Electrochemical routes for environmentally friendly recycling of rare-earth-based (Sm–Co) permanent magnets

Journal of Applied Electrochemistry - The consumption of critical raw materials, especially those in permanent magnets of Nd–Fe–B and Sm–Co-type, has significantly grown in the...     

Effects of packaging SrI2(Eu) scintillator crystals

Recent renewed emphasis placed on gamma-ray detectors for national security purposes has motivated researchers to identify and develop new scintillator materials capable of high energy resolution and growable to large sizes. We have discovered that SrI₂(Eu) has many desirable properties for gamma-ray detection and spectroscopy, including high light yield of ∼90,000 photons/MeV and excellent light yield proportionality. We have measured <2.7% FWHM at 662 keV with small detectors (<1 cm³) in direct contact with a photomultiplier tube, and ∼3% resolution at 662 keV is obtained for 1 in.³ crystals. Due to the hygroscopic nature of SrI₂(Eu), similar to NaI(Tl), proper packaging is required for field use. This work describes a systematic study performed to determine the key factors in the packaging process to optimize performance. These factors include proper polishing of the surface, the geometry of the crystal, reflector materials and windows. A technique based on use of a collimated ¹³⁷Cs source was developed to examine light collection uniformity. Employing this technique, we found that when the crystal is packaged properly, the variation in the pulse height at 662 keV from events near the bottom of the crystal compared to those near the top of the crystal could be reduced to <1%. This paper describes the design and engineering of our detector package in order to improve energy resolution of 1 in.³-scale SrI₂(Eu) crystals.     

Cast iron-a predictable material

High strength compacted graphite iron (CGI) or alloyed cast iron components are substituting previously used non-ferrous castings in automotive power train applications.The mechanical engineering industry has recognized the value in substituting forged or welded structures with stiff and light-weight cast iron castings.New products such as wind turbines have opened new markets for an entire suite of highly reliable ductile iron cast components.During the last 20 years,casting process simulation has developed from predicting hot spots and solidification to an integral assessment tool for foundries for the entire manufacturing route of castings.The support of the feeding related layout of the casting is still one of the most important duties for casting process simulation.Depending on the alloy poured,different feeding behaviors and self-feeding capabilities need to be considered to provide a defect free casting.Therefore,it is not enough to base the prediction of shrinkage defects solely on hot spots derived from temperature fields.To be able to quantitatively predict these defects,solidification simulation had to be combined with density and mass transport calculations,in order to evaluate the impact of the solidification morphology on the feeding behavior as well as to consider alloy dependent feeding ranges.For cast iron foundries,the use of casting process simulation has become an important instrument to predict the robustness and reliability of their processes,especially since the influence of alloying elements,melting practice and metallurgy need to be considered to quantify the special shrinkage and solidification behavior of cast iron.This allows the prediction of local structures,phases and ultimately the local mechanical properties of cast irons,to asses casting quality in the foundry but also to make use of this quantitative information during design of the casting.Casting quality issues related to thermally driven stresses in castings are also gaining increasing attention.State-of-the-art tools allow the prediction of residual stresses and iron casting distortion quantitatively.Cracks in castings can be assessed,as well as the reduction of casting stresses during heat treatment.As the property requirements for cast iron as a material in design strongly increase,new alloys and materials such as ADI might become more attractive,where latest software developments allow the modeling of the required heat treatment.Phases can be predicted and parametric studies can be performed to optimize the alloy dependent heat treatment conditions during austenitization,quenching and ausferritization.All this quantitative information about the material’s performance is most valuable if it can be used during casting design.The transfer of local properties into the designer’s world,to predict fatigue and durability as a function of the entire manufacturing route,will increase the trust in this old but highly innovative material and will open new opportunities for cast iron in the future.The paper will give an overview on current capabilities to quantitatively predict cast iron specific defects and casting performance and will highlight latest developments in modeling the manufacture of cast iron and ADI as well as the prediction of iron casting stresses.     

A GIS based component-oriented integrated system for estimation, visualization and analysis of road traffic air pollution

Road traffic is a dominant source of air pollution. Therefore it is necessary to provide decision-makers with up-to-date emission information in an easily understandable form. To achieve this goal we have integrated existing emission calculation software with a graphical user interface, which includes a GIS (geographical information system) component. The paper first gives a summary of the basic road traffic emission model and then focuses on the design and implementation of the computer application with the emphasis on the used component and GIS technology. The integrated emission evaluation system offers entirely new ways of using the emission model and gives additional visualization and analysis possibilities.     

Chronologie des EHEC O104:H4 Ausbruchsgeschehens bis zur Gr��ndung der l?nder��bergreifenden Task Force EHEC aus Sicht der Lebensmittel��berwachung in Schleswig-Holstein am Beispiel des Kreises Schleswig-Flensburg

The article describes the chronology of events of the recent EHEC O104:H4 outbreak from the perspective of food inspection in Schleswig-Holstein until the National Task Force EHEC was founded. Taking the district of Schleswig-Flensburg as an example, the collaboration and information exchange between health and food control authorities is described. The Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Areas of Schleswig-Holstein (MLUR) received the first information about clusters of disorders with symptoms of bloody diarrhoea and HUS from the districts around Hamburg and the city of Hamburg on 19 May 2011. On the same day, the veterinary services and the service for consumer protection in the district of Schleswig-Flensburg were informed about a situation comparable to the one in the environment of Hamburg. Due to this situation, official procedures were initiated to discover the origins of this food-associated outbreak - both at the state and county level and in collaboration with the health authorities. On 1 June 2011, an initial telephone conference was held between the responsible ministries and the food inspection and health authorities of the counties and cities in order to coordinate a joint action. On 3 June 2011, the National Task Force EHEC was founded at the Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) in Berlin. By founding the National Task Force EHEC, the coordination of the clearing process was passed over to the BVL two weeks after the public health authorities had knowledge of accumulated and cross-border cases. On 7 June 2011 an employee of the district Schleswig-Flensburg was sent to the Task Force EHEC in Berlin by the MLUR. The lesson to be learned as a result of the EHEC O104:H4 outbreak is that among the ??dangerous foods?? there are more plant-based foods than often assumed. In the future this must be much more taken into account.     

