The Modeling of Velocity Enhancement in Polymer Flooding

In single-phase polymer flooding experiments it has repeatedly been observed that the average velocity of the polymer molecules is higher than the average velocity of the water molecules. This effect is incorporated in many conventional Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) simulators by the introduction of a constant velocity enhancement factor. In this paper we show that, in absence of dispersion, a constant enhancement factor in the mathematical model for two-phase polymer flow (Buckley--Leverett displacement) leads to ill-posedness of the model equations. We propose a saturation dependent enhancement factor, derived from a model based on percolation concepts, for which this problem does not occur.     

Network externalities in a dynamic monopoly

We reconsider the role of network externalities in a dynamic spatial monopoly where the firm must invest in order to accumulate capacity, while consumers may have either linear or quadratic preferences. We (1) characterise saddle point equilibria, (2) prove that the extent of market coverage is increasing in the network effect and (3) unlike the existing static literature on the same problem, the monopolist may not make introductory price offers. Then, we briefly deal with the socially optimal solution, showing that, in general, a planner would serve more consumers than a profit-seeking monopolist.      

Uptake and excretion of total inorganic arsenic by the freshwater alga Chlorella vulgaris

Arsenic-tolerant freshwater alga Chlorella vulgaris which had been collected from an arsenicpolluted environment were tested for uptake and excretion of inorganic arsenic. Approximately half the quantity of arsenic taken up by C. vulgaris was estimated to be adhered to the extraneous coat (10 wt %) of the cell. The remainder was bioaccumulated by the cell. Both adhered and accumulated arsenic concentrations increased with an increase in arsenic(V) concentration of the aqueous phase. Arsenic(V) accumulation was affected by the growth phse: arsenic was most actively accumulated when the cell was exposed to arsenic during the early exponential phase and then accumulation decreased with an increase in culture time exposed to arsenic. The alga grew well in the modified Detmer (MD) medium containing 1 mg As(III) dm^?3 and the growth curve was approximated by a ‘logistic equation’. Arsenic(III) was accumulated up to the second day of the culture time and arsenic(III) accumulation decreased with an increase in the culture time after that. Arsenic accumulation was also largely affected by various nutrients, especially by managanese, iron and phosphorus compounds. A modified MD medium with the three nutrients was proposed for the purpose of effective removal of arsenic from the aqueous phase. Using radioactive arsenate (Na₂H⁷⁴AsO₄), the arsenic accumulated was found to be readily excreted under conditions which were unfavourable for the multiplication of C. vulgaris.     

Metallothionein as a biomarker for mercury in tissues of rat fed orally with cinnabar

Cinnabar, as one of the most widely used mineral drugs in traditional Chinese medicines, has been proven to have prominent curative effects in clinical use for more than 2000 years. But the safety and toxicity of the drug has been under constant debate in clinic usage. Metallothionein (MT) contains about 30% of cysteine in the molecule, and plays an important detoxification role against heavy metals. In this study, it was used as a biomarker to assess mercurial accumulation in rats fed orally with cinnabar. After feeding rats with cinnabar by gastric gavage at different dosages and at different times, the distribution of heavy metals (including mercury, copper and zinc) and MT was investigated among rat tissues, including liver, kidney, heart, brain, testis and blood. Metals and MT determinations were carried out using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS) and a modified mercury saturation assay technique respectively. The results indicated that mercury was easily accumulated in the tissues of rats exposed to cinnabar, especially in kidney. For example: at a feeding dosage of 5 g kg^?1 (bw) for 4 weeks, the mercury concentrations in kidney were 13, 8.7, 21.6 and 26 times those in liver, testis, brain and heart respectively; and at 2.5 g kg^?1 (bw) for 2 weeks, the mercury concentrations in kidney were 21, 2.1, 3 and 21 times those in liver, testis, brain and heart respectively. In addition, mercury in kidney and liver of all cinnabar groups was significantly higher than that of the control group (P < 0.01). A high positive correlation observed between MT concentrations and mercury levels in both liver and kidney (R² = 0.9299, P < 0.02 for liver; R² = 0.9923, P < 0.0008 for kidney) indicated that MT could be used as a biomarker for mercury in tissues. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Some microrheological aspects of wood-pulp fibres subjected to fatigue loading

Wood-pulp fibres are recognized as concentrically-layered, laminated composite tubes of structural reinforcing material, the cellulose microfibrils, embedded in a cementing matrix of hemicellulose and lignin. When the single fibres are subjected to cyclic mechanical action, their morphological behaviour is characterized by the fatigue growth of micro-voids and surface damage which individually and collectively give rise to stress concentrations, and eventually crack development. The progressive damage phenomena, evinced by the surface imaging and optical sectioning techniques through utilizing confocal laser scanning microscopy, are understood to be consequences of the cumulative material micromechanical degradation and subsequent microstructural breakdown of the cellulose microfibrillar framework. This structural breakdown is believed to effect the fibrillation and flexibilization of the fibres This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Cadmium speciation in Arabidopsis thaliana as a strategy to study metal accumulation system in plants

