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Anaerobic lagoons remove organic matter in the absence of oxygen and must be designed considering facultative or aerated lagoons, to continue with the treatment and at the same time re-oxygenate the wastewater. The purpose of this document is to determine two graphs to calculate the elimination of fecal coliforms in anaerobic lagoons. An application example is included with the traditional method adopted by the Instituto Mexicano de Tecnología del Agua y la Comisión Nacional del Agua, later the graphs previously prepared are used. The results show the same values calculated with the traditional criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Sesame is one of the oldest crops and probably the oldest oilseed in the world. In most regions, the landrace and local masses of sesame are used. To increase production and yield, the production of modified cultivars for different agricultural climates is extremely important. Material and Methods: Seven genotypes included Isfahan, Sirjan, Fars, Oltan, Jiroft, Sabzevar, TS-3 and 21 hybrids that were obtained from them were studied in the research farm of the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Birjand under the drought stress conditions during 2015-2018. The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replications as a 7 × 7 one-way diallel. In this study, several traits were measured. These traits were including plant height, height to the first fruiting capsule, number of capsules per plant, number of sub-branches, number of leaves, leaf length, number of seeds per capsule, capsule length, capsule weight, capsule width, days to 50% and 90% flowering, days to physiological maturity, thousand seed weight, oil percentage, protein percentage, amount of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, biological yield, economic yield and harvest index. Results: The investigation of the adequacy of the additive-dominance model showed that the model was sufficient in the traits including plant height, capsule length, capsule weight, number of leaves, number of sub-branches, number of capsules per plant, economic yield, biological yield, days to 50 flowering, days to 90% flowering and days to physiological maturity, and therefore diallel analysis was done on these traits. Hayman's variance analysis showed that were significant component a (additive effects of genes) in all traits and component b (dominant effects of genes) in all traits except plant height. Also, were significant the component b1 (mean dominance effects) in most traits except plant height, number of auxiliary branches, number of capsules and seed yield, the component b2 (other dominance deviation due to the parents) in most traits except plant height, number of auxiliary branches and number of capsules, and the component b3 (residual dominance variation) in all traits except plant height. The investigation of genetic parameters showed significant additive genetic component (D) and dominanant genetic components (H1 and H2) in most traits. Also were significant the component F (average covariance of additive and dominance effects) and the component h2 (the overall dominance effect of heterozygous loci) in half of the traits. The average degree of dominance (√ (H1/D)) in different traits was observed as additive, incomplete, and over dominance. In all characteristics, except capsule weight, the ratio of genes with positive and negative effects (H2/(4H1)) was not equal to 0.25; therefore, in all traits, increasing and decreasing genes did not have symmetrical distribution among parents. The ratio of dominant and recessive genes in parents ((√(4DH1)+F)/(√(4DH1)-F)) was more than unity in most of the traits, so there was an uneven distribution of dominant and recessive genes in most of the traits. The number of dominant gene groups (h2/H2) was obtained from 0 to 2.04; therefore, all traits were controlled by one or two gene blocks. Broad sense (hb 2) and narrow sense (hn 2) heritability were high in all traits. Conclusion: In the traits studied, the type of action of genes controlling the traits, the ratio of dominant and recessive genes, the ratio of genes with increasing and decreasing effects, additive effects and dominance were variable and were different in most of the traits. Generally, most traits were controlled by genes with additive and dominant effects. The high heritability estimate indicates the promising news of the studied genetic materials in future studies. Therefore, among these materials, better genotypes can be selected for the climatic conditions of Birjand, so that it can be further investigated in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The powerful image analysis and statistical capabilities of computers can effectively solve problems such as insufficient precision in clastic rock particle size measurements and the heavy workload during the process. The MATLAB programming language was employed to process the samples of the Zhoutian Formation in the Upper Cretaceous of the Huichang Basin through techniques such as grayscale transformation, binarization, adaptive median filtering, and color annotation, accurately measuring their grain size parameters. The results indicate the following. The average grain size obtained using MATLAB,s direct calculation method and the graphical method are 4. 008φ and 3. 103φ, respectively. The standard deviations are 0. 8φ and 0. 803φ, the skewness values are - 0. 195φ and - 0. 041φ, and the kurtosis values are 0. 911φ and 0. 