3,237 research outputs found
Effect of Particle Size and Starch Gelatinization on the Mechanical and Metallurgical Performance of Jarosite Plus Blast Furnace Sludge Self-Reducing Briquettes
Jarosite and blast furnace sludge (BFS) are two of the main wastes from hydrometallurgical zinc production and iron production by blast furnace, respectively. Jarosite is a hazardous material that can, however, be reused in the steel industry after the recovering of the iron contained within it through carbothermal reduction in which BFS is exploited as a reducing agent. Yet, both wastes have a powdery nature that makes it necessary to agglomerate them for industrial use. On the other hand, despite the advantages of producing a self-reducing product, the particle size of the starting powders and the level of gelatinization of the binder could play a crucial role on the mechanical and metallurgical performance and, consequently, on the industrial applicability of the briquettes. Accordingly, two powder particle sizes (very fine sand vs. coarse silt) and three degree of corn starch binder retrogradation (10%, 30% and non-gelatinized starch) were used to produce briquettes, and their influence was studied by experimental and statistical investigation. The results showed that gelatinization plays the main role on the mechanical properties of briquettes, while particle size affects both density and reduction behavior; in particular, although all the mixtures were able to recover iron at 950 °C the most optimal mixture were obtained by using a granulometry of 63–125 μm for jarosite and less than 63 μm for BFS, while the local maximum of mechanical performance was obtained for a 30% starch retrogradation level
How Dark Matter Reionized The Universe
Although empirical evidence indicates that that the universe's gas had become
ionized by redshift z ~ 6, the mechanism by which this transition occurred
remains unclear. In this article, we explore the possibility that dark matter
annihilations may have played the dominant role in this process. Energetic
electrons produced in these annihilations can scatter with the cosmic microwave
background to generate relatively low energy gamma rays, which ionize and heat
gas far more efficiently than higher energy prompt photons. In contrast to
previous studies, we find that viable dark matter candidates with electroweak
scale masses can naturally provide the dominant contribution to the
reionization of the universe. Intriguingly, we find that dark matter candidates
capable of producing the recent cosmic ray excesses observed by PAMELA and/or
ATIC are also predicted to lead to the full reionization of the universe by z ~
6.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures; error in figure 2 corrected, conclusions
unchange
Malin 1: interacting galaxy pair?
Malin 1 is a unique, extraordinarily large low surface brightness galaxy. The
structure and the origins of the galaxy are poorly understood. The reason for
such a situation is an absence of detailed observational data, especially, of
high-resolution kinematics. In this Letter we study the stellar kinematics of
the inner part (r < 15 kpc) of Malin 1. We present spectroscopic arguments in
favour of a small galaxy - Malin 1B - being a companion probably interacting
with the main galaxy - Malin 1. This object is clearly seen in many published
images of Malin 1 but is not mentioned in any astronomical databases. Malin 1B
is located at the projected distance of 14 kpc from the Malin 1's nucleus and
has small - 6516 km/s - relative velocity, which we determined for the
first time. We suggest that ongoing interaction with Malin 1B can explain main
morphological features of the Malin 1's central region - two-armed spiral
structure, a bar, and an external one-armed spiral pattern. We also
investigated the large scale environment of Malin 1 and postulate that the
galaxy SDSS J123708.91+142253.2 might be responsible for the formation of
extended low-surface brightness envelope by means of head-on collision with
Malin 1 (in the framework of collision scenario proposed by Mapelli et al.
2008). To test the collisional origins of Malin 1 global structure, more
observational data and new numerical models are needed.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
Microbial assisted phytodepuration for water reclamation: Environmental benefits and threats
Climate changes push for water reuse as a priority to counteract water scarcity and minimize water footprint especially in agriculture, one of the highest water consuming human activities. Phytodepuration is indicated as a promising technology for water reclamation, also in the light of its economic and ecological sustainability, and the use of specific bacterial inocula for microbial assisted phytodepuration has been proposed as a further advance for its implementation. Here we provided an overview on the selection and use of plant growth promoting bacteria in Constructed Wetland (CW) systems, showing their advantages in terms of plant growth support and pollutant degradation abilities. Moreover, CWs are also proposed for the removal of emerging organic pollutants like antibiotics from urban wastewaters. We focused on this issue, still debated in the literature, revealing the necessity to deepen the knowledge on the antibiotic resistance spread into the environment in relation to treated wastewater release and reuse. In addition, given the presence in the plant system of microhabitats (e.g. rhizosphere) that are hot spot for Horizontal Gene Transfer, we highlighted the importance of gene exchange to understand if these events can promote the diffusion of antibiotic resistance genes and antibiotic resistant bacteria, possibly entering in the food production chain when treated wastewater is used for irrigation. Ideally, this new knowledge will lead to improve the design of phytodepuration systems to maximize the quality and safety of the treated effluents in compliance with the 'One Health' concept
The role of primary auditory and visual cortices in temporal processing: A tDCS approach
Aim: Many studies showed that visual stimuli are frequently experienced as shorter than equivalent auditory stimuli. These findings suggest that timing is distributed across many brain areas and that "different clocks" might be involved in temporal processing. The aim of this study is to investigate, with the application of tDCS over V1 and A1, the specific role of primary sensory cortices (either visual or auditory) in temporal processing.
