Implementation of technology for rapid field detection of sulfate content in soils

In roadway construction, chemical stabilization with calcium-based stabilizing materials (CBSMs) such as lime and cement can enhance many of the engineering properties of soil (subgrade) such as compressive strength, resilient modulus, shear strength, plasticity, and long term durability. However, soluble sulfate phase contained in some soils can react with CBSMs, resulting in volume expansion stability problems due to the growth of ettringite crystals on the clay particle surfaces through the chemical reaction between calcium components in stabilizer and sulfates and aluminates in the soil. The current Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) testing protocol in the field uses a spot test that measures sulfate content every 500-ft interval on a project (Tex-145-E). If a high sulfate zone lies between 500-ft intervals, the current testing protocol will miss this sulfate zone. The protocol using a device called Veris 3150 system (Figure 1) was developed and used as a continuous measurement of sulfate content as a function of electrical conductivity of soils

Exploring Fatal and Non-Fatal Violence Against Parents:Challenging the Orthodoxy of Abused Adolescent Perpetrators

An examination of scholarly literature concerning fatal violence (i.e., parricide) and non-fatal violence toward parents reveals dominant themes of mental illness, child abuse, and pathology based on a research paradigm that focuses on adolescent perpetrators and, to a lesser extent, elderly victims. This article presents a critical analysis of this literature and argues for a more contextualized approach to the study of violence against parents. It is argued that criminologists should widen their methodological lens to examine this issue from a life course perspective and draw on conceptual tools such as developmental pathways, sources of conflict, and intersectionality to allow for an analysis that can offer new ways of thinking about violence toward parents. </jats:p

In-line flocculation-filtration as pre-treatment to reverse osmosis desalination

In this paper the performance of single and dual media filters with in-line flocculation have been examined as pretreatment to seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO). A comparison of filter performance was made between single medium filter (80 cm) consisting of sand or anthracite, and dual media filter consisting of sand (40 cm at the bottom) and anthracite (40 cm on top). Short term (6 hours) experiments were conducted with in-line coagulation followed by direct filtration. Filtration velocities of 5 m/h and 10 m/h were used. The performances of these filters were assessed in terms of turbidity removal, head loss build-up, and organic compound removal in terms of molecular weight distribution (MWD). The efficiency of the filter as pretreatment was evaluated in terms of silt density index (SDI) and modified fouling index (MFI). It was found that the turbidity removal was high and all the filters produced more or less same quality water. There was a slower buildup of head loss for coarser filter medium. A post treatment of reverse osmosis after an inline-flocculation-dual media filtration showed lower normalized flux decline (J/J0) (0.35 to 0.22 during the first 20 hours operation) while, seawater without any pretreatment showed steeper flux decline (0.18 to 0.11 at first 20 hours operation) in RO. © 2009

Potential and performance of a polydopamine-coated multiwalled carbon nanotube/polysulfone nanocomposite membrane for ultrafiltration application

© 2015 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. The addition of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) as inorganic fillers is well known to improve membrane performance for water desalination. Most MWNTs are treated by acid treatment to enhance their hydrophilicity before their applications in membranes. However, acid treatment leads to structural damages of the MWNT wall. An alternative way of improving the hydrophilicity of MWNTs is through coating of polydopamine (Pdop), where MWNT wall damage is avoided. In the present study, polydopamine-coating on MWNT is carried out at pH 8.5 and at room temperature (23-25. °C). Different concentrations (0.1-0.5 wt%) of Pdop-MWNTs were incorporated into polysulfone (Psf) membranes fabricated by phase inversion. The results showed that the incorporation of Pdop-coated MWNTs has increased the membrane permeability using BSA solution (1000 ppm) by 19-50% depending on the amount of Pdop-MWNTs in the membrane, and has maintained good rejection performances (99.88%). Moreover, the antifouling properties of the nanocomposite membranes were also improved. Here, the optimum dose was determined to be 0.1. wt% of Pdop-MWNTs. Furthermore, even though the Pdop-MWNT/Psf membranes showed lower permeability than acid-MWNT/Psf membrane, the Pdop-MWNT/Psf membrane obtained higher mechanical strength and would be potentially sustainable for a long term ultrafiltration operation

