Environmental effects on the strength and impact damage resistance of alumina based oxide/oxide ceramic matrix composites

In this study the effects of high temperature and moisture on the impact damage resistance and mechanical strength of Nextel 610/alumina silicate ceramic matrix composites were experimentally evaluated. Composite laminates were exposed to either a 1050°C isothermal furnace-based environment for 30 consecutive days at 6 h a day, or 95% relative humidity environment for 13 consecutive days at 67°C. Low velocity impact, tensile and short beam strength tests were performed on both ambient and environmentally conditioned laminates and damage was characterized using a combination of non-destructive and destructive techniques. High temperature and humidity environmental exposure adversely affected the impact resistance of the composite laminates. For all the environments, planar internal damage area was greater than the back side dent area, which in turn was greater than the impactor side dent area. Evidence of environmental embrittlement through a stiffer tensile response was noted for the high temperature exposed laminates while the short beam strength tests showed greater propensity for interlaminar shear failure in the moisture exposed laminates. Destructive evaluations exposed larger, more pronounced delaminations in the environmentally conditioned laminates in comparison to the ambient ones. External damage metrics of the impactor side dent depth and area directly influenced the post-impact tensile strength of the laminates while no such trend between internal damage area and residual strength could be ascertained.     

Quantum and Classical Correlations of Spatial and Spin Degrees of Freedom in Quantum Rings

A one-dimensional mesoscopic ring with one input and two output leads acts as a spintronic beam splitter. The spatial degree of freedom, i.e., the presence of two different possible output channels, gets intertwined with the spin direction as a consequence of quantum interference and spin-orbit interaction. We investigate this kind of spatial-spin correlation, and show that the output density operator contains no quantum entanglement in the important special case when the device polarizes a perfectly random input spin state. However, the correlations are in general not purely classical, we also present specific input states with maximal spatial-spin entanglement after the ring.     

Psychopathy, IQ, and Violence in European American and African American County Jail Inmates.

The accuracy of the prediction of criminal violence may be improved by combining psychopathy with other variables that have been found to predict violence. Research has suggested that assessing intelligence (i.e., IQ) as well as psychopathy improves the accuracy of violence prediction. In the present study, the authors tested this hypothesis by using a contemporary measure of psychopathy, the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (R. D. Hare, 2003), in a sample of 326 European American and 348 African American male offenders. The postdictive power of psychopathy was evident for both ethnic groups and robust across most changes in the operationalization of violence and the analysis conducted, whereas the postdictive power of IQ was not. No Psychopathy x IQ interactions were identified. Implications of these results for violence prediction are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Torrefied agro-industrial residue as filler in natural rubber compounds

This study explored the feasibility of using torrefied biomass as a reinforcing filler in natural rubber compounds. Carbon black was then replaced with the torrefied biomass in elastomer formulations for concentrations varying from 0% to 100% (60 parts per hundred rubber or phr total). Their influence on the curing process, dynamic properties, and mechanical properties was investigated. Results were compared with the properties of vulcanizates containing solely carbon black fillers. Time to cure (t₉₀) for compounds with torrefied biomass fillers increased, while filler-filler interactions (ΔG') decreased, compared to carbon black controls. At low strains, the tan δ values of the torrefied fillers vulcanizates were similar to the controls. Incorporation of torrefied biomass into natural rubber decreased compound tensile strength and modulus but increased elongation. Replacement with torrefied fillers resulted in a weaker filler network in the matrix. Still, results showed that moderate substitution concentrations (~20 phr) could be feasible for some natural rubber applications.     

Estimating the Laplace-Beltrami Operator by Restricting 3D Functions

We present a novel approach for computing and solving the Poisson equation over the surface of a mesh. As in previous approaches, we define the Laplace-Beltrami operator by considering the derivatives of functions defined on the mesh. However, in this work, we explore a choice of functions that is decoupled from the tessellation. Specifically, we use basis functions (second-order tensor-product B-splines) defined over 3D space, and then restrict them to the surface. We show that in addition to being invariant to mesh topology, this definition of the Laplace-Beltrami operator allows a natural multiresolution structure on the function space that is independent of the mesh structure, enabling the use of a simple multigrid implementation for solving the Poisson equation.     

Analysis of a prioritized CSMA protocol based on staggered delays

Summary Carrier sense multiple access (CSMA) protocols were originally conceived for use in digital radio communication. Such protocols are, however, quite applicable in a variety of distributed computing and local networking configurations based on a shared bus. The CSMA protocols are characterized by the fact that message collisions can occur only in a very small time window whose duration corresponds to the propagation delay of the bus. They are further characterized by the technique used to subsequently serialize the transmission of the colliding messages. In this paper we analyze the situation wherein colliding messages are serialized by using a set of staggered retry delays which are associated with the sources that may generate the colliding messages. Our analysis produces both path throughput (utilization) curves and message delay curves, as a function of message generation rate. These curves show that the protocol is in a sense self stabalizing, serve to quantify its behaviour, and indicate loading levels which result in unacceptable message delays.     

A novel method for measuring induction machine magnetizing inductance

This paper presents a novel method for measuring the magnetizing inductance of an induction machine. The approach uses a static DC excitation technique which can be employed whenever the neutral of the machine is accessible. The proposed method measures only the magnetizing inductance and not the self inductance which normally includes the effect of the stator leakage inductance. Because this test uses a DC excitation, the iron losses in the motor are considerably reduced as well and minimally influence the measurement when compared to the traditional 60-Hz no-load test. By using the proposed method for measuring only the magnetizing inductance, the stator leakage inductance can be later individually determined by performing a separate no-load test. Test results using the method are compared with theoretical values and confirm its feasibility.     

Thermal analysis of randomly oriented carbon nanotube reinforced functionally graded timoshenko beam

The unique thermal properties of carbon nanotubes (CNT) are utilized to increase the use of functionally graded material (FGM) at higher temperatures which resulted in introduction of a new type of material called as functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced composites (FG-CNTRCs). To use the FG-CNTRCs at elevated temperatures, their thermal analysis is very important. In this context, this article presents the thermal analysis of a CNT based FG Timoshenko beam. Material properties distribution is assumed to vary along the thickness direction according to power law distribution and linear distributions. Finite difference method is implemented to find out the temperature distribution. Using first order shear deformation theory (FSDT), expressions for strains and stresses are obtained. The results are compared with temperature distribution according to power law. The effect of CNT distribution on strains and stresses is also observed. Based on these results important conclusions have been drawn.     

A Quantitative Study of the Relationship between Project Performance and BIM Use on Commercial Construction Projects in the USA

This article reports the findings of a quantitative study on the relationship between various project performance outcomes and the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM), within the commercial construction industry. The literature review identified inconsistent results among prior qualitative and quantitative work concerning the relationships of key project performance measures and BIM use. Data on 13 variables from 93 completed construction projects were collected and examined through a causal comparative research design. Projects that used BIM (in design or construction) were not found to experience significant performance outcomes when controlling for the contribution of other independent variables and covariates at the 95% confidence level (CL). At the lower 90% CL, however, projects using BIM in construction experienced significantly higher levels of schedule growth than projects that did not use BIM in construction. Recommendations are made for training of construction management staff as a step to avoid unwanted schedule growth associated with BIM use during construction. This study is one of a very small group of rigorous quantitative analyses of BIM project performance outcomes conducted to date; additionally, it is the only study that has analyzed BIM in a multivariate context that controlled for the contribution of other project variables not directly related to BIM use.