Accumulation of heavy metals in different environmental compartments and their toxicity even at trace level concentration necessitates the study of their efficient removal. Furthermore, metals could co-exist in the environment which is a complex scenario as there would be competition among the metals in terms of removal efficiency. This study presents the effective removal of trace level toxic metals (Hg2+, Cd2+, Pb2+) in both single and ternary metal solutions through adsorption on the successfully synthesized composite (SC) of pinewood-derived biochar (BC) and graphene oxide (GO) nanomaterials. Moreover, different linear regression tools (Gaussian Process (GP), Random Forest (RF), and Feed Forward Back Propagation (FFBP)) from the machine learning (ML) toolbox were used to make the comparison between actual and their predicted adsorption. The structural and morphological analysis of the SC showed that GO was successfully coated on the surface of the BC. GO coating increased the surface area, porosity, functional groups, and adsorption efficiency of these toxic metals on the SC as compared to the unmodified BC. The factors affecting adsorption efficiency were metal concentration, pH, and the ratio of BC and GO in the SC. The adsorption efficiency in single metal solution was found 94-98% for Hg2+, 92-94% for Cd2+, and 96-99% for Pb2+ and for ternary metal solutions 94-96% for Hg2+, 95-97% for Cd2+, and 97-99% for Pb2+ at pH 6 and SC with BC/GO (w/w) ratio as 1:10. However, for unmodified BC, the adsorption efficiency was less in both single and ternary solutions. Thus, results indicate that modification of BC with GO increases adsorption efficiency as compared to unmodified BC. Furthermore, for all three metals, Freundlich's adsorption isotherm was followed in both single and ternary solutions. Regeneration of the SC was also attained by adsorbate desorption, producing a competent and cost-effective adsorbent for the removal of toxic metals from our environment. Furthermore, from the ML toolbox mean squared error (MSE) values between the actual efficiency and predicted efficiency were calculated which was negligible in the case of GP, with regression coefficient (R2) equal to 1. This implied that GP was the most suitable linear regression model among other models (RF, FFBP) for the available data sets. These predicted values through different ML models could significantly reduce the experimental workload for various parameters in predicting the removal efficiency of the synthesized composite for the target toxic metals. Thus, these models help in reducing experimental time and predicting the most appropriate combination for the best result in the future.

The thermodynamic and kinetic phenomena involved in the formation of sub-micron polyimide particles from polyimide/solvent/nonsolvent ternary systems were studied. A quantitative equilibrium approach was considered in the B-bonding studies of these ternary systems. The effect of H-bonding on the physical properties and phase behavior of the ternary systems was investigated. The critical requirements for the control of polymer particle size and size distribution during particle formation by precipitation from solution are discussed. It was found that the equilibrium constants, enthalpies and entropies of H-bonding in the ternary systems containing water can be obtained by analysis of the ^lH_NMR data. Using the calculated equilibrium constants, the determination of the concentration of H-bonds between N-methylpyrrolidinone (NHP) and water is possible. We found a very good correlation between the B-bond concentrations and the deviations of the specific volume and viscosity from ideal mixing in the NHP/water mixtures. / Ph. D.

Yes / The growth of cocrystalline phases continues to expand as a key area of crystal engineering research. Understanding the phase behavior of the material and controlling the crystalline form of the material from a solution-based route can be aided by the construction of a ternary phase diagram for the system. A range of methods exist for this process which display a variety of costs and time to achieve the final diagram. The application of quantitative NMR (qNMR) to this problem offers a fast analysis method to directly determine the solution composition of all species (coformers and solvent) and is demonstrated to successfully allow the construction of ternary diagrams with and without a cocrystal phase being formed for systems with high and low solubility.

No description available.

