Chromium-manganese iron alloy system design cast in metal and sand moulds for erosion resistance: a positron lifetime study

Erosion characteristics of high chromium (Cr, 16-19%) alloy cast iron with 5% and 10% manganese (Mn) prepared in metal and sand moulds through induction melting are investigated using jet erosion test setup in both as-cast and heat-treated conditions. The samples were characterised for hardness and microstructural properties. A new and novel non-destructive evaluation technique namely positron lifetime spectroscopy has also been used for the first time to characterise the microstructure of the material in terms of defects and their concentration. We found that the hardness decreases irrespective of the sample condition when the mould type is changed from metal to sand, On the other hand, the erosion volume loss shows an increasing trend. Since the macroscopic properties have a bearing on the microstructure, good credence is obtained from the microstructural features as seen from light and scanning electron micrographs. Faster cooling in the metal mould yielded fine carbide precipitation on the surface. The defect size and their concentration derived from positron method are higher for sand mould compared to metal mould. Lower erosion loss corresponds to smaller size defects in metal mould are the results of quicker heat transfer in the metal mould compared to the sand mould. Heat treatment effects are clearly seen as the reduced concentration of defects and spherodisation of carbides points to this. The erosion loss with respect to the defects size and concentration correlate very well.

High pressure states in condensed matter: I. High pressure behavior of the iron-sulphur system with applications to the earth's core. II. Empirical equation of state for organic compounds at high pressures

Part I:

The earth's core is generally accepted to be composed primarily of iron, with an admixture of other elements. Because the outer core is observed not to transmit shear waves at seismic frequencies, it is known to be liquid or primarily liquid. A new equation of state is presented for liquid iron, in the form of parameters for the 4th order Birch-Murnaghan and Mie-Grüneisen equations of state. The parameters were constrained by a set of values for numerous properties compiled from the literature. A detailed theoretical model is used to constrain the P-T behavior of the heat capacity, based on recent advances in the understanding of the interatomic potentials for transition metals. At the reference pressure of 10⁵ Pa and temperature of 1811 K (the normal melting point of Fe), the parameters are: ρ = 7037 kg/m³, K_S0 = 110 GPa, K_S' = 4.53, K_S" = -.0337 GPa-1, and γ = 2.8, with γ α ρ^-1.17. Comparison of the properties predicted by this model with the earth model PREM indicates that the outer core is 8 to 10 % less dense than pure liquid Fe at the same conditions. The inner core is also found to be 3 to 5% less dense than pure liquid Fe, supporting the idea of a partially molten inner core. The density deficit of the outer core implies that the elements dissolved in the liquid Fe are predominantly of lower atomic weight than Fe. Of the candidate light elements favored by researchers, only sulfur readily dissolves into Fe at low pressure, which means that this element was almost certainly concentrated in the core at early times. New melting data are presented for FeS and FeS₂ which indicate that the FeS₂ is the S-hearing liquidus solid phase at inner core pressures. Consideration of the requirement that the inner core boundary be observable by seismological means and the freezing behavior of solutions leads to the possibility that the outer core may contain a significant fraction of solid material. It is found that convection in the outer core is not hindered if the solid particles are entrained in the fluid flow. This model for a core of Fe and S admits temperatures in the range 3450K to 4200K at the top of the core. An all liquid Fe-S outer core would require a temperature of about 4900 K at the top of the core.

Part II.

The abundance of uses for organic compounds in the modern world results in many applications in which these materials are subjected to high pressures. This leads to the desire to be able to describe the behavior of these materials under such conditions. Unfortunately, the number of compounds is much greater than the number of experimental data available for many of the important properties. In the past, one approach that has worked well is the calculation of appropriate properties by summing the contributions from the organic functional groups making up molecules of the compounds in question. A new set of group contributions for the molar volume, volume thermal expansivity, heat capacity, and the Rao function is presented for functional groups containing C, H, and O. This set is, in most cases, limited in application to low molecular liquids. A new technique for the calculation of the pressure derivative of the bulk modulus is also presented. Comparison with data indicates that the presented technique works very well for most low molecular hydrocarbon liquids and somewhat less well for oxygen-bearing compounds. A similar comparison of previous results for polymers indicates that the existing tabulations of group contributions for this class of materials is in need of revision. There is also evidence that the Rao function contributions for polymers and low molecular compounds are somewhat different.