916φ. The standard deviation and kurtosis errors are small, allowing for mutual substitution between the two calculation methods, while the standard deviation and skewness errors are relatively large, making them unsuitable for mutual substitution. Both MATLAB,s direct calculation method and microscopic rock mineral identification indicate a relatively poor roundness of the Zhoutian Formation as a whole, with angular to sub-angular clastic particles. The sedimentary environment discrimination formula reflects the formation of the Zhoutian Formation in a fluvial depositional environment, consistent with the geological background and microscopic observation results. Through the MATLAB programming language, it is possible to accurately identify particle outlines and calculate various parameters in clastic rocks, providing great convenience for sediment grain size research, eliminating subjective interference, and improving work efficiency [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stress and deformation analysis of a cavity in an infinite/finite medium is a fundamental applied mechanics problem of interest in multiple physics and engineering disciplines. This paper develops a complete semianalytical solution for the cylindrical cavity expansion in nonassociated Mohr–Coulomb materials, by using the graphical approach and Lagrangian formulation of the cavity boundary value problem (through tracing the responses of a single material point at the cavity wall). The novelty of the new solution framework lies not only in the relaxation of the stringent intermediacy assumption for the vertical stress as usually adopted in the previous analyses, but also in the comprehensive consideration of nonhydrostatic initial stress conditions via arbitrary values of K0 (the coefficient of earth pressure at rest defined as the ratio between the horizontal and vertical initial stresses). The essence of the so-called graphical method, i.e., the unique geometrical analysis and tracking of the deviatoric stress trajectory, is fulfilled by leveraging the deformation requirement that during cavity expansion the progressive development of the radial and tangential strains must maintain to be compressive and tensile, respectively. With the incorporation of the radial equilibrium condition, the problem is formulated to solve a single first-order differential equation for the internal cavity pressure with respect to a pivotal auxiliary variable, for all the distinct scenarios of K0 being covered. Some selected results are presented for the calculated cavity pressure-expansion curve and limit cavity pressure through an example analysis. The definitive semianalytical solution proposed will be not only substantially advancing the current state of knowledge on the fundamental cavity expansion theory, but also able to serve as a unique benchmark for truly verifying the correctness and capability of the classical cornered Mohr–Coulomb constitutive model built in commercial finite element programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the nonlinear algorithmic theory, the R-SVM water source discrimination model and prediction method were established by using the piper qualitatively to compare the differences between the ionic components and R-type factor approximation indicator input dimensions. Taking the mine water samples of Zhaogezhuang Coal Mine as an example, according to the chemical composition analysis of the water samples from different monitoring points, six indexes of Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cl–, SO42– and HCO3– were selected as the discrimination factors. According to the water characteristics of each aquifer and the actual needs of discrimination, the water inrush sources in the mining area were divided into four categories: The goaf water is class I, Ordovician carbonate is class II, Sandstone fracture water from the 13 coal system is class III, and Sandstone fracture water from the 12 coal system is class IV. Taking 56 typical water inrush samples as training samples, 11 groups for prediction samples, establish the input index as typical ion content, output as water source type, using SPSS statistics and MATLAB to realize the R-SVM water source discriminant analysis model, automatically establishing the mapping relationship between the water quality indexes and the evaluation standards, which can achieve the purpose of rapid and accurate discrimination of the water sample data. The results showed that the accuracy of the R-SVM model classification was 90.90% in the verification of the water source discrimination example of Zhaogezhuang mine and the coupled model has high accuracy, good applicability and discriminant ability, and has certain guiding significance for the prevention and control of water damage and the related field work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops a general and complete solution for the undrained cylindrical cavity expansion problem in nonassociated Mohr‐Coulomb soil under nonhydrostatic initial stress field (i.e., arbitrary K0${{K}_0}$ values of the earth pressure coefficient), by expanding a unique and efficient graphical solution procedure recently proposed by Chen and Wang in 2022 for the special in situ stress case with K0=1${K}_{0}=1$. It is interesting to find that the cavity expansion deviatoric stress path is always composed of a series of piecewise straight lines, for all different case scenarios of K0 being involved. When the cavity is sufficiently expanded, the stress path will eventually end, exclusively, in a major sextant with Lode angle θ in between 5π3$\frac{{5\pi }}{3}$ and 11π6$\frac{{11\pi }}{6}$ or on the specific line of θ=11π6$\theta = \frac{{11\pi }}{6}$. The salient advantage/feature of the present general graphical approach