Supercritical fluid technology of nanoparticle coating for new ceramic materials

This work highlights, for the first time, the coating of ferroelectric nanoparticles with a chemical fluid deposition process in supercritical fluids. BaTiO3 nanoparticles of about 50 nm are coated with a shell of a few nanometers of amorphous alumina and can be recovered as a dry powder for processing. The sintering of these core-shell nanoparticles gives access to a ceramic material with very interesting ferroelectric properties, in particular, dielectric losses below 1%.     

Antioxidant activity of extracts of defatted seeds of niger (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Guizotia abyssinica</Emphasis>)

Niger (Guizotia abyssinica) seed was ground and then defatted with hexane. The meal remaining after oil extraction was tested as a source of antioxidants. Three solvent systems, A [80∶20 (vol/vol) ethanol/water], B [80∶20 (vol/vol) acetone/water], and C (water) were evaluated as extraction media. Crude extracts were examined for their antioxidant activity in a β-carotene-linoleate and a meat model system. Extract A exhibited superior antioxidant activity, compared to extracts B and C, and its composition was studied further by using column chromatography and HPLC. Four fractions (I–IV) were obtained, of which fractions III and IV showed activity in the β-carotene-linoleate model system. Fraction IV was also highly effective in scavenging the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical but was less active when used in a bulk oil model system. Preparative TLC showed fraction IV as consisting of two components. UV spectroscopy suggested that the major active component pressent was a chlorogenic acid-related compound. Furthermore, HPLC analysis established that chlorogenic acid was dominant in the free phenolics fraction (2.6 mg/g). Upon hydrolysis, however, a substantial amount of caffeic acid (42.8 mg/g) was released, presumably from esterified and glycosylated chlorogenic acid. Thus, niger extracts derive their antioxidant activity, at least in part, from the chlorogenic acid-related compounds.     

Getting worse: Psychotherapy or no treatment—the jury should still be out.

It has been contended that patients receiving psychotherapy show significantly higher rates of deterioration than similar patients who receive no treatment. It has further been suggested that psychotherapy causes harm to some of those receiving it. These concerns are widely circulated and are likely to influence decision making at this critical time for the mental health professions. Relevant studies are reviewed with particular attention to characteristics of design. It is concluded that few studies allow for meaningful comparisons between experimental and control groups. In studies permitting such comparisons, there is no significant evidence of greater deterioration among the experimental groups. Alternative hypotheses consistent with these conclusions are presented, each with different implications for reducing the incidence of deterioration. The need for more and better research is underscored. (3 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Determination of Fracture Toughness in 2-D Woven SiC Matrix Composites Made by Chemical Vapor Infiltration

An approach to the R -curve behavior of 2-D woven ceramic matrix composites is proposed. This approach takes into account the presence of a process zone at the crack tip. The strain energy release rate is determined using an equivalent system of two specimens free of process zones. The process zone size is determined independently by assimilating a notch tip region to a beam of bimaterial. Compact tension specimens having different dimensions and single-edge notched beam specimens were used for the analysis. Important trends in toughening of ceramic matrix composites were anticipated.     

The Effect of Gamma Irradiation as a Phytosanitary Treatment on Physicochemical and Sensory Properties of Bartlett Pears

A major concern in exporting agricultural commodities is the introduction or spread of exotic quarantine pests to the new area. To prevent spread of insect pests, various phytosanitary measures are used. Worldwide commercial use of irradiation as a phytosanitary treatment has increased greatly in recent years; however, trade has been limited to tropical fruits. Bartlett pear is a major summer variety of California pears with great potential and market for export. In this study, the effect of gamma irradiation at dose levels of 400, 600, and 800 Gy on physicochemical properties and sensory attributes of early and late harvest Bartlett pears was investigated. Firmness and color changes indicate that irradiation delayed the ripening of pears by 1 d. For the early harvest pears, scarring, bruising, and off flavor were significantly increased at the highest irradiation dose (800 Gy). The appearance of early harvest 800 Gy irradiated pears was the only attribute that received significantly (P ≤ 0.05) lower scores than the control in consumer testing. For the late harvest pears, the 400 Gy fruit had lowest levels of scarring and bruising as rated by trained panelist but consumers did not score the control and 800 Gy fruit differently for any attribute. Titratable acidity, total soluble solids, and chroma were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) decreased and hue increased by irradiation for the early harvest pears. These results suggest that there was a difference in radiotolerance of early and late harvest pears, but in both cases, irradiation at 400 to 600 Gy seemed to maintain best quality.     

