Artificial insemination of dairy cattle has become a major part of the dairy industry during the past 1.5 years. There has been a steady increase in the number of cows serviced each year since the first artificial breeding association was organized in the United States in 1938. In 1952 there were 4,238,245 cows bred artificially. In 1953 there were 4,845,222 and in 1955, artificially cows bred numbered 5,250,000.

El texto completo de este trabajo no está disponible en el Repositorio Académico UPC por restricciones de la casa editorial donde ha sido publicado. / This article analyzes the applicability of an appropriate design of blasting engineering for an underground mine to be used in a Peruvian grain context through the data collection and observation method using the Bieniawski rock mass geomechanical classification system, average vein power weighting, and operational dilution of the pits. The generation of solutions is under both the McCarthy approach formula and final results analysis of the dilution behavior obtained in relation to the initial ones. Moreover, the database provided by a mining company is analyzed with respect to the geological conditions for the rock mass classification of the roof box and floor box to determine the quality of the rock, ore grades, power of the vein, and the percentage of dilution. Then we proceed to determine the continuity and thickness of the vein in a given block and analyze the dilution based on the fundamental criteria of blasting engineering.

No description available.

At high temperatures, the properties of aqueous electrolyte systems differ markedly from those at 25°C. For mixed-electrolyte dilute solutions at high temperatures, the degree of ion-association is sufficiently large that the association equilibrium must be incorporated in any model describing the solutions. These association reactions usually do not occur to a measurable extent at room temperature. Oscarson and co-workers have designed a correlation model based on the excess Gibbs energy which can correlate log K and ∆H values as well as the heats of dilution for aqueous electrolyte systems as a function of temperature (T) and ionic strength (I) from 275 to 350°C. Use of calorimetric data to develop the model has been shown to be more accurate than using ∆dilH values from the variation of log K with temperature because one less differentiation with respect to temperature is required. In this study, the computer program developed by Oscarson and co-workers has been modified by incorporating the IAPWS-95 water equation of state and Archer and Wang's correlation of the dielectric constant of water into the excess Gibbs engergy model. The difference between the present work and prior work is that it uses a more accurate equation of state for water, a more accurate dielectric constant for water and the best equilibrium constants currently available. The properties of water play a very important role in the calculation of ∆dilH values, and the modified program developed here using improved water equations is shown to be superior to the previous one. The results of this modified model were tested by comparing the predicted heats of dilution with experimental measurements from Oscarson's work. These experimental data cover the range from 523.15 K to 623.15 K and 103 bar to 128 bar. The nominal concentrations of the solutions used for the ∆dilH experiments were 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0 m. Equilibrium constants K for Na2SO4 (aq), H2SO4 (aq), NaAc (aq), and HCl (aq) association were taken from conductivity values measured by Wood and co-workers using a flow conductance apparatus. These log K values were used to compare the predicted log K values from Oscarson's model and those from this modified model.

Diseases vectored by mosquitoes cause millions of deaths each year. In modern times Florida*s disease risk has been reduced due to efforts to lessen the prevalence of mosquitoes through habitat modification of non-adults. With emerging diseases (i.e. Dengue and Chikunguya) encroaching into Florida from the Caribbean, this traditional approach may not be enough. Alternatively, we can better understand the ecology of how disease works in an ecosystem. One possible way is through the Dilution Effect, which states that the more species that are in a system the lower the chance for zoonosis. This project models mosquito diversity across regions, land use, and vegetation height in South-Central Florida, for the purpose of identifying predictors that indicate a higher disease risk using information theory (AICc). The plains and coastal regions as well as the developed areas have a relatively higher risk of disease. Florida is a fire maintained habitat, but has been fire suppressed for the last century. Archbold Biological Station (ABS) has used prescribed fires since the early 1980s to try and restore a more natural system. This has created a mosaic of different fire histories. Fire affects the structures that mosquitoes rest under during the day (they are vulnerable to desiccation during the day and hide in darker/shady places), therefore there is a high likelihood that fire will have some effect on mosquito assemblages. This project used model selection to determine the most plausible set of predictors that describe the effect of fire on mosquito assemblages at ABS, using information theory (AICc). In general, time of season accounted for the largest proportion of the variation in the data and TSF had negligible effect on adult mosquito assemblages measured as abundance, speices richness, and Jost D.

No description available.

