Search

Viscosities of industrial lead blast furnace slags were experimentally determined as functions of temperature and composition. A Brookfield viscometer, equipped with alumina stirring rods and crucibles, was used in this study. The experiments were carried out in argon atmosphere at 1423 to 1523 K with the addition of up to 5% (by weight) of each of the compounds FeO, MgO and Si02 to the slags. The experimental results showed that the slag viscosities of two industrial slags decreased with increasing temperature, the addition of FeO decreased the slag viscosities and the addition of MgO and Si02 increased the slag viscosities. For a successful lead-smelter production operation (i.e., one with less entrained lead and an easy-to-skim slag from a lead blast furnace), the above slag compositions with the addition of FeO are recommended.

Protein and oil concentration are seed constituents that make soybean [Glycine max(L.) Merr.] an important crop. Reports have been published that the oil concentration and recently the protein concentration of U.S. soybean has been decreasing with respect to other exporting countries. The objective of this study was to utilize 51 yr of two data sets, The Uniform Soybean Tests, Northern Region and Southern Region to determine long‐term trends in these constituents. Oil and protein composition data of lines from Regional Summaries of Maturity Groups OO through VIII were used for the analysis. Mean oil concentration was higher in the Southern Region compared with the Northern Region (209 and 206 g kg−1, respectively), as was protein concentration (411 and 407 g kg−1, respectively). Maturity group means for oil and protein concentration ranged from 198 to 212 g kg−1and 404 to 414 g kg−1, respectively. Oil concentration increased in both data sets to 1973 and abruptly decreased in 1974 (21 g kg−1) to a low in 1982 (184 g kg−1) to higher than average values in 1983 (217 g kg−1) and by linear regression analysis, decreasing in the Northern Region since then. Analysis of lines evaluated from 1973 to 1974 and from 1982 to 1983 indicated that genetics was not the cause of the change in oil concentrations. Temporal protein concentrations were not as distinct as those of oil but indicated groups of years when protein concentration was above or below the mean. The data indicate that oil concentrations of soybean has been erratic and decreasing since 1974 because of unknown factors.

The Saginaw and Sanilac varieties of navy beans (Phaseolus vulgarisL.), were utilized. The former is tolerant and the latter is extremely sensitive to both zinc deficiency and excessive levels of zinc. Electrophoretic patterns of the water‐soluble leaf proteins revealed a slowmoving, major band, the change in intensity of which clearly reflected a differential zinc response of the two varieties. There was a moderate decrease in band intensity under low zinc for the tolerant Saginaw, with a striking depression for the sensitive Sanilac. This protein band, with a relative electrophoretic mobility of 0.11 in 7% polyacrylamide gel at pH 8.9, was tentatively identified as Fraction I protein which is reported to contain ribulose diphosphate carboxylase, the enzyme primarily responsible for photosynthetic carbon dioxide fixation in many plants. Fraction I protein, zinc nutrition, and the differential response of Saginaw and Sanilac plants to zinc were correlated.

Flash flood events are expected to become increasingly common with the global increases in weather extremes. They are a significant natural hazard that affects karst landscapes, which host large resources of drinking water worldwide. The role played by underground flood events in the karst aquifer recharge is complex due to the heterogeneity of the basement which remains poorly understood. We present the analysis of 20 incave flash flood events affecting the Rochefort karst system (Belgium) using continuous gravity measurements at one single station and water level sensors installed in caves. Underground flood events typically produce a peak in the gravity signal, due to an increase in the associated mass change. After the flood, the gravity values drop but remain slightly increased compared to before the flood event. Via forward gravity modeling, we demonstrate that this remaining anomaly can be reasonably explained by the infiltration of local rainfall within the karst system rather than by allogenic recharge of the aquifer. Flash floods are mainly restricted to connected voids. This allows us to utilize them as proxies to investigate the distribution of cavities in the karst system. Forward modeling of the gravitational attraction induced by the mapped caves being flooded yields a gravity signal much smaller than the observed one. We conclude that at least 50% more cavities than those previously mapped are required to match the measured anomalies. This presents opportunities for implementing similar approaches in other diverse porous media, using gravity monitoring of hydrological processes (e.g., infiltration fronts, hydrothermalism, or tide effects in coastal aquifers) as proxies to characterize underground properties. Gravity signals and water level data of 20 underground flash flood events are used to estimate their impact on the karst aquifer rechargeThe analysis of gravity data prior and after underground flood events does not suggest any significant recharge in the saturated zone the aquiferForward gravity modeling of flood events affecting mapped caves evidences unknown cavities in the system