An algorithm for the strip packing problem using collision free region and exact fitting placement

The irregular shape packing problem is approached. The container has a fixed width and an open dimension to be minimized. The proposed algorithm constructively creates the solution using an ordered list of items and a placement heuristic. Simulated annealing is the adopted metaheuristic to solve the optimization problem. A two-level algorithm is used to minimize the open dimension of the container. To ensure feasible layouts, the concept of collision free region is used. A collision free region represents all possible translations for an item to be placed and may be degenerated. For a moving item, the proposed placement heuristic detects the presence of exact fits (when the item is fully constrained by its surroundings) and exact slides (when the item position is constrained in all but one direction). The relevance of these positions is analyzed and a new placement heuristic is proposed. Computational comparisons on benchmark problems show that the proposed algorithm generated highly competitive solutions. Moreover, our algorithm updated some best known results. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Structural and Functional Insights from the Metagenome of an Acidic Hot Spring Microbial Planktonic Community in the Colombian Andes

A taxonomic and annotated functional description of microbial life was deduced from 53 Mb of metagenomic sequence retrieved from a planktonic fraction of the Neotropical high Andean (3,973 meters above sea level) acidic hot spring El Coquito (EC). A classification of unassembled metagenomic reads using different databases showed a high proportion of Gammaproteobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria (in total read affiliation), and through taxonomic affiliation of 16S rRNA gene fragments we observed the presence of Proteobacteria, micro-algae chloroplast and Firmicutes. Reads mapped against the genomes Acidiphilium cryptum JF-5, Legionella pneumophila str. Corby and Acidithiobacillus caldus revealed the presence of transposase-like sequences, potentially involved in horizontal gene transfer. Functional annotation and hierarchical comparison with different datasets obtained by pyrosequencing in different ecosystems showed that the microbial community also contained extensive DNA repair systems, possibly to cope with ultraviolet radiation at such high altitudes. Analysis of genes involved in the nitrogen cycle indicated the presence of dissimilatory nitrate reduction to N2 (narGHI, nirS, norBCDQ and nosZ), associated with Proteobacteria-like sequences. Genes involved in the sulfur cycle (cysDN, cysNC and aprA) indicated adenylsulfate and sulfite production that were affiliated to several bacterial species. In summary, metagenomic sequence data provided insight regarding the structure and possible functions of this hot spring microbial community, describing some groups potentially involved in the nitrogen and sulfur cycling in this environment. Citation: Jimenez DJ, Andreote FD, Chaves D, Montana JS, Osorio-Forero C, et al. (2012) Structural and Functional Insights from the Metagenome of an Acidic Hot Spring Microbial Planktonic Community in the Colombian Andes. PLoS ONE 7(12): e52069. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0052069

Integrated pulp and paper mill planning and scheduling

This article describes a real-world production planning and scheduling problem occurring at an integrated pulp and paper mill (P&P) which manufactures paper for cardboard out of produced pulp. During the cooking of wood chips in the digester, two by-products are produced: the pulp itself (virgin fibers) and the waste stream known as black liquor. The former is then mixed with recycled fibers and processed in a paper machine. Here, due to significant sequence-dependent setups in paper type changeovers, sizing and sequencing of lots have to be made simultaneously in order to efficiently use capacity. The latter is converted into electrical energy using a set of evaporators, recovery boilers and counter-pressure turbines. The planning challenge is then to synchronize the material flow as it moves through the pulp and paper mills, and energy plant, maximizing customer demand (as backlogging is allowed), and minimizing operation costs. Due to the intensive capital feature of P&P, the output of the digester must be maximized. As the production bottleneck is not fixed, to tackle this problem we propose a new model that integrates the critical production units associated to the pulp and paper mills, and energy plant for the first time. Simple stochastic mixed integer programming based local search heuristics are developed to obtain good feasible solutions for the problem. The benefits of integrating the three stages are discussed. The proposed approaches are tested on real-world data. Our work may help P&P companies to increase their competitiveness and reactiveness in dealing with demand pattern oscillations. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Low liquid-solid ratio (LSR) hot water pretreatment of sugarcane bagasse

