Microstructure,wear and corrosion characteristics of multiple-reinforced (SiC–B4C–Al2O3) Al matrix composites produced by liquid metal infiltration

In this study, AA7075 aluminum matrix composites reinforced with the combination of SiC, Al₂O₃, and B₄C particles were fabricated by the liquid metal infiltration method. The effects of the relative ratio of B₄C and Al₂O₃ particles on the microstructural, wear, and corrosion features of the composite samples were analyzed using XRD, light metal microscopy, SEM, EDS, Brinell hardness, ball-on-disc type tribometer, and potentiodynamic polarization devices. It was determined that infiltration occurred more successfully, and homogenously distributed particles with reduced porosity were obtained as the amount of Al₂O₃ increased. Worn surface studies revealed that the specimens were predominantly worn by abrasion and adhesion. The increase in B₄C/Al₂O₃ ratio caused a decrease in the hardness and wear strength, whereas it increased the corrosion resistance.     

An artificial neural network model for the effects of chicken manure on ground water

In the areas where broiler industry is located, poultry manure from chicken farms could be a major source of ground water pollution, and this may have extensive effects particularly when the farms use nearby ground water as their fresh water supply. Therefore the prediction the extent of this pollution, either from rigorous mathematical diffusion modeling or from the perspective of experimental data evaluation bears importance. In this work, we have investigated modeling of the effects of chicken manure on ground water by artificial neural networks. An ANN model was developed to predict the total coliform in the ground water well in poultry farms. The back-propagation algorithm was employed for training and testing the network, and the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm was utilized for optimization. The MATLAB 7.0 environment with Neural Network Toolbox was used for coding. Given the associated input parameters such as the number of chickens, type of manure pool management and depth of well, the model estimates the possible amount of total coliform in the wells to a satisfactory degree. Therefore it is expected to be of help in future for estimating the ground water pollution resulting from chicken farms.     

Scrolls and nested tubes in multiwall carbon nanotubes

Recent high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HREM) studies of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) reveal a class of defects analogous to edge dislocations in a crystal. These defects are believed to mark the transition from scrolls on one side to nested tubes on the other. On the tube side, layer spacing becomes irregular. Analysis of the helicity of the tubes shows a strong correlation between diameter and helicity. This suggests that the organizing principle for the tubes is not Van der Waals forces, as in the case of graphite or turbostratic carbon, but preservation of helicity. Based on these observations and total energy calculations, the authors speculate that graphene monolayers initially form scrolls and subsequently transform into multiwall nanotubes through the progression of defects. Scrolls and nested tubes thus coexist within a single MWNT.     

Structural and Physicochemical Properties of a Polymerizable Surfactant Synthesized from <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-Methylol Acrylamide

A new polymerizable nonionic surfactant with reactive vinyl groups has been synthesized from N‐methylol acrylamide using a two‐step procedure. The structure of the surfactant molecule was characterized by Fourier transform infrared, ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectroscopy. The surface active properties alongside its self‐assembly properties were investigated by surface tension, electrical conductivity, and fluorescence spectroscopy measurements. As compared with other nonionic surfactants, this study showed that this polymerizable surfactant possesses slightly a higher critical micelle concentration (CMC) value and the surface tension value at CMC. The obtained CMC values were compatible among measurements, ca. 0.02–0.038 M. The evidence of micelle formation also provided by the zeta potential measurements and the obtained zeta potential values showed that the polymerizable surfactant solutions had limited stability. The hydrolysis stability and solubility of the polymerizable surfactant were also investigated. The solubility results have shown that it was soluble in polar solvents while insoluble in nonpolar solvents both at room temperature and 40 °C. The acidic and basic hydrolysis of the surfactant increased as the temperature increased and the hydrolysis stability was 180 min (basic medium) and 55 min (acidic medium) at 80 °C.     

A comparative study on water-based coatings prepared in the presence of oligomeric and conventional protective colloids

Poly(vinyl acetate-co-butyl acrylate) latexes were prepared by using semi-continuous emulsion polymerization method in presence of two different protective colloids which were oligomeric N-methylol acrylamide and conventional poly(vinyl alcohol). The effects of these protective colloids on colloidal, surface and film properties of latexes were examined. Poly(vinyl acetate-co-butyl acrylate) synthesized with oligomeric N-methylol acrylamide, which was characterized by FT-IR, NMR and MALDI-TOF MS, was found to have lower viscosity, finer particle size, better latex stability, lower polydispersity, higher T_g and better film forming behavior compared to those synthesized from the poly(vinyl alcohol).     

