Implications of variations in stream specific conductivity for estimating baseflow using chemical mass balance and calibrated hydrograph techniques

Baseflow to rivers comprises regional groundwater and lower-salinity intermediate water stores such as interflow, soil water, and bank return flows. Chemical mass balance (CMB) calculations based on the specific conductivity (SC) of rivers potentially estimate the groundwater contribution to baseflow. This study discusses the application of the CMB approach in rivers from south-eastern Australia and assesses the feasibility of calibrating recursive digital filters (RDFs) and sliding minima (SM) techniques based on streamflow data to estimate groundwater inflows. The common strategy of assigning the SC of groundwater inflows based on the highest annual river SC may not always be valid due to the persistent presence of lower-salinity intermediate waters. Rather, using the river SC from low-flow periods during drought years may be more realistic. If that is the case, the estimated groundwater inflows may be lower than expected, which has implications for assessing contaminant transport and the impacts of near-river groundwater extraction. Probably due to long-term variations in the proportion of groundwater in baseflow, the RDF and SM techniques cannot generally be calibrated using the CMB results to estimate annual baseflow proportions. Thus, it is not possible to extend the estimates of groundwater inflows using those methods, although in some catchments reasonable estimates of groundwater inflows can be made from annual streamflows. Short-term variations in the composition of baseflow also lead to baseflow estimates made using the CMB method being far more irregular than expected. This study illustrates that estimating baseflow, especially groundwater inflows, is not straightforward.

Effects of Cone Penetrometer Testing on Shallow Hydrogeology at a Contaminated Site

Penetration testing is a popular and instantaneous technique for subsurface mapping, contaminant tracking, and the determination of soil characteristics. While the small footprint and reproducibility of cone penetrometer testing makes it an ideal method for in-situ subsurface investigations at contaminated sites, the effects to local shallow groundwater wells and measurable influence on monitoring networks common at contaminated sites is unknown. Physical and geochemical parameters associated with cone penetrometer testing were measured from a transect of shallow groundwater monitoring wells adjacent to penetrometer testing. For wells screened above the depth of cone refusal, the physical advancement and retraction of the cone had a significant effect (p < 0.01) on water level for several pushes within 10 meters of a monitoring well, and a measured increase in specific conductivity. No effect on geochemistry or water level was observed in continuous monitoring data from wells screened below the depth of cone refusal, but variability in specific conductivity from these wells during penetration testing was only a fraction of the natural variation measured during precipitation events. Continuous measurements of specific conductivity and water level demonstrated that the effects of penetration testing have limited spatial and temporal distributions with a null effect post-testing.

A New System of Sustainable Silico-Aluminous and Silicate Materials for Cultivation Purpose within Sustainable Buildings: Chemical-Physical, Antibacterial and Cytotoxicity Properties

In this study, we compared the chemical-physical, antibacterial, and cytotoxicity properties of silico-aluminous and silicate materials for outdoor (green roof, planted walls) and indoor (urban farms, indoor microgreen gardens) cultivation purpose in a context of sustainable construction. Glasses and lightweight aggregates were tailored starting from waste, by-product, and post-consumer and bioproducts (packaging glass cullet, cattle bone flour ash, vegetable biomass ash, spent coffee ground, degreased from biomass of prepupae of Black Soldier Flies) mixed together with a national ferruginous red clay, quarry scrap pumice and, if necessary, with K2CO3 of reagent grade. The first type of material was obtained by melting at 1200 °C and the second one by powder sintering at 1000 °C. All specimens, subjected to antibacterial test, showed both low zone of inhibitions towards two Gram-negative and two Gram-positive bacterial strains. A cytotoxicity test on mouse embryonic fibroblast NIH-3T3 cell line directly exposed to the investigated materials was performed at three different exposure times (1 h, 3 h, and 6 h). Data acquired highlighted that the materials positively affected redox mitochondrial activity of the fibroblast cells. The concentrations of leachate heavy metals detected on selected materials in water at room temperature after 24 h were lower than the European law limit and an interesting release of P, K, and N nutrients was noted for those formulations designed for agronomic purposes. pH, falling on average within the 6.5–7.5 range, is optimal for most crops, and the specific conductivity <2 dS/m indicates no depression danger for crops. Both bulk density <1200 kg/m3 and porosity over 50% seem to ensure good performance of lightening, drainage, water reservation, and oxygenation of the roots.

Percolation phenomena in the polymer composites with conducting polymer fillers

The electrical properties of polymer nanocomposites based on dielectric polymer matrices of different types and electrically conductive polymer fillers – polyortotoluidine, polyorthoanisidine and polyaniline have been studied. It is shown that the concentration dependence of the specific conductivity on the content of fillers has a percolation character with a low “percolation threshold”, which depends on the nature of the polymer matrix and polyaminoarene and is 1.7-10.0 vol.%. The calculated critical parameters of electroconductivity are characteristic of the formation of an infinite 3-dimensional cluster of conductivity and indicate a significant influence of the nature of the components and morphology of the material on the charge transfer processes in such systems.

