Influence of the ethylene–(methacrylic acid)–Zn2+ ionomer on the thermal and mechanical properties of blends of poly(propylene) (PP)/ethylene–(vinyl alcohol) copolymer (EVOH)

The thermal and mechanical properties and the morphologies of blends of poly(propylene) (PP) and an ethylene–(vinyl alcohol) copolymer (EVOH) and of blends of PP/EVOH/ethylene–(methacrylic acid)–Zn²⁺ ionomer were studied to establish the influence of the ionomer addition on the compatibilization of PP/EVOH blends and on their properties. The oxygen transmission rate (O₂TR) values of the blends were measured as well. PP and EVOH are initially incompatible as was determined by tensile tests and scanning electronic microscopy. Addition of the ionomer Zn²⁺ led to good compatibility and mechanical behaviour was improved in all blends. The mechanical properties on extruded films were studied for 90/10 and 80/20 w/w PP/EVOH blends compatibilized with 10 % of ionomer Zn²⁺. These experiments have shown that the tensile properties are better than in the injection‐moulded samples. The stretching during the extrusion improved the compatibility of the blends, diminishing the size of EVOH domains and enhancing their distribution in the PP matrix. As was to be expected, the EVOH improved the oxygen permeation of the films, even in compatibilized blends. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Parametric modeling of somatosensory evoked potentials

In this paper, we examine methods of characterizing somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP's) in both the time and frequency domains. We have found that the truncated impulse response (TIR) method produced an accurate time domain model of the SEP signals at model orders greatly reduced from the original state space matrix. The TIR method was valuable for smoothing signals that were slightly corrupted by noise. In this case, the simulated data sequence was close to the original data sequence in the mean squared error sense. For signals that were greatly corrupted by noise, the TIR method was not able to perform as well. Therefore, the TIR method was not a feature extraction method but was valuable for data simulation. In the frequency domain, we have used the autoregressive moving average model (ARMA) to parameterize the SEP signal. An overdetermined set of Yule-Walker equations was created to determine the autoregressive (AR) parameters of the original data with the model order established by the singular value decomposition. From these AR parameters, a residual time series was generated which was used to find the moving average parameters. The resulting ARMA model was used to produce a simulated data sequence. The frequency domain characteristics of the simulated sequence and the corresponding power spectral density of the ARMA filter were very close to the periodogram of the original data sequence. Accurate parameterization was achieved for the SEP waveforms at low filter lengths.     

Thermal expansion characteristics of a titanium modified austenitic stainless steel: measurement by high-temperature X-ray diffraction and modelling using Grüneisen formalism

The thermal expansion of a titanium modified, swelling resistant austenitic stainless steel designated as D9 is studied by measuring the lattice parameter as a function of temperature in the range 300-1300 K by high-temperature X-ray diffraction technique. The thermal expansion data thus obtained is in reasonable agreement with the typical thermal expansion values reported for similar nuclear grade austenitic stainless steels. However, at temperatures exceeding 900 K, the measured thermal expansivity exhibits a pronounced non-linear increase due partly to the precipitation of complex carbide and intermetallic phases. The high-temperature thermal expansion data obtained in the present study are augmented by modelling the low-temperature thermal expansion behaviour by Grüneisen formalism.     

Towards a new definition of EPOC parameters for anionic electrochemical catalysts: case of propene combustion

The electrochemical promotion of catalysis (EPOC) of propene combustion was investigated using Pt sputtered thin film on an O²⁻ conductor, 8 mol% Y₂O₃-stabilized-ZrO₂ (YSZ). In order to separate the influence of the thermal migration of the O²⁻ oxide ions from the electrolyte to the catalyst surface and the impact of an electrical polarization on the catalytic activity, several light-off experiments (cool down and heat up procedures) were successively performed under different polarizations, i.e. OCV, +2 and −2 V. These experiments have clearly shown that the presence of O²⁻ (thermally or electrochemically induced) inhibits the catalytic activity of the platinum for the propene deep oxidation. These results demonstrate the importance to define a normalized rate enhancement ratio, ρ _n , from a reference value of the catalytic rate corresponding to a Pt surface state free of O²⁻ ions.     