lies in that it can deduce the cavity expansion responses in full closed form, nevertheless being free of the limitation of the intermediacy assumption for the vertical stress and of the difficulty existing in the traditional zoning method that involves cumbersome, sequential determination of distinct Mohr–Coulomb plastic regions. Some typical results for the desired cavity expansion curves and the limit cavity pressure are presented, to investigate the impacts of soil plasticity parameters and the earth pressure coefficient on the cavity responses. The proposed graphical method/solution will be of great value for the interpretation of pressuremeter tests in cohesive‐frictional soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Breast cancer related lymphedema (BCRL) may be assessed through objective measurement of limb swelling with common techniques including volumetric measurement using a tape measure or perometry, and measurement of extracellular water using bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS). This study aimed to evaluate the performance of a stand-on BIS device for detection of BCRL, introduce a novel graphical method to compare volumetric and BIS methods alongside traditional specificity and sensitivity analysis, and determine and compare BIS thresholds with those published previously. Materials and Methods: Female participants with indocyanine green lymphography confirmed unilateral arm lymphedema (n = 197) and healthy controls (n = 267) were assessed using a cross-sectional study design. BIS and volumetric measures were obtained in a single session. Results: The BIS lymphedema index (L-Dex) method had a significantly higher sensitivity than the excess volume approach (area under the curve = 0.832 vs. 0.649, p = 0.0001). A threshold of L-Dex 6.5 had a higher true positive rate (70.6%) than L-Dex 10 (68.5%) although false positive rate increased from 0.4% to 2.6%. A threshold of 5% excess volume improved the true positive rate (68.5%) compared with 10% excess volume (49.7%) however the false positive rate increased to an unacceptable 47%. The L-Dex ranges in this study were not significantly different from previously published ranges. Conclusion: BIS was superior for identifying BCRL compared with volume measurements, reaffirming the value of this technique. However, it is recommended that BIS be used in conjunction with comprehensive evaluation of symptoms and clinical presentation. The proposed graphical method provides a simple and easily interpretable approach to compare and define concordance between the two commonly used methods for BCRL assessment namely limb volume and BIS L-Dex indices. The existing BIS (L-Dex) thresholds for presence of BCRL were also validated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the vertical pipe test data of riverbed sediment in the downstream section of the main stream of Hotan River, the paper carried out the application and evaluation of different vertical pipe test parameter calculation methods. The HTST01 test point was selected for vertical permeability test, and the HTST02 test point was selected for horizontal and vertical permeability tests, respectively. The rationality of the permeability coefficient value obtained by the traditional calculation method and the difference between its calculation results and the linear graphical method were analyzed. The results indicate that: the array of permeability coefficients obtained by traditional calculation methods approximately follows a non-standard normal distribution with certain skewness and kurtosis, all of which have moderate variability. The use of arithmetic mean values for parameter values has certain rationality and applicability. When using random calculation values, the error size of parameter values has contingency and uncertainty. The straight line graphical method can effectively avoid the generation of random errors, but the calculation results obtained by it differ from the arithmetic mean of traditional calculation methods to some extent. The average relative error value is 10.59%, and the maximum relative error value exceeds 27.00%. In the application process of vertical pipe tests, the influence of the rationality of parameter values obtained by calculation methods should not be ignored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the detection of corrosion under insulation (CUI) using pulsed eddy current testing (PECT) method, it is of great significance to reduce the footprint of the probe for improving the spatial resolution to local corrosion. This paper presents a novel method to reduce the probe footprint by modifying the excitation coil into multiple sub-coils and driving them with sequential pulses of different delay time. Finite element simulations are conducted to reveal the underlying mechanism. It is found that by using the sequential excitation scheme, the diffusion and decay of eddy currents in the test piece are regulated, and both the footprint reduction and signal enhancement can be achieved. Afterwards, the effects of the sequence and the delay amount of the applying pulses on the probe footprint are analyzed. Results show that the optimal excitation sequence is to apply pulses with increasing delay time to the sub-coils from outside to inside; the probe footprint decreases with the increase of the delay amount. Experimental work is finally performed to verify the simulation results. A graphical method for measuring the probe footprint is proposed by moving the probe on a step wedge plate and plotting the evaluated thickness against the probe position. Footprint measurement results of a conventional probe and the presented 