Nonuniformity of phase structure in immiscible polymer blends

This article is focused on the phase structure development in immiscible polymer blends during melt mixing. Nonuniformity of the phase structure, i.e., the coexistence of areas containing particles with markedly different size distribution, was detected in quenched and compression molded samples of a number of various blends prepared by long and intensive mixing in the chamber of a Plasticorder. The same effect was found also for polystyrene/polyamide blends prepared in a twin‐screw extruder. It was shown that neglecting nonuniformity of the phase structure can lead to considerable error in evaluation of the effect of system parameters on the blend morphology. The reasons for the effect were discussed and it was found that inhomogeneous flow field in mixers is a plausible explanation of the nonuniform phase structure. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers     

What are the key elements of a sustainable university?

Nowadays, the principles of sustainable development are becoming increasingly important and universities are acting as agents in promoting these principles within society. In the future, universities will inevitably play crucial role in propagating these principles. This paper highlights important documents and discusses definitions of the term education for sustainable development. Elements, based on continuous feedback loop (Deming spiral) are discussed, in order to incorporate sustainability principles into university activities. The University of Maribor has been used as a case study to test the effectiveness of the proposed integration of sustainable development principles.     

Coupling GIS with Hydrologic and Hydraulic Flood Modelling

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have been recognised as a powerful means to integrate and analyse data from various sources in the context of comprehensive floodplain management. As part of this comprehensive approach to floodplain management, it is very important to be able to predict the consequences of different scenarios in terms of flooded areas and associated risk. Hydrologic and hydraulic modelling plays a crucial role and there is much to gain in incorporating these modelling capabilities in GIS. This is still a rather complex task and research is being done on the full integration of these models. Interfacing between these models and GIS may be a very efficient way of overcoming the difficulties and getting very good results in terms of engineering practice. This paper presents results based on the use of Intergraph GIS coupled with Idrisi GIS. Using these two systems substantially increased the flexibility of using GIS as a tool for flood studies. A lumped (XSRAIN) and a distributed (OMEGA) hydrologic models were used to simulate flood hydrographs. The well known HEC-2 Hydraulic model was used to compute flooded areas. These models were applied in the Livramento catchment with very good results. The computation of flooded areas for different flood scenarios, and its representation in GIS, can be used in the assessment of affected property and associated damages. This is a very useful GIS-based approach to floodplain management.     

Asymptotic stress intensity factor density profiles for smeared-tip method for cohesive fracture

The paper presents a computational approach and numerical data which facilitate the use of the smeared-tip method for cohesive fracture in large enough structures. In the recently developed K-version of the smeared tip method, the large-size asymptotic profile of the stress intensity factor density along a cohesive crack is considered as a material characteristic, which is uniquely related to the softening stress-displacement law of the cohesive crack. After reviewing the K-version, an accurate and efficient numerical algorithm for the computation of this asymptotic profile is presented. The algorithm is based on solving a singular Abel's integral equation. The profiles corresponding to various typical softening stress-displacement laws of the cohesive crack model are computed, tabulated and plotted. The profiles for a certain range of other typical softening laws can be approximately obtained by interpolation from the tables. Knowing the profile, one can obtain with the smeared-tip method an analytical expression for the large-size solution to fracture problems, including the first two asymptotic terms of the size effect law. Consequently, numerical solutions of the integral equations of the cohesive crack model as well as finite element simulations of the cohesive crack are made superfluous. However, when the fracture process zone is attached to a notch or to the body surface and the cohesive zone ends with a stress jump, the solution is expected to be accurate only for large-enough structures.     

A VLIW processor with reconfigurable instruction set for embedded applications

This paper describes a new architecture for embedded reconfigurable computing, based on a very-long instruction word (VLIW) processor enhanced with an additional run-time configurable datapath. The reconfigurable unit is tightly coupled with the processor, featuring an application-specific instruction-set extension. Mapping computation intensive algorithmic portions on the reconfigurable unit allows a more efficient elaboration, thus leading to an improvement in both timing performance and power consumption. A test chip has been implemented in a standard 0.18-/spl mu/m CMOS technology. The test of a signal processing algorithmic benchmark showed speedups ranging from 4.3/spl times/ to 13.5/spl times/ and energy consumption reduced up to 92%.     

Effect of Microstructure on the Accelerated Creep of 20CrMoV12‐1 and P 91 Steels

In the initial part the change of microstructure for steel X20 CrMoV 121 is discussed in terms of the distribution of carbide precipitates and its effects on accelerated creep resistance and hardness are presented. In the following, experimental results of microstructure and accelerated creep resistance are presented for the steels X20CrMoV 121 and P91 annealed for up to 8760 hours at 650°C and 750°C before the testing. A similar evolution of the distribution of carbide particles of a size above 102 nm is found for both steels, while the accelerated creep resistance is diminished much stronger for the steel X20CrMoV 121. This difference is due to a greater stability of NbC than that of VC precipitates, both related to the evolution of the chemical composition of complex chromium, molybdenum and iron carbide particles.     

Josephson junction with an amorphous silicon barrier

A Josephson junction Nb/Si/Nb with a 10 nm thick amorphous silicon barrier is studied. The upper electrode contains a 2 nm thick sublayer of amorphous phase adjacent to the barrier, as revealed by cross-sectional TEM. Thus, the junction can be considered as a S-I-N-S system with the N layer represented by amorphous niobium. Peculiarities in the I–V and Δ(T) dependencies are observed and explained as a consequence of a proximity effect present in the upper electrode.     

Expression of p21(waf1/cip1) protein in transitional cell bladder tumours and its prognostic value

Selective antagonists to the Type 3 serotonin receptor (5HT3) in combination with corticosteroids are now considered the standard of care for the prevention of emesis from moderately to highly emetogenic chemotherapy. Here we address issues of optimal dose, schedule and route of administration of four currently available selectable 5HT3 antagonists. This paper utilizes an evidence based medicine approach to the literature regarding this class of drugs, emphasizing the results large, randomized, controlled trials to make formal recommendations concerning optimal use of this important new class of anti-emetic agents. We conclude that for each drug there is a plateau in therapeutic efficacy at a definable dose level above which further dose escalation does not improve outcome. Furthermore, a single dose is as effective as multiple doses or continuous infusion, and finally, emerging data demonstrate that the oral route is equally efficacious as the intravenous route of administration, even with highly emetogenic chemotherapy.