Electrosynthesis and protection role of polyaniline–polvinylalcohol composite on stainless steel

Polyaniline–polyvinyl alcohol (PANI–PVA) composite has been electrodeposited on stainless steel surface from aqueous sulfuric acid solution of aniline monomer in presence of soluble PVA at different concentrations. The PVA increased the rate of electropolymerization where 4 g/L PVA formed a composite of 37 wt% PANI and 63 wt% PVA composition. The composite layer exhibited more adhesion to the steel surface in comparison with PANI layer but with less thermal stability. It has higher protection role for the stainless steel (SS) against general and pitting corrosion. It enhanced the passivation of the SS surface by increasing the thickness of oxide film and improving the composition.     

Genetic relationships and additive genetic variation of productive and reproductive traits in Guernsey dairy cattle

Data were first lactation production and reproduction records initiated from 1958 to 1981 in two experiment station Guernsey herds. Heritability estimates using paternal half sib groups were .24 +/- .12 for milk yield, .27 +/- .12 for fat yield, and .77 +/- .15 for fat percentage. Heritability estimates for reproductive traits ranged from .01 to .04 for number of services, service period, conception rate, and days open, but were higher for days in milk at first breeding (.12) and age at first calving (.13). Except for age at first calving, coefficients of additive genetic variation were larger for reproductive traits than for productive traits. Genetic correlations between measures of production and reproduction were moderate to large and antagonistic, except that the relationship between production and age at first calving was favorable. Breeding value estimates for milk yield and reproduction were negatively correlated for sires with above average breeding values for milk yield. Huge phenotypic variances for reproductive traits masked substantial additive genetic variation for these traits. When all things are considered it seems unwise to ignore reproductive performance in selection programs for dairy cattle.     

Acceptability and Nutrient Content of Milk Substitutes from Four Cultivars of Cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata)

Milk was extracted from four cultivars of cowpeas and analysed for their nutrient content. The protein content of the milk substitutes varied from 1.2-3.0g, energy, 17.9-42.4 Kcal; total solids 4.2-10.7g and sugars from 0.2-0.6g per 100 mL. The protein digestibility was from 56.0-78.5% and trypsin inhibitor activity was 5.8-7.1 TIU/mL. The cultivars had an effect on the yields, the total solids, the energy, protein total sugars, trypsin inhibitor activity, and digestibility of the milk substitutes.     

Comparison of performance of statistical models in forecasting monthly streamflow of Kizil River,China

This paper presents the application of autoregressive integrated moving average(ARIMA),seasonal ARIMA(SARIMA),and Jordan-Elman artificial neural networks(ANN)models in forecasting the monthly streamflow of the Kizil River in Xinjiang,China.Two different types of monthly streamflow data(original and deseasonalized data)were used to develop time series and Jordan-Elman ANN models using previous flow conditions as predictors.The one-month-ahead forecasting performances of all models for the testing period(1998-2005)were compared using the average monthly flow data from the Kalabeili gaging station on the Kizil River.The Jordan-Elman ANN models,using previous flow conditions as inputs,resulted in no significant improvement over time series models in one-month-ahead forecasting.The results suggest that the simple time series models(ARIMA and SARIMA)can be used in one-month-ahead streamflow forecasting at the study site with a simple and explicit model structure and a model performance similar to the Jordan-Elman ANN models.     

Effect of amino acids containing sulfur on the corrosion of mild steel in phosphoric acid solutions polluted with Cl−, F− and Fe3+ ions–behaviour near and at the corrosion potential

Research on non‐toxic inhibitors is of considerable interest in investigations into the replacement of hazardous classical molecules. This paper reports the action of four amino acids containing sulfur on the corrosion of mild steel in phosphoric acid solution with and without Cl^?, F^? and Fe³⁺ ions near and at the corrosion potential (E_corr) using both the polarization resistance method and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Both cysteine and N‐acetylcysteine (ACC) showed higher inhibition efficiency than methionine and cystine. Adsorption of methionine onto a mild steel surface obeys the Frumkin adsorption isotherm and has a free energy of adsorption value (ΔG °_ads) lower than those obtained in the presence of cystine, cysteine and ACC whose adsorption isotherms follow that of Langmuir. Both F^? and Fe³⁺ ions stimulate mild steel corrosion while Cl^? ions inhibit it. The binary mixtures of methionine, cysteine or ACC with Cl^? or F^? ions are effective inhibitors (synergism) while the combinations of the amino acid with Fe³⁺ or the ternary Cl^?/F^?/Fe³⁺ mixture have low inhibitive action (antagonism). EIS measurements revealed that the charge transfer process mainly controls the mechanism of mild steel corrosion in phosphoric acid solution in the absence and presence of the investigated additives. The mechanism of corrosion inhibition or acceleration is discussed. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry     

