Municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash can cause serious early volume expansion when stabilized and solidified by cementitious materials. Many pretreatment processes have been reported, ...such as alkali solution, milling and chelating etc. However, these processes may lead to second pollution or higher costs. This study proposed an original pretreatment process of MSWI fly ash, and investigated its effect on the immobilization efficiency by alkali-activated slag (AAS) cement. The possible reasons for volume instability were assumed and analyzed by gas chromatography, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, hydrostatic testing and leaching tests. It was found that the 0.377 wt% of metallic aluminum is the main expansive source of volume expansion in early stage (within 24 h). Due to the amphoteric characteristic of Al, it is possible to eliminate it using either acid or alkaline. Considering the fact that alkali-activated system and the fly ash were both alkaline, this study chose water immersion to pre-treat the fly ash, aiming to avoid the possible neutralization process of acid treatment and the entrained extra alkali component of alkali treatment, which may greatly affect many characteristics of alkali-activated slag. After pretreatment, the solidified specimens showed lower water demand (with a water to cement ratio of merely 0.27) and higher compressive strength due to the refined and smoothed particles. The volume expansive rate was greatly reduced, giving the better volumetric stability and encapsulation rate. Up to 90% MSWI fly ash-added solidified bodies feature a volume expansive rate of less than 0.09%. The alkali-activated slag pastes can effectively immobilize up to 70% treated fly ash with the leaching rate of solidified particles lower than the limits recommended by Chinese standard, Identification for extraction toxicity (CSEPA GB 5085.1, 2007). Therefore, the pretreatment process is easy to operate and is a promising way to increase the immobilization efficiency of alkali-activated slag cement.
•Taking advantage of MSWI fly ash’s own alkalinity to reduce volume expansion.•The pretreatment process won’t produce waste water which brings second pollution.•Solidified bodies gained early and long-term volume stability after pretreatment.•The effective immobilization amount increased up to 70% after pretreatment.•AAS shows better potential than PC in immobilizing MSWI fly ash.
Despite widespread theoretical and practical interest in advertising engagement, scholars and practitioners share little consensus as to what it is and how it can be measured. Guided by the theories ...of immersion and presence, this research investigates the experiential nature of advertising engagement in the television advertising context. Using survey data (N=1,115 cases) on thirteen TV advertisements aired during two Super Bowl broadcasts, a definition of the construct is developed and a parsimonious, reliable and valid four-item scale for measuring experiential TV advertising engagement is produced. As conceptualized, TV advertising engagement is an experience independent of its antecedents and consequences, in which the viewer is psychologically immersed in and present with a TV advertisement. These conceptual dimensions are reflected in the four items of the produced scale.
•The study focuses on conceptualization and measure of TV ad engagement.•TV ad engagement can be defined as a state of immersion and presence.•TV ad engagement significantly influences all consumer behaviors studied.•Ad engagement fully mediates the message relevance’s effect on ad involvement.•Without ad engagement, ad attitude has limited effects on consumer behaviors.
This study was carried out to examine the effect of combining factors for immersion technique on masculinization of red tilapia (Oreochromis spp.). Three selected doses (1000, 1,500, and 2000 μg/L) ...of 17α-methyltestosterone (17 MT) immersion, 2 exposure times (3 and 6 h) once or twice a week, and interaction of these factors were tested. A total of 12 treatment combinations under 3 × 2 × 2 factorial experiments in randomized complete block design were conducted to compare with the negative control group (no 17 MT-treated) and positive control group (17 MT-treated feed administration). One hundred red tilapia larvae (14 days post-hatch) were randomly allocated in each treatment and were operated in a 10-L glass jar for 21 days. At the end of the treatment regime, the survival rate was determined. Then, fish were raised in a 150-L glass tank using normal commercial feed for 2 months and sex ratios were determined via the gonad squash technique. None of the immersion treatments tested resulted in a statistically significant (p > 0.05) decrease in survival rate. All 17 MT-treated groups produced progenies with a significantly higher (p < 0.001) proportion of males than the predicted 1:1 sex ratio. Influences of some factor combinations in the masculinization of red tilapia were observed. The male ratio was significantly affected by the dose-period and dose-frequency treatments (p < 0.05). The highest male proportion (95.33% ± 0.58%) was recorded at 1000 μg/L of 17 MT for 6 h once a week which was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than other groups. The production cost of the best group was the cheapest (THB0.0066/fish) and decreased from the traditional procedure by about 10.81%. Therefore, this technique could be implemented for decreasing cost and operating process in commercial tilapia farms.
