Evidence of flexoelectricity in polymer-dispersed liquid crystals

The linear electro-optic response of polymer-dispersed liquid crystal films has been studied. Micrometer-sized droplets of a cyanobiphenyl mixture (E7) were formed in a Norland Optical Adhesive 65 photopolymer by photopolymerization-induced phase separation. Samples with various average nematic droplet sizes were systematically investigated. The temperature dependence of the first-harmonic electro-optic spectra was obtained. Peculiar peaks and double peaks in the phase spectra were found at temperatures close to the clearing point. Samples with narrow distributions of droplet sizes were characterized by a double peak of the amplitude spectra in the low-frequency range. A flexoelectric origin of the first-harmonic spectra in confined nematic systems is discussed.     

Optical study of Ge x Sb20−x Te80 chalcogenide films

The optical properties of Ge _x Sb_20?x Te₈₀ films with x values of 15, 17, and 19, lying in the glass-forming region of the Ge–Sb–Te system, have been studied by spectroscopic ellipsometry in the spectral range 300–820 nm. The refractive index values were found to be 1.2–5.5 in the spectral range studied. With increasing Ge content in the films, a shift of the absorption edge toward higher energies was observed. This corresponds to an increase in the optical bandgap energy, from 0.58 to 0.76 eV.     

Production of phosphoric acid with low content of impurities

The present work is to study the possibility for controlled distribution of the impurities when they are decomposed by sulphuric acid to wet phosphoric acid and phosphogypsum, as well as generating technological conditions for production of clean wet phosphoric acid and its derivatives - phosphoric fertilizers, food phosphates and other phosphoric products.A coefficient of distribution D_A is introduced as a general criterion for elements dispersion. The study includes relationships between the weight ratio sulphuric acid/natural phosphate and D_A; the period of decomposition and D_A; the particle's size content of the natural phosphate and D_A. The obtained experimental data and relationships about the influence of the above discussed technological parameters on dispersion of more than 23 elements allow for control of that process in wet phosphoric acid and phosphogypsum by selecting specific technological conditions. Thus, depending on the requirements of acid's consumers and procedures for secondary processing of phosphogypsum to end-products, a selective decomposition of the natural phosphates to phosphoric acid and phosphogypsum can be carried out with content of the impurities in those products varying in narrow limits.     

Investigation of conductivity characteristics of nitrile butadiene rubber vulcanizates filled with semiconducting carbide ceramic

SiC‐ and B₄C‐filled NBR rubber composites were prepared with various volume fractions of filler by a conventional roll‐mill method. The morphological structures of the NBR–SiC and NBR–B₄C composites were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. The dependence of room‐temperature volume resistivity (ρ_v) on the concentration of filler in the two systems was studied. In addition, variation in the number of current carriers (n), mobility carriers (μ), dielectric constant (ε), and dielectric loss factor (tan δ) on filler concentration in the two systems were investigated in detail. The applicability of composites as negative temperature coefficient (NTCR) linear thermistors was studied by the dependence of volume resistivity on temperature. The resistivity showed negative temperature dependence and changed linearly with temperature parallel. The conduction mechanism of the conductivity of the two composites was analyzed in terms of the computed activation energy and hopping energy. Change in volume resistivity as a function of frequency for the two systems was also investigated. Finally, the dependence of volume resistivity on applied pressure and possible real applications of these composites as transducers in pressure sensors were also studied. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 2158–2165, 2007     

Reliable networks with unreliable sensors

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) deployed in hostile environments suffer from a high rate of node failure. We investigate the effect of such failure rate on network connectivity. We provide a formal analysis that establishes the relationship between node density, network size, failure probability, and network connectivity. We show that large networks can maintain connectivity despite a significantly high probability of node failure. We derive mathematical functions that provide lower bounds on network connectivity in WSNs. We compute these functions for some realistic values of node reliability, area covered by the network, and node density, to show that, for instance, networks with over a million nodes can maintain connectivity with a probability exceeding 95% despite node failure probability exceeding 53%.     

