Properties of Char Produced from Pyrolysis of Southern Pine

Bench scale pyrolyses were carried out on southern pine at conditions of 250, 350, 400, 500, and 800 C for 1, 2, and 4 hours in a flowing nitrogen atmosphere at flow rates of 135 and 405 milliliters per minute. Data presented in this paper represent work on the properties of the chars produced under these conditions. Results of oxygen bomb calorimetry, density and specific gravity measurements, carbon and hydrogen analyses, and gravimetric yields were statistically analyzed to determine the influence of process conditions on char properties. In general, char yield and percentage of hydrogen and oxygen decreased, while the carbon percentage increased with increasing temperature

Glassy phases and driven response of the phase-field-crystal model with random pinning

We study the structural correlations and the nonlinear response to a driving force of a two-dimensional phase-field-crystal model with random pinning. The model provides an effective continuous description of lattice systems in the presence of disordered external pinning centers, allowing for both elastic and plastic deformations. We find that the phase-field crystal with disorder assumes an amorphous glassy ground state, with only short-ranged positional and orientational correlations even in the limit of weak disorder. Under increasing driving force, the pinned amorphous-glass phase evolves into a moving plastic-flow phase and then finally a moving smectic phase. The transverse response of the moving smectic phase shows a vanishing transverse critical force for increasing system sizes

Genetic and environmental influences on eating behavior - a study of twin pairs reared apart or reared together

This study examined the relative influence of genetic versus environmental factors on specific aspects of eating behavior. Adult monozygotic twins (22 pairs and 3 singleton reared apart, 38 pairs and 9 singleton reared together, age 18-76 years, BMI 17-43 kg/m2) completed the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire. Genetic and environmental variance components were determined for the three eating behavior constructs and their subscales using model-fitting univariate and multivariate analyses. Unique environmental factors had a substantial influence on all eating behavior variables (explaining 45-71% of variance), and most strongly influenced external locus for hunger and strategic dieting behavior of restraint (explaining 71% and 69% of variance, respectively). Genetic factors had a statistically significant influence on only 4 variables: restraint, emotional susceptibility to disinhibition, situational susceptibility to disinhibition, and internal locus for hunger (heritabilities were 52%, 55%, 38% and 50%, respectively). Common environmental factors did not statistically significantly influence any variable assessed in this study. In addition, multivariate analyses showed that disinhibition and hunger share a common influence, while restraint appears to be a distinct construct. These findings suggest that the majority of variation in eating behavior variables is associated with unique environmental factors, and highlights the importance of the environment in facilitating specific eating behaviors that may promote excess weight gain.R01 AR046124 - NIAMS NIH HHS; R01 MH065322 - NIMH NIH HHS; T32 HL069772 - NHLBI NIH HHS; R37 DA018673 - NIDA NIH HHS; R01 DK073321 - NIDDK NIH HHS; R01 DA018673 - NIDA NIH HH

Generational research: between historical and sociological imaginations

This paper reflects on Julia Brannen’s contribution to the development of theory and methods for intergenerational research. The discussion is contextualised within a contemporary ‘turn to time’ within sociology, involving tensions and synergies between sociological and historical imagination. These questions are informed by a juxtaposition of Brannen’s four-generation study of family change and social historian Angela Davis’s exploration women and the family in England between 1945 and 2000. These two studies give rise to complementary findings, yet have distinctive orientations towards the status and treatment of sources, the role of geography in research design and limits of generalisatio

Effect of body composition methodology on heritability estimation of body fatness

Heritability estimates of human body fatness vary widely and the contribution of body composition methodology to this variability is unknown. The effect of body composition methodology on estimations of genetic and environmental contributions to body fatness variation was examined in 78 adult male and female monozygotic twin pairs reared apart or together. Body composition was assessed by six methods - body mass index (BMI), dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), underwater weighing (UWW), total body water (TBW), bioelectric impedance (BIA), and skinfold thickness. Body fatness was expressed as percent body fat, fat mass, and fat mass/height2 to assess the effect of body fatness expression on heritability estimates. Model-fitting multivariate analyses were used to assess the genetic and environmental components of variance. Mean BMI was 24.5 kg/m2 (range of 17.8-43.4 kg/m2). There was a significant effect of body composition methodology (p<0.001) on heritability estimates, with UWW giving the highest estimate (69%) and BIA giving the lowest estimate (47%) for fat mass/height2. Expression of body fatness as percent body fat resulted in significantly higher heritability estimates (on average 10.3% higher) compared to expression as fat mass/height2 (p=0.015). DXA and TBW methods expressing body fatness as fat mass/height2 gave the least biased heritability assessments, based on the small contribution of specific genetic factors to their genetic variance. A model combining DXA and TBW methods resulted in a relatively low FM/ht2 heritability estimate of 60%, and significant contributions of common and unique environmental factors (22% and 18%, respectively). The body fatness heritability estimate of 60% indicates a smaller contribution of genetic variance to total variance than many previous studies using less powerful research designs have indicated. The results also highlight the importance of environmental factors and possibly genotype by environmental interactions in the etiology of weight gain and the obesity epidemic.R01 AR046124 - NIAMS NIH HHS; R01 MH065322 - NIMH NIH HHS; T32 HL069772 - NHLBI NIH HHS; R21 DK078867 - NIDDK NIH HHS; R37 DA018673 - NIDA NIH HHS; R01 DK076092 - NIDDK NIH HHS; R01 DK079003 - NIDDK NIH HHS; F32 DK009747 - NIDDK NIH HHS; R01 DA018673 - NIDA NIH HH

