Cover Image,Volume 69, Issue 3

The cover image is based on the Mini‐Review Well‐defined, environment‐friendly synthesis of polypeptides based on phosgene‐free transformation of amino acids into urethane derivatives and their applications by Takeshi Endo et al., https://doi.org/10.1002/pi.5952 . Cover image © Takeshi Endo Images.

     

Prediction of spectral reflectance factor distribution of automotive paint finishes

It is necessary to determine the accurate reflectance of painted surfaces for the review of paint finishes by computer graphics (CG) before actual painting of the exterior color of automobiles, and for quality control during production and inspection processes. We have optimized a method for measuring reflectance by using a statistical technique. We have found that the reflectance of a painted surface is best measured at an incident angle of 60° and at five aspecular angles of 10°, 18°, 28°, 40°, and 90°. Our method makes it possible to accurately reproduce reflection characteristics of paint finishes containing special flake pigments, such as pearl mica. Also it was proved that our method can apply not only to solid and metallic coatings but to all painted surfaces. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 30, 275–282, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/col.20125     

Effect of surfactants on phenol removal by the method of polymerization and precipitation catalysed by Coprinus cinereus peroxidase

The removal of phenol by peroxidase‐catalysed polymerization was examined using Coprinus cinereus peroxidase in the presence of surfactants. The non‐ionic surfactants with poly(oxyethene) residues, Triton X‐100, Triton X‐405 and Tween 20, enhanced the phenol removal efficiency at a level similar to high relative molecular mass poly(ethylene glycol) (relative molecular mass 3000). Although the improvement in the removal efficiency was less than that of Triton X‐100, Span 20, sodium lauryl sulfate (SDS) and lauryl trimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) also enhanced the removal efficiency. The requirement of the enzyme for almost 100% removal of 100 mg dm^?3 phenol decreased to one‐fourth by the addition of 30 mg dm^?3 Triton X‐100. Triton X‐100, Triton X‐405, Tween 20 and DTAB could reactivate the enzyme precipitated with the phenol polymer, leading to the restarting of the phenol removal reaction. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

Inter- and intra-molecular ionic interactions of polyampholyte: Carboxymethyl-2-diethylaminoethylcellulose

Carboxymethyl-2-diethylaminoethylcellulose (CM-DEAE cellulose) was prepared by etherification of carboxymethylcellulose with diethylaminoethyl chloride in a NaOH solution. The behaviour of CM-DEAE cellulose in aqueous solution was studied by viscosity and GPC measurements. The degree of substitution (DS) and existing states of DEAE substituents were examined by the use of proton NMR, and those of the CM substituents were observed with FT-IR. The results reveal that the reduced viscosity and apparent molecular size of CM-DEAE cellulose vary with the concentration of sodium chloride and changes in pH and DS. These phenomena can be explained in terms of inter- and intra-molecular ionic interactions.     

Damage tolerance of glass mat/epoxy laminates hybridized with flexible resin under static and impact loading

This study deals with the impact property and damage tolerance of matrix hybrid composite laminates with different laminate constitution. The matrix hybrid composite laminates consisted of the laminae with a conventional epoxy resin and the laminae with a flexible epoxy resin modified from the conventional resin to avoid the interlaminar delamination. The impact energy absorption ratio greatly depended on the matrix resin placed at the impact face. The energy absorption was almost constant if the conventional resin was placed at the impact surface layer, while it increased exponentially with the increasing fraction of the flexible resin if the flexible resin was placed at the impact face. The impact energy was absorbed by the damage development and propagation in the laminate with conventional resin laminae as the impacted face, while it was absorbed by both the recoverable deformation of the flexible resin and the damage propagation in the laminate with flexible resin laminae as the impacted face.     

Using a GPU to Accelerate Die and Mold Fabrication

The authors present a GPU-based method for generating and verifying cutter paths for numerically controlled milling. A CAM system based on this technology is now employed in production at Mazda Motor Corporation for manufacturing stamping dies. This system can compute cutter paths more than 20 times faster than previous methods     

A D&T roundtable: challenges for low-power and high-performancechips

Microprocessor and other lC performance continues to improve at historic rates, with no visible end in sight for the next 10 years. However, we are starting to encounter a power wall. This is true for high-performance components as well as for low-power chips with a very limited energy budget offered by batteries. We need to find ways to manage power and energy consumption on all fronts-technology, design, and architecture-without compromising performance. Otherwise, we may face discontinuation of Moore's law for the semiconductor industry in the near future. This would be triggered not by any difficulty in the scaling of process technology but by formidable barriers posed by packaging and cooling, inefficacy of power delivery, and energy constraints dictated by battery technology, which is advancing at a very lukewarm pace     

Preparation of highly crystalline nanofibers on Fe and Fe-Ni catalysts with a variety of graphene plane alignments

The present study confirmed that highly crystalline nanofibers with controlled structure may be prepared over Fe and Fe-Ni alloy catalysts. The degree of graphitization of various carbon nanofibers (CNFs) was analyzed by using C(0 0 2) peaks from the XRD profiles. The C(0 0 2) peaks of CNFs over Fe catalyst shifted to higher angle and became narrower as the preparation temperature increased from 560 to 620 °C. Tubular CNFs prepared at temperature higher than 630 °C showed lower 2θ angles compared to those of platelet fibers. CNFs prepared over Fe-Ni catalysts tended to resemble those prepared over Fe catalysts. The degree of graphitization of platelet CNFs resembled natural graphite, while d_0 0 2 of the tubular CNFs showed values below the 3.39 Å reported as a theoretical minimum for a cylindrical alignment. Lc_0 0 2 of platelet and tubular CNFs increased by heat treatment at 2000 and 2800 °C though d_0 0 2 changed little. A transverse section of platelet and tubular CNFs had a hexagonal shape, not a round shape. The hexagonal column allows AB stacking of hexagonal planes that can give perfect hexagonal alignment.     

Achieving evenhandedness in certified email system for contract signing

Certified email is a system which enables a sender to prove a receiver’s receipt of email. Such a system can be used for applications related to electronic commerce on the Internet. This paper considers a situation where a sender or a receiver wants to change his/her mind due to the change of mail content value (e.g., stock, auction, gambling) during the transaction. We point out that no traditional certified email systems have been designed for such a case, thus one of the participants can be at a disadvantage. To avoid this problem, we propose an evenhanded certified email system in which each participant can change his/her choice, either cancel or finish the transaction, at any time during the transaction.