths for the CG system, as a function of �

Comparative characteristics of grain classifications of soft wheat of Kazakhstan and major grain-producing countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. A. Shaimerdenova

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Soft wheat is one of the most important crops, grown in more than 130 countries. To date, one-fifth of the world's wheat, or about 150 million tons a year, is sold on international markets. In the world trade traditionally dominated by the US, Australia, Canada and Argentina. Kazakhstan, being on the 15th place in the production of wheat grain, is among the first ten exporters - in 2017 the country exported about 8 million tons to the amount of 1.5 billion dollars. USA, then, as potential export opportunities are much higher, as evidenced by annual carryover stocks at 3 million tons. According to experts, considerable differences in the classification of wheat grain used in Kazakhstan and in other countries participating in the grain market and the methods for assessing the technological dignity indicators (TDs laid down in the classifications are a significant obstacle to increasing the export potential of wheat grains. In view of this, an analysis was made of grain classifications of wheat grains used in the most important grain producing countries, TD indicators were determined, methods for their evaluation, and differences were revealed. It is established that in countries that are stable in the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of grain, an insignificant list of TD indicators is adopted, while they characterize the physical quality and state of the grain, which may indicate a general suitability for grinding. It is determined that in Russia and Kazakhstan, in determining the contamination, such an indicator as dockage is not taken into account. Comparative tests of different methods of sampling and determination of contamination have been carried out, and correlation coefficients have been established between indicators of contamination determined by different methods.

Abnormal grain growth: a non-equilibrium thermodynamic model for multi-grain binary systems

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Svoboda, Jiří; Fischer, F. D.

2014-01-01

Roč. 22, č. 1 (2014), Art . No. 015013 ISSN 0965-0393 Institutional support: RVO:68081723 Keywords : grain boundary segregation * abnormal grain growth * theory * modelling * solute drag Subject RIV: BJ - Thermodynamics Impact factor: 2.167, year: 2014

Suprathermal grains: on intergalactic magnetic fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dasgupta, A.K.

1979-01-01

Charged dust grains of radii a approximately equal to 3 x 10 -6 to approximately 3 x 10 -5 cm may be driven out of the galaxy due to radiation pressure of starlight. Once clear of the main gas-dust layer, dust grains may then escape into intergalactic space. Such grains are virtually indestructible-being evaporated only during formation. The dust grains, once injected into the intergalactic medium, may acquire suprathermal energy, thus 'suprathermal grains' in collision with magnetized cloud by the Fermi process. In order to attain relativistic energy, suprathermal grains have to move in and out ('scattering') of the magnetic field of the medium. It is now well established that high energy cosmic rays are of the order 10 20 eV or more. It has been speculated that these high energy (> = 10 18 eV) cosmic ray particles are charged dust grains, of intergalactic origin. This is possible only if there exists a magnetic field in the intergalactic medium. (Auth.)

Characterization of Secondary Mineral Grain Coatings and their Role as Diffusion-controlled Sinks and Sources for Metal Contaminants

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, J. A.; Guo, H.; Lai, B.; Kemner, K. M.; Ercius, P.; Fox, P. M.; Singer, D. M.; Minor, A.; Waychunas, G.

2012-12-01

) tomography, it can be seen that there are large numbers of pore throat sizes less than 10 nm within the coatings. We hypothesize that diffusion through these pores, which likely have electrically charged surfaces, controls the observed macroscopic rates of U(VI) sorption in batch experiments with sand grains. Evidence to support this hypothesis was observed by studying U and Fe fluorescence spatial variation within FIB samples (1 micron thick) at 200 nm spatial resolution. With this greater spatial resolution, it is possible to see U concentration variations within the coatings that are dependent on the time of sorption reaction, and illustrates how the coating environment constitutes a diffusion constraint to achieve adsorptive equilibrium between an aqueous phase and the mineral surfaces. Including this diffusion constraint within conceptual models for reactive contaminant transport may be significant at the field scale, because secondary mineral coatings are potentially both sinks and sources of contaminants depending on the history of a contaminated site. This is important in resolving long-term transport predictions at DOE sites, such as Hanford and Savannah River, where equilibrium versus kinetic reactive transport models are being evaluated.

The effect of grain boundary chemistry on the slip transmission process through grain boundaries in Ni3Al

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robertson, I.M.; Lee, T.C.; Subramanian, R.; Birnbaum, H.K.

