Moisture absorption by epoxy resins: The reverse thermal effect

Experiments are reported on the variations in moisture absorption properties of an epoxy resin produced by sudden changes in temperature. Where the temperature change occurred when only a little water had been absorbed, the change in moisture absorption was determined by the change in diffusivity. Where a temperature change occurred when near saturation, a reverse thermal effect was observed. An attempt has been made to understand the results in terms of thermodynamics. Results obtained for the swelling changes accompanying sudden changes in moisture content suggest that it is the more tightly bound water in the polymer which takes part in the reverse thermal effect.     

A hierarchical structure for surface approximation

Hierarchical triangulation is a method for point selection and surface representation where the surface is approximated at successively finer levels of detail by triangular patches whose projections in the horizontal plane are nested. A tree data structure for this representation can be constructed in O(n²) worst case and O(n log n) average case time, where n is the number of data points considered. Efficient algorithms for approximation of the elevation of an arbitrary point, contour extraction, and conversion of the hierarchical structure into an ordinary triangulated irregular network, are demonstrated. The convergence and the optimality of the approximation and the relationship of the hierarchical triangulation to a structured graph representation are examined.     

Altering the association properties of insulin by amino acid replacement

The importance of Pro^B28 and Lys^B29 on the self-associationof insulin was established by systematically truncating theC terminus of the B chain. The relationship between structureand association was further explored by making numerous aminoacid replacements at B²⁸ and B²⁹ Association was studied bycircular dichroism, size-exclusion chromatography and ultracentrifugation.Our results show that the location of a prolyl residue at B²⁸is critical for high-affinity self-association. Removal of Pro^B28in a series of C-terminal truncated insulins, or amino acidreplacement of Pro²⁸, greatly reduced association. The largestdisruption to association was achieved by replacing Lys^B29 withPro and varying the amino acid at B²⁸ Several of the analogswere predominantly monomers in solutions up to 3 mg/ml. Theseamino acid substitutions decreased association by primarilydisrupting the formation of dimers. Such amino acid substitutionsalso substantially reduced the Zn-induced insulin hexamer formation.The formation of monomeric insulins through amino acid replacementswas accompanied by conformational changes that may be the causefor decreased association. It is demonstrated that self-associationof insulin can be drastically altered by substitution of oneor two key amino acids.     

Mixed methods in international business research: A value-added perspective

The paper considers the use of mixed methods in international business research by reviewing empirical studies in four major journals. A total of 484 articles were reviewed, 68 of which had applied a mixed method strategy. In our analysis we categorize mixed methods according to their use in different stages of the research process and provide a range of alternative designs for mixing qualitative and quantitative methods.     

Comparison and validation of tissue modelization and statistical classification methods in T1-weighted MR brain images

This paper presents a validation study on statistical nonsupervised brain tissue classification techniques in magnetic resonance (MR) images. Several image models assuming different hypotheses regarding the intensity distribution model, the spatial model and the number of classes are assessed. The methods are tested on simulated data for which the classification ground truth is known. Different noise and intensity nonuniformities are added to simulate real imaging conditions. No enhancement of the image quality is considered either before or during the classification process. This way, the accuracy of the methods and their robustness against image artifacts are tested. Classification is also performed on real data where a quantitative validation compares the methods' results with an estimated ground truth from manual segmentations by experts. Validity of the various classification methods in the labeling of the image as well as in the tissue volume is estimated with different local and global measures. Results demonstrate that methods relying on both intensity and spatial information are more robust to noise and field inhomogeneities. We also demonstrate that partial volume is not perfectly modeled, even though methods that account for mixture classes outperform methods that only consider pure Gaussian classes. Finally, we show that simulated data results can also be extended to real data.     

