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Hot New Papers from LES
Water retention and diffusion in unsaturated clays: Connecting atomistic and pore scale simulations
Molecular diffusion is the dominant solute transport process in clays and claystones that are considered as sealing materials in the deep geological disposal of radioactive waste. These materials are typically water saturated, but during construction and later, at elevated temperatures or when gas may be produced, unsaturated conditions prevail. Investigating the clay's water retention properties as well as solute transport under unsaturated conditions is therefore mandatory. Here, functional dependencies of these properties were derived from atomistic and pore-scale simulations. In the absence of tomographic maps that resolve all pores in clays, model clay structure maps with different pore size distributions were generated using a previously developed algorithm. Upscaled water retention functions and upscaled diffusion coefficients of unsaturated samples were derived from these maps based on the shifted Young-Laplace equation that considers film adsorption and capillary condensation. Pore-scale parameters (water film thickness, diffusion coefficients) used for the upscaling were taken from Grand Canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, thus connecting molecular and pore-scale simulations. We focused on effects of the pore size distribution and of the adsorbed water film on upscaled parameters. Sample-scale diffusion coefficients were clearly reduced in unsaturated samples compared to the saturated state, with less reduction when including adsorbed water films. The reduction was stronger in samples with a narrow size distribution of the interparticle pores as compared to those with a wide distribution (but equal mean size). The results follow the trends of the experimental data, even though the scale of the simulations is still clearly smaller than that of typical experiments.
Citation: T. Gimmi T., S.V.Churakov Applied ClayScience 175 (2019) 169-183
Publication: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clay.2019.03.035 Further publications: Publications
Modelling Ra-bearing baryte nucleation/precipitation kinetics at the pore scale: application to radioactive waste disposal
Baryte is of interest to nuclear waste disposal as the main scavenger of 226Ra, a long-lived nuclide playing a major role in the safety assessment of planned disposal sites. In specific repository setups, Ba and Ra released from the nuclear waste will react with sulphate-rich pore water, potentially leading to formation of Ra-bearing baryte. Baryte has a complex kinetic behaviour and its precipitation may strongly be inhibited. Because highly supersaturated solutions may persist metastably, it can be anticipated that the migration of Ra through the repository near-field will strongly depend on parameters related to nucleation and precipitation kinetics, so that thermodynamic equilibrium calculations will not be sufficient for a reliable prediction of 226Ra mobility. In this study, we implement Classical Nucleation Theory (CNT) and a saturation-state dependent precipitation rate equation into a Lattice-Boltzmann (LB) reactive transport code to model Ra-bearing baryte precipitation within a porous medium analogous to fragmented nuclear waste glass. In the simulations, baryte precipitation is induced by counter-diffusion of BaCl2 and Na2SO4 solutions. Radium co-precipitation is taken into account by assuming a fixed partition coefficient and constant Ra concentration at the BaCl2 injection boundary. Both homogeneous and heterogeneous growth were considered. Critical CNT parameters, particularly supersaturation-dependent induction times, were calibrated against independent turbidity and X-ray absorption experiments. The model allows exploring the influence of baryte nucleation/precipitation kinetics on the partitioning of Ra between aqueous phase and solid at the pore (micrometre) scale. Our results indicate that quantitative knowledge of kinetic and nucleation parameters is essential to predict radionuclide transport towards the geosphere in nuclear waste repository systems.
Citation: E. Curti, J. Xto, C.N. Borca, K. Henzler, T. Huthwelker, N.I. Prasianakis European Journal of Mineralogy (2019) prepublication
Publication: https://doi.org/10.1127/ejm/2019/0031-2818 (DOI not yet active!) Further publications: Publications
Formation of low-molecular-weight organic compounds during anoxic corrosion of zero-valent iron
Speciation of carbon during the anoxic corrosion of steel is poorly known, whereas its knowledge would be of great importance in connection with assessments of the safe disposal of 14C-containing irradiated steel in repositories for radioactive waste. The chemical form of the 14C-bearing organic compounds determines routes of migration from engineered barrier systems and their reactivity at disposal sites. Batch-type corrosion experiments with unirradiated iron powders reported in this study show for the first time that both reduced and oxidized carbon species are present in corroding iron-water systems in anoxic conditions. Methane and volatile C2–C4 alkanes and alkenes were produced during the course of corrosion whereas formate, acetate, and oxalate were released to solution in the early stage of the corrosion process. Evidence is provided that reduced and oxidized hydrocarbons were produced by two different processes. Formation of reduced hydrocarbons occurred at the surface of iron particles by a Fischer-Tropsch-type mechanism, whereas oxidized hydrocarbons were produced in the course of oxidative pretreatment of iron particles and released instantaneously from the surface in contact with alkaline solution. Results from this study have implications for safety assessments of radioactive waste disposal sites as they suggest predominant formation of alkanes and alkenes during anoxic steel corrosion and instantaneous release of only a small fraction of carbide carbon as oxidized hydrocarbons.
Citation: B.Z. Cvetković, J. Rothardt, A. Büttler, D. Kunz, G. Schlotterbeck, E. Wieland Environmental Engineering Science 35 (2018) 447-461
Publication: https://doi.org/10.1089/ees.2017.0216 Further publications: Publications
Quantification of dissolved organic 14C-containing compounds by accelerator mass spectrometry in a corrosion experiment with irradiated steel
Low- and intermediate-level (L/ILW) radioactive waste produced in Switzerland consists of large amounts of 14C-containing irradiated steel. 14C will be released during the anoxic corrosion of the steel in the cementitious near field of an L/ILW repository. In this study, a corrosion experiment with irradiated steel was carried out to determine the speciation of 14C released during the corrosion process in conditions similar to those anticipated in the near field of a cement-based repository. The development of the experimental setup, including installation of the reactor and development of suitable analytical methods based on compound-specific 14C analysis with accelerator mass spectrometry (CSRA AMS) is reported. Time-dependent increase in the total content of 14C-bearing organic compounds in solution (TO14C) was determined by AMS and the main organic corrosion products that are 14C bearing formate, acetate and lactate were identified by CSRA AMS after a pre-concentration step. The concentration of the 14C-bearing organic compounds was found to be very low (fmol to pmol 14C/L). Stable carbon compounds were identified and quantified while the source of stable carbon in the system has not yet been identified and the temporal evolution of the concentration of these carbon species is presently not understood.
Citation: B.Z. Cvetković, G. Salazar, D. Kunz, J. Tits, S. Szidat, E. Wieland Radiocarbon 60 (2018) 1711-1727
Publication: https://doi.org/10.1017/RDC.2018.90 Further publications: Publications
Analysis of 14C-bearing compounds released by the corrosion of irradiated steel using accelerator mass spectrometry
The combination of ion chromatography (IC) with accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) was developed to determine the speciation of 14C-(radiocarbon) bearing organic compounds in the femto to pico molar concentration range. The development of this compound-specific radiocarbon analysis (CSRA) of carboxylic acids is reported and the application of the method on a leaching solution from neutron-irradiated steel is demonstrated. The background and the dynamic range of the AMS-based method were quantified. On using 14C-labelled standards, the measurements demonstrate the repeatability of the analytical method and the reproducible recovery of the main target carboxylic acids (i.e., acetate, formate, malonate, and oxalate). The detection limit was determined to be in the mid fmol 14C per L level while the dynamic range of the analytical method covers three orders of magnitude from the low fmol to the mid pmol 14C per L level. Cross contamination was found to be negligible during IC fractionation and was accounted for during eluate processing and 14C detection by AMS. The 14C-bearing carboxylates released from an irradiated steel nut into an alkaline leaching solution were analysed using the CSRA-based analytical method with the aim to check the applicability of the approach and develop appropriate sample preparation. The concentrations of 14C-bearing formate and acetate, the main organic corrosion products, were at a low pmol 14C per L level for convenient dimensions of the alkaline leaching experiment which demonstrates that compound-specific 14C AMS is an extremely sensitive analytical method for analyzing 14C-bearing compounds. The content of total organic 14C in solution (TO14C) determined by the direct measurement of an aliquot of the leaching solution agrees well with the sum of the 14C concentrations of the individual carboxylates within the uncertainty of the data. Furthermore, the TO14C content is in good agreement with the calculated value using the corrosion rate determined from the 60Co release and the 14C inventory of the irradiated steel specimen.
Citation: B.Z. Cvetković, G. Salazar, D. Kunz, S. Szidat, E. Wieland Analyst 143 (2018) 3059-3067
Publication: https://doi.org/10.1039/c8an00237a Further publications: Publications
Multiscale modeling of ion diffusion in cement paste: electrical double layer effects
Understanding the mechanism of ion diffusion in hardened cement paste is of great importance for predicting long-term durability of concrete structures. Gel pores in calcium silicate hydrate (CeSeH) phase forms dominant pathway for transport in cement paste with low w/c ratios where the electrical double layer effects play an important role. Experimental results suggest that the effective diffusivity of chloride ions is similar as that of tritiated water (HTO) and higher than the sodium ions. This difference can be attributed to the electrical double layer near the charged CeSeH surfaces. In order to understand species transport processes in CeSeH and to quantify its effective diffusivity, a multiscale modeling technique has been proposed to combine atomic-scale and pore-scale modeling. At the pore scale, the lattice Boltzmann method is used to solve a modified Nernst Planck equation to model transport of ions in gel pores. The modified Nernst Planck equation accounts for steric and ion-ion correlation effects by using correction term for excess chemical potential computed through the results from the grand canonical Monte Carlo scheme at atomic scale and in turn bridges atomic scale model with pore scale model. Quantitative analysis of pore size influence on effective diffusivity carried out by this multiscale model shows that the contribution of the Stern layer to ion transport is not negligible for pores with diameter less than 10 nm. The developed model is able to reproduce qualitatively the trends of the diffusivity of different ions reported in literature.
Citation: Y.Yang, R.A. Patel, S.V. Churakov, N.I. Prasianakis, G. Kosakowski, M. Wang Cement and Concrete Composites 96 (2019) 55-65
Publication: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cemconcomp.2018.11.008 Further publications: Publications
3 Quantum-chemical modelling of clay mineral surfaces and clay mineral–surface–adsorbate interactions (book chapter)
