Assessing the sustainability of a manufacturing process using life cycle assessment technique—a case of an Indian pharmaceutical company

Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy - Manufacturing organizations are under continuous pressure to implement sustainability in their activities. There is a need to identify the...     

Experimental studies of the bond response of three-wire strands and some influencing parameters

The bond behavior of prestressing strands is of great importance for the capacity of precast prestressed concrete structures. In the present study, the bond behavior of three-wire strands, and some influencing parameters, were examined by means of steel encased pull-through and push-in tests. The three mechanisms: adhesion, friction and other mechanical actions were found to be present at the strand-concrete interface at different slip values. The results from the experiments showed that the micro roughness of the strand surface strongly affected the initial bond response of the strand, that is the adhesion in the interface. The maximum bond capacity of indented three-wire strands was found to be directly connected to the geometric properties of the strand indents. The influence of the concrete strength on the bond capacity of the strand was hard to interpret. However, the density of the concrete matrix was found to be a better parameter for determine the influence of the concrete rather than the compressive strength.     

Magnetic-field-controlled optical transmission in a system of metal diaphragms with apertures and a thin dielectric interlayer

A system comprising two metal diaphragms with holes and a thin dielectric interlayer exhibits magnetic-field-controlled optical transmission. This phenomenon can be used, in particular, for the creation of light modulators.     

E. H. Dirksens Beiträge zu den Grundlagen der Analysis

Enno Heeren Dirksen (1788–1850) was one of several mathematicians originating from Eastern Frisia at the end of the eighteenth century to acquire prominence in neohumanist reformed Prussia. While striving—like so many of his contemporaries—for more rigour in the foundations of calculus, his work is significant due to his unusual emphasis on the semiotic aspects of the basic concepts. As a clear-sighted propagator of Cauchy's conceptual innovations in Germany, his achievements in improving sign expressions of such concepts enabled him to clarify hitherto not differentiated multiple limit processes—although less successfully in constructive concept formation itself. The contribution is based on the analysis of Dirksen's published texts and on the numerous texts which remained drafts for his projected voluminousOrganon der gesamten Analysis.

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Menso Folkerts zum 60. Geburtstag gewidmet     

DISPERSION COMPENSATION CFBG IN100km 10Gbit／s RECIRCULATING SYSTEMS

A 10Gbit/s recirculating system is configured with Chirped Fiber Bragg Grating (CFBG) for the dispersion compensation. For the first time, the transmission distance in the loop reaches 1000km with bit error rate of 10-9. The effect of the group delay ripple of the fiber grating is also investigated in the recirculating systems, and it is shown that the transmission distance is limited to 4 cycles (4×167.1km ) in the loop with the power penalty fluctuation below 1.0dB. Thus the group delay ripple should be reduced to allow for the wavelength drift of±5GHz. At the end of this letter, the principles are given for designing long haul recirculating systems with dispersion compensation CFBG.     

The anisotropic effect of a weak magnetic field on the photoconductivity of C<Subscript>60</Subscript> single crystals

The effect of crystal orientation on the photogeneration of free charge carriers was studied for C₆₀ single crystals in a weak magnetic field. The photoconductivity sharply depends on the orientation of magnetic field with respect to the crystallographic directions, showing a 5–8% increase for seven axes of the C₆₀ crystal.     

A birth-process approach to Moranda's geometric software-reliability model

To alleviate some of the objections to the basic Jelinski Moranda (JM) model for software failures, Moranda proposed a geometric de-eutrophication model. This model assumes that the times between failures are statistically-independent exponential random variables with given failure rates. In this model the failure rates decrease geometrically with the detection of a fault. Using an intuitive approach, Musa, Iannino, Okumoto , see also Farr , derived expressions for the mean and the intensity functions of the process N (t) which counts the number of faults detected in the time interval [O, t] for the Moranda geometric de-eutrophication model. N (t) is studied as a pure birth stochastic process; its probability generating function is derived, as well as its mean, intensity and reliability functions. The expressions for the mean and intensity functions derived by MIO are only approximations and can be quite different from the true functions for certain choices of the failure rates. The exact expressions for the mean function and the intensity function of N (t) are used to find the optimum release time of software based on a cost structure for Moranda's geometric de-eutrophication model.     

Thermodynamic stability of GaInSb,InAsSb, and GaInP epitaxial films

The miscibility gaps and the critical temperatures of spinodal decomposition of ternary semiconducting Ga-In-Sb, Ga-In-P, and In-As-Sb systems are calculated by taking into account the deformation energy and the effect of plastic relaxation caused by the misfit dislocations. It is shown that taking into consideration elastic energy narrows the ranges of spinodal decomposition and lowers its critical temperature. The introduction of the phenomenological parameter into Matthews-Blakeslee formula makes it possible to reach a satisfactory agreement between theoretically calculated values of critical thickness of epitaxial films and the experimental data.     

Synthesis and characterization of biocompatible hydroxyapatite coated ferrite

Ferrite particles coated with biocompatible phases can be used for hyperthermia treatment of cancer. We have synthesized substituted calcium hexaferrite, which is not stable on its own but is stabilized with small substitution of La. Hexaferrite of chemical composition (CaO)_0.75(La₂0₃)_0.20(Fe₂O₃)₆ was prepared using citrate gel method. Hydroxyapatite was prepared by precipitating it from aqueous solution of Ca(NO₃)₂ and (NH₄)₂HPO₄ maintaining pH above 11. Four different methods were used for coating of hydroxyapatite on ferrite particles. SEM with EDX and X-ray diffraction analysis shows clear evidence of coating of hydroxyapatite on ferrite particles. These coated ferrite particles exhibited coercive field up to 2 kOe, which could be made useful for hysteresis heating in hyperthermia. Studies by culturing BHK-21 cells and WBC over the samples show evidence of biocompatibility. SEM micrographs and cell counts give clear indication of cell growth on the surface of the sample. Finally coated ferrite particle was implanted in Kasaulli mouse to test its biocompatibility. The magnetic properties and biocompatibility studies show that these hydroxyapatite coated ferrites could be useful for hyperthermia.