Calcium lactate effect on the shelf life of osmotically dehydrated guavas

The effect of calcium lactate on osmodehydrated guavas in sucrose and maltose solutions was monitored during storage under passive modified atmosphere for 24 d at 5 °C. Sample texture and color characteristics, microbial spoilage, sensory acceptance, structural changes, and gas composition inside the packages were periodically evaluated. Calcium lactate inhibited microbial growth on guavas, with yeast and mold counts in the order of 10(2) CFU/g throughout storage. The calcium salt reduced respiration rate of guava products, showing O(2) and CO(2) concentrations around 18% and 3% inside the packages. A firming effect on fruit texture, with up to 5 and 2 times higher stress and strain at failure values and tissue structure preservation could also be attributed to calcium lactate use. However, fruits treated with calcium lactate, osmodehydrated in maltose and sucrose solutions, showed sensory acceptance scores below the acceptability limit (4.5) after 13 and 17 d of storage, respectively.     

Arsenic levels in wipe samples collected from play structures constructed with CCA-treated wood: Impact on exposure estimates

Lumber treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA) has been used in residential outdoor wood structures and playgrounds. The U.S. EPA has conducted a probabilistic assessment of children's exposure to arsenic from CCA-treated structures using the Stochastic Human Exposure and Dose Simulation model for the wood preservative scenario (SHEDS-Wood). The EPA assessment relied on data from an experimental study using adult volunteers and designed to measure arsenic in maximum hand and wipe loadings. Analyses using arsenic handloading data from a study of children playing on CCA-treated play structures in Edmonton, Canada, indicate that the maximum handloading values significantly overestimate the exposure that occurs during actual play. The objective of our paper is to assess whether the dislodgeable arsenic residues from structures in the Edmonton study are comparable to those observed in other studies and whether they support the conclusion that the values derived by EPA using modeled maximum loading values overestimate hand exposures. We compared dislodgeable arsenic residue data from structures in the playgrounds in the Edmonton study to levels observed in studies used in EPA's assessment. Our analysis showed that the dislodgeable arsenic levels in the Edmonton playground structures are similar to those in the studies used by EPA. Hence, the exposure estimates derived using the handloading data from children playing on CCA-treated structures are more representative of children's actual exposures than the overestimates derived by EPA using modeled maximum values. Handloading data from children playing on CCA-treated structures should be used to reduce the uncertainty of modeled estimates derived using the SHEDS-Wood model.     

Diameter of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (SWCNTs) as an Effective Factor in the Detection and Degradation of PCBs

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are chlorinated organic compounds and well known carcinogenic and toxic pollutants. Currently, their detection and degradation to products with less risk are among environmental and health priorities. Passing 2,2′,4,4′,5,5′-Hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB-153) through the armchair single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) (8, 8) and (10, 10) was investigated by Modified Neglect of Diatomic Overlap in the semi-empirical method. The analysis of results suggests that there are meaningful changes in the middle of the tubes. Based on the obtained evidence, the nanotubes have substantial potential to interact with the PCB-153 molecule effectively. The results show that the increased diameter in the armchair SWCNTs improves the detection and degradation potential of the tube to PCBs. According to the calculated thermodynamic parameters, the diameter of nano-structures is an effective factor in PCBs removal efficiency, as it could be helpful to make a more sensitive PCB nano-sensor.     

Assessing the impact of nanomaterials on anaerobic microbial communities

As the technological benefits of nanotechnology begin to rapidly move from laboratory to large-scale industrial application, release of nanomaterials to the environment is inevitable. Little is known about the fate and effects of nanomaterials in nature. Major environmental receptors of nanomaterials will be soil, sediment, and biosolids from wastewater treatment. Analysis of anaerobic microbial activity and communities provides needed information about the effects of nanoparticles in certain environments. In this study, biosolids from anaerobic wastewater treatment sludge were exposed to fullerene (C60) in order to model an environmentally relevant discharge scenario. Activity was assessed by monitoring production of CO2 and CH4. Changes in community structure were monitored by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), using primer sets targeting the small subunit rRNA genes of Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya. Findings suggest that C60 fullerenes have no significant effect on the anaerobic community over an exposure period of a few months. This conclusion is based on the absence of toxicity indicated by no change in methanogenesis relative to untreated reference samples. DGGE results show no evidence of substantial community shifts due to treatment with C60, in any subset of the microbial community.     

The application of internet of things in healthcare: a systematic literature review and classification

Universal Access in the Information Society - The Internet of Things (IoT) is an ecosystem that integrates physical objects, software and hardware to interact with each other. Aging of population,...