Computer techniques towards the automatic characterization of graphite particles in metallographic images of industrial materials

The automatic characterization of particles in metallographic images has been paramount, mainly because of the importance of quantifying such microstructures in order to assess the mechanical properties of materials common used in industry. This automated characterization may avoid problems related with fatigue and possible measurement errors. In this paper, computer techniques are used and assessed towards the accomplishment of this crucial industrial goal in an efficient and robust manner. Hence, the use of the most actively pursued machine learning classification techniques. In particularity, Support Vector Machine, Bayesian and Optimum-Path Forest based classifiers, and also the Otsu's method, which is commonly used in computer imaging to binarize automatically simply images and used here to demonstrated the need for more complex methods, are evaluated in the characterization of graphite particles in metallographic images. The statistical based analysis performed confirmed that these computer techniques are efficient solutions to accomplish the aimed characterization. Additionally, the Optimum-Path Forest based classifier demonstrated an overall superior performance, both in terms of accuracy and speed. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of sample matrix on the alkaline extraction of Cr(VI) in soils and industrial materials

An accurate and efficient determination of the highly toxic Cr(VI) in solid materials is important to determine the total Cr(VI) inventory of contaminated sites and the Cr(VI) release potential from such sites into the environment. Most commonly, total Cr(VI) is extracted from solid materials following a hot alkaline extraction procedure (US EPA method 3060A) where a complete release of water-extractable and sparingly soluble Cr(VI) phase is achieved. This work presents an evaluation of matrix effects that may occur during the hot alkaline extraction and in the determination of the total Cr(VI) inventory of variably composed contaminated soils and industrial materials (cement, fly ash) and is compared to water-extractable Cr(VI) results. Method validation including multiple extractions and matrix spiking along with chemical and mineralogical characterization showed satisfying results for total Cr(VI) contents for most of the tested materials. However, unreliable results were obtained by applying method 3060A to anoxic soils due to the degradation of organic material and/or reactions with Fe2+-bearing mineral phases. In addition, in certain samples discrepant spike recoveries have to be also attributed to sample heterogeneity. Separation of possible extracted Cr(III) by applying cation-exchange cartridges prior to solution analysis further shows that under the hot alkaline extraction conditions only Cr(VI) is present in solution in measurable amounts, whereas Cr(III) gets precipitated as amorphous Cr(OH)3(am). It is concluded that prior to routine application of method 3060A to a new material type, spiking tests are recommended for the identification of matrix effects. In addition, the mass of extracted solid material should to be well adjusted to the heterogeneity of the Cr(VI) distribution in the material in question.

Materials handling and storage.

Using a humorous approach, describes the principles of industrial materials handling and storage. Provides examples of proper procedures.

Industrial Material Exchange Service /

The Industrial Material Exchange Service (IMES) program is a free service designed to provide a mechanism for recycling and reusing unwanted materials. The exchange program maintains and distributes listings of materials both wanted and available provided by our participants. Through IMES, waste generators can be matched with waste users. Any material, either non-hazardous or hazardous that is available from one business yet has potential reuse by another, can be a part of the exchange. IMES functions as an information clearinghouse for industrial by-products, surplus materials, waste and other forms of unwanted industrial materials. The goal of the IMES program is to conserve energy, resources and landfill space by helping find alternatives to disposal of what might be a valuable material.

Book Review: "The Interface: IBM and the Transformation of Corporate Design, 1945-1975", John Harwood, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2011

Within the history of twentieth-century design, there are a number of well-known objects and stories that are invoked time and time again to capture a pivotal moment or summarize a much broader historical transition. For example, Marcel Breuer’s Model B3 chair is frequently used as a stand-in for the radical investigations of form and new industrial materials occurring at the Bauhaus in the mid-1920s. Similarly, Raymond Loewy’s streamlined pencil sharpener has become historical shorthand for the emergence of modern industrial design in the 1930s. And any discussion of the development of American postwar “organic design” seems incomplete without reference to Charles and Ray Eames’s molded plywood leg splint of 1942. Such objects and narratives are dear to historians of modern design. They are tangible, photogenic subjects that slot nicely into exhibitions, historical surveys, and coffee-table best sellers...

