the neat bitumen, an oil refining by-product, has its own inherent weakness under long-time loading at low and high temperatures. these performance limitations of neat bitumen have led researchers to modify its physical andmechanical properties. according to several studies, polymers can be used to modify the properties of bitumen. due to much lower production costs and aiming to reduce environ...

The high diversity and abundance of vascular epiphytes in tropical montane cloud forest is associated with frequent cloud immersion, which is thought to protect plants from drought stress. Increasing temperature and rising cloud bases associated with climate change may increase epiphyte drought stress, leading to species and biomass loss. We tested the hypothesis that warmer and drier condition...

objective: the main objective pursued in this paper is to investigate the energy consumption for drying of potato slices using vacuum-infrared drying method. methods: drying of potato slices with the thicknesses of 1, 2 and 3 mm were conducted at vacuum levels of zero (without vacuum), 20, 80 and 140 mm [hg], infrared radiation at power levels of 100, 150 and 200 w in the three repetition. resu...

Poly (propylene fumarate) (PPF), a linear unsaturated polyester consisting of alternating propylene glycol and fumaric acid units, can be cured in vivo to fill the skeletal defects with minimal surgical intervention. Many different methods have been reported for synthesizing PPF, but none of them gives a clear method. The present paper introduces two new methods in PPF synthesis: Modified reflu...

In the present study, we examined the role of different habitat components and their relationship with microhabitat use by three species of egret: Cocoi heron (Ardea cocoi), Great egret (Ardea alba), and Cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis), in wetlands of southern Brazil. Ardea alba and A. cocoi were not habitat-specific (e.g. vegetation cover and flooding level). Conversely, B. ibis was associated wi...

Varved sediments from a lake near the present forest-prairie border in northwestern Minnesota provide an annual record of climate change for the last 10,400 years. Climate-sensitive mineral, chemical, and biological components show that the mid-Holocene dry interval between 8500 and 4000 years ago is asymmetrical and actually consists of two distinct drier pulses separated by a moister interval...

Weathering products of two fragments of Dronino iron ungrouped meteorite found in the wet and drier clay sand were studied using X-ray diffraction and Mössbauer spectroscopy with a high velocity resolution. The products of metal oxidation in the internal and external surface layers were different for both fragments. The weathering products in fragment found in the wet clay sand contain magnetit...