Facile modifications of polyimide via chloromethylation: II. Synthesis and characterization of thermocurable transparent polyimide having methylene acrylate side groups

From chloromethylated polyimide, a useful starting material for modification of aromatic polyimides, a thermocurable transparent polyimide having acrylate side groups was prepared. In the presence of 1,8‐diazabicyclo[5,4,0]undec‐7‐ene, chloromethylated polyimide was esterified with acrylic acid to synthesize poly(imide methylene acrylate). The polymer was soluble in organic solvent, which makes it possible to prepare a planar film by spin coating. The polymer film became insoluble after thermal treatment at 230 °C for 30 min. Optical transparency of the film at 400 nm (for 1 µm thickness) was higher than 98 % and not affected by further heating at 230 °C for 250 min. Adhesion properties measured by the ASTM D3359‐B method ranged from 4B to 5B. Preliminary results of planarization testing showed a high degree of planarization (DOP) value (>0.53). These properties demonstrate that poly(imide methylene acrylate) could be utilized as a thermocurable transparent material in fabricating display devices such as TFT‐LCD. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Cost Effective VLSI Architectures for Full-Search Block-Matching Motion Estimation Algorithm

In this paper, we present efficient VLSI architectures for full-search block-matching motion estimation (BMME) algorithm. Given a search range, we partition it into sub-search arrays called tiles. By fully exploiting data dependency within a tile, efficient VLSI architectures can be obtained. Using the proposed VLSI architectures, all the block-matchings in a tile can be processed in parallel. All the tiles within a search range can be processed serially or concurrently depending on various requirements. With the consideration of processing speed, hardware cost, and I/O bandwidth, the optimal tile size for a specific video application is analyzed. By partitioning a search range into tiles with appropriate size, flexible VLSI designs with different throughput can be obtained. In this way, cost effective VLSI designs for a wide range of video applications, from H.261 to HDTV, can be achieved.     

Finite twist and extension of a cylindrical elastic membrane

Summary We consider a circular cylindrical membrane subjected to longitudinal extension and twist. The associated equilibrium deformation is considered to be axisymmetric and the analysis is based on a direct two-dimensional formulation. Wrinkling of the membrane is taken into account in an approximate way by introducing arelaxed strain energy function derived from the neo-Hookean strain energy for isotropic elastic solids. Analytical formulae for wrinkled parts of the membrane are used to corroborate the results of a numerical treatment of the full boundary value problem.Dedicated to the memory of A. C. Pipkin     

The use of doped polyaniline as an electrode in the galvanic anodic protection of ferrous metals in industrial acid solutions

In order to investigate the galvanic anodic protection (GAP) of ferrous metals (such as 410, 304 and 316 stainless steels) in acid solutions by doped polyaniline (PANi), separate doped PANi powder-pressed electrodes with different surface areas (the area ratio of the PANi electrode to stainless steel is between 1:1 and 1:2) have been prepared. These were coupled with ferrous metal in the following solutions: 5 M sulphuric acid, 5 M phosphoric acid and industrial phosphoric acid (containing 5 M phosphoric acid and 0.05% chloride ion) to construct a galvanic cell, in which PANi is cathode while ferrous metal is anode. The results indicate that a PANi electrode with sufficient area can provide corrosion protection to stainless steel in these acidic solutions. A pilot scale coupling experiment was carried out. The results indicate that PANi is a promising material as an electrode for the anodic protection of ferrous metals in acidic solutions in industrial situations.     

拳王阿里

该片根据拳王阿里的故事改编而成。编导在影片中不但在努力塑造这位世界三大拳击组织的金腰带获得者，而且还塑造成了一个另类英雄。从更深的层面上看，正是因为阿里的传奇经历早已超越了一个体育明星的影响力。作为社会活动家与慈善大使，对发展中国家进行人道主义救援成为了这位拳王生活中极为重要的内容。他对他这一代人以及后来的几代人的影响为世人所公认。     

Application of the blind source separation method to feature extraction of machine sound signals

