Natural rubber (Hevea Brasiliensis)-based quasi-solid electrolyte as a potential candidate for arresting recombination and improving performance in aqueous dye-sensitized solar cells

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - We successfully fabricated dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) employing a quasi-solid state electrolyte based on pristine insulator natural...     

Performance of different fermentation methods and the effect of their duration on the quality of raw cocoa beans

This study aims to compare the effect of three cocoa fermentation methods and their duration on raw cocoa quality. Results showed a decrease in percentage of physical quality defects on fermentation method. Cocoa fermented for 4 days presented higher percentage of purple beans reached 45% and about 10% of slaty beans than cocoa fermented for 6 days whatever the process. Fermentation duration did not influence the mouldy beans that were around 1%. Formation of brown beans increased from 16% to 50% depending on the fermentation duration and process. Using wooden boxes allowed higher percentage of 77%–90% brown beans than others materials. Acidity of cocoa decreased on fermentation duration but beans treated in boxes were significantly (P = 0.05) acidic from 1.40 and 3.07 meq of NaOH g^?1. Fungal population did not vary in number depending both on the duration and the fermentation method with rates that ranged from 3.32 × 10⁷ to 8.63 × 10⁷ CFU g^?1.     

Poly[(3‐hydroxybutyrate)‐co‐(3‐hydroxyvalerate)]/layered double hydroxide nanocomposites

BACKGROUND: The thermomechanical performance of poly[(3‐hydroxybutyrate)‐co‐(3‐hydroxyvalerate)] (PHBV) is associated with its crystallization. Enhanced nucleation using a stearate‐functionalized synthetic layered double hydroxide (LDH) presents a potential solution. RESULTS: PHBV crystallization varied with concentration of LDH. At lower LDH concentration, thermal history‐induced cold crystallization was present. The extent of this order–disorder transition decreased with increasing LDH concentration and was completely eliminated at 7 wt% LDH. PHBV did not have a melt recrystallization peak but the introduction of LDH resulted in an increasingly pronounced melt recrystallization with increasing LDH concentration. Polarized optical microscopy coupled with differential scanning calorimetry and wide angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD) analysis indicated increased lamella thickness in the nanocomposites compared to pure PHBV. WAXD and transmission electron microscopy showed that the nanocomposites had an intercalated but aggregated dispersion. CONCLUSION: The concentration of nanofiller provides unique effects in PHBV. Mechanical performance was found to scale with composition as determined using dynamic mechanical analysis and tensile testing. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Prevalence of nocardiosis in an area of endemic tuberculosis

OBJECTIVE: To assess the quantity and nature of the proteins that adsorb to hydrocephalus shunt catheters after implantation, and to determine whether sufficient could accumulate to obstruct the catheter. DESIGN: Elution of proteins from 102 explanted shunt catheters, with protein assay and electrophoresis of the eluate, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the catheters. RESULTS: The amount of protein elutable was extremely low, and significant protein, apart from a thin film, was not found on SEM. Qualitative analysis disclosed that most of the adsorbed protein was albumin. CONCLUSIONS: Protein deposition on hydrocephalus catheters does not occur in sufficient quantities to cause catheter obstruction.     

Correction to: Natural rubber (Hevea Brasiliensis)-based quasi-solid electrolyte as a potential candidate for arresting recombination and improving performance in aqueous dye-sensitized solar cells

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - A correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-021-06180-2     

Multi-height phase recovery combined with Fast Iterative Shrinkage-Thresholding Algorithm to handle phase microspheres from complex diffracted field in inline holography

ABSTRACT

We describe in this work an approach that individually combines constant initialization, free-space backpropagation, transport of intensity equation (TIE) and multi-height phase recovery with Fast Iterative Shrinkage-Thresholding Algorithm (FISTA) to predict reconstruction of the phase microspheres from diffracted field measurements. We incorporate appropriate initialization and regularization to reconstruct unknown phase microspheres (transparent objects).     

A Fitted L-Multi-Point Flux Approximation Method for Pricing Options

Computational Economics - In this paper, we introduce a special kind of finite volume method called Multi-Point Flux Approximation method (MPFA) to price European and American options in two...     

An accurate time integration scheme for arbitrary rotation motion: application to metal forming simulation

Within the frame of implicit velocity based formulations with solid elements, usual time integration schemes often turn out unsatisfactory when the movement has large rotations, especially in metal forming applications such as ring rolling or cross-wedge rolling. These rotations generally require using a much higher order integration scheme with inherent difficulties in implementing such schemes. For pure rotation motions, it is possible to use a low order integration scheme by rewriting the motion equations in the cylindrical frame that is supported by the rotation axis. Accordingly, a first order scheme is sufficient to accurately integrate the movement but it is restricted to specific problems. In the more general case, it is possible to derive parts of the domain where rotations are predominant along with the governing rotation axis from the velocity field gradient. The motion equations are then rewritten in the resulting local cylindrical frame. Performances of this first order scheme are first evaluated and highlighted over simple analytical problems, before being applied to the finite element simulation of the torsion test, and then to more complex metal forming problems involving large rotations. The accuracy and efficiency of this scheme is so numerically demonstrated.