Solid Solutions of Lead Metaniobate—Stabilization of the Ferroelectric Polymorph and the Effect on the Lattice Parameters,Dielectric, Ferroelectric,and Piezoelectric Properties

Ferroelectric orthorhombic lead metaniobate (PbNb₂O₆) is known to be metastable with respect to the thermodynamically stable nonferroelectric rhombohedral polymorph. The high‐temperature tetragonal to low temperature rhombohedral phase transition is reconstructive and thereby sluggish; ferroelectric PbNb₂O₆ is obtained by quenching from the stable phase field of the tetragonal polymorph. We report on the stabilization of the ferroelectric tungsten bronze polymorphs of PbNb₂O₆ by minor chemical substitution in the series [(1 ? x) PbNb₂O₆–xBiTiNbO₆], [(1 ? x)PbNb₂O₆–xNa_0.5Bi_0.5Nb₂O₆], [(1 ? x)PbNb₂O₆–xK_0.5Bi_0.5Nb₂O₆], and [(1 ? x)PbNb₂O₆–xCaTiO₃]. The high‐temperature tungsten bronze polymorph is entropy stabilized with respect to the stable rhombohedral polymorph, and we propose that the tungsten bronze is further entropy stabilized by chemical substitution, reducing the transition temperature of the rhombohedral polymorph and further disfavoring the kinetics of the undesired phase transition. Optimized solid‐state synthesis and processing to obtain dense ceramics were developed for the solid solutions, and the dielectric, ferroelectric, and piezoelectric properties of the PbNb₂O₆ solid solutions are reported. Curie temperature is suppressed with chemical substitution in all the systems. Lattice cell parameters display systematic variation with composition, reducing the molar volume, and the lattice parameter ratio 2b/a with increasing degree of substitution, reflecting a suppression of the polarization along the (010) direction due to chemical substitution. The piezoelectric properties improved with increasing substitution level probably due to the ease of poling of the materials with lower T_c. However, some improvements seen with 2% CaTiO₃ were not accompanied by T_c decrease.     

Digital Water Developments and Lessons Learned from Automation in the Car and Aircraft Industries

The provision of water and sanitation services is a key challenge worldwide.The size,complexity,and critical nature of the water and wastewater infrastructure p...     

Influence of the type and degree of alteration of andesite and dacite on the quality and life of asphaltic concrete

This report deals with the influence of alteration processes in andesite and dacite with special reference to those alterations and characteristics of stone having the greatest influence on the quality of asphaltic concrete mixes. Using andesites and dacites with extremely different properties for standard asphaltic mixes has proved that quality of the mixes very much depends on the quality of the stone aggregate used. Properties of stone aggregate of different degree and type of alteration have a significant influence on the rheological characteristics of bitumen. Therefore, special attention has been paid to this influence.     

Multi-output fuzzy inference system for modeling cutting temperature and tool life in face milling

This paper proposes a method for cutting parameters identification using the multi-inputs-multi-outputs fuzzy inference system (MIMO-FIS). The fuzzy inference system (FIS) was used to identify the initial values for cutting parameters (cutting speed, feed rate and depth of cut) and flank wear using cutting temperature and tool life as outputs. The objective was to determine the influence of cutting parameters on cutting temperature and tool life. The model for determining the cutting temperature and tool life of steel AISI 1060 was trained (design rules) and tested by using the experimental data. The average deviation of the testing data for tool life was 11.6 %, while that of the cutting temperature was 3.28 %. The parameters used in these testing data were different from the data collected for the design rules. The test results showed that the proposed MIMO-FIS model can be used successfully for machinability data selection. The effect of parameters and their interactions in machining is analyzed in detail and presented in this study.     

The development of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) calibration for prediction of ash content in legumes on the basis of two different reference methods

