Application of Near-Infrared Spectroscopy for Evaluation of Drying Stress on Lumber Surface: A Comparison of Artificial Neural Networks and Partial Least Squares Regression

This study aimed to examine the feasibility of evaluating the stress level at the surface of lumber during drying using near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy combined with artificial neural networks (ANNs). Sugi (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) lumber with an initial moisture content ranging from 41.1 to 85.8% was dried using a commercial drying schedule. An ANN model for predicting surface-released strain (SRS) was developed based on NIR spectra collected from the lumber during drying. The predictive ability of the ANN model was compared with a partial least squares (PLS) regression model.

The ANN model showed good correlation between laboratory-measured SRS and predicted SRS with an R ² of 0.79, a root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) of 0.0009, and a ratio of performance to deviation (RPD) of 1.81. The PLS regression model gave a lower R ² of 0.69, a higher RMSEP of 0.0010, and a lower RPD of 1.38 than the ANN model, suggesting that the predictive performance of the ANN model was superior to the PLS regression model. The SRS evolution during drying as predicted by the models showed a similar trend to the laboratory-measured one. The predicted elapsed times to reach maximum tensile SRS and stress reversal roughly coincided with the laboratory-measured times. These results suggest that NIR spectroscopy combined with multivariate analysis has the potential to predict the drying stress level on the lumber surface and the critical periods during drying, such as the points of maximum tensile stress and stress reversal.     

Rapid amorphization of molecular crystals by absorption of solvent molecules in the presence of hydrophilic matrices

Two organic molecular crystalline species, ibuprophen (IB) and indomethacine (IM) were subjected to methanol absorption in the presence of hydrophilic organic matrix, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC). While spraying of 8–10% methanol or water on the drug–matrix mixture decreased the subsequent milling time for amorphization, absorption of methanol in a closed container caused spontaneous amorphization of IB was observed to give a nanocomposites with macroscopic agglomerates up to 250 μm after methanol absorption for overnight. Gentle mechanical homogenization under saturated methanol vapor with a newly developed apparatus, a tandem rotation mill (TRM), brought about homogeneous grains of IB-HPMC nanocomposites with the average particle size, 30 μm. We observed amorphous particles of IB in 60 nm regime dispersed in HPMC matrix under a transmission electron microscope (TEM). In the case of IM, mechanical homogenization with TRM was indispensable to obtain similar nanocomposites with HPMC.     

Main‐chain smectic liquid crystalline polymer exhibiting unusually high thermal conductivity in an isotropic composite

The thermal conductivity (TC) of an isotropic composite comprising of a main‐chain smectic liquid crystalline PB‐10 polyester and 50‐μm‐sized roughly spherical magnesium oxide (MgO) particles is investigated. The increase in the composite TC with higher MgO fractions is steeper than that expected by Bruggeman's theory for the TC of a polydomain PB‐10 polyester (0.52 W m^?1 K^?1). When the filler content is larger than 30 vol %, the composite TC approaches a value that can be explained only if the polyester functions as a matrix with 1.0 W m^?1 K^?1, which is five times as high as those of isotropic common polymers (0.2 W m^?1 K^?1). Such an unusually high TC for a polymer matrix is attributed to some polymer lamellae that lie parallel to the particle surface and are stacked toward neighboring particles, thus creating effective heat paths between the particles and a continuous thermal network in a composite. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2014 , 131, 39896.     

Synthesis of γ-Ga2O3–Al2O3 Solid Solutions by the Glycothermal Method

The reaction of mixtures of aluminum isopropoxide and gallium acetylacetonate in 1,4-butanediol or 1,5-pentanediol at high temperatures (glycothermal reaction) directly gave the γ-Ga₂O₃–Al₂O₃ solid solutions, which had high catalytic activities for selective reduction of NO using methane as the reducing agent. However, the reaction with a higher Al/(Ga+Al) charged ratio yielded the glycol derivative of boehmite as a by-product and the catalytic activity of the solid solution decreased. Therefore, synthesis of the solid solution using various glycols was examined and it was found that solid solutions with high Al contents without contamination of the glycol derivative of boehmite were obtained by using 1,6-hexanediol as a reaction medium. The solid solution exhibited a higher NO conversion than that synthesized in other glycols.     

Change of cathodoluminescence spectra of diamond with irradiation of low energy electron beam followed by annealing

We have reported previously that cathodoluminescence (CL) spectra of type II diamond change with irradiation of 20 kV electron beam using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), although it is known that diamond has high resistance against radiation beams. Following the previous paper, the diamond irradiated with the electron beam was annealed at 500 °C, and the CL spectra were measured. It was found from the annealed sample that the CL spectra which changed with the irradiation are partially recovered, namely, the lines at 420 nm and 540 nm formed with the irradiation are annealed out, and the lines at 485 nm, 535 nm and 545 nm which disappeared with the irradiation are recovered. However the 420 nm broad band that appeared with the irradiation does not change with the heat treatment. The effect of the heat treatment suggests that the CL peaks which changed with the irradiation are related to ionization of defects.     

