ISO 9001 certification in the American Continent: a statistical analysis and modelling

The ISO 9001 standard is considered as an effective tool to support a quality management system (QMS). A steady growth in the number of ISO 9001 issued certificates is observed worldwide, confirming the interest of companies in this approach. However, information regarding this behaviour over time in the American Continent is scarce. This paper presents a set of qualitative and quantitative analyses related to the ISO 9001 certification (globally and at the country level of the Americas), the use of this standard in countries that were part of the ISO Survey 2011 and modelling the ISO 9001 certification for American countries, in order to characterise through mathematical models, the evolution of the certification process and to identify factors that influence the ISO 9001 issued certificates in the various countries analysed. Based on the work developed, a positive relationship was found between the number of issued certificates in each country per 1000 inhabitants and the indicators of economic development (Gross National Income Per Capita). It is determined that the total reserves of a country is an economic variable that directly affects the number of issued certificates, a finding not observed in other forecasting models.     

Validation of a UV Spectrophotometric Method for Determination of Proteolytic Activity of Enzymatic Detergents

Enzymatic detergents are widely used in health services. These products should be controlled to ensure their activity. In this paper, a UV spectrophotometric method for the determination of proteolytic activity in enzymatic detergents was validated. An artificial substrate (azocasein) was used to quantify the enzyme activity at 340 nm. The results showed that the method was satisfactory in respect to its specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy and robustness. This method fulfills both ICH’s and Brazilian criteria, demonstrating its suitability for routine analysis as well as its potential application for regulatory purposes.     

Improvement on Sliding Wear Behavior of Al/Cast Iron Tribopair by CNT's Reinforcement of an Al Alloy

The results presented in this work show the wear characterization of Al-Si matrix composites reinforced by multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) under dry reciprocating sliding conditions against a grey cast iron (GCI) The wear resistance is investigated as a function of the carbon nanotube (CNT) content that varied from 2 to 6 wt%. The results demonstrated that the CNT content plays a relevant role in the wear behavior by substantially reducing the wear loss of Al-Si CNT composites. Further, it reduces the wear loss of the grey cast iron counterface. A physical model able to explain the improved behavior in both mating materials is depicted from experimental results.     

Multiplierless and fully pipelined JPEG compression soft IP targeting FPGAs

This paper presents the design of a soft IP for JPEG compression targeted for high performance in a FPGA device. The JPEG compressor architecture achieves high throughput with a deep and optimized pipeline and with a multiplierless datapath architecture. The JPEG compressor architecture was designed in a hierarchical and modular fashion and the details of the global architecture and of its modules are presented in this paper. A modular and strictly structural VHDL design is followed to develop the JPEG compressor soft IP. The VHDL codes were synthesized to Altera and Xilinx FPGAs. Synthesis results and relevant performance comparisons with related works are presented. Our high throughput compressor is able to compress 39.8 millions of pixels per second when mapped onto an Altera FLEX 10KE FPGA. Our JPEG soft IP mapped to FLEX 10KE low cost FPGA is able to compress 115 images per second in SDTV resolution (720 × 480 pixels). Considering this SDTV resolution our design is worthy as a core of an M-JPEG video compressor, reaching a real time processing rate of 30 fps, once mapped to the FLEX 10KE FPGA device.     

Study of polypropylene/polybutene blends modified by gamma irradiation and (high melt strength polypropylene)/polybutene blends

It is well-known that polypropylene (PP) is difficult to process as a consequence of its linear structure. It is also known that grafting of long-chain branches on PP backbone using ionizing radiation is an effective approach to achieve high melt strength polypropylene (HMS PP). Chain-scission and, in minor extend, crosslinking and grafting are the predominant reaction in order to branch PP backbone. However, if multifunctional monomers are used to promote the grafting reaction, crosslinking can surpass chain scission and grafting, reducing drawability. Therefore, in an effort to enhance the processability and so the drawability, it has been found helpful to add a small amount of polybutene-1. Gamma irradiation technique was used to induce chemical changes in blends of PP and polybutene in acetylene atmosphere (crosslinker promoter) and in HMSPP/polybutene blends. The samples were irradiated with a ⁶⁰Co source with doses of 12.5 and 20 kGy in the presence of acetylene. In this work, two different methods of blends processing were compared regarding rheological and mechanical properties. Effects on the strength and elongation at the yield point and at rupture were observed by mechanical tests and showed decrease of tensile strength and increase of elongation at rupture for samples obtained by irradiation of blends. The results from rheology demonstrated an increase in melt strength and drawability of blends.     

