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To investigate the difference in the pyrolysis reactivity and molecular composition of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) between sub-bituminous and lignite during pyrolysis, the pyrolysis behaviors of six low-rank coals (LRCs) were performed with thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and pyrolysis-gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy (Py-GC/MS). There existed an obvious difference in the pyrolysis reactivity and molecular composition of VOCsbetween sub-bituminous and lignite. The macromolecular structure of sub-bituminous coals was more thermal stability than that of lignite. The VOCs of the LRCs during pyrolysis can be classified into alkanes, alkenes, cycloalkanes, arenes, phenols, and other compounds (OCs). The total relative content of hydrocarbons in the VOCs of sub-bituminous coals was more than 80%, while the phenols were the dominated compounds in the VOCs of lignite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To compare the pharmacokinetic profiles of tilmicosin, administered orally at a single dose of 20 mg/kg bodyweight, in healthy pigs and in pigs experimentally infected with Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae. Methods: Twelve healthy crossbred pigs, aged approximately 8 weeks, were randomly assigned to uninfected and infected groups, with six pigs per group. Pigs in the infected group were inoculated intranasally with a bacterial suspension of A. pleuropneumoniae containing approximately 108 cfu. Each pig received a single oral dose of 20 mg/kg bodyweight of tilmicosin, given 3–4 hours after inoculation in infected pigs. Blood samples were collected before drug administration and up to 48 hours after tilmicosin administration. Concentrations of tilmicosin in plasma samples were determined by HPLC. Throughout the experimental period pigs were observed for signs of inappetence and clinical abnormalities. After sampling was complete pigs were subject to euthanasia and samples collected for gross and histopathology as well as microbiology. Results: Infected pigs showed signs of bradykinesia, nasal discharge dyspnoea, and coughing 1 hours after inoculation and A. pleuropneumoniae was cultured from the lungs of all infected pigs postmortem. Comparing pharmacokinetic parameters in uninfected and infected pigs, the maximum plasma concentration of tilmicosin was higher in uninfected pigs (1.17 (SD 0.17) vs. 0.96 (SD 0.17) µg/mL), the time to reach maximum concentration was shorter (1.53 (SD 0.23) vs. 2.40 (SD 0.37) hours), and the half-life of the absorption phase and half-life of the elimination phase were both shorter (0.66 (SD 0.08) vs. 1.00 (SD 0.27) hours) and (12.93 (SD 0.96) vs. 16.53 (SD 0.55) hours), respectively. The apparent volume of distribution was smaller in uninfected than infected pigs (1.91 (SD 0.22) vs. 2.16 (SD 0.21) L/kg). The relative bioavailability of tilmicosin in infected relative to uninfected pigs was 108.6 (SD 9.71)%. Conclusions and clinical relevance: The results of this study indicate that A. pleuropneumoniae infection significantly changed certain pharmacokinetic parameters of tilmicosin in pigs. In infected pigs tilmicosin exhibited a longer drug persistence and a better extent of absorption. These results indicate that it is necessary to monitor and adjust the dose of tilmicosin administration during the presence of pleuropneumonia. It is expected that this can optimise clinical efficacy and help avoid the development of resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, six low-rank coals (LRCs) including two lignite samples and four subbituminous coals were sequentially dissolved in cyclohexane and methanol. The yields of cyclohexane-soluble portions (SPs) from the lignite are slightly lower than those from the subbituminous coals, while the yields of methanol SPs showed a linear correlation with the oxygen content and O/C ratio. The concentrations of n-alkanes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the SPs of subbituminous coals are higher than those of the lignite, and the concentrations of phenols in the SPs are possibly associated with the content of aryl ether bonds in the LRCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the TiO2:Cr3+ composite coatings were formed in phosphate-based electrolyte with the addition of Cr2O3 by micro-arc oxidation (MAO) treatment. The chemical and physical properties of coatings were investigated. The results showed that the TiO2:Cr3+ coatings are mainly composed of Ti, O, P and Cr. And the Cr content in the coatings increased with the MAO treatment time. XRD results showed the TiO2:Cr3+ coatings are composed of anatase phase and anatase content varied with the treatment time. XPS results indicated that Ti2p spin-orbit components of the TiO2:Cr3+ coatings are shifted towards higher binding energy, compared with the pure TiO2 coating, suggesting that some of the Cr3+ ions are incorporated into TiO2 lattice. The photocatalytic experiment results showed that the TiO2:Cr3+ coatings are of higher photocatalytic activity than that of the pure TiO2 coatings. Besides, the Cr3+ is of positive effect on photocatalytic properties of TiO2:Cr3+ coatings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TiO2films were synthesised by