Cannibalism and Gang Involvement in the Cinematic Lives of Asian Gangsters

Abstract: Previous works focusing on Asian organized crime groups have examined the history, structure, function, and the extent of their legal and illegal business enterprises. While credible, such a line of inquiry omits crucial information on the source and reasoning behind membership and affiliation for members in Asian organized crime groups, such as the "Jok-Pok", Triads, and Yakuza. Due to the secretive nature of those organized crime groups, such an omission leaves a major gap in the understanding as to why Asian youths join gangs. This paper examines the prevailing characteristics of membership and affiliation within Asian gangs by analyzing Asian gangsters in Asian (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) cinema. Results indicate that the lure of economic benefits, exposure to gang life from within one's family and lack of opportunities to achieve legitimate goals constitute the three most pervasive themes that define membership within Asian gangs as represented in popular cinema

Serially connected forward osmosis membrane elements of pressure-assisted forward osmosis-reverse osmosis hybrid system: Process performance and economic analysis

© 2018 Elsevier B.V. Due to the improved dilution of draw streams, employing pressure-assisted forward osmosis (PAFO) to the hybrid system of forward osmosis (FO) followed by reverse osmosis (RO) for seawater desalination has been expected to reduce the overall economics. However, replacing FO with PAFO causes an additional energy cost in the seawater dilution step which inevitably leads to a question that PAFO-RO hybrid is truly an economically beneficial option. More importantly, though serial connection of FO elements improves the dilution of initial draw water, this economic benefit is also compensated with the additional membrane. To rationalize its overall performance and economic benefit, thorough performance and economic evaluations were conducted based on actual pilot-scale PAFO operations for serial connection of up to three 8040 FO elements. The results showed the FO-RO hybrid is not an economically feasible option unless a significant unit FO element cost cut-down is guaranteed. Meanwhile, PAFO-RO showed benefits with regards to target RO recovery and unit FO element cost, particularly when two FO elements are serially connected (SE2). It was found that PAFO-RO, indeed, has higher economic potential than FO-RO. A graphical overlapping method suggested in this work can help determine optimal serial configuration and operating conditions of PAFO-RO

Electric Conductivity of the Zero-gap Semiconducting State in Alpha-(BEDT-TTF)2I3 Salt

The electric conductivity which reveals the zero gap semiconducting (ZGS) state has been investigated as the function of temperature $T$ and life time $\tau$ in order to understand the ZGS state in quarter-filled $\alpha$-(BEDT-TTF)$_2$I$_3$ salt with four sites in the unit cell. By treating $\tau$ as a parameter and making use of the one-loop approximation, it is found that the conductivity is proportional to $T$ and $\tau$ for $k_B\gg\hbar/\tau$ and independent of $T$ and $\tau$ for $k_B T\ll\hbar/\tau$. Further the conductivity being independent of $T$ in the ZGS state is examined in terms of Born approximation for the impurity cattering.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, submitted to J. Phys. Soc. Jp

Chemically Cross-Linked Graphene Oxide as a Selective Layer on Electrospun Polyvinyl Alcohol Nanofiber Membrane for Nanofiltration Application.

Graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets were utilized as a selective layer on a highly porous polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofiber support via a pressure-assisted self-assembly technique to synthesize composite nanofiltration membranes. The GO layer was rendered stable by cross-linking the nanosheets (GO-to-GO) and by linking them onto the support surface (GO-to-PVA) using glutaraldehyde (GA). The amounts of GO and GA deposited on the PVA substrate were varied to determine the optimum nanofiltration membrane both in terms of water flux and salt rejection performances. The successful GA cross-linking of GO interlayers and GO-PVA via acetalization was confirmed by FTIR and XPS analyses, which corroborated with other characterization results from contact angle and zeta potential measurements. Morphologies of the most effective membrane (CGOPVA-50) featured a defect-free GA cross-linked GO layer with a thickness of ~67 nm. The best solute rejections of the CGOPVA-50 membrane were 91.01% for Na2SO4 (20 mM), 98.12% for Eosin Y (10 mg/L), 76.92% for Methylene blue (10 mg/L), and 49.62% for NaCl (20 mM). These findings may provide one of the promising approaches in synthesizing mechanically stable GO-based thin-film composite membranes that are effective for solute separation via nanofiltration