Spectrophotometric determination of molybdenum with Syzygium jambolanum DC leaf extracts

A new spectrophotometric method for the determination of molybdenum in industrial materials has been developed using the leaf extract of Syzygium jambolanum DC based on the reaction of Mo (VI) at pH 7.0 to produce an orange-yellow complex with an absorption maximum at 426 nm. The molar absorptivity of the complex is 4.27 x 10(4) l mol(-1) cm(-1) and the absorbance, is linear in the range 0.05-0.8 ppm. Sandell sensitivity coefficient was found to be 2.25 x 10(-3) mu g/cm(2). The method is ten times more sensitive than the aqueous thiocyanate system. It has been applied successfully in micronutrient fertilizer, artificial freshwater and sea-water analyses.

一株掷孢酵母利用红薯淀粉酶解液积累油脂研究

本论文以红薯淀粉的双酶法水解液为碳源，从19 株红色酵母中筛选出一株油脂含量较高的菌株掷孢酵母（Sporobolomyces reseus）As.2.618。为了提高掷孢酵母（S.reseus）As.2.618 的油脂产量，考察了培养基组成对该菌生长情况及油脂积累的影响。用均匀设计法对培养基组成进行了优化，由DPS软件得出的优化结果为：还原糖103g/L、酵母粉11.5g/L、磷酸二氢钾0.3g/L、硫酸镁0.15g/L。生物量可达19.23 g/L,油脂含量为3.875 g/L。研究了添加二价离子对该菌的生长及油脂积累的影响,结果表明Zn2+对该菌生长和油脂积累都有显著促进作用。研究了发酵条件以及添加氧载体正十二烷对该菌发酵的影响，表明添加正十二烷有利用于该菌生长与油脂积累。得出最佳发酵条件是：在还原糖103g/L、酵母粉11.5g/L、磷酸二氢钾0.3g/L、硫酸镁0.15g/L。添加30mg/L 硫酸锌,接种量为5％，在24h 后添加2g/L 的碳酸钙和2%(v/v)正十二烷，pH6.0 培养温度为27℃，转速为200r/min，培养时间为7 天的条件下，该菌生物量干重可达35.05g/L,油脂含量也达11.98g/L。Lipid is one of the basic material for life-sustaining activities andimportant industrial materials. As lipid resources mainly come from the animal andthe plant, the problem of lipid lack is encountered at times. The lipid frommicroorganisms is the substitute and superior to the above lipid with a short period ofproduction and much cheaper fermentation materials such as agricultural and sidelineproducts or wastes of crop.Thus large scale production and broad application ofmicrobial lipid will be efficient not only in substitute of the animal and the plant lipidfor food and industrial field , but also inducing a new way leading to solve the energyproblem.For the purpose of exploring the characteristics of lipid production of redyeasts from sweet potato starch hydrolysates. 19 red yeasts are screened for thecapability of lipid producing and one strain Sporobolomyces reseus As.2.618 withsuperior performance is sellected.To improve the Sporobolomyces reseus As.2.618’s capability of lipidaccumulation , the components of the medium, which may influence the growth of thestrain and the lipid yield have been studied. To get the optimum mediumcomponents ,the “uniform design” was used .The DPS software gave the optimummedium component is: reducing sugar 103 g/L、yeast extract 11.5 g/L、KH2PO4 0.3g/L、MgSO4 0.15 g/L. The biomass could reach up to 19.23 g/L and lipid yield 3.87g/L with the above composition of fermentation medium.Furthermore the fermentation conditions , addition of the divalent metal ionsand the oxygen vector to increase the strain’s lipid producing capability are tested.The optimum condition is : reducing sugar 103 g/L、yeast extract 11.5 g/L、KH2PO40.3 g/L、MgSO4 0.15 g/L，Adding 30mg/L ZnSO4,and adding 2g/L CaCO3 2％(v/v)n-dodecane after 24h’s fermentation. the optimal fermentation condition were asfollow :30ml medium in the 500ml flask with initial pH 6.0,the flasks with 5%inoculation volume were at 200r/min shaking speed for 7d’s fermentation at27 .Under this kind of condition the high biom ¡æ ass which reach to 35.05 g/L could begot ,the yield of lipid also could reach to 11.98g/L.

