Analysis of the ionospheric variability based on wavelet decomposition

In this work,the ionospheric variability is analyzed by applying the wavelet decomposition technique to the noontime fo F2,F10.7,interplanetary magnetic field(IMF)Bz,Ap,and lower thermospheric temperature at pressure of 10?4 h Pa in 2002.Results show that the variance of periodic oscillations in the ionosphere is largest in the 2–4-day period and declines with the increase of the period.The maximum variance of the periodic oscillations in solar irradiation is in the 16–32-day period.For geomagnetic activities,most of the variance is about equally distributed on intervals of periods shorter than 32 days.Variance distributions of IMF Bz and lower thermospheric temperature are similar to those of the ionosphere.They show the maximum in the 2–4-day period and decline with the increase of the period.By analyzing the distributions of the variances,the potential connections between the ionosphere and the external sources are discussed.     

Microstructure and damage evolution of SiCf/PyC/SiC and SiCf/BN/SiC mini-composites: A synchrotron X-ray computed microtomography study

SiC_f/PyC/SiC and SiC_f/BN/SiC mini-composites comprising single tow SiC fibre-reinforced SiC with chemical vapor deposited PyC or BN interface layers are fabricated. The microstructure evolutions of the mini-composite samples as the oxidation temperature increases (oxidation at 1000, 1200, 1400, and 1600?°C in air for 2?h) are observed by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectrometry, and X-ray diffraction characterization methods. The damage evolution for each component of the as-fabricated SiC_f/SiC composites (SiC fibre, PyC/BN interface, SiC matrix, and mesophase) is mapped as a three-dimensional (3D) image and quantified with X-ray computed tomography. The mechanical performance of the composites is investigated via tensile tests.The results reveal that tensile failure occurs after the delamination and fibre pull-out in the SiC_f/PyC/SiC composites due to the volatilization of the PyC interface at high temperatures in the air environment. Meanwhile, the gaps between the fibres and matrix lead to rapid oxidation and crack propagation from the SiC matrix to SiC fibre, resulting in the failure of the SiC_f/PyC/SiC composites as the oxidation temperature increases to 1600?°C. On the other hand, the oxidation products of B₂O₃ molten compounds (reacted from the BN interface) fill up the fracture, cracks, and voids in the SiC matrix, providing excellent strength retention at elevated oxidation temperatures. Moreover, under the protection of B₂O₃, the SiC_f/BN/SiC mini-composites show a nearly intact microstructure of the SiC fibre, a low void growth rate from the matrix to fibre, and inhibition of new void formation and the SiO₂ grain growth from room to high temperatures. This work provides guidance for predicting the service life of SiC_f/PyC/SiC and SiC_f/BN/SiC composite materials, and is fundamental for establishing multiscale damage models on a local scale.     

Structures and properties of chicken myofibrillar protein gel induced by microwave heating

Structures and properties of myofibrillar protein gel prepared at different power (300–800 W) were evaluated. Amino acid analysis demonstrated that changes in microwave power did not alter primary structure of gel. However, an increase in microwave power could change higher structures of gel. As microwave power increased, α-helix content decreased and β-sheet content increased. Increased microwave power probably facilitated protein to unfold and expose the internal groups, causing surface hydrophobicity and the formation of disulphide bonds were enhanced, which indicated changes in tertiary and quaternary structures of protein. At 500 W, gel had the best ultrastructure where surface morphology, springiness and water holding capacity reached the optimum. Our findings suggested that microwave at an appropriate power (500 W) could change higher structures of myofibrillar protein gel to achieve desired processing and quality protein gel characteristics.     

Structural dependence of microwave dielectric properties of spinel structured Mg2(Ti1-xSnx)O4 solid solutions: Crystal structure refinement,Raman spectra study and complex chemical bond theory

Mg₂(Ti_1-xSn_x)O₄ (x?=?0–1) ceramics were prepared through conventional solid-state method. This paper focused on the dependence of microwave dielectric properties on crystal structural characteristics via crystal structure refinement, Raman spectra study and complex chemical bond theory. XRD spectrums delineated the phase information of a spinel structure, and structural characteristic of these compositions were achieved with the help of Rietveld refinements. Raman spectrums were used to depict the correlations between vibrational phonon modes and dielectric properties. The variation of permittivity is ascribed to the Mg₂(Ti_1-xSn_x)O₄ average bond covalency. The relationship among the B-site octahedral bond energy, tetrahedral bond energy and temperature coefficient are discussed by defining on the change rate of bond energy and the contribution rate of octahedral bond energy. The quality factor is affected by systematic total lattice energy, and the research of XPS patterns illustrated that oxygen vacancies can be effectively restrained in rich oxygen sintering process. Obviously, the microwave dielectric properties of Mg₂(Ti_1-xSn_x)O₄ compounds were obtained (${\epsilon }_r$= 12.18, $Q\times f$?=?170,130?GHz, ${\tau }_f$?=??53.1?ppm/°C, x?=?0.2).     

An image segmentation method based on Mumford–Shah model with mask factor and neighborhood factor

Pattern Analysis and Applications - A novel image segmentation model is proposed to improve the stability of existing segmentation methods. In the proposed model, we introduce two factors into the...     

Microstructures and mechanical properties of B4C-TiB2-SiC composites fabricated by ball milling and hot pressing

B₄C-TiB₂-SiC composites were fabricated via hot pressing using ball milled B₄C, TiB₂, and SiC powder mixtures as the starting materials. The impact of ball milling on the densification behaviors, mechanical properties, and microstructures of the ceramic composites were investigated. The results showed that the refinement of the powder mixtures and the removal of the oxide impurities played an important role in the improvement of densification and properties. Moreover, the formation of the liquid phases during the sintering was deemed beneficial for densification. The typical values of relative density, hardness, bending strength, and fracture toughness of the composites reached 99.20%, 32.84?GPa, 858?MPa and 8.21?MPa?m^1/2, respectively. Crack deflection, crack bridging, crack branching, and microcracking were considered to be the potential toughening mechanisms in the composites. Furthermore, numerous nano-sized intergranular/intragranular phases and twin structures were observed in the B₄C-TiB₂-SiC composite.     

Research on hydrophobicity of electrospun Fe3O4/PVDF nanofiber membranes under different preparation conditions

Abstract

Preparation condition can affect the structure and the properties of nanofiber membrane. In order to explore suitable conditions to prepare the Fe₃O₄/PVDF nanofiber membrane with good hydrophobicity, the hydrophobicity of Fe₃O₄/PVDF nanofiber membranes obtained by electrospinning was investigated by changing preparation conditions like weight percentage of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles, blending quality concentration of poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles, and positive voltage. And the variations of hydrophobicity of Fe₃O₄/PVDF nanofiber membranes modified by 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorodecyl trimethoxysilane were studied. The results show that the hydrophobicity of Fe₃O₄/PVDF nanofiber membranes has changed under different preparation conditions. The contact angles of samples increased after a modification by 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorodecyl trimethoxysilane, which indicates that the hydrophobicity of Fe₃O₄/PVDF nanofiber membranes has been enhanced.