Electrochemical properties of boron-carbon-nitride films formed by magnetron sputtering

The electrochemical behavior of B_1.0C_2.4N_1.0 thin film was investigated in acidic, neutral and alkaline solutions. The anodic polarization curve of the film in 1 M NaOH showed the anodic dissolution of the film. The curve of the film in 1 M HCl showed no anodic dissolution. The cathodic polarization curve in 1 M NaCl showed shift to a negative potential side, but the anodic polarization curve was the same as that of Pt. The anodic dissolution in 1 M NaOH depended on potentials, that is, no anodic dissolution was recognized in a potential range of −0.2 to 0.1 V but the dissolution rate increased with increasing potential in a range of 0.1-0.6 V. The anodic current density of the film is directly proportional to the dissolution rate at potentials higher than 0.1 V. The dissolution rate of the film was increased with increasing solution pH.     

The European,Japanese and US protective helmet,gloves and boots for firefighters: thermoregulatory and psychological evaluations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the physiological and subjective responses of the European, Japanese (JPN) and US firefighters' helmet, gloves and boots for international standardisation. Three experimental conditions were evaluated (clothing mass: 9.4, 8.2 and 10.1 kg for the three conditions, respectively) at the air temperature of 32°C and 60% relative humidity. The results showed that there was no significant difference among the three conditions in oxygen consumption, heart rate, total sweat rate, rectal temperature and mean skin temperature, whereas peripheral temperatures and subjective perceptions were lower in the JPN condition than in the other conditions (P < 0.05). These results indicate that a 0.5-kg reduction in helmet mass and a 1.1-kg reduction in boot mass during exercise resulted in a significant decrease in head and leg temperatures and subjective perceptions, while a 1.9-kg reduction in total clothing mass had insignificant influences on the metabolic burden and overall body temperature.     

Comparison of YAG: Eu phosphors synthesized by supercritical water in batch and continuous reactors

Luminescent yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG, Y₃Al₅O₁₂) nanoparticles doped with Eu (10 at%) were synthesized in batch-type and continuous-type supercritical water (SCW) reactors. In the case of the continuous-type SCW method, the particles of YAG: Eu phosphors were much smaller and demonstrated a uniform spherical-like shape. Inversely, in the case of the batch-type SCW method, a needle-like or elliptical-like shape was formed because a finite amount of time was required to reach SCW conditions from ambient conditions. However, the emission intensity of YAG: Eu phosphors synthesized by using the batch-type SCW method was stronger. Therefore, it is concluded that the continuous-type SCW method is superior to the batch-type SCW method from the viewpoint of the particle size and shape, but the luminescence property of phosphors in the continuous-type SCW method needs to be improved. In addition, a calcination process slightly improved the luminescence intensities of YAG: Eu phosphors generated by using either the batch-type or continuous-type SCW methods.     

Synthesis of polystyrene/poly(butyl acrylate) core–shell latex and its surface morphology

A polystyrene (PS)/poly(butyl acrylate) (PBA) composite emulsion was produced by seeded emulsion polymerization of butyl acrylate (BA) with PS seed particles which were prepared by emulsifier‐free polymerization of styrene with potassium persulfate (KPS) under a nitrogen atmosphere at 70°C for 24 h with stirring at 60 rpm and swelled with the BA monomer in an ethanol/water medium. The structure of the PS/PBA composite particles was confirmed by the presence of the characteristic absorption band attributed to PS and PBA from FTIR spectra. The particles for pure PS and PS/PBA with a low content of the BA monomer were almost spherical and regular. As the BA monomer content was increased, the particle size of the PS/PBA composite particles became larger, and more golf ball‐like particles were produced. The surface morphology of the PS/PBA composite particles was investigated by AFM and SEM. The T_g's attributed to PS and PBA in the PS/PBA composite particles were found at 110 and ?49°C, respectively. The thermal degradation of the pure PS and PS/PBA composite particles occurred in one and two steps, respectively. With an increasing amount of PBA, the initial thermal decomposition temperature increased. On the contrary the residual weight at 450°C decreased with an increasing amount of PBA. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 88: 595–601, 2003     

