Elastomeric alloys of PVC

The performance standards for flexible PVC compounds continue to become more demanding as manufacturers pursue more value-added applications traditionally dominated by rubbers and thermoplastic elastomers. Blending of PVC with other polymers has proven to be a viable approach in developing higher performance flexible PVC-based materials. This paper will review some of the typical approaches to producing PVC-based elastomers, and show how these standard flexible PVC blends compare to a newly developed family of PVC alloys. The advantages of these materials will be discussed, and some examples of commercial materials and their application will also be reviewed.     

Exploiting partial or complete geometrical symmetry in 3D symmetric Galerkin indirect BEM formulations

Procedures based on group representation theory, allowing the exploitation of geometrical symmetry in symmetric Galerkin BEM formulations, are investigated. In particular, this investigation is based on the weaker assumption of partial geometrical symmetry, where the boundary has two disconnected components, one of which is symmetric; e.g. this can be very useful for defect identification problems. The main development is expounded in the context of 3D Neumann elastostatic problems, considered as model problems; and then extended to SGBIE formulations for Dirichlet and/or scalar problems. Both Abelian and non‐Abelian finite symmetry groups are considered. The effectiveness of the present approach is demonstrated through numerical examples, where both partial and complete symmetry are considered, in connection with both Abelian and non‐Abelian symmetry groups. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A reactive molecular dynamics model of thermal decomposition in polymers: I. Poly(methyl methacrylate)

The theory and implementation of reactive molecular dynamics (RMD) are presented. The capabilities of RMD and its potential use as a tool for investigating the mechanisms of thermal transformations in materials are demonstrated by presenting results from simulations of the thermal degradation of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). While it is known that depolymerization must be the major decomposition channel for PMMA, there are unanswered questions about the nature of the initiation reaction and the relative reactivities of the tertiary and primary radicals formed in the degradation process. The results of our RMD simulations, performed directly in the condensed phase, are consistent with available experimental information. They also provide new insights into the mechanism of the thermally induced conversion of this polymer into its constituent monomers.     

Design and architecture of a new space priority mechanism for ATM network nodes

This paper presents the architecture of a new space priority mechanism intended to control cell loss in ATM switches. Our mechanism is a new generic concept called: the multiple pushout. It is based on the utilization of both AAL and ATM features and on a particular definition of the priority bit. Whenever one cell of a message overflows the buffer of an ATM switch, the algorithm causes the switch to discard other cells of the message (including later arrivals). Such discarding frees buffer spaces for cells of other messages that have a chance of arriving at their destination intact. Our objective is to emphasize that in case of overload, with most of proposed mechanisms, cells are discarded without any semantic information about the type of cells. Therefore, at the destination, all the fragments of the corrupted messages will be discarded anyway. Finally, we present simulation results comparing cell loss rates and message loss rates of several space priority mechanisms.     

Pyramid collaborative filtering technique for an intelligent autonomous guide agent

This article presents an autonomous guide agent that can observe a community of learners on the web, interpret the learners' inputs, and then assess their sharing. The goal of this agent is to find a reliable helper (tutor or other learner) to assist a learner in solving his task. Despite the growing number of Internet users, the ability to find helpers is still a challenging and important problem. Although helpers could have much useful information about courses to be taught, many learners fail to understand their presentations. For that, the agent must be able to deal autonomously with the following challenges: Do helpers have information that the learners need? Will helpers present information that learners can understand? And can we guarantee that these helpers will collaborate effectively with learners? We have developed a new filtering framework, called a pyramid collaborative filtering model, to whittle the number of helpers down to just one. We have proposed four levels for the pyramid. Moving from one level to another depends on three filtering techniques: domain model filtering, user model filtering, and credibility model filtering. A new technique is filtering according to helpers' credibilities. Our experiments show that this method greatly improves filtering effectiveness. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Int Syst 22: 1065–1082, 2007.     

Bile acids as constituents for dental composites: in vitro cytotoxicity of (meth)acrylate and other ester derivatives of bile acids.

Methacrylic derivatives of bile acids have been synthesized for use as monomers in dental composites. Polymeric dental materials are known to leach cytotoxic unreacted monomers and degradation products. In this study, the in vitro cytotoxicity of bile acids and their derivatives towards 3T3 fibroblasts has been evaluated by colorimetric MTT assay and compared with that of the common dental monomers BisGMA, UDMA and TEGDMA. In general, the bile acids and their derivatives induced mitochondrial dysfunction at similar or higher concentrations than the commercial dental monomers. Certain monomers did not influence MTT response over their entire range of solubility.     

3D Micro-PIXE at atmospheric pressure: A new tool for the investigation of art and archaeological objects

The paper describes a novel experiment characterized by the development of a confocal geometry in an external Micro-PIXE set-up. The position of X-ray optics in front of the X-ray detector and its proper alignment with respect to the proton micro-beam focus provided the possibility of carrying out 3D Micro-PIXE analysis. As a first application, depth intensity profiles of the major elements that compose the patina layer of a quaternary bronze alloy were measured. A simulation approach of the 3D Micro-PIXE data deduced elemental concentration profiles in rather good agreement with corresponding results obtained by electron probe micro-analysis from a cross-sectioned patina sample. With its non-destructive and depth-resolving properties, as well as its feasibility in atmospheric pressure, 3D Micro-PIXE seems especially suited for investigations in the field of cultural heritage.