Atomistic simulations provide insight into the crystal structure of minerals, surfaces, and mineral-fluid interaction mechanisms. Such modelling has been successfully applied to better understand structural, thermodynamic, and transport properties of clay minerals, the thermodynamics of ions adsorption, and clay mineral surface reactivity at an atomic scale. In principle, quantum mechanics- based modelling allows system description without use of any empirical system-dependent parameters. In practice, however, the complete quantum mechanical description of the condensed matter is only feasible for small systems containing few atoms, due to the limitations of currently available computational resources. Therefore, the simulations of complex reactive processes rely on a number of approximations at different levels of theory. These approximations are chosen as a compromise between the computational accuracy and the ability to include the relevant chemical processes.
This chapter starts with a short overview of the methods of quantum chemistry currently applied to the simulations of clay minerals. Theoretical equations are intentionally excluded. The focus is on the physical rationale behind the methods, assumptions applied, and their consequences for the interpretation of the results. For the theoretical details of the methods, the reader is directed to the specialized text books and review articles provided as references. The second part of the chapter deals with the applications. The chapter starts with the description of the bulk crystal structure, continues with the structural properties of the surfaces and surface-fluid interfaces, and concludes with thermodynamic and structural aspects of adsorption.
Citation: S.V. Churakov, X.Liu Development in Clay Science 9 (2018) 49-87
Publication: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-102432-4.00003-2 Further publications: Publications
5 Adsorption of heavy metals including radionuclides (book chapter)
Clay minerals are important adsorbents in soils and sediments for hazardous contaminants in the environment. A whole variety of adsorption models for clay minerals has been developed over the past few decades. In the first part of this chapter, a brief overview of existing models describing cation exchange and surface complexation is presented. The second part presents for a large number of heavy metals and radionuclides exhibiting oxidation states from + I to + VI experimental adsorption data onto montmorillonite (Mt) and illite. A quasimechanistic nonelectrostatic adsorption model is applied to describe quantitatively the uptake of these elements over a broad pH, background electrolyte, and adsorbate concentration range. In the third part, special focus is put on the adsorption behaviour of iron on Mt. Wherever possible, a multidisciplinary approach is followed, whereby the wet chemistry studies are complemented by modelling and spectroscopic investigations with the aim of validating the underlying assumptions in the adsorption model.
Citation: B. Baeyens, M. Marques Fernandes Development in Clay Science 9 (2018) 125-172
Carbonate dissolution mechanisms in the presence of electrolytes revealed by grand canonical and kinetic Monte Carlo modeling
Dissolution of carbonate minerals is a complex multistep process, characterized by the particular sequence of steps dependent on pH and background electrolyte concentration. Currently, available dissolution models for carbonates do not consider dependence of the surface speciation on the local surface topography. We have developed a new approach combining grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) and kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) methods to investigate the influence of water pH and electrolyte concentration onto processes of surface charging and dissolution of carbonates. GCMC simulations of the calcite−electrolyte system are used to calculate populations of protonated sites. We consider two basic speciation models characterized by different spatial charge distributions at the surface: "ionic", where surface >CO32− sites are represented by "−2" charges at the corresponding lattice positions; and "oxygen", where surface >CO32− sites are represented by triplets of "−2/3" charges at the positions of oxygen atoms. The speciation of carbonate ion protonation probabilities is found to be controlled by local charge densities and the presence of electrolyte species. In all simulation results, protonation affinity of the surface >CO32− sites followed the trend kink (most acidic) > step > terrace (least acidic), with the same trend observed with respect to adsorption probabilities of Cl− ions. The influence of protonated site concentrations obtained in GCMC simulations was investigated in KMC simulations. The direct comparison of simulated and experimental data showed that the oxygen model, with an assumption of congruent dissolution, reproduces both the pH dependence of the calcite dissolution rate and the morphology of the calcite surface. On the basis of the considered model, we could identify four key factors that define pH-dependent dissolution mechanisms of calcite: (1) increase of the kink site propagation rate at pH < 10; (2) increase of kink site generation frequency at pH 4−7; (3) increase of monolayer pit generation frequency at pH = 2−4; and (4) acceleration of kink site propagation and generation at pH 2−4 due to the second protonation step. The combined GCMC + KMC approach shows great potential in resolving surface speciation of carbonates as functions of solvent composition and surface geometry and their influence on the dissolution mechanisms and rates. Generally, this approach could potentially be applied to any other mineral−fluid system.
Citation: I. Kurganskaya, S.V. Churakov, Journal of Physical Chemistry C 122 (2018) 29285-29297
Publication: https://doi.org/10.2475/09.2018.03 Further publications: Publications
Review of the current status and challenges for a holistic process-based description of mass transport and mineral reactivity in porous media
Reactivity of minerals is controlled by chemical processes at mineral- fluid interfaces acting at different time- and length scales. Various modeling approaches are available to characterize scale-specific aspects of mineral-fluid interface chemistry. Most fundamental aspects of mineral reactivity are provided by atomic scale simulations. Several attempts have been made to interpret macroscopic observation based on atomic scale simulations alone. Many of them have failed however, because of neglecting the pore scale transport phenomena. Pore scale simulation, provide an elegant way to link idealized nanometer scale atomistic description of mineral reactivity with structural and compositional heterogeneities of natural systems. The main challenges are the spatial and temporal coupling of physical models and the upscaling of transport parameters for the macroscopic interpretation of the system behavior. This paper summarizes the current molecular-scale knowledge on mineral-fluid inter- face chemistry, obtained from complementary coarse-grain simulation approaches. Using the most recent developments in this field, we highlight the complexity and challenges of the pore-scale modeling and suggest a roadmap for the process-based description of mineral dissolution/precipitation across different scales.
Citation: S.V. Churakov, N.I. Prasianakis American Journal of Science 318 (2018) 921-948
The diffusion of SO42- in Opalinus Clay: Measurements of effective diffusion coefficients and evaluation of their importance in view of microbial mediated reactions in the near field of radioactive waste repositories
Through-diffusion experiments with 36Cl-, 35SO42− and HTO in Opalinus Clay (OPA) samples from a deep borehole in North-East Switzerland (Benken; BE) have been performed. The effect of burial depth on the experimental results has been investigated. It could be shown that the effective diffusion coefficients decrease with sample depth for all three tracers. Moreover, there was a good correlation with the texture of the samples. The diffusion coefficients for HTO are the largest (De = 5.4–8.8 × 10−12 m2 s−1), followed by those for 36Cl- (De = 0.7–1.9 × 10−12 m2 s−1), and finally 35SO42− (De = 0.2–0.6 × 10−12 m2 s−1). 36Cl- was partially excluded from the total porosity resulting in an accessible porosity smaller than the total porosity (εCl = 0.041–0.064). 35SO42−, on the other hand, showed interaction with OPA resulting in a capacity factor (α) larger than the total porosity (εtot = 0.13–0.16). Using extended Archie's law the accessible porosity for 35SO42− was estimated between 0.013 and 0.030. This enabled to evaluate the sorption coefficient of 35SO42− from the measured capacity factor, resulting in values of Kd between 6 × 10−5 and 9 × 10−5 m3 kg−1.
Citation: L.R. Van Loon, X. Leupin, V. Cloet Applied Geochemistry 95 (2018) 19-24
Publication: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2018.05.009 Further publications: Publications
A comparative anion diffusion study on different argillaceous, low permeability sedimentary rocks with various pore waters
Through-diffusion experiments with tritiated water (HTO) and 36Cl- as a function of pore water concentration (0.01–5 M) were performed on two Ordovician-age argillaceous rock samples from the Blue Mountain Fm and Queenston Fm shales of the Paleozoic intracratonic Michigan Basin in Canada. This study reveals that the effect of ionic strength on the anion-transport porosity is similar, and only the minimal anion excluded porosity is higher in the Blue Mountain Fm shale. The differences in rock sample mineralogy cannot explain this effect. It is hypothesized that the structure of the Blue Mountain Fm shale samples has led to pore space openings suffi- ciently small that they behave as interlayers. Such pores are defined as interlayer equivalent (ILE) pores. These ILE pores, as in the case of interlayer pores, can act to permanently limit the anion-accessible porosity. Pore-size distribution measurements provide further evidence of increased potential for ILE pores within the Blue Mountain Fm samples. A Donnan model, which includes consideration of both ILE and uncharged pores, is shown to describe the effect of molar concentration on the anion-accessible porosity in the argillaceous rocks investigated.
Citation: C. Wigger, L. Kennell-Morrison, M. Jensen, M. Glaus, L.R. Van Loon Applied Geochemistry 92 (2018) 157-165
The influence of small pores on the anion transport properties of natural argillaceous rocks – A pore size distribution investigation of Opalinus Clay and Helvetic Marl
The pore size distribution of two natural argillaceous rock samples, Opalinus Clay (OPA) and Helvetic Marl (HM) was investigated with five different methods: NMR, NMR cryoporometry, mercury intrusion porosimetry and CO2 adsorption, as well as N2 adsorption. Due to different physical principles of these methods different ranges of pore width could be detected, from micropores (< 2 nm) to mesopores (2–50 nm) and macropores (> 50 nm). The aim was to shed light on the role of small pores on the transport properties of natural ar- gillaceous rocks, in particular to explain the differences of anion diffusion in the two argillaceous rock sam- ples. Knowing that Helvetic Marl exhibits a stronger anion exclusion than Opalinus Clay it was hypothesized that HM (with its smaller phyllosilicate and smectite content compared to OPA) has more interlayer equivalent (ILE) pores than OPA. ILE pores are defined as pores so narrow (< 0.5 nm) that diffuse double layers, formed at negatively charged surfaces, are overlapping. Accordingly, ILE pores behave similarly as interlayer pores and may block the anion diffusion. This study could not confirm the hypothesis that HM has more ILE pores. Similar pores size distributions were determined for both materials, even with a tendency of a larger fraction of small pores in OPA as compared to HM. However, all methods have limitations in the range of very small (nm) pores.
Citation: C. Wigger, Th. Gimmi, A. Muller, L.R. Van Loon Applied Clay Science 156 (2018) 134-143
Effect of the pore water composition on the diffusive anion transport in argillaceous, low permeability sedimentary rocks