4-subcoil probe are compared. The effectiveness of the proposed method are validated and the differences between experimental and simulation results are analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, an approximate analytical solution (AS) is presented to evaluate the radiative thermal exchange through a gaseous participating medium composed of H2O, CO2, and CO, which is valid for the product values of pressure path‐length (PL) from 0.06 to 20 atm m and temperatures (T) from 300 K to 2100 K. The Spence root weighting method is used to approximate the exact solutions. For each set of PL;T $\mathrm{PL}{\rm{;}}T$, the value of exact spectral emissivity and absorptivity ελ ${\varepsilon }_{\lambda }$ and aλ ${a}_{\lambda }$ for the gas mixture is calculated using the AS, the Hottel graphical method (HGM) and the proposed approximate solution. The weaker adjustment was achieved in the modeling of the HGM, with a mean deviation obtained of ±15% and ±20% for 43.8% and 56.3% of the data evaluated, respectively, while the best indices were obtained in the estimation of the proposed method, with a mean deviation obtained of ±10% and ±15% for 81.3% and 98.1% of the available data, respectively. In all cases, the agreement of the proposed model with the available experimental data is good enough to be considered satisfactory for practical design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, high-resolution traffic signal event data has provided valuable insights into understanding and managing congestion at signalized intersections. While existing applications primarily employ automated traffic signal performance monitoring (ATSPM) systems as postanalysis tools for identifying everyday congestion causes, traffic engineers are increasingly overwhelmed by the number of ATSPM-capable intersections. The workload increases extensively as the number of ATSPM-capable intersections rises mainly due to the necessity of manually checking and generating performance figures. Nonetheless, an advanced ATSPM system capable of automatically detecting time-of-day congestion bottlenecks among multiple intersections and suggesting "top intersections of interest" would significantly aid traffic managers in monitoring historical congestion and preventing future congestion occurrences. This paper introduces an efficient graphical automated congestion ranking method for capable intersections, leveraging high-resolution traffic signal event data as the basis for automated congestion ranking. To accomplish these objectives, we build upon ATSPM concepts by continuously generating ATSPM measures of effectiveness (MOEs). Utilizing continuously generated ATSPM performance measures in Frisco, Texas, over several months, we devise an efficient graphical method for ranking hourly congestion levels among the studied ATSPM-capable intersections. All intersections are assessed and ranked using a multiobjective optimization technique, the Pareto front method. The points on the Pareto front represent dominating intersections with at least one inferior performance measurement, warranting prioritized improvement. The dominating points identified from the test dataset were validated and further explained using Purdue coordination diagrams (PCD), along with another individual dataset--Wejo-connected vehicle data. The outcomes of this approach have proven the validity of the method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Weibull algorithm is one of the most accurate tools for forecasting and estimating wind energy potential. Two main parameters of the Weibull algorithm are the 'Weibull shape' and 'Weibull scale' factors. There are six different numerical methods to estimate the two Weibull parameters. These six methods are the empirical method of Justus (method 1), the empirical method of Lysen (method 2), the maximum likelihood method (method 3), the modified maximum likelihood method (method 4), the energy pattern factor method (method 5) and the graphical method (method 6). Many commercial wind energy software programs use the Weibull algorithm, and these six methods are used to calculate the potential wind energy at a given site. However, their accuracy is rarely discussed, particularly regarding wind data height. For this purpose, wind data measured for a long period (six years) at real sites are introduced. The wind data sites are categorized into three levels, i.e., low, medium, and high, based on wind data measurement height. The analysis shows that methods 1 and 2 are the most accurate methods among all six methods at low and medium heights. The number of errors increases with the height of these two methods. Methods 3 and 4 are the most suitable options for larger heights, as these scenarios have minimal error. The present study's findings can be used in various fields, e.g., wind energy forecasting and wind farm planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unit distributions, exhibiting inherent symmetrical properties, have been extensively studied across various fields. A significant challenge in these studies, particularly evident in parameter estimations, is the existence and uniqueness of estimators. Often, it is challenging to demonstrate the existence of a unique estimator. The major issue with maximum likelihood and other estimator-finding methods that use iterative methods is that they need an initial value to reach the solution. This dependency on initial values can lead to local extremes that fail to represent the global extremities, highlighting a lack of symmetry in solution robustness. This study applies a very simple, and unique, estimation method for unit Weibull and unit Burr