Use of photodegradable inhibitors in UV-curable compositions to form polymeric 2D-structures by visible light

The process of two-wave photopolymerization of a UV-curable composition with an optically degrading inhibitor is considered. By numerical simulation, it is shown that in the composition layer uniformly exposed to UV-radiation, such systems allow getting segments with different conversion under the action of inhomogeneous visible light. Based on the data on the photopolymerization kinetics of the compositions from triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) and bisphenol-A glycidyl dimethacrylate (bis-GMA) with the UV-initiator 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone (DMPA), it was shown that 3,5-di-tert-butyl-o-benzoquinone (35Q) with N,N-dimethylaniline (DMA, “Aldrich”, 99%) can serve as an inhibitor that degrades under action of visible radiation. Combining inhomogeneous visible light generated with a conventional DLP-projector and uniform UV-radiation of LED (365 nm) the two-wave lithographic process was implemented to create polymeric 2D-structures in 20 μm layer of the compositions from TEGDMA (70)/bis-GMA (30)/DMPA (0.05 wt%)/35Q (0.5 wt%)/DMA (1 wt%).     

Effect of Diffusion Length in Modeling of Equiaxed Dendritic Solidification under Buoyancy Flow in a Configuration of Hebditch–Hunt Experiment

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B - Modeling of equiaxed solidification is vital for understanding the solidification process of metallic alloys. In this work, an extended literature...     

Metabolic Syndrome and β-Oxidation of Long-Chain Fatty Acids in the Brain,Heart, and Kidney Mitochondria

We present evidence that metabolic syndrome (MetS) represents the postreproductive stage of the human postembryonic ontogenesis. Accordingly, the genes governing this stage experience relatively weak evolutionary selection pressure, thus representing the metabolic phenotype of distant ancestors with β-oxidation of long-chain fatty acids (FAs) as the primary energy source. Mitochondria oxidize at high-rate FAs only when succinate, glutamate, or pyruvate are present. The heart and brain mitochondria work at a wide range of functional loads and possess an intrinsic inhibition of complex II to prevent oxidative stress at periods of low functional activity. Kidney mitochondria constantly work at a high rate and lack inhibition of complex II. We suggest that in people with MetS, oxidative stress is the central mechanism of the heart and brain pathologies. Oxidative stress is a secondary pathogenetic mechanism in the kidney, while the primary mechanisms are kidney hypoxia caused by persistent hyperglycemia and hypertension. Current evidence suggests that most of the nongenetic pathologies associated with MetS originate from the inconsistencies between the metabolic phenotype acquired after the transition to the postreproductive stage and excessive consumption of food rich in carbohydrates and a sedentary lifestyle.     

Capillary forces between sediment particles and an air-water interface

In the vadose zone, air-water interfaces play an important role in particle fate and transport, as particles can attach to the air-water interfaces by action of capillary forces. This attachment can either retard or enhance the movement of particles, depending on whether the air-water interfaces are stationary or mobile. Here we use three standard PTFE particles (sphere, circular cylinder, and tent) and seven natural mineral particles (basalt, granite, hematite, magnetite, mica, milky quartz, and clear quartz) to quantify the capillary forces between an air-water interface and the different particles. Capillary forces were determined experimentally using tensiometry, and theoretically assuming volume-equivalent spherical, ellipsoidal, and circular cylinder shapes. We experimentally distinguished between the maximum capillary force and the snap-off force when the air-water interface detaches from the particle. Theoretical and experimental values of capillary forces were of similar order of magnitude. The sphere gave the smallest theoretical capillary force, and the circular cylinder had the largest force due to pinning of the air-water interface. Pinning was less pronounced for natural particles when compared to the circular cylinder. Ellipsoids gave the best agreement with measured forces, suggesting that this shape can provide a reasonable estimation of capillary forces for many natural particles.     

Aluminum‐enhanced alkali diffusion from float glass to PVD‐sputtered silica thin films

Interdiffusion processes between aluminum enriched PVD‐sputtered silica thin films and industrial float soda‐lime silicate glass substrates are quantitatively studied using SIMS analysis. Heat treatments are performed at temperatures close or above the glass transition temperature of the float glass. Aluminum doping of the film is shown to strongly increase the migration of alkali from the glass substrate to the silica thin film. In particular the final alkali content in the film exhibits a linear scaling with the aluminum concentration. An interdiffusion process is evidenced between bulk alkali ions and protons originating from a significant water content in the as‐deposited silica film. Experimental measurements of sodium concentration are shown to be consistent with a simple thermodynamic model based on the equilibration of the activity of sodium between the film and the glass substrate.     

Reactor dosimetry for VVERs RPV lifetime assessment

A state of the art review of Reactor Dosimetry used for reactor pressure vessel irradiation damage assessment and lifetime evaluation of the Russian type VVER reactors is presented. The necessity of prospective studies in Reactor Dosimetry for improvements that will reduce the neutron fluence uncertainty and in this way to substantiate the extension of NPP lifetime is summarized by specialists in Reactor Dosimetry from countries operating VVER reactors such as Russia, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, and Bulgaria, together with specialists from Western European countries such as France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, and UK, operating PWR and BWR type reactors.     

SESAME-S: Semantic Smart Home System for Energy Efficiency

As the urgent need for efficient and sustainable energy usage becomes ever more apparent, interest in Smart Homes is on the rise. The SESAME-S project (SEmantic SmArt Metering – Services for Energy Efficient Houses) uses semantically linked data to actively assist end-consumers in making well-informed decisions and controlling their energy consumption. By integrating smart metering and home automation functionality, SESAME-S works to effectively address the potential mass market of end-consumers with an easily customizable solution that can be widely implemented in domestic or business environments, with expected savings of over 20?% from the total energy bill. The developed system is a basis for conceptualizing, demonstrating, and evaluating a variety of innovative end-consumer services and their user interface paradigms. In this paper, we present the SESAME-S system as a whole and discuss the semantically enabled services, demonstrating that such systems may have broad acceptance in the future. The data obtained through such systems will be invaluable for future global energy-efficiency strategies and businesses.     

Goal-oriented a posteriori error estimates for transport problems

Some aspects of goal-oriented a posteriori error estimation are addressed in the context of steady convection–diffusion equations. The difference between the exact and approximate values of a linear target functional is expressed in terms of integrals that depend on the solutions to the primal and dual problems. Gradient averaging techniques are employed to separate the element residual and diffusive flux errors without introducing jump terms. The dual solution is computed numerically and interpolated using higher-order basis functions. A node-based approach to localization of global errors in the quantities of interest is pursued. A possible violation of Galerkin orthogonality is taken into account. Numerical experiments are performed for centered and upwind-biased approximations of a 1D boundary value problem.