Dielectric investigations and theoretical calculations of size effect in lead titanate nanocrystals

The dielectric properties of nanograin ferroelectric lead titanate crystals are presented. The PbTiO3 samples were prepared by pressing nanopowders into plates and were studied experimentally by dielectric permittivity measurements in a wide frequency and temperature range. The TC dependence obtained showed a critical change of behavior with increasing mean nanoparticle size in the 9-nm region. The theoretical calculations based on Monte Carlo simulation were performed to describe the behavior of this material. It was shown that the distribution of nanoparticle sizes in the sample taken into account with the Monte Carlo method describes the dielectric properties of PbTiO3 nanocrystals quite well.     

Direct DNA hybridization at disposable graphite electrodes modified with carbon nanotubes

The performance of glassy carbon (GCE) and graphite pencil electrodes (PGE) modified with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are compared, based on the direct electrochemical detection of nucleic acids. This is accomplished by monitoring the differential pulse voltammetry changes of the guanine signal. CNT-modified PGE compares favorably to that of the commonly used CNT-modified GCE owing to the intrinsic improved performance of the supporting PGE. The better intrinsic characteristics of the PGE are related to its composite structure and higher level of porosity compared to GCE. The performance characteristics of the direct DNA hybridization on the disposable CNT-modified PGE are studied in terms of optimum analytical conditions such as probe concentration, target concentration, hybridization time, and selectivity. The new DNA biosensor described here has shown some important advantages such being inexpensive, sensitive, selective, and able to generate reproducible results using a simple and direct electrochemical protocol.     

Determination and comparison of wind loads for industrial reinforced concrete chimneys

Like all other tall structures, determination of wind loads is important for industrial reinforced concrete chimneys. All countries use different wind load standards. These different wind load standards are compared with each other in some studies. For example, in one study by Zhou et al., major international codes and standards for tall buildings were compared. In the first part of this study, modelling information about 10 selected industrial reinforced concrete chimneys is given. All structural and material information about the chimneys are given in the first section. In addition, the first mode natural periods of model chimneys are given. In the second part of this study, procedures of standards used for calculating wind loads are introduced. These standards are ACI 307/98, CICIND 2001, DIN 1056, Eurocode 1 and TS 498. In the third part of the study, the calculated wind loads according to these five standards are shown and compared with each other. In the last part of the study, a conclusion and discussion part is taking place. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Web Usage Mining Framework for Mining Evolving User Profiles in Dynamic Web Sites

In this paper, we present a complete framework and findings in mining Web usage patterns from Web log files of a real Web site that has all the challenging aspects of real-life Web usage mining, including evolving user profiles and external data describing an ontology of the Web content. Even though the Web site under study is part of a nonprofit organization that does not "sell" any products, it was crucial to understand "who" the users were, "what" they looked at, and "how their interests changed with time," all of which are important questions in Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Hence, we present an approach for discovering and tracking evolving user profiles. We also describe how the discovered user profiles can be enriched with explicit information need that is inferred from search queries extracted from Web log data. Profiles are also enriched with other domain-specific information facets that give a panoramic view of the discovered mass usage modes. An objective validation strategy is also used to assess the quality of the mined profiles, in particular their adaptability in the face of evolving user behavior.     

PP纳米复合长丝的结构和电性能

采用小型熔融纺丝机将PP／碳纳米粒子纺成三叶形截面的长丝。然后将此PP／碳纳米粒子复合长丝和纯PP长丝采用就地聚合的方法涂以导电聚合物聚苯胺制成导电长丝．结果表明,涂层长丝的电阻逐渐降低。为降低电阻水平而仍保持结构和机械性能,还需进行进一步的工作。     

Effects of annealing on the structural and magnetic properties of flame spray pyrolyzed MnFe2O4 nanoparticles

In this study, manganese ferrite (MnFe₂O₄) nanoparticles were produced through flame spray pyrolysis (FSP). To investigate the effects of heat treatment, the nanoparticles were annealed between 400 and 650°C for 4 h in air in a comparative manner. The structural, chemical, morphological, and magnetic properties of the nanoparticles were evaluated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), respectively. The XRD results showed that the nanoparticles synthesized by the FSP method exhibited the MnFe₂O₄ spinel ferrite structure. The annealing process led to the decomposition of MnFe₂O₄ into various phases. According to the morphological analysis, the as-synthesized particles were hemispherical–cubic in shape and had an average particle size of less than 100 nm. In addition, the chemical bond structures of the nanoparticles were confirmed in detail by XPS elemental analysis. The highest saturation magnetization was recorded as 33.50 emu/g for the as-produced nanoparticles. The saturation magnetization of the nanoparticles decreased with increasing annealing temperature, while coercivity increased.     

