Synthesis and nano-mechanical characterization of calcium-silicate-hydrate (C-S-H) made with 1.5 CaO/SiO2 mixture

In this study, calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) is synthesized and characterized. C-S-H slurry was made with calcium oxide (CaO) to micro-silica (SiO₂) mixture ratio of 1.5 and enough deionized water. The slurry was continuously mixed for 7 days, then the excess water was removed. Two methods of drying were implemented: one method used the standard d-dry technique and the other was equilibrated to 11% relative humidity (RH). The dried powders were characterized using thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRDA), and ²⁹Si magic angle spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The stoichiometric formulas of synthetic C-S-H powders dried to d-dry and 11% RH in this study were approximated as C_1.2SH_0.7 and C_1.2SH_2.4 respectively. The powders were then compacted to create specimens with porosities similar to C-S-H in hydrated cement. The specimens underwent nanoindentation to mechanically characterize C-S-H. The experiments provide insight on the nanoscale mechanical characteristics of C-S-H.     

Personality profiles of gifted women: Psychologists.

Compared the responses to the 16PF of 124 highly successful women psychologists with women in general, college women, and successful academic men to identify personality factors enabling these women to succeed in spite of powerful sex-role expectations to the contrary. In terms of test scores, women psychologists were significantly more intelligent, socially aloof, dominant, serious, adventuresome, sensitive, flexible, imaginative, insightful, unconventional, secure, self-sufficient, and less anxiety-prone than women in general and college girls. Despite similar test profiles of successful academic men and women, the women scored higher on intelligence, radicalism, and super-ego strength, and lower on self-sentiment. Women who published extensively were more exacting and socially aloof than less productive women psychologists. (28 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Subgrain growth in Al and Al-1% Mn during annealing

The subgrain growth during annealing of cold-worked Al-1% Mn and Al(4N) has been measured in the temperature intervals 300 to 400° C and 100 to 200° C respectively. For Al-1%Mn the subgrain diameter showed a parabolic growth, while for Al the diameter gradually reached a constant value. The microstructural investigations which included in situ annealing in a high voltage electron microscope demonstrated that the operating mechanism for growth in the higher temperature range was collective migration of sub-boundary dislocations. In the lower temperature range extraction of dislocations was found to be the dominating mechanism, i.e. dislocations partly lying in the boundaries are pulled out by the stress field in the subgrain interior. The observed growth rates were consistent with models for these mechanisms presented in two previous papers.     

Antioxidant activity and phenolic content of raw and blanched Amaranthus species

The study was aimed to determine the antioxidant activity (total antioxidant and free radical-scavenging activities) and total phenolic content of Amaranthus sp. The effects of different blanching times (10 and 15 min) on antioxidant activity and phenolic content were also studied. Four types of Amaranthus species locally known as spinach, namely ‘bayam putih’ (Amaranthus paniculatus) (BP), ‘bayam merah’ (Amaranthus gangeticus) (BM), ‘bayam itik’ (Amaranthus blitum) (BI) and ‘bayam panjang’ (Amaranthus viridis) (BPG), were selected. Total antioxidant activity of water-soluble components in raw spinach was in the order of BI ≈ BM ≈ BPG > BP, whereas free radical-scavenging activity was in the order of BI > BPG > BM > BP. The total phenolic contents of BM and BP were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than other samples. All the studied spinach species possessed different antioxidant activities and phenolic contents. Antioxidant activities and phenolic contents of all the spinach were in the order of raw > blanched 10 min > blanched 15 min. Blanching up to 15 min may affect losses of antioxidant activity and phenolic content, depending on the species of spinach.