Carbon nanofibers enhance the fracture toughness and fatigue performance of a structural epoxy system

This study investigates the monotonic and dynamic fracture characteristics of a discontinuous fiber reinforced polymer matrix. Specifically, small amounts (0-1 wt.%) of a helical-ribbon carbon nanofiber (CNF) were added to an amine cured epoxy system. The resulting nanocomposites were tested to failure in two modes of testing; Mode I fracture toughness and constant amplitude of stress tension-tension fatigue. Fracture toughness testing revealed that adding 0.5 and 1.0 wt.% CNFs to the epoxy matrix enhanced the resistance to fracture by 66% and 78%, respectively. Fatigue testing at 20 MPa peak stress showed a median increase in fatigue life of 180% and 365% over the control by the addition of 0.5 and 1.0 wt.% CNF, respectively. These results clearly demonstrate the addition of small weight fractions of CNFs to significantly enhance the monotonic fracture behavior and long-term fatigue performance of this polymer. A discussion is presented linking the two behaviors indicating their interdependence and reliance upon the stress intensity factor, K.     

Control of C.I. Basic Violet 10 aggregation in aqueous solution by the use of poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate)

The aggregation behavior of C.I. Basic Violet 10 in the presence of poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) was modified, as a consequence of short-range interactions. In aqueous acidic media, the cationic dye forms hydrophobic ion pairs with polymeric benzene sulfonate groups which tend to aggregate in H-contacts, this tendency being readily influenced by the relative concentration of the macromolecule with respect to that of the dye. In the case of dilute aqueous dye solutions (≤10^?4 M), for which the probability of dye self-aggregation is small, C.I. Basic Violet 10 self-contacts are forced in the presence of a moderate excess of poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate). At dye concentrations >10^?4 M, for which the probability of dye self-aggregation increases, dye-dye contacts are minimized in the presence of a large excess of the polymer. Hence, the luminescence of dye solutions can be tuned insorar as, that of dilute dye solutions is quenched whilst that of concentrated dye solutions can be enhanced. This behavior was not observed for other polyelectrolytes such as poly(sodium vinylsulfonate), or the more hydrophobic poly(sodium 2-(N-acrylamido)-2-methyl-propanesulfonate).     

From latex specifications to parallel codes

The advent of multicore systems, joined to the potential acceleration of the graphics processing units, has given us a low cost computation capability unprecedented. The new systems alleviate some well-known important architectural problems at the expense of a considerable increment of the programmability wall. Heterogeneity, at both the architectural and programming levels, poses a great challenge to programmers. As a contribution, we propose a development methodology for the automatic source-to-source transformation on specific domains. This methodology is successfully instantiated as a framework to solve Dynamic Programming problems. As a result of applying our framework, the end user (a physicist, a mathematician or a biologist) can express her problem through a latex equation and automatically derive efficient parallel codes for current homogeneous or heterogeneous architectures. The approach allows an easy portability to new emergent architectures.     

PV–wind hybrid system performance: A new approach and a case study

Until now, there is no internationally accepted guideline for the measurement, data exchange and analysis of PV–Wind Hybrid Systems. As there is a need for such a tool, so as to overcome the barrier that the lack of confidence due to the absence of reliability means for the development of the market of Hybrid Systems, an effort has been made to suggest one tool for PV–Wind Hybrid Systems. The suggested guidelines presented in this work are based on the existing guidelines for PV Systems, as a PV–Wind Hybrid system can be roughly thought of as a PV System to which wind generation has been added. So, the guidelines for PV Systems are valid for the PV–Wind System, and only the part referred to wind generation should be included. This has been the process followed in this work. The proposed method is applied to a case study, the CICLOPS Project, a 5 kW PV, 7.5 kW Wind Hybrid system installed at the Isolated Wind Systems Test Site that CIEMAT owns in CEDER (Soria, Spain). This system has been fully monitored through a year and the results of the monitoring activity, characterizing the long-term performance of the system are shown in this work.     

Power shifts in web-based translation memory

Web-based translation memory (TM) is a recent and little-studied development that is changing the way localisation projects are conducted. This article looks at the technology that allows for the sharing of TM databases over the internet to find out how it shapes the translator’s working environment. It shows that so-called pre-translation—until now the standard way for clients to manage translation tasks with freelancers—is giving way to web-interactive translation. Thus, rather than interacting with their own desktop databases as before, translators now interface with each other through server-based translation memories, so that a newly entered term or segment can be retrieved moments later by another translator working at a remote site. The study finds that, while the interests of most stakeholders in the localisation process are well served by this web-based arrangement, it can involve drawbacks for freelancers. Once an added value, technical expertise becomes less of a determining factor in employability, while translators lose autonomy through an inability to retain the linguistic assets they generate. Web-based TM is, therefore, seen to risk disempowering and de-skilling freelancers, relegating them from valued localisation partners to mere servants of the new technology.     

CWDM Metropolitan Multiple-Access Ring Network Based on Optical Packet Witching

We present a novel CWDM metropolitan multiple-access ring network based on optical switching of packets according to their wavelength. Each node within the MAN is identified by a combination of wavelength and numerical address. Hence, nodes are able to drop packets presenting a particular wavelength and numerical address, but can insert packets in any wavelength into the ring. This configuration allows wavelength sharing, as several nodes are identified by the same wavelength (but different numerical addresses), and simplifies switching requirements since the set of numerical addresses is reduced. We analyze the viability and scalability of such a network, determining the number of nodes supported by the network under different traffic scenarios and wavelength resources. The impact of switching time on network performance is also analyzed in order to determine which switching technology should be employed when implementing the network. An erratum to this article is available at .     

Characterisation of the main enzymatic activities present in six commercial macerating enzymes and their effects on extracting colour during winemaking of Monastrell grapes

Numerous studies have reported on the use of enzymes in wineries to facilitate the extraction of grape phenolics and to aid colour stability, although no clear conclusions were reached. Information concerning the enzymatic activities of industrial preparations is very difficult to obtain despite its importance. The aim of this work was to characterise and quantify the activities of six macerating enzyme preparations to optimise their use, and to study their effect on the chromatic characteristics of a Monastrell wine. The results indicate that differences exist in the type of enzymatic activities present in the preparations and in their concentration. The chromatic characteristics of the resulting wines, both at the end of alcoholic fermentation and after 12 months of storage in stainless steel tanks, showed differences with the use of the different maceration enzymes when comparing with control wine, although very little differences were observed between the different enzyme treatments. The enzyme-treated wines showed, at the end of alcoholic fermentation, a higher OD₂₈₀ and tannin content, and after 12 months, a higher colour intensity too. The main effect of all the preparations was an increase in the total phenol content, probably by facilitating the release of skin tannins.