Non‐Volatile ReRAM Devices Based on Self‐Assembled Multilayers of Modified Graphene Oxide 2D Nanosheets

2D nanomaterials have been actively utilized in non‐volatile resistive switching random access memory (ReRAM) devices due to their high flexibility, 3D‐stacking capability, simple structure, transparency, easy fabrication, and low cost. Herein, it demonstrates re‐writable, bistable, transparent, and flexible solution‐processed crossbar ReRAM devices utilizing graphene oxide (GO) based multilayers as active dielectric layers. The devices employ single‐ or multi‐component‐based multilayers composed of positively charged GO (N‐GO(+) or NS‐GO(+)) with/without negatively charged GO(‐) using layer‐by‐layer assembly method, sandwiched between Al bottom and Au top electrodes. The device based on the multi‐component active layer Au/[N‐GO(+)/GO(‐)]_n/Al/PES shows higher ON/OFF ratio of ≈10⁵ with switching voltage of ?1.9 V and higher retention stability (≈10⁴ s), whereas the device based on single component (Au/[N‐GO(+)]_n/Al/PES) shows ≈10³ ON/OFF ratio at ±3.5 V switching voltage. The superior ReRAM properties of the multi‐component‐based device are attributed to a higher coating surface roughness. The Au/[N‐GO(+)/GO(–)]_n/Al/PES device prepared from lower GO concentration (0.01%) exhibits higher ON/OFF ratio (≈10⁹) at switching voltage of ±2.0 V. However, better stability is achieved by increasing the concentration from 0.01% to 0.05% of all GO‐based solutions. It is found that the devices containing MnO₂ in the dielectric layer do not improve the ReRAM performance.     

One-step synthesis of composite electrolytes of Eu-doped ceria and alkali metal carbonates

Europium-doped ceria (EDC, Ce_0.9Eu_0.1O_2−δ)/alkaline carbonate (LNC, (Li,Na)₂CO₃) composite ceramics prepared through a one-step citrate-based route were analyzed by powder X-ray diffraction, infrared and laser Raman spectroscopies as well as scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The electrochemical behavior of the electrolyte material was studied by impedance spectroscopy in air, CO₂ and N₂ + H₂ (90/10 vol%, respectively) gas mixtures, in the temperature range 300–600 °C. The sub micrometric and even nanosized ceramic particles appeared as merged inside the mixed carbonates, with modest grain to grain necking. The EDC/LNC composite electrolytes showed a conductivity of 0.27 S cm⁻¹ at 600 °C in air, amongst the best ever reported, exceeding the usual requirements for fuel cell applications.     

Evaluation of candidate biocides to control the biofouling Asian clam in the drinking water treatment industry: An environmentally friendly approach

The biofouling Asian clam Corbicula fluminea greatly affects freshwater-dependent facilities in Europe and North America, including in the Great Lakes region. As chlorination has become increasingly restricted, finding alternative control agents is a priority. Due to the species' epifaunal nature, the body of knowledge on Dreissena polymorpha is larger than that on the Asian clam, and there is a tendency to assume that mitigation methods should work similarly for both species. However, this generalisation is inaccurate, and the optimisation of Asian clam control relies on species-specific toxicological data. This paper reports information on the potential of three candidate biocides for C. fluminea control: (i) the cationic polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride (polyDADMAC), (ii) potassium chloride and (iii) aluminum sulphate. While these chemicals may be employed in a range of contexts, they are particularly suitable for the highly regulated drinking water industry. LT₅₀ values ranging from 284.3 h, for polyDADMAC applied at 10 mg/L, to 855.1 h, for an aluminum sulphate concentration of 11 mg/L, were obtained. Ecotoxicological standard tests with Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata and Daphnia magna suggested that, amongst the three biocides, potassium chloride is the one representing lower potential environmental hazard (with, for example, 48 h-EC₅₀ higher than 1 g/L for Daphnia immobilisation, which compares to values of 20.2 and 112.5 mg/L for polyDADMAC and aluminum sulphate, respectively). The three chemicals are promising control agents at dosages compatible with waterworks' operational requirements with polyDADMAC having the highest biocidal activity, but also posing more environmental risks.     

Load allocation in DMS with a fuzzy state estimator

This paper describes a load allocation model to be used in a distribution management system (DMS) environment. A process of rough allocation is initiated, based on information on actual measurements and on data about installed capacity and power and energy consumption at LV substations. This process generates a fuzzy load allocation, which is then corrected by a fuzzy state estimator procedure in order to generate a crisp power flow compatible set of load allocations, coherent with available real time measurements recorded in the SCADA