Effect of artificial weathering and temperature cycling on the performance of coating systems used for wooden windows

The effects of ultraviolet light irradiation and water spray and temperature cycling on the color stability of waterborne coating systems on spruce were investigated. The test samples were treated with three coating systems (white and brown pigmented acrylate waterborne coatings systems with different layering) from six producers. The artificial weathering was carried out based on standardized (504 h) and increased weathering parameters (504 h). Thirty cycles of temperature changes were performed. Discoloration suggesting the rate of degradation process and color stability was measured by a spectrophotometer in L*a*b* color space. The results showed greater color stability of white coating systems during both experiments. The producer of acrylate coatings with iodopropynyl butyl carbamate and permethrin as biocides and benzotriazole, silicon dioxide and methylsiloxane as additives was characterized by the best coatings performance. The most sensitive color parameter to describe the surface quality as a result of irradiation and water spray has proven to be a change of lightness. A tendency towards degradation with increasing lightness was observed during weathering. The effect of temperature itself on color change was minimal. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy revealed microscopic changes of coatings caused by artificial weathering.     

Improved functional perturbation method for reliability analysis of randomly heterogeneous beams

The strength reliability of randomly heterogeneous beams is studied. The beams are considered as brittle, and failure by the weakest link criterion is assumed. The structure is statically indeterminate, thus the stress field is a function of the random morphology. The probabilistic beam strength is a coupled functional of morphology and stresses. Correlation between local strength and local modulus is also considered, and its effect on reliability is investigated. Heterogeneity is confined to the longitudinal direction only. An improved analytical solution is found by a new, optimized functional perturbation method (FPM). The improvement is achieved by two operations: generalizing the previously used FPM to account for multifunctional dependency, and choosing the perturbation to be around the proper homogeneous case for each type of morphology. It is shown that the improvement of the optimized method for reliability analysis is significant, and depends on the type of local strength-modulus statistical correlation. In addition, analytical results for very large and very small correlation lengths are obtained, and their validity range is examined by numerical solutions.     

Thorns and dermal denticles of skates Atlantoraja cyclophora and A. castelnaui: Microscopic features and functional implications

Some batoid species are covered with dermal denticles (or placoid scales) that occasionally develop into thorns. In sexually mature males, sharp teeth and alar thorns found on the apex of the lateral disc are used to hold the female during copulation. This study set out to analyze microscopic features of modified dermal denticles and thorns and to investigate sexual dimorphism in Atlantoraja cyclophora and A. castelnaui species. Skin samples collected from areas covered with thorns were fixed in 10% formaldehyde, processed and analyzed using scanning electron microscopy. Alar thorn morphology varied within species, while caudal thorn, rostral and caudal dermal denticle morphology varied within and between species. These structures play an important role in the protection and reproduction of the species studied and constitute important taxonomic information, given they are often the only elements preserved in archaeological sites and fossil records.     

Electrochemiluminescent arrays for cytochrome P450-activated genotoxicity screening. DNA damage from benzo[a]pyrene metabolites

Arrays suitable for genotoxicity screening are reported that generate metabolites from cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs) in thin-film spots. Array spots containing DNA, various human cyt P450s, and electrochemiluminescence (ECL) generating metallopolymer [Ru(bpy)2PVP10]2+ were exposed to H2O2 to activate the enzymes. ECL from all spots was visualized simultaneously using a CCD camera. Using benzo[a]pyrene as a test substrate, enzyme activity for producing DNA damage in the arrays was found in the order CYP1B1 > CYP1A2 > CYP1A1 > CYP2E1 > myoglobin, the same as the order of their metabolic activity. Thus, these arrays estimate the relative propensity of different enzymes to produce genotoxic metabolites. This is the first demonstration of ECL arrays for high-throughput in vitro genotoxicity screening.     

