12,876 research outputs found

    Complexos agroalimentares do milho, da soja e do trigo no Brasil.

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    Informacoes disponiveis para caracterizar os complexos agroindustrias da soja, do milho e do trigo no Brasil.bitstream/item/118238/1/complexos-agroalimentares-do-milho-soja-e-trigo.pd

    Analytical and numerical studies of disordered spin-1 Heisenberg chains with aperiodic couplings

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    We investigate the low-temperature properties of the one-dimensional spin-1 Heisenberg model with geometric fluctuations induced by aperiodic but deterministic coupling distributions, involving two parameters. We focus on two aperiodic sequences, the Fibonacci sequence and the 6-3 sequence. Our goal is to understand how these geometric fluctuations modify the physics of the (gapped) Haldane phase, which corresponds to the ground state of the uniform spin-1 chain. We make use of different adaptations of the strong-disorder renormalization-group (SDRG) scheme of Ma, Dasgupta and Hu, widely employed in the study of random spin chains, supplemented by quantum Monte Carlo and density-matrix renormalization-group numerical calculations, to study the nature of the ground state as the coupling modulation is increased. We find no phase transition for the Fibonacci chain, while we show that the 6-3 chain exhibits a phase transition to a gapless, aperiodicity-dominated phase similar to the one found for the aperiodic spin-1/2 XXZ chain. Contrary to what is verified for random spin-1 chains, we show that different adaptations of the SDRG scheme may lead to different qualitative conclusions about the nature of the ground state in the presence of aperiodic coupling modulations.Comment: Accepted for publication in Physical Review

    Preventing biofouling in heat exchangers: an experimental assessment of the effects of water velocity and inorganic particles on deposit detachment

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    Biofouling is a costly problem in heat exchangers. Biocides can be used to minimize the formation of biofilms, but they are not always effective and, moreover, they are generally deleterious to the environment. The use of proper liquid velocities or of water jets in the exchanger tubes is also a means to prevent the build up of fouling deposits or to clean the surface once they are formed. Often, biofilms incorporate inorganic particles which modify the physical properties of the deposit and, thus, affect the effectiveness of anti-fouling measures. This paper presents experimental data that show the effects of the water velocity and of the presence of clay particles on the accumulation of biofilms and on their mechanical resistance to detachment caused by hydrodynamic forces. The results indicate that the fraction of dry biomass (micro-organisms plus extracellular biopolymers) in biofilms increases with the liquid velocity and that the deposits formed under higher hydrodynamic forces are more resistant to detachment. The resistance to detachment is even greater when the biofilms incorporate small (20 micrometer) clay particles

    Intrinsic kinetics of biofilms formed under turbulent flow and low substrate concentrations

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    Reactor operating conditions strongly affect the behaviour of biofilm systems, namely their stability and the substrate removal. In this paper, the penetration of substrate and the activity of biofilms formed by Pseudomonas fluorescens under turbulent flow and low substrate concentrations, are studied. A first order diffusion-reaction model was applied to results of biofilm accumulation in steady and non-steady-state. The substrate consumption rate of the biofilm was calculated based on the on-line determination of the biofilm accumulated on the surface. This approach is important when the residence time or the substrate concentration on the reactor is very low. Also, the mass transfer of substrate inside the biofilm was measured for every case under study and introduced in the model. The fraction of biofilm penetrated by the substrate depends on the velocity of the fluid that contacts the biological matrix: contrary to biofilms formed at higher velocities, lower velocities give raise to non completely penetrated biofilms. This fact seems to be associated to the biofilm internal structure in terms of biomass density and compactness of the matrix. They remove more substrate per reactor volume, but are less resistant from an hydrodynamic point of view. In conclusion, biofilms formed at higher velocities in turbulent flow allow a more stable reactor operation.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - PRAXIS XXI, 2.1/BIO/37/94. União Europeia - Fundo de Desenvolvimento Regional Europeu (FDRE) - INTERREG, 01/REG II/6/96

    Physical stability and biological activity of biofilms under turbulent flow and low substrate concentration

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    The paper focuses on biofilms subject to turbulent flow and high liquid velocity (of the order of 1 m s ˉ¹) which can be found in heat exchangers, water distribution systems and in some wastewater reactors. An overall model describing biofilm development is presented, which includes the effects of biomass detachment due to the hydrodynamic forces. A methodology for estimating substrate consumption from data obtained through continuous monitoring of biofilm growth is presented. Results show that the physical stability of the biofilm increases with the liquid velocity, while the rate of substrate consumption decreases.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia - PRAXIS XXI, 2.1/BIO/37/94 . Uniãoo Europeia - Fundo de Desenvolvimento Regional Europeu - Programme INTERREG - 01/REG II/6/9

    All-optical trapping and acceleration of heavy particles

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    A scheme for fast, compact, and controllable acceleration of heavy particles in vacuum is proposed, in which two counterpropagating lasers with variable frequencies drive a beat-wave structure with variable phase velocity, thus allowing for trapping and acceleration of heavy particles, such as ions or muons. Fine control over the energy distribution and the total charge of the beam is obtained via tuning of the frequency variation. The acceleration scheme is described with a one-dimensional theory, providing the general conditions for trapping and scaling laws for the relevant features of the particle beam. Two-dimensional, electromagnetic particle-in-cell simulations confirm the validity and the robustness of the physical mechanism.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, to appear in New Journal of Physic

    Chemical composition and activity of a biofilm during the start-up of an airlift reactor

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    For the successful operation of a biofilm reactor, it is important to characterise the fixed biomass, its activity and composition. The purpose of this research was to monitor the biofilm characteristics of an airlift reactor, namely its composition in terms of exopolymers (polysaccharides and proteins), attached biomass, thickness, total proteins, as well as its activity in terms of substrate consumption rates. During the early phases of biofilm development, a high exopolymer production was observed, which helped in promoting the initial cell adhesion. The high turbulence with strong abrasive conditions might also trigger the excretion of those polymers. Low levels of extracellular proteins were detected, showing that the proteins in the biofilm were mainly intracellular. The biofilm accumulation on the carrier was accompanied by an increased biological activity; however, at the end of the experiment, the specific substrate consumption rate decreased, probably because of a reduction of the cell density within the biofilm.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) – PRAXIS XXI/BM/6699/95

    Formation of biofilms on suspended particles in an airlift bioreactor

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