Method: Forty-eight University students were included in the study. Twenty-four participants were stimulated over A1 and 24 participants were stimulated over VI. Participants performed time bisection tasks, in the visual and the auditory modalities, involving standard durations lasting 300 ms (short) and 900 ms (long).
Results: When tDCS was delivered over A1, no effect of stimulation was observed on perceived duration but we observed higher temporal variability under anodic stimulation compared to sham and higher variability in the visual compared to the auditory modality. When tDCS was delivered over V1, an underestimation of perceived duration and higher variability was observed in the visual compared to the auditory modality.
Conclusion: Our results showed more variability of visual temporal processing under tDCS stimulation. These results suggest a modality independent role of A1 in temporal processing and a modality specific role of V1 in the processing of temporal intervals in the visual modality. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
Swift J201424.9+152930: discovery of a new deeply eclipsing binary with 491 s and 3.4 h modulations
We report on the discovery of a new X-ray pulsator, Swift J201424.9+152930
(Sw J2014). Owing to its X-ray modulation at 491 s, it was discovered in a
systematic search for coherent signals in the archival data of the Swift X-ray
Telescope. To investigate the nature of Sw J2014, we performed multi-wavelength
follow-up observations with space-borne (Swift and XMM-Newton) and ground-based
(the 1.5-m Loiano Telescope and the 3.6-m Telescopio Nazionale Galileo)
instruments. The X-ray spectrum of Sw J2014 can be described by a hard and
highly absorbed power law. The optical observations made it possible to single
out the optical counterpart to this source, which displays several variable
emission lines and total eclipses lasting ~20 min. Total eclipses of similar
length were observed also in X-rays. The study of the eclipses, allowed us to
infer a second periodicity of 3.44 h, which we interpret as the orbital period
of a close binary system. We also found that the period has not significantly
changed over a ~7 yr timespan. Based on the timing signatures of Sw J2014, and
its optical and X-ray spectral properties, we suggest that it is a close binary
hosting an accreting magnetic white dwarf. The system is therefore a
cataclysmic variable of the intermediate polar type and one of the very few
showing deep eclipses.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, 5 tables; minor changes to match the final MNRAS
versio
Root Bacteria Recruited by Phragmites australis in Constructed Wetlands Have the Potential to Enhance Azo-Dye Phytodepuration
The microbiome associated with plants used in phytodepuration systems can boost plant growth and services, especially in ecosystems dealing with recalcitrant compounds, hardly removed via traditional wastewater (WW) treatments, such as azo-dyes used in textile industry. In this context, we aimed to study the cultivable microbiome selected by Phragmites australis plants in a Constructed Wetland (CW) in Morocco, in order to obtain candidate inoculants for the phytodepuration of azo-dye contaminated WW. A collection of 152 rhizospheric and endophytic bacteria was established. The strains were phylogenetically identified and characterized for traits of interest in the phytodepuration context. All strains showed Plant Growth Promotion potential in vitro and 67% of them significantly improved the growth of a model plant in vivo compared to the non bacterized control plants. Moreover, most of the isolates were able to grow in presence of several model micropollutants typically found in WW, indicating their potential use in phytodepuration of a wide spectrum of effluents. The six most promising strains of the collection were tested in CW microcosms alone or as consortium: the consortium and two single inocula demonstrated to significantly increase the removal of the model azo-dye Reactive Black 5 compared to the non bacterized controls
Gravitational Wave Bursts from Collisions of Primordial Black Holes in Clusters
The rate of gravitational wave bursts from the mergers of massive primordial
black holes in clusters is calculated. Such clusters of black holes can be
formed through phase transitions in the early Universe. The central black holes
in clusters can serve as the seeds of supermassive black holes in galactic
nuclei. The expected burst detection rate by the LISA gravitational wave
detector is estimated.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figure
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