The effect of the pore water composition on the diffusive anion transport was studied for two different argillaceous, low permeability sedimentary rocks, Opalinus Clay (OPA) and Helvetic Marl (HM). The samples were saturated with different solutions with varying molar concentration and different main cations in the solution: NaCl based pore solutions and CaCl2 based pore solutions. The total porosity was measured by through-diffusion experiments with the neutral tracer HTO. Experiments performed in NaCl solutions resulted in a porosity of 0.12 for OPA and 0.03 for HM, and are consistent with results of the experiments in CaCl2 solutions. The total porosity was independent of the molar concentration, in contrast to the measured anion porosity, which increased with increasing molar concentration. It could further be observed that the pore solution based on the bivalent cation calcium shielded the negative surface charge stronger than the monovalent cation sodium, resulting in a larger measureable anion-accessible porosity in the case of CaCl2 solutions. The data was modelled based on an adapted Donnan approach of Birgersson and Karnland (2009). The model had to be adjusted with a permanent free, uncharged porosity, as well as with structural information on the permanent anion exclusion because of so-called bottleneck pores. Both parameters can only be evaluated from experiments. Nevertheless, taking these two adaptions into account, the effect of varying pore water compositions on the anion-accessible porosity of the investigated argillaceous rocks could be satisfactorily described.
Citation: C. Wigger, L.R. Van Loon Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 213 (2018) 40-48
Publication: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconhyd.2018.05.001 Further publications: Publications
Simulating Donnan equilibria based on the Nernst-Planck equation
Understanding ion transport through clays and clay membranes is important for many geochemical and environmental applications. Ion transport is affected by electrostatic forces exerted by charged clay surfaces. Anions are partly excluded from pore water near these surfaces, whereas cations are enriched. Such effects can be modeled by the Donnan approach. Here we introduce a new, comparatively simple way to represent Donnan equilibria in transport simulations. We include charged surfaces as immobile ions in the balance equation and calculate coupled transport of all components, including the immobile charges, with the Nernst-Planck equation. This results in an additional diffusion potential that influences ion transport, leading to Donnan ion distributions while maintaining local charge balance. The validity of our new approach was demonstrated by comparing Nernst-Planck simulations using the reactive transport code Flotran with analytical solutions available for simple Donnan systems. Attention has to be paid to the numerical evaluation of the electrochemical migration term in the Nernst-Planck equation to obtain correct results for asymmetric electrolytes. Sensitivity simulations demonstrate the influence of various Donnan model parameters on simulated anion accessible porosities. It is furthermore shown that the salt diffusion coefficient in a Donnan pore depends on local concentrations, in contrast to the aqueous salt diffusion coefficient. Our approach can be easily implemented into other transport codes. It is versatile and facilitates, for instance, assessing the implications of different activity models for the Donnan porosity.
Citation: Th. Gimmi, P. Alt-Epping Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 232 (2018) 1-13
Publication: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2018.04.003 Further publications: Publications
Retention of selenium by calcium aluminate hydrate (AFm) phases under strongly-reducing radioactive waste repository conditions
Safety assessment studies of future nuclear waste repositories carried out in many countries predict selenium-79 to be a critical radionuclide due to its presence as anions in three relevant oxidation states (VI, IV, -II) resulting in weak retardation by most common rock minerals. This assumption, however, ignores its potential uptake by AFm phases, positively charged anion exchangers, which are present in significant quantities in the cementitious materials used in artificial barriers. Here we report for the first time wet chemistry and spectroscopic data on the interaction of the most relevant selenium anion species under the expected strongly reducing conditions, i.e. HSe-, with two AFm phases commonly found in cement, monocarbonate (AFm-MC) and hemicarbonate (AFm-HC). Batch sorption experiments showed that HSe- is retained much more strongly by AFm-HC (solid-liquid distribution ratio, Rd, of 100±50 L kg-1) than by AFm-MC (Rd = 4±2 L kg-1) at the equilibrium pH (~12). X-ray absorption fine-structure (XAFS) spectroscopy revealed that the larger d-spacing in AFm-HC (d-spacing = 8.2 Å) provides easy access for HSe- to the AFm interlayer space for sorption, whereas the smaller d-spacing of AFm-MC (d-spacing = 7.55 Å) hinders interlayer access and limits HSe- sorption mostly to the outer planar surfaces and edges of the latter AFm phase. XAFS spectra further demonstrated that Se(-II) prevalently sorbed in the interlayers of AFm-HC, is better protected from oxidation than Se(-II) prevalently sorbed onto the outer surfaces of AFm-MC. The quantitative sorption data along with the molecular-scale process understanding obtained from this study provide crucial insight into the Se retention by the cementitious near-field of a radioactive waste repository under reducing conditions.
Citation: H. Rojo, A.C. Scheinost, B. Lothenbach, A. Laube, E. Wieland, J. Tits Dalton Transactions 47 (2018) 4209-4218
Publication: http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C7DT04824F Further publications: Publications
Transport of low molecular weight organic compounds in compacted illite and kaolinite
14C-containing dissolved organic compounds may significantly contribute to the calculated annual overall dose emanated from a deep geological repository for radioactive waste. To date, there is a general lack of knowledge concerning the transport behaviour of low molecular weight organic compounds in the geosphere. The present work is aiming at a generic approach to measure weak adsorption of such compounds onto selected clay minerals. Percolation experiments were employed to sensitively measure the retardation of low molecular weight carboxylates and alcohols in compacted illite and kaolinite as a function of the ionic strength. Detection limits of ~10-5m3kg-1 for the involved sorption distribution coefficients were attained thereby. The adsorption of alcohols on clays was near the detection limit and assumed to occur predominately via H-bonding. The adsorption of organic anions was influenced by several factors such as molecular structure, type of clay surfaces and the chemical composition of the aqueous phase. It was found that the relative position of neighbouring hydroxyl groups strongly influ- enced the retardation behaviour. Alpha-hydroxylated carboxylates, such as lactate, were found to be most retarded. Ligand exchange at the edge aluminol sites is the most probable explanation for the uptake of the negatively charged organic test compounds by the clay surface. The breakthrough behaviour of organic anions was additionally impacted by anion exclusion in illite. The demonstrated weak retardation of the test compounds can be robustly introduced in transport models, leading thus to a much lower contribution of 14C to the expected long-term overall dose.
Citation: Y. Chen, M.A. Glaus, L.R. van Loon, U. Mäder Chemosphere 198 (2018) 226-237
Publication: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2018.01.137 Further publications: Publications
An internally consistent thermodynamic dataset for aqueous species in the system Ca-Mg-Na-K-Al-Si-O-H-C-Cl to 800 ˚C and 5 kbar
An internally consistent thermodynamic dataset for aqueous species in the system Ca-Mg-Na-K-Al-Si-O-H-C-Cl was generated using the thermodynamic database for minerals of Holland and Powell (1998; updated Thermocalc dataset ds55). This dataset makes it possible to perform geochemical and reactive transport modeling with high levels of accuracy and reliability.
The stability of major aqueous complexes at elevated temperatures and pressures was constrained using selected reaction constant data (for example plot A and B). The Gibbs energy of formation of aqueous ions and complexes was simultaneously optimized with GEMSFITS against a large selection of solubility experiments over a wide range of conditions, taking the standard properties of minerals (unmodified) from the Holland and Powell internally consistent database (for example, plot C). The resulting thermodynamic dataset is consistent with the complex formation data, with the mineral solubility experiments, and with the standard properties of minerals from Holland and Powell database. The internally consistent dataset can be used to model natural fluid-rock interaction (for example, plot D).
Comparison of calculated and measured experimental data for: (A) the stability constant of HCO3- as function of pressure at temperatures of 55, 150 and 250 °C; (B) the association constant of CaCl+ as function of temperature at saturated water vapor pressure; (C) calcite solubility in NaCl solutions at 400 °C; (D) log(Ca/Mg) molar ratios from sedimentary fluids in equilibrium with calcite and disordered dolomite, at temperatures of 50 to 150 °C and at saturated water vapor pressure.
Citation: G.D. Miron, T. Wagner, D. Kulik, B. Lothenbach American Journal of Science 317 (2017) 755-806
Publication: http://dx.doi.org/10.2475/07.2017.01 Further publications: Publications
Deciphering pore-level precipitation mechanisms
Mineral precipitation and dissolution in aqueous solutions has a significant effect on solute transport and structural properties of porous media. The understanding of the involved physical mechanisms, which cover a large range of spatial and temporal scales, plays a key role in several geochemical and industrial processes. Here, by coupling pore scale reactive transport simulations with classical nucleation theory, we demonstrate how the interplay between homogeneous and heterogeneous precipitation kinetics along with the non-linear dependence on solute concentration affects the evolution of the system. Such phenomena are usually neglected in pure macroscopic modelling. Comprehensive parametric analysis and comparison with laboratory experiments confirm that incorporation of detailed microscale physical processes in the models is compulsory. This sheds light on the inherent coupling mechanisms and bridges the gap between atomistic processes and macroscopic observations.
Citation: N.I. Prasianakis, E. Curti, G. Kosakowski, J. Poonoosamy, S.V. Churakov Scientific Reports 7(1) (2017) 13765;10594
Publication: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-14142-0 Further publications: Publications
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While many teams fight to break the mould through innovative means, Forest Green Rovers are cut from an entirely bespoke cloth. Releasing a link up with influential artist collaboration collective AnyForty and their global roster of talent for the new range, which celebrates the club's first season in the Football League.
The collection is vivid and entirely diverse as it crosses graphic culture with football lifestyle threads. Very much an off the pitch winner that takes influence from on the pitch happenings. Working with a wealth of talent and various artists, the capsule collection is made up of tees, sweats and hoodies AnyForty have crafted with the highly in demand French graphic artist, Davy Le Chevance aka SHORT, who is working out of Portland, USA.
SHORT's first design juices play-up the mighty Green Devil of Forest Green with a fresh new look, while the second design, a nod to classic American postcard art is inspired by an iconic photo of FGR striker Keanu Marsh-Brown which was taken from a triumphant 16/17 season which saw the club rise into the Football League for the first time in their history.
A fresh way to approach the game with a serious drop of appreciated design it's a collaboration that sits well with a club like Forest Green, a club famously known as "the world's only vegan football club", FIFA described them recently as "the world's greenest football club". Having found footing in the Football League after promotion from the National League last season, their momentum is building and the announcement of a new all wooden stadium only backs up the ethical nature by which they are making waves.
All items have been screen printed in the UK and are ethically sourced and created. They can be ordered now via the club's online shop.
You can see our 'Residence' feature of 'The New Lawn' here.


