The method of known additions for estimating clay-mineral content was reversed in that increasing proportions of soil clay were added to a standard composed of equal weights of kaolinite, illite, and montmorillonite. After glycolation, peak-area ratios were calculated from 7.2 (kaolinite), 10 (illite), 14 and 17 Å (vermiculite and montmorillonite) diffraction peaks of standard, mixes, and soil clay. Ratios were plotted against % soil clay from the standard (0%) through the mixes (14 to 77%). Curves of fit were calculated and projected to 100% soil clay giving theoretical values which agree with measured values. As weight proportions are known in the standard, the projections permit estimates of clay-mineral weight proportions in the soil clay.

The study aims to grasp the dynamic characteristics of paralinguistic communication during co-creation and has developed an analysis methodology by clustering the conversational patterns and determining the criteria more often observed in pre-resonance. The results suggest that pre-resonance is characterized by less silence, a rapid transition in exchanging ideas under one's initiative, and a conversation with equal amounts of utterances between both in a pair. This study reveals implications for better communication that lead to resonance, an essential phenomenon in collaborative design.

A new model for the interpretation of dioctahedral mica infrared (IR) spectra in the OH stretching vibration region is proposed. It is based on the analysis of the main factors responsible for the observed sequence of the OH frequencies. In terms of this model, the simple analytical dependence between the OH frequencies and the mass and valency of cations bonded to OH groups has been found. The specific character of the interaction between octahedral Al and OH groups in the mica structures is assumed.

Integrated optical densities of the OH bands determined by the decomposition of the studied mica IR spectra are used for the quantitative analysis, that is, for the determination of a number of each type of octahedral cations per unit cell of the sample under study. A good agreement between the octahedral cation contents of 2:1 layers found from the IR spectra decomposition and the chemical analysis has shown that this technique may be used to study the local order-disorder of isomorphous cation distribution in mica structures.

The essential result obtained by the quantitative analysis of the mica IR spectra is the determination of Fe3+ cations in the tetrahedral sites of some samples. This means that the conventional presentation of structural formulae for Al-Fe3+-containing 2:1 layer silicates is unacceptable without consideration of tetrahedral Fe3+ by spectroscopic techniques and by the quantitative analysis of the IR spectra, in particular.

It is usual in Mössbauer spectroscopy analysis to take the subspectra areas as a measure of the concentration of the Fe compounds that generate them. In soils, the presence of different-size particles of different nature makes the semiquantitative Mössbauer studies difficult, and some handling of the sample must be carried out in order to get reliable area results (Bowman et al. 1967; Muir 1968; Williamson et al. 1981).

Investigation of a naturally occurring mixture of dioctahedral micas prompted an examination of X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques for obtaining quantitative estimates of 1M and 2M 1 mica proportions. A method for determining quantitative estimates has been developed that includes the effect of preferred orientation of mica particles as described by the March function. A diagram is presented from which the percentage of 2Mı and the March parameter (r) can be obtained from two peak-area ratios: 2.80 Å/5.0 Å and 2.80 Å/2.58 Å, which are measured on observed XRD patterns of mica mixtures. The ability of this peak-area ratio diagram to predict reasonably accurate proportions of 1M and 2Mı micas was tested by comparing calculated and observed XRD patterns over a range of 2θ values from 16° to 40° for size-fractionated mixtures. Lack of accurate crystal-structure data for dioctahedral 1M mica proved an impediment to obtaining improved quantitative estimates of mica proportions.

An internal standard X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis technique permits reproducible and accurate calculation of the mineral contents of rocks, including the major clay mineral families: Fe-rich chlorites + berthierine, Mg-rich chlorites, Fe-rich dioctahedral 2:1 clays and micas, Al-rich dioctahedral 2:1 clays and micas, and kaolinites. A single XRD pattern from an air-dried random specimen is used. Clays are quantified from their 060 reflections which are well resolved and insensitive to structural defects. Zincite is used as the internal standard instead of corundum, because its reflections are more conveniently located and stronger, allowing for a smaller amount of spike (10%). The grinding technique used produces powders free of grains coarser than 20 µm and suitable for obtaining random and rigid specimens.

Errors in accuracy are low, <2 wt. % deviation from actual values for individual minerals, as tested on artificial shale mixtures. No normalization is applied and thus, for natural rocks, the analysis is tested by the departure of the sum of the measured components from 100%. Our approach compares favorably with other quantitative analysis techniques, including a Rietveld-based technique.

Details of the quantitative techniques successfully applied to artificial rock mixtures distributed for the third Clay Minerals Society Reynolds Cup (RC) contest are presented. Participants each received three samples, two containing 17 minerals each and a third containing ten minerals. The true composition of the samples was unknown to all participants during the contest period. The results submitted were ranked by summing the deviations from the actual compositions (bias). The top three finishers used mainly X-ray diffraction (XRD) for identification and quantification. The winner obtained an average bias of 11.3% per sample by using an internal standard and modified single-line reference intensity ratio (RIR) method based on pure mineral standards. Full-pattern fitting by genetic algorithm was used to measure the integrated intensity of the diagnostic single-line reflections chosen for quantification. Elemental-composition optimization was used separately to constrain phase concentrations that were uncertain because the reference mineral standards were lacking or not ideal. Cation exchange capacity, oriented-sample XRD analysis, and thermogravimetric analysis were also used as supplementary techniques. The second-place finisher obtained an average bias of 13.9%, also by using an RIR method, but without an added internal standard and with intensity measured by whole-pattern fitting. The third-place finisher, who obtained an average bias of 15.3%, used the Rietveld method for quantification and identification of minor phases (using difference plots). This participant also used scanning electron microscopy (with X-ray microanalysis) to identify minor components and verify the composition of structures used in Rietveld analysis. As in the previous contests, successful quantification appears to be more dependent on analyst experience than on the analytical technique or software used.

