The objective of this study was to investigate the spatial relationship between the most likely distribution of saturated hydraulic conductivity (K-s) and the observed pressure head (P) distribution within a hillslope. The cross-correlation analysis method was used to investigate the effects of the variance of lnK(s), spatial structure anisotropy of lnK(s), and vertical infiltration flux (q) on P at some selected locations within the hillslope. The cross-correlation analysis shows that, in the unsaturated region with a uniform flux boundary, the dominant correlation between P and Ks is negative and mainly occurs around the observation location of P. A relatively high P value is located in a relatively low Ks zone, while a relatively low P value is located in a relatively high Ks zone. Generally speaking, P is positively correlated with q/Ks at the same location in the unsaturated region. In the saturated region, the spatial distribution of K-s can significantly affect the position and shape of the phreatic surface. We therefore conclude that heterogeneity can cause some parts of the hillslope to be sensitive to external hydraulic stimuli (e.g., rainfall and reservoir level change), and other parts of the hillslope to be insensitive. This is crucial to explaining why slopes with similar geometries would show different responses to the same hydraulic stimuli, which is significant to hillslope stability analysis. (C) 2016 Hohai University. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

The purpose of this study was to construct a flowmeter that could accurately measure the hydraulic permeability of electrospun fibrinogen scaffolds, providing insight into the transport properties of electrospun scaffolds while making the measurement of their topographical features (fiber and pore size) more accurate. Three different concentrations of fibrinogen were used (100, 120, and 150mg/ml) to create scaffolds with three different fiber diameters and pore sizes. The fiber diameters and pore sizes of the electrospun scaffolds were analyzed through scanning electron microscopy and image analysis software. The permeability of each scaffold was measured and used to calculate permeability-based fiber diameters and pore sizes, which were compared to values obtained through image analysis. Permeability measurement revealed scaffold permeability to increase linearly with fibrinogen concentration, much like average fiber diameter and pore size. Comparison between the two measurement methods proved the efficacy of the flowmeter as a way to measure scaffold features.

A subset of cyclophilins have been implicated in mechanisms of neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration that contributes to the pathogenesis of Multiple Sclerosis. Mitochondrial dysfunction leading to mitochondrial permeability transition plays a pivotal role in axonal damage and disease progression in Multiple Sclerosis. Cyclophilin D (CypD) is a crucial regulatory component of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore and it was demonstrated that the cyclophilin D knockout animals showed reduced experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) clinical disease severity and axonal injury. We investigated the effect of N-methyl-4-isoleucine-cyclosporin (NIM811), a non-immunosuppressive and non-selective cyclophilin inhibitor, on the course and severity of EAE. EAE mice treated with NIM811 showed a significant reduction in clinical disease severity compared to vehicle treated mice. FACS analysis performed with the dissociated thoracolumbar spine showed that NIM811 treatment was associated with a reduction in CNS macrophages but does not alter T-helper lineage frequencies. In addition, we demonstrated NIM811’s effect on crude mitochondrial fraction obtained from brain and liver homogenates of both wild type and CypD knockout mice in order to determine drug specificity. Benefits observed from the pharmacological inhibition of cyclophilin may lead to a novel MS therapy but NIM811’s exact mechanism of action has yet to be elucidated.