As the result of vibration emission in air, a machine sound signal carries important information about the working condition of machinery. But in practice, the sound signal is typically received with a very low signal-to-noise ratio. To obtain features of the original sound signal, uncorrelated sound signals must be removed and the wavelet coefficients related to fault condition must be retrieved. In this paper, the blind source separation technique is used to recover the wavelet coefficients of a monitored source from complex observed signals. Since in the proposed blind source separation (BSS) algorithms it is generally assumed that the number of sources is known, the Gerschgorin disk estimator method is introduced to determine the number of sound sources before applying the BSS method. This method can estimate the number of sound sources under non-Gaussian and non-white noise conditions. Then, the partial singular value analysis method is used to select these significant observations for BSS analysis. This method ensures that signals are separated with the smallest distortion. Afterwards, the time-frequency separation algorithm, converted to a suitable BSS algorithm for the separation of a non-stationary signal, is introduced. The transfer channel between observations and sources and the wavelet coefficients of the source signals can be blindly identified via this algorithm. The reconstructed wavelet coefficients can be used for diagnosis. Finally, the separation results obtained from the observed signals recorded in a semi-anechoic chamber demonstrate the effectiveness of the presented methods .     

Effect of storage temperature on phenolics stability in hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida var. major) fruits and a hawthorn drink

The stability of five major phenolics, namely (−)-epicatechin (EC), procyanidin B₂ (PC-B₂), chlorogenic acid (ChA), hyperoside (HP) and isoquercitrin (IQ), in hawthorn fruits and a canned hawthorn drink were evaluated during 6 months of storage in the dark at three different temperatures (4, 23 and 40 °C). HPLC with a diode-array detector was used to determine the contents of the individual compounds. The results showed that the studied phenolics in the hawthorn fruits and the drink were both stable at 4 °C and relatively unstable at 23 and 40 °C with varied extents of degradation. At room temperature (23 °C), marked degradations of EC and PC-B₂ were observed in both the fruits and the drink with around 50% and 30% decrease after a 6-month storage, respectively. A more significant decrease of the phenolics was observed at 40 °C, especially for EC and PC-B₂, which were almost completely degraded after a 6-month storage. HP, IQ and ChA were relatively stable at 23 °C, but unstable at 40 °C. Therefore, low-temperature storage is recommended for maintaining the quality and efficacy of hawthorn fruits and its preparations.     

Evaluation of accuracy of measuring intraocular pressure by handheld non-contact applanation tonometer

PURPOSE: To evaluate the accuracy of measuring intraocular pressure by handheld non-contact applanation tonometer. METHOD: 58 patients' (113 eyes) intraocular pressure were measured by Keeler, non-contact tonometer and R 900 Goldmann applanation tonometer and the results of measurement of intraocular pressure by the two kinds of tonometers were compared. RESULT: The mean intraocular pressure measured by non-contact is 16.31 +/- 5.59 mmHg and 17.49 +/- 6.13 mmHg (1 mmHg = 0.1333 kPa) by Goldmann applanation tonometer, respectively. There was no statistical significance to be found (P > 0.05) between the two methods. By linear correlation and regression analysis, a positive correlation was found between the two methods (r = 0.8942, b = 0.8154). CONCLUSION: The handheld non-contact tonometer has the same accuracy and reliability of measurement of intraocular pressure comparing with Goldmann applanation tonometer, and it can be used in glaucoma clinic and screening.     

Monoalkyl Esters of Isoalkylphosphonic Acid as Extractants in Rare Earth Separation

Four monoalkyl esters of isoalkylphosphonic acids have been studied for the chromatographic separation ofrare earths (RE).The relationship between distribution ratios and acid concentration of the eluants forsamarium and ytterbium has been explored.The characteristics of these extractants loaded onto macroreticularpoly (methyl methacrylate) resin beads for the separation of lanthanum,cerium,praseodymium and neodymiumhave been compared.Among the extractants studied,mono(1-methylheptyl) ester of isooctylphosphonic acidwas found to be the best for RE separation.The acidity for separation is lower than any known P-containingextractants for the same purpose.For instance,with 1.73 mol·L~(-1) nitric acid as eluent,thulium,ytterbium andlutetium can be separated quantitatively.The extractant-loaded resins possess high column efficiency with goodkinetic characteristics.The extraction mechanism was also explored.