Axle load variations and vehicle growth projection models for safety assessment of transportation structures

The design formulations of pavements and bridges are significantly influenced by the uncertainties associated with the prevailing vehicle weight characteristics. Accurate modelling of load spectra and the estimation of possible vehicle growth and composition are the main components in the safety assessment of transportation structures. The vehicle weights from the existing traffic form the basis for load spectra development, and the vehicle projections are subjective to the socio‐economic conditions. In this paper, the methodologies of appropriate data consideration for such representation are discussed and demonstrated based on the data from India. The load spectra are also developed for vehicular data from Interstate 95 (I‐95) in New York State. In lieu of the current status of the design codes for pavements and bridges worldwide, most of the developing countries are in need of analogous models for the calibration of the design basis. First Published Online: 27 Oct 201

Equilibrium studies on mixed ligand complexes of lanthanides with some schiff bases and polycarboxylic acids

192-194Equilibrium studies have been done on the mixed ligand complexes of Ln(III) with ligands L and A where L = N-(salicylidene)-1H-2-benzimidazolylmethylamine (SBMA), N-(3-chlorosalicylidene)-1H-2-benzimidazolylmethylamine(SBMA), N-(3-methoxysalicylidene)1H-2-benzimidazolylmethylamine (MeO-SBMA); A = iminodiacetic acid (IMDA), hydroxyethyliminodiacetic acid (HIMDA), nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) and Ln(III) = Pr(III), Nd(III), Dy(III), Gd(III), Y(III). Formation constants of binary 1:1:1 (ML), 1:2 (ML2) and ternary 1:1:1 (MAL) complexes have been determined potentiometrically at 30°C in 60% (v/v) aqueous methanol at I = 0.1 M (NaClO4). In these systems, the ligand L acts as a secondary ligand in the presence of A

FOURIER TRANSFORM INFRARED SPECTRA OF GenGe_{n} CLUSTERS TRAPPED IN SOLID Ar

$^{a}$G.R. Burton, C. Xu. C. Arnold, and D. Neumark, J. Chem. Phys. 104, 2757 (1996)Author Institution: Department of Physics and Astronomy, TCUThe structures and vibrational fundamentals of $Ge_{n}$ clusters trapped in solid Ar are under investigation using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. $Ge_{-n}$ anions (n = 2-15) were studied earlier by $Neumark et al.^{a}$, using anion photoelectron spectroscopy and zero electron kinetic energy spectroscopy. Tentative assignments were made for a fundamental vibration of each of $Ge_{3}$ and $Ge_{4}$, although vibrational structure was unresolved for larger clusters. We present vibrational spectra obtained for $Ge_{n}$ species produced by laser ablation of pure germanium followed by trapping in an Ar matrix and compare the experimental observations with the predictions of density functional theory calculations

IMECE2005-79967 EFFECT OF PROCESSING PARAMETERS ON THE CONDUCTIVITY OF THE SOLID OXIDE ANODE FOR FUEL CELLS

ABSTRACT Good electrical conductivity is highly desirable in Ni / YSZ cermet anodes for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), that operate at temperatures typically around 700 -900 °C. The conductivity of the cell controls the polarization loss of the cell which affects the overall efficiency of the fuel cell. In the current study, the effect of processing parameters on the conductivity of the anode cermet at room temperature is studied. The cermet is prepared with two different NiO vol. % and also sintered at two different temperatures. Different sintering temperatures lead to different microstructure and overall pore volume. The dependency of the conductivity on the microstructure, pore volume, sintering temperature and also the Ni content in the cermet are analyzed. The current analysis shows that the conductivity of the anode cermet strongly depends on the overall pore volume. Increase in sintering temperature reduces the pore volume and also reduces the active electrical conduction path. Increased density also decreases the active diffusion path which eventually means that there is a reduction in electrochemically active sites. These changes directly affect the efficiency of the cell. The Ni content in the cermet also influences the conductivity. The conductivity of the cermet varies with the Ni volume present in the cermet

Structural, mechanical and tribological investigations of sputter deposited CrN–WS2 nanocomposite solid lubricant coatings

Nanocomposite coatings of CrN–WS2 were prepared at different Cr contents (approximately 8–39 at%)using an unbalanced magnetron sputtering system. Structural changes in CrN–WS2 coatings with variation in Cr content were studied using X-ray diffraction. CrN–WS2 coatings displayed a dense, compact microstructure with reduced columnar growth in the field emission scanning electron microscopy data. Nanoindentation and nanoscratch data showed that CrN–WS2 coatings exhibited improved mechanical and adhesive properties, respectively. Micro-tribometer tests at a load of 2 N indicated that CrN–WS2 coatings prepared at 31 at% Cr exhibited a stable friction coefficient of 0.20–0.24 even after 8 h