Buildings consume around half of the UK's total energy consumption and are responsible for almost 50% of UK's total carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Use of high thermal resistance insulation in buildings is critical to save the substantial amounts of space heating energy lost through building fabric. Conventional building insulation materials have higher thermal conductivity values ranging from 40 mWm-1K-1 (Glass fibre) - 26 mWm-1K-1 (Polyurethane foam) and require larger thicknesses to achieve stringent building regulation requirements which may not be feasible due to techno-economic constraints. Vacuum Insulation Panel (VIP) is a relatively new insulation for building applications that offers 5-8 times higher thermal resistance and can achieve significant space savings in buildings. VIPs are produced as a rigid panel comprising inner core board laminated in an outer high barrier envelope under evacuated conditions (< 5mbar). However, the main challenge for large scale acceptance of VIPs in building applications is their higher cost. VIPs have been shown to have an approximately 10 times longer payback compared to conventional EPS insulation due to their high initial cost. Expensive materials currently being used for VIP manufacturing such as fumed silica contribute to high cost of VIPs and it is critical to identify alternative low cost materials for VIP components to overcome the challenge of high cost. The aim of this thesis was to develop an alternative low cost material and investigate its suitability for use as VIP core. Expanded perlite, a low cost material was identified as a replacement of expensive fumed silica in a VIP core. Composite samples containing expanded perlite, fumed silica, silicon carbide (SiC) and polyester fibres were developed by dry mixing of the constituents in different mass ratios and their different properties were experimentally measured to identify optimum composition of composite. Gaseous thermal conductivity at different pressures was calculated from the pore size data obtained using Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry (MIP), gas adsorption and electron microscopy. Radiative conductivity of composite samples was measured using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) to ascertain the opacifying effect of expanded perlite and opacifier (SiC). Centre of panel thermal conductivity of core boards of size 100mm x 100mm made of composite material at atmospheric pressure was measured by using a small guarded hot plate device. Average pore diameter values of expanded perlite decreased with the partial filling of fumed silica aggregates and was found to be in the range of 150-300 nm yielding lower gaseous conductivity values of 1.2-2.1 mWm-1K-1 at 100mbar and became negligible upon further decreasing pressures below 10 mbar. Core boards made of optimised composite containing 30% expanded perlite and 50% fumed silica along with SiC and polyester fibres was found to achieve centre of panel thermal conductivity of 28 mWm-1K-1 at atmospheric pressure and the average radiative conductivity of 0.67 mWm-1K-1 at 300K with its gaseous thermal conductivity at 1 mbar being 0.016 mWm-1K-1. According to the results of the thesis VIP prototypes consisting of core made with optimised composite consisting (50 mass% of fumed silica, 30 mass% of expanded perlite along with 8 mass% of fibre and 12 mass% of SiC) yielded centre of panel thermal conductivity of 7.4-7.6 mWm-1K-1 at pressure of 0.53-0.64 mbar. Opacifying properties of expanded perlite were observed and quantified. Expanded perlite reduced the radiative conductivity of the composite requiring smaller quantities of high density opacifiers such as SiC. For sample containing no expanded perlite, average radiative conductivity was calculated to be 1.37 mWm-1K-1 and radiative conductivity values decreased to 1.12 mWm-1K-1, 0.67 mWm-1K-1, 0.63 mWm-1K-1 and 0.50 mWm-1K-1 with mass ratio of expanded perlite 20%, 30%, 40% and 60% respectively. It was concluded that the solid conductivity of prototypes VIPs was 1.8-2 times higher compared to those of commercially available VIPs and is the main reason for higher centre of panel thermal conductivity.

The X-Ray imaging technology opened a new branch of science in which the internal porous structure can be captured and the reconstructed volume can be used for fluid flow simulations and structural measurements. However, there is still the question of how the internal structure of the pore space impacts in the observed simulations. A way to characterize this internal structure is by simplifying it into well-defined elements and the interaction between them, describing it as a network. The interaction between elements are the edges of the network and elements are the nodes. This opens the possibility of applying complex network theory on the characterization of porous media which has proven to give powerful insights into how the structure of porous materials influences on the dynamics of the permeating fluid. The problem with this description is in definition of the basic elements that will compose the network, since there isnt a consensus on this definition. The purpose of this work is to provide a method to analyze &mu;CT data through networks in which the separation of the space is done in a semi-continuous method. The recovering of the pores