Low liquid-solid ratio (LSR) can be used to obtain high-content xylo-oligosaccharide (XOS) spend liquor by hot water pretreatment. Developing a technology based on low LSR results in more efficient water usage in the system and thus in lower capital and operating costs. Xylans from xylan rich agro-industrial waste are abundant hemicellulosic polymers with enormous potential for industrial applications. Currently, freeze-dried xylo-oligosaccharides are used as bio-based polymers and hydrolysates containing high xylose contents are converted to several chemical products. In this study, sugarcane bagasse was treated with water at low LSRs and mild temperatures in order to assess the effects of varying the pretreatment conditions on the xylo-oligosaccharide and xylose concentrations, and use a central composite experimental design to optimize the process parameters. The pretreatments were performed in the ranges temperature: 143.3-176.7 degrees C, time: 20-70 min and LSR: 1 : 1 to 11 : 1 (g g(-1)). The maximum concentrations of xylose and xylan were 13.76 and 36.18 g L-1 (equivalent to 48.29 g L-1 of xylan), respectively, which were achieved by treating bagasse at 170 degrees C for 60 min, with LSR of 3 g g(-1). The amount of xylan removed under these conditions was almost 57%. The soluble xylan consisted mainly of xylo-oligosaccharides (74 wt% of the identified compound in the spent liquor).

Advanced oxidation process H2O2/UV combined with anaerobic digestion to remove chlorinated organics from bleached kraft pulp mill wastewater

This study investigated the application of an advanced oxidation process combining hydrogen peroxide with ultraviolet radiation (H2O2/UV) to remove recalcitrant compounds from Kraft bleaching effluent. Anaerobic pre-treatment was performed to remove easily degraded organics using a horizontal-flow anaerobic immobilized biomass (HAIB) reactor. Bleaching plant effluent was treated in the HAIB reactor processed over 19 h of hydraulic retention time (HRT), reaching the expected removal efficiencies for COD (61 +/- 3%), TOC (69 +/- 9%), BOD5 (90 +/- 5%) and AOX (55 +/- 14%). However, the anaerobic treatment did not achieve acceptable removal of UV254 compounds. Furthermore, there was an increase of lignin, measured as total phenols. The H2O2/UV post-treatment provided a wide range of removal efficiencies depending on the dosage of hydrogen peroxide and UV irradiation: COD ranged from 0 to 11%, UV254 from 16 to 35%, lignin from 0 to 29% and AOX from 23 to 54%. All peroxide dosages applied in this work promoted an increase in the BOD5/COD ratio of the wastewater. The experiments demonstrate the technical feasibility of using H2O2/UV for post-treatment of bleaching effluents submitted to anaerobic pre-treatment.

Transiting exoplanets from the CoRoT space mission XIX. CoRoT-23b: a dense hot Jupiter on an eccentric orbit

We report the detection of CoRoT-23b, a hot Jupiter transiting in front of its host star with a period of 3.6314 +/- 0.0001 days. This planet was discovered thanks to photometric data secured with the CoRoT satellite, combined with spectroscopic radial velocity (RV) measurements. A photometric search for possible background eclipsing binaries conducted at CFHT and OGS concluded with a very low risk of false positives. The usual techniques of combining RV and transit data simultaneously were used to derive stellar and planetary parameters. The planet has a mass of M-p = 2.8 +/- 0.3 M-Jup, a radius of R-pl = 1.05 +/- 0.13 R-Jup, a density of approximate to 3 gcm(-3). RV data also clearly reveal a nonzero eccentricity of e = 0.16 +/- 0.02. The planet orbits a mature G0 main sequence star of V = 15.5 mag, with a mass M-star = 1.14 +/- 0.08 M-circle dot, a radius R-star = 1. 61 +/- 0.18 R-circle dot and quasi-solar abundances. The age of the system is evaluated to be 7 Gyr, not far from the transition to subgiant, in agreement with the rather large stellar radius. The two features of a significant eccentricity of the orbit and of a fairly high density are fairly uncommon for a hot Jupiter. The high density is, however, consistent with a model of contraction of a planet at this mass, given the age of the system. On the other hand, at such an age, circularization is expected to be completed. In fact, we show that for this planetary mass and orbital distance, any initial eccentricity should not totally vanish after 7 Gyr, as long as the tidal quality factor Q(p) is more than a few 10(5), a value that is the lower bound of the usually expected range. Even if CoRoT-23b features a density and an eccentricity that are atypical of a hot Jupiter, it is thus not an enigmatic object.