Population levels of a mixed culture that was ambiently exposed to bacteria in the atmosphere was studied at various constant dilution rates. Random fluctuations in the free swimmer population were noted. An aseptic continuous flow system proved of no great advantage over that which had ambient inoculation, however, slime production did not follow identical growth patterns in three identical growth vessels. Coulter counts were made on a pure culture of B. cereus grown in a continuous flow system at various dilution rates. These counts did not follow continuous flow theory for a pure culture in that there was no sharp drop in count at the critical dilution rate but gradual reductions over a range of several dilution rates. Total population counts by the Coulter Counter were made on a defined mixed culture of B. cereus and A. aerogenes. After a several days Petroff-Hausser counts showed that 70% of the population was A. aerogenes. Total population was reduced from that of a pure culture of B. cereus. Steady-state populations were noted at various dilution rates. These steady-states, however, did not follow continuous flow theory for a pure culture in that larger counts were noted at a higher dilution rate than some counts at a lower dilution rate. It seemed that slime on the growth vessels’ walls continually changed the environment had a greater effect and made it impossible to control all the environmental factors even in continuous flow processes. / Master of Science

Le mercure est un contaminant présent dans l'ensemble des compartiments de l'environnement et l'homme y est directement exposé via l'alimentation. Actuellement, les organismes gouvernementaux évaluent la sécurité des produits alimentaires en se basant essentiellement sur la concentration totale de cet élément. Cependant, la toxicité du mercure dépend, entre autre, de l'espèce absorbée (dont le méthylmercure, sa forme la plus toxique). Par conséquent, l'analyse de spéciation, c'est à dire la détection et quantification des différentes formes chimiques de cet élément, présente un intérêt croissant. Le principal objectif de ce projet a donc été de développer et de valider, sous assurance qualité, une méthode sensible et d'une grande exactitude, basée sur l'utilisation de la dilution isotopique. Elle sera par la suite appliquée comme méthode de référence par l'agence pour l'analyse en spéciation du mercure dans les produits de la pêche afin de permettre une meilleure évaluation des risques encourus par le consommateur. La première partie de ce travail a porté sur l'étude du cycle biogéochimique du mercure et de l'état de l'art des diverses méthodes de préparation de l'échantillon, de séparation et de quantification du Hg dans les matrices biologiques, afin d'émettre des choix analytiques. Ainsi, les principaux composés mercuriels susceptibles d'être retrouvés dans les produits de la pêche (le méthylmercure et le mercure inorganique) ont été déterminés par couplage GC-ICP-MS et une quantification par dilution isotopique. La seconde partie des travaux a été consacrée à l'optimisation de la méthode de préparation des échantillons et de la technique de quantification. Ces travaux sur différents matériaux de référence certifiés ont montré que des modifications de la distribution naturelle de l'échantillon pouvaient survenir dès l'étape d'extraction, préconisant un marquage isotopique avant extraction solide-liquide par digiPREP des espèces mercurielles et dérivation par propylation par le tétrapropylborate de sodium et agitation rotative. Les résultats expérimentaux ont été traités par dilution isotopique simple et multiple. Les teneurs obtenues ont été similaires, pour l'ensemble des matrices analysées, montrant que peu ou pas de transformation inter-espèces surviennent au cours de la procédure analytique. Une quantification par double marquage isotopique et dilution isotopique simple a donc été conservée. L'évaluation des critères analytique a démontré que la méthode est validée pour la spéciation du mercure dans les produits de la pêche, selon les normes françaises AFNOR NF V03-110 de 1998 et de 2010. La dernière partie des travaux a porté sur l'application de la méthode validée à la spéciation du mercure dans des échantillons biologiques réels, ainsi qu'à la participation à plusieurs essais interlaboratoires d'aptitudes organisés par le CSL-FAPAS sur un échantillon de thon en conserve et par l'IRMM sur le matériau IMEP-109 de homard. / Mercury is a contaminant which is found in all compartments of the environment and to which human beings are directly exposed when eating food. Government agencies assess the safety of food products by using total mercury concentrations. However, its toxicity depends on the species absorbed (among which methylmercury is its most toxic form). Therefore, the analysis of speciation, i.e. detection and quantification of different chemical forms of this element, is of high interest. The main objective of this project was to develop and validate, under quality assurance, a sensitive and highly accurate method, based on the use of isotope dilution. This method will then be applied as a reference method by the agency for speciation analysis of mercury in seafood, in order to better assess risks to the consumer. The first part of this work focused on the biogeochemical cycle of mercury and the state of art of the various methods of sample preparation, separation and quantification of Hg in biological matrices in order to make analytical choices. Thus, mercury compounds (methyl mercury and inorganic mercury) were determined by gas chromatography (GC) coupled with an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) and quantified by isotope dilution. The second part of the work was dedicated to the optimization of the method of sample preparation and the quantification technique. The work was made on different certified reference materials and showed that changes of the natural distribution of the sample could occur during the extraction step. Therefore, isotopic tracers had been added to the sample before this step. Mercury species were extracted by a solid-liquid extraction by using a digiPREP and derivated by propylation using tétrapropylborate the sodium and a rotary agitation. Data were treated by simple and multiple isotope dilution. Achieved concentrations were similar for all analyzed matrices. Results showed that inter-species transformation hardly occurred during the analytical procedure. This was the reason why the use of two isotopic tracers for quantification by simple isotope dilution was kept. To end, the method was validated for the speciation of mercury in seafood, in respect with the French norms AFNOR NF V03-110 of 1998 and 2010. Finally, the work ended with the applicability of the validated method for mercury speciation analysis in real biological samples and our participation in several inter-laboratory proficiency tests organized by the CSL-FAPAS on a sample of tuna and by the IRMM on the material IMEP-109 (lobster).