local geometry is captured through a network analysis method of centrality, instead of a geometrical definition. This way the intrinsic morphology of the samples is what governs the pore-space separation into different entities. The method developed is based on the network extraction method Max Spheres Algorithm (MSA). The volumetric data is recovered through a network composed by sphere cells. The output of this process are two distinct networks: the complete volume network and a network which represents the variation of the channels diameter. These networks give unbiased real information on pore connectivity and can provide important data to better understand the morphology and topology of the samples. This method was successfully applied to samples of Berea sandstone, Estaillades carbonate, and to characterize the morphology of wormholes. Wormhole is the denomination of the channel formed after the application of an acid treatment as a stimulation procedure of an oil reservoir, a method of EOR (Enhanced oil recovery). This treatment consists of a reactive fluid flow injected in the inner rock of the reservoir, which creates a preferential path (wormhole) that optimizes the extraction of the hydrocarbon fluids. / A microtomografia de raios-X permitiu a evolução de uma nova área da ciência aplicada a meios porosos: a Rocha Digital. Através desta técnica, todo o espaço poroso é recuperado, e é possível entender a dinâmica do fluido que o permeia através de simulações computacionais. No entanto, ainda há a questão de como a estrutura do meio influencia nos resultados observados. Entender questões como connectividade e clusterização de regiões podem dar informações valiosas sobre como a origem do meio poroso influencia na dinâmica do fluido que o permeia. Esta avaliação do meio é possível através da simplificação do mesmo em uma rede de conexão de elementos básicos e as interações entre estes. O problema com a descrição do meio poroso em uma rede de conexão é que não existe um consenso na definição destes elementos básicos. O propósito deste trabalho foi encontrar uma maneira de descrever o meio que fosse aplicável a qualquer litologia, e que se aproximasse ao máximo dos dados extraídos pela micro tomografia para a análise das topologias de diferentes rochas através de teoria de redes complexas.Para isso, utilizamos o algoritmo robusto de extração de redes de poros, esferas máximas, como base para dividir o espaço-poroso em células esféricas. Desta forma, todo o volume do espaço poroso observado através da micro tomografia é recuperado e descrito em uma rede de conexão. O resultado final do método aplicado é uma rede que descreve o meio completo e uma rede que descreve o eixo medial das interconexões entre poros. A geometria local dos poros é recuperada através de um critério de centralidade de rede, assim a separação é governada pela morfologia intrínseca das amostras, ao invés de fatores geométricos.Desta forma podemos analisar o efeito da tortuosidade real do meio, assim como a interconexão entre poros, com relação a permeabilidade do meio.O método se mostrou eficaz na análise de rochas com diferentes litologias: arenito (Berea) e carbonato (Estaillades). O método também foi aplicado na avaliação da estrutura de canais formados pelo processo de acidificação de rochas (wormholes).

No presente trabalho analisa-se o comportamento do aço de reforço ante à corrosão, com o uso dos inibidores: nitrito de sódio, fosfato de sódio e etalonamina, na água de poros contaminada com cloreto, e no concreto com a finalidade de analisar seus resultados e seus mecanismos diferenciados. Para cumprir este objetivo o presente trabalho divide-se em duas etapas: uma primeira etapa baseada em simular sinteticamente a água de poro de um concreto, cuja solução é KOH 28g/l+NaOH 4g/l. Essa água de poro é simulada em ambiente marinho, cuja solução é KOH 28g/l + NaOH 4g/l+NaCl 35g/l, e a esta solução referência incorporamse os inibidores (20g/l da cada um). Realizaram-se ensaios de espectroscopia de impedância eletroquímica (EIE) (após 3 e 72 horas de imersão) e curvas de polarização (após 72 horas de imersão) com vistas a obter respostas da cinética da corrosão ante a cada solução. Obteve-se o melhor comportamento para a água de poros. No caso da água de poro contaminada por cloretos, o melhor comportamento se obteve para o inibidor nitrito de sódio. Na segunda etapa adotou-se apenas o inibidor nitrito de sódio, pois estatisticamente as eficiências dos três inibidores foram muito similares. Analisou-se o nitrito de sódio em amostras reais de concreto armado contaminado com cloreto de sódio. Para isso se elegeram dois tipos de cimentos (CP IV e CP V) e três relações água-cimento (a/c-0.4, a/c-0.5, a/c- 0.65). Para simular o ambiente marinho, realizaram-se ensaios acelerados de cloretos. Comparam-se métodos de análises simuladas sinteticamente e reais, concluindo-se em ambos meios, embora fossem um solido e outro líquido o inibidor Nitrito de Sódio aumento a sua eficiência com os ciclos de exposição. / In this paper it is analyzed the behavior of reinforcing steel against corrosion using inhibitors: sodium nitrate, sodium phosphate and ethanolamine in water contaminated with chlorides pore and concrete, in order to analyzing the results and different mechanisms. To meet the objective of this work, it was divided into two stages, a first