从集体利益中产生个人利益——共鸣设计方法及其在独立住宅转化为集合住宅中的运用

提出可以增加集合住宅受欢迎度的共鸣设计方法策略,这些策略不仅考虑到建筑本身的一些可能性,同时考虑到在空间和社会环境方面的要求,涵盖了物理的、心理的以及社会的因素;指出这类策略的应用带来了高度的用户接受度并使得适应性建筑在一个长时期内可以保持其价值.阐释在设计方法的帮助下,建筑物被记录和相互比较.     

Occurrence of perfluoroalkyl compounds in surface waters from the North Pacific to the Arctic Ocean

Perfluoroalkyl compounds (PFCs) were determined in 22 surface water samples (39-76°N) and three sea ice core and snow samples (77-87°N) collected from North Pacific to the Arctic Ocean during the fourth Chinese Arctic Expedition in 2010. Geographically, the average concentration of ∑PFC in surface water samples were 560 ± 170 pg L(-1) for the Northwest Pacific Ocean, 500 ± 170 pg L(-1) for the Arctic Ocean, and 340 ± 130 pg L(-1) for the Bering Sea, respectively. The perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFCAs) were the dominant PFC class in the water samples, however, the spatial pattern of PFCs varied. The C(5), C(7) and C(8) PFCAs (i.e., perfluoropentanoate (PFPA), perfluoroheptanoate (PFHpA), and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA)) were the dominant PFCs in the Northwest Pacific Ocean while in the Bering Sea the PFPA dominated. The changing in the pattern and concentrations in Pacific Ocean indicate that the PFCs in surface water were influenced by sources from the East-Asian (such as Japan and China) and North American coast, and dilution effect during their transport to the Arctic. The presence of PFCs in the snow and ice core samples indicates an atmospheric deposition of PFCs in the Arctic. The elevated PFC concentration in the Arctic Ocean shows that the ice melting had an impact on the PFC levels and distribution. In addition, the C(4) and C(5) PFCAs (i.e., perfluorobutanoate (PFBA), PFPA) became the dominant PFCs in the Arctic Ocean indicating that PFBA is a marker for sea ice melting as the source of exposure.     

Mechanical gradient interphase by interdiffusion and antiplasticisation effect—study of an epoxy/thermoplastic system

A stoichiometric amine-epoxy formulation was cured in the presence of a thermoplastic, namely poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP). The epoxy system consisted of the resin diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) and the aromatic curing agent 4,4′-diaminodiphenylsulfone (DDS). As shown for this system in a former study by Oyama et al. [Oyama HT, Lesko JJ, Wightman JP. J Polym Sci B 1997;35:331-46. [36]], preferential absorption of amine molecules by PVP can occur. In the present study, the focus is on the variations of local elastic properties within the epoxy interphase adjacent to the PVP layer. The curing was performed close to the glass transition temperature, T_α, of the PVP film, namely at 170 °C. Variations of the local amine concentration were tracked using energy-dispersive analysis of X-rays (EDX), by taking benefit of the sulfur contained in DDS. Using temperature-dependent dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), a series of epoxy reference samples of different amine-epoxy concentration ratios, r, was investigated in order to work out the relationship between r and the epoxy storage modulus at room temperature. In the excess-epoxy regime, r<1, the modulus is observed to increase with departure from the stoichiometric ratio, r=1. Considering the respective suppression of the β-transition, the observed characteristic can be explained by an antiplasticisation effect. Depth-sensing indentation (DSI) experiments across the epoxy/PVP interphase provided evidence for strong modulus variations. In consistency with the EDX and the DMA data, in the vicinity of the PVP layer the local epoxy modulus is increased. The total change of the epoxy Young's modulus is ∼1.1 GPa. However, the total width of the modulus decay of ∼175 μm is ∼2.5 times larger than the one of the DDS concentration gradient. This finding is discussed in terms of additional spatial variations of the DGEBA concentration as well as long-range diffusion currents of DDS induced by the interdiffusion processes and their effect on the final network of crosslinks.     

Diminished self-conscious emotional responding in frontotemporal lobar degeneration patients.

Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) is a neurodegenerative disease that dramatically alters social and emotional behavior. Recent work has suggested that self-conscious emotions (e.g., embarrassment) may be particularly vulnerable to disruption in this disease. Self-conscious emotions require the ability to monitor the self in relation to others. These abilities are thought to be subserved by brain regions (e.g., medial prefrontal, anterior cingulate, and insula) that are particularly vulnerable to damage in FTLD. This study examined emotional responding (expressive behavior, peripheral physiology, and subjective experience) in 24 FTLD patients and 16 cognitively normal control participants using a karaoke task known to elicit self-conscious emotion reliably and a nonemotional control task (isometric handgrip). Results indicated that FTLD patients showed diminished self-conscious emotional behavior (embarrassment and amusement) and diminished physiological responding while watching themselves singing. No differences were found between patients and controls in the nonemotional control task. These findings offer evidence of marked disruption of self-conscious emotional responding in FTLD. Diminished self-conscious emotional responding likely contributes significantly to social inappropriateness and other behavioral abnormalities in FTLD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)