Bearing capacity of horizontally layered geosynthetic reinforced stone columns

In very soft soils, the bearing capacity of stone columns may not improve significantly due to very low confinement of the surrounding soil. Therefore, they may be reinforced with geosynthetics by using vertical encasement or horizontal layers. Very limited studies exist on horizontally reinforced stone columns (HRSCs). In this research, some large body laboratory tests have been performed on horizontally reinforced stone columns with diameters of 60, 80, and 100?mm and groups of stone columns with 60?mm diameter. Results show that the bearing capacity of stone columns increases by using horizontally reinforcing layers. Also, they reduce lateral bulging of stone columns by their frictional and interlocking effects with stone column aggregates. Finally, numerical analyses were carried out to study main affecting parameters on the bearing capacity of HRSCs. Numerical analysis results show that the bearing capacity increases considerably with increasing the number of horizontal layers and decreasing space between layers.     

Prolonged drug release using PCL–TMZ nanofibers induce the apoptotic behavior of U87 glioma cells

In situ prolonged delivery of drugs at the site of tumor can be satisfactorily accelerated patient recovery. We compared the effect of temozolomide while incorporated by polycaprolactone nanofibers on the apoptotic behavior of U87 glioma cells. After biocompatibility evaluation of nanofibers by scanning electron microscope and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide analysis, the apoptosis of U87 cells was evaluated using p53, Bcl2 and Bax genes expression. It was found that nanofiber-temozolomide group showed a greater ability to induce apoptosis as well as have a significantly diminished initial burst release of drug compared with other groups and have promising potential in treating cancer.     

Heavy Water Additive in Formamidinium: A Novel Approach to Enhance Perovskite Solar Cell Efficiency

Heavy water or deuterium oxide (D₂O) comprises deuterium, a hydrogen isotope twice the mass of hydrogen. Contrary to the disadvantages of deuterated perovskites, such as shorter recombination lifetimes and lower/invariant efficiencies, the serendipitous effect of D₂O as a beneficial solvent additive for enhancing the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of triple-A cation (cesium (Cs)/methylammonium (MA)/formaminidium (FA)) perovskite solar cells from ≈19.2% (reference) to 20.8% (using 1 vol% D₂O) with higher stability is reported. Ultrafast optical spectroscopy confirms passivation of trap states, increased carrier recombination lifetimes, and enhanced charge carrier diffusion lengths in the deuterated samples. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and solid-state NMR spectroscopy validate the N–H₂ group as the preferential isotope exchange site. Furthermore, the NMR results reveal the induced alteration of the FA to MA ratio due to deuteration causes a widespread alteration to several dynamic processes that influence the photophysical properties. First-principles density functional theory calculations reveal a decrease in PbI₆ phonon frequencies in the deuterated perovskite lattice. This stabilizes the PbI₆ structures and weakens the electron–LO phonon (Fröhlich) coupling, yielding higher electron mobility. Importantly, these findings demonstrate that selective isotope exchange potentially opens new opportunities for tuning perovskite optoelectronic properties.     

Methacrylate-functionalized POSS as an efficient adhesion promoter in olefin-based adhesives

This study aims to investigate the effects of methacrylate-functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (MA-POSS) on polyolefin-based adhesives. The so called adhesive was synthesized by the cooligomerization of 1-decene/9-decene-1-ol monomers using a Ti amine bis-phenolate catalyst, [Ti{2,2′-(OC₆H₂-4,6-^tBu₂)₂NHC₂H₄NH(OⁱPr)₂], which was subsequentlyacrylated via a simple reaction with methacryloyl chloride. Different weight fractions of MA-POSS nanoparticles were solution blended with synthesized adhesive and undergone curing reaction with blue light. Observation of a unique tan δ peak in dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) curve was clear evidence that two employed moieties were miscible and only one hybrid polymeric phase was created. Most noticeably, significant increase in mechanical parameters was detected in the lower inclusion compositions, 0.2-1 wt% of MA-POSS, where flexural strength and flexural modulus were increased up to 99 and 110%, respectively. Furthermore, thermal stability of the synthesized nanocomposite enhanced dramatically by increasing MA-POSS weight fraction. Influence of employed nanoparticles on adhesion properties of synthesized nanocomposites was evaluated with tensile shear bond strength and pull off analysis. According to the adhesion results, the MA-POSS causes an adhesion promotion on the fabricated adhesive/POSS nanocomposites.     

Bi-supported Ziegler–Natta TiCl4/MCM-41/MgCl2 (ethoxide type) catalyst preparation and comprehensive investigations of produced polyethylene characteristics

Bi-supported Ziegler–Natta catalysts (TiCl₄/MCM-41/MgCl₂ (ethoxide type)) were synthesized to improve the morphology and the properties of polyethylene. The morphology control is a crucial issue in polymerization process, while tailoring the properties of polymers is needed for specific applications. The catalysts were synthesized in different ratios of two supports with impregnation method. The polymerization process was carried out in atmospheric slurry reactor. The catalysts were characterized with scanning electron microscopy - energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDX), inductively coupled plasma, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) methods. The polymers were analyzed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry, FTIR, and tensile-strength analyses. Ubbelohde viscometer and frequency sweep measurements showed that the synthesized polymers are ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene. Mechanical properties of polymers showed higher Young's modulus in samples containing MCM-41, having higher thermal stability supported by TGA analysis. SEM images of bi-supported catalyst showed a controlled spherical morphology with uniform size distribution. SEM analysis support that the polymers replicate their morphology from catalyst, improving their morphology comparing to MgCl₂-supported catalyst. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48553.     

