Sensors for chemicals based on electrically conductive immiscible HIPS/TPU blends containing carbon black

Carbon Black (CB)-containing immiscible polymer blends based on high-impact polystyrene/thermoplastic polyurethane (HIPS/TPU) were studied as sensing materials for an homologous series of alcohols, including, methanol, ethanol and 1-propanol. The studied immiscible blend was designed to exhibit a double-continuity structure i.e., the CB particles form chain-like network structures within the TPU phase, which forms a continuous phase within the HIPS matrix. Extruded HIPS/TPU/CB filaments produced by a capillary rheometer process at various shear rate levels were used for the sensing experiments. All filaments displayed a selective resistance changes upon exposure to the various alcohols combined with reproducibility and recovery behaviour. An attempt is made to identify the dominant mechanisms controlling the sensing process in a CB-containing immiscible polymer blend characterized by a double-continuity structure. The distinct structure and composition of the HIPS/TPU interphase region were found to have a crucial role in the sensing mechanism, determining the selectivity of the filaments toward the studied alcohols. Additionally, the sensing performance of HIPS/TPU/CB system is compared to recent results for TPU/CB compounds, polypropylene/TPU/CB and HIPS/ethylene vinyl acetate/CB immiscible polymer blends.     

Analysis of optical coherence multiplexing networks for satellite communication

Free-space optical communication between satellites networked together can enable a high data rate between the satellites. Coherence multiplexing (CM) is an attractive technique for satellite networking due to its ability to cope with the asynchronous nature of communication traffic and the dynamic changes taking place in the satellite constellation. The use of optical radiation for intersatellite links creates very narrow beam divergence angles. Due to the narrow beam divergence angle, the vibration of the pointing system, the movement of the satellite, and the large distance between them the pointing from one satellite to another is a complicated task. The vibration of the pointing system is caused by two stochastic fundamental mechanisms: 1) tracking noises created by the electrooptic tracker and 2) vibrations created by internal satellite mechanical mechanisms and external environments. We derive mathematical models of signal, noise, the approximate signal-to-noise ratio, and the approximate bit-error rates of optical communication satellite networks as functions of the system's parameters, the number of satellites, and the vibration amplitude for frequency-shift keying coherence multiplexing (FSK-CM). Based on these models, we can calculate the negative impact of both the number of satellites and the optical terminal vibration on the system's performance.     

Assessing pre- and post-deformation in the southern Arava Valley segment of the Dead Sea Transform, Israel by differential interferometry

Differential radar interferometry, using archived ERS data over the region of the Dead Sea Transform, allows to detect ground movement (subsidence or uplift) in playas within the southern Arava Valley segment of the Dead Sea Rift. These measurements are consistent with a mean displacement rate of about 0.4 cm/month, in the direction of the radar beam, during the 8-month period preceding the Nuweiba earthquake of 22 November 1995. In the 3 years following the earthquake, the measured rate was smaller by a factor of 10. These movements are not related to salt diapirs or water pumping activities in the area. The exact location, along faults, suggests a possible correlation with pre-seismic and post-seismic fault deformation.A simple fault model consistent with the observed phenomena associates the observed subsidence/uplift to right and left stepping en-echelon fault patterns related to inter-seismic tensional accumulation along the faults. Further observations are necessary on this site and similar fault areas to corroborate the correlation between seismic activity and the observed phenomena. Monitoring of these sites should continue with differential Global positioning system (GPS) measurements and radar interferometric analysis using Envisat and Radarsat as well as archived data (including J-ERS).     

Reduced speed of sound in tibial bone of haemodialysed patients: association with serum PTH level

BACKGROUND: In end-stage renal disease, average bone mineral density has been reported to be normal or only modestly reduced, more so in the cortical bone. The purpose of the present study was to explore the potential use of quantitative ultrasound, a method reflecting both quantitative and qualitative properties of bone, in assessing bone status in patients on maintenance haemodialysis. METHODS: We studied 71 patients (age 17-81 years, time on dialysis 0-18 years). The speed of sound waves (tSOS; m/s) propagating along the cortical bone has been determined at the tibial shaft. tSOS results were expressed as Z scores, i.e. units of standard deviations from age- and sex-matched normal mean values, and correlated with relevant clinical and biochemical variables. RESULTS: SOS Z score averaged -2. 0 (range -6.8 to 0.6; P<0.001) and was negative in 93% of the patients. Significant inverse correlations were found between SOS Z score and both time on dialysis (r=-0.52; P<0.0001) and serum PTH (r=-0.39; P=0.0002). Markedly reduced SOS Z score, below -2, was found in 80% of the patients whose PTH levels exceeded 34 pmol/l (five times the upper normal limit), compared with 43% of the patients whose PTH levels were below 34 pmol/l(P=0.04). Compared to patients without bone pain (n=51), subjects with bone pain (n=20) had somewhat lower SOS Z scores -2.5+/-2.0 versus -1.8+/-1.4; P=0. 08), but this could be accounted for by longer time on dialysis. CONCLUSIONS: tSOS is substantially reduced in the majority of haemodialysed patients and is related to time on dialysis and serum PTH level. The clinical value of this novel method needs further exploration.     

