Controllable preparation of porous ZrB2–SiC ceramics via using KCl space holders

In this work, a novel and facile technique based on using KCl as space holders, along with partial sintering (at 1900 °C for 30 min), was explored to prepare porous ZrB₂–SiC ceramics with controllable pore structure, tunable compressive strength and thermal conductivity. The as-prepared porous ZrB₂–SiC samples possess high porosity of 45–67%, low average pore size of 3–7 μm, high compressive strength of 32–106 MPa, and low room temperature thermal conductivity of 13–34 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹. The porosity, pore structure, compressive strength and thermal conductivity of porous ZrB₂–SiC ceramics can be tuned simply by changing KCl content and its particle size. The effect of porosity and pore structure on the thermal conductivity of as-prepared porous ZrB₂–SiC ceramics was examined and found to be consistent with the classical model for porous materials. The poring mechanism of porous ZrB₂–SiC samples via adding pore-forming agent combined with partial sintering was also preliminary illustrated.     

A novel fabrication procedure for producing high strength hydroxyapatite ceramic scaffolds with high porosity

Hydroxyapatite (HA) scaffolds were fabricated using the space holder method with a pressureless sintering process in a systematically developed manner at different fabrication stages to increase the strength of the scaffold at high porosity. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) were used as binders and space holder agents, respectively. The physical properties of the HA scaffolds were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), linear shrinkage test, and porosity measurements. The mechanical properties of the HA scaffolds were analyzed using compressive strength measurements. The results revealed that the HA scaffold met the expected quality requirements with a compressive strength of 2.2 MPa at a porosity of 65.6% with pore sizes distributed in the range of 126–385 μm. The shrinkage of the scaffold diameter occurred by 20.27%, this diameter shrinkage predominantly to the shrinkage of the HA scaffold caused by sintering. Besides, suspect that a higher PMMA concentration causes pore size shrinkage upon sintering. The formation of pore interconnections was evidenced by SEM observations and the ‘translucent light method’ developed in this study. The results of the scaffold phase test using XRD showed that the final scaffold consisted only of the HA phase, as the PVA and PMMA phases burned out during the sintering process.     

User activities and the heterogeneity of urban space:The case of Dahiyat Al Hussein park

Urban researchers have maintained a constant interest in the complexity and continuity of urban space usage. Some have applied actor–network theory (ANT) to investigate the heterogeneity of spaces and present them through the networks of their users’ activities. However, these accounts are predominantly limited in examining the extent to which these spaces may be heterogeneous when exploring such networks. This paper draws on recent ANT scholarship, which employs an ethnographic research conducted in a main park in a housing project at Dahiyat Al Hussein in Amman, Jordan. The findings describe the complex and unpredictable negotiations that occur within spaces by documenting the varieties and interrelations among user activity networks within this common and shared urban space. This research reveals the extent to which spaces, parks in this case, may be heterogeneous by unpacking their usage. The conclusions and insights assert the necessity of paying attention to design detail and creating designs that are responsive to evolving user activities.     

Modeling and analysis of passive worm propagation in the P2P file-sharing network

A number of worms, named P2P (peer-to-peer) passive worms, have recently surfaced, which propagate in P2P file-sharing networks and have posed heavy threats to these networks. In contrast to the majority of Internet worms, it is by exploiting users’ legitimate activities instead of vulnerabilities of networks in which P2P passive worms propagate. This feature evidently slows down their propagation, which results in them not attracting an adequate amount of attention in literature. Meanwhile, this feature visibly increases the difficulty of detecting them, which makes it very possible for them to become epidemic. In this paper, we propose an analytical model for P2P passive worm propagation by adopting epidemiological approaches so as to identify their behaviors and predict the tendency of their propagation accurately. Compared with a few existing models, dynamic characteristics of P2P networks are taken into account. Based on this proposed model, the sufficient condition for the global stability of the worm free equilibrium is derived by applying epidemiological theories. Large scale simulation experiments have validated both the proposed model and the condition.     

Space charge region effects in bidirectional illuminated P3HT:PCBM bulk heterojunction photodetectors

Organic semiconductors are widely investigated for their application in photovoltaics and photodetectors. We show that the efficiency of these devices is strongly influenced by the position of the space charge region, due to unintentional doping, and wavelength-dependent absorption properties in bulk heterojunctions. Spray-coated P3HT:PCBM bulk heterojunction photodiodes with thicknesses up to 4.2 μm and semitransparent top contact enable the characterization of exciton generation and separation in both irradiation directions. A large difference in external quantum efficiency (EQE) is observed for top and bottom illuminated configurations and is explained by a bias dependent arrangement of the space charge region at the two contact electrodes. Numerical drift–diffusion simulations allow to get insight into first order mechanisms behind the spectral features of EQE data in highly-doped organic photodiodes.     

基于主曲线的书法字动态重现算法

如何高效逼真地动态重现书法作品的创作过程日益成为亟需解决的问题,因此文中提出基于主曲线的书法字动态重现方法,解决当前细化算法在提取骨架时存在的无效分支较多、不能保证笔画的连续性和准确性的问题.结合书法字自身结构对主曲线算法进行改进和优化.对书法图像进行骨架提取、骨架追踪、笔顺获取等处理,结合骨架信息和二值图像实现笔画宽度复原,针对笔画宽度存在的“肿瘤”问题,提出“角点剔除法”进行修正,结合HTML5的Canvas绘图技术进行书法字动态书写过程.在模拟数据集上的实验表明,文中算法的书法动态重现取得较好效果.     

环境设计专业学习空间设计探析--以教室改造的参与式设计为例

学习空间的设计必须基于教育理念、学习模式、技术设施与精神氛围等因素展开,以更开放、灵活及多样化的有趣形态来吸引使用者。对于已掌握基本设计方法并具有一定设计思维的环境设计专业学生而言,设计与自身学习行为关联的学习空间,能体现"参与式设计"的特殊意义:即一方面以有着直观体验感受的熟悉空间作为训练案例来有效地整合设计能力;另一方面则通过用户与设计者身份的叠加,从使用者体验一维到对空间发展的专业预设考虑一维共同实现学习空间设计理念的更新。     

融入局部几何特征的流形谱聚类图像分割

为了改善谱聚类图像分割的精准性和时效性,文中提出融入局部几何特征的流形谱聚类图像分割算法.首先,考虑图像数据的流形结构,在数据点的K近邻域内执行局部PCA,得到数据间本征维数的关系.然后,引入流形学习中的局部线性重构技术,通过混合线性分析器得到数据间局部切空间的相似性,结合二者构造含有局部几何特征的相似性矩阵.再利用Nystr m技术逼近待分割图像的特征向量,对构造的k个主特征向量执行谱聚类.最后,在Berkeley数据集上的对比实验验证文中算法的准确性和时效性优势.