XII distributions that both attain the global maximum value. Therefore, we can conclude that the findings from the obtained propositions demonstrate that both the maximum likelihood and graphical methods are symmetrically similar. In addition, three real-world data applications are made to show that the method works efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atmospheric dustfall is solid air pollutant, has a major impact on the environment and human health. The objective of this study was to investigate the microscopic characteristics and sources of atmospheric dustfall in open-pit mining coal resource-based city in the arid desert area of Northwest China. The characteristics of size and shape factors, variation of shape factors with size distribution, types of individual particles, and sources of atmospheric dustfall, which were collected in the open-pit mining area and surrounding areas, were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy coupled with an energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM–EDS) combined with graphical method and shape factors. The results showed that the atmospheric dustfall in all functional areas was dominated by coarse-grained particles. The shape of the atmospheric dustfall deviated from spherical shape, and with decreasing particle size, the difference in shape factors increased in each functional area. The EDS and XRD analyses indicated the presence of 13 types of particles. The sources were mainly local and included soil dust from each functional area; industrial dust, construction dust, biogenic impurities, fossil fuel combustion, wear products of motor vehicle parts, motor vehicle exhaust emissions, and emission and excreta from biological activities in each functional area except the desert area; emissions from a steel plant in the industrial area; coal-associated ore, coal dust, coal gangue emissions, and emissions from the spontaneous combustion of coal gangue in the open-pit mining area; secondary chemical crystallization products in the industrial area and the open-pit mining area; dust generated by vehicles abrading the surface of the off-mine coal road and in the open-pit mining area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a quadratic programming problem is considered to identify all link flows in an arterial network when there are unmeasured link flows. A graphical method is provided to determine the minimum number of measurements and sensor locations required to obtain a fully observable model. It is shown that this method is also valid for the augmented graph with turn ratio measurements. If the minimum measurements required are met, a fully determined network can be obtained. If there is not enough measurement, a bound on the magnitude of the resulting inaccuracy in terms of vehicle kilometers traveled (VKT) can be calculated by the proposed linear programming method. The model is that of a queueing network; the parameters describe network geometry, saturation flow rates, turning ratios, timing plan and link flows. Three case studies are conducted to validate this approach. The first two cases are to calculate all missing flows by using a few numbers of measurements and minimum number of measurements required, respectively. Upper and lower bounds in terms of VKT are also calculated for these cases. Third case is to obtain a fully determined network with the minimum number of flow measurements when turn ratio sensors are included. Real measurements are collected from a network in Mugla including 55 links and 16 intersections. Vissim simulator is used to analyze the accuracy of the link flow calculations obtained from the proposed method. The results show that the proposed programming method can calculate the missing flows with a high accuracy and short computation time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the acceleration of urbanization, urban traffic congestion is becoming more and more serious, in which the timing of signal lights for regional traffic optimization is particularly important. Since existing signal lights-based traffic optimization technologies, especially green wave, do not take the regional traffic follow into consideration, therefore not being efficient. Therefore, we propose Adaptive Signal Light Timing for Regional Traffic Optimization based on Graph Convolutional Network Empowered Traffic Forecasting. First, we propose a multi-intersection traffic flow prediction model, namely, A-GCN + with an improved prediction accuracy of 6.3%, which utilizes the attention-aggregated graph convolutional neural networks (A-GCN) and temporal convolutional networks (TCN) to extract spatial and temporal features of the traffic flow. Second, we propose a dynamic regional traffic signal coordination optimization control method, which utilizes the predicted intersection approach traffic flow from A-GCN + and combines it with the improved whale optimization algorithm (IWOA) to obtain the optimal solution for the regional average vehicle delay model. Finally, we propose a bidirectional green wave automatic control method for the main line, which utilizes the optimized results of dynamic regional traffic signal timing and employs a multi-strategy fusion graphical method to obtain the dynamic main line bidirectional green wave. Experimental results show that compared to the traditional graphical method, the multi-strategy fusion graphical method increases the green wave bandwidth by 20%. The mainline bidirectional green wave adaptive coordinated control method improves main line traffic efficiency by 32.3% and regional network traffic efficiency by 8.7%. • A cross-intersection traffic flow