1992-01-01

This paper reports on the conditions established in disordered FCC systems for predicting the slip system that will be activated by a grain boundary to relieve a local stress concentration that have been applied to the ordered FCC alloy Ni 3 Al. The slip transfer behavior in hypo-stoichiometric Ni 3 Al with (0.2 at. %B) and without boron was directly observed by performing the deformation experiments in situ in the transmission electron microscope. In the boron-free and boron-doped alloys, lattice dislocations were incorporated in the grain boundary, but did not show evidence of dissociation to grain boundary dislocations or of movement in the grain boundary plane. The stress concentration associated with the dislocation pileup at the grain boundary are relieved by the emission of dislocations from the grain boundary in the boron-doped alloy. The slip system initiated in the adjoining grain obeyed the conditions established for disordered FCC systems. In the boron-free alloy, the primary stress relief mechanism was grain-boundary cracking, although dislocation emission from the grain boundary also occurred and accompanied intergranular crack advance

Computer simulation of grain growth in HAZ

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Jinhua

Two different models for Monte Carlo simulation of normal grain growth in metals and alloys were developed. Each simulation model was based on a different approach to couple the Monte Carlo simulation time to real time-temperature. These models demonstrated the applicability of Monte Carlo simulation to grain growth in materials processing. A grain boundary migration (GBM) model coupled the Monte Carlo simulation to a first principle grain boundary migration model. The simulation results, by applying this model to isothermal grain growth in zone-refined tin, showed good agreement with experimental results. An experimental data based (EDB) model coupled the Monte Carlo simulation with grain growth kinetics obtained from the experiment. The results of the application of the EDB model to the grain growth during continuous heating of a beta titanium alloy correlated well with experimental data. In order to acquire the grain growth kinetics from the experiment, a new mathematical method was developed and utilized to analyze the experimental data on isothermal grain growth. Grain growth in the HAZ of 0.2% Cu-Al alloy was successfully simulated using the EDB model combined with grain growth kinetics obtained from the experiment and measured thermal cycles from the welding process. The simulated grain size distribution in the HAZ was in good agreement with experimental results. The pinning effect of second phase particles on grain growth was also simulated in this work. The simulation results confirmed that by introducing the variable R, degree of contact between grain boundaries and second phase particles, the Zener pinning model can be modified as${D/ r} = {K/{Rf}}$where D is the pinned grain size, r the mean size of second phase particles, K a constant, f the area fraction (or the volume fraction in 3-D) of second phase.

MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF GRAIN MICRONIZATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. A. Afanas’ev

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Summary. During micronisation grain moisture evaporates mainly in decreasing drying rate period. Grain layer located on the surface of the conveyor micronisers will be regarded as horizontal plate. Due to the fact that the micronisation process the surface of the grain evaporates little moisture (within 2-7 % is assumed constant plate thickness. Because in the process of micronization grain structure is changing, in order to achieve an exact solution of the equations necessary to take into account changes thermophysical, optical and others. Equation of heat transfer is necessary to add a term that is responsible for the infrared heating. Because of the small thickness of the grain, neglecting the processes occurring at the edge of the grain, that is actually consider the problem of an infinite plate. To check the adequacy of the mathematical model of the process of micronisation of wheat grain moisture content must be comparable to the function of time, obtained by solving the system of equations with the measured experimental data of experience. Numerical solution of a system of equations for the period of decreasing drying rate is feasible with the help of the Maple 14, substituting the values of the constants in the system. Calculation of the average relative error does not exceed 7- 10 %, and shows a good agreement between the calculated data and the experimental values.

A review of recent developments in the speciation and location of arsenic and selenium in rice grain

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carey, Anne-Marie; Price, Adam H.; Meharg, Andrew A. [University of Aberdeen, Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Aberdeen (United Kingdom); Lombi, Enzo; Donner, Erica [University of South Australia, Centre for Environmental Risk Assessment and Remediation, Mawson Lakes, South Australia (Australia); Jonge, Martin D. de [Australian Synchrotron, X-ray Fluorescence Microscopy, Clayton, Victoria (Australia); Punshon, Tracy; Jackson, Brian P.; Guerinot, Mary Lou [Dartmouth College, Department of Biological Sciences, Hanover, NH (United States)

2012-04-15

Rice is a staple food yet is a significant dietary source of inorganic arsenic, a class 1, nonthreshold carcinogen. Establishing the location and speciation of arsenic within the edible rice grain is essential for understanding the risk and for developing effective strategies to reduce grain arsenic concentrations. Conversely, selenium is an essential micronutrient and up to 1 billion people worldwide are selenium-deficient. Several studies have suggested that selenium supplementation can reduce the risk of some cancers, generating substantial interest in biofortifying rice. Knowledge of selenium location and speciation is important, because the anti-cancer effects of selenium depend on its speciation. Germanic acid is an arsenite/silicic acid analogue, and location of germanium may help elucidate the mechanisms of arsenite transport into grain. This review summarises recent discoveries in the location and speciation of arsenic, germanium, and selenium in rice grain using state-of-the-art mass spectrometry and synchrotron techniques, and illustrates both the importance of high-sensitivity and high-resolution techniques and the advantages of combining techniques in an integrated quantitative and spatial approach. (orig.)

