Velocity fluctuations and population distribution in clusters of settling particles at low Reynolds number

A study on the spatial organization and velocity fluctuations of non Brownian spherical particles settling at low Reynolds number in a vertical Hele-Shaw cell is reported. The particle volume fraction ranged from 0.005 to 0.05, while the distance between cell plates ranged from 5 to 15 times the particle radius. Particle tracking revealed that particles were not uniformly distributed in space but assembled in transient settling clusters. The population distribution of these clusters followed an exponential law. The measured velocity fluctuations are in agreement with that predicted theoretically for spherical clusters, from the balance between the apparent weight and the drag force. This result suggests that particle clustering, more than a spatial distribution of particles derived from random and independent events, is at the origin of the velocity fluctuations.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figure

Stability of an oscillating tip in Non-Contact Atomic Force Microscopy: theoretical and numerical investigations

This paper is a theoretical and a numerical investigation of the stability of a tip-cantilever system used in Non-Contact Atomic Force Microscopy (NC-AFM) when it oscillates close to a surface. No additional dissipative force is considered. The theoretical approach is based on a variationnal method exploiting a coarse grained operation that gives the temporal dependence of the nonlinear coupled equations of motion in amplitude and phase of the oscillator. Stability criterions for the resonance peak are deduced and predict a stable behavior of the oscillator in the vicinity of the resonance. The numerical approach is based on results obtained with a virtual NC-AFM developped in our group. The effect of the size of the stable domain in phase is investigated. These results are in particularly good agreement with the theoretical predictions. Also they show the influence of the phase shifter in the feedback loop and the way it can affect the damping signal

Étude de l'évolution des acides aminés totaux dans deux filières de traitement d'eau potable