Influence of Modifications to the Pechini Method on the Electroactivity and Stability of Pt-RuOx/C Catalysts

Since electrode electroactivity and stability depend directly on the nature, morphology, and structure of the material, we have investigated how modifications to the Pechini method during the synthesis of Pt-RuOx/C electrocatalysts affected catalyst activity. The structure and stability of the resulting materials were investigated after their submission to a large number of potential scans and to constant potential for a prolonged time period in sulfuric acid 0.5 mol L-1 and methanol 0.1 mol L-1 solution. DMFC tests were accomplished using membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) prepared by hot-pressing a pretreated Nafion 117 membrane together with the prepared Pt-RuOx anodes and a Pt cathode (from E-TEK), in order to compare the catalytic activity of the materials prepared by different methods. The stability studies demonstrated that the catalyst whose resin/carbon support mixture was agitated in a balls mill before undergoing heat-treatment was more stable than the other prepared catalysts. The catalysts synthesized with the single resin consisting of Pt and Ru and subjected to ultrasound before heat-treatment furnished the highest power density in the single fuel cell. (C) 2012 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/2.011208jes]

Transiting exoplanets from the CoRoT space mission XXII. CoRoT-16b: a hot Jupiter with a hint of eccentricity around a faint solar-like star

Aims. We report the discovery of CoRoT-16b, a low density hot jupiter that orbits a faint G5V star (mV = 15.63) in 5.3523 +/- 0.0002 days with slight eccentricity. A fit of the data with no a priori assumptions on the orbit leads to an eccentricity of 0.33 +/- 0.1. We discuss this value and also derive the mass and radius of the planet. Methods. We analyse the photometric transit curve of CoRoT-16 given by the CoRoT satellite, and radial velocity data from the HARPS and HIRES spectrometers. A combined analysis using a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm is used to get the system parameters. Results. CoRoT-16b is a 0.535 -0.083/+0.085 M-J, 1.17 -0.14/+0.16 R-J hot Jupiter with a density of 0.44 -0.14/+0.21 g cm(-3). Despite its short orbital distance (0.0618 +/- 0.0015 AU) and the age of the parent star (6.73 +/- 2.8 Gyr), the planet orbit exhibits significantly non-zero eccentricity. This is very uncommon for this type of objects as tidal effects tend to circularise the orbit. This value is discussed taking into account the characteristics of the star and the observation accuracy.

Stochastic gravito-inertial modes discovered by CoRoT in the hot Be star HD51452

Context. Be stars are rapidly rotating stars with a circumstellar decretion disk. They usually undergo pressure and/or gravity pulsation modes excited by the kappa-mechanism, i.e. an effect of the opacity of iron-peak elements in the envelope of the star. In the Milky Way, p-modes are observed in stars that are hotter than or equal to the B3 spectral type, while g-modes are observed at the B2 spectral type and cooler. Aims. We observed a B0IVe star, HD51452, with the high-precision, high-cadence photometric CoRoT satellite and high-resolution, ground-based HARPS and SOPHIE spectrographs to study its pulsations in great detail. We also used the lower resolution spectra available in the BeSS database. Methods. We analyzed the CoRoT and spectroscopic data with several methods: CLEAN-NG, FREQFIND, and a sliding window method. We also analyzed spectral quantities, such as the violet over red (V/R) emission variations, to obtain information about the variation in the circumstellar environment. We calculated a stellar structure model with the ESTER code to test the various interpretation of the results. Results. We detect 189 frequencies of variations in the CoRoT light curve in the range between 0 and 4.5 c d(-1). The main frequencies are also recovered in the spectroscopic data. In particular we find that HD51452 undergoes gravito-inertial modes that are not in the domain of those excited by the kappa-mechanism. We propose that these are stochastic modes excited in the convective zones and that at least some of them are a multiplet of r-modes (i.e. subinertial modes mainly driven by the Coriolis acceleration). Stochastically excited gravito-inertial modes had never been observed in any star, and theory predicted that their very low amplitudes would be undetectable even with CoRoT. We suggest that the amplitudes are enhanced in HD51452 because of the very rapid stellar rotation. In addition, we find that the amplitude variations of these modes are related to the occurrence of minor outbursts. Conclusions. Thanks to CoRoT data, we have detected a new kind of pulsations in HD51452, which are stochastically excited gravito-inertial modes, probably due to its very rapid rotation. These modes are probably also present in other rapidly rotating hot Be stars.

Silver-gold nanotubes containing hot spots on their surface: facile synthesis and surface-enhanced Raman scattering investigations

We report the synthesis of silver-gold nanotubes containing hot spots along their surface. The Ag-Au nanotubes exhibited exceptional SERS properties compared to silver nanowires, enabling the detection of crystal violet in the 10(-10) M regime, as well as 9-nitroanthracene and benzo[a] pyrene at 3.3 x 10(-7) M.

