ACR II: improved absolute cryogenic radiometer for low background infrared calibrations

A second-generation absolute cryogenic radiometer (ACR II) was developed for use at the Low Background Infrared calibration facility at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The need for spectral calibrations of very sensitive [D* = 10(14) cm (Hz)1/2W(-1)] infrared detectors necessitated the use of a cryogenic infrared monochromator and a more sensitive radiometer. The improved low-power performance of the ACR II compared with the older absolute cryogenic radiometer (ACR) has also made it useful as the primary standard for the calibration of cryogenic blackbody sources that are used as low-power infrared sources. The responsivity of the new radiometer's receiver is 210 K/mW with a type A (random component) standard uncertainty of at most 7 pW when making power measurements of less than 10 nW. The original ACR has a responsivity of 29 K/mW and has a type A standard uncertainty of approximately 100 pW when making a similar low-noise-power measurement. Other properties of the radiometers are also described and compared.     

Structure and mechanical properties of polycarbonate modified clay nanocomposites

Polycarbonate (PC)/modified clay nanocomposites were prepared, in the absence and presence of different amounts of maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (PP-g-MA), by direct melt blending. Their structures, as well as mechanical, morphological and thermal properties, were characterized by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), tensile testing, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The XRD results of the PC/clay nanocomposites showed that they had intercalated structures, although some exfoliation was visible at low clay contents, that the gallery heights of the PC/clay nanocomposites were almost the same, and that some of the clay layers collapsed as a result of modifier decomposition at the high processing temperature. The XRD patterns of the PC/PP-g-MA/clay nanocomposites clearly show less intercalation and more exfoliation with increasing PP-g-MA content. These results were supported by TEM observations. Both the tensile strength and modulus show substantial improvements with both increasing clay and PP-g-MA contents, while the elongation at break substantially decreases, although the presence of PP-g-MA somewhat improves these values. All the nanocomposites have lower thermal stability than pure PC, but the presence of PP-g-MA seems to improve the thermal stability of these samples.     

Oxidized wax as compatibilizer in linear low-density polyethylene-clay nanocomposites: x-ray diffraction and dynamic mechanical analysis

Oxidized paraffin wax was used as a compatibilizer in composites of linear low-density polyethylene and layered nano silicate clays. X-ray diffraction analyses were carried out to investigate the crystalline morphology of five types of clays, oxidized wax, and their composites with LLDPE. The composites exhibited different X-ray diffraction and dynamic mechanical behaviour in the presence of different clays. Generally, the composites retained the partially crystalline behaviour of LLDPE, and no exfoliation was observed. Increased amount of wax did not change the morphology in most cases. The incorporation of clay resulted in an observable increase in the storage modulus of LLDPE. These values also increased with the addition of oxidized wax for most of the composites. The loss modulus increased with the amount of clay, irrespective of its nature. In most cases these values also increased with the incorporation of wax. The composites with 10% clay and 10% oxidized wax showed the highest storage and loss moduli, irrespective of the nature of the clay. The tan delta values did not change considerably with the addition of clay or wax.     

基于圆环和等强度截面的纤维缠绕环形容器设计与分析EI

复合材料环形压力容器以其特有的结构形状得到了日益广泛的应用.目前关于纤维缠绕环形容器的研究主要局限于测地线缠绕圆环截面容器.由于环形容器的结构效率取决于它的管截面形状,所以使用圆环截面的环形容器无法实现等强度结构.本文提出了分别使用圆环截面和等强度截面的环形压力容器设计方法,并对二者进行了比较.基于最小应变能准则,得到了缠绕层铺设角和环壳内力间的最优化关系.根据网格理论,考虑截面缠绕层的厚度变化,导出了圆环容器缠绕的最优线型.引入应力比,分析了环壳上纤维的应力分布.描述了等强度经线曲线的一般形状,分析了轴向截荷对等强度曲线形状的影响.计算结果表明当轴向载荷达到一定数值时,等强度曲线能够实现闭合形成环形容器.进一步计算和比较了两种截面形状的环形压力容器在不同相对弯曲半径下的结构质量.研究表明,使用等强度截面设计的环形容器比使用圆环截面的环形容器要轻的多.通过等强度截面设计,环形压力容器的结构性能得到了明显的提高.     

Coordination by design and the price of autonomy

We consider a multi-agent planning problem as a set of activities that has to be planned by several autonomous agents. In general, due to the possible dependencies between the agents’ activities or interactions during execution of those activities, allowing agents to plan individually may lead to a very inefficient or even infeasible solution to the multi-agent planning problem. This is exactly where plan coordination methods come into play. In this paper, we aim at the development of coordination by design techniques that (i) let each agent construct its plan completely independent of the others while (ii) guaranteeing that the joint combination of their plans always is coordinated. The contribution of this paper is twofold. Firstly, instead of focusing only on the feasibility of the resulting plans, we will investigate the additional costs incurred by the coordination by design method, that means, we propose to take into account the price of autonomy: the ratio of the costs of a solution obtained by coordinating selfish agents versus the costs of an optimal solution. Secondly, we will point out that in general there exist at least two ways to achieve coordination by design: one called concurrent decomposition and the other sequential decomposition. We will briefly discuss the applicability of these two methods, and then illustrate them with two specific coordination problems: coordinating tasks and coordinating resource usage. We also investigate some aspects of the price of autonomy of these two coordination methods.     