A review of recent developments in the speciation and location of arsenic and selenium in rice grain

Science.gov (United States)

Carey, Anne-Marie; Lombi, Enzo; Donner, Erica; de Jonge, Martin D.; Punshon, Tracy; Jackson, Brian P.; Guerinot, Mary Lou; Price, Adam H.; Meharg, Andrew A.

2014-01-01

Rice is a staple food yet is a significant dietary source of inorganic arsenic, a class 1, nonthreshold carcinogen. Establishing the location and speciation of arsenic within the edible rice grain is essential for understanding the risk and for developing effective strategies to reduce grain arsenic concentrations. Conversely, selenium is an essential micronutrient and up to 1 billion people worldwide are selenium-deficient. Several studies have suggested that selenium supplementation can reduce the risk of some cancers, generating substantial interest in biofortifying rice. Knowledge of selenium location and speciation is important, because the anti-cancer effects of selenium depend on its speciation. Germanic acid is an arsenite/silicic acid analogue, and location of germanium may help elucidate the mechanisms of arsenite transport into grain. This review summarises recent discoveries in the location and speciation of arsenic, germanium, and selenium in rice grain using state-of-the-art mass spectrometry and synchrotron techniques, and illustrates both the importance of high-sensitivity and high-resolution techniques and the advantages of combining techniques in an integrated quantitative and spatial approach. PMID:22159463

Genetic dissection of grain size and grain number trade-offs in CIMMYT wheat germplasm.

Science.gov (United States)

Griffiths, Simon; Wingen, Luzie; Pietragalla, Julian; Garcia, Guillermo; Hasan, Ahmed; Miralles, Daniel; Calderini, Daniel F; Ankleshwaria, Jignaben Bipinchandra; Waite, Michelle Leverington; Simmonds, James; Snape, John; Reynolds, Matthew

2015-01-01

Grain weight (GW) and number per unit area of land (GN) are the primary components of grain yield in wheat. In segregating populations both yield components often show a negative correlation among themselves. Here we use a recombinant doubled haploid population of 105 individuals developed from the CIMMYT varieties Weebill and Bacanora to understand the relative contribution of these components to grain yield and their interaction with each other. Weebill was chosen for its high GW and Bacanora for high GN. The population was phenotyped in Mexico, Argentina, Chile and the UK. Two loci influencing grain yield were indicated on 1B and 7B after QTL analysis. Weebill contributed the increasing alleles. The 1B effect, which is probably caused by to the 1BL.1RS rye introgression in Bacanora, was a result of increased GN, whereas, the 7B QTL controls GW. We concluded that increased in GW from Weebill 7B allele is not accompanied by a significant reduction in grain number. The extent of the GW and GN trade-off is reduced. This makes this locus an attractive target for marker assisted selection to develop high yielding bold grain varieties like Weebill. AMMI analysis was used to show that the 7B Weebill allele appears to contribute to yield stability.

Spinodal decomposition in fine grained materials

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Unknown

ηηi has a value of unity inside the ith grain, decreases smoothly through the grain boundary region to zero out- side the grain. For a symmetric alloy of composition, c = 0⋅⋅5, our results show that microstructural evolution depends largely on the difference in the grain boundary energies, γγgb, of A-rich (αα) and B-rich (ββ) ...

Radiation disinfestation of grain

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1962-10-15

A panel was convened by the International Atomic Energy Agency to consider ways of applying radiation to grain handling and insect control, and to make recommendations on the advisability and nature of any future action in this field. Among other subjects, the panel discussed the use of electron accelerators and gamma radiation for grain disinfestation as well as problems of radiation entomology and wholesomeness of irradiated grain. After reviewing the present state of knowledge regarding radiation disinfestation of grain, the experts agreed that pilot plant operations be initiated as soon as practicable in order to evaluate the use of irradiation plants under practical conditions in their entomological, engineering and economic aspects. They recommended that research effort be directed towards solving certain fundamental problems related to the proposed pilot plant projects; such as rapid methods for differentiation between sterile insects and normal ones; study of the metabolism of irradiated immature stages of insects in relation to the heating of treated grain; research into possible induction of radiation resistance; irradiation susceptibility of insects which show resistance to conventional insecticides; and study of methods of sensitizing insects to irradiation damage. It was also pointed out that the distribution of irradiated food for human consumption was controlled in most countries under present legislative procedures, and no country had yet approved radiation treatment of cereals. The experts recommended that countries in a position to submit evidence to their appropriate authorities regarding the wholesomeness of irradiated cereals should be encouraged to do so as soon as possible. Regarding the engineering aspects of irradiation pilot plant projects, the experts noted that the process could be automated and operated safely. Electron accelerators and cobalt sources could be used for all the throughput rates utilized in most conventional grain