microarc oxidation (MAO) process on pure titanium substrate in a phosphate-based electrolyte. Then, La3+/TiO2composite films have been prepared in lanthanum-containing solution by La3+impregnation. Effects of the frequency, the concentration of lanthanum and impregnation time on physical and chemical properties of the films were investigated by SEM, XRD, EDS techniques. A UV-vis spectrophotometre was also used to study optical properties of the layers. Results showed that the photocatalytic activity of TiO2films prepared by MAO was first increased and then decreased with the increasing frequency applied in the experiment. It is indicated that the variation of photocatalytic activity in the TiO2films was affected by the content of anatase. After the La3+impregnation, the photocatalytic activity of La3+/TiO2composite films was greatly improved compared with that of the TiO2films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon-supported PtCu catalysts (PtCu/C) with different copper doping amounts were prepared by ion beam sputtering (IBS), followed by electrolytic corrosion. Inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) results indicated that Pt loading capacity and the atom ratio of copper and platinum decreased. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed the elementary existence of platinum at the near surface. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results indicated that the catalysts formed Pt1Cu1or Pt1Cu3alloy. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) results showed PtCu/C catalysts featured pores surfaces, the number of pores and the surface roughness increased with the atom ratio of copper and platinum decreasing. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) results indicated that the hydrogen evolution catalytic performance of PtCu/C catalysts was improved remarkably by Cu doping and electrolytic corrosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of cobalt loading (10–50 wt-%Co), cobalt precursor, and solvent on the physico-chemical and catalytic properties of mesoporous Co/SBA-15 catalysts for the N2O decomposition reaction has been investigated. Catalysts were characterised by N2 adsorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and temperature-programmed reduction (TPR). For Co/SBA-15 catalysts prepared from Co(II) nitrate, the dispersion decreased and the extent of cobalt reduction increased with cobalt loading. A maximum N2O conversion was found for the sample with ca. 30 wt-% Co loading. At similar cobalt loading (ca. 30 wt-%), a low dispersion and a stronger cobalt–support interaction leading to the formation of low reducible cobalt silicates was observed for Co/SBA-15 samples prepared from acetate precursors as compared to that derived from cobalt(II) nitrate, as evidenced by TPR. The former catalysts showed a low N2O decomposition activity. Moreover, at every Co loadings, the catalysts prepared in water exhibited much higher activities than those prepared in ethanol solvent, which could be related to the low reducibility of cobalt species in the latter catalysts. Finally, at comparable Co loading Co/SBA-15 catalysts (nitrate precursor) were more active than a Co/SiO2 and Co/Al2O3 sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was aimed for development of vapour-grown carbon nano-fibre(VGCNF)-reinforced aluminium matrix composites by the low-pressure infiltration process. First, VGCNF and Al powder (VGCNF + Alp) preforms for low-pressure infiltration were fabricated by spark sintering process at pressures of 5, 10, 20 and 40 MPa, respectively. Porosity of the preforms fabricated at pressures of 5 and 10 MPa was 44·89 and 40·87%, respectively. However, porosity of the preforms fabricated by spark sintering at pressures of 20 and 40 MPa was approximately 20%. Therefore, VGCNF + Alp/Al composites with the preform sintered at pressures of 5 and 10 MPa were fabricated by the low-pressure infiltration process under an applied pressure of 0·4 MPa, and the relative density was 81·4 and 76·0%, respectively. Moreover, the microstructure, porosity and electrical conductivity of the VGCNF + Alp/Al composites were estimated. Their electrical conductivities reduced with increasing porosity of VGCNF + Alp/Al composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hot forming of boron alloyed steel is used increasingly to reduce the weight of the automobile and enhance its safety. Hot forming model of partial B pillar is established by using a full coupled metallo-thermo-mechanical model. Based on this model, phase transformation and hardness prediction were studied. The results showed that the cooling rates at top and flange locations were far higher than that at wall A and wall B because of high contact pressure and thickness. Almost full martensite at top and flange could be obtained after quenching 5 seconds. But for wall A and wall B, 15 seconds quenching time was needed to get full martensite. After 15 seconds quenching, the hardness of top and flange was 499 HV, which was higher than that at wall A and wall B. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to save energy and protect environment for robots, a fast and effective building map method based on sonars and vision is proposed. First, humanoid robot Nao builds the border map of an unknown environment by its sonars. And then Nao follows a red ball that is controlled by a person to close to an obstacle in the environment. After that, Nao builds the border of the obstacle by its sonars. In this way, Nao builds the border map of all obstacles one by one until the map of the unknown environment is built. As illustrated in experimental results, the proposed algorithm is very fast and effective, and easy to implement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of experiments, including post-aged tensile tests, charpy impact tests, Vickers hardness test, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) examinations and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations, were carried out to investigate the microstructure evolution and high-temperature mechanical properties of P92 steel. Experimental results show that martensitic lath structure gradually recovers during long-term aging; meanwhile, the content and size of spheroidal M23C6 together with Laves phase distributed mainly along prior austenite grain boundaries and subgrain boundaries increase with extending the aging time, but MX in grain interior seems to be stable. The strength parameters (σys and σult), the ductile parameters (δ and Φf) and high-temperature impact absorbed energy all show an initially slight increase followed by a decrease with the increase of the aging time up to 500 h. After aging for 2000 h at 650°C, this degradation behaviour becomes stable, although the Vickers hardness is not strongly affected by the aging time. Based on the microstructural observations and high-temperature mechanical properties, the strengthening mechanism of P92 steel was discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The polyurethane (PU) nanotubes with an array structure were fabricated by filtrating a polymer solution or melt into anodic aluminium oxide (AAO) template with 200 nm pores. The results of SEM and TEM illuminated that PU nanotubes were successfully obtained and the wall thickness of PU tube prepared by the 2.5, 5.0 and 10.0 wt% PU solution were respectively 50, 70 and 90 nm. The structure of polymer nanotubes depends strongly on the concentration of PU solution. It was also found the wall of the nanotubes derived from polymer melt is more thicker than that of the nanotubes from polymer solution. The PU nanotubes and nanorods will open the application perspectives of biomimetic materials fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on highly efficient multi-point forming and highly accurate single-point incremental forming, precise and efficient digital formation of three-dimensional metal sheets can be realised. In this article, stress states during the forming process were investigated based on mechanical equilibrium theory. The results showed that contact points of the matrix were subject to vertical tensile stresses when friction coefficient between metal sheets and matrix was relatively low and the angle between metal sheets and vertical plane was small. In other cases, the contact points of matrix were subjected to compressive stresses and dimplings may occur. For the axisymmetric workpieces, radial shear stress in the deformed zone decreased with the increasing radius of tool head and decreasing feed. The theoretical formula of forming force was deducted based on the principle of conservation of energy. According to this formula, the forming force was proportional to the thickness and yield strength of metal sheets and increased with increasing feed. Based on the study of multi-point single-point incremental combined forming, the parameters of tests and numerical simulations can be optimised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rock creep is one of the important reasons for large deformation and instability while drilling, so the study on creep characteristics has great significance. However, it is difficult to determine creep parameters, and much harder when it is under high temperature and high pressure. Reasonable determination of the parameter is the key to make accurate calculations. Experiments show that drilling deformation of rock is part of deformation stage of steady state creep with the temperature below 500°C and hydrostatic stress below 150 MPa. Generalised Kelvin model can be a very good reflection of its characteristics. In this paper, through the detailed deduction, the analytical solution of the drilling creep deformation is obtained. Based on the above analytic solution, the physical equation of creep parameters k1, k2 and η in generalised Kelvin model vary as a function of temperature and stress is obtained through the inversion of experimental data of drilling deformation. The equation above has certain guiding significance on rock drilling construction with high temperature and stability prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a yeast strain Rhodotorula mucilaginosa WT6-5 that could grow at the pH from 3·0 to 8·0, isolated from tailings soil in Huludao of Liaoning province, China, was investigated with respect to lead ions in aqueous solutions. The effect of initial lead concentration on biosorption quantity is studied at 20, 30, 40 and 50°C, respectively. The experimental results are fitted to the Langmuir and Freundlich model isotherms to obtain the characteristic parameters of each model using non-linear