METASTABLE STATE WITH HIGH ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY IN LiNaTaNbO SYNTHESIZED AT HIGH PRESSURE

Представлены результаты исследования сегнетоэлектрического твердого раствора LiNaTaNbO со структурой перовскита, основанного на ниобате натрия и синтезированного в условиях высокого давления и температуры. Методом импеданс спектроскопии в области температур 290 - 800 К были определены значения удельных проводимостей на постоянном токе, энергии активации носителей заряда и реальная часть диэлектрической проницаемости. Показана эволюция температурных аномалий удельной проводимости и диэлектрической проницаемости при термоциклировании. Обнаруженые эффекты связанны со структурными фазовыми переходами, определена температура Кюри. LiNaTaNbOпретерпевает фазовый переход второго рода. Установлено, что в LiNaTaNbO образуется метастабильная фаза, обладающая высокой электропроводностью в области комнатной температуры. При нагреве выше температуры Кюри данная фаза разрушается. Обсуждаются возможные механизмы обнаруженных явлений. The results are presented of a study of a ferroelectric solid solution LiNaTaNbO with a perovskite structure based on sodium niobate and synthesized under high pressure and temperature. In the temperature range of 290-800 K, the values of the specific conductivity at direct current, the activation energy of charge carriers, and the real part of the dielectric constant were determined by the method of impedance spectroscopy. Evolution of temperature anomalies of specific conductivity and dielectric constant during thermal cycling is shown. The observed effects are associated with structural phase transitions, and the Curie temperature is determined. The LiNaTaNbO undergoes a second-order phase transition. It was found that a metastable phase is formed in LiNaTaNbO, which has a high electrical conductivity at the room temperature. When heated above the Curie temperature, this phase is destroyed. Possible mechanisms of the discovered phenomena are discussed.

Conducting Medium Electrical Conductivity at High Current Density

The experimental research example of electrical characteristics of structurally heterogeneous thinlayer conductors (nickel, copper) at high current density (108--109 А/m2) is shown. This current density in conditions of the samples intensive cooling is sufficient for the process of irreversible, nonthermally activated deformation. The experiment results show that the conducting medium at high current density has essential nonlinearities expressed in nonlinear dependence of the samples electrical resistance from current density. With repeated current treatments of the samples the conductors' electrical resistivity decreases. The number of defects removed from the volume of material as a result of nickel foil treatment by electric current is estimated. It is shown that under conditions of highdensity direct electric current flow in microvolumes of homogeneous and inhomogeneous conducting media a volume charge can appear. The appearance of the volume charge in a conducting medium can be caused by interaction forces during the motion of electrons and ions. Due to the interaction forces between ions and electrons of basic material and impurities, additional local ionization occurs which is realized in nano-volumes of a conductor. In the case of heterogeneous medium, the volume charge depends on the nature of the specific conductivity distribution. In a homogeneous conductor the volume charge is proportional to the square of the current density in the sample

Impacts of polyols and temperature on the micellization, interaction and thermodynamics behavior of the mixture of tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide and polyvinyl alcohol

Herein, the aggregation manner of the mixture of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTAB) was performed in polyols (glucose, maltose and galactose) media over 300.55–320.55 K temperatures range with 5 K interval through conductivity measurement method. The micelle formation of TTAB + PVA mixture was identified by the assessment of critical micelle concentration (CMC) from the plots of specific conductivity (κ) versus TTAB concentration. The degree of micelle ionization (α), the extent of bound counter ions (β) as well as thermodynamic properties ( Δ G m 0 ${\Delta}{G}_{m}^{0}$ , Δ H m 0 ${\Delta}{H}_{m}^{0}$ and Δ S m 0 ${\Delta}{S}_{m}^{0}$ ) of TTAB + PVA systems have been estimated. The CMC values reveal that the micelle formation of TTAB + PVA mixture experience an enhancement in the manifestation of polyols. The values of free energy of micellization ( Δ G m 0 ${\Delta}{G}_{m}^{0}$ ) are negative for the TTAB + PVA system in aqueous polyols media, suggesting a spontaneous aggregation phenomenon. The Δ H m 0 ${\Delta}{H}_{m}^{0}$ and Δ S m 0 ${\Delta}{S}_{m}^{0}$ values of TTAB + PVA systems direct that the PVA molecule interacts with TTAB through the exothermic, ion-dipole, and hydrophobic interactions. The thermodynamic properties of transfer were also determined for the move of TTAB + PVA mixture from H2O to water + polyols mixed solvents. The values of compensation temperature (T c) and intrinsic enthalpy gain ( Δ H m 0 , ∗ ${\Delta}{H}_{m}^{0,\ast }$ ) were evaluated and discussed for the studied system.