L’hydrogène est un des moyens envisageables pour réduire les émissions des gaz à effet de serre. Celui-ci est un carburant très abondant, et sa combustion est très énergétique que le pétrole (3 fois supérieure au pétrole). L’un des obstacles de son utilisation est son stockage. Le stockage à l’état solide présente de gros avantages en termes de capacité volumique (i.e. 100 à 200 g/L) et de sécurité. L’hydrure de magnésium MgH2 est le candidat qui présente les meilleurs résultats en termes de capacité massique (7,6 %wt.). Cependant, il est défavorisé par des cinétiques d’hydruration lentes et une température d’utilisation élevée (i.e. hydrure très stable).Nous nous sommes intéressés aux intermétalliques riches en magnésium TR-M-Mg (TR = Nd, Gd et M = Cu, Ni). Nous avons mis en évidence 3 nouvelles compositions : NdNiMg5, GdCuMg4 et GdCuMg12. Un traitement post-fusion à 700°C pendant une semaine suivi d’un refroidissement lent à 6°C / h jusqu’à 300°C permet d’obtenir ces phases. Seule la première composition a pu faire l’objet d’une étude complète. Elle présente un ordre antiférromagnétique à 12 K et sa capacité réversible de stockage est de 2,8 wt.%. Un échantillon presque pur pour la phase GdCuMg12 a pu être obtenu (a = 9,9721(8) Å et c = 7,775(6) Å et G.E. P4/m). Dans le cas de GdCuMg4, les mêmes conditions expérimentales nous ont permis d’obtenir un échantillon presque pur. Sa structure n’a pas encore pu être déterminée. / Hydrogen is one of the means to reduce emissions of greenhouse gas emissions. This is a very abundant fuel and its combustion is highly energetic (3 times more than petrol). An obstacle to its use is its storage. Storage in the solid state has significant advantages in terms of volume capacity (100 to 200 g/L) and safety. Magnesium hydride MgH2 is the candidate who shows the best results in terms of specific capacity (7,6 %wt) . However, it is disadvantaged by slow hydrogenation kinetics and high temperature use (very stable hydride). We are interested in intermetallic magnesium rich RE-TM-Mg (RE = Nd, Gd and TM = Cu, Ni). We highlighted three new compositions: NdNiMg5, GdCuMg4 and GdCuMg12. A post- fusion treatment at 700°C for one week followed by slow cooling at 6°C / h up to 300°C allows to obtain these phases. Only the first composition has been the subject of a comprehensive study. It has an antiferromagnetic ordering at 12 K and reversible storage capacity of 2,8 %wt. An almost pure sample for GdCuMg12 phase could be obtained (a = 9,9721(8) Å, c = 7,775(6) Å and space group: P4 / m). In the case of GdCuMg4, the same experimental conditions allowed us to obtain a nearly pure sample. Its structure has not yet been determined

The metallurgy and superconductivity of the Nb-Ti-Ta ternary alloy system were studied. The Nb-Ti, and Ta-Ti binary samples, and Nb-Ti-Ta ternary samples were precipitation heat treated under different schedules. After the precipitating heat treatment, the samples were characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) techniques. Equilibrium binary and ternary phase diagrams based on the different alloy compositions and heat treatment temperatures were developed. The Ta-Ti binary phase diagram is very close to the ASM standard phase diagram. The ��-phase boundary of Nb-Ti binary phase diagram developed here is at a higher temperature relative to the ASM standard one. A working ternary equilibrium phase diagram for the Nb-Ti-Ta system has been developed that is based on the experimental measurements and quantitative thermodynamic calculations. Measurements of superconducting critical temperature, Tc, show a good agreement with previous measurements of Tc in the ternary alloys. / Graduation date: 2002

For many decades zirconium alloys have been commonly used in the nuclear power industry as fuel cladding material. Besides their good corrosion resistance and acceptable mechanical properties the main reason for using these alloys is the low neutron absorption. Zirconium alloys are exposed to a very severe environment during the nuclear fission process and there is a demand for better design of this material. To meet this requirement a thermodynamic database is useful to support material designers. In this thesis some aspects of the development of a thermodynamic database for zirconium alloys are presented. A thermodynamic database represents an important facility in applying thermodynamic equilibrium calculations for a given material providing: 1) relevant information about the thermodynamic properties of the alloys e.g. amount and composition of phases, oxygen activity, heat capacity etc, and 2) significant information for the manufacturing process e.g. heat treatment temperature. The basic information in the database is first the unary data, i.e. pure elements; those are taken from the compilation of the Scientific Group Thermodata Europe (SGTE) and then the binary and ternary systems. All phases present in those binary and ternary systems are described by means of the Gibbs energy as a function of composition and temperature. Many of those binary systems have been taken from published or unpublished works and others have been assessed in the present work. The elements included in the databse are: C, Fe, Cr, Nb, Ni, Mo, O, Si, Sn, and Zr + H, and the assessment performed under this thesis are: Cr-Sn, Mo-Zr, Sn-Zr, Fe-Nb-Zr and Nb-O-Zr. All the calculations have been made using Thermo-Calc software and the representation of the Gibbs energy obtained by applying Calphad technique with some use of ab initio calculations. / QC 20100902

