A computational fluid mechanics solution to the Monge-Kantorovich mass transfer problem

Summary. The Monge-Kantorovich mass transfer problem [31] is reset in a fluid mechanics framework and numerically solved by an augmented Lagrangian method. Received August 30, 1998 / Published online September 24, 1999     

Preparation of starch and soluble sugars of plant material for the analysis of carbon isotope composition: a comparison of methods

Starch and soluble sugars are the major photosynthetic products, and their carbon isotope signatures reflect external versus internal limitations of CO₂ fixation. There has been recent renewed interest in the isotope composition of carbohydrates, mainly for use in CO₂ flux partitioning studies at the ecosystem level. The major obstacle to the use of carbohydrates in such studies has been the lack of an acknowledged method to isolate starch and soluble sugars for isotopic measurements. We here report on the comparison and evaluation of existing methods (acid and enzymatic hydrolysis for starch; ion‐exchange purification and compound‐specific analysis for sugars). The selectivity and reproducibility of the methods were tested using three approaches: (i) an artificial leaf composed of a mixture of isotopically defined compounds, (ii) a C₄ leaf spiked with C₃ starch, and (iii) two natural plant samples (root, leaf). Starch preparation methods based on enzymatic or acid hydrolysis did not yield similar results and exhibited contaminations by non‐starch compounds. The specificity of the acidic hydrolysis method was especially low, and we therefore suggest terming these preparations as HCl‐hydrolysable carbon, rather than starch. Despite being more specific, enzyme‐based methods to isolate starch also need to be further optimized to increase specificity. The analysis of sugars by ion‐exchange methods (bulk preparations) was fast but produced more variable isotope compositions than compound‐specific methods. Compound‐specific approaches did not in all cases correctly reproduce the target values, mainly due to unsatisfactory separation of sugars and background contamination. Our study demonstrates that, despite their wide application, methods for the preparation of starch and soluble sugars for the analysis of carbon isotope composition are not (yet) reliable enough to be routinely applied and further research is urgently needed to resolve the identified problems. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Grothendieck group and generalized mutation rule for 2-Calabi-Yau triangulated categories

We compute the Grothendieck group of certain 2-Calabi-Yau triangulated categories appearing naturally in the study of the link between quiver representations and Fomin-Zelevinsky cluster algebras. In this setup, we also prove a generalization of the Fomin-Zelevinsky mutation rule.     

Fast prediction of the fatigue behavior of short-fiber-reinforced thermoplastics based on heat build-up measurements: application to heterogeneous cases

Short-fiber-reinforced thermoplastics components for structural applications are usually very complex parts as stiffeners, ribs and thickness variations are used to compensate the quite low material intrinsic stiffness. These complex geometries induce complex local mechanical fields but also complex microstructures due to the injection process. Accounting for these two aspects is crucial for the design in regard to fatigue of these parts, especially for automotive industry. The aim of this paper is to challenge an energetic approach, defined to evaluate quickly the fatigue lifetime, on three different heterogeneous cases: a classic dog-bone sample with a skin-core microstructure and two structural samples representative of the thickness variations observed for industrial components. First, a method to evaluate dissipated energy fields from thermal measurements is described and is applied to the three samples in order to relate the cyclic loading amplitude to the fields of cyclic dissipated energy. Then, a local analysis is detailed in order to link the energy dissipated at the failure location to the fatigue lifetime and to predict the fatigue curve from the thermomechanical response of one single sample. The predictions obtained for the three cases are compared successfully to the Wöhler curves obtained with classic fatigue tests. Finally, a discussion is proposed to compare results for the three samples in terms of dissipation fields and fatigue lifetime. This comparison illustrates that, if the approach is leading to a very relevant diagnosis on each case, the dissipated energy field is not giving a straightforward access to the lifetime cartography as the relation between fatigue failure and dissipated energy seems to be dependent on the local mechanical and microstructural state.     