•Direct-contact phase-change liquid immersion cooling for solar cells was proposed.•A self-regulating system investigated the feasibility in temperature control.•Temperature was well controlled ...between 87.3°C and 88.5°C.•Surface heat transfer coefficient was up to 23.49kW/(m2·K) under 398.4×.•A model illustrated the interface function was the main reason to affect light.
A new cooling method by directly immersing the solar cells into phase-change liquid was put forward to cool dense-array solar cells in high concentrating photovoltaic system. A self-running system was built to study the feasibility of temperature control and the effect of bubbles generated by ethanol phase change under concentration ratio ranged between 219.8× and 398.4×. The results show that the cooling system is self-regulating without consuming extra energy and ethanol flow rate reaches up to 180.6kg/(s·m2) under 398.4×. The temperature of solar cells distributes in the range between 87.3°C and 88.5°C, the surface heat transfer coefficient of electric heating plate is up to 23.49kW/(m2·K) under 398.4×. The bubble effect on electrical performance of triple-junction solar cells is reported and the results show that Isc and Pmax decline 10.2% and 7.3%, respectively. A model based on bubble images illustrates that light loss at the interface between ethanol and bubble is the main reason to cut down the electrical performance.
Background. Acidic beverages, such as soft drinks, can produce erosion of resin composites. The purpose of the present study was to investigate mechanical properties of different esthetic restorative ...materials after exposure to acidic drink. Methods. Nine different composites were tested: nanofilled (Filtek Supreme XTE, 3M ESPE), microfilled hybrid (G-ænial, GC Corporation), nanohybrid Ormocer (Admira Fusion, Voco), microfilled (Gradia Direct, GC Corporation), microfilled hybrid (Essentia, GC Corporation), nanoceramic (Ceram.X Universal, Dentsply De Trey), supranano spherical hybrid (Estelite Asteria, Tokuyama Dental Corporation), flowable microfilled hybrid (Gradia Direct Flo, GC Corporation), and bulk fill flowable (SureFil SDR flow, Dentsply De Trey). Thirty specimens of each esthetic restorative material were divided into 3 subgroups (n=10): specimens of subgroup 1 were used as control, specimens of subgroup 2 were immersed in 50 ml of Coca Cola for 1 week, and specimens of subgroup 3 were immersed in 50 ml of Coca Cola for 1 month. Flexural strength and elastic modulus were measured for each material with an Instron Universal Testing Machine. Data were submitted to statistical analysis. Results. After distilled water immersion, nanofilled composite showed the highest value of both flexural strength and elastic modulus, but its flexural values decreased after acidic drink immersion. No significant differences were reported between distilled water and acidic drink immersion for all other materials tested both for flexural and for elastic modulus values. Conclusions. Even if nanofilled composite showed highest results, acidic drink immersion significantly reduced flexural values.
Gypsum rock is highly sensitive to a water environment due to its unique physical and chemical properties, such as high solubility. After wetting, the internal microstructure of gypsum rock is ...damaged, and the mechanical properties deteriorate accordingly, leading to serious engineering problems for gypsum-bearing geotechnical structures. Therefore, it is particularly necessary to investigate the mechanical deterioration behavior of gypsum rock after wetting. In this paper, the mechanical behavior of gypsum rocks with different water contents were studied. The relationship between the rock water content and the water immersion time was established through the water content test. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of the gypsum rock after the water immersion showed that the internal microstructure of the gypsum rock became looser and more complex as the immersion time increased. The fractal dimensions of the SEM images were calculated to quantify the degree of damage to the gypsum rocks after wetting. These images showed that the degree of damage increased with the increasing immersion time, but the increase rate tended to be slow. The relationship between the rock water content and the mechanical responses of gypsum rock were established by triaxial compression tests, and the concomitant acoustic emission (AE) characteristics in the loading processes showed that the immersion time had a positive correlation with the AE frequency and a negative correlation with the AE cumulative count. Based on the AE characteristics, a damage constitutive model of gypsum rock as a function of immersion time was developed and this can reproduce the mechanical responses of gypsum rock after wetting.