prediction model A-GCN+ utilizing Attention-aggregated GCN and TCN for TS features. • A dynamic regional traffic signal coordination method with improved whale optimization algorithm and results of A-GCN+. • A bidirectional green wave automatic control method with a multi-strategy fusion graphical method for the main line. • The multi-strategy fusion graphical method increases the green wave bandwidth by up to 20%. • The proposed method improves main line traffic efficiency by 32.3% and regional network traffic efficiency by 8.7%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The AB multi-stimuli-responsive block copolymer pTEGMA- b -pHIABMA (TEGMA: tetra(ethyleneglycol) methyl ether methacrylate; HIABMA: 4-[(hydroxyimino)aldehyde]butyl methacrylate) comprises a hydrophilic and thermoresponsive PTEGMA block linked to the hydrophobic PHIABMA chain. The latter is endowed with slightly acidic oxime groups that potentially form complexes with metal ions. Here we investigate the formation of hybrid Cu(II)-polymer nanoaggregates both in water and in acetonitrile. Cu(II) ions are quantitatively and rapidly incorporated, in the presence of a base, into pre-formed polymeric core-shell micelles (30 nm diameter by DLS) in water up to 1:2 metal-to-ligand stoichiometry. The pKa of the polymer is decreased from ≅11.2 to 4.65 due to interaction with Cu(II) and the complex is shown to involve oximate ions. The thermoresponsivity of the polymeric micelles remains unchanged with Cu(II) complexation and allows an easy separation by flocculation of the hybrid complex. Moreover, nanoaggregates (D = 20 nm) form in acetonitrile from the fully solubilized copolymer interacting with Cu(OAc) 2. The 1:2 Cu(II)/ligand stoichiometry is confirmed with the Job graphical method. Characterization of the hybrid micelles was carried out by UV–Vis spectrometry, DLS, TEM, STEM and SAXS. Quantitative release of Cu(II) in acidic conditions is demonstrated both in water and in acetonitrile. Full recovery of the free metal ions and of intact polymeric micelles is achieved through centrifugal filtration of the aqueous preparation, as a proof-of-concept for a recyclable system for metal uptake and release. Furthermore, Cu0 nanoparticles of 5–10 nm are obtained through reduction of Cu(II) within the micelles with ascorbic acid in aqueous solution. [Display omitted] • Cu2+/Oximate 1:2 complexes are formed in the core-shell micelles (D = 30 nm) obtained from copolymer pTEGMA- b -pHIABMA. • pKa of oxime groups in the hybrid micelles is as low as 4.6 and Cu2+ is released at acidic pH. • Intact micelles are separated from free Cu2+ at room temperature by centrifugal filtration at low pH. Hybrid micelles are thermoresponsive (T CP = 55 °C) and can be separated by flocculation. • Hybrid micelles are thermoresponsive and can be separated by flocculation at T CP > 55 °C. • Cu(0) nanoparticles are obtained within the micelles core by reduction with ascorbic acid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Atmospheric degradation performance of passive coating on tinplate is studied by EIS. • Two models for passive coating failure have been proposed based on EIS data fitting. • The proposed failure models correspond well to findings by SIMS characterizations. • EIS measurement has a great potential in degradation evaluation of passive coatings. Understanding the atmospheric exposure induced degradation of passive coating is of substantial importance in gaining information regarding degradation behavior of the coating itself and its protection effect to underlying substrate. In this work, the structural evolution of a pre-engineered passive Cr 2 O 3 coating on tinplate under atmospheric exposure conditions has been interpretated based on EIS responses to structural evolution of the passive coating. Results indicate that the EIS data interpretation by graphical method can accurately provide parameters of coating thickness δ and CPE parameter n that are associated with structural evolution and corrosion resistance of the passive coating. Following the evolutions in δ and n , two degradation patterns be determined. The first relates an initial degradation in outer layer under high humidity condition and then the failure of inner layer. The second relates an initially moderate but then an excessive growth in the inner layer under high temperature condition, which results in a structural heterogeneity in the inner layer and thus the degradation in corrosion resistance. Such evolutions correspond well to the result by SIMS characterizations. Therefore, EIS measurement can provide an accurate and detailed evaluation on degradation behavior of a passive coating under atmospheric exposure conditions, and it is believed to have a great potential in industrial practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sudden collapse or sliding of concave blocks under external force interference may cause the overall or local instability of engineering rock mass, and then cause serious casualties and economic losses, making the removability analysis of concave blocks become the focus of rock mechanics research. In order to analyze the removability of concave blocks in fractured rock mass, the basic assumption of traditional block theory is improved from the aspect of joint finiteness, and the generalized expression of block pyramid is established. Using the graphical method, it is analyzed that the finiteness and removability of the concave block can be characterized by its block pyramid and joint pyramid. The relationship between the block pyramid and joint pyramid of concave block and its finiteness and removability is derived and verified. A general