A simple method for counting bacteria with active electron transport system in water and sediment samples [Translation from: Kiel. Meeresforsch. 31(2) 83-86, 1975]

Description of a simple method for counting bacteria with active electron transport systems in water and sediment samples. Sodium succinate, NADH and NADPH served as electron donors. It is possible to see several sites of electron transport in the larger cells. Especially impressive are the plankton-algae, protozoa, and small metazoa. This is a partial translation of the ”method” section only.

Response rainbow trout (Salmon gairdneri) blood gas transport system to temperature, oxygen availability and photoperiod

Hematological status in rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri, was examined in relation to eight combinations of three environmental fa ctors; temperature (5°, 20°C), oxygen availability «35%, >70% saturation) and photoperiod (16L:8D, 8L:16D) and evaluated by 3-factor analysis of variance. Hemog l obin and hematocrit , indicators of oxygenc arrying capacity increased significantly at the higher temperature, following exposure to hypoxia and in relation to reduced light period. Significant variations in mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration were not detected. The effects of temperature and oxygen availability were more pronounced than that of photoperiod which was generally masked. Although oxygen availability and photoperiod did not interact with temperature, the interaction of the former fac tors was significant. Elec trophoresis revealed twelve hemoglobin isomorphs. Relative concentration changes were found in re lation to the factors c onsidered with temperature>hypoxia>photoperiod. Howeve r , in terms of absolute concentration, effects were hypoxia>temperature>photoperiod. Photoperiod effects were again masked by temperature and (or) hypoxia. Red cell +2 l eve ls of [CI ] and [Mg ], critical elements in the hemoglobin-oxygen affinity regulating system, were also significantly altered. Red cell CI +2 was influenced only by temperature ; Mg by temper ature and oxygen. No photoperiod influence on either ions was observed. Under nominal 'summer' conditions, these changes point to the likelihood of increases in oxygen-c arrying c apac ity coupled with low Hb-02 affinity adjustments which would be expected to increase oxygen delivery rates to their more rapidly metabolising tissues.

Modeling short-range ballistic missile defense and Israel's Iron Dome system

This paper develops a model of short-range ballistic missile defense and uses it to study the performance of Israel’s Iron Dome system. The deterministic base model allows for inaccurate missiles, unsuccessful interceptions, and civil defense. Model enhancements consider the trade-offs in attacking the interception system, the difficulties faced by militants in assembling large salvos, and the effects of imperfect missile classification by the defender. A stochastic model is also developed. Analysis shows that system performance can be highly sensitive to the missile salvo size, and that systems with higher interception rates are more “fragile” when overloaded. The model is calibrated using publically available data about Iron Dome’s use during Operation Pillar of Defense in November 2012. If the systems performed as claimed, they saved Israel an estimated 1778 casualties and $80 million in property damage, and thereby made preemptive strikes on Gaza about 8 times less valuable to Israel. Gaza militants could have inflicted far more damage by grouping their rockets into large salvos, but this may have been difficult given Israel’s suppression efforts. Counter-battery fire by the militants is unlikely to be worthwhile unless they can obtain much more accurate missiles.

Management of Public Road Transport System in Trivandrum City

An efficient passenger road transport system is a boon to any city and an inefficient one its bane. Passenger bus transport operation involves various aspects like passenger convenience, profitability of operation and social, technological and environmental factors. The author’s interest in this area was aroused when he conducted a traffic survey of Trivandrum City in 1979. While some studies on the performance of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation in specific areas like finance, inventory control etc. have already been made, no study has been made from the operational point of view. The study is also the first one of its kind in dealing with the transportation problems for a second order city like Trivandrum. The objective of this research study is to develop a scientific basis for analysing and understanding the various operational aspects of urban bus transport management like assessing travel demand, depot location, fleet allocation, vehicle scheduling, maintenance etc. The operation of public road transportation in Trivandrum City is analysed on the basis of this theoretical background. The studies made have relevance to any medium sized city in India or even abroad. If not properly managed, deterioration of any public utility system is a natural process and it adversely affects the consumers, the economy and the nation. Making any system more efficient requires careful analysis, judicious decision making and proper implementation. It is hoped that this study will throw some light into the various operational aspects of urban passenger road transport management which can be of some help to make it perform more efficiently