Energetics and Structure of Polymer‐Derived Si–(B–)O–C Glasses: Effect of the Boron Content and Pyrolysis Temperature

The structure and properties of polymer‐derived Si–(B–)O–C glasses have been shown to be significantly influenced by the boron content and pyrolysis temperature. This work determined the impact of these two parameters on the thermodynamic stability of these glasses. High‐temperature oxide melt solution calorimetry was performed on a series of amorphous samples, with varying boron contents (0–7.7 at.%), obtained by pyrolysis of precursors made by a sol–gel technique. Thermodynamic analysis of the calorimetric results demonstrated that at a constant pyrolysis temperature, adding boron makes the materials energetically less stable. While the B‐containing glasses pyrolyzed at 1000°C were energetically less stable than the competitive crystalline components, increasing the pyrolysis temperature to 1200°C led to their enthalpic stability. ²⁹Si and ¹¹B MAS nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy measurements on selected samples confirmed a decrease in the concentrations of mixed Si‐centered SO_iC_4?i and B‐centered BO_jC_3?j bonds at the expense of formation of SiO₄ and B(OSi)₃ species (indicating a tendency toward phase separation) when the boron content and pyrolysis temperature increased. In light of the findings from calorimetry and NMR spectroscopy, we propose a structure–energetic relationship in Si–(B–)O–C glasses.     

Probabilistic stability of uncertain composite plates and stochastic irregularity in their buckling mode shapes: A semi-analytical non-intrusive approach

In this study, the mechanical properties of the composite plate were considered Gaussian random fields and their effects on the buckling load and corresponding mode shapes were studied by developing a semi-analytical non-intrusive approach. The random fields were decomposed by the Karhunen−Loève method. The strains were defined based on the assumptions of the first-order and higher-order shear-deformation theories. Stochastic equations of motion were extracted using Euler–Lagrange equations. The probabilistic response space was obtained by employing the non-intrusive polynomial chaos method. Finally, the effect of spatially varying stochastic properties on the critical load of the plate and the irregularity of buckling mode shapes and their sequences were studied for the first time. Our findings showed that different shear deformation plate theories could significantly influence the reliability of thicker plates under compressive loading. It is suggested that a linear relationship exists between the mechanical properties’ variation coefficient and critical loads’ variation coefficient. Also, in modeling the plate properties as random fields, a significant stochastic irregularity is obtained in buckling mode shapes, which is crucial in practical applications.     

A survey of shaped-based registration and segmentation techniques for cardiac images

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the modern world. Cardiac imaging is routinely applied for assessment and diagnosis of cardiac diseases. Computerized image analysis methods are now widely applied to cardiac segmentation and registration in order to extract the anatomy and contractile function of the heart. The vast number of recent papers on this topic point to the need for an up to date survey in order to summarize and classify the published literature. This paper presents a survey of shape modeling applications to cardiac image analysis from MRI, CT, echocardiography, PET, and SPECT and aims to (1) introduce new methodologies in this field, (2) classify major contributions in image-based cardiac modeling, (3) provide a tutorial to beginners to initiate their own studies, and (4) introduce the major challenges of registration and segmentation and provide practical examples. The techniques surveyed include statistical models, deformable models/level sets, biophysical models, and non-rigid registration using basis functions. About 130 journal articles are categorized based on methodology, output, imaging system, modality, and validations. The advantages and disadvantages of the registration and validation techniques are discussed as appropriate in each section.     

Scale effect on the behaviour of geogrid-reinforced soil under repeated loads

One of the most useful geosynthetics in soil reinforcement is geogrid due to its high tensile strength, having a great influence on soil skeleton reinforcement and eventually, increasing bearing capacity of the foundation. In this research, a series of 36 repeated plate load tests have been carried out to investigate the scale effect on geogrid-reinforced soil, tending to further understanding of the behaviour of geogrid-reinforced soil system. Four different soil grains sizes, two different geogrid's aperture sizes (with roughly the same tensile strength) and three different loading plate sizes are the variables considered. During the tests, the applied loading and soil surface settlements were recorded to evaluate the systems' response. As it was expected, the reinforced soil exhibited higher bearing capacity than the unreinforced status, up to 635%. The results show that increasing loading plate size and soils' particle size fortify the response of foundation, especially in reinforced status, against the loading plate penetration. The results further focused on the important role of scale effect on the response of reinforced foundation. It was understood that the optimum nominal aperture size of geogrids should be about 4 times of medium grain size of soil. Also, it was found out that in order to acquisition of highest reinforcement benefits, the footing's width should be in the range 13–25 (20 in average) times of medium grain size of the backfill. Finally, to achieve the best results, it is recommended that the aperture size of geogrids should be selected roughly 0.2 times of footing width.