stage based on synthetically simulate the pore water of a concrete, through the following solution KOH 28g/l+NaOH 4g/l, this same solution simulated pore water to a marine environment it would be KOH 28g/l + NaOH 4g/l+NaCl 35g/l, it is then incorporated into both reference solutions inhibitors in a proportion, (20g/l de cada um). Assays were performed electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIE) (last 3 hours and 72 hours of immersion) and polarization curves (last 72 hours of immersion) in order to obtain responses corrosion kinetics in each solution. the best performance was obtained in the pore water. In the case of water contaminated with chlorides pore, the best performance was obtained in the presence of sodium nitrite inhibitor. In the second step was performed only with the inhibitor sodium nitrate, as statistically efficiencies of the three inhibitors were similar. Sodium nitrate was analyzed in real samples of reinforced concrete contaminated with chlorides of sodium. So they were chosen two types of cement CP- IV and CP-V, cement water three relationships 0.4, a/c-0.5, a/c- 0.65. In this case to simulate the marine environment, accelerated tests were performed chloride. They were compared the methods of analysis, simulated synthetically and simulated in real concrete.

A curva de retenção da água no solo é um dos principais instrumentos para avaliar a qualidade física dos solos e possibilitar seu manejo adequado. Por meio da Teoria da Capilaridade vários equipamentos foram desenvolvidos para determinar a intensidade com que a água está retida ao solo, porém, pouco se tem dado atenção para verificar se os pressupostos para o real funcionamento da teoria estão sendo atendidos. Um aspecto refere-se ao tamanho da amostra utilizada para determinar a curva de retenção, de modo que haja continuidade dos feixes capilares na amostra e placa porosa. Desta forma, este trabalho propõe avaliar diferentes tamanhos de amostra indeformada para a determinação da curva de retenção. Para isso, coletaram-se amostras em anéis volumétricos cilíndricos de três tamanhos (altura) diferentes (T1 - 0,075 m; T2 - 0,05 m; T3 - 0,025 m;) e mesmo diâmetro interno (0,07 m), dos horizontes diagnósticos de um Latossolo e um Nitossolo em áreas experimentais da Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (Esalq/USP), Piracicaba - SP. Realizou-se a caracterização física destes solos, por meio da análise granulométrica, densidade do solo, densidade de partículas, porosidade total e teor de carbono orgânico. As curvas foram determinadas para cada tamanho de amostra, utilizando-se o Funil de Haines, para as tensões 0,5, 1, 4, 6 e 10 kPa, e a Câmara de Pressão de Richards para 33, 100 e 500 kPa. As curvas de retenção foram ajustadas pelo modelo utilizado por van Genuchten. Estimadas as curvas, avaliou-se a distribuição de poros do solo das amostras, determinando-se a curva de frequência acumulada de poros em função do logaritmo do raio e, depois pela diferenciação das equações de ajuste das curvas de retenção, a curva diferencial de frequência acumulada de poros. Os resultados mostram que o Latossolo, por ter textura arenosa no horizonte estudado, não apresentou diferença significativa nas curvas de retenção para os tamanhos das amostras estudadas. Verificou-se pouca modificação na distribuição dos poros deste solo, que possui teor elevado das frações areia fina e muito fina, e desenvolveram papel importante para a retenção de água. O Nitossolo, por sua vez, apresentou diferença significativa da curva obtida pela amostra de menor tamanho (T3), havendo maior retenção de água com a diminuição do tamanho da amostra. Devido a sua textura muito argilosa, o arranjo estrutural deste solo foi diferenciado ao se utilizar as amostras maiores, com provável interrupção e descontinuidade dos feixes capilares. Consequentemente, houve também alteração na distribuição dos poros, com redução dos mesoporos e aumento dos microporos. Desta forma, pode-se concluir que o tamanho da amostra influenciou a curva de retenção da água devido à complexidade estrutural do solo, que provavelmente é diferente nas amostras maiores por causa da continuidade dos feixes capilares, principalmente no Nitossolo. Em outras palavras, quanto menor o tamanho da amostra há menor diferenciação no arranjo de poros, ou seja, maior proximidade da real condição do solo e, assim, uma interpretação da retenção de água \"mais correta\" por meio da Teoria da Capilaridade. / The soil water retention curve is one of main tools to assess the physical quality of the soil and to make possible its adequate management. By means of the Capillary Theory, many instruments have been developed to determine the water retention forces in soil, but, little attention has been given to check whether the assumptions for the application of the theory are being attended. One aspect relates to the sample size used to determine the retention curve, so that there is capillary continuity of the sample and porous plate. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate different sizes of undisturbed cylindrical samples for determination of the retention curve. The samples were collected from diagnostic horizons of Latosol and a Nitosol, in experimental areas of the Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (Esalq/USP), Piracicaba - SP. Three volumetric rings with three different heights (T1 - 0,075 m; T2 - 0,05 m; T3 - 0,025 m;), were used the diameter of the rings were the same for the three sizes (0,07 m). The physical characterization soils were made by the granulometric analysis, bulk density, particle density, porosity and organic carbon. The curves were determined for each sample size, using the Haine\'s funnel, for tensions 0.5, 1, 4, 6 and 10 kPa, and Richard\'s pressure chamber for 33, 100 and 500 kPa. The pore size distribution of the soil was evoluated first by determining the cumulative frequency curve of pore radius, and then, by differentiating fitling equation of fluis curve to obtain a differential curve of pore cumulative frequency. The retention curves were fitted by the model used by Van Genuchtem. The results showed that in the Latosol there was no significant difference in retention curves for the sizes of the samples studied. There was little change in pore distribution of the fluis soil with high content of fractions fine and very fine sand, that developes significant role in soil water retention. The Nitosol exhibited significant difference of the curve obtained by the smallest size sample (T3), with greater water retention with the decreasing of the sample size. Because of its very clayey texture, the structural arrangement of this soil was different when larger samples were used, with probable interruption and discontinuity of capillaries. Consequently there was also a change in the pore distribution, with reduction of mesopores and an increase of micropores. Thus, itean be conclude that the sample size influenced the soil water retention curve due to the structural complexity of the soil that probably is different in the bigger sample because of the continuity of the capillary budles fluit was more affected in the Nitosol. In other words, the smaller the sample size, the smaller the difference in the arrangement of pores, that is, more closeness of the actual condition of the soil and so a \"more correct\" interpretation of soil water retention by capillary theory.

Saline water evaporation from porous media with the associated salt precipitation patterns is frequently observed in a number of industrial and environmental applications and it is important in a variety of topics including, but not limited to, water balance and land-atmosphere interaction, terrestrial ecosystem functioning, geological carbon storage, and preservation of historical monuments. The excess accumulation of salt in soil is a global problem and is one of the most widespread soil degradation processes. Thus, it is important to understand the dominant mechanisms controlling saline water evaporation from porous media. This process is controlled by the transport properties of the porous medium, the external conditions, and the properties of the evaporating fluid. During saline water evaporation from porous media, the capillary induced liquid flow transports the solute towards the evaporation surface while diffusive transport tends to spread the salt homogeneously thorough the porous medium. Therefore, the solute distribution is influenced by the competition between the diffusive and convective transport. As water evaporates, salt concentration in the pore space increases continually until it precipitates. The formation of precipitated salt adds to the complexity of the description of saline water evaporation from porous media. In this dissertation, the effects of salt concentration, type of salt, and the presence of precipitated salt, on the evaporation dynamics have been investigated. The obtained results show that the precipitated salt has a porous structure and it evolves as the drying progresses. The presence of porous precipitated salt at the surface causes top-supplied creeping of the evaporating solution, feeding the growth of subsequent crystals. This could be visualized by thermal imaging in the form of appearance and disappearance of cold-spots on the surface of the porous medium, brought about by preferential water evaporation through the salt crust. My results show that such a phenomenon influences the dynamics of saline water evaporation from porous media. Moreover, a simple but effective tool was developed in this dissertation capable of describing the effects of ambient temperature, relative humidity, type of salt and its concentration, on the evaporative fluxes. Additionally, pore-scale data obtained by synchrotron x-ray tomography was used to study ion transport during saline water evaporation from porous media in 4D (3D space + time). Using iodine K-edge dual energy imaging, the ion concentration at pore scale with a high temporal and spatial resolution could be quantified. This enabled us to reveal the mechanisms controlling solute transport during saline water evaporation from porous media and extend the corresponding physical understanding of this process. Within this context, the effects of particle size distribution on the dispersion coefficient were investigated together with the evolution of the dispersion coefficient as the evaporation process progresses. The results reported in this dissertation shed new insight on the physics of saline water evaporation from porous media and its complex dynamics. The results of this dissertation have been published in 3 peer-reviewed journal papers together with one additional manuscript which is currently under review.

