Control of interface nanoscale structure created by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

Tailoring the structure of films deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) to specific applications requires a depth-resolved understanding of how the interface structures in such films are impacted by variations in deposition parameters such as feed position and plasma power. Analysis of complementary X-ray and neutron reflectivity (XR, NR) data provide a rich picture of changes in structure with feed position and plasma power, with those changes resolved on the nanoscale. For plasma-polymerized octafluorocyclobutane (PP-OFCB) films, a region of distinct chemical composition and lower cross-link density is found at the substrate interface for the range of processing conditions studied and a surface layer of lower cross-link density also appears when plasma power exceeds 40 W. Varying the distance of the feed from the plasma impacts the degree of cross-linking in the film center, thickness of the surface layer, and thickness of the transition region at the substrate. Deposition at the highest power, 65 W, both enhances cross-linking and creates loose fragments with fluorine content higher than the average. The thickness of the low cross-link density region at the air interface plays an important role in determining the width of the interface built with a layer subsequently deposited atop the first.     

Temporal Nature of Polymeric Flows Near Circular Pipe-Exit

Polymeric (viscoelastic) fluids have nonlinear mechanical properties and therefore the flow of a sufficiently elastic polymer solution may become irregular even at very low Re. Experimental evidences of these flow irregularities occurred near pipe exit at Re << 1 are presented here for Poiseuille flow of a highly elastic polymer solution. Although the Re is extremely low, the measured instantaneous pressures show turbulent-like fluctuations induced by elasticity of the fluid. Temporal nature of these fluctuations is analyzed in terms of Deborah number (De) that provides an appropriate measure for degree of nonlinearity in a polymeric flow.     

A mathematical model and a heuristic approach for periodic material delivery in lean production environment

One of the important design elements for a good production system is material handling. In cases where it is not well-designed, it can be the bottleneck in the system. Moreover, it can cause a lot of wastes such as waiting time, idle time, and excessive transportation and cost. In this study, material handling in lean-based production environments is taken into account. Depending on the lean structure of the production systems such as being pull-based, smooth, and repetitive, delivering the materials to the stations periodically becomes important. At this point, milk-run trains are highly used in real applications since they enable the handling of required amount of materials on a planned basis. With this study, it is aimed to develop a specific model for milk-run trains which travel periodically in the production environment on a predefined route in equal cycle times with the aim of minimizing work-in-process and transportation costs. Since the milk-run trains having equal cycle times start their tours at the same time intervals, it becomes simple to manage them. For this reason, they are used in lean production systems where level scheduling is performed. The developed model is based on mixed-integer linear programming, and since it is difficult to find the optimum solution due to the combinatorial structure of the problem, a novel heuristic approach is developed. A numerical example is provided so as to show the applicability of the mathematical model and the heuristic approach.     

Synthesis of copper-based bulk metallic glasses in the ternary Cu–Mg–Ca system

This paper reports the discovery of novel copper-based bulk metallic glasses free of group IV transition metals (Zr, Hf and Ti) in the Ca–Cu–Mg ternary system. Alloys of compositions ranging from Cu-33–55 at.%, Mg-18–36 at.% and Ca-18–36 at.%, located far from eutectic reactions, were found to exhibit high glass-forming ability (up to 8 mm using conventional copper mold casting), high hardness (up to 328H_V) and low densities (2.9–4.0 g/cm³).     

Surface-modified alumina nanoparticles-filled aramid fiber-reinforced epoxy nanocomposites: preparation and mechanical properties

Iranian Polymer Journal - Surface of Al2O3 nanoparticles was modified with a silane coupling agent, and aramid fiber-reinforced epoxy nanocomposites were produced using these particles. Three...     

Preparation and characterization of iron-ore-imbedded silicone rubber materials for radiation protection

Iron-ore-imbedded silicone rubber materials were produced for radiation shielding. Samples were tested against a Co-60 gamma source, which is widely used in nuclear technology and medicine. Decreasing the particle size of iron ore resulted in better gamma radiation protection owing to more homogenous distribution. In addition, the materials had flexible properties up to the addition of 60 wt% iron ore content. Further, 0.5 mm Pb E gamma protection was provided by using 2.06-mm-thick SDT-60 as the Co-60 source. Iron ore–silicone rubber composites are candidate materials for lead-free flexible radiation protection systems owing to their relatively inexpensive and easy production.     

Crystal structure of DNA photolyase from Anacystis nidulans

Micronutrient deficiencies probably have few direct effects on the functioning of immune cells. The main effect appears to be a reduction in cell mass that may indirectly affect immune cell function, particularly where T helper cell numbers are reduced. Results of many human studies are contradictory. Some of this contradiction may be accounted for by the fact that disease may lower concentrations of micronutrients in plasma that may be misinterpreted as deficiency. Low plasma vitamin A concentrations however appear to impair immune responsiveness and have deleterious effects on membrane integrity and mucosal function. Zinc may have similar effects on gut integrity and appears to be particularly useful in the treatment of acute diarrhoea. Low concentrations of other nutrients such as ascorbate and iron, may not necessarily impair immune function. Low plasma ascorbate may assist the removal of iron from plasma and low iron concentrations appear to increase the cytotoxicity of macrophages.     

Nonlinear free bending vibrations of plates

A general solution for the Helmholtz differential equations is obtained in the complex domain and applied to the nonlinear, free, bending vibrations of plates. The analysis is based on the decoupled nonlinear von Karman field equations by Berger assumption for the large deformations of plates. The decoupled differential equation in terms of the deflection function is a fourth order Helmholtz differential equation. Its solution, called the dynamic deflection function, is obtained in the complex domain by means of newly defined first and second kind and modified Bessel functions. The dynamic deflection function can be applied to any plates having any shape and any boundary condition under any arbitrary dynamic loads. For plates with smooth boundary, the parameters of the dynamic deflection function are determined from the boundary conditions of the plates and the initial conditions of the vibrations. The analyses of plates with piece-wise smooth boundaries are obtained on the mapped planes. The nonlinear, free vibration of circular plates are investigated by the dynamic deflection function. The effect of stretching on the natural circular frequencies are illustrated.     

Oil Content,Oil Yield and Fatty Acid Profile of Groundnut Germplasm in Mediterranean Climates

A high amount of good-quality vegetable oil in seeds has an overwhelming contribution to the groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) cultivation throughout the world. In order to take into account great variation in oil characteristics in Arachis subspecies and botanical varieties, 256 groundnut genotypes including ICRISAT’s mini core collection were investigated. Significant variability in oil content (31.7–57.0%) was detected among groundnut genotypes. Oil yield varied from 9.5 to 179.3 kg da^?1 with the average being 67.7 kg da^?1. Significant genotypic differences were also observed for all the fatty acids studied. Oleic and linoleic acids accounted for the major fraction with mean values of 45.3 and 32.1% in the ranges of 35.3–60.9% and 16.1–43.6%, respectively. Significant negative correlation was observed between oleic and linoleic acid. In the present investigation, desirable values were obtained for oil traits which would be useful to develop nutritional and health-beneficial cultivars.     

Thermal stabilization of an active alumina and effect of dopants on the surface area

The -AI₂O₃ transformation of a monolithic active alumina has been increased from 1200 to 1380 C through structural incorporation of silica. This shift is significant since -Al₂O₃ transformation determines the limits of the usefulness of these materials as catalysts and catalyst carriers. The thermal stabilization effect is optimized at around 6% silica doping. At elevated temperatures, the material containing no silica rapidly loses surface area, primarily by -Al₂O₃ transformation, whereas the material containing excess silica loses surface area by classical sintering.