Testing of the multi-application small light water reactor (MASLWR) passive safety systems

Experimental thermal hydraulic research has been conducted at Oregon State University for the purpose of assessing the performance of a new reactor design concept, the multi-application small light water reactor (MASLWR). The MASLWR is a pressurized light water reactor design with a net output of 35 MWe that uses natural circulation in both normal and transient operation. Due to its small size, portability and modularity, the MASLWR design is well suited to help fill the potential need for grid appropriate reactor designs for smaller electricity grids as may be found in developing or remote regions. The purpose of the OSU MASLWR test facility is to assess the operation of the MASLWR under normal full operating pressure and full temperature conditions and to assess the passive safety systems under transient conditions. The data generated by the testing program will be used to assess computer code calculations and to provide a better understanding of the thermal-hydraulic phenomena in the design of the MASLWR NSSS. During this testing program, four tests were conducted at the OSU MASLWR test facility. These tests included one design basis accident and one beyond design basis accident. During the performance of these tests, plant operations to include start up, normal operation and shut down evolutions were demonstrated successfully.     

Amino-acids in humic,nitrohumic and nitrofuvic acids from coal

The humic acids, HA, extracted from a Spanish lignite and the nitrohumic acids, NHA, and nitrofulvic acids, NFA, extracted from the same lignite after its nitration, are hydrolysed with 6N HCI under reflux. The α-amino acids present in the hydrolysates are determined and thirteen α-amino acids are identified. The amounts of nitrogen in the amino-acids released by the hydrolysis increase according to the sequence: NFA > NHA > HA.     

数字标牌时代,智能生活的全面升级

正数字标牌的发展可以说是一场技术革命,它在不同的环境下有着不同的应用潜能。如今,凭借智能、互联、精准和可视性强等突出优势,数字标牌正已成为仅次于电视的第二大媒体形式,同时也是零售物联网的重要媒介,帮助实现真正的O2O业务模式。数字标牌,可能对很多人来说还是一个十分陌生的词汇,但它其实已在"不经意"间走入了你的生活:在商场里,装有人脸识别系统的数字标牌成为商家进行精准营销的"虚拟店铺";在街头,具有移动支付功能的自动售货机可提供多种便民服务;在学校内,安装了教学系统的电子白板可帮助师生实时     

Ambient and High-Temperature Stable Fracture Tests in Ceramics: Applications to Yttria-Partially-Stabilized Zirconia

A new technique that provides stable fracture tests in brittle ceramic materials at room and at high temperature is presented. This technique uses the crack mouth opening displacement signal from a laser extensometer to feed the servo control of a hydraulic testing machine. In this way it is possible to obtain—in addition to the fracture toughness—the fracture energy and the R -curve, in a single test.     

An approach to accidents modeling based on compounds road environments

The most common approach to study the influence of certain road features on accidents has been the consideration of uniform road segments characterized by a unique feature. However, when an accident is related to the road infrastructure, its cause is usually not a single characteristic but rather a complex combination of several characteristics. The main objective of this paper is to describe a methodology developed in order to consider the road as a complete environment by using compound road environments, overcoming the limitations inherented in considering only uniform road segments. The methodology consists of: dividing a sample of roads into segments; grouping them into quite homogeneous road environments using cluster analysis; and identifying the influence of skid resistance and texture depth on road accidents in each environment by using generalized linear models. The application of this methodology is demonstrated for eight roads. Based on real data from accidents and road characteristics, three compound road environments were established where the pavement surface properties significantly influence the occurrence of accidents. Results have showed clearly that road environments where braking maneuvers are more common or those with small radii of curvature and high speeds require higher skid resistance and texture depth as an important contribution to the accident prevention.