Le transport réactif des NPs en milieu poreux regroupe trois principaux processus : l’agrégation, le dépôt et le transport des NPs. Le système réel est caractérisé par la complexité et l’interdépendance de ces trois processus. En plus, ces derniers ne possèdent pas forcément la même échelle propre d’étude ou de modélisation. Cela explique la difficulté majeure pour décrire simultanément tous ces processus couplés et interdépendants dans un seul modèle aisément utilisable. Au départ, nous avons simplifié ce système en séparant les différents processus. Ensuite, nous résolvons le problème d’échelle, par l’approche d’homogénéisation ou par l’approche multi-échelles. La séparation du problème, en plusieurs processus et sur plusieurs échelles d’espace, facilite la résolution numérique et la compréhension des processus élémentaires. Dans cette étude, une approche multi-échelles a été développée pour modéliser ces trois processus (l’agrégation, le dépôt et le transport des NPs), chacun dans sa propre échelle. Nous avons considéré deux échelles de taille, l’échelle microscopique ou d’interface (nanométrique), et l’échelle mésoscopique correspondant à la taille des pores (micrométrique). A l’échelle microscopique, les processus d’agrégation et de dépôt ont été modélisés, de manière similaire, avec la théorie DLVO. Les propriétés électrostatiques de surface des NPs ou de la roche sont décrites par un modèle de complexation de surface développé sous PhreeqC. Ce modèle d’interface est testé pour deux types de matériaux, le titane pour les NPs et la silice pour la roche. A l’échelle mésoscopique, le dépôt est quantifié par la théorie classique de la filtration (CFT : Classical Filtration Theory) dans la phase initiale où le filtre est propre. Le processus de transport a été simulé par un modèle de réseau de pores (PNM : Pore Network Model) à l’échelle mésoscopique. Ce modèle de transport est couplé avec le modèle d’agrégation-dépôt et indirectement avec le modèle de complexation de surface en un seul modèle appelé PhreeqC Pore Network Transport(PPNT1.0). / Reactive transport of NPs in porous media involves three main processes: aggregation, deposition and transport of NPs. The natural system is characterized by the complexity and interdependence of these three processes. In addition, these processes do not necessarily have the same study or modeling scale. This explains the extreme difficulty to describe simultaneously all these interdependent processes in one easy-tohandle numerical model. We have simplified the system by separating the different processes. Then, we solve the problem of scale by the homogenization or the multi-scale approach. Dividing the initial problem into different processes on different scales facilitates the numerical solution and the understanding of each process separately. In this study, a multi-scale approach has been developed to model, each mechanism at its own scale. We considered two modeling scales, the microscopic or interfacial scale (nanometric scale), and the mesoscopic scale (micrometric scale). At the microscopic scale, the processes of aggregation and deposition have been modeled in a similar manner with the DLVO theory. Surface electrostatic properties of NPs and rocks are described by a surface complexation model implemented in geochemical modeling program (PHREEQC). This surface complexation model was tested for two types of materials, titanium and silica. At the mesoscopic scale, the deposition is quantified by the classic filtration theory (CFT) in the initial phase when the filter is clean. The transport of NPs in porous media was simulated by a pore network model (PNM) at the mesoscopic scale. This transport model was coupled with the deposition-aggregation model and also indirectly with the surface complexation model. These three models are coupled in a single model called: PhreeqC Pore Network Transport (PPNT1.0).