Application of snowmelt runoff model (SRM) in mountainous watersheds: A review

The snowmelt runoff model (SRM) has been widely used in simulation and forecast of streamflow in snow-dominated mountainous basins around the world. This paper presents an overall review of worldwide applications of SRM in mountainous watersheds, particularly in data-sparse watersheds of northwestern China. Issues related to proper selection of input climate variables and parameters, and determination of the snow cover area (SCA) using remote sensing data in snowmelt runoff modeling are discussed through extensive review of literature. Preliminary applications of SRM in northwestern China have shown that the model accuracies are relatively acceptable although most of the watersheds lack measured hydro-meteorological data. Future research could explore the feasibility of modeling snowmelt runoff in data-sparse mountainous watersheds in northwestern China by utilizing snow and glacier cover remote sensing data, geographic information system (GIS) tools, field measurements, and innovative ways of model parameterization.     

A comparative study on the corrosion behaviour of 304 austenitic stainless steel in sulfamic and sulfuric acid solutions

Potentiodynamic polarization and EIS have been employed to compare the corrosion behaviour of 304 stainless steel in NH₂SO₃H and H₂SO₄ solutions. Corrosion tests were carried out as a function of the acid’s concentration (0.1-0.5 M) and solution temperature (20-60 ^oC). The corrosion rate is higher in H₂SO₄ than in H₂NSO₃H in all concentrations and temperatures. Values of the activation energy (E_a) revealed that the corrosion process is faster in H₂SO₄ than in NH₂SO₃H solution. EIS data showed that the display of Nyquist plots, and hence the mechanism of corrosion, depends not only on the acid concentration but also on the solution temperature. In 0.1 M concentration, the equivalent circuits R_e(R_ctQ_dl) and R_e(R_ctQ_dl)(RQ)_ads describe the corrosion systems in H₂NSO₃H and H₂SO₄ solutions respectively. At concentrations ?0.2 M, the equivalent circuit R_e(R_ctQ_dl)Q_diff is applicable. Adsorption of the counter ion of the acid on the steel surface and the stability of the surface complex may explain the observed corrosion rates.     

Electrochemical deposition of a carbon nanotube-poly(o-phenylenediamine) composite on a stainless steel surface

Electrodeposition of a nano-composite made of oxidized carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and a conductive polymer such as poly(o-phenylenediamine) (PoPD) on a stainless steel surface from aqueous solution was carried out by cyclic voltammetry. The presence of the CNTs enhanced the deposition of the PoPD and this enhancement was more significant in the presence of single walled carbon nanotubes (sCNT) by comparison to multi-walled carbon nanotubes (mCNT). Scanning electron microscope images indicated the incorporation of the CNTs in the PoPD layer. The nano-composite layer as well as the pure PoPD layer keeps the stainless steel in a passive state in acidic solution. The oxide film underneath the nano-composite layer is unique and showed high corrosion resistance in concentrated chloride solutions, which was confirmed by the presence of high contents of iron and chromium components. These findings suggest that the CNTs indirectly assist the passivation of the stainless steel by catalyic oxygen reduction and polymer oxidation process.     

Protection of type 430 stainless steel against pitting corrosion by ladder conductive polymer

Poly(o-phenylenediamine) (PoPD) was electropolymerized by cyclic voltammetry (CV) on 430 stainless steel from sulfuric acid solution containing o-phenylenediamine monomer. The formation of the polymer film is slower than that of polyaniline (PANI) film. Transparent and compact layers (∼1.0 μm) of PoPD deposited after 100 cycles, while thicker (∼3 μm), grainy and porous layers of PANI formed after 50 cycles. The PoPD layers protect the steel substrate from pitting in 3% NaCl but the layers of PANI fail, and pitting and crevice corrosion were observed on the steel surface. Both polymers keep the steel substrate in a passive state in sulfuric acid. After aging in acid solution the underlying oxides were investigated after peeling off the polymer layers; this showed an excellent passive film formed under PoPD. The passive steel was completely free from pitting after immersion in the chloride solution for 1 week.