Measuring perceived video quality of MPEG enhancement by people with impaired vision

We used a new method to measure the perceived quality of contrast-enhanced motion video. Patients with impaired vision (n=24) and normally sighted subjects (n=6) adjusted the level of MPEG-based enhancement of 8 videos (4 min each) drawn from 4 categories. They selected the level of enhancement that provided the preferred view of the videos, using a decreasing-step-size staircase procedure. Most patients made consistent selections of the preferred level of enhancement, indicating an appreciation of and a perceived benefit from the MPEG-based enhancement. The selections varied between patients and were correlated with letter contrast sensitivity, but the selections were not affected by training, experience, or video category. We measured just noticeable differences directly for videos and mapped the image manipulation (enhancement in our case) onto an approximately linear perceptual space. These tools and approaches will be of value in other evaluations of the image quality of motion video manipulations.     

A water‐soluble self‐doped conducting polypyrrole‐based copolymer

A water‐soluble self‐doped conducting polypyrrole‐based copolymer was synthesized via the grafting of pyrrole onto the p‐aminodiphenylamine moieties of a water‐soluble copolymer. The conductive copolymer exhibited a conductivity as large as 3.4 S/cm. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 79: 86–89, 2001     

臭氧氧化蓖麻油制备甘油三酸酯多元酸的研究

以蓖麻油为原料,经臭氧氧化法制备甘油三酸酯多元酸.考察了溶剂、臭氧化反应温度及时间,氧化裂解温度及时间对反应的影响.实验结果表明,合成甘油三酸酯多元酸的最佳条件为:m(蓖麻油):m(乙酸) 为1:4,臭氧化反应温度10～15 ℃,时间2 h;氧化裂解温度90～95 ℃,时间2.5 h.在此条件下收率达83%以上.     

Photoluminescence and intrinsic properties of MBE-grown InN nanowires

The influence of the growth parameters on the photoluminescence (PL) spectra has been investigated for samples with columnar morphology, either with InN columns on original substrates or as free-standing nanowires. Valuable information about band gap and electron concentration was obtained by line shape analysis. Optical band gaps between 730 and 750 meV and electron concentrations of 8 x 10(17) to 6 x 10(18) cm(-3) were derived from the fit of the PL spectra of different samples. The crystalline quality of the wires was investigated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy.     

Novel magnetic tips developed for the switching magnetization magnetic force microscopy

Using micromagnetic calculations we search for optimal magnetic properties of novel magnetic tips to be used for a Switching Magnetization Magnetic Force Microscopy (SM-MFM), a novel technique based on two-pass scanning with reversed tip magnetization. Within the technique the sum of two scans images local atomic forces and their difference maps the local magnetic forces. The tip magnetization is switched during the scanning by a small magnetic field. The technology of novel low-coercitive magnetic tips is proposed. For best performance the tips must exhibit low magnetic moment, low switching field, and single-domain state at remanence. Such tips are equipped with Permalloy objects of a precise shape that are defined on their tilted sides. We calculate switching fields of such tips by solving the micromagnetic problem to find the optimum shape and dimensions of the Permalloy objects located on the tips. Among them, hexagon was found as the best shape for the tips.     

Water‐Dispersible,Multifunctional, Magnetic,Luminescent Silica‐Encapsulated Composite Nanotubes

A multifunctional one‐dimensional nanostructure incorporating both CdSe quantum dots (QDs) and Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (NPs) within a SiO₂‐nanotube matrix is successfully synthesized based on the self‐assembly of preformed functional NPs, allowing for control over the size and amount of NPs contained within the composite nanostructures. This specific nanostructure is distinctive because both the favorable photoluminescent and magnetic properties of QD and NP building blocks are incorporated and retained within the final silica‐based composite, thus rendering it susceptible to both magnetic guidance and optical tracking. Moreover, the resulting hydrophilic nanocomposites are found to easily enter into the interiors of HeLa cells without damage, thereby highlighting their capability not only as fluorescent probes but also as possible drug‐delivery vehicles of interest in nanobiotechnology.