<p> This dissertation is concerned with establishing the conditions under which planar phase interfaces are morphologically unstable during phase transformations in isothermal ternary systems. First, linear perturbation methods are employed in a detailed treatment of precipitatematrix interface stability for dilute ternary systems. Following this, the stability of the planar interface in a two-phase ternary diffusion couple is examined with the aid of perturbation theory. An experimental investigation into the stability of <alpha>-<beta> phase interfaces in the Cu-Zn-Ni system at 775°C is described. The results of this experimental study are shown to be in good agreement with the earlier theoretical predictions. </p> / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 26-29, 1998 / Town & Country Resort Hotel and Convention Center, San Diego, California / The telemetry and aerospace communities require communications equipment providing various modulation and demodulation formats. One format, with application in Space Ground Link Subsystems (SGLS), utilizes a Ternary (tri-tone) Frequency Shift-Keyed (FSK) signal Amplitude Modulated (AM) by a triangle waveform. Historically, SGLS equipment has operated with a fixed tri-tone frequency set (e.g., 65 kHz, 76 kHz and 95 kHz). The need for additional transmission channels and increased bandwidth efficiency creates the requirement for equipment with the flexibility to generate and receive varied and higher frequency tone sets. Combining analog and digital techniques, GDP Space Systems has developed the FDT001. It is an FSK/AM detector which recovers a bit rate clock at one of four selectable bit rates and reproduces ternary FSK modulation data over a widely tunable range of tone frequencies. The tuning range is expanded by using two methods of digital frequency discrimination. The following paper describes the design of the FDT001.

IMAGINATION AND DEFORMATION: MONSTROUS MATERNAL PERVERSIONS OF NATURAL REPRODUCTION IN EARLY MODERN ENGLAND examines the creation in early modern English reproductive, teratological, wonder, and fictional literature of the "monstrous mother"--a female reproductive figure capable of generating both fetal and non-fetal forms of offspring through the power of her imagination. While earlier critics have identified monstrous mothers in early modern English literature--figures who produce grotesque and/or excessive offspring, deny or obstruct nurture, commit infanticide, and sometimes exhibit their own physical deformities--such mothers require offspring to expose their monstrosity. That is, deformed, numerous, starving, sickly, or slain bodies testify to their mothers' monstrous desires, reproductive natures, and parenting practices. In contrast, I argue that monstrous maternity develops independently of the birth of offspring, and specifically, manifests during conception and pregnancy, before women deliver issue that exposes their monstrous maternal inclinations. While monstrous maternal power primarily develops from women's desires, it also remains embodied within conceiving and pregnant women, and thus permits women to generate not only deformed offspring and power, but also new, monstrous forms of generation.While monstrous mothers exercise powerful imaginative force that permits them to produce numerous types of "monstrous births," they also face antagonistic attempts to suppress their monstrous tendencies. Yet the authors of regulatory imagination texts, particularly sixteenth- and seventeenth-century obstetrical manuals, are repeatedly confounded by the monstrous mother's ability to innovate her imaginative influence when confronted with attempts to limit it. Thus, antagonism actually augments monstrous maternal power. Early modern fictional literature depicts the growth and innovation of monstrous maternity even as practitioners, husbands, and communities attempt to suppress it. Fictional works therefore re-theorize regulatory imagination theory, as they persistently underscore the uncontrollable nature of monstrous mothers and monstrous maternal reproduction.