Eco-friendly Geopolymer Composite Based on Non-heat-treated Phosphate Sludge Reinforced With Polypropylene Fibers

Silicon - Geopolymers produced with metakaolin (MK) and thermally untreated phosphate sludge (PS) are beneficial and environmentally advantageous materials, but their fragility limits its...     

The reference temperature dependence of Young’s modulus of two-temperature thermoelastic damping of gold nano-beam

This work is concerning with the study of the thermoelastic damping of a nanobeam resonator in the context of the two-temperature generalized thermoelasticity theory. An explicit formula of thermoelastic damping has been derived when Young’s modulus is a function of the reference temperature. Influences of the beam height and Young’s modulus have been studied with some comparisons between the Biot model and the Lord–Shulman model (L–S) for one- and two-temperature types. Numerical results show that the values of the thermal relaxation parameter and the two-temperature parameter have a strong influence on thermoelastic damping at nanoscales.     

Municipal solid waste compost application improves productivity, polyphenol content, and antioxidant capacity of Mesembryanthemum edule

Organic wastes were successfully used as soil amendment to improve agrosystems productivity. Yet, the effectiveness of this practice to enhance plant antioxidant capacities has received little attention. Here, we assess the effect of municipal solid waste (MSW) compost (at 40 t ha(-1)) on growth, polyphenol contents and antioxidant activities of Mesembryanthemum edule. MSW compost application significantly increased the soil contents of carbon, nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus and potassium. This was associated with higher nutrient (N, P, and K) uptake, which likely led to the significant improvement of the plant biomass and relative growth rate (RGR) (+93% on average) as compared to the control. In the same way, the fertilizing effect of the added organic matter significantly enhanced the antioxidant potential M. edule, assessed by radical scavenging activity, iron reducing power and β-carotene bleaching capacity. This was associated with significantly higher antioxidant contents, mainly total phenols and flavonoids. Heavy metal (Pb, Cd, Cu, and Zn) concentrations were slightly increased upon compost application, but remained lower than phytotoxic values. Overall, our results point out that short-term MSW compost application at 40 t ha(-1) is efficient in enhancing the productivity together with the antioxidant potentiality of M. edule without any adverse environmental impact.     

Thermal Conductivity of Exfoliated p-Type Bismuth Antimony Telluride

A bulk p-type thermoelectric compound with nominal composition Bi_0.5Sb_1.5 Te₃ has been exfoliated using dimethyl sulfoxide as a solvent. Samples have been prepared from the exfoliated platelets by pressing followed by sintering or hot pressing. The exfoliated nanoplatelets have been characterized for size distribution and composition using scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectrometry. The smallest size platelet was 40 nm, and the maximum in the size distribution was near 80 nm. The exfoliated platelets and sintered sample showed significant deficiency in Sb and Te. The nonstoichiometry in the composition of the exfoliated platelets indicates that the mechanism of exfoliation may not be between quintuplets only, with other layers also being active. The composition of the hot-pressed sample remained closer to that of the bulk. Results of x-ray diffraction indicated the presence of Bi₂Te₃ and Bi_0.5Sb_1.5Te₃ phases and pure Te and Sb. Residual porosity was observed in the hot-pressed and sintered samples. The thermal conductivity of the samples was measured by transient thermoreflectance. The results showed that the thermal conductivity of the hot-pressed sample was reduced by a factor of two compared with that of the bulk as a result of the presence of a high density of interfaces and residual porosity. The thermal conductivity of the sintered sample showed an increase above that of the bulk sample, which is explained by the change in composition due to loss of Sb and Te.     

Comments on the security of Chen’s authenticated encryption scheme

Chen (Computers and Electrical Engineering, vol. 30, 2004) illustrated that Tseng et al.’s authenticated encryption schemes, with message linkages for message flows, do not achieve their claimed integrity and authenticity properties. Furthermore, Chen presented some modified schemes to repair these flaws. In this paper, we show that the modified schemes proposed by Chen are not secure. In particular, we present an attack that allows a dishonest referee, in case of a dispute, to decrypt all the future and past authenticated ciphertext between the contended parties. We also present a simple fix to prevent this attack.     

Mechanical behavior of bulk nanocrystalline copper alloys produced by high energy ball milling

Copper alloys with different amounts of zinc were synthesized via high energy ball milling at liquid nitrogen and room temperature. Bulk samples were produced in situ by controlling the milling temperature. It is shown that temperature plays an important role in formation of artifact-free consolidated samples via its effect on defect formation and annihilation during the milling process. The mechanical behavior of Cu–Zn nanocrystalline alloys was examined using Vickers microhardness and tensile tests. The nanostructure of the alloys was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The hardness results of processed alloys vary as a function of the alloying elements. Considering typical low ductility of nanocrystalline materials, the improved ductility with the high strength observed in these alloys suggests that they are artifact-free and may have several deformation mechanisms, which may include dislocation activity and nano-twinning.     

XV454, a novel nonpeptide small-molecule platelet GIIb/IIIa antagonist with comparable platelet alpha(IIb)beta3-binding kinetics to c7E3

XV454 demonstrated high potency (IC50 = 14-25 nM) in inhibiting human platelet aggregation induced by adenosine diphosphate (ADP, 10 microM), thrombin receptor agonist peptide (TRAP) (10 microM), or collagen (20 microg/ml). XV454 exhibited a high degree of selectivity for platelet alpha(IIb)beta3 in comparison with c7E3, which is a nonspecific antagonist for both alpha(IIb)beta3 and alpha(v)beta3. Both XV454 and c7E3 bind with high affinity to either activated (A) or unactivated (U) human, baboon, or canine platelets. XV454 binds with a relatively higher affinity [Kd = 0.5 nM (A), 0.6 nM (U)] as compared with c7E3 [Kd = 9.1 nM (A), 9.2 (U) nM]. XV454 demonstrated a tight association with human, baboon, and, to a lesser extent, with canine platelets (t(1/2) of dissociation = 110 +/- 6, 80 +/- 10, and 23 +/- 2 min, respectively). Both c7E3 and XV454 associate tightly with a slower dissociation rate with unactivated human platelets: t(1/2) of 42 and 116 min, respectively. In non-human primates, oral (0.1 mg/kg, p.o.) and intravenous (0.05 mg/kg, i.v. bolus administration of XV454 methyl ester pro-drug resulted a long-lasting maximal antiplatelet efficacy for < or = 72 h with significant but reversible prolongation of bleeding time and without effects on platelet count, clinical chemistry, or hemodynamic profile. In conclusion, XV454 represents a potent antiplatelet agent in inhibiting platelet aggregation along with a high affinity and relatively slow dissociation rate from human platelet GPIIb/IIIa receptors that allow a long-lasting antiplatelet efficacy after single i.v. or oral administration.