Three-year performance of in-situ mass stabilised contaminated site soils using MgO-bearing binders

This paper provides physical and chemical performances of mass stabilised organic and inorganic contaminated site soils using a new group of MgO-bearing binders over 3 years and evaluated the time-dependent performance during the 3 years. This study took place at a contaminated site in Castleford, UK in 2011, where MgO, ground granulated blastfurnace slag (GGBS) and Portland cement (PC) were mixed with the contaminated soils in a dry form using the ALLU mass mixing equipment. Soil cores were retrieved 40-day, 1-year and 3-year after the treatment. The core quality, strength, and the leaching properties were determined via physical observation, unconfined compressive strength (UCS) and batch leaching tests. After 3-year treatment, the UCS values of ALLU mixes were in the range of 50–250 kPa; the leachate concentrations of Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn (except Ni) in all mixes were lower than their drinking water standards; and the leachability of total organics was in the range of 10–105 mg/L. No apparent degradation of the mass stabilised materials after 3 years’ exposure to the field conditions was found. MgO-GGBS blends were found able to provide higher strength and less leachability of contaminants compared to PC and MgO-only mixes in mass stabilised soils

Exploiting the localized surface plasmon modes in gold triangular nanoparticles for sensing applications

In this study we investigate and exploit, for optical sensing, the surface plasmon excitation in gold triangular nanoparticles with high aspect ratios (i.e., the ratio of the edge length of the triangles with the height) prepared by nanosphere lithography. As shown previously, the shape and size of these nanoparticles were used to tune their optical properties, monitored by far field extinction spectroscopy. Interestingly, several localized surface plasmon resonances were detected in the visible and near infrared regions and were attributed to dipole and quadrupole modes. These modes, identified from numerical simulations, "red-shift'' as the aspect ratio of the particles increases. The plasmon modes observed for larger triangles exhibit unexpected sensitivity with a change in the refractive index. From experiments and numerical simulations, this higher sensitivity has been attributed to an increase of the local field enhancement for sharper tips. This new effect can provide important information for the design of particles as building blocks for sensing applications

Strain engineering in graphene by laser irradiation

We demonstrate that the Raman spectrum of graphene on lithium niobate can be controlled locally by continuous exposure to laser irradiation. We interpret our results in terms of changes to doping and mechanical strain and show that our observations are consistent with light-induced gradual strain relaxation in the graphene layer

Preparation of atomically clean and flat Si(100) surfaces by low-energy ion sputtering and low-temperature annealing

Si(100) surfaces were prepared by wet-chemical etching followed by 0.3-1.5keV Ar ion sputtering, either at elevated or room temperature. After a brief anneal under ultrahigh vacuum conditions, the resulting surfaces were examined by scanning tunneling microscopy. We find that wet-chemical etching alone cannot produce a clean and flat Si(100) surface. However, subsequent 300eV Ar ion sputtering at room temperature followed by a 973K anneal yields atomically clean and flat Si(100) surfaces suitable for nanoscale device fabrication.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures, to be published in Applied Surface Scienc

Numerical approximations for population growth model by Rational Chebyshev and Hermite Functions collocation approach: A comparison

This paper aims to compare rational Chebyshev (RC) and Hermite functions (HF) collocation approach to solve the Volterra's model for population growth of a species within a closed system. This model is a nonlinear integro-differential equation where the integral term represents the effect of toxin. This approach is based on orthogonal functions which will be defined. The collocation method reduces the solution of this problem to the solution of a system of algebraic equations. We also compare these methods with some other numerical results and show that the present approach is applicable for solving nonlinear integro-differential equations.Comment: 18 pages, 5 figures; Published online in the journal of "Mathematical Methods in the Applied Sciences

Role of convection in redistributing formaldehyde to the upper troposphere over North America and the North Atlantic during the summer 2004 INTEX campaign