Enrichment of CLA isomers by selective esterification with l-menthol using Candida rugosa lipase

Commercially available preparations of CLA are composed of almost equal amounts of 9-cis,11-trans (9c,11t)-CLA and 10-trans,12-cis (10t,12c)-CLA. Each isomer was fractionated and enriched, for availability as a food supplement, by a process comprising selective esterification with l-menthol by Candida rugosa lipase, distillation, and n-hexane extraction. The first selective esterification of CLA isomers was conducted with an equimolar amount of l-menthol of 30°C. The oil phase of the reaction mixture was fractionated into an l-menthyl ester fraction (9c,11t-CLA rich) and an FFA fraction (10t,12c-CLA rich) by distillation. The FFA fraction was esterified again with an equimolar amount of l-menthol to enrich 10t,12c-CLA. The 10t,12c-CLA preparation was obtained as the resulting FFA fraction by distillation. 10t,12c-CLA was enriched to 91% with 40% recovery. To enrich 9c,11t-CLA, the l-menthyl ester fraction in the first esterification was chemically hydrolyzed, and the resulting FFA were esterified again with an equimolar amount of l-menthol. The 9c, 11t-CLA preparation was obtained by chemical hydrolysis of the resulting l-methyl ester fraction, followed by n-hexane extraction. 9c,11t-CLA was enriched to 94% with 42% recovery. This effective process for purification of CLA isomers using l-methol is applicable to the production of food supplements.     

Behavior of a submicrocrystalline aluminum alloy 1570 under conditions of cyclic loading

A study of the resistance to fatigue-crack growth in a submicrocrystalline alloy Al-6% Mg-0.3% Sc-0.4% Mn in combination with a precision analysis of the fracture surface of the samples has been performed. A comparison of crack resistance between coarse-grained and submicrocrystalline states of this alloy showed that only at the stage of near-threshold crack growth the velocity of fatigue-crack propagation in the submicrocrystalline state proves to be higher than that in the coarse-grained state. At the stage of linear crack growth, the fatigue-crack propagation becomes insensitive to the grain size. Upon transition to the stage of accelerated crack growth, the velocity of crack propagation in the submicrocrystalline alloy is retarded. A fractographic analysis of the fracture surface of the samples indicates that the retardation of the fatigue-crack growth in the submicrocrystalline alloy is connected with a gradual transition from the intercrystalline to the transcrystalline mechanism of fatigue fracture of the material.     

Magnetic leakage field due to sub-surface defects in ferromagnetic specimens

This paper describes analytical expressions for the magnetic leakage field of two types of internal defects: two dimensional rectangular and elliptical defects as functions of the applied magnetic field strength, the defect size and the distance below the surface. In this study, the magnetic image effects from the spatial boundary and the defect boundary are taken into consideration. That is, the leakage field of rectangular-like defects or elliptically shaped defects ‘below the surface’ are derived by using the modified dipole model and image theory. The profiles and strengths of leakage fields calculated from the proposed analytical forms are presented under various conditions and compared with experimentally measured ones.     

Simulation of fretting-fatigue life by using stress-singularity parameters and fracture mechanics

Fretting-fatigue cracks start very early in a fretting-fatigue life. The fretting-fatigue life is dominated by the propagation of small cracks. Therefore, predicting the start of fretting-fatigue cracking and the propagation of the cracks is a very important part of estimating fretting-fatigue strength and fretting-fatigue life. The start of a fretting-fatigue crack was estimated by using the stress-singularity parameters at the contact edges. The way in which the crack propagates was then estimated by using fracture-mechanics analysis, in which the wear on the contact surfaces and the direction of crack propagation were taken into account.     

Compact electrostatic levitator for diffraction measurements with a two axis diffractometer and a laboratory x-ray source

A compact electrostatic levitator was developed for the structural analysis of high-temperature liquids by x-ray diffraction methods. The size of the levitator was 200 mm in diameter and 200 mm in height and can be set up on a two axis diffractometer with a laboratory x-ray source, which is very convenient in performing structural measurements of high-temperature liquids. In particular, since the laboratory x-ray source allows a great amount of user time, preliminary or challenging experiments can be performed with trial and error, which prepares and complements synchrotron x-ray experiments. The present small apparatus also provides the advantage of portability and facility of setting. To demonstrate the capability of this electrostatic levitator, the static structure factors of alumina and silicon samples in their liquid phases were successfully measured.