Les travaux présentés dans cette thèse s'inscrivent dans le cadre de la chaire OXYTEC qui regroupe l'entreprise Air Liquide, CentraleSupélec et le CNRS. Ce travail bénéficie également de l'appui de l'ANR. Ce manuscrit fait état des premiers développements et résultats sur le plan expérimental. Un dispositif complet a été développé au laboratoire EM2C pour étudier l'oxy-combustion de flammes stabilisées sur un injecteur tourbillonneur jusqu'à des pressions de 30 bar. Les résultats présentés dans cette thèse ont traits à des prémélanges dont le combustible est du méthane lorsque le foyer opère à pression atmosphérique. Les techniques de LIF-OH, la PIV, la LDV complétées par des mesures de chimiluminescence et de température sont utilisées (1) pour accumuler des données sur la structure de trois flammes de référence CH4/air, CH4/O2/N2 et CH4/O2/CO2 qui sont utilisées pour valider des outils de simulation de la combustion et des transferts thermiques, (2) élucider les mécanismes de stabilisation des oxy-flammes swirlés pré-mélangées à partir d'études paramétriques sur le nombre de swirl, la vitesse débitante, la vitesse laminaire de flamme et l'angle de l'ouvreau de l'injecteur, et (3) comparer la structure des oxy-flammes diluées au CO2 avec des flammes CH4/air en examinant notamment la position de pied de flamme, la topologie générale de la flamme et les températures des parois du foyer. / The work presented in this thesis falls within the framework of the OXYTEC chair, a partnership between Air Liquide, CentraleSupélec and the CNRS. This work also benefits from the support of the ANR. This manuscript reports the first developments and results on the experimental level. A test rig has been developed to study oxy-combustion of swirl-stabilized flames up to pressures of 30 bar. The results presented deal with premixed conditions where the fuel is methaneand the setup is operated at atmospheric pressure. Laser induced fluorescence on the hydroxyl radical, particle imaging velocimetry, Doppler laser velocimetry completed by chemiluminescence imaging and temperature measurements are used to (1) gather data on the structure of three reference flames CH4/air, CH4/O2/N2 and CH4/O2/CO2 which are used to validate simulations of the reacting flow and heat transfer and (2) elucidate the stabilization mechanisms of premixed swirling oxy-flames from parametric studies by varying the swirl number, the bulk injection velocity, the laminar burning velocity and the injector cup angle and (3) compare the structure of CO2 diluted oxy-flames with CH4/air flames by examining the position of the flame leading edge, the general topology of the flame and the temperatures of flow and the combustor walls.

Coal derived synthetic gas (syngas) fuel is a promising solution for today s increasing demand for clean and reliable power. Syngas fuels are primarily mixtures of H2 and CO, often with large amounts of diluents such as N2, CO2, and H2O. The specific composition depends upon the fuel source and gasification technique. This requires gas turbine designers to develop fuel flexible combustors capable of operating with high conversion efficiency while maintaining low emissions for a wide range of syngas fuel mixtures. Design tools often used in combustor development require data on various fundamental gas combustion properties. For example, laminar flame speed is often an input as it has a significant impact upon the size and static stability of the combustor. Moreover it serves as a good validation parameter for leading kinetic models used for detailed combustion simulations. Thus the primary objective of this thesis is measurement of laminar flame speeds of syngas fuel mixtures at conditions relevant to ground-power gas turbines. To accomplish this goal, two flame speed measurement approaches were developed: a Bunsen flame approach modified to use the reaction zone area in order to reduce the influence of flame curvature on the measured flame speed and a stagnation flame approach employing a rounded bluff body. The modified Bunsen flame approach was validated against stretch-corrected approaches over a range of fuels and test conditions; the agreement is very good (less than 10% difference). Using the two measurement approaches, extensive flame speed information were obtained for lean syngas mixtures at a range of conditions: 1) 5 to 100% H2 in the H2/CO fuel mixture; 2) 300-700 K preheat temperature; 3) 1 to 15 atm pressure, and 4) 0-70% dilution with CO2 or N2. The second objective of this thesis is to use the flame speed data to validate leading kinetic mechanisms for syngas combustion. Comparisons of the experimental flame speeds to those predicted using detailed numerical simulations of strained and unstrained laminar flames indicate that all the current kinetic mechanisms tend to over predict the increase in flame speed with preheat temperature for medium and high H2 content fuel mixtures. A sensitivity analysis that includes reported uncertainties in rate constants reveals that the errors in the rate constants of the reactions involving HO2 seem to be the most likely cause for the observed higher preheat temperature dependence of the flame speeds. To enhance the accuracy of the current models, a more detailed sensitivity analysis based on temperature dependent reaction rate parameters should be considered as the problem seems to be in the intermediate temperature range (~800-1200 K).