Cette étude présente un suivi de l'élimination des acides aminés totaux par les différentes étapes de traitement de deux usines canadiennes de Ville de Laval (Québec, Canada). L'influence des saisons sur l'efficacité de l'abattement ainsi que le devenir des acides aminés dans les réseaux de distribution de ces usines ont aussi été étudiés.D'une manière générale, l'étape de coagulation-floculation-décantation permet une élimination important d'acides aminés totaux (34-72%), l'effet de la filtration sur sable et anthracite est peu prononcé et varie avec les saisons, l'ozonation provoque une augmentation (20-100%) et la filtration sur charbon actif biologique (CAB) permet un abattement en eau tiède (25-34%), mais semble relarguer en eaux froides (35%). Finalement, la post-désinfection au chlore permet une élimination supplémentaire (47%) à cause de la réactivité de cet oxydant envers les acides aminés. La post-désinfection au bioxyde de chlore permet elle aussi d'abattre les teneurs en acides aminés (12-39%) et ce, malgré le fait que cet oxydant soit moins réactif envers les acides aminés. L'élimination des acides aminés totaux avant la chloration est préférable afin de limiter la formation de sous-produits de chloration.Low concentrations of free and combined amino acids are found at every stage of water treatment (LE CLOIREC and RENAUD, 1984; SCULLY et al., 1988; BERNE et al., 1994). A decrease in amino acid concentrations has been observed after settling (LE CLOIREC et al., 1983; LE CLOIREC and RENAUD, 1984), while ozonation has been shown to increase free amino acid concentrations. Biological activated carbon (BAC) filtration may also decrease the concentration of total amino acids (JADAS-HÉCART, 1989; BERNE, 1994). Total amino acids represent a small fraction of dissolved organic matter (1 to 3% of DOC), but account for an important part of the chlorine demand of treated water (JADAS-HÉCART, 1989; HUREIKI et al., 1994). Moreover, recent work by HUREIKI and GAUTHIER (1994) has suggested that some amino acids found in surface waters may represent a significant fraction of the precursors of some organohalogenated disinfection by- products (DBP). It is also possible that total amino acids amount to an important fraction of biodegradable organic carbon (BOC). These characteristics of amino acids suggest that removing them by treatment will improve water quality, both from a biological and a chemical (DBP) stability standpoint.The objectives of the research described in this paper were to:1. assess the seasonal variability of the removal of free and combined amino acids by different treatment processes in two Canadian water treatment plants located in the city of Laval (Québec, Canada); 2. monitor the fate of total amino acids in the distribution systems of these two plants with the objective of correlating total amino acids with biodegradable dissolved organic carbon (BDOC) and fixed bacterial density. Sampling was conducted in two water treatment plants. The Ste-Rose water treatment plant (100,000 m3/d) uses conventional treatment (dynamic settling and dual-media filtration on sand and anthracite) followed by ozonation, pH adjustment, and post-chlorination using either chlorine of chlorine dioxide. The second plant studied is the Chomedey water treatment plant (180,000 m3/d) in which the following processes are used: conventional treatment (dynamic settling and dual-media filtration on sand and anthracite) followed by ozonation, second stage filtration on biological activated carbon (BAC), pH adjustment, and post-chlorination using chlorine dioxide. Samples were collected in the two distribution systems according to the residence time of the water calculated by a hydraulic model. Samples were taken directly from small diameter (15 cm internal diameter) ductile iron pipes. Results of the monitoring of the treatment plants show a very strong decrease of total amino acids by coagulation-flocculation-settling (34-72%). First stage dual-media filtration may increase or decrease the concentrations of total amino acids present, depending on the time of the year. In all but one case ozonation increases the concentration of total amino acids (20-100%). To document the source of this increase, we verified the yields of hydrolysis of amino acids found in natural matrices under different hydrolysis conditions. The objective of this experiment was to verify if more drastic hydrolysis conditions would free some amino acids linked to more complex structures found in natural waters. If such were the case, this would explain why higher concentrations of total amino acids were obtained after ozonation. Results showed that the hydrolysis conditions used by BERNE (1994) are optimal for recovery of amino acids in the natural water studied (sand and anthracite filter effluent). Total amino acids were decreased by BAC filtration in warm water (24 to 34%) but increased in cold water (+35%). This could either be related to the slower kinetics of the hydrolysis of combined amino acids by the fixed biomass or by the form in which amino acids were present in the winter matrix. The expected effect of chlorination on total amino acids was observed with a decrease of 47% at the post-chlorination step. Some impact of chlorine dioxide was noted although it is believed that chlorine dioxide will not readily react with free and combined amino acids. This effect was more pronounced in cold water and could be related to the fact that chlorine dioxide in full-scale plants is produced in the presence of excess chlorine (less than 10%).The analysis of the composition of total amino acids present in the Mille-Îles River showed that the amino acids most commonly found were glycine, serine, alanine, leucine, lysine, aspartic acid and glutamic acid. We observed that the trends of major amino acids present followed the trends observed for total amino acids. This concordance of trends does not reflect the individual characteristics of each amino acid or the ability of a treatment process to remove or transform them. It most probably reflects the ability of each treatment process to remove or transform complex bound forms of amino acids. In the Ste-Rose distribution system (DS), we observed stable concentrations of total amino acids regardless of the residence time. In the case of the Chomedey distribution system, concentrations decreased slightly with residence time, suggesting a greater stability of amino acids in the DS fed by biologically treated water. In both cases, levels of amino acids were very low close to the detection limit. In the case of the Ste-Rose DS, these low levels were attributed to biological removal, whereas in the case of the Chomedey DS this was associated with post-chlorination.No direct correlation between biodegradable organic carbon (BDOC) and total amino acids was observed. This may reflect the fact that total amino acids represent a variable fraction of the total pool of biodegradable organic carbon depending on the source water composition and on the treatment process applied. In the case of the source water studied, total amino acids represented a major fraction of the biodegradable organic carbon pool: more than 42% in raw water and more than 45% in BAC filter effluent. These high proportions may partially be explained by the eutrophic state of our source water and by the method of BDOC measurement used.In conclusion, amino acids represent an important fraction of biodegradable organic carbon which can be removed most efficiently by optimized coagulation-flocculation and settling, biological treatment and chlorination. It is preferable to remove total amino acids before chlorination in order to limit the formation of undesirable DBPs

Competition between Electromagnetically Induced Transparency and Raman Processes

We present a theoretical formulation of competition among electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) and Raman processes. The latter become important when the medium can no longer be considered to be dilute. Unlike the standard formulation of EIT, we consider all fields applied and generated as interacting with both the transitions of the $\Lambda$ scheme. We solve Maxwell equations for the net generated field using a fast-Fourier-transform technique and obtain predictions for the probe, control and Raman fields. We show how the intensity of the probe field is depleted at higher atomic number densities due to the build up of multiple Raman fields.Comment: 3.5 pages, 7 figure

