Poled Polyaniline Coated Piezo Composite Using Low Electric Field and Reduced Poling Time： A Functional Material

Composite films were prepared by two different routes： lead zirconate titanate （PZT） particles coated with polyaniline （PAni） dispersed in a polymeric matrix of polyvinylidene fluoride （PVDF）; and PZT particles and PAni powder dispersed separately in the polymer matrix. The electrical conductivity of the particles was controlled by the protonation and de-protonation of PAni in solution with controlled pH. The results indicate that the percolation threshold of the composite made of PZT coated with a conductive layer （PZT-PAni） is in the range of 20 vol.% to 30 vol.% of PZT-PAni. The PZT-PAni/PVDF composite redoped in solution with pH 3.7 showed the best results in terms of longitudinal piezoelectric coefficient （d33） in samples containing 30 vol.% of ceramic particles due to the equilibrium between conduction and poling effects on the composite. The poling process of the composite sample required just 5 MV/m electric field applied during 15 min. Furthermore, the composite was used as sensor in structural health monitoring （SHM）, showing the possibility to propose it as a functional material.     

Neonatal handling reduces the number of cells in the locus coeruleus of rats.

Neonatal handling induces long-lasting effects on behaviors and stress responses. The objective of the present study was to analyze the effects of neonatal handling (from the 1st to the 10th day after delivery) on the number of cells and volume of locus coeruleus (LC) nucleus in male and female rats at 4 different ages: 11, 26, 35, and 90 days. Results showed significant reductions in the number of cells and the volume of the LC nucleus in neonatally handled males and females compared with nonhandled rats. Environmental stimulation early in life induced a stable structural change in a central noradrenergic nucleus, which could be one of the causal factors for the behavioral and hormonal alterations observed in adulthood. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

一个标准一次检验全球接受

标准与检验携手并进，缺一不可，已成为推动全球大市场发展的重要力量。标准为产品、服务、相关体系、生产过程及相关材料等提供了相应的技术规范和质量要求。检测则是验证这些标准是否可靠地得到实现。一旦标准在国际上得到广泛的认可，它就成为相关产品或服务的国际市场的发展依据，这就表明这个市场建立在可靠的质量基础之上，并具有较高的消费者信任度。标准是一种世界各地各种业务用以开发产品、服务和相关体系的技术语言。因各种业务都理解这种语言，那么在这种语言基础上所生产的产品或所产生的服务无论在何地都应具有相同的质量。制…     

Metrology issues in thin ONO stacks measurements by spectroscopic ellipsometry and X-ray reflectivity

We performed X-ray reflectivity (XRR) and spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) analysis of several ONO stacks with different deposition conditions. TEM was also used as reference technique. In the energy range from 1.5 to 6.5 eV, SE analysis shows a correlation between bottom and top oxide thickness. The small electron density difference between Si and SiO₂ makes the SiO₂/Si interface determination difficult to estimate by XRR. By etch profiling we observed a relatively large extension of the oxide/nitride interfaces. Comparing the results of both techniques, we have observed major differences in thickness estimation. Most of these differences can be attributed to an estimation and weighting of the interfaces among the different techniques are considered in this paper.     

UV-photopolymerisation of poly(methyl methacrylate)-based inorganic-organic hybrid coatings and bulk samples reinforced with methacrylate-modified zirconium oxocluster

In this work, we developed and optimised a synthetic route which enables to produce by spray-coating hard, transparent and stable inorganic-organic hybrid coatings for a wide variety of different substrates (e.g. stone, stainless steel, polymethylmethacrylate, polyethylene, wood, anodized aluminum). Chemically and thermally stable acrylate-based hybrid materials embedding the zirconium oxocluster Zr₄O₂(OMc)₁₂, OMc(CH₂C(CH₃)C(O)O) were prepared and UV-cured.The coatings of different compositions on different substrates were characterized by numerous analytical and spectroscopic methods such as FT-IR spectroscopy, Angle Resolved-XPS (AR-XPS), Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS), X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS), Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy (ESEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). Bulk samples were also prepared for additional characterizations. The bulk samples were analysed by FT-IR, whereas the cross-linking degree was qualitatively evaluated by swelling experiments. As far as the mechanical properties are concerned, the shear storage modulus (G′) and loss modulus (G″) were measured by Dynamical Mechanical Thermal Analysis (DMTA) technique. Moreover, the best conditions for the curing and cross-linking processes of the hybrid materials were studied up to 200 °C by using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). The thermal stability of the hybrid samples was evaluated by Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA).     