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Op-Ed Opinion The Triple-C
Op-EdOp-Ed Opinion
The Triple-C
By Avraham Dov Greenbaum
Tuesday, February 20, 2018 at 4:49 pm | ה' אדר תשע"ח
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu speaks at Ben Gurion Airport during the inauguration of a new gate in Tel Aviv, Israel. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
The story of Binyamin Netanyahu's rise to power as Israel's prime minister spans both Israel and the United States. His father, Professor Bentzion Milikovsky, a descendent of the Gr"a, emigrated from Israel in order to teach pedagogy at Cornell University.
His sons, Yoni and Bibi learned from the American mentality, but remained Israeli. They came to Israel to do their army service and to take part in the military campaigns of the Six-Day War and the Yom Kippur War, while at the same time, continuing their studies in America.
Young Bibi attended Harvard and earned degrees in economics, and then got a job with an American consulting company. In time, he would tell this writer that, in America, he learned the Triple-C: "Customers, Costs, Competitors." He took upon himself to become the third "C."
Since then, he has entered endless competitions: against his older brother, who was the successful one in the family and became the commander of the elite Sayeret Matkal; against his political and diplomatic rivals; against global public opinion, and now, against the media, the prosecution and the justice system. In short, he is a stubborn competitor who tries to compete against anything that moves, on the path to his truth.
It is a battle that he has waged without letup. While serving as the Israeli attaché to Washington, he competed with Israel's ambassador there. As the Israeli ambassador to the U.N., he competed with anyone who tried to speak on Israel's behalf without him. Until he realized that if he wanted to have influence, he could not sit in distant America; rather he had to roll up his sleeves and dive into the swamp of Israeli politics.
And he did. He came to Israel and became embroiled in a tumultuous political system. He began to compete with all the veterans and "princes" in the Likud party at the time. It wasn't an easy path; he had to fight for his image, but he overcame all obstacles and left the stardust for his opponents. And then came the moment when he faced off against the veteran statesman, Shimon Peres, and trounced him with tens of thousands of votes to become prime minister. He had competed proudly and won.
Those were the days after the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin, and the left was sure that they would be in power for years to come. But Bibi, with hard work and a tactical plan, headed by the Jewish-American strategist Arthur Finkelstein, prevailed over the experienced politician. In America, he had learned primarily how to market himself, and he has been exceedingly successful at doing that for over two decades.
The media did not like the victory. Neither did the Israeli left. He had, in essence, taken over the state from them. Since then, from the beginning of his first term, he has been under attack day and night. There are constant efforts to dog his steps; his every move is examined under a magnifying glass. Is he giving something to the Palestinians? That's no good; he's abandoning the state. He's not giving to them? He's destroying the state. Speaking about Iran? He's scaring the world. Not talking about it? He's irresponsible. In short, whatever he does or doesn't do, he's no good and needs to be replaced immediately.
The problem is that the Israeli public votes for him over and over again. In the last elections he saw a significant increase in his power, winning 30 mandates, and that's when they realized that he is here to stay, and despite all the efforts to sully his name, he just garners more and more mandates. They realized that they had to try another tool: the prosecution and the police. No one emerges unscathed from there.
The leaders of the recent demonstrations against the prime minister have come up with a slogan that has accompanied and continues to accompany the mass demonstrations: "Bibi is guilty until proven innocent." That is apparently the goalpost of the well-oiled system that is trying to put an end to the rule of a sitting prime minister.
The ridiculous part is the lack of shame. Once upon a time, people were still embarrassed to behave in Israel the way people behaved in dark regimes in distant locales. Today, this is the slogan and the signs at the demonstrations: Bibi is guilty. Period.
And thus, after a complex battle, the Israel Police finally recommended last week that an indictment be filed against PM Netanyahu in the various scandals that he has been associated with. This story is still far from over, but according to Bibi's adversaries, the beginning of the end is already in sight.
And the Triple-C is still in effect: He has the customers, he's paying the cost, and he isn't ready to give up on the competitors and the competition.
The opinions expressed on this page are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Hamodia.
'Grubergate' Shows the Sad State of Debate on Obamacare
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Armed Militias Are Breaking the Law — And the Border Patrol Might Be, Too