Radiation disinfestation of grain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1962-01-01

A panel was convened by the International Atomic Energy Agency to consider ways of applying radiation to grain handling and insect control, and to make recommendations on the advisability and nature of any future action in this field. Among other subjects, the panel discussed the use of electron accelerators and gamma radiation for grain disinfestation as well as problems of radiation entomology and wholesomeness of irradiated grain. After reviewing the present state of knowledge regarding radiation disinfestation of grain, the experts agreed that pilot plant operations be initiated as soon as practicable in order to evaluate the use of irradiation plants under practical conditions in their entomological, engineering and economic aspects. They recommended that research effort be directed towards solving certain fundamental problems related to the proposed pilot plant projects; such as rapid methods for differentiation between sterile insects and normal ones; study of the metabolism of irradiated immature stages of insects in relation to the heating of treated grain; research into possible induction of radiation resistance; irradiation susceptibility of insects which show resistance to conventional insecticides; and study of methods of sensitizing insects to irradiation damage. It was also pointed out that the distribution of irradiated food for human consumption was controlled in most countries under present legislative procedures, and no country had yet approved radiation treatment of cereals. The experts recommended that countries in a position to submit evidence to their appropriate authorities regarding the wholesomeness of irradiated cereals should be encouraged to do so as soon as possible. Regarding the engineering aspects of irradiation pilot plant projects, the experts noted that the process could be automated and operated safely. Electron accelerators and cobalt sources could be used for all the throughput rates utilized in most conventional grain

Influence of the Grain Size on the Properties of CH3NH3PbI3 Thin Films.

Science.gov (United States)

Shargaieva, Oleksandra; Lang, Felix; Rappich, Jörg; Dittrich, Thomas; Klaus, Manuela; Meixner, Matthias; Genzel, Christoph; Nickel, Norbert H

2017-11-08

Hybrid perovskites have already shown a huge success as an absorber in solar cells, resulting in the skyrocketing rise in the power conversion efficiency to more than η = 22%. Recently, it has been established that the crystal quality is one of the most important parameters to obtain devices with high efficiencies. However, the influence of the crystal quality on the material properties is not fully understood. Here, the influence of the morphology on electronic properties of CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 thin films is investigated. Postannealing was used to vary the average grain size continuously from ≈150 to ≈1000 nm. Secondary grain growth is thermally activated with an activation energy of E a = 0.16 eV. The increase in the grain size leads to an enhancement of the photoluminescence, indicating an improvement in the material quality. According to surface photovoltage measurements, the charge-carrier transport length exhibits a linear increase with increasing grain size. The charge-carrier diffusion length is limited by grain boundaries. Moreover, an improved morphology leads to a drastic increase in power conversion efficiency of the devices.

Direct observation of nanometer-scale amorphous layers and oxide crystallites at grain boundaries in polycrystalline Sr1−xKxFe2As2 superconductors

KAUST Repository

Wang, Lei

2011-06-01

We report here an atomic resolution study of the structure and composition of the grain boundaries in polycrystallineSr0.6K0.4Fe2As2superconductor. A large fraction of grain boundaries contain amorphous layers larger than the coherence length, while some others contain nanometer-scale crystallites sandwiched in between amorphous layers. We also find that there is significant oxygen enrichment at the grain boundaries. Such results explain the relatively low transport critical current density (Jc) of polycrystalline samples with respect to that of bicrystal films.

Physiological and Molecular Analysis of Aluminium-Induced Organic Acid Anion Secretion from Grain Amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.) Roots

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Wei; Xu, Jia-Meng; Lou, He-Qiang; Xiao, Chuan; Chen, Wei-Wei; Yang, Jian-Li

