Corrosion behaviour of multiwall carbon nanotube/magnesium composites in 3.5% NaCl

Corrosion behaviour of multiwall carbon nanotube (MWNT) modified pure magnesium (Mg) composites (MWNT/Mg) prepared by melt stirring technique was investigated by weight loss, H₂ gas collection and pH measurements, as well as electrochemical methods such as open circuit potential (OCP) monitoring, polarisation curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Results show that the corrosion rate of MWNT/Mg composites is significantly higher than the corrosion rate of pure Mg. The corrosion rate of the composites also depends on the degree of dispersion of MWNTs during melt stirring process. The role of the MWNTs in increasing the corrosion rate clearly can be attributed to their high cathodic activity. Characterization of the corrosion product layers indicates that dispersion of MWNTs in the matrix leads to a more homogeneous coverage of the surface by corrosion products, and the lowest thickness of the corrosion product layer. The corrosion product layers in all cases provide poor protection of the surface. The corrosion rate of pure Mg as well as Mg/MWNT composites significantly increases during 1-week immersion; this effect is the strongest for the composite with dispersed nanotubes and can be attributed to the increased cathodic kinetics with time.     

Application of Calorimetric Low Temperature Detectors (CLTD’s) for Precise Stopping Power Measurements of Heavy Ions in Matter

Calorimetric low temperature detectors (CLTD’s) have been included in a B-ToF setup, that has already been used several times to perform energy loss measurements at the accelerator laboratory of the University of Jyväskylä. The new experimental setup enabled a precise determination of stopping power data for 0.05–1 MeV/u \(^{131}\) Xe ions in carbon, nickel and gold. The results are presented and compared to data from literature and theoretical predictions. As a by-product, due to the excellent energy resolution of CLTD’s for heavy ions at low energies, an observation of channeling effects in very thin polycrystalline targets and a determination of the channeling energy loss for 0.1–0.5 MeV/u \(^{131}\) Xe-ions in Ni- and Au-absorbers was possible.     

Printed electronic switch on flexible substrates using printed microcapsules

Printed electronics, the manufacturing of electronic components on large, flexible, and low-cost substrates by printing techniques, can facilitate widespread, very low-cost electronics for consumer applications and disposable devices. New technologies are needed to create functional components in this field. This paper introduces a new method to create an all-additive printed switch on flexible substrate materials, such as polymer foils and paper substrates. The active layer of the switch component consists of neutral polyaniline (PANI), which can be doped by acid to induce a shift from a non-conductive to a conductive oxidation state. Monodisperse core–shell microcapsules containing an acidic aqueous core liquid were produced by a novel inkjet-based encapsulation technology. It was shown that unfavorable water evaporation from the microcapsules could be reduced by the addition of calcium chloride to the core liquid. A switch component was prepared, consisting of inkjet-printed interdigitated silver electrodes, PANI active layer and printed microcapsules. If an external pressure was applied, for instance with a finger, then the switch component changed its state from non-conductive to conductive with a simultaneous distinct color change. The results clearly demonstrate the feasibility of the presented approach to create either a visual or electronic signal for use in printed electronic applications.     

Explosive school-based measles outbreak: intense exposure may have resulted in high risk, even among revaccinees

Several studies have pointed out that L-selectin on CD34-positive cells plays a role in haematopoietic reconstitution after peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplantation. Since it is known that a decrease in L-selectin expression in lymphocytes and granulocytes can be induced by a variety of stress situations, we have investigated in this study whether the freeze-thawing procedure, used in PBSC transplantation, would affect L-selectin expression on CD34+ stem cells. Flow cytometry was performed by labelling the cells with anti-CD34 (HPCA2 PE) and anti-CD62L (FMC46 FITC). The leucapheresis procedure itself caused a slight decrease of L-selectin expression on CD34 cells in 11 out of 12 cases (mean decrease of the percentage of positive cells 11.9; range 6-23). A much larger decrease was found upon freeze-thawing: a mean of 39% (range 4-78% in 27 cases) compared to fresh material. To determine if L-selectin expression might be up-regulated after cryopreservation, thawed transplant samples (n = 11) were incubated at 37 degrees C in RPMI with 10% FCS at 5% CO2. Already early in the course of incubation two CD34-positive populations appeared in the blast region, characterized by either a low or high forward scatter. Simultaneous viability staining with the DNA dye 7-Amino Actinomycin D and the DNA/RNA dye Syto16 revealed that the population with low forward scatter was apoptotic while the population with the high forward scatter was non-apoptotic. The latter population is considered to be most relevant for transplantation. In this population an increase of L-selectin expression after overnight incubation was observed in 8/11 samples up to values of 46-120% of the values of the fresh nonfrozen samples. In addition, the mean fluorescence intensity was significantly increased in 10/11 cases. Kinetic experiments with shorter incubation times revealed that only part of the leucapheresis samples (two out of 8) showed an increase of L-selectin expression within 4 h. In addition, a decrease of L-selectin expression was found upon CD34 purification from fresh leucapheresis material by magnetic isolation (decrease ranging from 59 to 92%, n = 5). In contrast to frozen samples, L-selectin reappearance was seen already within 4 h of incubation in all samples. Both the loss of L-selectin expression on CD34 cells occurring upon freeze-thawing, the emergence of apoptosis, as well as the recovery of L-selectin expression on non-apoptotic cells varies largely between individual leucapheresis samples, and therefore it is concluded that such processes should be considered when correlations with clinical outcome after transplantation are made.     

Plane wave propagation in a uniaxial bianisotropic medium with an application to a polarization transformer

Uniaxial bianisotropic medium is a generalization of the well-studied bi-isotropic and chiral media. It is obtained, for example, when microscopic helices with parallel axes are positioned in a host dielectric in random locations. Plane wave propagation in such a medium is studied and a simple solution for the dispersion equation and for the eigenwaves are found. As a numerical example, polarization properties of a transverse wave propagating in a uniaxial bianisotropic medium is considered. The results give a simple possibility to construct a polarization transformer with a transversely uniaxial chiral medium for changing the polarization of a propagating plane wave.     

Vague Domains, S-Unification and Logic Programming

The purpose of this paper is to give some insights to the use of vague (fuzzy) constants and similarity in logic programming. The basis of semantics for Similarity based Logic Programming (SbLP) is presented. S-unification, or similarity based unification is discussed. The paper also takes a look at the principles of S-resolution with the help of an example.     

Gender, socioeconomic status and family status as determinants of food behaviour

This study examines social structural and family status factors as determinants of food behaviour. The data were derived from the FINMONICA Risk Factor Survey, collected in Finland in spring 1992. A multidimensional framework of the determinants of food behaviour was used, including social structural position, family status and gender. The associations between the determinants of food behaviour were estimated by multivariate logistic regression models, adjusted for age and regional differences. Food behaviour was measured by an index including six food items which were chosen based on Finnish dietary guidelines. In general, women's food behaviour was more in accordance with the dietary guidelines than that of men. The pattern of association between educational level and food behaviour was similar for both genders, but slightly stronger for men than women. Employment status was associated only with women's food behaviour, but the tendency was the same for men. Marital status was associated with men's as well as women's food behaviour. The food behaviour of married men and women was more in line with the dietary guidelines than the food behaviour of those who had been previously married. Parental status, however, was only associated with women's food behaviour, that is, the food behaviour of women with young children was more closely in line with the dietary guidelines than that of the rest of the women.