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


iPad Air inspection. Is this the right repair for you?
How does the iPad Air inspection option work?
Once we receive the iPad Air we will test it and diagnose the fault. We will then call you and explain what we have found and the price for repair. If you don't want us to carry out the repair there is no further charge and we will return the iPad Air to you. You only pay for the repair once we have completed the repair and tested it.


Hand-crafted from royal blue vegetable tanned leather, and assembled using solid brass hardware. Our 2ft long leash is super comfortable in your hand and, at 1" wide, is perfect for training your dog or keeping him by your side. Super tough and built to last.


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Symphony No.5 in Eb major Opus 82 (3) Jean Sibelius Download 'Symphony No.5 in Eb major Opus 82 (3)' on iTunes
The best American composers
3. Igor Stravinsky
Stravinsky was quite the jet-setter. Born in Russia, he lived in Switzerland and France before moving to Los Angeles after the outbreak of World War II. He would live in this city longer than anywhere else and became a fully-fledged United States citizen in 1945. His time in West Hollywood was a long way from his lonely schooldays in St Petersburg as Stravinsky struck up friendships with other European ex-pats such as W. H. Auden, Christopher Isherwood, Dylan Thomas and Aldous Huxley. His most prolific period may have been behind him, but he still occasionally conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. But it wasn't all smooth sailing in the States when Stravinsky ran into trouble with the authorities in 1944 with his unconventional major seventh chord arrangement of The Star-Spangled Banner. In later life, Stravinsky moved to New York where he lived until his death in 1971, aged 88
See the full gallery: The best American composers
Watch 'crazy violinist' perform Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake in a tutu


A good performance at the world junior championship might help to get Timothy Liljegren serious consideration as the first overall pick in the 2017 NHL entry draft.
On the brink of the 2017 world junior hockey championship tournament, some of the top 2017 NHL draft prospects are facing off representing their respective countries with the hope of winning gold.
With Nolan Patrick out of the lineup for the time being, it's Timothy Liljegren's time to shine. With a strong Sweden team by his side, the smooth-skating, two-way defenseman has a perfect opportunity to show scouts why he should be the first pick in the coming draft. If Liljegren can hold his own in the defensive zone while applying pressure to the attack with a controlling point shot for Sweden, there could possibly be serious talk of competition for the No. 1 pick, although that talk may soon fade when Nolan Patrick returns from injury.
While Liljegren may be second on the totem pole, Switzerland forward Nico Hischier is right behind him thanks to his solid play with the Halifax Mooseheads this season. Hischier brought speed to the table last year during the world juniors, and he will without a doubt bring more to the table this year. Hischier has become a great playmaker in the offensive zone who is able to use his teammates well, for his advantage and theirs. With quick feet, he is one to look out for when watching the Swiss during the tournament.
Martin Necas put up a dynamic performance for the Czechs this year during the Ivan Hlinka tournament. His tenacity on the ice is like no other. Almost impossible to get the puck from, Necas uses speed and aggressiveness to make space.
Necas' speed comes in handy when back-checking as well. Although the Czechs are not favored to win at the world junior classic, he makes the team more exciting to watch.
Joining Liljegren on Team Sweden is forward Elias Pettersson. Pettersson has had great success in Sweden in Allsvenskan. With Timra IK, Pettersson has 27 points in 27 games, which is not an easy feat playing against fully grown men as an 18-year-old. In fact, his 27 points ties him for fourth in league scoring. Pettersson's massive offensive output was most likely generated by his terrific stickhandling and quick feet. He moves and darts around defenders with ease to create space and set up a scoring chance.
Other 2017 draft prospects who didn't earn the right to play in the tournament are trying to succeed with their league teams.
One name not in the 2017 world junior tournament to keep an eye on during the CHL season is Maxime Comtois. Comtois is poised for a breakout after starting December with three multi-point games. The big-bodied, two-way forward is dishing the puck well the past few games.
After the world juniors comes the last stretch for prospects to impress scouts and show teams what they're made of. Draft prospects have always slid or risen in rankings by the end of the season, so you cannot judge prospects only by good (or bad) world junior performances.


accessing FMS, MODE, FLTCTRL of FLTPOL from FTM1 i get pushed to a WatchdogIRQ (probably an unhandled Default_IRQ).
Using same registers from FTM2 give me no such error! Although FTM0 and FTM1 doesn't allow access to those register. Am I missing any config?
Also, I'm trying to follow Features of the FlexTimer to create an IR demodulator, but any material on the subject would be great.
So, you can't configure MODE register in FTM1, it is correct, because FTM0,1 don't have this function.
But, besides that. Can I use the FTM to demodulate an IR signal? The input signal is an 500us burst of a 50% duty cycle on a 38kHz carrier. Here 1s are the mentioned burst followed by 1500us of silence and 0s same burst followed by 500us silence. If I can manage to filter the square wave burst into an constant 1 I can decode the data. I've tried using the dual edge capture mode of FTM but, as the signal is not an constant PWM signal the FTMx_CnV is not updated when duty cycle is 0.
1. Implementing infrared functions on UART0 with FRDM-KE02Z platform.
Please refer to it at first.
If you still have question after refer to that post, just let me know!


