The rheological,mechanical and templating effects of graphene oxide nanosheets in filled gel spun polyacrylonitrile

Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) in dimethylformamide solution containing 0.25 or 1 wt% graphene oxide (GO) was gel spun to tapes. Scanning electron microscopy of tapes showed compact staircase cross-sections hallmarking the gel spun products. Low shear rate rheometry of the tape precursors revealed a viscosity increase, while the structural viscosity indexes of dispersions dropped to 40 and 70% at high shear rates by 0.25 and 1 wt% GO inclusion, respectively. Furthermore, the sol–gel transition temperature of PAN solution was enhanced by about 2.5 and 10 °C with 0.25 and 1 wt% GO inclusion, respectively. Strain sweep test implied a gel-to-sol transition from 9 to 28% by 1 wt% GO inclusion. The experimental reinforcement coefficient corresponded the aligned Halpin–Tsai model confirming the suitable dispersion preparation route namely master batch dilution implementing strong interphase formation among the PAN chains and GO platelets. Molecular evolution analysis during air stabilization through a combined second derivative of FTIR spectra, Gaussian peak fitting represented by I_sd index, indicated the initial cyclization at 290 °C followed by its enhanced rate. Final I_sd was noticed to be 48% higher for the tapes containing GO nanosheets. GO inclusion not only enhanced the tape heat of stabilizations but also differentiated its proportional I_sd and toughness dependency based on the heat of stabilization.     

A fast multichannel SAR raw data simulator of clutter and moving targets

Accessibility of a fast and accurate multichannel synthetic aperture radar raw data generator of stationary clutter and moving targets has high importance, especially in the application of ground moving target indication. In this paper, a fast four-stage algorithm for generating the raw data of each channel stationary clutter and moving targets, has been proposed respectively in the frequency and the hybrid time–frequency domain. Using this simulator, in different conditions in terms of target motion speed, acceleration and direction, for each of the channels, after generating the raw data, its final image has been extracted by the range-Doppler algorithm. Then, using clutter suppression techniques such as DPCA, ATI and hybrid DPCA–ATI, the multichannel SAR final image has been obtained in ideal and nonideal conditions. Finally, the obtained images of the first channel have been studied using the extracted formulas for predicting the effects of target motion parameters on the SAR images as well as analyzing the multichannel SAR final image. The results show that the proposed algorithm for generating the raw data of each channel stationary clutter and moving targets has better performance in terms of speed and accuracy than the other existing simulators and the proposed multichannel SAR simulation method has high quality.     

SDN-based wireless user management system

The degradation of end-to-end quality of service (QoS) on mobile users is becoming a common issue for IEEE 802.11 infrastructure-based networks in crowded areas. This research tackles the issue by employing an SDN framework on an integrated wireless/wired environment. Thereby, we present the development and implementation of a system that performs user management by analyzing the network load from the OpenFlow statistics, as well as the wireless information collected from the associated users. In order to analyse the behaviour of the proposed user migration algorithm, we evaluate the system under scenarios with different traffic load and user session duration. From the experiments, we observed that in several cases wireless users get a considerable QoS improvement at the application layer (up to 30% improvement in throughput and up to 20% in delay in our simulations) once the system is activated. Based on the results, we present an analysis on how and when user migration in multi-access point IEEE 802.11 networks can be most effective.     

A novel application of stand-alone photovoltaic system in agriculture: solar-powered Microner sprayer

In this paper, a stand-alone photovoltaic (SAPV) power supply system for Microner sprayer is identified and proposed. The designed system was composed of three main parts: sprayer, solar power supply and control system. Initially, the control board and data acquisition system were designed and simulated by the Proteus software and then implemented using an AVR microcontroller and tested via LabVIEW in the laboratory. Next, a prototype system was fabricated for evaluation purposes. A PV panel size of 88.5?cm², positioned horizontally above operator's head that generates 26.4?Wh/day was used as a solar energy source. A small 2?Ah (12?V) battery is installed in the system as a stabiliser. This sprayer can work seven to nine hours daily. It is calculated that the average loss of collected energy due to non-application of maximum power point tracker was approximately 25%.     

Synthesis of CuAl2O4 nanoparticles by mixed chelates thermolysis and homogeneous precipitation using solubility difference reactions; Taguchi optimization and photocatalytic application

In the present study two novel methods are reported for preparation of nano crystalline copper aluminate (CuAl₂O₄).The first one is based on the pyrolysis of mixed Aluminum and Copper chelates of cupferron. The nanoparticles prepared by the first method were spherical with high specific surface area and smaller size in respect to the particles of second method. The nano crystals of CuAl₂O₄ at optimum conditions were spherical, with average particle size of 15.2 nm. In the second method the CuAl₂O₄ nano spindles with high purity were synthesized by a novel homogeneous solubility difference reactions using magnesium hydroxide as initial material. The Taguchi L₈ statistical design was employed for procedure optimization of the chelates thermolysis method. The structure and morphological properties of products have been investigated using X-ray diffraction, Thermogravimetric Analysis, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, fourier transform infra-red, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, Dynamic laser light scattering and elemental micro analysis. The photocatalytic activity of nanocrystalline CuAl₂O₄ obtained by first procedure was investigated for degradation of crystal violet (C₂₅N₃H₃₀Cl) as a model pollutant and UV lamp as energy source. The results revealed that about 98 % degradation of crystal violet could be achieved at 120 min.     