The strategy to identify cadmium deactivation mechanism in Arabidopsis thaliana has been developed using selective and sensitive hyphenated techniques. Cadmium concentrations, in main parts of the plant, were determined by ICP-MS and total amount was found as 0.43-0.44 μg g⁻¹ in leaves and 3.3-3.4 μg g⁻¹ in roots. Speciation of the metal complexes in cells was investigated by SEC-ICP-MS in order to estimate the accumulation process. Phytochelatins, desglycyl-phytochelatins and phytochelatins homologues lacking the N-terminal γ-linked glutamic acid were extracted from plant and were identified by RPLC-ESI-MS. Two-dimensional chromatography allowed to link the metal complexes separated by SEC with isoforms of phytochelatins analyzed by high resolution RPLC and confirm their significant responsibility for metal accumulation. The potential of the cadmium complexes speciation indicates that obtained results could be reliable source of knowledge to confirm the information coming from the well-known genomic sequence of Arabidopsis and to estimate the role of γ-glutamyl transpeptidase in metabolism of glutathione.     

Synthesis of Cobalt Bis(Dicarbollide)—Curcumin Conjugates for Potential Use in Boron Neutron Capture Therapy

A series of novel cobalt bis(dicarbollide)—curcumin conjugates were synthesized. Two conjugates were obtained through the nucleophilic ring-opening reaction of the 1,4-dioxane and tetrahydropyran derivatives of cobalt bis(dicarbollide) with the OH group of curcumin, and using two equiv. of the oxonium derivatives, two other conjugates containing two cobalt bis(dicarbollide) units per molecule were obtained. In contrast to curcumin, the conjugates obtained were found to be non-cytotoxic against both tumor and normal cell lines. The analysis of the intracellular accumulation of the conjugates by flow cytometry showed that all cobalt bis(dicarbollide)—curcumin conjugates entered HCT116 colorectal carcinoma cells in a time-dependent manner. New non-cytotoxic conjugates contain a large amount of boron atoms in the biomolecule and can potentially be used for further biological research into boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT).     

低浓度含铅细颗粒物暴露大鼠体内生物转运研究

食品接触性塑料制品、可再生资源、汽车尾气中含有低浓度铅.铅等重金属体内蓄积严重影响机体健康,但机体长期暴露于铅环境的代谢依然未知.以低剂量含铅细颗粒物暴露为场景,探讨其在大鼠体内的生物转运及体内分布.通过比较每日吸入染毒(7.05±0.83)μg/m3及经口染毒0.42μg/d,连续染毒28 d.结果显示含铅细颗粒物入...     

基于改进基追踪去噪的水声单载波频域均衡信道估计

针对低信噪比下单载波频域均衡信道估计精度低导致均衡效果差的问题,利用基追踪去噪方法估计稀疏信道有效抽头具有的稳定特性,提出了一种在平稳水声信道条件下单载波频域均衡系统中应用的改进基追踪去噪稀疏信道估计方法。方法利用延拓循环前缀作为导频进行多次信道估计,将估计结果累积平均,再采用门限判决提取有效抽头得到信道估计值,从而提高了稀疏信道的估计精度。通过合理选择循环前缀延拓次数,尽可能地降低导频长度对频带利用率的影响。仿真对比分析了改进基追踪去噪算法与匹配滤波、最小平方以及传统基追踪去噪信道估计算法的性能以及对单载波频域均衡系统误码率的影响。仿真实验结果表明,改进基追踪去噪信道估计算法具有更优的估计精度,在单载波频域均衡系统中可以提高约3 dB的接收信噪比增益。     

Electroactive Metal–Organic Frameworks as Emitters for Self-Enhanced Electrochemiluminescence in Aqueous Medium

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have limited applications in electrochemistry owing to their poor conductivity. Now, an electroactive MOF (E-MOF) is designed as a highly crystallized electrochemiluminescence (ECL) emitter in aqueous medium. The E-MOF contains mixed ligands of hydroquinone and phenanthroline as oxidative and reductive couples, respectively. E-MOFs demonstrate excellent performance with surface state model in both co-reactant and annihilation ECL in aqueous medium. Compared with the individual components, E-MOFs significantly improve the ECL emission due to the framework structure. The self-enhanced ECL emission with high stability is realized by the accumulation of MOF cation radicals via pre-reduction electrolysis. The self-enhanced mechanism is theoretically identified by DFT. The mixed-ligand E-MOFs provide a proof of concept using molecular crystalline materials as new ECL emitters for fundamental mechanism studies.