New ceramer high optical abrasion resistant transparent coating materials based on functionalized melamine and a tris(m-aminophenyl)phosphine oxide compound

Summary The synthesis of new high optical abrasion resistance coating materials has been undertaken by functionalizing melamine and tris(m-aminophenyl)phosphine oxide with a triethoxysilane containing reagent. These highly functionalized compounds have been used for coating a bis-phenol-A polycarbonate substrate by the sol-gel method. Preliminary data shows the abrasion resistance of the polymer substrate is considerably improved when it is coated by these optically clear materials.     

Afterburner [network-independent card for protocols]

Many current implementations of protocols such as the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) are inefficient because data are often accessed more frequently than necessary. Three techniques that reduce the need for memory bandwidth are proposed. The techniques are copy-on-write, page remapping, and single-copy. Afterburner, a network-independent card that provides the services that are necessary for a single-copy protocol stack, is described. The card has 1 MByte of local buffers and provides a simple interface to a variety of network link adapters, including HIPPI and asynchronous transfer mode (ATM). Afterburner can support transfers to and from the link adapter card at rates up to 1 Gbit/s. An implementation of TCP/IP that uses the features provided by Afterburner to reduce the movement of data to a single copy is discussed. Measurements of the end-to-end performance of Afterburner and the single-copy implementation of TCP/IP are presented     

Measurements of single chain form factors by small-angle neutron scattering from polystyrene blends containing high concentrations of labelled molecules

A series of small angle neutron scattering measurements on blends of normal polystyrene (PSH) and labelled (deuterated) polystyrene (PSD) have been made with concentrations of PSD from 5 to 50 mol %. It is shown that the single chain form factor of the polymer in bulk can be obtained from a single concentration measurement for any concentration of labelled molecules, providing the molecular weights of the parent and labelled molecules are the same and the molecular weight distributions are narrow.     

Interdisciplinary research: roles for self-organization

No generally accepted principles and guidelines currently exist to help engineers design local interaction mechanisms that result in a desired global behavior. However, several communities have developed ways of approaching this problem in the context of niched application areas. Because the ideas underlying these approaches are often obscured or underemphasized in technical papers, the authors review the role of self-organization in their work. They provide a better picture of the status of the emerging field of self-organizing systems or autonomic computing.     

A systematic techno-economic assessment of a WEC system installation for low-cost electrification of a habitable dwelling

This paper deals with the technical feasibility and economic viability of a grid connected wind-energy conversion system (WECS) used to cover the energy demand of an average habitable dwelling. The various parts of the wind-energy system are described and the useful electrical energy production is determined using a simulation program based on the Monte Carlo method. An economic analysis of the WEC system is performed using a computerized assessment tool. Important financial indices are calculated and financial scenarios investigated.     

Advanced Method for Single Crystal Casting of Turbine Blades for Gas Turbine Engines and Plants

A method for fabricating single crystal blades that combines the techniques of seed crystals and selection is suggested. The method realizes the advantages of both techniques, i.e., the high structural perfection and the possibility of fabricating single crystals with specified spatial orientation. Metallographic and x-ray diffraction analyses are used to study the processes of nucleation of the single crystal structure of blade castings fabricated from high-temperature nickel alloys by the method of selection and seed crystals. A commercial process for fabricating cast single crystal turbine blades by the new method is suggested.     

The effects of pressure on the isothermal fluid behavior of bituminous coals

An investigation into the effects of pressure (helium gas) on the isothermal fluid behavior includes: (1) the effect of pressure on the rate of melting and coking as evidenced by the rate constants k(melt) and k(coke); (2) the effect of pressure on the energies of activation of melting and coking; (3) the effects of pressure on the characteristic times; (4) the effects of pressure on the maximum isothermal fluidity. Results from the effects of pressure on k(melt) revealed that it was generally the high total sulfur, low nitrogen, low reactives/mineral matter ratio, medium rank coals which show the greatest increase in k(melt), whereas the highest rank coals show the least decrease in k(coke). The energies of activation of melting and coking were not significantly affected by pressure. The investigation also reveals increases or decreases in the respective times of softening, maximum fluidity, resolidification and total time of fluid behavior under isothermal pressurized conditions. There appears the possibility that these shifts may be rank dependent. Additionally, the lower rank coals show the largest relative increase in their fluidities when subjected to pressure. Empirical relationships were derived in order to quantitatively predict the maximum isothermal fluidity for most (fluid) coals at a given pressure.     

An expert diagnostic system for the MACRO experiment at the GranSasso Laboratory

The maintenance of the MACRO (a Monopoles, Astrophysics and Cosmic Ray Observatory), a large-area detector that will be used to search for rare constituents or phenomena in cosmic radiation penetrating deep underground, is addressed. A real-time expert system for diagnosing detector and data acquisition system anomalies, which is based on the NEXPERT commercial tool, is described. It performs online diagnosis and, if an abnormal condition is identified, takes the appropriate action to reduce the unavailability of the apparatus. The data acquisition system is CAMAC-based, and the sensor modules, which gather the significant values for diagnosis, are implemented in the VME crate     

Seasat over-land scatterometer data. I. Global overview of theKu-band backscatterer coefficients

Statistics on the backscatter coefficient σ⁰ from the Ku-band Seasat-A Satellite Scatterometer (SASS) collected over the world's land surfaces are presented. This spaceborne scatterometer provided data on σ⁰ between latitude 80° S and 80° N at incidence angles up to 70°. The global statistics of vertical (V) and horizontal (H) polarization backscatter coefficients for 10° bands in latitude are presented for incidence angles between 20° and 70° and compared with the Skylab and ground spectrometer results. Global images of the time-averaged V polarization σ⁰ at a 45° incidence angle and its dependence on the incidence angle are presented and compared to a generalized map of the terrain type. Global images of the differences between the V an H polarization backscatter coefficients are presented and discussed. The most inhomogeneous region, which contains the deserts of North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, is studied in greater detail and compared with the terrain type