Raman spectra of Graphon carbon black

The Raman spectrum of Graphon carbon black has been recorded using rotating cell techniques. Angular dependence of scattering at 1360, 1580 and 2700 cm^?1 are reported and these data suggest that the 1360 cm^?1 line is associated with non-planar microstructure distortions. The excitation frequency dependence of the intensity ratio of the bands at 1360 (D) and 1580 cm^?1 (G) is interpreted in terms of resonance (vibronic) interaction. This dependence is primarily the result of an increase in the intensity of the 1360 cm ^?1 line. The disorder-associated line (D) exhibits a significant excitation-dependent shift from 1378 cm^i?1 (457.9 nm Ar⁺) to 1330 cm^?1 (647.1 nm Kr⁺). The “graphite” (G) line position is less sensitive to changes in excitation frequency. The spectral features are discussed in terms of factor group, C_6v⁴, and layer site symmetry, C_3v. Also the possible role of localized alkene-like structure in zones of structural distortion is considered.     

Composition of mixed octadecadienoates via ozonolysis,chromatography and computer solution of linear equations

An approach to the analysis of 55 possible nonconjugated positional isomers of octadecadienoic acid is described and tested with mixtures of individual synthetic methyl esters. In the first example, by ozonolysis a sevencomponent mixture consisting ofcis,cis 5,12-, 6,10-, 6,11-, 6,12-, 7,12-, 8,12-, and 9,12-octadecadienoates was converted to aldehydes, aldehyde-esters and dialdehydes. These fragments were separated on a 50 m×0.2 mm free fatty acid phase (FFAP) vitreous silica capillary column. Equations for an arbitrarily restricted 12×15 matrix of linear simultaneous equations and a computer solution of the matrix provided the composition of the initial methyl octadecadienoate mixture. The power and significance of this method became apparent with the observation that only two of the seven isomers in the known mixture were resolved as single peaks by state-of-the-art capillary gas chromatography, but all seven were identified and estimated with acceptable error by the ozonolysis-capillary gas chromatography-computer procedure. In a generalized approach to the analysis of the 55 possible nonconjugated isomers, a computer program selects the appropriate matrix of linear simultaneous equations based on the aldehyde data supplied by the analyst. Twenty of 21 combinations of seven isomeric esters taken five at a time have been analyzed to assess the efficiency of the method. To illustrate applicability at this stage of development, the method has been used to analyze the diene products of the hydrazine reduction of γ-linolenic acid and the diene products from the biological desaturation of isomeric monoenes. The possibility of distinguishing geometric and positional isomers of 18∶2 has been opened by the observed separation ofcis-andtrans-unsaturated aldehydes and aldehyde-esters. Presented in part at the 16th World Congress of the International Society for Fat Research, October 4–7, 1983, in Budapest, Hungary, and at the American Oil Chemists' Society Meeting, May 15, 1986, in Honolulu, Hawaii.     

Vinyl chloride formation from the thermal degradation of poly(vinyl chloride)

The volatile products from the thermal degradation of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) resins and compounds are shown to contain trace amounts of vinyl chloride. Data presented show the effect of temperature and resin type on the amount of vinyl chloride formed. At the maximum temperatures involved in PVC processing which may reach 210°C, vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) evolution amounts to less than 1 ppm (resin basis). A technique employing a thermogravimetric balance and charcoal adsorption of volatiles is described for studying thermal degradation of PVC. The volatiles are analyzed for vinyl chloride by gas chromatography. Peak identity was confirmed by mass spectrometry.     

Flaking and extrusion as mechanical treatments for enzyme-assisted aqueous extraction of oil from soybeans

Flaking and extruding dehulled soybeans were evaluated as a means of enhancing oil extraction efficiency during enzyme-assisted aqueous processing of soybeans. Cellulase, protease, and their combination were evaluated for effectiveness in achieving high oil extraction recovery from extruded flakes. Aqueous extraction of extruded full-fat soy flakes gave 68% recovery of the total available oil without using enzymes. A 0.5% wt/wt protease treatment after flaking and extruding dehulled soybeans increased oil extraction recovery to 88% of the total available oil. Flaking and extruding enhanced protease hydrolysis of proteins freeing more oil. Treating extruded flakes with cellulase, however, did not enhance oil extraction either alone or in combination with protease. Discrepancies in oil extraction recoveries were encountered when merely considering crude free fat because some oil became bound to denatured protein during extrusion and/or sample drying. Bound fat was unavailable for determination by using the hexane extraction method, but was accounted for by using the acid hydrolysis method for total oil determination. Oil extraction recovery from extruded soybean flakes was affected by oil determination methods, which was not the case for unextruded full-fat soy flour.     