Human linear template with mammographic backgrounds estimated with a genetic algorithm

We estimated human observer linear templates underlying the detection of a realistic, spherical mass signal with mammographic backgrounds. Five trained na?ve observers participated in two-alternative forced-choice (2-AFC) detection experiments with the signal superimposed on synthetic, clustered lumpy backgrounds (CLBs) in one condition and on nonstationary real mammographic backgrounds in another. Human observer linear templates were estimated using a genetic algorithm. A variety of common model observer templates were computed, and their shapes and associated performances were compared with those of the human observer. The estimated linear templates are not significantly different for stationary CLBs and real mammographic backgrounds. The estimated performance of the linear template compared with that of the human observers is within 5% in terms of percent correct (Pc) for the 2-AFC task. Channelized Hotelling models can fit human performance, but the templates differ considerably from the human linear template. Due to different local statistics, detection efficiency is significantly higher on nonstationary real backgrounds than on globally stationary synthetic CLBs. This finding emphasizes that nonstationary backgrounds need to be described by their local statistics.     

Influence of silicon carbide interlayer evolution on diamond heteroepitaxy during bias enhanced nucleation on silicon substrates

In order to improve the crystalline quality of diamond films produced by microwave plasma assisted chemical vapour deposition (MPCVD), the structural evolution of the silicon carbide interlayer during the bias nucleation step has been investigated by reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED). Here we highlight the fact that the carbonisation pre-treatment induces a strong extension of the silicon carbide lattice in the direction perpendicular to the surface. This extension gives a lattice constant close to that of silicon. Then, during bias enhanced nucleation, the carbide lattice relaxes. At the same time, this modification is accompanied by an increase of the surface roughness and by a progressive polar misorientation of the silicon carbide. All these transformations could be responsible for the observed drop of the diamond epitaxial ratio when the duration of the bias step is extended. Finally, we found that a lower methane concentration in the plasma slows down this carbide transformation, allowing us to obtain a promising 37% epitaxial ratio.     

Laser-induced incandescence study of diesel soot formation in a rapid compression machine at elevated pressures

Simultaneous laser-induced incandescence (LII) and laser-induced scattering (LIS) were applied to investigate soot formation and distribution in a single cylinder rapid compression machine. The fuel used was a low sulfur reference diesel fuel with 0.04% volume 2-ethylhexyl nitrate. LII images were acquired at time intervals of 1 CA throughout the soot formation period, for a range of injection pressures up to 160 MPa, and in-cylinder pressures (ICP) up to 9 MPa. The data collected shows that although cycle-to-cycle variations in soot production were observed, the LII signal intensities converged to a constant value when sufficient cycles were averaged. The amount of soot produced was not significantly affected by changes in in-cylinder pressure. Soot was observed distributed in definite clusters, which were linked to slugs of fuel caused by oscillations in the injector needle. The highest injection pressure exhibited lower soot productions and more homogeneous soot distributions within the flame. Despite diffusion flames lasting longer with lower injection pressure, it appeared that the extended oxidation time was insufficient to oxidize the excess production of soot. In addition, soot particles were detected closer to the nozzle tip with higher injection pressures. The recording of LII sequences at high temporal resolutions has shown that three distinct phases in soot formation can be observed. First, high soot formation rates are observed before the establishment of the diffusion flame. Second, a reduced soot formation rate is apparent from the start of diffusion flame until the end of injection. Finally, high soot oxidation rates occur after the end of injection and for the duration of the flame.     

Homolytic reduction of onium salts

Onium salts have proved to be efficient sources of carbon-centered radicals. They can undergo homolytic reduction by single electron transfer (SET) and participate in subsequent synthetic transformations. This review aims to provide an overview on the behavior of onium salts including diazonium, sulfonium, selenonium, telluronium, phosphonium and iodonium cations toward various reductive methods such as radiolysis, electrolysis, photolysis or the use of SET reagents. Mechanistic and synthetic aspects are presented. Applications in polymers and materials science are not covered.