In 2000, The Clay Minerals Society established a biennial quantitative mineralogy round robin. The so-called Reynolds Cup competition is named after Bob Reynolds for his pioneering work in quantitative clay mineralogy and exceptional contributions to clay science. The first contest was run in 2002 with 40 sets of three samples, which were prepared from mixtures of purified, natural, and synthetic minerals that are commonly found in clay-bearing rocks and soils and represent realistic mineral assemblages. The rules of the competition allow any method or combination of methods to be used in the quantitative analysis of the mineral assemblages. Throughout the competition, X-ray diffraction has been the method of choice for quantifying the mineralogy of the sample mixtures with a multitude of other techniques used to assist with phase identification and quantification. In the first twelve years of the Reynolds Cup competition (2002 to 2014), around 14,000 analyses from 448 participants have been carried out on a total of 21 samples. The data provided by these analyses constitute an extensive database on the accuracy of quantitative mineral analyses and also has given enough time for the progression of improvements in such analyses. In the Reynolds Cup competition, the accuracy of a particular quantification is judged by calculating a “bias” for each phase in an assemblage. Determining exactly the true amount of a phase in the assemblage would give a bias of zero. Generally, the higher placed participants correctly identified all or most of the mineral phases present. Conversely, the worst performers failed to identify or misidentified phases. Several contestants reported a long list of minor exotic phases, which were likely reported by automated search/match programs and were mineralogically implausible. Not surprisingly, clay minerals were among the greatest sources of error reported. This article reports on the first 12 years of the Reynolds Cup competition results and analyzes the competition data to determine the overall accuracy of the mineral assemblage quantities reported by the participants. The data from the competition were also used to ascertain trends in quantification accuracy over a 12 year period and to highlight sources of error in quantitative analyses.

Replication studies have become an emerging line of research in recent decades, including in computer-assisted language learning (CALL). Exact replication, which closely follows a study’s protocol, is rare as it is hard to recreate results without establishing a highly controlled environment. However, using data available online, we were able to conduct an exact replication of Łodzikowski’s (2021) study, which reported on the use of an allophonic transcription tool by 55 Polish learners of English. Allophonic features are used by native speakers to produce acoustic variants of the same phoneme. The original study offered learners an allophonic transcription tool, examined how they used it and considered its association with phonological awareness. This study extended the original research by addressing the limitations of its regression and transcription analyses. Our findings allowed us to offer several suggestions on (1) how an allophonic transcription tool can be better designed to help learners, (2) how CALL researchers can acquire more data for more useful research and (3) why more replication studies are needed in CALL.

Observers have long debated how societies should invest resources to safeguard citizens and property, especially in the face of increasing shocks and crises. This article explores how social infrastructure – the spaces and places that help build and maintain social ties and trust, allowing societies to coordinate behavior – plays an important role in our communities, especially in mitigating and recovering from shocks. An analysis of quantitative data on more than 550 neighborhoods across the three Japanese prefectures most affected by the tsunami of 11 March 2011 shows that, controlling for relevant factors, community centers, libraries, parks, and other social infrastructure measurably and cheaply reduced mortality rates among the most vulnerable population. Investing in social infrastructure projects would, based on this data, save more lives during a natural hazard than putting the same money into standard, gray infrastructure such as seawalls. Decision makers at national, regional, and local levels should expand spending on facilities such as libraries, community centers, social businesses, and public parks to increase resilience to multiple types of shocks and to further enhance the quality of life for residents.

We extract quantitative information (specifically, a rate of metastability in the sense of Terence Tao) from a proof due to Kazuo Kobayasi and Isao Miyadera, which shows strong convergence for Cesàro means of non-expansive maps on Banach spaces.

The quantitative characterization of small nano-sized precipitates poses genuine challenges and is often deficient in accuracy due to the inherent limitations inevitably associated with the individual experimental techniques. A convenient solution is to utilize multiple complementary techniques. The present work demonstrates an effective way to reliably quantify nano-sized precipitates using a combination of complementary techniques of atom probe tomography (APT), small angle neutron scattering (SANS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). As a case study, the size (radius, r), number density (NP), volume fraction (ϕ), and chemical composition of Cr-rich α′ precipitates are determined in Fe–20 at% Cr alloy, thermally aged at 773 K for 1,000 h. This combinatorial approach utilizes the strength of each technique in such a way that the overall accuracy of quantitative precipitation analysis improves significantly. For example, the superior spatial resolution makes TEM the appropriate technique to estimate the size and size distribution of the precipitates, while APT provides the chemical composition. Similarly, SANS analysis incorporates both the size and the compositional information thus derived independently and provides statiscally averaged quantitative analysis overcoming the field-of-view limitations of both TEM and APT. This combinatorial approach improves the accuracy of quantification and provides the true representation of the microstructure.