Mass spectrometric and electrochemical studies of thermodynamic properties of liquid and solid phases in the CaO Al2O3 system

The activities of CaO and Al2O3 in lime-alumina melts were studied by Knudsen cell-mass spectrometry at 2060 K. Emf of solid state cells, with CaF2 as the electrolyte, was measured from 923 to 1223 K to obtain the free energies of formation of the interoxide compounds. The results are critically evaluated in the light of data reported in the literature on phase equilibria, activities in melts, and stabilities of compounds. A coherent set of data is presented, including the previously unknown free energy of formation of CaO.6Al2O3 and the temperature dependence of activities in the liquid phase.

Thermodynamic properties of Fe3O4 FeAl2O4 spinel solid solution

The Gibbs energy of mixing for the system Fe3O4-FeAl2O4 was determined at 1573 K using a gas-metal-oxide equilibration technique. Oxide solid solution samples were equilibrated with Pt foils under controlled CO+CO2 gas streams. The equilibrium iron concentration in the foil was determined by chemical analysis. The cation distribution between tetrahedral and octahedral sites in the spinel crystal can be calculated from site-preference energies and used as an alternate method of determining some thermodynamic properties, including the Gibbs energy of mixing. The solvus occurring at low temperatures in the system Fe3C4-FeAl2C4 was used to derive the effect of lattice distortion due to cation size difference on the enthalpy of mixing and to obtain a better approximation to the measured thermodynamic quantities.

Gibbs energy of formation of lead zirconate

The Gibbs energy of formation of zirconia-saturated lead zirconate was determined by emf measurements on the solid state cells and at 800 to 1400 K. The results obtained differ significantly from those reported in the literature based on vapor-pressure measurements, using Knudsen effusion and transportation techniques and assuming that the vapor phase consisted entirely of monomeric PbO molecules. A reanalysis of the data obtained in the earlier vapor-pressure studies, using mass-spectrometric measurements on polymeric PbO species in the gas phase, gives Gibbs energies of formation of lead zirconate which are in better agreement with those obtained in this study. Recent electrochemical measurements using CaO-ZrO2 and PbF2 solid electrolytes are in good agreement with the present study. The results obtained in this study are also consistent with the phase diagram which shows decomposition of the zirconate to tetragonal zirconia and a liquid phase rich in PbO at 1843 K.

Thermodynamic properties of Fe3O4 FeV2O4 and Fe3O4 FeCr2O4 spinel solid solutions

Solid solutions of Fe304-FeV204 and Fe304-FeCr204 were prepared and equilibrated with Pt under controlled streams of CO/CO, gas mixtures at 1673 K. The concentration of Fe in Pt was used to determine the activity of Fe304 in the solid solutions. The activity of the second component was calculated by Gibbshhem integration. From these data, the Gibbs energy of mixing was derived for both systems. The experimental results and theoretical values which are determined from calculated cation distribution compare favorably in the case of vanadite solid solutions but not in the case of chromite solid solutions. The difference is attributed to a heat term arising from lattice distortion due to cation size difference. The positive heat of mixing will give rise to a miscibility gap in the system Fe304-FeCr204 at lower temperatures.