Differential effect of cardiac resynchronization therapy in patients with diabetes mellitus: a long-term retrospective cohort study

AIMS Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has become an important therapy in patients with heart failure with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). The effect of diabetes on long-term outcome in these patients is controversial. We assessed the effect of diabetes on long-term outcome in CRT patients and investigated the role of diabetes in ischaemic and non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy. METHODS AND RESULTS All patients undergoing CRT implantation at our institution between November 2000 and January 2015 were enrolled. The study endpoints were (i) a composite of ventricular assist device (VAD) implantation, heart transplantation, or all-cause mortality; and (ii) reverse remodelling (improvement of LVEF ≥ 10% or reduction of left ventricular end-systolic volume ≥ 15%). Median follow-up of the 418 patients (age 64.6 ± 11.6 years, 22.5% female, 25.1% diabetes) was 4.8 years [inter-quartile range: 2.8;7.4]. Diabetic patients had an increased risk to reach the composite endpoint [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 1.48 [95% CI 1.12-2.16], P = 0.041]. Other factors associated with an increased risk to reach the composite endpoint were a lower body mass index or baseline LVEF (aHR 0.95 [0.91; 0.98] and 0.97 [0.95; 0.99], P < 0.01 each), and a higher New York Heart Association functional class or creatinine level (aHR 2.14 [1.38; 3.30] and 1.04 [1.01; 1.05], P < 0.05 each). Early response to CRT, defined as LVEF improvement ≥ 10%, was associated with a lower risk to reach the composite endpoint (aHR 0.60 [0.40; 0.89], P = 0.011). Reverse remodelling did not differ between diabetic and non-diabetic patients with respect to LVEF improvement ≥ 10% (aHR 0.60 [0.32; 1.14], P = 0.118). However, diabetes was associated with decreased reverse remodelling with respect to a reduction of left ventricular end-systolic volume ≥ 15% (aHR 0.45 [0.21; 0.97], P = 0.043). In patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy, survival rates were not significantly different between diabetic and non-diabetic patients (HR 1.28 [0.83-1.97], P = 0.101), whereas in patients with non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy, diabetic patients had a higher risk of reaching the composite endpoint (HR 1.65 [1.06-2.58], P = 0.027). The latter effect was dependent on other risk factors (aHR 1.47 [0.83-2.61], P = 0.451). The risk of insulin-dependent patients was not significantly higher than in patients under oral antidiabetic drugs (HR 1.55 [95% CI 0.92-2.61], P = 0.102). CONCLUSIONS Long-term follow-up revealed diabetes mellitus as independent risk factor for all-cause mortality, heart transplantation, or VAD in heart failure patients undergoing CRT. The detrimental effect of diabetes appeared to weigh heavier in patients with non-ischaemic compared with ischaemic cardiomyopathy

Breeding and molecular approaches for evolving drought-tolerant soybeans

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr] is an agronomically important oilseed crop in the world and an important source of protein and oil for both humans and animals. In addition, soybean is also becoming a major crop for bio-diesel production. Therefore, demand for soybean is increasing continuously worldwide. Soybean enriches the soil by fixing atmospheric nitrogen through symbiotic interaction with Rhizobia. With increasing challenges posed by climate change, it is predicted that incidents of drought will be more frequent and severe and it will further reduce crop yields. Abiotic stresses such as drought cause severe losses to soybean productivity worldwide by adversely affecting the plant growth, development, and yield. Introgression of genes controlling drought adaptive traits, yields related traits and root system architecture traits by breeding and molecular approaches will be very useful for enhancing drought stress tolerance in soybean, leading to cultivar development. Elucidation of function of genes and their integration in soybean genotypes by molecular breeding and genomic approaches and utilizing robust phenotyping tools to evaluate drought adaptive traits will be crucial for understanding response of soybean plants to drought stress. Recent advances in genomics lead identification, functional characterization, and introgression of genes associated with adaptation of soybean plants to drought stress. In order to perform genetic and genomic analysis, molecular markers have been employed on RIL or F2 populations. In addition, the genome typified with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and its utilization in molecular breeding applications like QTL mapping, positional cloning, association mapping studies, genomic selection and genome editing is gaining impetus. Thus, the rapid development of soybean genomics and transcriptomics has provided tremendous opportunity for the genetic improvement of soybean for drought tolerance with yield stability