Particle distribution, film formation and wear performance of brush plated Ni/WC

Nickel-matrix composite coatings with tungsten carbide particles were produced by brush electroplating using different current densities and materials of the brush. Non-abrasive materials and high current densities produce coatings with high particle content and non-uniform dispersion. Abrasive wear testing showed premature coating failure in areas with high particle concentrations (>21.3 at.% of W). Changes to the solution flow direction were undertaken to decrease ‘solution pooling’, as it was related to areas with excessive particle content. This, together with the use of abrasive brushes at lower current densities, gives Ni/WC coatings with a low and narrow composition range (from 13.2 ± 4.8 to 2.8 ± 0.8 at.% of W). Such optimized coatings minimized premature coating failure and improved the wear resistance to 1.8–4.4 times that of the original nickel matrix, achieving values similar to hard chrome coatings tested under the same conditions. Unlike other brush plated composite coatings, changes in coating morphology are not heavily influenced by processing parameters, but are sensitive to the presence of WC particles

No anomalous supersaturation in ultracold cirrus laboratory experiments

High-altitude cirrus clouds are climatically important: their formation freeze-dries air ascending to the stratosphere to its final value, and their radiative impact is disproportionately large. However, their formation and growth are not fully understood, and multiple in situ aircraft campaigns have observed frequent and persistent apparent water vapor supersaturations of 5 %–25 % in ultracold cirrus (T<205 K), even in the presence of ice particles. A variety of explanations for these observations have been put forth, including that ultracold cirrus are dominated by metastable ice whose vapor pressure exceeds that of hexagonal ice. The 2013 IsoCloud campaign at the Aerosol Interaction and Dynamics in the Atmosphere (AIDA) cloud and aerosol chamber allowed explicit testing of cirrus formation dynamics at these low temperatures. A series of 28 experiments allows robust estimation of the saturation vapor pressure over ice for temperatures between 189 and 235 K, with a variety of ice nucleating particles. Experiments are rapid enough (∼10 min) to allow detection of any metastable ice that may form, as the timescale for annealing to hexagonal ice is hours or longer over the whole experimental temperature range. We show that in all experiments, saturation vapor pressures are fully consistent with expected values for hexagonal ice and inconsistent with the highest values postulated for metastable ice, with no temperature-dependent deviations from expected saturation vapor pressure. If metastable ice forms in ultracold cirrus clouds, it appears to have a vapor pressure indistinguishable from that of hexagonal ice to within about 4.5 %

Efficient use of water for irrigation in the upper midwest

The objectives of this multidisciplinary interinstitutional regional study on the efficient use of water for irrigation in the upper Midwest were: (1) to determine parameters needed for existing or improved models of crop response; (2) to relate yield response to costs and revenues by assessing the water demand for irrigation; and (3) to study the demand for irrigation, present and projected, and its availability as related to public allocation decisions. From this series of studies it was concluded that: (1) There are many areas of the Midwest with sufficient groundwater and surface water resources to support the development of irrigation. (2) Soil moisture models indicate that only moderate yield response to irrigation can be expected on high moisture soils; on lighter soils and claypan soils, yield response is significant, even in regions with relatively high precipitation. (3) Irrigation and drainage on claypan soils can dramatically increase corn yields. (4) It appears economically worthwhile for the individual farmer operating on moderate soils or on claypan soils to evaluate capital investments in irrigation along with other capital investments. (5) Increases in yields and persistence of alfalfa due to irrigation appear to be insignificant when compared to conventional management practices; further research is needed. A potential, however, appears to exist for improving adaptation of a1 fa1 fa varieties to soil water deficits.U.S. Geological SurveyU.S. Department of the InteriorOpe

Re-evaluating cloud chamber constraints on depositional ice growth in cirrus clouds – Part 1: Model description and sensitivity tests

Ice growth from vapor deposition is an important process for the evolution of cirrus clouds, but the physics of depositional ice growth at the low temperatures (&lt;235 K) characteristic of the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere is not well understood. Surface attachment kinetics, generally parameterized as a deposition coefficient αD, control ice crystal habit and also may limit growth rates in certain cases, but significant discrepancies between experimental measurements have not been satisfactorily explained. Experiments on single ice crystals have previously indicated the deposition coefficient is a function of temperature and supersaturation, consistent with growth mechanisms controlled by the crystal's surface characteristics. Here we use observations from cloud chamber experiments in the Aerosol Interactions and Dynamics in the Atmosphere (AIDA) aerosol and cloud chamber to evaluate surface kinetic models in realistic cirrus conditions. These experiments have rapidly changing temperature, pressure, and ice supersaturation such that depositional ice growth may evolve from diffusion limited to surface kinetics limited over the course of a single experiment. In Part 1, we describe the adaptation of a Lagrangian parcel model with the Diffusion Surface Kinetics Ice Crystal Evolution (DiSKICE) model (Zhang and Harrington, 2014) to the AIDA chamber experiments. We compare the observed ice water content and saturation ratios to that derived under varying assumptions for ice surface growth mechanisms for experiments simulating ice clouds between 180 and 235 K and pressures between 150 and 300 hPa. We found that both heterogeneous and homogeneous nucleation experiments at higher temperatures (&gt;205 K) could generally be modeled consistently with either a constant deposition coefficient or the DiSKICE model assuming growth on isometric crystals via abundant surface dislocations. Lower-temperature experiments showed more significant deviations from any depositional growth model, with different ice growth rates for heterogeneous and homogeneous nucleation experiments.</p

New paradigms for understanding and step changes in treating active and chronic, persistent apicomplexan infections

Toxoplasma gondii, the most common parasitic infection of human brain and eye, persists across lifetimes, can progressively damage sight, and is currently incurable. New, curative medicines are needed urgently. Herein, we develop novel models to facilitate drug development: EGS strain T. gondii forms cysts in vitro that induce oocysts in cats, the gold standard criterion for cysts. These cysts highly express cytochrome b. Using these models, we envisioned, and then created, novel 4-(1H)-quinolone scaffolds that target the cytochrome bc1 complex Qi site, of which, a substituted 5,6,7,8-tetrahydroquinolin-4-one inhibits active infection (IC50, 30 nM) and cysts (IC50, 4 μM) in vitro, and in vivo (25 mg/kg), and drug resistant Plasmodium falciparum (IC50, <30 nM), with clinically relevant synergy. Mutant yeast and co-crystallographic studies demonstrate binding to the bc1 complex Qi site. Our results have direct impact on improving outcomes for those with toxoplasmosis, malaria, and ~2 billion persons chronically infected with encysted bradyzoites

Author Correction: New paradigms for understanding and step changes in treating active and chronic, persistent apicomplexan infections

Correction to: Scientific Reports https://doi.org/10.1038/srep29179, published online 14 July 201

The Development of a Code for Australian Psychologists

Section 35(1)(c) of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act (200929. Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act of 2009. (Queensland). View all references) requires the newly formed Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) “to develop or approve standards, codes and guidelines.” In 2010 the PsyBA decided to initially adopt the Australian Psychological Society\u27s (APS) Code of Ethics (200711. Australian Psychological Society . 2007 . Code of ethics , Melbourne, , Australia : Author . View all references) and develop a new code in the future with the involvement of key stakeholders without deciding what the nature of this code will be. The PsyBA now has to decide exactly how it will proceed in future. My aim in this article is to examine the options available to the PsyBA by exploring the definition and function of codes; presenting a history of the APS Code; and considering approaches that had been followed in Europe, Israel, New Zealand, and South Africa