Sustainable biocarbon as an alternative of traditional fillers for poly(butylene terephthalate)-based composites: Thermo-oxidative aging and durability

Sustainable biocomposites have gained considerable interest as an alternative to conventional composites in recent years due to their cost-effectiveness and environmental friendliness. The aim of this study was to investigate the performance and durability behavior of biocomposites from sustainable biocarbon (BC) as compared to conventional established fillers. The poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) and its composites reinforced with BC, talc, and glass fiber (GF) were prepared and the durability performances was investigated. The study showed that BC/PBT biocomposites provided a lighter weight alternative to traditionally used fillers. After undergoes thermo-oxidative aging, the mechanical properties of BC/PBT biocomposite were deteriorated. The GF/PBT showed the most stable in retaining its mechanical properties in comparison to the talc/PBT and BC/PBT. The aging behavior and mechanism of the PBT composites were discussed. This study provides further insight on the durability-related properties progression of biocomposites as compared to traditional used fillers. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47722.     

Mixed waste ferrite as a novel sorbent for carbon dioxide derived from flue gases

Ferrite is a potential sorbent for flue gases such as CO₂, H₂S and SO₂. This paper discusses the adsorption and decomposition of CO₂ into carbon by hydrogen-activated waste ferrites prepared from Berkeley Pit acid mine water (Butte, MT). The decomposition effectiveness of these waste ferrites was studied at 300 °C and compared with the synthetic magnetite obtained from ferrous sulfate solution in our laboratory. The decomposition was measured by two methods: indirectly by measuring the adsorption rate of CO₂ and directly by analysing the carbon deposited on the samples. The results indicated that the mixed waste ferrite had good affinity for the adsorption and decomposition. The CO₂ decomposition data of both sorbents fitted the first-order reaction kinetics. Even though the surface area of the magnetite was higher than that of waste ferrite, the CO₂ decomposition rate of the waste ferrite was estimated to be 2.5 times higher than that of magnetite under identical conditions. The carbon analysis deposited on the sample indicated that the CO₂ was 100% decomposed into carbon and other carbon/hydrogen compounds by the waste ferrite, whereas the conversion was 43% by the magnetite. In terms of specific adsorption of carbon, ferrite was three to five times more efficient than magnetite.     

Fatty acids from Macoma sp. of bivalve mollusc

Fatty acids of the total lipids of flesh and hepatopancreas of Macoma sp. have been determined. The level of 20:5w3 (ca 17%), a biologically important fatty acid, was found to be considerably high. Other major component fatty acids were 16:0, 16:1, 18:1 and 22:4w6. High levels of 22:5w6 (8%), 22:5w3 (8%) and 22:6w3 (ca 15%) were found in flesh lipid. Nonsaponifiables were also high (28–30%). Alkyl ether acyl glycerols were found in flesh (1.3%) and hepatopancreas (3.8%).     

Exploiting information theory for adaptive mobility and resource management in future cellular networks

We utilize tools from information theory to develop adaptive algorithms for two key problems in cellular networks: location tracking and resource management. The use of information theory is motivated by the fundamental observation that overheads in many aspects of mobile computing can be traced to the randomness or uncertainty in an individual user's movement behavior. We present a model-independent information-theoretic approach for estimating and managing this uncertainty, and relate it to the entropy or information content of the user's movement process. Information-theoretic mobility management algorithms are very simple, yet reduce overhead by /spl sim/80 percent in simulated scenarios by optimally adapting to each individual's movement. These algorithms also allow for flexible tradeoff between location update and paging costs. Simulation results demonstrate how an information-theory-motivated resource provisioning strategy can meet QoS bounds with very small wastage of resources, thus dramatically reducing the overall blocking rate.     

Studies of photoconductivity in β-Apo-8′ carotenal

The photoconductive properties of a carotenoid polyene,β-Apo-8′ carotenal in polycrystalline form has been studied. The growth of the photocurrent shows an overshoot in the growth-time curve before steady state value is attained. This behaviour of photocurrent is proposed to be due to higher value of recombination coefficient than trapping coefficient. From the temperature dependence study it is observed that the steady state photocurrent, at first increases with increase of temperature, attains a maximum at a particular temperatureT _max and then decreases with temperature. TheT _max value agrees with the temperature above and below which steady state photocurrent is attained differently. Monomolecular and bimolecular recombination processes at two temperature regimes are proposed to account for the observed behaviour. The dependence of photocurrent with excitation light intensity and wavelength study provide information on the carrier generation processes. The fast decay of photocurrent have been observed at different temperatures and from this study the decay constant is calculated and it is found to be temperature independent.     

Evaluation of the reactivity of titanium with mould materials during casting

A methodology for evaluating the reactivity of titanium with mould materials during casting has been developed. Microhardness profiles and analysis of oxygen contamination have provided an index for evaluation of the reactivity of titanium. Microhardness profile delineates two distinct regions, one of which is characterised by a low value of hardness which is invariant with distance. The reaction products are uniformly distributed in the metal in this region. The second is characterised by a sharp decrease in microhardness with distance from the metal-mould interface. It represents a diffusion zone for solutes that dissolve into titanium from the mould. The qualitative profiles for contaminants determined by scanning electron probe microanalyser and secondary ion mass spectroscopy in the as-cast titanium were found to be similar to that of microhardness, implying that microhardness can be considered as an index of the contamination resulting from metal-mould reaction.     

High quality gate dielectrics formed by rapid thermal chemical vapor deposition of silane and nitrous oxide

In the present study, we have performed electrical characterization of oxides deposited via rapid thermal chemical vapor deposition using SiH₄ and N₂O. We have investigated the effect of temperature, pressure, and SiH₄ to N₂O ratio on the electrical and material properties of as-deposited films. We have found that as-deposited oxides deposited at low temperatures, low pressures, and with a low silane to nitrous oxide ratio of ～0.5% give good material and electrical properties. The as-deposited films are stoichiometric in nature and have high deposition rates. As-deposited films had very low D_it values, high breakdown fields, and excellent subthreshold swing. The leakage currents and metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor current drive, although lower than thermal oxides, were found to be quite acceptable. We have also investigated the thickness dependence of the films and found that as the film thickness is reduced below 50Å, the reliability improves for all oxides including the silicon-rich deposited oxides.     

Chloroquine, quinine and quinidine inhibit calcium release from macrophage intracellular stores by blocking inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate binding to its receptor

Endocrine and exocrine pancreatic morphogenesis is known to occur from ductal epithelium, but the factors that regulate this process are unknown. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)/vascular permeability factor has recently been reported to affect fetal islet ontogenesis. VEGF is an angiogenic factor with a growth-promoting effect that is thought to be restricted to vascular endothelial cells. We demonstrated that VEGF is also a mitogen for adult rat pancreatic duct epithelial cells in primary culture. VEGF supplementation to a serum-free culture medium increased the 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine-pulse labeling index of ductal cells more than 2-fold. Immunohistochemical staining and protein blots revealed that pancreatic duct cells express fetal liver kinase-1 high-affinity receptors for VEGF. In pancreatic tissue, immunohistochemistry shows that VEGF peptide is expressed in normal pancreatic islet cells. In duct ligation-induced acute pancreatitis, numerous inflammatory leukocytes containing VEGF were seen to infiltrate between hyperplastic ducts. In the latter model, islet neogenesis has previously been observed. Our data indicate the possibility that VEGF plays a role in the paracrine regulation of ductal growth and differentiation in vivo, eg, in pancreatitis. In vitro, however, VEGF did not induce endocrine differentiation of ductal cells, indicating that it is not the only factor required for the activation of islet neogenesis.