Hadron mass spectrum and the shear viscosity to entropy density ratio of hot hadronic matter

Lattice calculations of the QCD trace anomaly at temperatures T < 160 MeV have been shown to match hadron resonance gas model calculations, which include an exponentially rising hadron mass spectrum. In this paper we perform a more detailed comparison of the model calculations to lattice data that confirms the need for an exponentially increasing density of hadronic states. Also, we find that the lattice data is compatible with a hadron density of states that goes as rho(m) similar to m(-a) exp(m/T-H) at large m with a > 5/2 (where T-H similar to 167 MeV). With this specific subleading contribution to the density of states, heavy resonances are most likely to undergo two-body decay (instead of multiparticle decay), which facilitates their inclusion into hadron transport codes. Moreover, estimates for the shear viscosity and the shear relaxation time coefficient of the hadron resonance model computed within the excluded volume approximation suggest that these transport coefficients are sensitive to the parameters that define the hadron mass spectrum.

Comparison of the n-Alkanes and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Concentrations in the Atmosphere during the Preparation of Warm and Hot Mixtures Asphalt for Pavements

Asphalt binder is used in the production of hot mixes asphalt (HMA) for paving and, due to the high temperatures used, generates fumes thatcontainn-alkanes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Asphalt mixes prepared at lower temperatures, such as warm mixes asphalt (WMA), may contribute to reduce the emissions of those compounds and save energy. This paper investigatesn-alkanes and PAH in the total suspended particles during the preparation of WMA, in comparison with HMA, in laboratory. The results showed that the n-alkanes of the WMA and HMA presented C-max at n-C-26 and n-C-28, respectively; also, the total content of n-alkanes was higher for the HMA than forthe WMA. Besides, benzo[b]fluoranthene and benzo[a]anthracene were the major PAH in the WMA, while the higher temperatures of the HMA were observed to volatilize all larger PAH, demonstrating higher potential of inhalation exposure.

Mapping the Energy Distribution of SERRS Hot Spots from Anti-Stokes to Stokes Intensity Ratios

The anomalies in the anti-Stokes to Stokes intensity ratios in single-molecule surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering were investigated. Brilliant green and crystal violet dyes were the molecular probes, and the experiments were carried out on an electrochemically activated Ag surface. The results allowed new insights into the origin of these anomalies and led to a new method to confirm the single-molecule regime in surface-enhanced Raman scattering. Moreover, a methodology to estimate the distribution of resonance energies that contributed to the imbalance in the anti-Stokes to Stokes intensity ratios at the electromagnetic hot spots was proposed. This method allowed the local plasmonic resonance energies on the metallic surface to be spatially mapped.

Comparison of the n-alkanes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons concentrations in the atmosphere during the preparation of warm and hot mixtures asphalt for pavements

O asfalto é utilizado na produção de misturas asfálticas a quente (HMA) para a pavimentação e, devido às altas temperaturas empregadas, gera fumos que contêm n-alcanos e hidrocarbonetos policíclicos aromáticos (HPAs). As misturas asfálticas preparadas em temperaturas mais baixas, como as misturas asfálticas mornas (WMA), podem contribuir na redução das emissões daqueles compostos e economizar energia. Este trabalho investiga os n-alcanos e os HPAs nas partículas totais em suspensão durante a preparação de uma WMA, em comparação com uma HMA, em laboratório. Os resultados mostraram que os n-alcanos da WMA e da HMA apresentaram Cmáx no n-C26 e n-C28, respectivamente, e o teor de n-alcanos total foi maior na HMA do que na WMA. Ademais, verificou-se que o benzo[b]fluoranteno e benzo[a]antraceno constituíam os maiores HPAs na WMA, enquanto as temperaturas mais altas da HMA volatilizaram todos seus grandes HPAs, demonstrando maior potencial de exposição por inalação.

Hot metal desulfurization by marble waste and fluorspar

The objective of this paper is to present an analysis of the use of residual marble mixtures in the pig iron desulfurization process. The study involved the use of: marble waste, fluorspar, lime, and hot metal. Four mixtures were made and added to a liquid hot metal - with known chemical composition - at a temperature of 1450ºC. The mass of each element was calculated from its chemical analysis and compared with an industrial mixture. All of the four mixtures used in the experiments were stirred by a mechanical stirrer. Samples were collected by vacuum sampling for times of 5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 minutes, and analysis was performed to check sulfur variation in the bath with time. The results were analyzed and they verified that it was possible to use marble waste as a desulfurizer.