Morphological structure of rat tongue using light and scanning electron microscopy

The rat is one of the most commonly used animals in biological research and experimental investigations in medicine. The ultrafine structural components of the epithelium differ depending on the anatomy of the animal and the papilla type. Animal adaptation to food types and environmental circumstances may also be linked to morphological diversity. In the current study, seven male Wistar rat tongues were investigated. For scanning electron microscope (SEM), two rat tongues were immersed in a 10% formalin solution and the other two rat tongues were immersed in a 2.5% glutaraldehyde solution. The tongues of three rats were fixed for regular histological evaluation using triple staining. The three primary components of the Wistar rat tongue are the apex, body and root. The apex had a rounded and bifurcated shape. Filiform papillae and gustatory papillae were easily identified on the dorsal side of the tongue. There were three forms of gustatory papillae; fungiform papillae, vallate papillae and foliate papillae. The purpose of this study was to expose the tongue morphology of the Wistar rat species, which is widely used in investigations. Also, we wanted to show that formalin fixation can be utilized for morphological research in SEM. Finally, the Wistar rat tongue was thoroughly investigated and compared to those of other species.     

Silicon Nanowires Driving Miniaturization of Microelectromechanical Systems Physical Sensors: A Review

The miniaturization of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) physical sensors is driven by global connectivity needs and is closely linked to emerging digital technologies and the Internet of Things. Strong technical advantages of miniaturization such as improved sensitivity, functionality, and power consumption are accompanied by significant economic benefits due to semiconductor manufacturing. Hence, the trend to produce smaller sensors and their driving force resemble very much those of the miniaturization of integrated circuits (ICs) as described by Moore's law. In this respect, with its IC-, and MEMS-compatibility, and scalability, the silicon nanowire is frequently employed in frontier research as the sensor building block replacing conventional sensors. The integration of the silicon nanowire with MEMS has thus generated a multiscale hybrid architecture, where the silicon nanowire serves as the piezoresistive transducer and MEMS provide an interface with external forces, such as inertial or magnetic. This approach has been reported for almost all physical sensor types over the last decade. These sensors are reviewed here with detailed classification. In each case, associated technological challenges and comparisons with conventional counterparts are provided. Future directions and opportunities are highlighted.     

Volume Combustion Synthesis in Fe–Ti–C and Fe–Ti Systems

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A - In situ formation of TiC particles in Fe matrix from Fe + Ti + C (FTC) powder mixtures via volume combustion synthesis (VCS) was...     

Recent progress in food processing applications of air impingement technology: A review

Air impingement method has been widely used in a variety of industrial applications, such as textile and paper drying, turbine cooling, and glass quenching, because it is an efficient technology with high heat and mass transfer rates. This technology has received increasing interest in the field of food processing over the last two decades, such as drying, baking, blanching, freezing, and thawing. In a food processing equipment using air impingement, jets of high-velocity air (with speeds of 10–50 m/s) are directed at a food product. The performance of the system is influenced by several critical elements, including jet velocity, nozzle array diameter and layout, jet distance, and boundary layer characteristics. The use of computational fluid dynamics, an emerging tool, has been shown to be valuable in the analysis of fluid flow and heat and mass transfer in jet impingement systems. The physical properties of impinging jets, such as turbulent mixing in the free jet zone, stagnation, boundary layer formation, recirculation, and their interactions with food products in terms of heat and mass transfer, have been discussed in this article. The benefits and disadvantages of air jet impingement technology in different food processing applications together with potential trends for improving impingement technology performance were identified and discussed. This review not only contributes to a better understanding of the research status of impingement technology on food processing but also triggers new research opportunities in this field in order to provide more healthy and nutritious food in a more sustainable way to the world's growing population.