Freeze tolerance influenced forest cover and hydrology during the Pennsylvanian

The distribution of forest cover alters Earth surface mass and energy exchange and is controlled by physiology, which determines plant environmental limits. Ancient plant physiology, therefore, likely affected vegetation-climate feedbacks. We combine climate modeling and ecosystem-process modeling to simulate arboreal vegetation in the late Paleozoic ice age. Using GENESIS V3 global climate model simulations, varying pCO2, pO2, and ice extent for the Pennsylvanian, and fossil-derived leaf C:N, maximum stomatal conductance, and specific conductivity for several major Carboniferous plant groups, we simulated global ecosystem processes at a 2° resolution with Paleo-BGC. Based on leaf water constraints, Pangaea could have supported widespread arboreal plant growth and forest cover. However, these models do not account for the impacts of freezing on plants. According to our interpretation, freezing would have affected plants in 59% of unglaciated land during peak glacial periods and 73% during interglacials, when more high-latitude land was unglaciated. Comparing forest cover, minimum temperatures, and paleo-locations of Pennsylvanian-aged plant fossils from the Paleobiology Database supports restriction of forest extent due to freezing. Many genera were limited to unglaciated land where temperatures remained above −4 °C. Freeze-intolerance of Pennsylvanian arboreal vegetation had the potential to alter surface runoff, silicate weathering, CO2 levels, and climate forcing. As a bounding case, we assume total plant mortality at −4 °C and estimate that contracting forest cover increased net global surface runoff by up to 6.1%. Repeated freezing likely influenced freeze- and drought-tolerance evolution in lineages like the coniferophytes, which became increasingly dominant in the Permian and early Mesozoic.

Tempering brittleness of die steel 4Kh4N5М4F2

The results of research of structural steel brand 4Kh4N5М4F2 after heat treatment are given. Manifestations of tempering brittleness at a temperature of 450-500 °C, associated with the maximum value of the parameter «a» of the crystal structure during the formation of a solid substitution solution in the system "Fe-C". The connection between the peculiarities of the crystal structure of the studied steel and the complex of physical and mechanical properties is established. The maximum value of the parameter «а» (a = 0.28848 nm) of the elementary cell of martensite crystal lattice reflects the maximum saturation of the α-solid solution, which increases the resistance of the crystal lattice to deformation, increase the hardness of tempering martensite (up to 56 HRC), change the physical structure sensitive value (increase in specific conductivity to 0,200 Om•mm2/m), increase the tensile strength, reduce the impact strength (up to 15 J/cm2) and increase the brittleness at temperatures of 450-500 °C. The possibility of using matrices (steel 4Kh4N5М4F2, without forging technology) for hot deformation of aluminum alloy AK7ch, which during operation does not reach the temperature of brittleness (above 460 ºC), is demonstrated. Keywords: die steel, crystal structure, heat treatment, physical and mechanical properties.

Modeling of quality indicators for water demineralization process at power reactors

Regression models of demineralizing filters for a nuclear power plant will increase the efficiency of the desalination process for turbine condensate. To identify the control object, experimental and statistical research methods were applied. To detect the presence and study the extent of relations between the process factors and output variables, the STATISTICA (StatSoft) analytical system was used. The impact of factors on the studied traits was assessed using a nonlinear estimation module. Upon the analysis of the desalination plant operation, the following initial parameters were identified. These parameters influence the control decisions in managing the object, can be predicted over time and are not random variables such as the values of specific conductivity and hydrogen index. For specific electrical conductivity: Xh is the specific electrical conductivity of the condensate after the desalination plant; Na is the concentration of sodium ions in the condensate behind the condensate electric pump of the first stage; CN2H4 is the concentration of hydrazine in the feedwater of the steam generator; CFe is the concentration of iron ions in the condensate on the condensate electric pump of the first stage; T is the temperature of the condensate sample on the condensate electric pump of the first stage; CCl is the concentration of chlorine ions in the purge water of the salt compartment of the steam generator; and CSO4 is the concentration of sulfate ions in the purge water of the salt compartment of the steam generator. For the hydrogen index: pH is the hydrogen index of the condensate after the desalination plant; CN2H4 is the concentration of hydrazine in the feedwater of the steam generator; T is the temperature of the condensate sample on the condensate electric pump of the first stage; and CFe is the concentration of iron ions in the condensate behind the condensate electric pump of the first stage. To detect the presence and study the extent of relations between the selected factors of relevant process and output variables, a correlation analysis was conducted and input factors were subsequently ranked. The correlation analysis allowed ranking all the variables and their possible interaction effects in a descending degree of impact on the outputs. In accordance with the selected system outputs, based on the ranking of input variables, regression analysis was performed and corresponding mathematical dependences were obtained with alternate inclusion of factors in a decreasing degree of their influence on the output variable to establish functional dependencies between the experimental data on desalination plant operation. The regression dependence for the experimental data of specific conductivity on the selected state parameters was obtained. The coefficient of determination is equal to 0.7245. The regression dependence describing the change of the hydrogen index has also been obtained. The coefficient of determination is equal to 0.7231. The proposed models explain 72% of the variation in the dependent variable. The correlation ratio is 0.82, which determines the close relationship between the values. Regression models adequately describe the operational data of the nuclear power plant and can be used as part of the control system of the filter unit.