Microwave hybrid fast sintering of red clay ceramics

This work aimed to examine the performance of the hybrid sintering of clay ceramic in a microwave furnace, compared to the sintering process in a conventional furnace. The raw materials were subjected to X-ray fluorescence, loss on ignition (LOI), X-ray diffraction, particle size distribution, real specific mass, and thermogravimetric analyses. The red clay ceramic mass was prepared, extruded, pre-sintered in a conventional furnace at 600°C/60 min, and sintered at temperatures between 700 °C and 1100 °C. The sintering conventional (resistive oven) was carried out for 60 min with a heating rate of 10°C/min. In the microwave furnace, the sintering times were 5, 10, and 15 min, with a heating rate of 50°C/min, with a sintering chamber coated with silicon carbide (susceptor). The sintered specimens were characterized according to linear shrinkage, water absorption, apparent porosity, apparent specific mass, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy analysis, spectroscopy analysis in the ultraviolet and visible regions, microhardness, and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that microwave sintering promoted an increase in the microhardness and apparent specific mass, and reduction in water absorption and apparent porosity values, due to greater densification in the microstructure. The best results occurred for specimens sintered at 1100°C.     

Narrow-band correction of the residual amplitude modulation in frequency-modulation spectroscopy

We have developed a narrow-band controller in the MHz range, based on a field-programmable gate array. It is used to control the probe beam intensity in frequency-modulated spectroscopy experiments with an acoustooptic modulator. The residual amplitude modulation at the modulation frequency (2.5 MHz) is reduced by 50 dB. The first-harmonic detection of the signals is operated in saturation spectroscopy of I/sub 2/ at 514.5 nm and 501.7 nm. A reduction of the background noise and a large increase in the signal-to-noise ratio are obtained.     

EEG spectral abnormalities and psychosis as predictors of cognitive and functional decline in probable Alzheimer's disease

We examined whether either psychotic features (e.g., delusions and hallucinations) or EEG abnormalities are associated with more rapid progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). AD patients with psychosis have exhibited more EEG abnormalities than those without psychosis, and both abnormal EEG and psychosis have been noted to be predictors of functional and cognitive decline in AD. Ninety-five probable AD patients participating in a longitudinal study of dementia had an EEG and a semistructured psychiatric interview at baseline. Using EEG spectral analysis, we classified records as normal/abnormal based on the parasagittal mean frequency. Patients with abnormal EEGs were more functionally (e.g., Blessed Rating Scale for activities of daily living) and cognitively (e.g., Mini-Mental State) impaired than patients with normal EEG. AD patients with psychosis were only more functionally impaired than patients without psychosis. A two-factor analysis showed no interaction between abnormal EEG and psychosis. In addition, using a Cox proportional hazard model adjusted for age and education, the presence of an abnormal EEG or psychotic symptom at study entry was associated with higher risk of reaching severe cognitive and functional impairment during follow-up. Neither abnormal EEG nor the presence of psychosis predicted death. These results indicate that both abnormal EEG and psychosis are independent predictors of disease progression but not of physical survival.     

Performance of natural‐fiber–plastic composites under stress for outdoor applications: Effect of moisture,temperature, and ultraviolet light exposure

The effects of moisture, temperature, and ultraviolet (UV) light on performance of natural‐fiber–plastic composites (NFPC) were assessed. We conducted short‐term tests in the laboratory and long‐term tests under natural exposure and measured changes in mechanical properties and color in samples of the composite. Chemical changes of the composite's materials were measured by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy to elucidate the mechanisms of chemical transformations on the material surface. Relative humidity highly affected the modulus of rupture (MOR) and the modulus of elasticity (MOE), and had a greater effect than temperature and UV exposure on performance of the composite. The lightness of the composite was increased by the UV effect in the short‐ and the long‐term tests. The X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis suggested that the composite was protected by the UV absorber. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 99: 2570–2577, 2006     

Algorithm for cosine transform of Toeplitz matrices

An algorithm for calculating the 2D cosine transform of a Toeplitz matrix is presented. The algorithm is based on the application of 1D cosine transforms. More specifically, four 1D cosine transforms of size N are needed to obtain the transform of a Toeplitz matrix of size N×N. This is an improvement over previously published algorithms. The algorithm is also simple and regular     

Sensitivity analysis of simulations for magnetic particle inspection using the finite-element method

Magnetic particle inspection (MPI) is widely used for nondestructive evaluation in aerospace applications in which interpretation of inspection results is currently limited to empirical knowledge and experience-based approaches. Advances in computational magnetics, particularly the use of finite-element calculations, have enabled realistic numerical simulations of magnetic particle inspection to be undertaken with complicated geometries. In this paper, we report a sensitivity analysis using finite-element-method simulations of magnetic particle inspection for defects with various sizes and geometries. As a result, improved quantitative understanding of the MPI technique and factors that affects its sensitivity and reliability has been achieved. These results can be used to optimize conditions for conducting these inspections and should lead to improvement in analysis and interpretation of experimental results.     

Solubility of actinide surrogates in nuclear glasses

This paper discusses the results of a study of actinide surrogates in a nuclear borosilicate glass to understand the effect of processing conditions (temperature and oxidizing versus reducing conditions) on the solubility limits of these elements. The incorporation of cerium oxide, hafnium oxide, and neodymium oxide in this borosilicate glass was investigated. Cerium is a possible surrogate for tetravalent and trivalent actinides, hafnium for tetravalent actinides, and neodymium for trivalent actinides. The material homogeneity was studied by optical, scanning electron microscopy. Cerium L_III XANES spectroscopy showed that the Ce³⁺/Ce_total ratio increased from about 0.5 to 0.9 as the processing temperature increased from 1100 to 1400 °C. Cerium L_III XANES spectroscopy also confirmed that the increased Ce solubility in glasses melted under reducing conditions was due to complete reduction of all the cerium in the glass. The most significant results pointed out in the current study are that the solubility limits of the actinide surrogates increases with the processing temperature and that Ce³⁺ is shown to be more soluble than Ce⁴⁺ in this borosilicate glass.     

A wind park reduced-order model using singular perturbations theory

Due to the increasing penetration of wind energy, it is necessary to possess design tools that are able to simulate the impact of these installations on electric utility grids. In order to provide a net contribution to this issue, a detailed wind park model has been developed and is briefly presented. However, the computational costs associated with the performance of such a detailed model in describing the behavior of a wind park composed by a considerable number of units may render its practical application very difficult. To overcome this problem, singular perturbations theory has been applied to reduce the order of the detailed wind park model, and therefore create the conditions for the development of a dynamic equivalent which is able to retain the relevant dynamics with respect to the existing AC power system. Validation results proving the ability of singular perturbations reduced order model to match the results provided by the detailed model are shown and commented upon