Two-way regionalized classification of multivariate datasets and its application to the assessment of hydrodynamic dispersion

Zones of mixing between shallow groundwaters of different composition were unravelled by two-way regionalized classification, a technique based on correspondence analysis (CA), cluster analysis (ClA) and discriminant analysis (DA), aided by gridding, map-overlay and contouring tools. The shallow groundwaters are from a granitoid plutonite in the Funda o region (central Portugal). Correspondence analysis detected three natural clusters in the working dataset: 1, weathering; 2, domestic effluents; 3, fertilizers. Cluster analysis set an alternative distribution of the samples by the three clusters. Group memberships obtained by correspondence analysis and by cluster analysis were optimized by discriminant analysis, gridded memberships as follows: codes 1, 2 or 3 were used when classification by correspondence analysis and cluster analysis produced the same results; code 0 when the grid node was first assigned to cluster 1 and then to cluster 2 or vice versa (mixing between weathering and effluents); code 4 in the other cases (mixing between agriculture and the other influences). Code-3 areas were systematically surrounded by code-4 areas, an observation attributed to hydrodynamic dispersion. Accordingly, the extent of code-4 areas in two orthogonal directions was assumed proportional to the longitudinal and transverse dispersivities of local soils. The results (0.7-16.8 and 0.4-4.3 m, respectively) are acceptable at the macroscopic scale. The ratios between longitudinal and transverse dispersivities (1.2-11.1) are also in agreement with results obtained by other studies.

Application of the modified Cam-Clay model to a residual soil

The modified Cam - Clay model was used to model experimental results of a saturated residual sandy soil from Sao Carlos - SP. Triaxial compression tests were performed using Bishop - Wesley cell with internal transducers to measure axial and radial strains. It was observed that the model fairly fitted experimental results, specially the principal stress difference at critical state. In general it was observed a good qualitative agreement between experimental and predicted strain values, considering compression or expansion of the samples. However, in all the stress path used, but 100 degrees and 140 degrees, the model yielded strains larger than that measured in the tests.

Dilatometer tests in a Leda clay crust

The dilatometer test results have been lately applied in foundation design for prediction of settlement and bearing capacity problems. The equipment, its calibration, test procedures and test data interpretation are simple. These advantages seem to explain the increasing use of the dilatometer (DMT) test as a routine technique for subsoil investigation. The DMT test boreholes were carried out on the grounds of the National Research Council (NRC) in Ottawa. Several test results based on laboratory, and other in situ tests available in the literature for the Leda clay deposit in Ottawa area were used to provide correlations between geotechnical properties and soil index parameters as proposed by Marchetti (1980). More appropriated relationships, even though preliminaries, are presented for the crust layer.

Study of an organically modified clay: Selective adsorption of heavy metal ions and voltammetric determination of mercury(II)

In this work, a hydrophilic clay, Na-montmorillonite from Wyoming, USA, was rendered organophilic by exchanging the inorganic interlayer cations for hexaclecyltrimethylammonium ions (HDTA), with the formulae of [(CH3)(3)N(C16H33)](+) ion. Based on fact that organo-clay has high affinities for non-ionic organic molecules, 1,3,4-thiadiazole-2,5-dithiol was loaded oil the HDTA-montmorillonite surface, resulting in the 1,3,4-thiadiazole-2,5-dithiol-HDTA-montmorillonite complex (TDD-organo-clay).The following properties of TDD-organo-clay are discussed: selective adsorption of heavy metal ions measured by batch and chromatographic column techniques, and utilization as preconcentration agent in a chemically modified carbon paste electrode (CMCPE) for determination of mercury(II).The main point of this paper is the construction of a selective sensor, a carbon paste electrode modified with TDD-organo-clay, its properties and its application to the determination of mercury(II) ions, as this element belongs to the most toxic metals. The chemical selectivity of this functional group and the selectivity of voltammetry were combined for preconcentration and determination. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of dispersion by Gd3+ upon europium diphenylphosphinate luminescence

A series of binary diphenylphosphinates with Eu3+ and Gd3+ were prepared. The compounds have the general formula Gd1-xEux(DPP)(3), where x ranges from 0 to 1. The spectroscopic measurements show interesting behavior. The intensity of the D-5(0) --> F-7(2) transitions decreases relative to D-5(0) --> F-7(1) With an increase in europium dispersion. Inside the temporal domain, the same decrease is observed with increasing delay after excitation. The lifetimes are also affected, which can be seen in the x = 1 compound, where the decay is a first-order process and lifetime values are 4.81 ms. In the binary compound, as an effect of dispersion, the lifetime of the D-5(0) level measured at the D-5(0) --> F-7(1) transition increases with europium dispersion, and the average along the series is 6.25 ms. The decay measured at the D-5(0) --> F-7(2) transitions reveals a second-order process with lifetimes ranging from 1.90 to 6.00 ms. (C) 2001 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