Synthesis and applications of unsaturated polyester resins based on PET waste

Three types of unsaturated polyester resins were synthesized from the glycolysis of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic waste, considering environment, cost and properties for their applications. These synthesized unsaturated polyester resins could be used for various construction processes and materials such as no dig pipelining (NDR-1), pultrusion (PLR-1) and polymer concrete (PCR-1). PET was taken from common soft-drink bottles, and ethylene glycol (EG), diethylene glycol (DEG) and MPdiol glycol mixtures were used for the depolymerization at molar ratios. The glycolyzed PET 1 ^st products (oligomers) were reacted with maleic anhydride, phthalic anhydride and dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) (especially for polymer concrete) to form unsaturated polyester resins with mixed styrene. The lab scale (1–5 kg) and pilot plant scale-up tests (200 kg) were experimented to evaluate the processing characteristics, viscosity, acid number and curing behaviors. The main properties such as hardness, flexural strength, tensile strength, heat distortion temperature, elongation, and chemical resistance were determined based on the various uses of the three resins. Furthermore, the applicability and the properties of these developed resins were verified through many real application tests.     

Compression based clustering technique for enhancing accuracy in web scale videos

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Detection and clustering of commercial advertisements plays an important role in multimedia indexing also in the creation of personalized user content. In...     

Effect of low-cycle fatigue on the hot ductility of plain carbon steel

In a continuous casting steelmaking operation, the surface of a slab is under a condition that can be characterized as high-temperature, low-cycle fatigue in which the tensile and compressive stress is repeatedly developed. For this reason, for the evaluation of the hot ductility of a slab, considering the fatigue deformation is more feasible before a tensile or compressive test. In this study, the effects of low-cycle fatigue on the hot ductility of steels with a carbon content of 0.06–0.8 wt.% are investigated at various temperatures. For a carbon content of 0.06%, there were no significant differences between the RA values from a simple tensile test and those from a tensile test after fatigue deformation. The tendency of ductility deterioration with fatigue deformation is evident in 0.1 %C steel, and is due to the deformation-induced ferrite film that forms around the prior austenite grain. Conversely, high carbon steel containing 0.8 %C did not show a recovery of hot ductility in a low temperature region, and the specimen on which the tensile was measured after fatigue showed a higher hot ductility in the low temperature region, which is thought to result from the pearlite refinement effects. As the results obtained in this work showed noticeable differences in the hot ductility of carbon steel through the test conditions, it is suggested that for more accurate data, fatigue deformation be adopted in which the temperature range in an unbending operation is determined in the steelmaking factory.     

Gate location design in injection molding of an automobile junction box with integral hinges

Polymers such as polypropylene or polyethylene offer a unique feature of producing an integral or living hinge for automobiles, which can flex over a million times without causing a failure. However, due to increased fluidity resistance at hinges during molding, several defects such as short shot or premature failure can occur with the improper selection of gate locations. In this paper, a design guideline was induced by investigating resin flow patterns depending on several gate positions obtained by numerical analyses of a simple strip with a hinge. The analyses of the simple strip part showed that the resin at the hinge did not flow until the other side of the strip was filled. Once the resin at the hinge did not flow for a long time enough to be solidified, defects such as short shots or hesitation marks formed. For a practical application of the design guideline determined, four gate systems for an automobile junction box were designed. It was found that the properly determined gate location leads to better resin flow and shorter hesitation time. Finally, injection molding tryouts using a mold that was designed by one of the proposed gate systems were conducted. The experiments showed that hinges without defects could be produced by using the designed gate location to assure the induced design guideline to be reasonable.     

Use of the omentum in the treatment of chronic thoracic empyema

Thoracic empyema (development of suppuration in the thoracic cavity, usually after pneumonectomy) remains a serious complication which is difficult to treat. Failure of classical procedures (lavage-drainage) in the treatment of certain forms of pleural empyema (post-pulmonary resections), with or without associated fistula, led the authors to use the pedicled omental flaps filling material for the chronic empyema cavity. They report their experience (6 cases over a period of 4 years) and define the indications. Omentoplasty has a real place, next to myoplasty, in the therapeutic arsenal for chronic empyema due to its detersion capacity, particularly useful in a "septic" context and because of its volume which is usually sufficient in retracted cavities. The existence of an associated bronchial fistula, history of radiotherapy, posterolateral thoracostomy (sectioned latissimus dorsi) are additional reasons to prefer omentoplasty over myoplasty.