2016-01-01

Grain amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.) is abundant in oxalate and can secrete oxalate under aluminium (Al) stress. However, the features of Al-induced secretion of organic acid anions (OA) and potential genes responsible for OA secretion are poorly understood. Here, Al-induced OA secretion in grain amaranth roots was characterized by ion charomatography and enzymology methods, and suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) together with quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to identify up-regulated genes that are potentially involved in OA secretion. The results showed that grain amaranth roots secrete both oxalate and citrate in response to Al stress. The secretion pattern, however, differs between oxalate and citrate. Neither lanthanum chloride (La) nor cadmium chloride (Cd) induced OA secretion. A total of 84 genes were identified as up-regulated by Al, in which six genes were considered as being potentially involved in OA secretion. The expression pattern of a gene belonging to multidrug and toxic compound extrusion (MATE) family, AhMATE1, was in close agreement with that of citrate secretion. The expression of a gene encoding tonoplast dicarboxylate transporter and four genes encoding ATP-binding cassette transporters was differentially regulated by Al stress, but the expression pattern was not correlated well with that of oxalate secretion. Our results not only reveal the secretion pattern of oxalate and citrate from grain amaranth roots under Al stress, but also provide some genetic information that will be useful for further characterization of genes involved in Al toxicity and tolerance mechanisms. PMID:27144562

Physiological and Molecular Analysis of Aluminium-Induced Organic Acid Anion Secretion from Grain Amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.) Roots.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Wei; Xu, Jia-Meng; Lou, He-Qiang; Xiao, Chuan; Chen, Wei-Wei; Yang, Jian-Li

2016-04-30

Grain amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.) is abundant in oxalate and can secrete oxalate under aluminium (Al) stress. However, the features of Al-induced secretion of organic acid anions (OA) and potential genes responsible for OA secretion are poorly understood. Here, Al-induced OA secretion in grain amaranth roots was characterized by ion charomatography and enzymology methods, and suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) together with quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to identify up-regulated genes that are potentially involved in OA secretion. The results showed that grain amaranth roots secrete both oxalate and citrate in response to Al stress. The secretion pattern, however, differs between oxalate and citrate. Neither lanthanum chloride (La) nor cadmium chloride (Cd) induced OA secretion. A total of 84 genes were identified as up-regulated by Al, in which six genes were considered as being potentially involved in OA secretion. The expression pattern of a gene belonging to multidrug and toxic compound extrusion (MATE) family, AhMATE1, was in close agreement with that of citrate secretion. The expression of a gene encoding tonoplast dicarboxylate transporter and four genes encoding ATP-binding cassette transporters was differentially regulated by Al stress, but the expression pattern was not correlated well with that of oxalate secretion. Our results not only reveal the secretion pattern of oxalate and citrate from grain amaranth roots under Al stress, but also provide some genetic information that will be useful for further characterization of genes involved in Al toxicity and tolerance mechanisms.

Physiological and Molecular Analysis of Aluminium-Induced Organic Acid Anion Secretion from Grain Amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus L. Roots

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei Fan

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Grain amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus L. is abundant in oxalate and can secrete oxalate under aluminium (Al stress. However, the features of Al-induced secretion of organic acid anions (OA and potential genes responsible for OA secretion are poorly understood. Here, Al-induced OA secretion in grain amaranth roots was characterized by ion charomatography and enzymology methods, and suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH together with quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR was used to identify up-regulated genes that are potentially involved in OA secretion. The results showed that grain amaranth roots secrete both oxalate and citrate in response to Al stress. The secretion pattern, however, differs between oxalate and citrate. Neither lanthanum chloride (La nor cadmium chloride (Cd induced OA secretion. A total of 84 genes were identified as up-regulated by Al, in which six genes were considered as being potentially involved in OA secretion. The expression pattern of a gene belonging to multidrug and toxic compound extrusion (MATE family, AhMATE1, was in close agreement with that of citrate secretion. The expression of a gene encoding tonoplast dicarboxylate transporter and four genes encoding ATP-binding cassette transporters was differentially regulated by Al stress, but the expression pattern was not correlated well with that of oxalate secretion. Our results not only reveal the secretion pattern of oxalate and citrate from grain amaranth roots under Al stress, but also provide some genetic information that will be useful for further characterization of genes involved in Al toxicity and tolerance mechanisms.

Grain boundary segregation and intergranular failure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

White, C.L.

1980-01-01

Trace elements and impurities often segregate strongly to grain boundaries in metals and alloys. Concentrations of these elements at grain boundaries are often 10 3 to 10 5 times as great as their overall concentration in the alloy. Because of such segregation, certain trace elements can exert a disproportionate influence on material properties. One frequently observed consequence of trace element segregation to grain boundaries is the occurrence of grain boundary failure and low ductility. Less well known are incidences of improved ductility and inhibition of grain boundary fracture resulting from trace element segregation to grain boundaries in certain systems. An overview of trace element segregation and intergranular failure in a variety of alloy systems as well as preliminary results from studies on Al 3% Li will be presented

Atmospheric deposition, resuspension and root uptake of plutonium in corn and other grain-producing agroecosystems near a nuclear fuel facility