Quantification of carbon nanotube dispersion and its correlation with mechanical and thermal properties of epoxy nanocomposites

An experimental study is carried out to quantitatively assess the dispersion quality of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in epoxy matrix as a function of CNT variant and weight fraction. To this end, two weight fractions (0.05% and 0.25%) of as-grown, oxidized, and functionalized CNTs are used to process CNT/epoxy nanocomposites. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared analysis of different variants of CNTs are used to establish the efficiency of purification route. While the relative change in mechanical properties is investigated through tensile and micro-hardness testing, thermal conductivity of different nanocomposites is measured to characterize the effect of CNT addition on the average thermal properties of epoxy. Later on, a quantitative analysis is carried out to establish the relationship between the observed improvements in average composite properties with the dispersion quality of CNTs in epoxy. It is shown that carboxylic (-COOH) functionalization reduces the average CNT agglomerate size and thus ensures better dispersion of CNTs in epoxy even at higher CNT weight fraction. The improved dispersion leads to enhanced interfacial interaction at the CNT/epoxy interface and hence provides higher relative improvement in nanocomposite properties compared to the samples prepared using as-grown and oxidized CNTs. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48879.     

Robust object matching for persistent tracking with heterogeneous features

This paper addresses the problem of matching vehicles across multiple sightings under variations in illumination and camera poses. Since multiple observations of a vehicle are separated in large temporal and/or spatial gaps, thus prohibiting the use of standard frame-to-frame data association, we employ features extracted over a sequence during one time interval as a vehicle fingerprint that is used to compute the likelihood that two or more sequence observations are from the same or different vehicles. Furthermore, since our domain is aerial video tracking, in order to deal with poor image quality and large resolution and quality variations, our approach employs robust alignment and match measures for different stages of vehicle matching. Most notably, we employ a heterogeneous collection of features such as lines, points, and regions in an integrated matching framework. Heterogeneous features are shown to be important. Line and point features provide accurate localization and are employed for robust alignment across disparate views. The challenges of change in pose, aspect, and appearances across two disparate observations are handled by combining a novel feature-based quasi-rigid alignment with flexible matching between two or more sequences. However, since lines and points are relatively sparse, they are not adequate to delineate the object and provide a comprehensive matching set that covers the complete object. Region features provide a high degree of coverage and are employed for continuous frames to provide a delineation of the vehicle region for subsequent generation of a match measure. Our approach reliably delineates objects by representing regions as robust blob features and matching multiple regions to multiple regions using Earth Mover's Distance (EMD). Extensive experimentation under a variety of real-world scenarios and over hundreds of thousands of Confirmatory Identification (CID) trails has demonstrated about 95 percent accuracy in vehicle reacquisition with both visible and Infrared (IR) imaging cameras.     

Petri net approach to enumerate all simple paths in a graph

A technique utilising the concept of reachability in a Petri net is proposed to enumerate all simple paths between two specified nodes of a graph. It is simple and requires little computation.     

A Technology‐Enhanced Learning Environment for an Optical Fiber Communications Course*

This paper describes a technology‐enhanced learning environment for an undergraduate course on Optical Fiber Communications ( http:ctle.colorado.edunsf2000 ).     

Design considerations for developing biodegradable and bioabsorbable magnesium implants

The integration of biodegradable and bioabsorbable magnesium implants into the human body is a complex undertaking that faces major challenges. Candidate biomaterials must meet both engineering and physiological requirements to ensure the desired properties. Historically, efforts have been focused on the behavior of commercial magnesium alloys in biological environments and their resultant effect on cell-mediated processes. Developing causal relationships between alloy chemistry and microstructure, and effects as a cellular behavior can be a difficult and time-intensive process. A systems design approach has the power to provide significant contributions in the development of the next generation of magnesium alloy implants with controlled degradability, biocompatibility, and optimized mechanical properties, at reduced time and cost. This approach couples experimental research with theory and mechanistic modeling for the accelerated development of materials. The aim of this article is to enumerate this strategy, design considerations, and hurdles for developing new cast magnesium alloys for use as biodegradable implant materials.     

Trackability as a cue for potential obstacle identification and 3-D description

In many man-made environments, obstacles in the path of a mobile robot can be characterized asshallow, that is, they have relatively small extent in depth compared to the distance from the camera. We present a framework for segmenting shallow structures from their background over a sequence of images. Shallowness is first quantified asaffine describability. This is embedded in a tracking system within which hypothesized model structures undergo a cycle of prediction and model-matching. Structures emerge either as shallow or nonshallow based on theiraffine trackability. Two major contributions of this work are (i) aggregate object tracking based on 3-D motion and structure constraints in constrast with traditional primitive feature tracking based on image motion heuristics, and (ii) use of temporal behavior for object segmentation and 3-D reconstruction.     

A heuristic approach to the generation of tests for faults on the intermediate lines

The paper deals with the study of test generation mechanisms for faults on the intermediate lines using Boolean matrices. The proposed technique is a novel approach to the problem and also aims at deriving the results heuristically, thus saving computational effort. The technique has been illustrated by suitable examples.     

Quantification of trans fatty acid content in French fries of local food service retailers using attenuated total reflection – Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

The contents of trans fatty acids in French fries served at the local food service retailers in Honolulu were determined by simple Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic technique without the pretreatment of fatty acid extraction. A horizontal attenuated total reflection (ATR) crystal made of zinc selenide (ZnSe) was used to obtain FTIR spectra of French fries with and without fatty acid extraction. Residual oil films obtained by pressing French fries directly on the ATR crystal surface without removal of any solid particles or air bubbles were scanned for the spectral measurement. The calibration set consisted of triolein (C18:1, 9-cis) and trielaidin (C18:1, 9-trans) mixed in varying ratios. All spectral data were averaged and converted into GRAMS format. The peak heights of each spectrum at 966 cm⁻¹ were found to be linearly correlated with the contents of trans fatty acids in the validation set (n = 8, R² = 0.9835). The developed calibration model was validated by comparing the results obtained from the ATR-FTIR with Mojonnier extraction and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS).     

A design approach for myoelectric arm with hand and wrist motions using single actuator

This paper relates to the development of prosthetic myoelectric hand that performs many functions of real human hand like opening and closing of fingers and wrist rotation. This dual movement of prosthetic hand is controlled by a single DC motor. Below-elbow amputee persons with missing limbs can append this prosthetic hand with the available stump and can do some of the hand operations with multiple degrees of freedom by voluntary activation of muscles using electromyogram (EMG) electrodes. To rehabilitate such a person, facilities like opening, closing, grasping, and lifting objects of different weight with variable grip force are available like natural hand. The main design consideration includes degrees of freedom, number of actuators, power of actuators, reliability, electronic control, light weight, economic viability, wrist rotation, variable grip force pattern, and ease of attachment with limb. Use of electromagnetic clutches along with the coupling logic of DC motor and microcontroller based on grip force generation and wrist rotation based on EMG signals imparts a new function to the device. It will be useful for both robotic and prosthetic industry.