Characterization of a gamma-aminobutyric acid transport system of rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae 3841

Spontaneous mutants of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae 3841 were isolated that grow faster than the wild type on gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) as the sole carbon and nitrogen source. These strains (RU1736 and RU1816) have frameshift mutations (gtsR101 and gtsR102, respectively) in a GntR-type regulator (GtsR) that result in a high rate of constitutive GABA transport. Tn5 mutagenesis and quantitative reverse transcription-PCR showed that GstR regulates expression of a large operon (pRL100242 to pRL100252) on the Sym plasmid that is required for GABA uptake. An ABC transport system, GtsABCD (for GABA transport system) (pRL100248-51), of the spermidine/putrescine family is part of this operon. GtsA is a periplasmic binding protein, GtsB and GtsC are integral membrane proteins, and GtsD is an ATP-binding subunit. Expression of gtsABCD from a lacZ promoter confirmed that it alone is responsible for high rates of GABA transport, enabling rapid growth of strain 3841 on GABA. Gts transports open-chain compounds with four or five carbon atoms with carboxyl and amino groups at, or close to, opposite termini. However, aromatic compounds with similar spacing between carboxyl and amino groups are excellent inhibitors of GABA uptake so they may also be transported. In addition to the ABC transporter, the operon contains two putative mono-oxygenases, a putative hydrolase, a putative aldehyde dehydrogenase, and a succinate semialdehyde dehydrogenase. This suggests the operon may be involved in the transport and breakdown of a more complex precursor to GABA. Gts is not expressed in pea bacteroids, and gtsB mutants are unaltered in their symbiotic phenotype, suggesting that Bra is the only GABA transport system available for amino acid cycling.

Preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of YcdB from Escherichia coli: a novel haem-containing and Tat-secreted periplasmic protein with a potential role in iron transport

YcdB is a periplasmic haem-containing protein from Escherichia coli that has a potential role in iron transport. It is currently the only reported haem-containing Tat-secreted substrate. Here, the overexpression, purification, crystallization and structure determination at 2.0 angstrom resolution are reported for the apo form of the protein. The apo-YcdB structure resembles those of members of the haem-dependent peroxidase family and thus confirms that YcdB is also a member of this family. Haem-soaking experiments with preformed apo-YcdB crystals have been optimized to successfully generate haem-containing YcdB crystals that diffract to 2.9 angstrom. Completion of model building and structure refinement are under way.

TNF-alpha mediated transport of NF-kappaB to the nucleus is independent of the cytoskeleton-based transport system in non-neuronal cells

In unstimulated cells, proteins of the nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) transcription factor family are sequestered in the cytoplasm through interactions with IkappaB inhibitor proteins. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) activates the degradation of IkappaB-alpha and the nuclear import of cytoplasmic NF-kappaB. Nuclear localization of numerous cellular proteins is mediated by the ability of the cytoskeleton, usually microtubules, to direct their perinuclear accumulation. In a former study we have shown that activated NF-kappaB rapidly moves from distal processes in neurons towards the nucleus. The fast transport rate suggests the involvement of motor proteins in the transport of NF-kappaB. Here we address the question how NF-kappaB arrives at the nuclear membrane before import in non-neuronal cells, i.e., by diffusion alone or with the help of active transport mechanisms. Using confocal microscopy imaging and analysis of nuclear protein extracts, we show that NF-kappaB movement through the cytoplasm to the nucleus is independent of the cytoskeleton, in the three cell lines investigated here. Additionally we demonstrate that NF-kappaB p65 is not associated with the dynein/dynactin molecular motor complex. We propose that cells utilize two distinct mechanisms of NF-kappaB transport: (1) signaling via diffusion over short distances in non-neuronal cells and (2) transport via motor proteins that move along the cytoskeleton in neuronal processes where the distances between sites of NF-kappaB activation and nucleus can be vast.

Landlocked countries in South America: transport system challenges

Includes bibliography