Premise Selection and External Provers for HOL4

Learning-assisted automated reasoning has recently gained popularity among the users of Isabelle/HOL, HOL Light, and Mizar. In this paper, we present an add-on to the HOL4 proof assistant and an adaptation of the HOLyHammer system that provides machine learning-based premise selection and automated reasoning also for HOL4. We efficiently record the HOL4 dependencies and extract features from the theorem statements, which form a basis for premise selection. HOLyHammer transforms the HOL4 statements in the various TPTP-ATP proof formats, which are then processed by the ATPs. We discuss the different evaluation settings: ATPs, accessible lemmas, and premise numbers. We measure the performance of HOLyHammer on the HOL4 standard library. The results are combined accordingly and compared with the HOL Light experiments, showing a comparably high quality of predictions. The system directly benefits HOL4 users by automatically finding proofs dependencies that can be reconstructed by Metis

The effects of donepezil in Alzheimer's disease - Results from a multinational trial

Donepezil has been shown to be well tolerated and to improve cognition and global function in patients with mild to moderately severe Alzheimer's disease (AD). The current trial was undertaken to investigate further the efficacy and safety of donepezil, in a multinational setting, in patients with mild to moderately severe AD. This 30-week, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study consisted of a 24-week, double-blind treatment phase followed by a 6-week, single-blind, placebo washout. Eight hundred and eighteen patients with mild to moderately severe AD were randomly allocated to treatment with single, daily doses of 5 or 10 mg donepezil, or placebo. The two primary efficacy measures were: a cognitive performance test, the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog) and a global evaluation, the Clinician's Interview-Based Impression of Change with caregiver input (CIBIC plus). Secondary outcome measures included the Sum of the Boxes of the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR-SB), a modified Interview for Deterioration in Daily living activities in Dementia (IDDD) and a patient-rated quality of life assessment. Statistically significant improvements in cognitive and global function were observed, as evaluated by ADAS-cog and CIBIC plus, respectively, in both the 5 and 10 mg/day donepezil groups, compared with placebo. Treatment-associated changes were also observed in functional skills, as shown by improved scores on the CDR-SB and the complex-tasks component of the IDDD. A dose-response effect was evident, with the 10 mg/day donepezil group demonstrating greater benefits in all outcome measures than the 5 mg/day group. Donepezil was well tolerated by this patient population and did not produce any clinically significant laboratory test abnormalities. The results of this study confirm that donepezil is effective and well tolerated in treating the symptoms of mild to moderately severe AD

Estimation de l'équivalent en eau du couvert nival au moyen d'images radar satellitaires