New strategies in the preparation of exfoliated thermoplastic starch-montmorillonite nanocomposites

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Joint control charts for monitoring location and dispersion

The T-2 and the generalized variance vertical bar S vertical bar charts are used for monitoring the mean vector and the covariance matrix of multivariate processes. In this article, we propose for bivariate processes the use of the T-2 and the VMAX charts. The points plotted on the VMAX chart correspond to the maximum of the sample variances of the two quality characteristics. The reason to consider the VMAX statistic instead of the generalized variance vertical bar S vertical bar is the user's familiarity with the computation of simple sample variances; we can't say the same with regard to the computation of the generalized variance vertical bar S vertical bar.

Rheological Analysis of Water Clay Compositions in Order to Investigate Mudflows Developing in Canals

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Barrier and Mechanical Properties of Clay-Reinforced Polymeric Nanocomposites

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

2-Mercaptobenzothiazole clay as matrix for sorption and preconcentration of some heavy metals from aqueous solution

2-Mercaptobenzothiazole loaded on previously polystyrene treated clay was prepared, characterized and used for sorption and preconcentration of Hg(II) Pb(II), Zn(II) and Cd(II) from an aqueous solution. The support used was a natural clay previously treated with sulphuric acid solution. Adsorptiou isotherms of metal ions from aqueous solutions as function of pH were studied at 298 K. Conditions for quantitative retention and elution were established for each metal by batch and column methods. The chemically treated clay was very selective to Hg(II) in solution in which Zn(II), Cd(II), Pb(II) and some transition metal ions were also present.

Sorption and preconcentration of some heavy metals by 2-mercaptobenzothiazole-clay

2-Mercaptobenzothiazole loaded on previously treated clay was prepared, characterized and used for sorption and preconcentration of Hg(II), Pb(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), Cu(II) and Mn(II) from an aqueous solution. The support used was a natural clay previously treated with sulphuric acid solution. Adsorption isotherms of metal ions from aqueous solutions as function of pH were studied at 298 K. Conditions for quantitative retention and elution were established for each metal by batch and column methods. The chemically treated clay was very selective to Hg(II) in solution in which Zn(II), Cd(II), Pb(II), Cu(II) and Mn(II) were also present. © 1995.

Dispersion relations and the spin polarizabilities of the nucleon

A forward dispersion calculation is implemented for the spin polarizabilities γ1, ⋯, γ4 of the proton and the neutron. These polarizabilities are related to the spin structure of the nucleon at low energies and are structure-constants of the Compton scattering amplitude at script O sign(ω3). In the absence of a direct experimental measurement of these quantities, a dispersion calculation serves the purpose of constraining the model building, and of comparing with recent calculations in heavy baryon chiral perturbation theory. © 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.

Bose-Einstein condensation for general dispersion relations

Bose-Einstein condensation in an ideal (i.e. interactionless) boson gas can be studied analytically, at university-level statistical and solid state physics, in any positive dimensionality (d > 0) for identical bosons with any positive-exponent (s > 0) energy-momentum (i.e. dispersion) relation. Explicit formulae with arbitrary dls are discussed for: the critical temperature (non-zero only if d/s > 1); the condensate fraction; the internal energy; and the constant-volume specific heat (found to possess a jump discontinuity only if d/s > 2) Classical results are recovered at sufficiently high temperatures. Applications to ordinary' Bose-Einstein condensation, as well as to photons, phonons, ferro-and antiferromagnetic magnons, and (very specially) to Cooper pairs in superconductivity, are mentioned.

Differential dispersion relations with an arbitrary number of subtractions: A recursive approach

Making use of a recursive approach, derivative dispersion relations are generalized for an arbitrary number of subtractions. The results for both cross even and odd amplitudes are theoretically consistent at sufficiently high energies and in the region of small momentum transfer. © 1999 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Stable two-dimensional dispersion-managed soliton

The existence of a dispersion-managed soliton in two-dimensional nonlinear Schrodinger equation with periodically varying dispersion has been explored. The averaged equations for the soliton width and chirp are obtained which successfully describe the long time evolution of the soliton. The slow dynamics of the soliton around the fixed points for the width and chirp are investigated and the corresponding frequencies are calculated. Analytical predictions are confirmed by direct partial differential equation (PDE) and ordinary differential equation (ODE) simulations. Application to a Bose-Einstein condensate in optical lattice is discussed. The existence of a dispersion-managed matter-wave soliton in such system is shown.