Contamination and Ecological Risk Assessment of Long-Term Polluted Sediments with Heavy Metals in Small Hydropower Cascade

The identification of contamination level and ecological risks, associated with heavy metal pollution of sediments in small hydropower cascade was done on the base of index analyses approach. The concentration of As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, Zn, total organic carbon and percentage of fines were determined in sediments of two habitats in cascade sequence – river and dam. Correlation and multivariate analyses suggest that As, Cu, Pb and Zn are associated with similar anthropogenic source. Cadmium and mercury originate from different source and have specific moving. Based on the contamination and background indices the sediments in Middle Iskar cascade are moderate contaminated at least and are subject of intensive hydrological and technological mixing. The potential ecological risk index (PERI) classifies the sediments in dam site with the higher risk level. Suitable indicators for express assessment of metal pollution in “river” sediments are contamination/enrichment indices which are more sensitive for local concentration increase of less toxic metals. In “dam” sites the process of sedimentation affects strongly the degree of metals accumulation and differences in toxicity are clearly presented – PER/PERI in combination with content of fine sediment fractions and TOC have a potential for rapid identification of sediment-associated risks.     

Thermal treatment effect on structure, electrical conductivity and transient photoconductivity behavior of thiourea modified TiO2 sol-gel thin films

Thiourea modified nanocrystalline titanium dioxide (TiO₂) thin films were prepared by sol-gel route and were thermally treated at five different temperatures (400, 500, 600, 800 and 1000 °C). The films were studied using GIXRD, PIGE and UV-vis spectroscopy. It was observed that the anatase to rutile phase transformation of TiO₂ was inhibited by the thiourea modification. The transmittance of the modified films appeared reduced which was attributed both to the modification of TiO₂ with thiourea and the light scattering in the films. The dark conductivity and the transient photoconductivity of the modified TiO₂ sol-gel thin films were studied in vacuum and in air. The environment does not influence significantly the dark conductivity, because of the almost equivalent competition between oxygen and water adsorption. The photoconductivity reaches high values for all samples in both environments, with the sample treated at 500 °C to present the highest value. The larger values in vacuum can be attributed to the reduced amount of adsorbed oxygen at the surface, which acts as electron scavenger.     

Resource management in LEO satellite networks

To provide truly global coverage needed by increased Personal Communication Services (PCS), a new generation of mobile satellite networks has been proposed. These low Earth orbit (LEO) mobile satellite networks handle multimedia traffic and can be used for non-real-time as well as real-time service to remote areas. Due to the many handoffs, resource management and connection admission control are important tasks for fair bandwidth sharing and QoS guarantees. Because the total link capacity has to be divided among several carriers and given the limited buffer capacity of the ATM switch, resource management is vital. It ensures the ability of the network to provide users with their negotiated QoS while protecting the network and the end-systems from congestion. We introduced a simple connection admission control (CAC) priority policy based on the delay and cell loss requirements for the investigated types of traffic. We took into account the handoff status of the satellite beams involved. Thus, we propose an onboard buffer architecture with separated buffers for new calls and intra-satellite handoff calls. The priority scheme applied is as follows: highest priority is given to CBR, followed by rt-VBR, nrtVBR and ABR.     

CRUISE research activities toward ubiquitous intelligent sensing environments

Wireless sensor networks are expected to be one of the key enabling technologies in the near future. Ubiquitous intelligent sensing environments have a promising potential to enhance the everyday life of citizens, bringing important social benefits for each person and for society as a whole. Substantial research has contributed to progress in this field. However, there are still gaps to be filled. This article presents an overview of the Creating Ubiquitous Intelligent Sensing Environments (CRUISE) project and identifies challenges in the research on WSNs. It focuses on outlining the consortium?s vision and strategy for the evolution of research. Key issues for target sensor network applications and current research orientations in CRUISE are described. Future work within the project focus areas is identified.     

Effect of Co and Ce on silica supported manganese catalysts in the reactions of complete oxidation of n-hexane and ethyl acetate

Mono-component and bi-component catalysts, prepared by impregnation of silica with aqueous solution of Mn, Co, and Ce nitrates, were tested in the reactions of complete oxidation of n-hexane and ethyl acetate. The catalysts were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, temperature-programmed reduction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The catalytic activity is significantly increased by the combination between manganese and cobalt, which is explained as a result of the high mobility of lattice oxygen, the simultaneous presence of Mn⁴⁺?CMn³⁺ couple, decrease in the strength of the Co?CO bond, and the predominance of Co in the second oxidation state on the catalyst surface. The decrease in catalytic activity of Mn?CCe sample is attributed to the predominance of Ce on the surface and lower mobility of the lattice oxygen.