Coal consumption and industrial production nexus in USA: Cointegration with two unknown structural breaks and causality approaches

The paper investigates the causality relationships among industrial production index, coal consumption and employment in industrial sector for the period of 1973:1–2011:10 in USA. After noticing that there are breaks in the regression model, the Hatemi-J test for cointegration is employed to the cases that take into account two possible regime shifts. It is concluded that there is a long run relationship between industrial production and industrial coal consumption with the breaks at 1983:4 and 1998:4. We found a negative relationship between coal consumption and industrial production for the period of 1973:1–1983:4 and positive relationship for 1983:5–1998:4 period. For the last period that covers 1983:5–2011:10, the cointegration relationship turned to negative. In addition, the results show that causal relationship between coal consumption and industrial production changes over time.     

Preparation of c-axis-oriented zinc-oxide thin films and the study of their microstructure and optical properties

c-axis-oriented zinc-oxide (ZnO) thin films were prepared on microscope glass substrates by sol–gel deposition. A homogeneous and stable solution was prepared by dissolving zinc-acetate 2-hydrate (ZnAc) in 2-propanol and diethanolamine. Crystalline ZnO thin films were obtained following an annealing process at temperatures between 450°C and 550°C for 1 h. Increasing annealing temperature increased the grain size and the c-axis orientation. The X-ray diffraction analysis revealed single-phase ZnO with hexagonal zincite structure. The absorption edge analysis revealed that the optical band-gap energy for the films were between 3.26 and 3.28 eV and electronic transition was direct transition type.     

Study of hourly solar radiation data in Istanbul

This paper presents a study of the solar radiation data measured in Istanbul (41.1°N, 29.0°E) during 1992 and 1993. The monthly and annual average values of total solar radiation and clearness index are analysed. The monthly averages of daily total radiation are 1.23 kW h m⁻² day⁻¹ for January and 6.55 kW h m⁻² day⁻¹ for July. The annual average value of daily total radiation is 3.81 kW h m⁻² day⁻¹. The monthly averages of clearness index for January and July are 0.28 and 0.50, respectively. The annual average value of clearness index is 0.38. In the second part of the study, the seasonal relative frequency of hourly total radiation and clearness index is studied. 46% of the annual data corresponds to a value greater than 300 W m⁻². The annual average frequency of clear hours is 24%. The analysis points to the conclusion that solar radiation will be efficient and useful between April and September for heating purposes. A polynomial relationship is developed between hourly clearness index and hourly fractional sunshine duration. Some statistical tests are used to check this relationship for four different ranges of optical air mass.     

Electrochemical poly(1,3-phenylenediamine) synthesis as enzyme immobilization media

Electrochemical polymerization of the 1,3-phenylenediamine in the presence of glucose oxidase with KCl aqueous electrolyte at a potential of 0.800 V versus Ag–AgCl produces adherent poly(1,3-phenylenediamine) containing enzyme (glucose oxidase) film on a platinum electrode. Polymeric sensor prepared in this one-step procedure can be used to determine hydrogen peroxide formed as the result of the enzymatic reaction between glucose and glucose oxidase in the presence of O₂. The amperometric responses of the resultant enzyme electrode to glucose were rapid, reaching steady-state values within 4–5 s, and there was a linear relationship between glucose concentration and obtained current up to 6 mM. Polymeric sensor was stable for more 3 months. The glucose selectivity of enzyme electrode was determined in the presence of some interfering substances, such as lactose, sucrose, urea, uric acid, paracetamol, and ascorbic acid. Also, the effects of buffer concentration, storage conditions, and temperature on the steady-state amperometric responses were studied. Moreover, the Arrhenius activation energy for the enzymatic reaction was calculated. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 68:145–152, 1998     

Influence of spinning velocity on mechanical and structural behavior of PET/nylon 6 fibers

Influence of spinning velocities on the mechanical and structural properties of polyethylene terephthalate (PET)/nylon 6 blend fibers have been reported. Fibers of PET/nylon 6 containing a small percentage of nylon (5% by weight) have been melt-spun at 3 different spinning velocities (2,900; 3,200; 3,600 m/min). The fibers have been characterized by thermal, morphological, structrual, and mechanical analysis. Various techniques such as SEM, DSC, X-ray diffraction, hot water shrinkage (HWS), viscosity, and birefringence have been used. SEM analysis revealed that in the blend, nylon 6 is well-dispersed as spheres in the PET matrix. The blend shows a marked decrease in the melt-flow index, which in turn leads to a beneficial effect on the rheological properties of the PET without negatively influencing its mechanical characteristics. This finding results in a saving on energetical requirements of the processing, as both temperature and pressure of spinning can be decreased. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Rapid crystallization of L-arginine acetate on engineered surfaces using metal-assisted and microwave-accelerated evaporative crystallization()

We report the application of our newly described crystallization technique, which employs silver island films (SIFs) and microwave heating, to rapid crystallization of L-arginine acetate (LAA). Using our technique, LAA crystals (~ 1.2 mm in length) were grown from a 20 μl solution in 1 min on surface functionalized SIFs. In control experiments (glass slides and at room temperature) the growth of LAA crystals (0.1-0.3 mm) took ~ 55 min.     

Synthesis of a side chain liquid crystalline polycarbonate with a chiral backbone

We report the experimental demonstration of a novel and environmentally benign supercritical carbon dioxide (ScCO₂) technique that yields an optically active, side chain liquid crystalline polycarbonate in a single‐step reaction. The obtained polymer is worthwhile, since it is highly stereoregular and can find applications in an enlarged mesomorphic temperature range compared to its acrylic analogues. The synthesized materials were characterized by IR, ¹H‐NMR, and ¹³C‐NMR, while the thermal properties were measured by DSC. Polarized optical micrograph and wide angle X‐ray diffraction were used for the mesogenic property characterization of the copolymer. The transfer chirality from the backbone to the mesophase is demonstrated on the optical microscopy textures. Being consistent with the ¹³C‐NMR, X‐ray implies an ordered polymeric structure. The DSC analysis of the copolymer indicates that the T_i (the clearing point temperature) value does not change dramatically, whereas a pronounced decrease in T_g (the glass transition temperature) value is observed from that of its acrylic analogues. Hence, the obtained polymer exhibits another practical benefit by widening the mesomorphic temperature range. This study is the insightful combination of material processing and chemical design that elucidates the advantages of ScCO₂ application, in terms of liquid crystallinity and the tacticity of the obtained polymer. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 1915–1921, 2006     

Variation of the key structural,morphological, and optical properties of nanostructured copper(II) oxide (CuO) thin films using surfactant CAPB as a capping agent

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - In this study, copper(II) oxide thin-film samples were fabricated by the SILAR technique in the absence and presence of surfactant as a...     

Solar-blind ultraviolet photodetector based on Ti-doped Ga2O3/Si p–n heterojunction

A solar-blind ultraviolet photodetector based on Ti-doped Ga₂O₃/Si p–n heterojunction is demonstrated for the first time. It is found that the heterojunction quality forming between Ga₂O₃ and Si becomes better after Ti incorporation in Ga₂O₃. The current–voltage and temporal response measurements show that the detector based on Ti-doped Ga₂O₃/Si p–n heterojunction has a responsivity of 0.382 A/W and a fast rise time of 73 ms as well, which are much better than those undoped Ga₂O₃/Si p–n heterojunction analogues.