Tie lines and activities in the system CoO MgO SiO2 at 1373 K

The tie lines between (CoXMg1−X)O solid solution with rock salt structure and orthosilicate solid solution (CoYMg1−Y)-Si0.5O2, and between orthosilicate and metasilicate (CoZMg1-Z)SiO3 crystalline solutions, have been determined experimentally at 1373 K. The compositions of coexisting phases have been determined by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) and lattice parameter measurement on equilibrated samples. The metasilicate solid solution exists only for 0 > Z > 0.213. The activity of CoO in the rock salt solid solution was determined as a function of composition and temperature in the range of 1023 to 1373 K using a solid-state galvanic cell: Pt, (CoXMg1−X)O+Co|(Y2O3)ZrO2|Co+CoO, Pt The free energy of mixing of (CoXMg1−X)O crystalline solution can be expressed by the equation ΔGE=X(1 −X)[(6048 − 2.146T)X+ (8745 − 3.09T)(1 −X)] J·mol−1 The thermodynamic data for the rock salt phase is combined with information on interphase partitioning of Co and Mg to generate the mixing properties for the ortho- and metasilicate solid solutions. For the orthosilicate solution (CoYMg1 −Y)Si0.5O2 at 1373 K, the excess Gibbs free energy of mixing is given by the relation ΔGE=Y(1 −Y)[2805Y+ 3261(1 −Y)] J·mol−1 For the metasilicate solution (CoZMg1 −Z)SiO3 at the same temperature, the excess free energy can be expressed by the relation ΔGE=Z(1 −Z)[2570Z+ 3627(1 −Z)] J·mol−1

Electrochemical determination of the Gibbs energy of formation of MgAl2O4

The standard Gibbs energy of formation of the spinel MgAl2O4 from component oxides, MgO and α-Al2O3, has been determined in the temperature range 900 to 1250 K using a solid-state cell incorporating single-crystal CaF2 as the solid electrolyte. The cell can be represented as—Pt,O2,MgO+MgF2|CaF2|MgF2+MgAl2O4+α-Al2O3,O2,Pt—The standard Gibbs energy of formation from binary oxides, computed from the reversible emf, can be represented by the expression—capdeltaG°f,ox=−23600 − 5.91T(±150) J/mol—The ‘second-law’ enthalpy of formation of MgAl2O4 obtained in this study is in good agreement with high-temperature solution calorimetric studies reported in the literature.

Regulation of S100A2 expression by TGF-beta-induced MEK/ERK signalling and its role in cell migration/invasion

S100A2, an EF hand calcium-binding protein, is a potential biomarker in several cancers and is also a TGF-beta (transforming growth factor-beta)-regulated gene in melanoma and lung cancer cells. However, the mechanism of S100A2 regulation by TGF-beta and its significance in cancer progression remains largely unknown. In the present study we report the mechanism of S100A2 regulation by TGF-beta and its possible role in TGF-beta-mediated tumour promotion. Characterization of the S100A2 promoter revealed an AP-1 (activator protein-1) element at positions -1161 to -1151 as being the most critical factor for the TGF-beta 1 response. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and electrophoretic mobility-shift assays confirmed the functional binding of the AP-1 complex, predominantly JunB, to the S100A2 promoter in response to TGF-beta 1 in HaCaT keratinocytes. JunB overexpression markedly stimulated the S100A2 promoter which was blocked by the dominant-negative JunB and MEK1 MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase)/ERK (extracellular-signal-regulated kinase) kinase 1] inhibitor, PD98059. Intriguingly, despite the presence of a putative SMAD-binding element, S100A2 regulation by TGF-beta 1 was found to be SMAD3 independent. Interestingly, p53 protein and TGF-beta 1 show synergistic regulation of the S100A2 promoter. Finally, knockdown of S100A2 expression compromised TGF-beta 1-induced cell migration and invasion of Hep3B cells. Together our findings highlight an important link between the TGF-beta 1-induced MAPK and p53 signalling pathways in the regulation of S100A2 expression and pro-tumorigenic actions.

An inquisitive analysis on the temporal variation of return stroke current essential for producing observed remote electro-magnetic fields

The gross characteristics of spatio-temporal current evolution in the return stroke phase of a cloud-to-ground lightning are rather well defined. However, they by themselves do not ensure the salient features for the resulting remote Electro- Magnetic Fields (EMFs). In spite of significant efforts in the engineering models wherein, the spatio-temporal current distribution all along the channel is specified by the design, all the salient features of remote EMFs could not be achieved. Only the current evolution that ensures the basic characteristics along with its ability to reproduce all the salient features of remote EMFs ranging from 50 m – 200 km from the lightning channel, can be considered as a realistic return stroke channel current. In view of this, the present work intends to investigate on the required fine features of the return stroke current evolution that yields all the desired features. To ensure that the current evolution is not arbitrary but obeys the involved basic physical processes, a recently developed physical model will be employed for the analysis.

