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Retention Characteristics (retention + characteristic)
Kinds of Retention Characteristics Selected AbstractsMeasurement of the size distribution of water-filled pores at different matric potentials by stray field nuclear magnetic resonanceEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOIL SCIENCE, Issue 1 2005N. R. A. Bird Summary The water retention characteristic provides the traditional data set for the derivation of a soil's pore-size distribution. However, the technique employed to achieve this requires that assumptions be made about the way pores interconnect. We explore an alternative approach based on stray field nuclear magnetic resonance (STRAFI-NMR) to probe the water-filled pores of both saturated and unsaturated soils, which does not require information relating to pore connectivity. We report the relative size distributions of water-occupied pores in saturated and unsaturated samples of two sets of glass beads of known particle size, two sands, and three soils (a silty loam, a sandy loam and a loamy sand), using measurements of the NMR T1 proton relaxation time of water. The T1 values are linearly related to pore size and consequently measured T1 distributions provide a measure of the pore-size distribution. For both the sands and the glass beads at saturation the T1 distributions are unimodal, and the samples with small particle sizes show a shift to small T1 values indicating smaller voids relative to the samples with larger particles. Different matric potentials were used to reveal how the water-occupied pore-size distribution changes during drainage. These changes are inconsistent with, and demonstrate the inadequacies of, the commonly employed parallel-capillary tube model of a soil pore space. We find that not all pores of the same size drain at the same matric potential. Further, we observe that the T1 distribution is shifted to smaller values beyond the distribution at saturation. This shift is explained by a change in the weighted average of the relaxation rates as the proportion of water in the centre of water-filled pores decreases. This is evidence for the presence of pendular structures resulting from incomplete drainage of pores. For the soils the results are similar except that at saturation the T1 distributions are bimodal or asymmetrical, indicative of inter-aggregate and intra-aggregate pore spaces. We conclude that the NMR method provides a characterization of the water-filled pore space which complements that derived from the water retention characteristic and which can provide insight into the way pore connectivity impacts on drainage. [source] Experimentelle Bestimmung der hygrischen Sorptionsisotherme und des Feuchtetransportes unter instationären BedingungenBAUPHYSIK, Issue 2 2006Assistent und Laborleiter Rudolf Plagge Dr.-Ing. Mit der vorgestellten Augenblicksprofil-Methode (APM) werden sowohl die relative Luftfeuchte und die Temperatur, als auch der volumetrische Wassergehalt in bestimmten Positionen in einem porösen Material bestimmt. Die Messungen werden kontinuierlich unter instationären Bedingungen durchgeführt. Damit erlaubt die APM eine dynamische und gleichzeitige Messung der hygroskopischen Sorptionsisotherme und der hygrischen Feuchteleitfähigkeit für einzelne Kompartimente innerhalb der Materialprobe. Die Feuchteleitfähigkeit wird aus den sich zeitlich ändernden Potentialgradienten und den dazugehörigen Feuchteverteilungen für die jeweiligen Kompartimente berechnet. Die Anwendung nicht konstanter Randbedingungen in der APM erlaubt die Untersuchung des hygrodynamischen Verhaltes von porösen Materialien. In der vorliegenden Studie werden die zeit- und prozeßabhängige Feuchtespeicherung und der Feuchtetransport bestimmt. Die vorgestellten Adsorptions- und Desorptionsexperimente wurden an dem kapillar- aktiven Wärmedämmstoff Calciumsilikat durchgeführt. Die Ergebnisse geben das Hystereseverhalten und den Einfluß der Dynamik der Prozesse wider. In Positionen mit schnellen Feuchteänderungen wird die Feuchtespeicherfunktion im Vergleich mit Regionen langsamer Feuchteänderung nach oben verschoben. Die Feuchteleitfähigkeit als Funktion der relativen Luftfeuchte zeigt eine bedeutende Hysterese. Hingegen ist die Feuchteleitfähigkeit in Relation zum Wassergehalt nicht hysteretisch. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) Experimental determination of the hygroscopie sorption isotherm and the moisture conductvity under transient conditions. By means of the proposed Instantaneous Profile Method (IPM) the relative humidity or the capillary pressure as well as the volumetric water content at specific locations inside a porous medium can be determined. The measurements are carried out under transient conditions and continuously in time. Thus, the IPM allows dynamic measurements of the hygroscopic sorption isotherm and the hygroscopic moisture conductivity. In addition, the moisture conductivity can be obtained via calculation of the moisture flow distribution from the temporal change of moisture contents in the compartments of the sample. The application of non-constant boundary conditions in the IPM allows investigation of the hygrodynamic behaviour of porous materials. In the presented study, the time and process dependent moisture retention characteristic and moisture conductivity are determined. The adsorption and successive desorption experiments presented here have been performed on the capillary active insulation material Calcium Silicate. The results show a hysteretic behaviour with a pregnant influence of the process dynamics. At locations with a rapid moisture increase, the moisture retention characteristic is shifted up in comparison to regions with slow moisture change. The moisture conductivity as function of relative humidity shows a remarkable hysteresis. However, the moisture conductivity in relation to the water content turned out to be non-hysteretic. [source] A porous-matrix sensor to measure the matric potential of soil water in the fieldEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOIL SCIENCE, Issue 1 2007W. R. Whalley Summary The matric potential of soil water is probably the most useful assessment of soil water status. However, the water-filled tensiometer (the benchmark instrument for measuring matric potential) typically only operates in the range 0 to ,85 kPa. In this paper, we report the development of a porous-matrix sensor to measure matric potential in the approximate range ,50 to ,300 kPa. The sensor uses a dielectric probe to measure the water content of a ceramic material with known water retention characteristics. The calculation of matric potential takes into account hysteresis through the application of an appropriate model to measured wetting and drying loops. It is important that this model uses closed, rather than open, scanning loops. The calibrated sensors were tested in the field and the output compared with data from water-filled tensiometers and dielectric measurements of soil water content. These comparisons indicated that conventional tensiometers gave stable but false readings of matric potential when soil dried to matric potentials more negative than ,80 kPa. The porous-matrix sensors appeared to give reliable readings of matric potential in soil down to ,300 kPa and also responded appropriately to repeated wetting and drying. This porous-matrix sensor has considerable potential to help understand plant responses to drying soil. [source] A Multifunctional Nanodevice Capable of Imaging, Magnetically Controlling, and In Situ Monitoring Drug ReleaseADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 21 2009Shang-Hsiu Hu Abstract The multifunctional nanodevice described here integrates nanoscaled imaging, targeting, and controlled drug delivery, as well as the capability to monitor, in situ, the amount of drug released from the nanodevice with single-cell resolution. The nanodevice is composed of a polymer core/single-crystal iron oxide shell nanostructure bonded to a quantum dot. It shows outstanding release and retention characteristics via an external on/off manipulation of a high-frequency magnetic field. Upon magnetic stimulation, the single-crystal iron oxide shell demonstrates formation of nanometer-sized polycrystal domains of varying orientation. This allows a variation between retention and slow release of the drug. Further stimulation causes permanent rupturing of the shell, causing release of the drug in a burst-like manner. The quantum dot bonded to the nanodevice provides optical information for in situ monitoring of the drug release through use of a magnetic field. Remote control drug release from the nanodevice in a cancerous cell line (HeLa) was successfully accomplished using the same induction scenario. When nanodevices equipped with quantum dots are taken into cancerous cells, they are able to provide real-time drug dose information through a corresponding variation in emission spectrum. The nanodevice designed in this study has achieved its potential as a cell-based drug-delivery system for therapeutic applications. [source] ACMEG-TS: A constitutive model for unsaturated soils under non-isothermal conditionsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS IN GEOMECHANICS, Issue 16 2008Bertrand François Abstract This paper introduces an unconventional constitutive model for soils, which deals with a unified thermo-mechanical modelling for unsaturated soils. The relevant temperature and suction effects are studied in light of elasto-plasticity. A generalized effective stress framework is adopted, which includes a number of intrinsic thermo-hydro-mechanical connections, to represent the stress state in the soil. Two coupled constitutive aspects are used to fully describe the non-isothermal behaviour. The mechanical constitutive part is built on the concepts of bounding surface theory and multi-mechanism plasticity, whereas water retention characteristics are described using elasto-plasticity to reproduce the hysteretic response and the effect of temperature and dry density on retention properties. The theoretical formulation is supported by comparisons with experimental results on two compacted clays. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY OF ORIGANUM ONITES L. ESSENTIAL OILS AND EXTRACTSJOURNAL OF FOOD SAFETY, Issue 1 2009MIHRIBAN KORUKLUOGLU ABSTRACT Essential oils (EOs) and extracts (methanol, acetone and diethyl ether) of fresh and dried oregano (Origanum onites L.) were used to determine the antifungal effect on Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus flavus (two strains), Aspergillus niger (two strains), Aspergillus parasiticus, Fusarium semitectum, Fusarium oxysporum, Mucor racemosus and Penicillium roqueforti by disk diffusion methods. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) of all samples were determined. The antifungal activity of the fresh herb was greater than that of the dried herb. MIC values for fresh and dried methanol extracts were 150,950 µg/mL and 750,950 µg/mL, respectively. MFC values for methanol extracts were determined between 300 and 1200 µg/mL for fresh oregano and between 750 and 1100 µg/mL for dried oregano. The EOs of fresh and dried oregano totally inhibited test fungi. EOs produced the lowest MIC and MFC values: 8.5 µg/mL and 9.0 µg/mL, respectively (P < 0.005). The highest extract activity was exhibited by fresh oregano against A. alternata (24 mm) followed by P. roqueforti (20 mm). The greatest total antifungal effect was observed from methanol extracts. The chemical composition of fresh oregano EO and extracts was examined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Over 80 volatiles were detected, of which 42 were positively identified by matching both MS fragmentation patterns with standardized retention characteristics. p-Cymene, thymol and carvacrol were the most prominent, followed by ,-pinene, camphor and borneol. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS In the past decade interest in natural antimicrobial plant extracts has been growing. Various plants have historically been used for the purposes of food preservation and flavor enhancement as well as medicinal purposes. An example is oregano, the leafy part of the plant belonging to the Labiatae family. It has been used to improve the flavor and the organoleptic properties of many foods from numerous cultures. It has also been used to prolong the storage life of foods probably because of antifungal properties. The preservative nature of fresh oregano has been employed in many food applications, including meat and fish products, as well as in pharmaceuticals, alternative medicines and natural therapies. [source] Estimating water retention curves of forest soils from soil texture and bulk densityJOURNAL OF PLANT NUTRITION AND SOIL SCIENCE, Issue 1 2003Robert Teepe Abstract Forest soils differ significantly from the arable land in their distribution of the soil bulk density and humus content, but the water retention parameters are primarily derived from the data of agricultural soils. Thus, there is a need to relate physical parameters of forest soils with their water retention characteristics and compare them with those of agricultural soils. Using 1850 water retention curves from forest soils, we related the following soil physical parameters to soil texture, bulk density, and C content: air capacity (AC), available water capacity (AWC), and the permanent wilting point (PWP). The ACs of forest soils were significantly higher than those of agricultural soils which were related to the low bulk densities of the forest soils, whereas differences in AWCs were small. Therefore, for a proper evaluation of the water retention curves (WRCs) and the parameters derived from them, further subdivisions of the lowest (< 1.45 g cm -3) of the three bulk density classes was undertaken to the wide range of low soil densities in forest soils (giving a total of 5 bulk density classes). In Germany, 31 soil texture classes are used for the estimation of soil physical parameters. Such a detailed classification is not required because of insignificant differences in WRCs for a large number of these classes. Based on cluster analysis of AC, AWC, and PWP parameters, 10 texture collectives were obtained. Using 5 classes of bulk densities, we further calculated the ACs, AWCs, and the PWPs for these 10 classes. Furthermore, "van Genuchten parameters" (, r, , s, ,, and n) were derived which described the average WRC for each designated class. In a second approach using multiple regression analysis, regression functions for AC, AWC, and PWP and for the van Genuchten parameter were calculated. Abschätzung der Wasser-Retentionskurven von Waldböden anhand der Bodenart und Bodendichte Obwohl sich Waldböden in der Verteilung der Bodendichte und Humusgehalte deutlich von Ackerböden unterscheiden, basiert die Ableitung ihrer bodenphysikalischen Kenngrößen in der Kartieranleitung auf Erhebungen landwirtschaftlich genutzter Böden. Die Abschätzung physikalischer Eigenschaften von Waldböden ist daher weiterhin als unzureichend anzusehen. In dieser Arbeit wurde auf Grundlage von 1850 an Waldböden ermittelten Wasser-Retentionskurven die Luftkapazität, die nutzbare Wasserspeicherkapazität und der Wassergehalt am permanenten Welkepunkt aus der Bodenart, der Bodendichte und dem C-Gehalt hergeleitet. Im Vergleich zu Ackerböden lagen die berechneten Luftkapazitäten aufgrund der unterschiedlichen vertikalen Verteilung der Bodendichten und Humusgehalte von Wald- und Ackerböden in Waldböden deutlich höher, Unterschiede in der nutzbaren Wasserspeicherkapazität hingegen waren gering. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass für Waldböden eine differenziertere Unterteilung der Dichteklassen notwendig ist, um die große Streuung im Bereich der unteren Bodendichte adäquat zu berücksichtigen. Andererseits basiert in Deutschland die Abschätzung physikalischer Bodeneigenschaften auf einer detaillierten Einteilung von 31 Texturklassen (Kartieranleitung und Forstliche Standortaufnahme). Da die Unterschiede zwischen vielen Texturklassen häufig sehr gering und statistisch nicht zu trennen sind, wurde unser Datensatz mit Hilfe einer Clusteranalyse auf 10 Texturklassen reduziert. Für diese Texturklassen wurden, unterteilt in jeweils 5 Dichteklassen, die Luftkapazitäten, die nutzbaren Wasserspeicherkapazitäten und der permanente Welkepunkt sowie die van Genuchten Parameter , r, , s, ,, und n berechnet. In einem zweiten Ansatz wurde eine Abschätzung dieser Kenngrößen mit Hilfe der multiplen Regression vorgenommen. [source] Real-time measurement of protein leaching from micro-particulate larval fish feedsAQUACULTURE RESEARCH, Issue 16 2008Peter M Nicklason Abstract The small size and high surface area to volume ratio of larval fish feed presents challenges for nutrient retention in micro-particulate diets. A method for the accurate and rapid measurement of nutrient retention or loss from micro-particulate feed in water is needed to help develop micro-particulate feeds with good nutrient retention characteristics. The present study developed and validated an instrument method using fibre optic technology that measures protein leaching in real time. Larval fish feed particles of different sizes (100,500 ,m) and formulations were measured. Under consistent experimental conditions, a feed could be assayed for the rate of mass loss and the half-life or time of 50% total soluble mass loss. The results closely approximated natural decay models with coefficients of determination (r2) >0.95. The end result is a fast and accurate method to quantify and provide solid reference data for a feed formulation or particle size. Using this method allows different feeds to be compared and conclusions drawn for relative performance. [source] Hairy Root Culture in a Liquid-Dispersed Bioreactor: Characterization of Spatial HeterogeneityBIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRESS, Issue 3 2000Gary R. C. Williams A liquid-dispersed reactor equipped with a vertical mesh cylinder for inoculum support was developed for culture of Atropa belladonna hairy roots. The working volume of the culture vessel was 4.4 L with an aspect ratio of 1.7. Medium was dispersed as a spray onto the top of the root bed, and the roots grew radially outward from the central mesh cylinder to the vessel wall. Significant benefits in terms of liquid drainage and reduced interstitial liquid holdup were obtained using a vertical rather than horizontal support structure for the biomass and by operating the reactor with cocurrent air and liquid flow. With root growth, a pattern of spatial heterogeneity developed in the vessel. Higher local biomass densities, lower volumes of interstitial liquid, lower sugar concentrations, and higher root atropine contents were found in the upper sections of the root bed compared with the lower sections, suggesting a greater level of metabolic activity toward the top of the reactor. Although gas-liquid oxygen transfer to the spray droplets was very rapid, there was evidence of significant oxygen limitations in the reactor. Substantial volumes of non-free-draining interstitial liquid accumulated in the root bed. Roots near the bottom of the vessel trapped up to 3,4 times their own weight in liquid, thus eliminating the advantages of improved contact with the gas phase offered by liquid-dispersed culture systems. Local nutrient and product concentrations in the non-free-draining liquid were significantly different from those in the bulk medium, indicating poor liquid mixing within the root bed. Oxygen enrichment of the gas phase improved neither growth nor atropine production, highlighting the greater importance of liquid-solid compared with gas-liquid oxygen transfer resistance. The absence of mechanical or pneumatic agitation and the tendency of the root bed to accumulate liquid and impede drainage were identified as the major limitations to reactor performance. Improved reactor operating strategies and selection or development of root lines offering minimal resistance to liquid flow and low liquid retention characteristics are possible solutions to these problems. [source] | |||||||||||||