The unitary free energy of transfer of a hydrocarbon molecule from a hydrocarbon solvent to an aqueous medium is a measure of the hydrophobic interaction in the aqueous medium. We have reexamined available data on this phenomenon and have confirmed that the free energy for saturated hydrocarbons is proportional to the surface area of the cavity created by the solute in the aqueous solution, wit...

Tear stability decreases with increasing age and the same signs of instability are exacerbated with dry eye. Meibum lipid compositional changes with age provide insights into the biomolecules responsible for tear film instability. Meibum was collected from 69 normal donors ranging in age from 0.6 to 68 years of age. Infrared spectroscopy was used to measure meibum lipid phase transition paramet...

The numerous recent laboratory and field examples show the potential benefits of seismic low frequencies in hydrocarbon detection. To simulate the frequency-dependent response of turbidite reservoirs in JZ Area, the Bohai Sea, China, and then implement frequency-dependent detection of the hydrocarbon accumulation based on low frequencies, we expanded a diffusive and viscous wave equation (DVWE)...

The presence of thin silicon carbide intermediate layers on silicon substrates during nucleation and the early stages of diamond deposition have been frequently reported. It is generally accepted that the intermediate layer is formed by the bulk diffusion of carbon atoms into the silicon carbide layer, and the morphology and orientation of the diamond film subsequently grown on the intermediate...

physical and chemical properties of  crude oil, including viscosity and api gravity, are commonly inherited  from the  early organic matter, environmental conditions in which they were deposited and depth of burial of the source beds. api gravity increases in deeper burial due to higher thermal maturation of organic matter in the source rocks and consequently, generation of lighter saturated hy...

an aquifer located within a petroleum processing plant in moín, costa rica, suffers hydrocarbon pollution. this study aimed to determine the ability of indigenous microorganisms from this site to degrade polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (pahs) to evaluate the feasibility of an eventual bioremediation process. aerobic conditions were found in the aquifer, while microbial analyses of the groundw...

Methods to enhance crude oil biodegradation by mixed bacterial cultures, for example, (bio)surfactant addition, are complicated by the diversity of microbial populations within a given culture. The physical and metabolic interactions between Rhodococcus sp. strain F9-D79 and Pseudomonas sp. strain JA5-B45 were examined during growth on Bow River crude oil. The effects of a nonionic chemical sur...

Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing have enhanced energy production but raised concerns about drinking-water contamination and other environmental impacts. Identifying the sources and mechanisms of contamination can help improve the environmental and economic sustainability of shale-gas extraction. We analyzed 113 and 20 samples from drinking-water wells overlying the Marcellus and Bar...

The effects of cholesterol on membrane bending modulus K(C), membrane thickness D(HH), the partial and apparent areas of cholesterol and lipid, and the order parameter S(xray) are shown to depend upon the number of saturated hydrocarbon chains in the lipid molecules. Particularly striking is the result that up to 40% cholesterol does not increase the bending modulus K(C) of membranes composed o...