Critical revision of the available methods for evaluate the body composition in population-based and clinical studies

The corporal composition evaluation is extremely important for the individual and population nutritional state diagnosis and for the establishment of appropriate clinical-nutritional conducts. An excess of body fat is frequently associated with important metabolic alterations and chronic diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia The availability of methods to assess body composition is essential to evaluate health status of individuals.There are several methods for the corporal composition analysis, and it is important to know the limitation of each one and his/her validity so that the obtained estimates are reliable and correctly interpreted. The purpose of this study was to revise the applicability of some nutritional state indicators and corporal composition evaluation methods, such as corporal mass index, waist circumference and waist-hip relation, skinfold measurements, bioelectrical impedance analysis and near-infrared interactance.     

Synthesis, enantiomeric resolution, and structure-activity relationship study of a series of 10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a,d]cycloheptene MT2 receptor antagonists

Racemic N-(8-methoxy-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a,d]cyclohepten-10-ylmethyl)acetamide (compound 5) was previously identified as a novel selective MT(2) antagonist fulfilling the requirements of pharmacophore and 3D QSAR models. In this study the enantiomers of 5 were separated by medium-pressure liquid chromatography and behaved as the racemate. Compound 5 was modified at the acylaminomethyl side chain and at position C8. The resulting analogues generally behaved as melatonin receptor antagonists (GTPgammaS test) with a modest degree of selectivity (up to 10-fold) for the MT(2) receptor. Changes at the amide side chain led to a decrease in binding affinity, whereas 8-acetyl and 8-methyl derivatives 12 and 11, respectively, were as potent as the 8-methoxy parent compound 5. Docking experiments with an MT(2) receptor model suggested binding modes consistent with the observed SARs and with the lack of selectivity of the enantiomers of 5.     

Multi-axis motion controller for robotic applications implemented on an FPGA

This paper presents the design of a field-programmable gate array (FPGA)-based motion controller for robotic applications. In contrast to digital signal processor and microprocessor implementations, the control period of this system is fixed. Foregoing implementations on FPGA require microprocessor-based platforms for data interchange tasks consuming a large amount of resources; consequently, they could not be implemented on low logic density devices, or they use IP cores which limits the implementation of the system to only certain device families. This new motion controller architecture integrates control and communication modules in a single chip which permits an increase to the number of axis according to the system requirements. The proposed design presents a low consumption of logic resources; therefore, a considerable cost saving per axis is achieved. The system test has been carried out with a three-degree of freedom selective compliant assembly robot arm robot and a standard PC as master device. The digital filter parameters have been tuned by using a crossover frequency method. Step and profiled motion responses obtained show very good performance.     

Biofuel ethanol adulteration detection using an ultrasonic measurement method

Hydrous ethanol is a worldwide used biofuel. According to Brazilian regulations, the concentration of ethanol in hydrous ethanol can be accepted at a maximum concentration of 93.8% and a minimum of 92.6% by mass. The aim of this study is to identify the possible changes in hydrous ethanol fuel using ultrasonic attenuation and propagation velocity. The experiments were performed in the Laboratory of Ultrasound of the Brazilian National Institute of Metrology (Inmetro). The experiments and uncertainties in the methodology were evaluated according to the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement, JCGM 100:2008. The test samples used in this study were mixtures of ethanol and water with ethanol concentrations varying from 89.84% to 93.71% by mass; and a commercial fuel ethanol bought from a local distributor. The correlation coefficient between ethanol concentrations and ultrasonic propagation velocity was 0.99 (in modulus), and the maximum combined uncertainty was 0.60 m s^?1. Considering attenuation, the correlation coefficient was 0.97, and the maximum combined uncertainty was 0.085 dB cm^?1. However, its signal is not stable resulting an unreliable parameter. Within the tested concentration range, the highest concentration that is statistically different (p < 0.002, α = 5%) from 92.60% is 92.25%, considering propagation velocity as parameter. To validate the methodology, a commercial ethanol fuel was tested using the proposed method as well as the gas chromatography analytical method (gold standard). Result was statistically identical for propagation velocity when compared to the gold standard.