The aim of this study was to develop optimal NIRS calibration for ash content prediction in legumes by using the thermogravimetric (TGA) and gravimetric (GA) analytical methods. The calibration was performed on the basis of whole and structured sample sets (n = 143 and n = 99, respectively). Samples were scanned using a Rapid Content Analyzer in reflectance mode (400–2500 nm). Different mathematical treatments of the spectra preceded modified partial least squares (MPLS) regression analyses. The performance of the models was assessed by cross validation and external validation (n = 44). Models developed for the whole sample set on the basis of the TGA and GA methods were characterised by standard error of calibration (SEC) ranged from 0.28 to 0.50, standard error of cross validation (SECV) ranged from 0.43 to 0.60, coefficient of determination (R²) ranged from 0.97 to 0.89, explained variance (1 − VR) ranged from 0.94 to 0.85 and residual predictive deviation (RPD) ranged from 4.23 to 2.68, respectively. Models developed for the structured sample set on the basis of the TGA and GA methods were characterised by standard error of calibration (SEC) ranged from 0.32 to 0.42, standard error of cross validation (SECV) ranged from 0.53 to 0.56, coefficient of determination (R²) ranged from 0.97 to 0.94, explained variance (1 − VR) ranged from 0.91 to 0.89 and residual predictive deviation (RPD) ranged from 3.52 to 2.98, respectively. The obtained results showed the potential of NIRS method to accurately predict the ash content of legume grass samples that correspond to ash content determined by the TGA and GA methods.     

Increased TCA cycle activity and reduced oxygen consumption during cytochrome P450-dependent biotransformation in fission yeast

Cytochrome P450s are haem-containing monooxygenases that catalyse a variety of oxidations utilizing a large substrate spectrum and are therefore of interest for biotechnological applications. We expressed human CYP21 in fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe as a eukaryotic model for P450-dependent whole-cell biotransformation. The resulting strain displayed strong steroid hydroxylase activity that was accompanied by contrary effects on respiration and non-respiratory oxygen consumption, which combined to a significant decline in total oxygen consumption of the cells. While production of ROS (reactive oxygen species) decreased, the TCA cycle activity increased, as was shown by metabolic flux (METAFoR) analysis. Pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) activity was found to be negligible, regardless of growth phase, CYP21 expression or biocatalytic activity, indicating that NADPH levels in Sz. pombe are sufficiently high to support an exogenous P450 without adaptations of central carbon metabolism. We conclude from these data that neither oxygen supply nor NADPH availability are limiting factors in P450-dependent biocatalysis in Sz. pombe.     

Patient dosimetry in interventional cardiology at the University Hospital of Osijek

The interventional cardiology was recently implemented at the University Hospital of Osijek. Patients' absorbed doses during coronary angiography (CA) and the percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) procedures were measured and compared with published data and international standards. All patients undergoing CA or PTCA procedures during a 1-month period were included in the study. Patients' doses are expressed in terms of dose area product (DAP) per procedure. The patients' DAPs ranged from 2.6 to 210 Gy cm2 (average of 59 Gy cm2) during CAs, and from 61 to 220 Gy cm2 (average of 120 Gy cm2) during PTCAs. Patients' doses during CAs and PTCAs at the University Hospital of Osijek are in good agreement with the published ones. In complex cases, the radiochromic dosimetry films were used to show possible dose distributions across patient's skin. The film dosimetry showed a limitation of using only DAP values for the estimation of skin injuries risk.     

Maintenance scheduling for a manufacturing system of machines with adjustable throughput

This paper considers the problem of analyzing and optimizing joint schedules of maintenance and throughput adjustment operations in manufacturing systems. The purpose of joint scheduling of maintenance and throughput changing operations is to maximize the cost benefits of maintenance operations in manufacturing systems in which some or all of the machines can execute their function under different process settings, resulting in different machine and system throughputs. Such a capability enables one to strategically slow down more degraded machines or accelerate freshly maintained machines so that production targets can be met and maintenance operations can be offset to times when they are less intrusive on the manufacturing process. A Monte-Carlo-simulation-based method is proposed for the evaluation of cost effectiveness of any schedule of maintenance and throughput changing operations, and a genetic-algorithm-based method is proposed to enable searching for schedules that would maximize the cost benefits of these operations. A matrix chromosome representation of the joint schedules of maintenance and throughput adjustment operations is introduced and several mechanisms of chromosome evolution and selection are proposed and analyzed in numerical simulations of such manufacturing systems. Results indicate a good ability for the newly proposed methods to achieve a tradeoff between cost benefits of production and losses due to maintenance operations through strategic allocation of maintenance and throughput changing actions.     

New numerical approach in the analysis of a thin wire radiating over a lossy half-space

The finite element formulation for a half-space electric field integral equation is described. Sommerfeld integrals, appearing in the kernel of the integral equation are calculated by means of exponential approximations. This approach shows advantages over the usual techniques. Obtained results are compared with other results available.