Nonuniformity of phase structure in immiscible polymer blends

This article is focused on the phase structure development in immiscible polymer blends during melt mixing. Nonuniformity of the phase structure, i.e., the coexistence of areas containing particles with markedly different size distribution, was detected in quenched and compression molded samples of a number of various blends prepared by long and intensive mixing in the chamber of a Plasticorder. The same effect was found also for polystyrene/polyamide blends prepared in a twin‐screw extruder. It was shown that neglecting nonuniformity of the phase structure can lead to considerable error in evaluation of the effect of system parameters on the blend morphology. The reasons for the effect were discussed and it was found that inhomogeneous flow field in mixers is a plausible explanation of the nonuniform phase structure. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Fabrication of Strain-Relaxed Si<Subscript>1 − <Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Ge<Subscript>x</Subscript>/Si(001) Buffer Layers of Low Surface Roughness

The results are presented of the fabrication of strain-relaxed graded Si_{1 − x} Ge_x/Si(001) buffer layers with a maximum Ge fraction of about 0.25 that have a low density of threading dislocations (<10⁶ cm⁻²) and low surface roughness. The buffer layers are grown by atmospheric-pressure hydride CVD. It is found that chemical mechanical polishing can reduce their surface roughness to a level comparable with that of the original Si(001) substrates. It is shown that the polished buffer layers can serve as substrates for MBE-grown SiGe/Si heterostructures.__________Translated from Mikroelektronika, Vol. 34, No. 4, 2005, pp. 243–250.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Vostokov, Drozdov, Krasil’nik, Kuznetsov, Novikov, Perevoshchikov, Shaleev.     

What are the key elements of a sustainable university?

Nowadays, the principles of sustainable development are becoming increasingly important and universities are acting as agents in promoting these principles within society. In the future, universities will inevitably play crucial role in propagating these principles. This paper highlights important documents and discusses definitions of the term education for sustainable development. Elements, based on continuous feedback loop (Deming spiral) are discussed, in order to incorporate sustainability principles into university activities. The University of Maribor has been used as a case study to test the effectiveness of the proposed integration of sustainable development principles.     

Coupling GIS with Hydrologic and Hydraulic Flood Modelling

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have been recognised as a powerful means to integrate and analyse data from various sources in the context of comprehensive floodplain management. As part of this comprehensive approach to floodplain management, it is very important to be able to predict the consequences of different scenarios in terms of flooded areas and associated risk. Hydrologic and hydraulic modelling plays a crucial role and there is much to gain in incorporating these modelling capabilities in GIS. This is still a rather complex task and research is being done on the full integration of these models. Interfacing between these models and GIS may be a very efficient way of overcoming the difficulties and getting very good results in terms of engineering practice. This paper presents results based on the use of Intergraph GIS coupled with Idrisi GIS. Using these two systems substantially increased the flexibility of using GIS as a tool for flood studies. A lumped (XSRAIN) and a distributed (OMEGA) hydrologic models were used to simulate flood hydrographs. The well known HEC-2 Hydraulic model was used to compute flooded areas. These models were applied in the Livramento catchment with very good results. The computation of flooded areas for different flood scenarios, and its representation in GIS, can be used in the assessment of affected property and associated damages. This is a very useful GIS-based approach to floodplain management.     

Volatile organo-halogen trace analysis in beverages by thin-layer headspace enrichment and electron-capture gas-chromatography

Applicability of thin-layer headspace (TLHS) procedure giving an aqueous concentrate and also classical purge and trap (PT) in off-line mode to isolate and enrich volatile organohalogen compounds in common beverages was tested. Both enrichment tech-niques were used in combination with gas chromatography – electron capture detection (GC-ECD). TLHS, combined with direct aqueous injection (DAI)-GC-ECD, proved applicable in the determination of volatile organohalogen compounds in all studied beverages, while the PT in a version with no preliminary sample pre-treatment was of limited applicability. Detection limits of the TLHS-based procedure were in the order of 1 ppt. Content of volatile organohalogen compounds in a number of beverages available on the Polish market including mineral waters, beers, juices, carbonated and non-carbonated soft drinks, etc. was determined by means of TLHS-DAI-GC-ECD.     

Non-specific antitumoral activity of staphylococcal enterotoxins

St. aureus enterotoxins A and B possess an antitumour effect. After intraperitoneal inoculation they decrease the size and in some cases prevent the development of the human hypernephroma in the cheek pouch of golden hamsters. The effect of enterotoxins may possibly consist in inducing the production of endogenous immune interferon which activates the host immune system and enhances the rejection of heterologous tumour cells.     

Erbium ion electroluminescence in p ++/n +/n-Si:Er/n ++ silicon diode structures

Results of experimental studies of erbium ion electroluminescence in p ⁺⁺/n ⁺/n-Si:Er/n ⁺⁺ silicon diode structures grown by sublimation molecular-beam epitaxy are discussed. The distinctive feature of these structures is that the regions of electron flux formation of (n ⁺-Si) and impact excitation of erbium ions (n-Si:Er) are spaced. The influence of the n ⁺-Si layer thickness on electrical and electroluminescent properties of diodes was studied. It was shown that n ⁺-Si layer thinning causes the transformation of the structure breakdown mechanism from tunneling to avalanche. The dependence of the Er³⁺ ion electroluminescence on the thickness of the heavily doped n ⁺-Si region is bell-shaped. At the n ⁺-Si-layer doping level n ≈ 2 × 10¹⁸ cm^?3, the maximum electroluminescence intensity is attained at an n ⁺-Si layer thickness of ～23 nm.     

Strawberry juice colour: The effect of some processing variables on the stability of anthocyanins

The colour stability of juice and purées made from a mixture of two strawberry varieties, stored at + 20°C or at –20°C under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, was studied. High-performance liquid chromatography and spectrophotometric analysis were used to monitor the changes in colour during storage. Pelargonidin 3-glucoside comprised 80% of the total anthocyanin content. Four other pelargonidin-based peaks were found, being 10.4%, 3.5%, 0.7% and 0.3% of the total and two cyanidin peaks were present, being 3.3% and 0.4% of the total. Clarification before storage caused considerable losses in the initial anthocyanin concentrations. Storage conditions (air versus nitrogen) did not influence the rate of loss of anthocyanins during storage or the formation of polymeric pigments. There were no losses in anthocyanins and no increase in the amount of colour measured at 510 nm due to polymers in samples stored at–20°C. Polymerisation occurred in the samples stored at + 20°C, especially in the clarified samples.     

Influence of oxygen on the ion-beam synthesis of silicon carbide buried layers in silicon

The properties of silicon structures with silicon carbide (SiC) buried layers produced by high-dose carbon implantation followed by a high-temperature anneal are investigated by Raman and infrared spectroscopy. The influence of the coimplantation of oxygen on the features of SiC buried layer formation is also studied. It is shown that in identical implantation and post-implantation annealing regimes a SiC buried layer forms more efficiently in CZ Si wafers or in Si (CZ or FZ) subjected to the coimplantation of oxygen. Thus, oxygen promotes SiC layer formation as a result of the formation of SiO_x precipitates and accommodation of the volume change in the region where the SiC phase forms. Carbon segregation and the formation of an amorphous carbon film on the SiC grain boundaries are also discovered. Fiz. Tekh. Poluprovodn. 32, 1414–1419 (December 1998)