Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Lauric Acid Melting at Suboptimal Inclines

Validation experiments are the baseline for completing numerical studies for engineering design. Applications of the enthalpy-porosity model have expanded in research with the growth of new technologies such as metal additive manufacturing or the renewed interest in thermal energy storage for supplementing renewable energy. A simplified experiment examining the melting behavior of lauric acid from an isothermal surface has become a common case for validating the performance of numerical models. Several studies of this rectangular experiment have been repeatedly used as model validation in a variety of problem conditions. The first part of this study presents experimental data for the same lauric acid experimental setup building on previous cases by adding 180◦ and 135◦ orientations. This extends the available cases used for validation to all the logical orientations based on previous studies. The second part of the study presents a numerical model and attempts to validate the results based on current practices in literature. The model does not fully match the results of the experiment and potential reasons for this are discussed. The final portion of the study examines different methods for modeling the density of the phase change based on several different approaches presented in literature. These results are examined with reference to each other and the implications on the common validation process are presented. General weaknesses of the enthalpy-porosity model are identified during the literature review and reinforced in the results of the study

Growth Performance of Crossbred Steers on Unfertilised Mountain Pastures at Low Stocking Rates

As a consequence of increasing economic pressure on Swiss agriculture, marginal areas are threatened by abandonment, especially in the mountainous regions. Using these areas for extensive beef production might preserve an open landscape and favour biodiversity. A grazing experiment was conducted with steers on an unfertilised mountain pasture to study the effects of a reduction of stocking rate on the growth of the animals and on changes in the vegetation

Type-specific radioimmunoassays for the gp70s of mink cell focus-inducing murine leukemia viruses: expression of a cross-reacting antigen in cells infected with the friend strain of the spleen focus-forming virus

We have isolated the gp70 of a helper-independent strain of a Friend mink cell focus-inducing (MCF) virus, Fr-MCF-1. This recombinant virus, like the previously described AKR-MCF viruses, has been shown by both biological and biochemical means to be an envelope gene recombinant between Friend murine leukemia virus (F-MuLV) and a mouse xenotropic virus. Utilizing (125)I- labeled Fr-MCF-1 gp70 and antiserum prepared against an MCF strain of Moloney type-C virus (Mol-MCF(83)), we have developed a radioimmunoassay which detects immunological determinant (s)contained in the gp70s of MCF viruses derived from F-MuLV, Mol-MuLV, and AKR-MuLV. This MCF determinant(s) is not detected in the ecotropic parents of each of these MCF viruses, nor in helper-independent murine xenotropic viruses derived from Swiss or BALB/c mice. A protein partially cross-reactive with the MCF gp70 determinant(s) is detected in a replicating xenotropic virus derived from NZB mice. Utilizing this MCF gp70 specific immunoassay, we can detect a cross-reacting gene product coded for by the Friend strain of the spleen focus-forming virus (SFFV) in rat fibroblasts nonproductively infected with SFFV. The results support earlier molecular hybridization studies which indicated that the genome of SFFV contains genetic information derived from both F-MuLV and xenotropic virus, and that the xenotropic-related sequences in SFFV are highly related to those found in MCF murine type-C viruses

Copper(I) dye-sensitized solar cells with [Co(bpy)3]2+/3+ electrolyte

The hierarchical assembly of DSCs containing a new heteroleptic copper(I) complex with a phosphonic acid anchoring ligand is described; it is shown that conventional I−/I3− electrolytes may be replaced by [Co(bpy)3]2+/3+ with no loss in performance

Quality and readability of online patient information for abdominal aortic aneurysms

ObjectiveWe assessed the quality and readability of patient information for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) on the World Wide Web, as accessed from the United Kingdom.MethodsWeb sites returned by a simple Web search using the three largest search engines by market share were objectively and subjectively assessed for quality and readability. The Internet search engines Google, Yahoo!, and Bing were interrogated for the term “abdominal aortic aneurysm” and the first 50 hits screened. Organization type and Health on the Net status were recorded. Each unique site containing AAA information was scored for quality using the University of Michigan Consumer Health Web site Evaluation Checklist by two authors, and readability was calculated using the Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) score. Subjective content assessment was also undertaken.ResultsOf 150 hits, 112 were relevant, with 55 unique sites for assessment. Overall, the FRE score was 39 (range, 29-47) and the Michigan score was 36 (range, 25-56), with good interobserver agreement (rs = 0.83; P = .01). Michigan and FRE scores were poorly correlated (rs = 0.064; P = .6). Sites containing discussion on the merits of endovascular/open repair and the concept of an intervention threshold had the highest Michigan scores (58.5 [50-59.75] vs 28 [13-36.5]; P < .001). Search engine ranking, Health on the Net status, country of origin, and organization type did not affect quality or readability.ConclusionsThe current quality and readability of online patient information for AAAs is poor and requires significant improvement. Clinicians treating patients with AAAs should be aware of the limitations of the online “lay literature.

Contributions of organic and inorganic matter to sediment volume and accretion in tidal wetlands at steady state

A mixing model derived from first principles describes the bulk density (BD) of intertidal wetland sediments as a function of loss on ignition (LOI). The model assumes that the bulk volume of sediment equates to the sum of self-packing volumes of organic and mineral components or BD = 1/[LOI/k1 + (1-LOI)/k2], where k1 and k2 are the self-packing densities of the pure organic and inorganic components, respectively. The model explained 78% of the variability in total BD when fitted to 5075 measurements drawn from 33 wetlands distributed around the conterminous United States. The values of k1 and k2 were estimated to be 0.085 ± 0.0007 g cm−3 and 1.99 ± 0.028 g cm−3, respectively. Based on the fitted organic density (k1) and constrained by primary production, the model suggests that the maximum steady state accretion arising from the sequestration of refractory organic matter is ≤ 0.3 cm yr−1. Thus, tidal peatlands are unlikely to indefinitely survive a higher rate of sea-level rise in the absence of a significant source of mineral sediment. Application of k2 to a mineral sediment load typical of East and eastern Gulf Coast estuaries gives a vertical accretion rate from inorganic sediment of 0.2 cm yr−1. Total steady state accretion is the sum of the parts and therefore should not be greater than 0.5 cm yr−1 under the assumptions of the model. Accretion rates could deviate from this value depending on variation in plant productivity, root:shoot ratio, suspended sediment concentration, sediment-capture efficiency, and episodic events

The effect of N-methylprotoporphyrin IX on the synthesis of photosynthetic pigments in Cyanidium caldarium. Further evidence for the role of haem in the biosynthesis of plant bilins

N-Methylprotoporphyrin IX strongly inhibits synthesis of phycocyanobilin, but not chlorophyll a, in the dark. In the light, both phycocyanin and chlorophyll a synthesis are inhibited in parallel. These results are consistent with the intermediacy of haem in algal bilin synthesis and suggest a control mechanism for chlorophyll a synthesis, previously unknown