Correction factors involved in mercury porosimetry

In order to calculate the true volume intrusion of mercury into the pores of a sample, a correction must be made to the observed intrusion to account for the compression of the sample cell, mercury and sample. A theoretical analysis of this correction is presented which is shown to overcome the inadequacies of the usual corrective measure of running a blank experiment in the absence of a sample or on a non-porous sample. The equations derived involve the mercury fill volume in the sample cell, the compressibilities of the mercury, glass and sample and the solid volume of the sample.     

Highly ion-conductive solid polymer electrolytes based on polyethylene non-woven matrix

Highly ion-conductive solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) based on polyethylene (PE) non-woven matrix is prepared by filling poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-based crosslinked electrolyte inside the pores of the non-woven matrix. The PE non-woven matrix not only shows good mechanical strength for SPE to be a free-standing film, but also has very porous structure for high ion conductivity. The ion conductivity of SPE based on PE non-woven matrix can be enhanced by adding sufficient non-volatile plasticizer such as poly(ethylene glycol) dimethyl ether (PEGDME) into ion conduction phase without sacrificing mechanical strength. SPE with 20 wt.% crosslinking agent and 80 wt.% non-volatile plasticizer shows 3.1 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ at room temperature (20 °C), to our knowledge, which is the highest level for SPEs. It is also electrochemically stable up to 5.2 V and has high transference number about 0.52 due to the introduction of anion receptor as an additive. The interfacial resistance between Li electrode and SPE is low enough to perform charge/discharge test of unit cell consisting of LiCoO₂/SPE/Li at room temperature. The discharge capacity of the unit cell shows 87% of theoretical value with 86% Coulombic efficiency.     

An EGF-pseudomonas exotoxin A recombinant protein with a deletion in toxin binding domain specifically kills EGF receptor bearing cells

We constructed two chimeric toxins; one composed of epidermalgrowth factor (EGF) and pseudomonas exotoxin A (PE), designatedEGF-PE and the other composed of EGF and PE with a deletionof the Ia domain (cell-binding domain), designated EGF-PE (Ia).Both chimeric toxins reacted with anti-EGF and anti-PE antibodies.The cell-killing experiments showed that EGF-PE, but not EGF-PE(Ia),was cytotoxic to the murine fibroblast cell line NR6, whichcarried the PE receptor, but not the EGF receptor. However,after NR6 was transfected with DNA for the expression of humanEGF receptor, the transfected cell line, designated NRHER5,overexpressed human EGF receptors and became sensitive to EGF-PE(IA).The cytotoxicity of EGF-PE(Ia), but not EGF-PE, to NRHER5 canbe completely blocked by an excess amount of EGF. To completelyreverse the cytotoxicity of EGF-PE on NRHER5, both the EGF receptorpathway and the PE receptor pathway need to be blocked. Theseresults suggest that EGF-PE exhibits both EGF and PE bindingactivities, while EGF-PE(IA) possesses only EGF binding activity.Thus, EGF-PE(Ia) may be a better chimeric toxin than EGF-PEin terms of target specificity to EGF receptor bearing cells.We, therefore, examined the cytotoxicity of EGF-PE(Ia) to varioushuman cancer cell lines. We find that human cancer cells containingmore EGF receptors are more sensitive to EGF-PE(Ia).     

Infrared reflectance and transmission spectra of semiconducting non-stoichiometric CdGe x As2

The infrared reflectance and transmission spectra of amorphous CdGe _x As₂ were investigated to study the amorphous structure with varying Ge content. The mid-infrared optical absorption edges of amorphous CdGe _x As₂ with 0<x<1.2, were observed in the range 1.6–1.7 m, indicating a structural similarity in short-range order throughout. Comparing the reflectance and transmission spectra of amorphous and devitrified crystalline phases established that the structures of amorphous CdGe _x As₂ transformed from the CdAs₂ basic structure to the chalcopyrite (CdGeAs₂) structure, as one progressed fromx=0 tox=1.2. The infrared spectra were interpreted interactively with radial distribution function, magnetic susceptibility, density measurements, and crystallization studies. The crystallization behaviour of amorphous CdGe _x As₂ that was heat treated at different temperatures was investigated using far-infrared transmission spectra.     

Inclusion of third-person perspective in CAVE-like immersive 3D virtual reality role-playing games for social reciprocity training of children with an autism spectrum disorder

Universal Access in the Information Society - The present study aimed to improve the ability of children with autism to recognize emotions correctly. We used our third-person perspective...     

Visiting pebbles on rectangular grids: coordinating multiple robots in mobile fulfilment systems

Intelligent Service Robotics - Multi-robot path finding and coordination is one of the key performance-affecting subsystems of the overall robotic order fulfilment process for use in warehouse...     

Adsorption studies of water on copper,nickel, and iron using the quartz-crystal microbalance technique: Assessment of BET and FHH models of adsorption

In the atmospheric corrosion of copper, nickel, and iron, the adsorption of water affects the corrosion rates. Knowledge of water adsorption and metal oxyhydroxide formation is important in understanding the atmospheric corrosion process. The purposes of the present research were (1) to measure the adsorption of water on metal surfaces as a function of temperature and relative humidity (RH) and (2) to assess Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) model and Frenkel-Halsey-Hill (FHH) model for water adsorption. In the present research, the quartz-crystal microbalance (QCM) technique was used to measure the mass changes of copper, nickel, and iron at 0 to 100% RH and 7–90°C under nitrogen environments. Less water was adsorbed on copper, nickel, and iron which formed oxides than on gold. BET and FHH models could not fit the data points with single functional relationships. ΔH values were calculated using modified BET method and they decreased with temperature.     

High Temperature Oxidation of Steels in Air and CO2–O2 Atmosphere

Three kinds of hot rolled steel slabs, viz. high strength steel, bake hardened steel and low carbon steel, were oxidized isothermally between 1100 and 1250 °C for up to 2 hr in 1 atm of air and an 85%N₂–10%CO₂–5%O₂ gas mixture. The steels were oxidized in a similar fashion in both the atmospheres. The oxidation process followed an initial linear rate law, which then gradually transformed to a nearly parabolic rate law. Thick, porous and nonadherent scales formed rapidly, due to the high oxidation temperature. The scales formed consisted of Fe₂O₃,(Fe₂O₃+Fe₃O₄), (Fe₃O₄+Fe₂O₃ +FeO) and (FeO+Fe₃O₄) from the outer surface. The presence of supersaturated oxygen beneath the scale resulted in grain boundary oxidation and the formation of internal oxide precipitates.     

Fuzzy adaptive networks in machining process modeling: surface roughness prediction for turning operations

Due to the complexity of the machine tool structure and the cutting process, the dynamics of machining processes are still not completely understood. This is especially true due to the demand of high-speed machining to increase productivity. In order to model and control these complex processes, new approaches, which can represent complex phenomenon combined with learning ability, are needed. The combined neural–fuzzy approach appears to be ideally suited for this purpose. In this paper, the recently developed fuzzy adaptive network (FAN) is used to model surface roughness in turning operations. The FAN network has both the learning ability of neural network and linguistic representation of complex, not well-understood, vague phenomenon. Furthermore, it can continuously improve the initially obtained rough model based on the daily operating data. To illustrate this approach, a model representing the influences of machining parameters on surface roughness is established and then the model is verified by the use of the results of pilot experiments. Finally, a comparison with the results based on statistical regression is provided.