Noise tolerance under risk minimization

In this paper, we explore noise-tolerant learning of classifiers. We formulate the problem as follows. We assume that there is an unobservable training set that is noise free. The actual training set given to the learning algorithm is obtained from this ideal data set by corrupting the class label of each example. The probability that the class label of an example is corrupted is a function of the feature vector of the example. This would account for most kinds of noisy data one encounters in practice. We say that a learning method is noise tolerant if the classifiers learnt with noise-free data and with noisy data, both have the same classification accuracy on the noise-free data. In this paper, we analyze the noise-tolerance properties of risk minimization (under different loss functions). We show that risk minimization under 0-1 loss function has impressive noise-tolerance properties and that under squared error loss is tolerant only to uniform noise; risk minimization under other loss functions is not noise tolerant. We conclude this paper with some discussion on the implications of these theoretical results.

Optical, photo-acoustic and electrical switching studies of amorphous GeS2 thin films

This paper reports optical, photo-acoustic and electrical switching investigations of GeS2 amorphous thin films of different thicknesses, deposited on glass substrates in vacuum. The Tauc parameter (B (1/2)) and Urbach energy (E (U)) have been determined from the transmittance spectra, to understand the changes in structural disorder; it is found that B (1/2) increases whereas E (U) decreases as the thickness of the films increases. Based on the results, it is suggested that bond re-arrangement, i.e. transformation from homopolar bonds to heteropolar bonds, takes place with increase in thickness. The thermal diffusivity values of GeS2 thin films also show the presence of a chemically ordered network in the GeS2 thin films. Further, it is found that these films exhibit memory-type electrical switching. The observed variation in the switching voltages has been understood on the basis of increase in chemical order.

On the Communication Complexity of Secret Key Generation in the Multiterminal Source Model

Communication complexity refers to the minimum rate of public communication required for generating a maximal-rate secret key (SK) in the multiterminal source model of Csiszar and Narayan. Tyagi recently characterized this communication complexity for a two-terminal system. We extend the ideas in Tyagi's work to derive a lower bound on communication complexity in the general multiterminal setting. In the important special case of the complete graph pairwise independent network (PIN) model, our bound allows us to determine the exact linear communication complexity, i.e., the communication complexity when the communication and SK are restricted to be linear functions of the randomness available at the terminals.

偶应力问题的非协调元分析

从偶应力弹性体势能泛函的驻值条件出发,得到了偶应力理论中非协调元体系的能量相容原理.基于其常应力(常偶应力)分片检验条件的强形式,对平面四结点单元的非协调试探内函数进行了优化,提出了一种稳定有效的非协调元方法.有限元列式中,微转动和宏观转动相等的约束条件通过罚因子的形式引入.分析了含中心圆孔的无限平板,在单轴拉伸以及纯剪状态时,偶应力的存在对孔周应力集中的影响.算例表明,该单元计算效率高,精度好,即使在材料本征长度很小时,仍然能够得到相当理想的结果.

Evaluación de diferentes niveles de rastrojo, métodos y densidades de siembra, en el cultivo del maiz (Zea mays L.) variedad NB-6