pyramid method (GPM) for analyzing the removability of concave blocks in fractured rock masses is proposed. Based on the GPM method, a block analysis and identification algorithm is developed. Finally, the engineering application of GPM method is carried out with the roadway roof in two test areas in Tongkeng Mine in Guangxi. The results show that the GPM method can effectively predict the block type of the concave blocks on the roadway roof, and ensure the safety and stability of rock mass engineering. Compared with the traditional block theory method, the GPM method can be applied to the block type analysis of concave blocks, which has important theoretical significance and practical value for improving the rock mass stability analysis method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a new application of a well-known theory concerning mixing. The introduction of boundary conditions was proposed, which allowed the determination of a universal formula for the k parameter of the system. A graphical method for solving the problem has been proposed, which is supported by studies of the synthesis of rigid polyurethane foam. Mixing tests were performed using a variable ratio of the diameter of the stirrer to the diameter of the mixing chamber. Block-shaped samples were obtained, which were then characterized in terms of mechanical properties - compressive strength, brittleness, in terms of thermal properties - Thermogravimetric analysis, differential calorimetry, in terms of qualitative and quantitative structure studies using SEM images, and in terms of chemical analysis using FTIR. The proposed method for determining the boundary parameters of blending systems was proved to be applicable to polyurethane blending system. • Analytical considerations regarding the mixing process. • Proposing a new approach to determining important boundary parameters for the polyurethane mixing process. • Proposal to improve polyurethane blending processes to reduce the energy intensity of the process. • Effect of stirrer-to-vessel diameter ratio on the structure and properties of rigid polyurethane foam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Producing energy and higher value bio-products from waste wood recycled from construction and demolition (C&D) debris has been proposed as an economically viable opportunity in the biomass and bioenergy sectors. However, several challenges associated with the thermal conversion processes remain to be solved. This study introduces a 3D numerical simulation to study thermal conversion of wood chips. Combined biomass combustor, and indirect pyrolysis unit is used to create a self-sustainable biomass unit which does not rely on fossil fuel. Multizone heat distribution in the rotary kiln unit is investigated by employing CFD, an analytical algorithm and measurement tools in different zones of the equipment. A multizone heat transfer concept, the overall yield rate of biochar, thermochemical conversion of the bed, the volume shrinkage in the wood chips during the pyrolysis process, as well as biomass volatile and tar composition, and finally the potential of energy savings is widely investigated. CFD results and experimental evidence confirm that at least 31 % energy saving in drying zone can be achievable if drying and pyrolysis zone are separated in the indirect slow pyrolysis rotary kiln unit. The quality of biochar improved by 21 % increase in fixed carbon content and tar condensation is controlled. • Eulerian CFD simulation of thermal conversion in indirect slow pyrolysis unit. • CFD results and analytical algorithm confirm 31 % energy saving in drying zone after zone separation. • 21 % improvement of the biochar quality after zone separation. • Develop a graphical method to find the potential of energy saving in indirect slow pyrolysis unit. • Tar condensation and deposition problem is resolved in the multizone design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MXenes have rapidly gained prominence since their serendipitous discovery in 2011 in the field of 2D materials due to their exceptional properties, which leads to strong applications in energy storage, anti-wear coatings, nanocomposites and electronics sector. This study examined tensile characteristics of wide ranged titanium carbide and nitride pristine MXenes by molecular dynamics investigation where the directional, temperature and strain rate dependencies were explored. The uniaxial tension computations have been performed at temperature of 225–525K with a linear difference of 75K and strain rate of 5 × 10−5 to 1 × 10−2 ps−1 with an approximate regular logarithmic difference. Afterward a two steps graphical method has been proposed from temperature and strain rate dependencies to calculate the strain rate sensitivity and activation energy for both zigzag and armchair directions by using Arrhenius correlation. The temperature exerts a slight influence on the activation energy, wherein a decrease in temperature results in a reduction of the activation energy. After all, the Ti 2 X (X = N,C) expressed superior mechanical strength compared to their immediate pristine MXenes. • Molecular dynamics study reveals directional, temperature, and strain rate dependencies of properties in pristine MXenes. • Ti 2 X exhibits superior tensile properties, while Ti 3 X 2 (X = N,C) shows inferior compared to their respective MXenes. • Activation energy of Arrhenius equation is determined from temperature and strain rate dependencies. • Temperature has a moderate influence on the activation energy, resulting in an increase as the temperature elevates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]