Imparting Superhydrophobicity with a Hierarchical Block Copolymer Coating

A robust and transparent silica‐like coating that imparts superhydrophobicity to a surface through its hierarchical multilevel self‐assembled structure is demonstrated. This approach involves iterative steps of spin‐coating, annealing, and etching of polystyrene‐block‐polydimethylsiloxane block copolymer thin films to form a tailored multilayer nanoscale topographic pattern with a water contact angle up to 155°. A model based on the hierarchical topography is developed to calculate the wetting angle and optimize the superhydrophobicity, in agreement with the experimental trends, and explaining superhydrophobicity arising through the combination of roughness at different lengthscales. Additionally, the mechanical robustness and optically passive properties of the resulting hydrophobic surfaces are demonstrated.     

Correction to: Computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system based on multi-layer feature fusion network for skin lesion recognition in dermoscopy images

Multimedia Tools and Applications - The Eqs. 5 and 9 in the original publication of this article contained an error. The original article has been corrected.     

Modeling and experimental of mould disinfestation of soybean silos with ozone

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to develop and validate a mathematical model for predicting ozone propagation and distribution in a bench-scale storage silo of soybean and link the model results to its application as an antifungal. The reduction of potentially toxigenic fungi found in soybeans was also evaluated after the ozone treatment. Experimental validation consisted of the ozone application and concentration (ozone) monitoring at the experimental silo outlet. The soybean grains were analyzed prior to and after ozone treatment from different portions of the silo to evaluate the antifungal activity. After 30 minutes of ozone exposure, there was an 88% reduction in the amount of fungi present at the lower section, reaching total elimination with longer exposure times. Fusarium was the main genus found, and it was significantly reduced even with the shortest exposure (30 min). The results of the ozone propagation in soybeans will be useful to better understand its behavior within silos, in order for the elimination of biological contaminations to occur. The model showed ozone spread through the silo, and this treatment showed to be an effective alternative to control against potentially toxigenic fungi found in soybeans.     

Development of a nonlinear conical spring bracing system for framed structures subjected to dynamic load

In this study, a nonlinear conical spring bracing (NCSB) system that can be applied as a lateral resistance component in framed structures was developed to mitigate the vibration effects of earthquake and wind. The NCSB device consists of two solid telescopic conical springs attached to steel wire ropes. The application of NCSB in framed structures, particularly moment-resisting steel frame (MRSF), improves the seismic behavior of the frame because of the variable action of the NCSB device. NCSB stiffness is not considerable in the low to medium vibration range compared with structural stiffness. Therefore, the inherent ductility of MRSF is unaffected because of the addition of the NCSB device to the frame. However, with its large displacement value, NCSB stiffness increases and prevents excessive displacement in structures. A mathematical model of the NCSB device that considers the effect of cable stiffness is developed and implemented in program code. Furthermore, the seismic behavior of eight types of NCSB applications in frames subjected to different earthquake accelerations is evaluated in terms of displacement, velocity, and acceleration, as well as compared with bare and brace frames. Results reveal the reduction influences of the NCSB device on framed structures. The best geometric configuration for the NCSB system is also determined by using the proposed numerical analysis.     

Simple Agents,Intelligent Markets

Attainment of rational expectations equilibria in asset markets calls for the price system to disseminate agents’ private information to others. Markets populated by human agents are known to be capable of converging to rational expectations equilibria. This paper reports comparable market outcomes when human agents are replaced by boundedly-rational algorithmic agents who use a simple means-end heuristic. These algorithmic agents lack the capability to optimize; yet outcomes of markets populated by them converge near the equilibrium derived from optimization assumptions. These findings point to market structure (rather than cognition or optimization) being an important determinant of efficient aggregate level outcomes.     

A novel method for finding the best excitation frequency of MEMS vibratory gyroscope

Microsystem Technologies - In this paper, a novel method is proposed for finding the best excitation signal frequency of the MEMS vibratory gyroscope sensors. In the proposed method, the amplitude...