Crystallization in blends of isotactic polypropylene with polyethylene-b-poly(ethylene-co-butylene)-b-polyethylene block copolymer

In this study, isothermal crystallization in blends of isotactic polypropylene (i-PP) with polyethylene-b-poly(ethylene-co-butylene)-b-polyethylene block copolymer (CEBC) was investigated using a polarized photometer, polarized microscope and differential scanning calorimeter. Half time of crystallizaiton (τ_1/2) is increasing with increasing CEBC content in i-PP/CEBC blends. Avrami index and rate constant of crystal growth decrease with increasing CEBC content in i-PP/CEBC blends. On the contrary, heat of fusion of i-PP crystal in the blends is almost constant against the variation of CEBC content in i-PP/CEBC blends. Hence, it is pointed out that blending i-PP with CEBC caused only retardation of rate of crystalline growth and change in mechanism of crystalline growth from three dimensional to two dimensional growth. Received: 19 May 1999/Revised version: 15 July 1999/Accepted: 19 July 1999     

Linear stability analysis on surface tension‐induced instability of LiBr aqueous solution absorbing water vapor

Linear stability analysis is applied to the absorption of water vapor into lithium bromide aqueous solution film when a small amount of surfactant is added to the solution. The condition under which an instability occurs and the role of the surfactant are investigated. The analysis shows that the film becomes unstable at a positive Marangoni number when the heat transfer is more determining than the mass transfer. In contrast, when the mass transfer is more determining, the film becomes unstable at a negative Marangoni number. As for LiBr aqueous solution, mass transfer is more rate determining than heat transfer, so the instability is promoted and maintained when the Marangoni number is negative. In the case of film flow absorption, the analysis shows that the disturbance of the film flow becomes more unstable in the transverse direction than in the longitudinal direction as the Reynolds number increases. © 2000 Scripta Technica, Heat Trans Asian Res, 29(7): 581–597, 2000     

Nitride-based laser diodes using thick n-AlGaN layers

We obtained 1 μm crack-free AlGaN layers up to an AlN molar fraction of 0.4 by growing directly on low-temperature-deposited buffer layers. The buffer layer is effective for growing AlGaN layers without the stress caused by the lattice mismatch. We also demonstrated nitride-based laser diodes with such a 1 μm crack-free n-AlGaN cladding layer/n-AlGaN contact layer/low-temperature-deposited buffer layer/sapphire structure, which showed a clear single spot in a far field pattern. The AlGaN-based structure can suppress optical leakage from the waveguide region to the underlying layer. The threshold current of the laser diode is about 230 mA, which is comparable to or better than that of our laser diodes with the conventional GaN-based structure.     

Growth of yttria stabilized zirconia thin films by metallo-organic, ultrasonic spray pyrolysis

Randomly and preferentially oriented thin films of yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) have been prepared on fused quartz substrates by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis using zirconium octylate and yttrium octylate as metallo-organic precursors at a substrate temperature of 873–1023 K. The as-deposited films composed of fine columnar grains were found to be crystalline and transparent with a cubic fluorite structure. With increasing substrate temperature the growth rate and diameter of the columnar grains increased and the crystal habit showed a preferential orientation at the (111) plane.     

Deformation near parallel cracks close to interface in bonded dissimilar plate

Tensile tests are carried out by using rectangular plate specimens extracted from the explosion clad plate. Artificial parallel cracks are made perpendicularly to the explosive interface in each specimen. When a tensile load is applied perpendicularly to the crack plane, strain, plastic deformation near cracks and crack opening displacement are examined by experiments as well as elasto-plastic finite element analysis. The effects of the material inhomogeneity, the change of material characteristics, the residual stress and the interaction between parallel cracks on the deformation behavior are revealed. The plastic zone around parallel cracks, at relatively low applied stress level, grows mainly ahead of and between two cracks. The interaction between parallel cracks on the crack opening displacement can be explained from the square of stress intensity factor at the low applied stress level and from the plastic deformation at the high applied stress level.     

Vanadium solid-salt battery: Solid state with two redox couples

We present the “vanadium solid-salt battery” (VSSB), which has high energy density, is low cost, is easily recycled, operates at ambient temperature, and has no requirement for special solvents. The VSSB contains two types of vanadium solid salts that are supported on carbon felts with a minimal amount of hydrosulfuric acid added to moisten the ion-exchange membrane. The optimized VSSB shows a cell potential of 1.34 V, excellent reproducibility for charging and discharging for nearly 100 cycles, a high energy efficiency (87%) and a high energy density (77 W h kg⁻¹ at 5 mA cm⁻² using the carbon felt XF208). The energy density is enhanced by 250-350% compared with conventional vanadium redox-flow batteries.     

Validating database updates

Individual facts in the real world are represented by tuples in database relations (instances), while universal (time-independent) facts are treated as semantic constraints regarding database relation schemata. One important role of these semantic constraints is their use as integrity constraints that must not be violated by update operations. Among these, static constraints are represented by assertions, which are extended relational calculi in which every tuple variable is bound over a relation, and become true in a consistent database. When an update has been made on a consistent database, it is necessary to ascertain if the updated database is still consistent. It can be done by evaluating all the assertions in the updated database, but this is very time consuming. If a given assertion is in one of some classes, it is possible to devise an efficient validation procedure, which before the update is actually applied determines if the update violates the given assertion. In many cases a simplified form can be found, by examining whose value the properness of the given update is determined. The existence of such an efficient procedure and simplified form depends on what class the given assertion belongs, and also on what type of the update is to be made on what relation. This paper presents a method of finding such a procedure and simplified form using several simple syntactical transformation rules regarding extended relational calculi. This method is based on several basic properties in prepositional logic and many-sorted predicate logic.     

Quantum beat spectroscopy on excitons in GaN

We present four wave mixing experiments on excitons in GaN. The four wave mixing transients exhibit strong modulations yielding a splitting of the A- and the B-exciton of 7.98 meV. In addition, we obtain a biexciton binding energy for A-excitons of 5.7 meV.     

Characterization of a mannose-containing glycoasparagine isolated from urine of a patient with aspartylglycosylaminuria (AGU)

Pimozide-induced inhibition of lever-pressing for brain stimulation in the lateral hypothalamic area was differentially restored by the centrally acting anticholinergic, dexetimide and by different dopaminergic drugs. In addition, a differential antagonism towards chlorpromazine-induced inhibition of self-stimulation was shown. The results indicate that anticholinergis (non-competitive antagonism) or drugs which enhance endogenous neuro-transmission by increased release or by uptake blockade (competitive antagonism) are able to reserve the neuroleptic-induced inhibition of self-stimulation more effectively than are receptor agonists.     

Conversion of alkyl radicals to allyl radicals in irradiated single crystal mats of polyethylene

The decay of alkyl radicals, the conversion of alkyl radicals to allyl radicals and the trapping of allyl radicals in irradiated single crystal mats of polyethylene have been studied by electron spin resonance (e.s.r.). It has been suggested that in the crystal core alkyl radicals react with trans-vinylene double bonds and are converted into trans-vinylene allyl radicals; at the crystal surface, alkyl radicals react with vinyl end groups and are converted into allyl radicals with vinyl end groups. The decay of radical pairs and the formation of trans-vinylene double bonds are discussed.