A Highly Efficient Environmental-Friendly Adsorbent Based on Schiff Base for Removal of Cu(II) from Aqueous Solutions: A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Study

Removal of heavy metals from drinking water sources and rivers is of strategic health importance and is essential for sustainable ecosystem development, in particular in polluted areas around the globe. In this work, new hybrid inorganic-organic material adsorbents made of ortho- (Si-o-OR) or para-Schiff base silica (Si-p-OR) were synthesized and characterized in depth. These hybrid adsorbents show a high selectivity to Cu(II), even in the presence of competing heavy metals (Zn(II), Cd(II), and Pb(II)), and also demonstrate great reusability after five adsorption-desorption cycles. Maximum sorption capacity for Cu(II) was found for Si-o-OR (79.36 mg g⁻¹) and Si-p-OR (36.20 mg g⁻¹) in no less than 25 min. Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence and Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy studies demonstrate that this uptake occurs due to a chelating effect, which allows these adsorbents to trap Cu(II) ions on their surfaces; this result is supported by a theoretical study for Si-o-OR. The new adsorbents were tested against real water samples extracted from two rivers from the Oriental region of Morocco.     

焊接等离子体[82%Ar-18%CO2]-Fe净辐射系数的计算

净辐射系数是数值模拟中表征等离子体辐射属性最常用的参数。考虑了线谱、连续谱和分子带状谱等多种辐射机制,计算了3～25 kK不同Fe含量下[82%Ar-18%CO₂]-Fe等离子体的净辐射系数,为GMAW电弧(82%Ar-18%CO₂保护气,低合金钢焊丝)的数值模拟提供了完整的辐射属性数据。此外,通过分析发现,当Fe蒸汽加入到82%Ar-18%CO₂混合物中,即使Fe含量极低,等离子体净辐射系数也会显著增大。同时,由于Fe的加入,原本辐射贡献率较高的分子带状谱和连续谱辐射相对线谱辐射可忽略不计。     

Equation of state of boron subarsenide B12As2 to 47 GPa

Compressibility of boron subarsenide B₁₂As₂ has been studied by synchrotron X-ray diffraction up to 47?GPa at room temperature in a diamond anvil cell using Ne pressure transmitting medium. A fit of experimental p–V data by Vinet equation of state yielded the bulk modulus of 150(4) GPa and its first pressure derivative of 6.4(3). No pressure-induced phase transitions have been observed.     

Experimental analysis of concrete behavior under high confinement: Effect of the saturation ratio

This study focuses on the identification of concrete behavior under severe triaxial loading in order to better evaluate the vulnerability of sensitive infrastructure to near-field detonations or ballistic impacts. For the purpose of reproducing high stress levels with well-controlled loading paths, static tests have been conducted on concrete samples using a triaxial press offering very high capacities (stress levels of around 1 GPa). It is a well-known fact that the concrete drying process is a slow phenomenon. Massive concrete structures, such as bridge piers, dams and nuclear reactors, could retain a quasi-saturated core throughout most of their lifetime, even though their facing dries very quickly. The objective of this article is to evaluate the effect of the saturation ratio on concrete behavior under high confinement; this article will present triaxial test results on concrete samples over a saturation ratio range extending from dried to quasi-saturated concretes. The subsequent analysis of results will show that the saturation ratio exerts a major influence on concrete behavior, particularly on both the concrete strength capacity and shape of the limit state curve for saturation ratios above 50%. This analysis also highlights that while the strength of dried concrete strongly increases with confining pressure, it remains constant over a given confining pressure range for either wet or saturated samples.     

Measurement of the fundamental thermal noise limit in a cryogenic sapphire frequency standard using bimodal maser oscillations

We report observations of the Schawlow-Townes noise limit in a cryogenic sapphire secondary frequency standard. The effect causes a fundamental limit to the frequency stability, and was measured through the novel excitation of a bimodal maser oscillation of a Whispering Gallery doublet at 12.04 GHz. The beat frequency of 10 kHz between the oscillations enabled a sensitive probe for this measurement of fractional frequency instability of 10(-14) tau(-1/2) with only 0.5 pW of output power.