Thermomechanical Characterization of Mg-9Al-1Zn Alloy Using Power Dissipation Maps

A processing map is developed on the basis of the Dynamic Material Model for Mg-9Al-1Zn. The model considers the work piece as a dissipator of power and power loss variation with temperature and strain rate constitutes the power dissipation map. To this end, the thermomechanical (i.e., hot compression) characteristics of a Mg-9Al-1Zn alloy was studied in the temperature range of 250-425 °C and strain rates of 0.001-1 s^?1. The strain rate sensitivity (m), power dissipation efficiency (η), and instability parameter (ξ) are computed based on the experimental hot compression data. The deformation mechanisms of different regions in the maps are analyzed and corresponding microstructures are investigated. The processing map of Mg-9Al-1Zn alloy exhibits five workability domains. Dynamic recrystallization (DRX) was observed in three of the domains, while in the two other domains grain boundary sliding, twining, and precipitation are the dominant mechanisms. The optimum hot working conditions of Mg-9Al-1Zn alloy are located in the two domains where DRX takes place. They correspond to 375 °C/0.001 s^?1 and 380 °C/1 s^?1 with peak efficiency of 42 and 36%, respectively.     

An Inverse Problem Method for Overall Heat Transfer Coefficient Estimation in a Partially Filled Rotating Cylinder

The objective of this article is to study the estimation of an overall heat transfer coefficient in a partially filled rotating cylinder. Herein is an inverse analysis for estimating the overall heat transfer coefficient in an arbitrary cross-section of the aforementioned system from the temperatures measured on the shell. The material employs the finite-volume method to solve the direct problem. The hybrid effective algorithm applied here contains the local optimization algorithm to estimate the unknown parameter by minimizing the objective function. The data measured here are simulated by adding random errors to the exact solution. An investigation is made of the impact of the measurement errors on the accuracy of the inverse analysis. Two-optimization algorithms in determining the overall heat transfer coefficient are used. It is determined that the Conjugate Gradient Method is better than the Levenberg-Marquardt Method because the former produces greater accuracy for the same measurement errors. The resulting observation indicates that good agreement exists between the exact value and estimated result for both algorithms.     

An exact solution for buckling of functionally graded circular plates based on higher order shear deformation plate theory under uniform radial compression

In this research, mechanical buckling of circular plates composed of functionally graded materials (FGMs) is considered. Equilibrium and stability equations of a FGM circular plate under uniform radial compression are derived, based on the higher order shear deformation plate theory (HSDT). Assuming that the material properties vary as a power form of the thickness coordinate variable z and using the variational method, the system of fundamental partial differential equations are established. A buckling analysis of a functionally graded circular plate (FGCP) under uniform radial compression is carried out and the results are given in closed-form solutions. The results are compared with the buckling loads of plates obtained for FGCP based on the first order shear deformation plate theory (FSDT) and classical plate theory (CPT) given in the literature. The study concludes that HSDT accurately predicts the behavior of FGCP, whereas the FSDT and CPT overestimates buckling loads.     

A miniaturized system for spike-triggered intracortical microstimulation in an ambulatory rat

This paper reports on a miniaturized system for spike-triggered intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) in an ambulatory rat. The head-mounted microdevice comprises a previously developed application-specific integrated circuit fabricated in 0.35-μm two-poly four-metal complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor technology, which is assembled and packaged on a miniature rigid-flex substrate together with a few external components for programming, supply regulation, and wireless operation. The microdevice operates autonomously from a single 1.55-V battery, measures 3.6 cm × 1.3 cm × 0.6 cm, weighs 1.7 g (including the battery), and is capable of stimulating as well as recording the neural response to ICMS in biological experiments with anesthetized laboratory rats. Moreover, it has been interfaced with silicon microelectrodes chronically implanted in the cerebral cortex of an ambulatory rat and successfully delivers electrical stimuli to the second somatosensory area when triggered by neural activity from the rostral forelimb area with a user-adjustable spike-stimulus time delay. The spike-triggered ICMS is further shown to modulate the neuronal firing rate, indicating that it is physiologically effective.     

The Effect of Nanoparticles on the Mass Transfer in Liquid–Liquid Extraction

This article investigates the effect of nanoparticles on mass transfer in the liquid–liquid extraction for the chemical system of n-butanol–succinic acid–water. For this purpose, nanofluids containing various concentrations of ZnO, carbon nanotubes (CNT), and TiO₂ nanoparticles in water, as base fluid, were prepared. To examine the flow mode effect on mass transfer rate, different fluid modes including dropping and jetting were employed in the process. Results show that mass transfer rate enhancement depends on the kinds and the concentration of nanoparticles and the modes of flow. It was observed that after adding nanoparticles, the mass transfer rate significantly increases up to two-fold for ZnO nanoparticles. Furthermore, the results indicate that under the circumstances in which the mass flow rate is high enough, the effect of nanoparticles on the mass transfer phenomenon is too slight.