Measurements of formaldehyde (CH2O) from a tunable diode laser absorption spectrometer (TDLAS) were acquired onboard the NASA DC‐8 aircraft during the summer 2004 INTEX‐NA campaign to test our understanding of convection and CH2O production mechanisms in the upper troposphere (UT, 6–12 km) over continental North America and the North Atlantic Ocean. The present study utilizes these TDLAS measurements and results from a box model to (1) establish sets of conditions by which to distinguish “background” UT CH2O levels from those perturbed by convection and other causes; (2) quantify the CH2O precursor budgets for both air mass types; (3) quantify the fraction of time that the UT CH2O measurements over North America and North Atlantic are perturbed during the summer of 2004; (4) provide estimates for the fraction of time that such perturbed CH2O levels are caused by direct convection of boundary layer CH2O and/or convection of CH2O precursors; (5) assess the ability of box models to reproduce the CH2O measurements; and (6) examine CH2O and HO2 relationships in the presence of enhanced NO. Multiple tracers were used to arrive at a set of UT CH2O background and perturbed air mass periods, and 46% of the TDLAS measurements fell within the latter category. In general, production of CH2O from CH4 was found to be the dominant source term, even in perturbed air masses. This was followed by production from methyl hydroperoxide, methanol, PAN‐type compounds, and ketones, in descending order of their contribution. At least 70% to 73% of the elevated UT observations were caused by enhanced production from CH2O precursors rather than direct transport of CH2O from the boundary layer. In the presence of elevated NO, there was a definite trend in the CH2O measurement–model discrepancy, and this was highly correlated with HO2 measurement–model discrepancies in the UT

Field Behavior of Retained Earth Structure

This paper describes a case study of a Retained Earth system constructed for the on- and off-ramps of a grade separation structure in Hayward, California. Field strain gage readings of reinforcing meshes were recorded at two instrumented sites. The results were closely examined and analyzed to assess the current design procedure. Based upon the information gathered, it was concluded that the field performance behavior of the system seems to justify the current general design procedure. However, it was also noted that the design of earth reinforced structures is complicated due to the interaction between the reinforcing elements and the surrounding soil; therefore, field instrumentation, performance behavior documentation and analysis are vitally important to ensure safe and economic design

Characteristics of Energy Consumption by building type of a U.S. Navy Installation in Hot and Humid Climate

In fiscal year 2014, the facility energy consumption of the Department of Defense (DOD) amounted to 214,164 billion British thermal units (Btus), which was about 1.2 percent of the total U.S. commercial sector’s energy consumption. DOD spent $4.2 billion on facility energy, which included$4 billion to power, heat, and cool buildings. Several research works have been conducted to save energy and study the energy consumption of military installations in a general view. However, few research works discussed the characteristics of energy consumption by building type in a high temperature and high relative humidity climate. This paper will investigate the characteristics of energy consumption by building type under the specific hot and humid climate at a selected U.S. Navy installation. The building types comprise of office building, residential building, supermarket, data center, warehouse and supermarket. Utility bills of electricity and natural gas for each building will be analyzed to show the actual energy consumption status. Field tests on HVAC system operations and building envelope properties will be conducted to identify the characteristics of energy consumption for each building type. Weakness of current building operation in the selected military installation will be discussed. Based on measured data and walk-through inspection, energy conservation measures will be proposed

Role of Baroclinic Processes on Flushing Characteristics in a Highly Stratified Estuarine System, Mobile Bay, Alabama

Flushing of an estuary quantifies the overall water exchange between the estuary and coastal ocean and is crucially important for water quality as well as biological and geochemical processes within the system. Flushing times and freshwater age in Mobile Bay were numerically calculated under realistic and various controlled forcing conditions. Their responses to external forcing were explained by the three‐dimensional characteristics of general circulation in the system. The flushing time ranges from 10 to 33 days under the 25th–75th percentile river discharges, nearly half of the previous estimates based on barotropic processes only, suggesting the important contribution of baroclinic processes. Their influence, quantified as the “new ocean influx,” is on the same order of the river discharge under low to moderate river discharge conditions. The baroclinic influence increases and then decreases with increasing river discharge, aligning with the response of horizontal density gradient. By enhancing the net influx from the ocean mainly through density‐driven circulation, baroclinic processes contribute to reduce flushing times. The three‐dimensional circulation, which differs greatly between the wet and dry seasons, explains the temporal and spatial variations of the flushing characteristics. Wind forcing influences the three‐dimensional circulation in the system with easterly and northerly winds tending to reduce the flushing time, while southerly and westerly winds the opposite