Towards an Environmentally Acceptable Heterogeneous Catalytic Method of Producing Adipic Acid by the Oxidation of Hydrocarbons in Air

A survey is given of the catalytic methods potentially available for the production of adipic acid by the oxidation of readily available hydrocarbon precursors under environmentally benign conditions. Encouraging results are reported using H₂O₂ as oxidant and microporous FeAlPO-5 as catalyst at moderate temperatures.     

The Shot Heard Around the World Wide Web: Who Heard What Where About Osama bin Laden's Death

This study investigated what sources were relied on to find out about Osama bin Laden's death and whether perceptions of credibility and political party affiliation influenced these media choices. The most striking difference in media reliance for bin Laden news was that whatever sources Tea Partiers relied on and thought credible were those that Democrats did not rely on or see as credible. Despite the clamor about how quickly news flows through social network sites and Twitter, only about 5% of respondents first heard about bin Laden through these sources and a slightly larger percentage spread the news via these tools. Moreover, social network sites and Twitter were the least relied on about the aftermath of bin Laden's death.     

Self-repair ability of evolved self-assembling systems in cellular automata

Self-repairing systems are those that are able to reconfigure themselves following disruptions to bring them back into a defined normal state. In this paper we explore the self-repair ability of some cellular automata-like systems, which differ from classical cellular automata by the introduction of a local diffusion process inspired by chemical signalling processes in biological development. The update rules in these systems are evolved using genetic programming to self-assemble towards a target pattern. In particular, we demonstrate that once the update rules have been evolved for self-assembly, many of those update rules also provide a self-repair ability without any additional evolutionary process aimed specifically at self-repair.     

Multi-Wavelength vs. Binary Code Pattern Unwrapping in Fringe Projection Method

Phase extraction, phase unwrapping and phase to height conversion are consecutive steps within the fringe projection method for reconstruction of 3D objects. The procedure of determining discontinuities on the wrapped phase, resolving them and achieving the unwrapped phase is called phase unwrapping. A software system was developed that provides the ability to create many kinds of patterns with a verity of desirable properties suitable for different demands in fringe projection systems. In our previous work, an experimental study was reported based on a multi-wavelength unwrapping approach. In the following work, we implemented a new method called binary code pattern unwrapping that is based on time analysis. A comparison of the two unwrapping approaches in terms of resolution, quality, noise, depth accuracy, and computational cost is provided.     

Reaction of YBa2Cu3O7-δ Powder with NOx Gas in an Aerosol Reactor

Thermodynamic calculations predict, and experiments verify, that YBa₂Cu₃O₇-₈ (123) powder is unstable in the presence of NO_x-containing aerosol reactor exhaust gases at temperatures below about 600°C. Powders collected above the stability temperature are single-phase 123, while powders collected at lower temperature contain Ba(NO₃)₂ formed by reaction of the powder with NO_x, after exit from the hot zone.     

Designing for video: investigating the contextual cues within viewing situations

The viewing of video increasingly occurs in a wide range of public and private environments via a range of static and mobile devices. The proliferation of content on demand and the diversity of the viewing situations means that delivery systems can play a key role in introducing audiences to contextually relevant content of interest whilst maximising the viewing experience for individual viewers. However, for video delivery systems to do this, they need to take into account the diversity of the situations where video is consumed, and the differing viewing experiences that users desire to create within them. This requires an ability to identify different contextual viewing situations as perceived by users. This paper presents the results from a detailed, multi-method, user-centred field study with 11 UK-based users of video-based content. Following a review of the literature (to identify viewing situations of interest on which to focus), data collection was conducted comprising observation, diaries, interviews and self-captured video. Insights were gained into whether and how users choose to engage with content in different public and private spaces. The results identified and validated a set of contextual cues that characterise distinctive viewing situations. Four archetypical viewing situations were identified: ‘quality time’, ‘opportunistic planning’, ‘sharing space but not content’ and ‘opportunistic self-indulgence’. These can be differentiated in terms of key contextual factors: solitary/shared experiences, public/private spaces and temporal characteristics. The presence of clear contextual cues provides the opportunity for video delivery systems to better tailor content and format to the viewing situation or additionally augment video services through social media in order to provide specific experiences sensitive to both temporal and physical contexts.