Transparent polycrystalline spinel ceramic was fabricated without any sintering aids by spark plasma sintering method of a mixture of Al2O3 and MgO powders for only 10min soak at 1250°C. Densification, microstructure and optical transparency of spinel were examined. The spinel exhibits an in-line transmission of 55% for a visible-wavelength of 470nm and high hardness value of 2040 HV.

In the Florida Keys, traps for spiny lobsters (also known as Caribbean spiny lobster) Panulirus argus are often deployed in seagrass beds. Given that several hundred thousand traps may be deployed in one fishing season, the possibility exists for significant impacts to seagrass resources. The question was whether standard fishing practices observed in the fishery actually resulted in injmies to...

Seed germination is a complex process involving several stages, starting with the imbibition of water and ending emergence radicle. In current study, we address observation an unexpected pH shift during maize grains. We used direct measurements soak water, indicator methyl red, anatomical analysis to shed light on acidification associated (Zea mays L.) germination, largely overlooked phenomenon...

Variability of groundwater quality parameters is linked to various processes such as weathering, organic matter degradation, aerobic respiration, iron reduction, mineral dissolution and precipitation, cation exchange and mixing of salt water with fresh water. Multivariate statistical analyses such as principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) were applied to the ...

In 2004, the rates charged to many uninsured and other "self-pay" patients for hospital services were often 2.5 times what most health insurers actually paid and more than three times the hospital's Medicare-allowable costs. The gaps between rates charged to self-pay patients and those charged to other payers are much wider than they were in the mid-1980s, and they make it increasingly more dif...

The previous study on low mole ratio urea-formaldehyde (UF) and ureamelamine–formaldehyde (UMF) resins synthesized in the typical way as particleboard binders was repeated with the inclusion of a strong acidic reaction step at a mole ratio of 2.7 in the beginning of the resin synthesis procedure. The resulting UF and UMF resins showed longer storageand pot-lives, longer gel times, and the parti...

In order to investigate the mechanism of gas hydrate deposition and agglomeration in gas dominated flowlines, a high-pressure micromechanical force (MMF) apparatus was applied to directly measure CH4/C2H6 hydrate adhesion/cohesion forces under low temperature and high pressure conditions. A CH4/C2H6 gas mixture was used as the hydrate former. Adhesion forces between hydrate particles and carbon...

Fluorography has recently achieved widespread usage for detection of radioactivity in polyacrylamide gels (1,2). Aqueous gels are equilibrated with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO),’ impregnated with fluor PPO dissolved in DMSO. soaked in water to remove DMSO, dried, and exposed to X-ray film at -70°C. The use of DMSO is necessitated by PPO’s insolubility in water. /3 particles, instead of directly in...