A comparison of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) management strategies in Ireland and the Czech Republic and the lessons learned

In order to meet the recycling and recovery targets set forth by the European Union's (EU) Waste and Landfill Directives, both the Irish and Czech governments’ policy on waste management is changing to meet these pressures, with major emphasis being placed upon the management of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW). In particular, the EU Landfill Directive requires reductions in the rate of BMW going to landfill to 35% of 1995 values by 2016 and 2020 for Ireland and the Czech Republic, respectively. In this paper, the strategies of how Ireland and the Czech Republic plan to meet this challenge are compared. Ireland either landfills or exports its waste for recovery, while the Czech Republic has a relatively new waste management infrastructure. While Ireland met the first target of 75% diversion of BMW from landfill by 2010 and preliminary 2012 data indicate that Ireland is on track to meet the 2013 target, the achievement of the 2016 target remains at risk. Indicators that were developed to monitor the Czech Republic's path to meeting the targets demonstrate that it did not meet the first target that was set for 2010 and will probably not meet its 2013 target either. The evaluation reports on the implementation of Waste Management Plan of Czech Republic suggest that the currently applied strategy to divert biodegradable waste from landfill is not effective enough. For both countries, the EU Waste Framework and Landfill Directives will be a significant influence and driver of change in waste management practices and governance over the coming decade. This means that both countries will not only have to invest in infrastructure to achieve the targets, but will also have to increase awareness among the public in diverting this waste at the household level. Improving environmental education is part of increased awareness as it is imperative for citizens to understand the consequences of their actions as affluence continues to grow producing increased levels of waste.

Graphical abstract
Despite the differences in the levels of waste generation in both the Czech Republic and Ireland, each country can learn from each other in order to meet the recycling and recovery targets set by the European Union's (EU) Waste and Landfill Directives. Both countries will not only have to invest in infrastructure to achieve the targets, but will also have to increase awareness among the public in diverting this waste at the household level. In addition, there needs to be minimum safe standards when land-spreading organic agricultural and organic municipal and industrial materials on agricultural land used for food production, as well as incentives to increase BMW diversion from landfill such as the increased landfill levy implemented in Ireland and the acceptance of MBT and/or incineration as a means of treating residual waste.

Uma abordagem à incorporação de lenhinosulfonatos e materiais reciclados em misturas de SBR para produção sustentável de solas

Mestrado em Engenharia Química - Ramo Otimização Energética na Indústria Química

Matching roots to their environment

Background Plants form the base of the terrestrial food chain and provide medicines, fuel, fibre and industrial materials to humans. Vascular land plants rely on their roots to acquire the water and mineral elements necessary for their survival in nature or their yield and nutritional quality in agriculture. Major biogeochemical fluxes of all elements occur through plant roots, and the roots of agricultural crops have a significant role to play in soil sustainability, carbon sequestration, reducing emissions of greenhouse gasses, and in preventing the eutrophication of water bodies associated with the application of mineral fertilisers. ● Scope This article provides the context for a Special Issue of Annals of Botany on ‘Matching Roots to Their Environment’. It first examines how land plants and their roots evolved, describes how the ecology of roots and their rhizospheres contributes to the acquisition of soil resources, and discusses the influence of plant roots on biogeochemical cycles. It then describes the role of roots in overcoming the constraints to crop production imposed by hostile or infertile soils, illustrates root phenotypes that improve the acquisition of mineral elements and water, and discusses high-throughput methods to screen for these traits in the laboratory, glasshouse and field. Finally, it considers whether knowledge of adaptations improving the acquisition of resources in natural environments can be used to develop root systems for sustainable agriculture in the future.

Produção de etanol em meio sintético com recuperação de fermento entre bateladas sucessivas

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Glaciation in Montana

Glacial deposits are increasingly entering into consideration in engineering projects, soil surveys, ground-water supply, sources for industrial materials, and other economic enterprises. In the field of en­gineering, glacial deposits if present must be consider­ed in connection with reservoir sites, dam or bridge abutments, road building, and other types of construction work.

Seminaris de Ciència de Materials per als graus d’Enginyeria Electrònica Industrial i Automàtica, i Enginyeria Elèctrica: I. Propietats magnètiques i elèctriques

Aquest text pretén ser una guia útil per als estudiants dels Graus en Enginyeria Mecànica, en Enginyeria electrònica Industrial i Automàtica, i en Enginyeria Elèctrica. El document s’estructura en vuit temes organitzats en tres blocs. El primer bloc és una introducció a les propietats magnètiques dels materials i les seves aplicacions. El segon bloc versa sobre les propietats elèctriques dels materials i, finalment, el tercer bloc és una breu descripció de la superconductivitat. Per a cada tema s’estableixen les competències específiques que s’han d’assolir, es desenvolupen de forma esquemàtica els continguts i s’adjunten exemples resolts de problemes. Al final de cada tema s’inclou un resum dels continguts i al final de cada bloc una col·lecció de qüestions i problemes. Aquests apunts pretenen ser una breu recopilació dels continguts bàsics de l’assignatura. Al final dels apunts, trobareu una bibliografia recomanada per tal de desenvolupar exhaustivament la matèria