Fall has finally arrived! We woke up to cooler temperatures this morning, we're watching Mickey's House of Villains, and last night was Fall Festival at Eli's school. I think that makes the season change official.
I learned a valuable lesson last year about getting to Fall Festival promptly, so I made plans to work late one night earlier this week so that I could leave early yesterday. It was a good thing because by the time I picked up the kids and changed Ellie's clothes, the party was in full swing.
This little lady is a lucky duck. She won a dessert in the Cake Walk and a new Snow White in the animal game. Other than the dinosaur dig, they were the only games she played. When she's legal, I'm taking her to Vegas. Just kidding!
While Ellie was winning prizes, Eli was busy enjoying the the inflatables. Compared to last year, he was so much more confident and just loved every minute of the night.
He even wanted his hair spray painted. I'm worried that my little blondie will have red hair for the next month. HA!
After dinner, we hit up the silent auction and went inside to see the winning (or is it losing) teacher kiss a pig. While the parents bid on classroom baskets, the kids had a dance in the lunch room.
My kids can cut a rug. At one point Eli was doing the "snake" across the floor, and Ellie was all about the "Whip and Nae Nae." They don't get their confidence, or their skills for that matter, from me.
Back at home we skipped baths and put everyone down for bed. Then Eric and I settled down for our weekly ritual of watching a movie...and as usual, we fell asleep.
It's rainy and cool today, and I must admit that I'm loving this cozy feeling. Eric is helping with league football pictures, so I plan to catch up on laundry and go to the grocery. It's gonna be a low-key weekend, but I think it's exactly what we need.


Does your system take a lot of time to shutdown? If yes, follow the tips listed below to speed up system shutdowns.
When you give the command to shutdown Windows, the shutdown process first closes down all applications and processes running on it and then shuts down itself. Therefore, if your system is slow in shutting down, it is recommended that you first close all programs running on the computer and displayed in the system tray and then give the shutdown command.
Open the Start menu, select Control Panel, and then select System.
Items that are marked with red exclamation marks: This implies that the device is not working.
Items that are marked with yellow question marks: This indicates that Windows is using a generic driver for the device instead of the device-specific driver.
Quite often, you can resolve the problem by updating the driver files. To do this, in the Device Manager window, right-click on the device entry for which you need to update the driver, and then select Update Driver. Next, follow the wizard to upgrade the driver for your device.
Note: You may need to download the updated driver files from the device manufacturer's web site on your computer before running the wizard.
If terminal services such as remote desktop, remote assistance, and fast user switching or any other terminal services that you do not require are enabled on your computer, they may unnecessarily slow down the shutdown process. To prevent these slowdowns, you may disable the Terminal Server service. To do this, at Start > Run, type services.msc and then press Enter. Browse down and double-click on Terminal Services in the Services window, click stop and then change Startup type to Disabled.
In the right-pane double-click WaitToKillServiceTimeout. In the Value data field, change the default value of 2000 meaning 2 seconds of wait time to something lower, say 1000 or 1 second. After you are done, click OK to implement your changes, exit the Registry Windows and then restart your computer.
Warning: The registry is a critical component of your Windows computer. Therefore, before making any direct edits to it, you must make a backup. You can make a registry backup either by using the Export option in Registry Editor or by using the backup and restore feature of a reliable registry cleaner tool.
Unless something goes wrong with your PC, there is no need to shutdown your XP computer for weeks. So, instead of completely shutting down the system, you can opt to put it to sleep by hibernating it. When you choose to hibernate your PC, all information in the RAM of your computer is written to the disk and the computer is turned down. From a hardware point both shutdown and hibernate processes are identical, but the benefit of hibernating is that it enables much faster system shutdown and startups. What's more, when your PC comes up from hibernation it displays all the Windows you were working on before you hibernated the system, saving you more time in opening them again.
In addition to these tasks, you may perform a certain amount of preventive maintenance of your system to keep it free from unwanted junk data. Some of the important tools that can help you maintain a healthy PC are registry cleaner, antivirus, antispyware, Disk Cleanup, and Disk Defragmenter.


• Quiz 1: Subtracting decimals.
• Quiz 2: Subtracting money amounts.
• Quiz 3: What fraction and percentage of each shape is shaded?
• Quiz 4: Write a fraction in its lowest term for each shaded part. Then write the fraction as a percent.


To monitor the impact of geomagnetic disturbances on a power network a system has been developed to provide real-time simulations of the geomagnetically induced currents flowing in a power system. The Real-Time GIC Simulator uses real-time magnetic data from a magnetic observatory. This is combined with a model of the earth conductivity structure to determine the electric field produced by the magnetic field variations. This electric field becomes the input to a model of the power system which calculates the GIC in the transmission lines and flowing to/from ground at the substations. These model results are displayed in a set of graphs and tables that can provide engineers and system operators with a continually updating view of the magnitudes of GIC in the network.


So, Ed and I have a new gig. Writing for a magazine!
The Long Haul Magazine is a brand new, interactive, bi-monthly digital lifestyle magazine currently available to anyone with an iPad. The photo below, from the third issue of the magazine, is the one in which our first column appears. See our names down there on the cover?!
We were first approached by the Editor by email, then had a meeting with her via Skype(which was pretty cool) to talk about the ideas she had for our contribution. She thought we could write a coaching column in the magazine, a way for us to share how we "do life" on the road with other drivers. Kinda like I do here on the blog...only with a little more on the subject of trucking and a little less on the subject of the latest antics of my mother.
Every driver out here knows this industry is a way of life. It is a lifestyle. And Ed and I have a particular type of trucking lifestyle we've found many drivers would like to emulate. The majority of the emails I get consist of "How can I do what you guys do?" People like the truck, the travel, the idea of making money. They want to know how we've gotten to the point we're at today. They ask questions and I answer. I share every little thing I can. I'm an open book.
And that's what we'll be doing more of in the column. Ed and I, together. All of the important stuff is inside Ed's head. It's my job to release it.
The page below is another screen shot - the first page of our current article - and is the header that will appear in all of our columns, the truck and us. The background photo of the truck is one that I took at Sahuaro National Monument West in Tucson, Arizona.
The picture of Ed and I was taken by our friend Marlaina's husband, MacGyver, at a truckstop in Pennsylvania on one of the lucky days our paths crossed. We had dinner together and staged a photo shoot. I love the photo.
So if you have an iPad, and you're interested in the newest digital magazine in the industry, go to iTunes and download a copy for yourself. It's different from anything that's out there. And it's the only place you'll be able to get more of me and Ed.
Well, until our book comes out.
I'll keep you posted on that too!
What about us fans who don't yet own an iPad? Any way to download to a Mac or PC?
Congratulations, and look forward to reading what you have to say.
That's awesome and a very smart decision on someone's part to get you and Ed involved. Between the two of you, you will be able to help out a lot of drivers and wannabe drivers. The industry needs more people like you and Ed! Congratulations!
Oh, how cool is this! No ipad so DO NOT forget about this little humble GREAT blog please.
Thanks folks. The fact is that most people will fail at this career due simply to an inability to be able to drive 150K miles a year after year after year. They will not be able to handle being away from their family and friends for weeks at a time. They will not make the money that they feel they deserve and will quit within the first year. The information we have is for the very few people who make it past their first year AND want to become owners who juggle everything that goes with that. As I know over my career, MOST people just don't have what it takes to last in trucking longer than a year. It's not their fault and most of the time the industry's self destructive posture is to blame for the high turnover rate. Otherwise we will try to dole out some useful information that hopefully will keep the people who want to make it in trucking in the black. We don't know everything and we aren't perfect, but we get constant questions about operating in today's environment so we are happy to help out where we can.
Salena this is really me this time LOL Thank you for all that you and Ed gave to Chuck tonight. God Bless you both. I love your blog and it's fun to look through all your backlogs of posts.
BELLEDOG: I'm hoping they'll roll out a version of the magazine for people who don't have iPads since not everyone has a tablet yet.
JULIE: Thanks for the congrats. I think we'll be able to offer some good advice. At the very least, our experience and how we do what we do.
DEE: I will never forget about my blog - it's my first priority. Always. I don't think I know how to be anything but an open book - it's my nature. And I do feel it's necessary to share what you know. People use information in all sorts of ways and if anything we offer can make someone better - especially within our own industry - it makes the whole industry better, so I'm all for it.
ED: Thanks for your input, baby!
JEAN: Glad you were able to comment - look forward to reading more of them. You're so welcome for tonight, we really enjoyed meeting both of you and look forward to hearing about Chuck's progress. Take good care of yourself. We'll see you soon!
Congratulations!!! This is way cool; downloaded my copy today and emailed the link to Karl.
I am often sad that I was one of those that didn't make it more than a year and a half. Now Karl's health hangs in the balance, also. I know I could have made it if we had not been forced to drive so hard day after day. Some of that was the choice I made to take the dedicated route to be home more regularly. In the end, I could not trade my health for the money.
I really admire your saavy, Ed, to provide a good living for you and Salena in a difficult industry by driving smarter. And Salena, you already know this, but you just ROCK.
GIL: Thanks! I think there might be an app for a PC to read eBooks - I'm pretty sure Amazon has the Kindle for PC program. I use the Kindle app on my iPad and can read ebooks that way. This particular application though, is for the iPad. Not sure that it would work on an ereader.
ANONYMOUS: I've sent your comment on to the editor of the magazine. It's a little tricky getting the magazine to work after you download the app and I can't remember how I did it. I'll return here to comment as soon as I find out.
This is an iTunes issue, they will not charge the subscriber until the thirty days is up. Free issues are for subscribers only. If they do not want to pay the 1.99 then they just need to unsubscribe before the thirty days is up. They will need to go into settings on their iPad to do this.