Who are problematic internet users? An investigation of the correlations between problematic internet use and shyness,loneliness, narcissism,aggression and self-perception

This study investigated correlations between university students’ problematic internet use behaviors and shyness, narcissism, loneliness, aggression and self-perception. The participants were 424 students attending seven different faculties of a public university in Turkey; 215 were female and 209 male. Student’s ages ranged between 17 and 23, with a mean of 18.69. The Problematic Internet Use Scale, Shyness Scale, Narcissistic Personality Inventory, UCLA Loneliness Scale, Aggression Questionnaire, Social Comparison Scale and a Personal Data Form were used for data collection. Correlation analysis results showed positive associations between problematic internet use and shyness and aggression. No statistically significant correlation was determined between problematic internet use and narcissism, loneliness or self-perception. The results demonstrate that individuals who are problematic users are shier and more aggressive. Shyness and aggression emerged as significant antecedent variables of problematic internet use. Suggestions are made for further studies in the light of these findings.     

The relationship between Algebra Nation usage and high‐stakes test performance for struggling students

Although the use of technology in the K12 classroom has been shown to have a positive impact, research on the use of open education resources (OER) is relatively limited, especially research focusing on low‐achieving students. The present study examines the relationship between usage of Algebra Nation, a self‐guided system that provided instructional videos and practice problems, and the performance of students who had failed the state‐administered Algebra I end‐of‐course (EOC) assessment the previous year. Indicators of usage of Algebra Nation consisted of logins, video views, and practice questions answered. Path analyses and logistic regressions were used to evaluate relationships between usage indicators and algebra scores, controlling for number of absences, free/reduced lunch eligibility, Hispanic/Latino origin, race, and gender. The results indicate that higher levels of logins, video views, and practice questions answered were related to higher scores when the students re‐took the assessment. Logins and practice questions were also related to increases in odds of passing the Algebra I EOC assessment, but not video views. The results suggest that there may be benefits to technology use in the form of an OER adopted by students and teachers on an informal basis and link self‐regulated learning strategies to student achievement.     

Balancing energy efficiency and spectrum efficiency for lower error rate in bidirectional relay networks

A scheme for combining data rate, energy efficiency and relay location in bidirectional amplify-and-forward relay networks is proposed in this paper. The proposed scheme allows the energy consumption to be evaluated for all positions of a chosen relay along a line between the transmitter and the destination. Furthermore, the evaluated energy reduction is used to obtain the optimal balance between the energy efficiency (EE) and spectrum efficiency (SE). This balance enables the EE to increase significantly with the least loss of SE. Such a balance is then expressed with respect to the bit error rate. Numerical examples are provided to validate the analysis.

     

DYNAMIC SIMULATION OF A DISTILLATION COLUMN SEPARATING A MULTICOMPONENT MIXTURE

In this work, a dynamic model was developed to simulate the transient behaviour of a pilot scale, continuous, siagewise, 15 plate distillation column separating a mixture of ethanol, iso-propanol and isobutanol. The accuracy of the predictions was assessed by transient response data collected during experiments under step changes in reflux ratio, feed flow rate and feed composition.

Results demonstrated the feasibility of simulating multicomponent distillation under unsteady state conditions with fairly good success. Further improvements were suggested for a better accuracy     

Theoretical study of structural,electronic and optical properties of novel ternary alloys $$\hbox {MgO}_{1-{x}}{\hbox {Se}}_{{x}}$$ ($$x =$$x= 0.25, 0.50 and 0.75)

We report on the investigation of the structural, electronic, and optical properties of binary compounds (MgO and MgSe) and their ternary \(\hbox {MgO}_{1-{x}}\hbox {Se}_{{x}}\) (\(x=0.25, 0.5, 0.75\)) alloys within the density functional theory based on the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave method as implemented in the WIEN2k code. We have used the revised Perdew–Burke–Ernzerhof generalized gradient approximation (GGA-PBEsol) to calculate the structural properties and analyze the effect of the Se composition on the lattice constant and the bulk modulus of \(\hbox {MgO}_{1-{x}}\hbox {Se}_{{x}}\). The calculated electronic properties by employing the GGA-PBEsol and TB-mBJ approaches show that \(\hbox {MgO}_{1-{x}}\hbox {Se}_{{x}}\) alloys have a direct band gap \(\Gamma \)–\(\Gamma \) for \(x = 0, 0.25, 0.5\) and 0.75, suggesting the possibility of their use in the long wavelength optoelectronic applications. The optical properties such as the real and imaginary parts of the dielectric function, the refractive index, and the reflectivity of \(\hbox {MgO}_{1-{x}}\hbox {Se}_{{x}}\) are computed by using the accurate TB-mBJ potential. The wide band gaps larger than 3.1 eV mean that \(\hbox {MgO}_{1-{x}}\hbox {Se}_{{x}}\) alloys can be used in the applications of the ultraviolet region of the spectrum. Our data for all studied bowing parameters of \(\hbox {MgO}_{1-{x}}\hbox {Se}_{x}\) may serve as references for future experimental studies.