Slip prevention: validation of duplicates reproducing industrial floor surface state microgeometry

The present study falls within the scope of work on the prevention of slips occurring on industrial workplace floor surfaces. Floor microgeometry is a determining factor in anti-slip flooring. Industrial environment-based quantification of floor microgeometrical properties is more restricting than laboratory quantification. The aim of the present study was to develop a duplication technique allowing reproduction of in situ floor microgeometry so as to be able to quantify this microgeometry in the laboratory. Duplicates were produced from a sample of five industrial floors. Surface microgeometry was characterized for both industrial floors and associated duplicates in order to study their microgeometrical changes following the duplicating operation. The purpose of this process was to reach a conclusion on the "reliability" of the duplication technique, on which the use of such duplicates depends. Parameters established from digitalized surfaces reveal differences of less than 5% between duplicates and original floor and this enables us to conclude that these duplicates offer a high degree of reliability with respect to results dispersion.     

Material and environmental parameter effects on the leaching of cement pastes: Experiments and modelling

Results already published on the leaching of cement pastes have shown that the kinetics depends sensitively on the material and environment. However and because of the variability of the tested materials and leaching protocols, it is difficult to compare these data and quantify the effect of each parameter. In this paper, a large experimental database on the leaching kinetics of cement pastes is built. Four parameters are investigated: type of cement (portland cement, silica fume cement, slag cement, ternary cement with slag and fly ash); water-to-cement ratio (0.5; 0.4; 0.25), temperature (26 °C; 72 °C; 85 °C) and chemical composition of the leaching solution (pure water, mineralised water, ammonium nitrate solution). Firstly, the database is used to calculate the leaching kinetics of the cementitious materials. Secondly, a simplified model predicting the one-dimensional leaching kinetics for other water-to-cement ratios and temperature up to 85 °C is presented.     

In-depth study of the Ruddlesden-Popper LaxSr2−xMnO4±δ family as possible electrode materials for symmetrical SOFC

The Ruddlesden Popper (RP) manganites La_xSr_2?xMnO_4±δ with compositions 0.25 ≤ x ≤ 0.6 have been successfully synthesized as single phases by solid-state reaction in air. All those materials are not only stable in reducing atmosphere but they also maintain the K₂NiF₄-type structure with I4/mmm symmetry under redox cycling conditions with limited volume changes. The x = 0.5 phase was analyzed by in situ high temperature neutron powder diffraction (HTNPD), under flowing hydrogen, showing the formation of oxide-ion vacancies on the equatorial sites of the perovskite planes, during reduction process. The total electrical conductivity was optimized and found maximum for x = 0.5 with values of 35.6 S cm^?1 and 1.9 S cm^?1 at 800 °C in air and 3% H₂/Ar, respectively, what is judged to be sufficient for an active layer of symmetrical SOFC electrode. First Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) measurements in both oxidizing and reducing conditions, using an YSZ electrolyte and a GDC buffer layer, are presented giving rise to promising values.     

Characterization of the novel Listeria monocytogenes PCR serogrouping profile IVb-v1

The World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Listeria (WHOCCL) has developed in 2004 a multiplex PCR assay that separates the 4 major Listeria monocytogenes serovars (1/2a, 1/2b, 1/2c, and 4b) into distinct PCR serogroups. A new PCR profile has been recently identified, constituted of amplified DNA fragments of prs, ORF2819, ORF2110 and lmo0737. Here we characterize 22 L. monocytogenes isolates of the WHOCCL collection with this PCR IVb variant 1 (IVb-v1) profile. The 22 isolates belong to the clinically predominant serovar 4b, exhibit 6 distinct pulsed-field gel electrophoresis ApaI/AscI combined profiles, and belong to 2 unrelated multilocus sequence types, indicating that the novel profile does not correspond to a recent clonal emergence. We have updated the WHOCCL serogroup-related PCR typing scheme to include this new profile.     

An efficient bio-inspired catalytic tool for hydrogen release at room temperature from a stable borohydride solution

Commercially available open-cell polyurethane foams (OCPUF) have been successively functionalized with bio-inspired polydopamine coating (OCPUF@PDA), and activated with cobalt nanoparticles (OCPUF@PDA@Co). The resulting soft structured catalytic support (S₂CS) has been used as a highly efficient tool for the release of dihydrogen from a commercially available alkaline sodium borohydride solution at room temperature. With a diluted solution containing 0.4 wt% NaBH₄ and 0.4 wt% NaOH, the hydrogen generation rate was of 76.4 ± 3.18 L·h⁻¹·g_cat⁻¹ after stabilization of the catalytic activity. The catalytic tool could be used for 10 runs.     

The eddy current model as a low-frequency,high-conductivity asymptotic form of the Maxwell transmission problem

We study the relationship between the Maxwell and eddy current (EC) models for three-dimensional configurations involving bounded regions with high conductivity $\sigma$ in air and with sources placed remotely from the conducting objects, which typically occur in the numerical simulation of eddy current nondestructive testing (ECT) experiments. The underlying Maxwell transmission problem is formulated using boundary integral formulations of PMCHWT type. In this context, we derive and rigorously justify an asymptotic expansion of the Maxwell integral problem with respect to the non-dimensional parameter $\gamma ?\sqrt{\omega {\epsilon }_0∕\sigma }$. The EC integral problem is shown to constitute the limiting form of the Maxwell integral problem as $\gamma \to 0$, i.e. as its low-frequency and high-conductivity limit. Estimates in $\gamma$ are obtained for the solution remainders (in terms of the surface currents, which are the primary unknowns of the PMCHWT problem, and the electromagnetic fields) and the impedance variation measured at the extremities of the excitating coil. In particular, the leading and remainder orders in $\gamma$ of the surface currents are found to depend on the current component (electric or magnetic, charge-free or not). These theoretical results are demonstrated on three-dimensional illustrative numerical examples, where the mathematically established estimates in $\gamma$ are reproduced by the numerical results.