Grain boundary motion in layered phases

We study the motion of a grain boundary that separates two sets of mutually perpendicular rolls in Rayleigh-B\'enard convection above onset. The problem is treated either analytically from the corresponding amplitude equations, or numerically by solving the Swift-Hohenberg equation. We find that if the rolls are curved by a slow transversal modulation, a net translation of the boundary follows. We show analytically that although this motion is a nonlinear effect, it occurs in a time scale much shorter than that of the linear relaxation of the curved rolls. The total distance traveled by the boundary scales as $\epsilon^{-1/2}$, where $\epsilon$ is the reduced Rayleigh number. We obtain analytical expressions for the relaxation rate of the modulation and for the time dependent traveling velocity of the boundary, and especially their dependence on wavenumber. The results agree well with direct numerical solutions of the Swift-Hohenberg equation. We finally discuss the implications of our results on the coarsening rate of an ensemble of differently oriented domains in which grain boundary motion through curved rolls is the dominant coarsening mechanism.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figure

Properties of pattern formation and selection processes in nonequilibrium systems with external fluctuations

We extend the phase field crystal method for nonequilibrium patterning to stochastic systems with external source where transient dynamics is essential. It was shown that at short time scales the system manifests pattern selection processes. These processes are studied by means of the structure function dynamics analysis. Nonequilibrium pattern-forming transitions are analyzed by means of numerical simulations.Comment: 15 poages, 8 figure

A STRUCTURAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF FLAWS DETECTED DURING ULTRASONIC EXAMINATION OF TANK 15

Ultrasonic (UT) inspection of Tank 15 was conducted between April and July 2007 in accordance with the Tank 15 UT inspection plan. This was a planned re-inspection of this tank, the previous one was performed in 2002. Ten cracks were characterized in the previous examination. The re-inspection was performed to verify the present models and understanding for stress corrosion cracking. During this re-examination, one indication that was initially reported as a 'possible perpendicular crack &lt;25% through wall' in 2002, was clearly shown not to be a crack. Additionally, examination of a new area immediately adjacent to other cracks along a vertical weld revealed three new cracks. It is not known when these new cracks formed as they could very well have been present in 2002 as well. Therefore, a total of twelve cracks were evaluated during the re-examination. A critical review of the information describing stress corrosion crack behavior for the SRS waste tanks, as well as a summary review of the service history of Tank 15, was performed. Each crack was then evaluated for service exposure history, consistency of the crack behavior with the current understanding of stress corrosion cracking, and present and future impact to the structural integrity of the tank. Crack instability calculations were performed on each crack for a bounding waste removal loading condition in Tank 15. In all cases, the crack behavior was determined to be consistent with the previous understanding of stress corrosion cracking in the SRS waste tank environment. The length of the cracks was limited due to the short-range nature of the residual stresses near seam, repair and attachment welds. Of the twelve cracks, nine were located in the vapor space above the sludge layer, including the three new cracks. Comparison of the crack lengths measured in 2002 and 2007 revealed that crack growth had occurred in four of the six previously measured vapor space cracks. However, the growth remained within the residual stress zone. None of the three cracks beneath the sludge showed evidence of growth. The impact of the cracks that grew on the future service of Tank 15 was also assessed. Tank 15 is expected to undergo closure activities including sludge waste removal. A bounding loading condition for waste removal of the sludge at the bottom of Tank 15 was considered for this analysis. The analysis showed that the combination of hydrostatic, seismic, pump and weld residual stresses are not expected to drive any of the cracks identified during the Tank 15 UT inspection to instability. Wall thickness mapping for general thinning and pitting was also performed. No significant wall thinning was observed. The average wall thickness values were well above nominal. Two isolated pit-like indications were observed. Both were approximately 30 mils deep. However, the remaining wall thickness was still greater than nominal specified for the original construction plate material. It was recommended that a third examination of selected cracks in Tank 15 be performed in 2014. This examination would provide information to determine whether any additional detectable degradation is occurring in Tank 15 and to supplement the basis for characterization of conditions that are non-aggressive to tank corrosion damage. The in-service inspection program is re-evaluated on a three year periodicity. The Type I and II tanks are not active receipt tanks at present, and are therefore not a part of the In-Service Inspection Program for the Type III Tanks [1]. Changes to the mission for Tank 15 and other Type I and II tanks may be considered by the In-Service Inspection Review Committee (ISIRC) and the program adjusted accordingly

通電による異常増殖した藻類の除去

This study investigated a method of removing algae by energizing a metal electrode plate set in water containing abnormally proliferated algae. As algae have negative charge in water, they migrated to the anode by electrophoresis in an electric field. Combining with cations eluting from the anode, especially aluminum ions, the algae formed cohesive floc and then adhered on the anode surface without returning into the water. In the continuous flow apparatus, algae were removed at high removal rate by taking out the algae adhered on anode regularly. It was shown that the electrochemical method can efficiently remove algae from water