El presente estudio se estableció en terrenos del Centro Experimental La Compañía, ubicado en el municipio de San Marcos departamento de Carazo a una altura de 480 msnm a 11”51 latitud norte y 86”11 latitud Oeste, durante la época de primera que comprende desde el mes de Junio hasta el mes de octubre de 1996, con precipitaciones promedios de 1 400 mm anuales y temperaturas promedio de 24 grados Celcius (INETER, 1996). Esto con el objetivo de evaluar la sembradora combinada PROMECH con el arado egipcio en dos densidades de siembra (50 mil y 65 mil plantas por hectárea), y tres niveles de rastrojo (0.3 y 5 toneladas por hectárea), en el cultivo de maíz (Zea mays, L.) variedad NB-6, se utilizó un diseño de Bloques completamente al azar (BCA), en tres repeticiones. De los resultados obtenidos se observó que el mayor número de plántulas emergió en los tratamientos donde se trabajó con 5 t/ha de rastrojo, con el uso de la Sembradora Combinada y con densidad poblacional de 65 000 plantas /ha con un promedio de 64 291 plantas /ha, el mayor diámetro del tallo se encontró en los tratamientos donde se trabajó con niveles de 3 t/ha de rastrojo, utilizando la sembradora combinada y con densidad poblacional de 50 000 plantas /ha, con un promedio de 2,88 cm de diámetro, el menor número de plantas acamadas se encontró en los tratamientos donde se aplicó 3 t/ha de rastrojo, la sembradora Combinada y densidad poblacional de 50 000 plantas/ha, con un promedio de 2 519 plantas acamadas por hectárea, el mayor número de mazorcas cosechadas se obtuvo con la aplicación de 3 t/ha de rastrojo, utilizando la sembradora combinada y con densidad poblacional de 65 000 plantas /ha, con un promedio de 58 772 mazorcas/ha; la mayor cantidad de biomasa seca (5 41 t/ha), se obtuvo en los tratamientos con aplicación de 3 t/ha de rastrojo, usando la sembradora combinada y con densidad poblacional de 65 000 plantas/ha, el mayor rendimiento (1 439.6 kg/ha) se obtuvo en la tratamientos donde se aplicó la interacción 3 t/ha de rastrojo, usando la sembradora combinada y con densidad poblacional de 50 000 plantas/ha

Evaluación de tres tipos de fertilizantes (gallinaza, estiércol vacuno y un fertilizante mineral) en el cultivo de maiz (Zea mays L.) variedad NB-6

El presente trabajo fue realizado en el departamento de Carazo en la unidad experimental La Compañía, ubicada en el km. 45 de la carretera San Marcos–Masatepe durante la época de primera (2001). Los suelos de esta estación son originados a partir de cenizas volcánicas de textura franco-limosa su pH es considerado de medio ácido a neutro, buena profundidad y buena permeabilidad. El propósito del experimento fue la evaluación del cultivo de maíz (Zea mays L.), ante la aplicación de tres tipos de fertilizantes (gallinaza, estiércol vacuno y un fertilizante mineral de la formula 18-46-0). Las dosis utilizadas fueron calculadas a partir de los requerimientos del cultivo y apoyados en un análisis de suelo realizado previo a la siembra, de tales resultados se aplicaron las dosis de 2772.84 y 1386.42 kg/ha de gallinaza, 2303.59 y 1151.79 kg/ha de estiércol y para el fertilizante mineral las dosis de 249.56 y 124.78kg/ha respectivamente. Las parcelas experimentales tuvieron un tamaño de 20 m2. La variedad de maíz evaluada fue la variedad NB-6, de la cual se utilizó semilla certificada, se usó un arreglo unifactorial con un diseño de bloques completos al azar (B.C.A), con siete tratamientos y cuatro repeticiones. Las variables evaluadas fueron: Altura de planta, Número de hojas, Diámetro del tallo, la Altura de la hoja bandera, Altura de inserción de la mazorca, Número de fruto por planta y Componentes del rendimiento como son: número de hileras por mazorca, largo de la mazorca, número de granos por hilera y el diá metro de la mazorca. A los datos obtenidos se le realizó un análisis estadístico usando el análisis de varianza utilizando el comparador de Tukey al 95 % de confiabilidad. Este análisis se realizó en el programa estadístico MINITAB y SAS. También se realizó un análisis económico para conocer la tasa de retorno marginal, que se obtiene con la inversión de cualquiera de los tratamientos evaluados. Los mejores resultados en cuanto al rendimiento agrícola, así como la mayor tasa de retorno marginal, se obtuvieron con la aplicación de 2772.84 kg/ha de gallinaza obteniéndose un rendimiento de 5848.86 kg/ha, y una tasa de retor no marginal de 662 %.