Micro-persistence and difficulty in a game-based learning environment for computational thinking acquisition

Persistence has been identified as a crucial quality of learning. However, it is hard to attain in online game-based environments as the drive to progress in the game may influence the ability to achieve the learning goals. This study aimed to examine the associations between micro-persistence, that is, the tendency to complete an individual task successfully, and task difficulty while acquiring computational thinking (CT). We further explored whether contextual or personal attributes better explain micro-persistence. We analysed data of 111 school students who used the CodeMonkey platform. We took a learning analytics approach for analysing the platform's log files. We found that micro-persistence is associated with task difficulty and that students who demonstrated an aptitude to learn new material are motivated to achieve the best solution. We also found that contextual variables better-explained micro-persistence than personal attributes. Encouraging micro-persistence can improve CT acquisition and the learning processes involved.     

The sol/gel contribution to the behavior of γ-irradiated poly(vinylidene fluoride)

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) films were γ-irradiated in the dose range of 1–20 Mrad, resulting in up to 74% gel. The irradiated polymer undergoes both crosslinking and chain scission, about 5 : 3 events, respectively. Swelling measurements indicate an increasing crosslink density with the gel content, already at the lower doses. Thermal analysis of the gel fraction and the unextracted irradiated samples shows that although crosslinking affects the crystallization, degree of crystallinity, and the melting characteristics, the behavior of the crosslinked material is predominantly controlled by the extractable sol fraction which consists of the more mobile original chains, branched chains, and degraded ones. The crosslinks, already at low density, retard the development of ordinary crystalline polymer morphology.     

Precipitation from glassy polymer solutions

Solid solutions of general-purpose polystyrene containing crystalline tetrabromoxylene, tetrachloroxylene, or tetrachlorobenzene were prepared. The effects of the low molecular weight crystalline additive concentration and the thermal history on the thermal properties of the system have been studied. The system solubility, rejection of solute, etc., were characterized by such techniques as rheology, thermal analysis (DSC), and Vicat softening point.     

Comprehensibility of UML-based software product line specifications

Software Product Line Engineering (SPLE) deals with developing artifacts that capture the common and variable aspects of software product families. Domain models are one kind of such artifacts. Being developed in early stages, domain models need to specify commonality and variability and guide the reuse of the artifacts in particular software products. Although different modeling methods have been proposed to manage and support these activities, the assessment of these methods is still in an inceptive stage. In this work, we examined the comprehensibility of domain models specified in ADOM, a UML-based SPLE method. In particular, we conducted a controlled experiment in which 116 undergraduate students were required to answer comprehension questions regarding a domain model that was equipped with explicit reuse guidance and/or variability specification. We found that explicit specification of reuse guidance within the domain model helped understand the model, whereas explicit specification of variability increased comprehensibility only to a limited extent. Explicit specification of both reuse guidance and variability often provided intermediate results, namely, results that were better than specification of variability without reuse guidance, but worse than specification of reuse guidance without variability. All these results were perceived in different UML diagram types, namely, use case, class, and sequence diagrams and for different commonality-, variability-, and reuse-related aspects.     

Repeated Budgeted Second Price Ad Auction

Our main goal is to abstract existing repeated sponsored search ad auction mechanisms which incorporate budgets, and study their equilibrium and dynamics. Our abstraction has multiple agents bidding repeatedly for multiple identical items (such as impressions in an ad auction). The agents are budget limited and have a value per item. We abstract this repeated interaction as a one-shot game, which we call budget auction, where agents submit a bid and a budget, and then items are sold by a sequential second price auction. Once an agent exhausts its budget it does not participate in the proceeding auctions. Our main result shows that if agents bid conservatively (never bid above their value) then there always exists a pure Nash equilibrium. We also study simple dynamics of repeated budget auctions, showing their convergence to a Nash equilibrium for two agents and for multiple agents with identical budgets.     

Crystallization of crystalline/crystalline blends: Polypropylene/polybutene-1

The crystallization, from molten blends, of polypropylene (PP) and polybutene-1 (PB), two highly crystallizable, polymers, their interaction in the amorphous phase, and the resulting tensile mechanical properties were studied. The crystallization was followed by DSC, showing two separate PP and PB crystallization processes which are affected each by the presence of the other component. The crystallization temperature of PP is significantly affected only in PB rich blends whereas that of PB is affected in the whole composition range. The PP crystalline phase, acting as a nucleating agent, increases the PB crystallization temperature whereas the PP amorphous phase, acting as a high viscosity polymeric diluent, reduces the PB crystallization temperature. The first effect is dominant at low PP content, and the second one becomes increasingly effective with increasing PP content in the blend. The interaction between the two polymers in the amorphous phase was studied by applying dynamic mechanical analysis, in which a single glass transition was observed for the blends and its temperature was found to vary with the blends' composition. Tensile mechanical properties of blends were found to be more sensitive to thermal treatments, such as isothermal crystallization or annealing at elevated temperatures, than single component systems. Such thermal treatments enable better structured blends to be formed, resulting in mechanical properties with no abrupt changes in the whole composition range.