Chemical weathering profile in the V–Ti–Fe mine tailings pond:a basalt-weathering analog

The(ultra-)mafic mine tailings pond revealed a weathering discrepancy in the tailings profile,which provided a valuable analog to assess the role of carbonate and silicate weathering of the basalt.In this study,drill-cores samples were selected from the Wanniangou V–Ti–Fe mine tailings pond(Sichuan province,China)to investigate the mineralogicand geochemical characteristics in the tailings profile.The results reveal(1)the tailings pond profile consist of upper and lower layers.The upper layer is composed of carbonate weathering(1.4%),which was formed in the initial stages of tailings exposure and represented a minimal weathering degree.(2)The lower layer was primarily observed at the aquifer zone of the tailings pond,and was consistent with 0.45%carbonate weathering and 48.4%silicate weathering.(3)The weathering discrepancy in the tailings profile could be due to the sulfide oxidation and aerobic/flowing aquifer,which facilitate the water-tailings reactions.The tailings profile provides an analog to studying basalt weathering,as it spans both carbonate and silicate weathering.This research reinforces the idea that silicate weathering is predominant in basaltic areas and plays a crucial role in regulating atmospheric CO_(2)(carbon dioxide)levels on Earth.

Design and Implementation of a Real Time Wireless Monitor System for Urinary Incontinence

Urinary incontinence is the most common health problem in aged people. Leaving incontinence events unmanaged will make a negative influence on the aged and the patient both mentally and physically. This paper presents a design and implementation of a real time wireless monitor system for urinary incontinence, which has been applied in two nursing homes in Beijing and Shanghai. We collect real time moisture information by using non-contact humidity sensor designed and manufactured by us. When urinary incontinence, the sensor will send alert to mobile device via Bluetooth. If got the alert, the mobile device will send the alert to relatives of the aged or disabled people and cloud computing platform, through which we can make this information managed and displayed and the paramedic can be informed about the alarm. This paper gives a brief introduction to the framework of this system, the design of the non-contact sensor, the transmission of wireless data and the results of tests.

Preparation and properties of Ti_(3)SiC(2) -based corrosion mitigation coatings for SiC_(f) /SiC PWR accident tolerant fuel cladding

To enhance the resistance of SiC_(f)/SiC to hydrothermal corrosion in the pressurized water reactor(PWR)environment,structurally tunable Ti_(3)SiC(2)-based corrosion mitigation coatings for SiC_(f)/SiC were prepared using molten salt synthesis.The influence of various process parameters,such as Si/Ti molar ratio in raw materials,annealing time,and annealing temperature,on the phase composition and the structure of the coatings was explored.Through the process control,the fabricated coatings can be either Ti_(3)SiC(2) monolithic structure or TiC/Ti_(3)SiC(2) and TiC/Ti_(3)SiC(2)/Ti_(5)Si_(3)C_(x) multilayered structures.The coatings demonstrate strong bonding to the substrate due to in-situ reaction,exhibiting tensile and shear strength of at least 26.9 and 30.8 MPa,respectively.Incorporating TiC as a transition layer further enhances the tensile and shear strength to 41.3 and 51.4 MPa,respectively.Monolithic Ti_(3)SiC(2) coatings enhance the thermal conductivity of SiC_(f)/SiC by 10%–12%.Notably,Ti_(3)SiC(2) coatings effectively protect SiC_(f)/SiC from hydrothermal corrosion,demonstrating an 83%strength retention rate compared to 71%in the control group after corrosion.However,the Ti5Si3Cx layer exhibits unsatisfactory corrosion mitigation.The Ti_(3)SiC(2) monolithic coating has higher thermal conductivity,TiC/Ti_(3)SiC(2) multi-layered coating has higher bonding strength,and both have desirable resistance to the hydrothermal corrosion.

A Lamb wave quantification model for inclined cracks with experimental validation

This paper investigates the influence of crack orientation on damage quantification using Lamb wave in plate structures. Finite element simulation is performed to acquire Lamb wave signal responses for different configurations of crack orientations and crack lengths. Two Lamb wave features, namely the normalized amplitude and the phase change, are used as damage sensitive features to develop a crack size quantification model. A hypothesis based on the geometrical influence on signal features is proposed, and the crack size quantification model incorporating the orientation angle is established using the hypothesis. An index of Probability of Reliable Quantification(PRQ) is proposed to evaluate the performance of the model. The index can be used to determine the sizing risk in terms of probabilities. A realistic aluminum plate is used to obtain the experimental data using piezoelectric(PZT) wafer-type sensors around a center through crack. The experimental data are used to validate the overall method. Results indicate that the proposed model can yield reliable results for size quantification of inclined cracks.

Consistency check on the fundamental and alternative flux operators in loop quantum gravity

There are different constructions of the flux of triad in loop quantum gravity, namely the fundamental and alternative flux operators. In parallel to the consistency check on the two versions of operator by the algebraic calculus in the literature, we check their consistency by the graphical calculus. Our calculation based on the original Brink graphical method is obviously simpler than the algebraic calculation. It turns out that our consistency check fixes the regulating factor κreg of the Ashtekar-Lewandowski volume operator as 1/2, which corrects its previous value in the literature.