We have frequently written of Comcast's anti-consumer actions past posts, so we were not surprised to learn that the Department of Justice (DOJ) recently decided to investigate the cable company for antitrust. The borders between antitrust and hyper competitive business practices are grey; Comcast has experimented in the shadows on more than one occasion. We looked into one nine-year-old case, that recently advanced in the Pennsylvania courts.
The Behrend v. Comcast class action case began in 2003 against the cable giant. The suit alleges that Comcast violated the Sherman Antitrust Act by building itself into an "illegal monopoly." The plaintiffs are current and former customers of Comcast and damages are estimated at $876 million, although the amount could be tripled under the Act.
The plaintiffs claim that Comcast's strategy was to "cluster" as a way to eliminate competition and be able to raise rates above the market. "Clustering" involved acquiring the cable systems of other large multi-system operators that operated and offered multichannel video programming distributor service in various franchise areas in the Philadelphia area. There are internal documents, referred to in the April 12 Summary Judgment Memorandum [pdf], supporting the argument that Comcast's business strategy was to eliminate competition through clustering.
Growing by gobbling up smaller entities in the same industry is not a new idea and certainly not illegal on its face. The issues in the 2003 case were how Comcast went about expanding, why they did it, and to what extent they took steps to hinder competition. There was a cable system asset swap with AT&T and the two worked together to divide up the Philadelphia assets of former MediaOne, rather than compete with each other during the bidding process. Other swaps involved Aldelphia, Time Warner, and even smaller operators, like Patriot Media & Communications.
As the North Carolina Legislature considers HB129 and S87 to greatly limit community broadband networks (we analyzed the bill here), it is worth taking a step back to understand why companies like Time Warner Cable provide broadband that is unreliable and comparatively both slow and costly without having other companies come in to offer a better product. The problem is basic economics: the problem of natural monopoly.
Ever wonder why you generally don't have a choice between two major operators like Comcast and Time Warner Cable? They have carved up the market due to the costs and difficulty of directly competing with one another.
Some folks have a choice of cable companies -- RCN and Knology, for instance, have been successful overbuilders in a few regions (though they went through troubles far worse than most public networks that have been termed "failures").
But for the most part, overbuilding an incumbent cable company is all but impossible -- especially for a private sector company looking for a solid return on investment inside a few years. In the face of a new cable entrant, massive companies like TWC start lowering prices, offering cash or other enticements, and lock both residents and businesses into contracts to deny the entrant any subscribers.
Companies like TWC can do this because they have lower costs (through volume discounts for gear, content, and even marketing synergies as well as because they long ago amortized the network construction costs) and can take losses in one community that are cross-subsidized by profits from non-competitive areas. New entrants, both private and public, have higher costs as well as a learning curve.
This is why we have so little broadband competition. Without competition, the few providers we have invest less and charge more, which is other countries are rapidly surpassing us (not because we have large rural areas, nonetheless a popular straw man).
If companies always agreed with regulators' rules, there would be no need for regulators. The very point of a regulator is to do things that companies don't like, out of concern for the welfare of the market or the consumer.


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* Mapping
* Arcgis
* Cloud
* Gulfport
A New Office for GEO Jobe GIS Center for Research and Engineering in Gulfport, Mississippi
Award winning Esri business partner, GEO Jobe, relocates Center for Research and Engineering to new location in Gulfport, MS.
By: GEO Jobe
GEO Jobe Center for Research and Engineering
• Mapping
• Arcgis
• Cloud
• Environment
• Gulfport - Mississippi - US
GULFPORT, Miss. - Oct. 25, 2017 - PRLog -- GEO Jobe is pleased to announce a new location for our Mississippi-based office and Center for Research and Engineering. As of October, 2017 the office has moved from Biloxi to a new location in Gulfport, MS. Recall, it was in 2015 when GEO Jobe announced the opening of our new Center for Research and Engineering office in Biloxi, MS. This location enables GEO Jobe GIS to better serve clientele along the gulf coast and serve as our primary research & development location for GIS application innovation.
The Gulfport location is a full-service office with a multi-disciplined and talented GIS staff headed by David Hansen, Vice President of GEO Jobe and Director of the Center for Research and Engineering. Hansen has recently grown his team with the addition of several key, new staff members including junior and senior software engineers and, most recently, the addition of an enterprise project manager.
The office is responsible for designing and implementing custom ArcGIS-based solutions as well as supporting enterprise scale clients. The team is also responsible for the development and support of several popular apps you've grown to love such as Mapfolio and the 2015 Most Innovative ArcGIS Marketplace Award winner, Admin Tools for ArcGIS Online which is used by over 4,000 organizations globally. Both applications can be found on the ArcGIS Marketplace. GEO Jobe GIS is a long time business partner of Esri as well as an early adopter of the ArcGIS Online platform.
"GEO Jobe's Center for Research and Engineering has served the geospatial community for years creating such solutions as Mapfolio and Admin Tools for ArcGIS Online. It gives me great pleasure to announce that GEO Jobe's Center for Research and Engineering is relocating to a larger space in Gulfport, Mississippi. The increased space will allow us to continue to expand staff and capabilities to innovate and create world class solutions." - David Hansen Vice President of GEO Jobe.
302 Courthouse Rd.
1.844.GEO.Jobe
About GEO Jobe
Founded in 1999, GEO Jobe (@geojobegis) is a geospatial industry leader that currently has the top three most popular apps in the ArcGIS Marketplace including Admin Tools for ArcGIS Online, Mapfolio, and the. While many geospatial firms focus on a specific industry, GEO Jobe has a focus on industry independent solutions and offerings such as providing software development and data hosting expertise and services. GEO Jobe was an early adopter of the ArcGIS Online platform and always strives to extend and push the limits of what is possible using the platform. GEO Jobe has been an Esri business partner for 16 years and has received multiple awards from Esri including the 2015 Innovative Marketplace Provider and the 2013 Organization Use of ArcGIS Online award.
Connect with the GEO Jobe team or reach out with a question or comment on Twitter @geojobegis
www.geo-jobe.com
info@geo-jobe.com
David Hansen
***@geo-jobe.com
: ***@geo-jobe.com
: Mapping, Arcgis, Cloud
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: Gulfport - Mississippi - United States
GEO Jobe PRs
GEO Jobe Welcomes Brennan Ladner as Accounting Analyst
GEO Jobe Announces David Hansen as Chief Executive Officer
GEO Jobe Welcomes Brice Jones to Role as Jr. Application Developer
GEO Jobe Continues to Expand and Grow
COO, David Hansen of GEO Jobe to be a Keynote Speaker at GIS at the Rockies
Expatfinancial.com Unveils its Revamped Website
Oct 25, 2017 News