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•A simple, cost-effective, scalable, one-step method produces highly ordered honeycomb thin film.•Poly(lactic acid) is applicable on non-flat surface in normal air without any surface ...active agents.•Pore array and wettability can be effectively controlled through varying experimental conditions.•The biocompatible honeycomb film exhibited good cell adhesion and proliferation.
Ordered porous biocompatible polymer films with controllable pore dimensions have vast application potential in biotechnology. In this article, a large-scale, ordered honeycomb biocompatible poly(lactic acid) film that is fabricated using a simple, scalable solution-immersion phase separation method is demonstrated. The entire preparation process is conducted in normal air without additional humidity or surfactants required. Notably, methanol, which is purposely employed to form a ternary polymer-solvent-nonsolvent solution, is critical because it not only induces phase separation and guarantees a highly ordered structure but it also assists in effectively controlling the surface morphology of the structured film. The ordered honeycomb poly(lactic acid) film produced using this approach demonstrates good adhesion and proliferation of NIH3T3 cells as evidence for use in future biomedical applications.
•A better conversion enhancement obtained in a catalytically active membrane reactor.•A highly porous catalytic layer was prepared to decrease mass transfer resistance.•Membrane with low mass ...transfer resistance is key for better coupling performance.•A genuine in-situ water removal at molecular lever was realized.•Approximately 43% of conversion enhancement achieved when compared to equilibrium.
A better conversion enhancement of esterification between acetic acid and n-butanol was achieved in a catalytically active membrane reactor (pCAMR) when compared to that in a traditional inert membrane reactor (IMR). This enhancement was attributed to a novel composite catalytically active membrane in which a highly porous catalytic layer was introduced. SEM images showed that the membrane consisted of three layers: the top layer was a highly porous catalytic layer with massive macrovoids and “sponge-like” pores, the middle layer was a dense polyvinyl alcohol selective layer, and the bottom layer was a porous polyethersulfone support layer. The preparation of a highly porous catalytic layer instead of a dense one in the composite membrane greatly decreased the overall mass transfer resistance of the reactor from 6.7×105 to 5.6×105s/m, a value which is even comparable to that of IMR (5.1×105s/m) where the additional catalytic layer was absent. The effects of operational parameters on the esterification-pervaporation coupling performance in pCAMR were systematically evaluated. Through a reasonable match between reaction rate and water removal rate, a genuine in-situ water removal at a molecular lever was realized. For comparison, coupling performances in an IMR and a catalytically active membrane reactor with a dense composite membrane (dCAMR) were also investigated. Results showed that the coupling performance in pCAMR outperformed both IMR and dCAMR due to a combination of much lower overall mass transfer resistance and higher mass transfer driving force for water removal in pCAMR. After 45h at 85°C, the acid conversion in pCAMR reached almost completion, an approximately 43% of conversion enhancement was achieved when compared to equilibrium conversion.
Immersions and Dives Roberto Paolo Malaspina; Elisabetta Modena; Sofia Pirandello
AN-ICON,
12/2023, Volume:
2, Issue:
II
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
The present volume Immersions and Dives: From the Environment to Virtual Reality of the journal AN-ICON: Studies in Environmental Images is divided into two issues, each one dedicated to a specific ...thematic analysis, originated by the same conceptual core. The volume reflects on the concept of immersivity, which has become increasingly prominent in many different fields, including contemporary art. The constant reference to immersive experience is redefining the boundaries of artistic practice and fruition, highlighting the complex relationships between art, environments, and human perception.
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