‘Green’ synthesis and optical properties of silver–chitosan complexes and nanocomposites

Silver nanoparticles were synthesized in a chitosan biopolymer by an in situ ‘green’ chemical procedure, using d-glucose as the reducing agent. The reaction intermediates (silver–chitosan complexes) as well as the obtained nanocomposites were investigated using transmission electron microscopy, UV–vis, FTIR and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The theoretical analysis of the UV–vis absorption of the Ag–chitosan complexes suggested that the significant contribution to the complex spectrum arises from clusters of silver containing 4–9 atoms. The absorption spectrum of the nanocomposite exhibited a strong surface plasmon resonance band at 406 nm. The photoluminescence behavior of the pure chitosan, the silver–chitosan complexes and the nanocomposites were discussed in terms of morphology and silver weight content.     

Design of filament–wound domes based on continuum theory and non-geodesic roving trajectories

In this paper the optimal shapes and fiber architectures of non-geodesics-based domes for pressure vessels are determined upon the condition of equal shell strains. Based on the continuum theory and the non-geodesic law, the system of differential equations governing the optimal meridian profiles is derived. A specific function is chosen to describe the slippage coefficient distribution for the desired non-geodesic path, in order to ensure C¹ continuity of the roving paths when passing the dome–cylinder conjunction. Next, the meridian profiles are determined for various material anisotropies; the related winding angle developments of non-geodesic trajectories are also presented. The performance factors of non-geodesics-based optimal domes are obtained using various slippage coefficients and polar opening radii. The results show that the structural efficiency of the dome improves with increasing slippage coefficient. It is concluded that the non-geodesics-based dome designed using the present method gains better performance than the one relying on geodesics.     

A New Class of Fluorinated A2A Adenosine Receptor Agonist with Application to Last-Step Enzymatic [18F]Fluorination for PET Imaging

The A_2A adenosine receptor belongs to a family of G-coupled protein receptors that have been subjected to extensive investigation over the last few decades. Due to their prominent role in the biological functions of the heart, lungs, CNS and brain, they have become a target for the treatment of illnesses ranging from cancer immunotherapy to Parkinson's disease. The imaging of such receptors by using positron emission tomography (PET) has also been of interest, potentially providing a valuable tool for analysing and diagnosing various myocardial and neurodegenerative disorders, as well as offering support to drug discovery trials. Reported herein are the design, synthesis and evaluation of two new 5′-fluorodeoxy-adenosine (FDA)-based receptor agonists (FDA-PP1 and FDA-PP2), each substituted at the C-2 position with a terminally functionalised ethynyl unit. The structures enable a synthesis of ¹⁸F-labelled analogues by direct, last-step radiosynthesis from chlorinated precursors using the fluorinase enzyme (5′-fluoro-5′-deoxyadenosine synthase), which catalyses a transhalogenation reaction. This delivers a new class of A_2A adenosine receptor agonist that can be directly radiolabelled for exploration in PET studies.     

Development of value-added polyethylene grades with extended service lifetime: Weathering resistant flame retarded materials for outdoor applications

The current article deals with the development of different novel, tailor-made polyolefin formulations exhibiting both low flammability and high weathering resistance, so as to provide value-added polyethylene grades with extended service lifetime. Two low-density (LDPE) and one linear low-density (LLDPE) polyethylene grades were modified via melt compounding with an additive system comprising: (a) a nitrogen-phosphorous intumescent system for flame retardance and (b) a hindered amine light stabilizer and a benzophenone-type UV absorber for UV/heat stabilization, at a total loading of 30–35 wt%. The target was to reach V0 classification in UL94V flammability tests, while to a large extent maintaining the mechanical properties, such as, tensile and impact strength of the investigated polymers, thus ensuring that the additives do not interfere significantly with the material quality. Subsequently, the compounds were subjected to separate artificial UV and heat aging at 100°C for 1500 h; the formulations showed good flame retardance, even after prolonged artificial weathering, but there was an observable, although acceptable, decrease in the mechanical properties. Nevertheless, all the results show that the developed polyethylene compounds are very promising for outdoor applications, such as, irrigation piping and profiles, where long-term weathering stability is important, and where flame retardance is important for safety during storage.     

Hemicellulose Removal from Hardwood Chips in the Pre-Hydrolysis Step of the Kraft-Based Dissolving Pulp Production Process

Abstract

A pre-hydrolysis step to remove hemicelluloses from mixed hardwood chips consisting of maple, aspen, and birch with a ratio of 7:2:1 has been carried out. The effects of parameters on the pre-hydrolysis such as time, temperature, acetic acid addition, and raw material species, were determined. Different sugars, acetic acid, and furfural formation in the pre-hydrolysis liquor were quantified. The results showed that the pre-hydrolysis is a dynamic process, in which the removal of hemicelluloses increased with time while the conversion of extracted hemicelluloses to monosaccharides due to acid hydrolysis increased and part of the xylose was converted to furfural. The maximum temperature was the most critical parameter for hemicelluloses extraction and conversion, and a temperature of 170°C was the optimum for hemicelluloses extraction with relatively low conversion of xylose to furfural. About 11% of the xylan (in both monomeric and oligomeric forms) was removed at 170°C. Due to the presence of a high amount of xylan, birch produced the highest amount of xylose, followed by maple, and then aspen.