Even though your spouse has died, you can still file your taxes electronically.
3. What Are Some Reasons My Tax Return Can Be Denied?
Each year, the Internal Revenue Service improves the electronic filing system, making it possible for nearly everyone to file taxes electronically. In 2012, almost 100 million taxpayers e-filed and the IRS expects this number to increase about 17 percent by 2018. If your spouse died in the past year and you normally file taxes jointly, you can still file a joint return electronically as long as your tax return meets the IRS e-file guidelines.
The IRS does accept most tax returns electronically, but some forms and situations are exempt. As of 2013, the IRS does not accept Forms 1040NR, Form 990T or Form 1041QFT electronically. If your return includes one of these forms, you will have to file through the mail. If your federal tax return does not have taxable income, or if Box 1 on your W-2 is blank, you cannot file electronically. The IRS also does not accept e-filing of Form 1040X, which is an amended tax return.
If you plan to file your tax return electronically, you must either file using income tax preparation software or take your tax records to a professional. Both the tax software and the tax professional will know how to handle filing your income tax return.
Although you can file jointly in the year of your spouse's death, unless you remarry, you will typically have to file using the single status in subsequent years. There is a special rule, however, for widows who have dependent children. For two years following the year of your spouse's death, you can claim the qualifying widow filing status, which allows you to claim a standard deduction equal to the married filing jointly status. In addition, when you file as a qualifying widow, your income is taxed at the married filing jointly rate.
If you attempt to file your joint tax return electronically, the IRS will match your deceased spouse's name and Social Security number with the Social Security Administration. Because your spouse is deceased, the date of death must match. Before filing the return, notify the SSA of your spouse's death. If the IRS rejects your return, you might receive a rejection code similar to "Primary date of death must match e-File database." If this occurs, double-check the information on the return, including your spouse's Social Security number and date of death and resubmit. If you receive the rejection again, contact the IRS and the SSA to verify that the information on your spouse's record and death certificate match.
If you are unable to file electronically and must file a paper return through the mail, you will have to make a few changes to the return. After your spouse's last name on the top of the return, write the word "Deceased." Write the date of your spouse's death on the very top of the form. In the signature area at the end of the form, write "Filing as surviving spouse" in your spouse's field. Mail your return to the address listed on the form's instructions.
TurboTax: Can a Tax Return for a Deceased Taxpayer Be E-Filed?


text:
/*
 * This is a trimmed version of Apollo's module that only supplieds the
 * fields needed by the BuildSynteny program.
 */

package apollo.datamodel;

public class Range {

  // -----------------------------------------------------------------------
  // Instance variables
  // -----------------------------------------------------------------------

  protected int    low = -1;
  protected int    high = -1;
  protected byte   strand = 0;
  protected String name = null;
  protected String type = null;

  public Range () {}

  /** Range with NO_NAME name */
  public Range(int start, int end) {
    this(null,start,end);
  }

  public Range (String name, int start, int end) {
    setName (name);
    setStrand (start <= end ? 1 : -1);
    setStart(start);
    setEnd(end);
  }

  /** Returns true if same start,end,type and name. This could potentially
      be changed to equals, theres implications there for hashing. A range
      and its clone will be identical barring modifications. */
  public boolean isIdentical(Range range) {
    if (this == range)
      return true;
    // Features have to have same type,range, AND name
    return (range.getFeatureType().equals(getFeatureType()) && sameRange(range) &&
            range.getName().equals(getName()));
  }

  public void setName(String name) {
      this.name = name;
/*    if (name == null) {
      throw new NullPointerException("Range.setName: can't accept feature name of null. " +
                                     "Use Range.NO_NAME instead.");
    } else if (!name.equals(""))
      this.name = name;*/
  }

  public String getName() {
    return name;
  }

  public boolean hasName() {
    return (name != null) && !name.equals("");
  }

  /** getType is not the "visual" type,
      ie the type one sees in the EvidencePanel.
      getType returns the "logical" type(the type from the data).
      These are the types in the squiggly brackets in the tiers
      file that map to the visual type listed before the squigglies.
      gui.scheme.FeatureProperty maps logical types
      to visual types (convenience function in DetailInfo.getPropertyType) */
  public String getFeatureType() {
    return this.type;
  }

  public void setFeatureType(String type) {
    if(type == null) {
      throw new NullPointerException("Range.setFeatureType: can't accept feature type of null. " +
                                     "Use SeqFeature.NO_TYPE or 'SeqFeature.NO_TYPE' instead.");
    } else if (!type.equals(""))
      this.type = type;
  }

  public boolean hasFeatureType() {
    return ! (getFeatureType() == null);
  }

  /** @return 1 for forward strand, -1 for reverse strand, 0 for strandless */
  public int getStrand() {
    return (int)this.strand;
  }

  /** Convenience method for getStrand() == 1 */
  public boolean isForwardStrand() {
    return getStrand() == 1;
  }

  public void setStrand(int strand) {
    this.strand = (byte)strand;
  }

  public void setStart(int start) {
    // check if strand is proper given start value?
    if (getStrand() == -1) {
      high = start;
    } else {
      low = start;
    }
  }

  public int getStart() {
    return (getStrand() == -1 ? high : low);
  }

  public void setEnd(int end) {
    if (getStrand() == -1) {
      low = end;
    } else {
      high = end;
    }
  }

  public int getEnd() {
    return (getStrand() == -1 ? low : high);
  }

  public int getLow() {
    return this.low;
  }

  public void setLow(int low) {
    // check if low < high - if not switch, and switch strand?
    this.low = low;
  }

  public int getHigh() {
    return this.high;
  }

  public void setHigh(int high) {
    this.high = high;
  }

  public String getStartAsString() {
    return String.valueOf(new Integer(getStart()));
  }

  public String getEndAsString() {
    return String.valueOf(new Integer(getEnd()));
  }

  // These are all overlap methods
  public int getLeftOverlap(Range sf) {
    return (getLow() - sf.getLow());
  }

  public int getRightOverlap(Range sf) {
    return (sf.getHigh() - getHigh());
  }

  public boolean     isExactOverlap (Range sf) {
    if (getLeftOverlap(sf)  == 0  &&
        getRightOverlap(sf) == 0 &&
        getStrand()         == sf.getStrand()) {
      return true;
    } else {
      return false;
    }
  }

  public boolean     contains(Range sf) {
    if (overlaps(sf)             &&
        getLeftOverlap(sf)  <= 0 &&
        getRightOverlap(sf) <= 0 &&
        getStrand()       == sf.getStrand()) {
      return true;
    } else {
      return false;
    }
  }

  public boolean     contains(int position) {
    return (position >= getLow() && position <= getHigh());
  }

  public boolean     overlaps(Range sf) {
    return (getLow()    <= sf.getHigh() &&
            getHigh()   >= sf.getLow()  &&
            getStrand() == sf.getStrand());
  }

  /** Return true if start and end are equal */
  public boolean sameRange(Range r) {
    return getStart() == r.getStart() && getEnd() == r.getEnd();
  }

  public int length() {
    return (getHigh() - getLow() + 1);
  }

  /** If SeqFeature is an instanceof FeatureSet and
      FeatureSet.hasChildFeatures is true then true.
      Basically convenience method that does the awkward instanceof for you. */
  public boolean canHaveChildren() {
    return false;
  }

  /** Return true if range has not been assigned high & low */
  public boolean rangeIsUnassigned() {
    return low == -1 && high == -1;
  }

  public void convertFromBaseOrientedToInterbase() {
    --low;
  }
  public void convertFromInterbaseToBaseOriented() {
    ++low;
  }

  public String toString() {
    return "Range[name=" + name + ",type=" + type + ",low=" + low + ",high=" + high + ",strand=" + strand + "]";
  }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
General, Supporting our vulnerable adults
Minister hails Surrey for being social work pioneers
Filed Under cabinet office minister, deaf, francis maude, hard of hearing, mutual, surrey county council
Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude
Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude has hailed Surrey County Council for being social work pioneers.
He praised the authority for setting up an independent organisation to give deaf people and the hard of hearing more personalised care.
Under the scheme, social workers were set free from the council to give people greater control over their care and support.
Mr Maude told the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives that Surrey and five other councils were "pioneering the way forward" on employee-led mutuals.
He said: "I know many local authorities are at an early stage in thinking about how mutuals fit into their vision for future service delivery. However there are councils pioneering the way forward.
"I urge you to join the pioneers who are building the next generation of highly productive and efficient mutualised services. It is an imperative for the people we serve that this opportunity is not missed."
Last year, Mr Maude praised Surrey for finding better ways of spending public money more effectively through its Public Value Reviews (PVRs) after a visit by his efficiency and reform team. The PVRs have now found a total of £280m of savings.
For the minister's full speech, follow this link.
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