L'objectif de cette étude est de vérifier le potentiel des images radar à synthèse d'ouverture (RSO) pour estimer l'équivalent en eau du couvert nival sur le bassin de la rivière La Grande (Baie de James, Québec). Il s'agit d'un milieu dominé par une forêt ouverte d'épinettes noires, des brûlis et des tourbières. Cette information intéresse grandement Hydro-Québec qui gère plusieurs installations hydro-électriques dans cette région subarctique. Durant deux ans, six campagnes de terrain ont été réalisées sur le bassin de la rivière La Grande et une dizaine d'images RSO du satellite européen ERS-1 ont été acquises, étalonnées et géoréférencées, afin de déterminer la relation entre les coefficients de rétrodiffusion des images radar (hiver et automne) et la résistance thermique du couvert nival. Cette relation constitue la première partie d'un algorithme d'estimation de l'équivalent en eau. Elle utilise plus spécifiquement le rapport de rétrodiffusion, qui est la différence entre une image avec neige et une image sans neige. La deuxième partie de cette algorithme déduit l'équivalent en eau du couvert de neige à partir de sa résistance thermique et de sa densité, en se basant sur la relation physique établie par les mesures de terrain. L'équivalent en eau du couvert nival a donc été estimé pour quatre images de février et mars 1994 et 1995. L'erreur moyenne sur l'estimation de l'équivalent en eau de la neige au sol est de 2% à 3% (-5 à 7mm) sur l'ensemble des sites d'échantillonnage avec un écart-type de 14 à 19% (-35 à 45mm). Ces résultats ont encouragé Hydro-Québec à poursuivre la recherche avec les données du satellite canadien RADARSAT (opérationnel depuis le 1er avril 1996) et à développer un prototype pour la cartographie de l'équivalent en eau du couvert nival à partir d'images radar.The goal of this study was to evaluate the potential of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images for estimating the snow water equivalent (SWE) on the La Grande river watershed (James Bay area, Québec). This information is of major interest for Hydro-Québec, which exploits many hydroelectric complexes throughout this subarctic region. The La Grande watershed is composed of moderately dense to opened black spruce forests, opened areas, burned areas and peat bogs. Over two years (1994-1995), six field campaigns were carried out on a study site located between the LG4 and Laforge1 reservoir, in the center of the La Grande river watershed. The field measurements were of two types: 20 snow lines (depth, snow water equivalent (SWE), density) and 8 snow profiles (depth, density, grain size, temperature, dielectric constant). With these data, the thermal resistance of the snowpack was calculated for every test-site, using the depth, density and thermal conductivity of each layer. Concurrently, more than 10 SAR images (European Satellite ERS-1) of the study site were acquired, calibrated and georeferenced. The backscattering coefficients of all winter images were extracted. Using a reference image (snow-free), backscattering ratios were calculated. They are the difference between a winter image and a snow-free image. This process is used to reduce the impact of vegetation and topography. Then, the relationship between the backscattering ratios and the snowpack thermal resistance of february and march 1994 are established, as the first part of an algorithm developed to estimate the snow water equivalent. The second part of the algorithm infers the snowpack water equivalent from its thermal resistance and density, based on the physical relationship established with field data. This approach is based on studies conducted by INRS-Eau in a southern Quebec agricultural area (BERNIER and FORTIN (1998)). The hypothesis are based on the following: - The snowpack characteristics influence the underlying soil temperature;- The dielectric constant of the soil varies with the soil temperature under 0°C;- The radar signal is influenced by the soil dielectric constant;- Thus, the snowpack characteristics (thermal resistance) influence the radar signal. However, due to variations of soil humidity on the date of the reference image (september 1994), two slightly different relationships were obtained. One for open areas and open forests and one for burned areas and peat bogs. This shows the importance of using a good reference image, with homogeneous soil conditions. It could be better to obtain an image later in the fall, when the soil is frozen. The relationships established here are preliminary, as they use a small dataset. It is estimated that a better regression should be obtained with the acquisition of more images and with a greater range of snow characteristics. However, the algorithm is applied to test the applicability of the method. First, the algorithm was applied on the test-sites, using the images from February and March of 1994 and 1995. The mean error on the estimation of the snow water equivalent is 2% to 3% ( 5 to 7mm), with a deviation of 14% to 19% ( 35 to 45mm). The results are comparable for both years, even if the algorithm is based on 1994 data only. Secondly, the algorithm is applied on the whole images. A classification of a Landsat-TM image is used to identify the land cover of every pixel, which determines the regression and the snow density to be used in the algorithm. Four maps of the SWE are produced and resampled to a resolution of 500m. These are compared with the field measurements from the four nearest Hydro-Quebec snow survey sites. The SWE measured by Hydro-Quebec are all within the most dominant SWE class of each map. Further validation of the results will be possible when the algorithm can be applied on a sub-watershed, which is the actual scale used by Hydro-Quebec. However, the results of this study were sufficiently promising to Hydro-Quebec to support a follow up research with data from the canadian satellite RADARSAT (operational since april 1996). Meanwhile, to improve the algorithm, it is important to obtain a good and homogeneous reference image, to better assess the impact of the land cover and to acquire a dataset with a greater range of snow characteristics

Sound velocity and absorption measurements under high pressure using picosecond ultrasonics in diamond anvil cell. Application to the stability study of AlPdMn

We report an innovative high pressure method combining the diamond anvil cell device with the technique of picosecond ultrasonics. Such an approach allows to accurately measure sound velocity and attenuation of solids and liquids under pressure of tens of GPa, overcoming all the drawbacks of traditional techniques. The power of this new experimental technique is demonstrated in studies of lattice dynamics, stability domain and relaxation process in a metallic sample, a perfect single-grain AlPdMn quasicrystal, and rare gas, neon and argon. Application to the study of defect-induced lattice stability in AlPdMn up to 30 GPa is proposed. The present work has potential for application in areas ranging from fundamental problems in physics of solid and liquid state, which in turn could be beneficial for various other scientific fields as Earth and planetary science or material research

Numerical simulations of compressible Rayleigh-Taylor turbulence in stratified fluids

We present results from numerical simulations of Rayleigh-Taylor turbulence, performed using a recently proposed lattice Boltzmann method able to describe consistently a thermal compressible flow subject to an external forcing. The method allowed us to study the system both in the nearly-Boussinesq and strongly compressible regimes. Moreover, we show that when the stratification is important, the presence of the adiabatic gradient causes the arrest of the mixing process.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures. Proceedings of II Conference on Turbulent Mixing and Beyond (TMB-2009