Relation between hardness and compressive strength of polymer concrete

Experimental studies were made of the influence of mixing and casting techniques and of curing time upon the compressive strength and hardness of methyl methacrylate based polymer concrete. The Rockwell K and F scales were found to be suitable for the hardness determinations. Over a wide range of hardness and strength values, the average compressive strength (f_c) varied linearly with the average hardness (R_K) according to the relation f_c (psi) = 560 R_K - 12000, irrespective of casting and curing variables. The weaker materials exhibited greater variations in hardness. Hardness testing is found to provide a meaningful and convenient method for evaluating the quality of polymer concrete.     

Colour measurement of fish minces using hunter L,a, b values

Hunter L, a and b values are used to order fish mince colour according to species or processing parameters. Mince colour difference (ΔE) or statistical examination of L, a and b values are used to establish a 3-dimensional plot to illustrate colour differences between samples.     

Interpersonal communication in parent-adolescent dyads: A brief report on the effects of a social skills training program.

Hypothesized that social skills training could improve communications between adolescents and parents while enhancing improvement in perceived communication and problem-solving behaviors. 25 parent–adolescent dyads (all members of the Church of the Latter Day Saints) participated in a pre- and posttest experimental and control group design. The 18 experimental dyads completed a social skills program. Analyses revealed significant training effects on all social skills in the program, but perceived improvement was slightly higher for parents than for adolescents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Possibilities and problems with the use of models as a communication tool in water resource management

Politicians and policy-makers, as well as modellers, often nurses an expectation that model derived results is an objective source of information that can be used to support decisions. However, several prerequisites have to be dealt with in order to ensure that models can be used as legitimate and efficient tools in water resource management. Based on empirical material from recent studies on the use of models in stakeholder dialogues, mainly focusing on catchment nutrient transport, two central problems are identified: (a) Models are laden with choices and thus depend on assumptions and priorities of modellers. (b) There are several factors that influence ability and willingness of stakeholders (as information recovers) to criticize or accept results of the modelling exercise. Recognized factors likely to influence stakeholders' acceptance of model derived results include issues at stake, stakeholders' ability to criticize model derived information, and their trust in the institutions that have developed or applied the used models. Identified prerequisites for successful use of models in integrated water resource management include: consideration of user relevance, awareness of and preparedness to handle constraints linked to communication of model-based results, transparency of used models and data and of involved uncertainties, mutual respect between experts and stakeholders and between involved stakeholder groups, a robust institutional network, and sufficient time for dialogues. Development and use of strategies for participatory modelling, based on a continuous dialogue between experts and stakeholders is recommended as a way to facilitate that the prerequisites for a successful use of models in water resource management are fulfilled.     

An analytical study on the thermal characteristics of flat-plate and evacuated solar collectors

In this study, we highlighted differences in the standards used in performance tests of solar collectors. We analyzed testing results for different types of solar collectors to determine the effects of the collector area and mass flow rate, which were not necessarily consistent across all tests. Our analysis showed that the factor,F′ (τα), including collector efficiency factor (F′), could be correlated with the flow rate or area regardless of the collector type. Moreover, the collector loss coefficient (F′U _L ) per flow rate or area for an evacuated collector was less that of a flat-plate collector; this was also correlated with the flow rate or area, regardless of the type of evacuated collector. As a result of this analysis, we propose a modified heat loss coefficient that includes the effects of all parameters that can be considered in a performance test and show that this coefficient could better describe the thermal characteristics of various types of solar collectors.     

A Class of POCA Distributions For rapid fading variations

Polydorou and Capsalis [1] pioneered the concept of POCA distribution to study the statistical behavior of the fast fading characteristics in an indoor environment under the assumption of finite number of scatters. In this note, we derive a comprehensive class of formulas for the POCA distribution to help better statistical modeling of the fast fading characteristics. The calculations involve use of several special functions and their properties.     

A new alloy design concept for austenitic stainless steel with tungsten modification for bipolar plate application in PEMFC

The feasibility of a new alloy design concept utilizing the principle of ‘tungsten bronze effect’ is critically evaluated for the development of metallic bipolar plates for proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). An austenitic stainless steel (ASS) is modified with W and La to improve the stability of the passive film in an acidic environment as well as to reduce the contact resistance by the tungsten bronze effect. The experimental ASS containing W and La was evaluated in a simulated PEMFC environment of H₃PO₄ and H₂SO₄ solutions at 80 °C, and the electrical property was evaluated by performing a contact resistance test. The test results show that the ASS modified with W and La has good passive film stability for corrosion resistance and low contact resistance. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis clearly suggests the possibility of the tungsten bronze effect from the change in valency state of W⁶⁺ to W⁵⁺ in the passive film formed on the modified ASS. The feasibility of a new alloy design concept utilizing the ‘tungsten bronze effect’ is well demonstrated; however, more study is highly required for the development of metallic bipolar plates of PEMFC.