regressive analysis. The maximum biosorption capacity of lead ions onto R. mucilaginosa WT6-5 is 12·1097 mg g−1 at 30°C. For the solution containing 10 mg L−1 Pb2+ at pH 5·0, the maximum absorption rate is reached at 92·75%. The elements of R. mucilaginosa WT6-5 biomass before and after absorption were observed using X-ray fluorescence. The results indicated that Pb2+ biosorption mechanism of R. mucilaginosa WT6-5 is a type of ions exchange and surface complexation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims at the formation of law of the reliability in grinding process and the shortage of assurance technology to study the reliability of the technology of grinding process by recognising the potential causes and mechanism of the failure of the process. Physics of failure of grinding process flaw is studied by the finite element simulation, and the effect of residual stress on the typical process flaw is explored. Then, the product surface residual stress is regarded as the bridge between the grinding process parameters and product reliability. This paper establishes the grinding process reliability model by collecting the related test data through both instrument measuring and destructive testing method. As mentioned above, the influence of process parameters on product reliability is explored, and the technical basis is provided for appraisal and improvement of grinding process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering that the scramjet combustor requires active cooling, a study of composite lattice structure with auxiliary fluid field which is under constant thermal load to provide a stable thermal working condition for electronic components has been conducted using software called ANSYS. Get the data of heat-fluid-solid coupling on the lattice structure whose conformation of core is Kagome and analyse the pressure field and velocity field variation with working time. To evaluate the result of active cooling, Nusselt number and coefficient of convective heat transfer has been computed. Examine the intensity of the model to ensure its safety. It turned out that using composite lattice structure to decrease temperature of the scramjet combustor cannot avoid the blocking of conventional narrow channel but also can cool the combustor. The heat has been used to promote the temperature of the coolant which is originally used as fuel to recycle the energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fibre-reinforced plastic rubber isolators are composed of rubber layers glued to interleaving fibre-reinforced plastic plates. It is a novel rubber isolator and has the capacity to isolate vibration in both the vertical and horizontal directions. In this paper, the compression modulus and vertical vibration isolation efficiency of the fibre-reinforced plastic isolator were investigated. Compression tests of three specimens were introduced and their results were presented. Then, finite element models were constructed, and compression moduli from compression tests and numerical simulations were compared to validate the modelling method. Influences of parameters of planar dimensions, rubber layers and fibre-reinforced plastic plates were investigated with finite element models, and it was found that the vibration isolation efficiency of fibre-reinforced plastic rubber isolators increased with the increase of the aspect ratio and thickness of each rubber layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to examine catalytic graphitisation of the graphite foam using B4C as a catalyst. Graphite foams were prepared by the template method using polyurethane foam. Two kinds of graphite foam were achieved by using different carbon source, mesophase pitch and high-softing-point pitch. The results show that adding B4C created an increase of the graphitisation degree and thermal conductivity of the graphite foam. For the graphite foam achieved from mesophase pitch, graphitisation degree can be increased by 97% while the thermal conductivity can be increased by 52·5%. For the graphite foam achieved from high-softing-point pitch, graphitisation degree can be increased by 227% while the thermal conductivity can be increased by 202%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the alloying effects of minor Cu on the relationship between microstructure and corrosion resistance of (Fe0·76Si0·09B0·1P0·05)99 − xNb1Cux ( x = 0, 0·25, 0·5, 0·75, 1) ferromagnetic bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) were investigated in details. The microstructure characterisation has revealed that the introduction of proper Cu elements leads to the presence of α-Fe clusters in the as-cast amorphous rods. In addition, α-Fe nanocrystals with a suitable size and volume fraction can accelerate the formation of the protective passive layers at nanocrystals/amorphous interfaces, and lead to the improvement of corrosion resistance. However, when the Cu content x exceeds 0·75, the corrosion resistance of the FeSiBPNbCu BMGs reduces significantly. All the results imply that the Cu content plays a key role in the characteristic size of α-Fe nanoparticles embedded in the glassy matrix, and there is a dependent correlation between the corrosion resistance and the microstructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ferroelectric lead-zirconate-titanate [Pb(Zr0·53Ti0·47)O3] thin films with remnant polarisation and large dielectric constant have been employed in non-volatile field-effect transistor memories as gate dielectrics. Oxide semiconductor-zinc oxide (ZnO) is introduced as the channel layer because of its low crystallization temperature, good integration with different materials and low costs. In this paper, field-effect transistors using ZnO as the channel and lead-zirconate-titanate as the gate dielectric have been fabricated and characterised. Lead-zirconate-titanate and ZnO films were deposited by Sol-Gel and radio frequency (RF)-sputtering methods, respectively. Typical n-channel properties with clear current saturation in drain current v. drain voltage ( Id s- Vd s) characteristics have been obtained. The transfer characteristics (source-drain current v. gate voltage, Id s- Vgs) exhibited a significantly hysteresis behaviour because of the ferroelectric polarisation properties of the lead-zirconate-titanate gate dielectric. The characteristics of ferroelectric layer inducing channel electron transport properties modulation and hysteresis behaviours in ZnO-lead-zirconate-titanate structured field-effect transistors can be used for future non-volatile memory applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new ionic polymer metal composite is fabricated by the addition of multiwalled carbon nanotubes into Nafion® in our study, which can be called multiwalled carbon nanotubes/ionic polymer metal composite. The Nafion membranes are doped with multiwalled carbon nanotubes forming multiwalled carbon nanotubes /Nafion, and the surface of composite electrodes is coated with platinum layers by chemical reduction plating method. The modified multiwalled carbon nanotubes /ionic polymer metal composite exhibits an enormous improvement at resistance and maximum output force through the experiments. This novel multiwalled carbon nanotubes /ionic polymer metal composite can enlarge the application in both medical and industrial fields because of its superior properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Homogeneous luminescent Eu3+-doped Y3Al5O12 (YAG : Eu3+) films were successfully synthesised by facile sol-gel technology via multi-layers deposition process on quartz substrate. The crystallisation, morphology and optical properties of as-prepared samples were investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and spectrofluorophotometry. And the effect of metal-ions' concentration in sol on the crystallinity of as-prepared films was also studied. Our results showed that the concentration of metal ions in sol played a crucial role on crystallinity of as-prepared films. With a concentration of 1 mol L−1 metal ions in sol, well crystallised YAG : Eu3+ films with a thickness of about 2·20 μm and grains size of about 80 nm were obtained on quartz substrate via spin-coating technology from 20 layers deposition. The as-synthesised YAG : Eu3+ films show high transparency, excellent photoluminescence performance at red-light range under 394 nm excitation, suggesting that it has promising applications for lighting displays and field emission displays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xilihaote lignite (XL) and Geting bituminous coal (GBC) were extracted using isometric carbon disulfide/acetone binary solvent at 45°C under microwave irradiation. The raw coals and residues were analyzed with a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer and the extracts with a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer. The results show that the extract yield of GBC is much higher than that of XL lignite and the molecular composition of the extract from XL is significantly different of that from GBC. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Shengli lignite (SL) and Xiaolongtan lignite (XL) were extracted with carbon disulfide, benzene, methanol, acetone, and tetrahydrofuran sequentially. The OFs of organinitrogen compounds in the lignites and their residues were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analysis, and the nitrogen-containing organic species in the extracts were identified with gas chromatography/mass spectrometer. The results show that pyridinic nitrogenNp, pyrrolic nitrogenNp′, quaternary nitrogenNq, and oxidized nitrogenNoare the four OFs of organic nitrogen in the two lignites, and the content ofNp′in XL is higher than that in SL. The relative contents (RCs) of pyridines and quinolines in the extracts from XL are higher than those from SL, while the RCs of amides and amines in the extracts from SL were higher than those from XL. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The influence of two types of sizings (3#, 4#) on the surface of carbon fibres, and interface of carbon fibre composites were investigated. It was found that the surface topography of carbon fibres studied appeared to consist of grooves along the fibre axial direction. Sizing decreased the roughness of fibres surface, and the surface roughness value (Ra) for the 3# sized fibre was higher than that of the 4# sized fibre. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) result shows that the percentages of functional group -C-OH or -C-OR on the 4# sized fibre was less than that of 3# sized fibre, but the percentages of functional group containing oxygen -C = O on the 4# sized fibre was more than that of 3# sized fibre. The 4# sizing can improve the soakage of LY-1 epoxy resin to carbon fibre when compared to the 3# sizing. In addition, the IFSS of 4# sized fibre/LY-1 epoxy resin monofilament composite was 44·66 MPa, presenting 120% higher than 3# sized fibre. Therefore, 4# sized fibre has a stronger bond with the resin matrix compared with 3# sizing fibre. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tensile tests were carried out at ambient temperature on one kind of near α titanium alloy named Ti-600 before and after being exposed at 600°C for 100 h. Fractography morphologies were investigated and fracture mechanisms were analysed. The results indicate that, compared with the sample without thermal exposure, the strength of the sample without oxidising layers increases by 1% or so, while the elongation decreases by about 20·4% for the alloy after thermal exposure. For the sample with oxidising layers, the ultimate strength decreases somewhat and the elongation decreases by 48·9%, indicating that the plasticity decreases abruptly during the thermal exposure process. For the solutioned plus aged samples, cracks originated from the centre of the fracture, and dimple-type fractures could be found. After long thermal exposure, for the samples without oxidising layers, hybrid fractures (both dimples and cleavage facets) can be seen. However, for the samples with oxidising layers, only cleavage facets could be observed, fractures propagating along the interfaces of lamellar α phases. There was no distinct microstructure difference observed for the alloy before and after thermal exposure, which are all composed of lamellar α and transformed β. As the short primary α grains grow up, α plus β lamellar in transformed β grains coarsen and twist at the same time. The grain sizes of α and β lamella in the specimen with oxidising layers are bigger than those in the specimen without oxidising layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a novel method to non-destructively determine the thickness of thin layer in a non-contact way. A model of wave interference was established based on the multireflection of shear wave in layered system. Furthermore, its expression of reflection coefficient phase was deduced to provide the principle of thickness measurement. A formed laser source by focusing a line on the layer surface was used to generate shear wave, while an electromagnetic acoustic testing (EMAT) sensor was proposed to receive the wave. An example of the method and experimental measurement for comparison is given for a thin steel sheet with the thickness of approximate 0·4 mm. The relative error between the present method and metallography method is less than 4%, which shows laser-EMAT technique is very suitable to non-destructive assess the thickness of the layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanosized hydroxyapatite (HA) powder was prepared by means of liquid precipitation method. Because of the effects of the temperature, pH value and aging time on crystallinity, the composition and morphology were investigated in order to obtain pure powder. When the temperature is 90°C, pH is 10, and the aging time is 12 h, pure and integrate HA crystals can be gained with an average diameter of 60 nm. Its crystal structure and the characteristic were analyzed using X-ray diffraction and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). The results showed that the product was pure HA crystals, which exhibits the morphology of spherical shape after calcining and distributing uniformly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A raw bio-oil (RBO) from pyrolysis of rice husk was upgraded by catalytic esterification with methanol over an acidic resin. Both RBO and the upgraded bio-oil (UBO) were analyzed with a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, pH meter, and an elemental analyzer. They were extracted sequentially withn-hexane, CCl4, CS2, benzene, and CH2Cl2. All of the extracts were analyzed with gas chromatography/mass spectrometer. The results showed that the carboxylic acids (CA) in the RBO were converted to their corresponding methyl esters (MEs), leading to a significant increase in pH value from 2.8 (RBO) to 5.3 (UBO). The total extract yield of UBO is much higher than that of RBO. In total, 20 CAs and 19 MEs were identified. The CAs include two alkenoic acids, a cycloalkanecarboxylic acid, a hydroxyalkanoic acid, a hydroxyalkenoic acid, an oxyalkanoic acid, a methoxyoxyalkanoic acid, an alkanedioic acid, an oxyalkanedioic acid, an aminoalkanoic acid, two furoic acids, three substituted benzoic acids, and five substituted phenylalkanoic acids. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Al doped ZnO (AZO) thin films are of significant interest for flat panel displays, solar cells, etc. In this regard, AZO films were prepared in Ar atmosphere by radio frequency magnetron sputtering with an AZO (2 wt-%Al2O3) ceramic target at room temperature. To investigate the influence of hydrogen related defects on the structure and optoelectronic properties in AZO films, the prepared films were annealed in Ar+H2 ambient at different temperatures (100-500°C). The results show that the films' crystallinity becomes better and the resistivity decreases with the increase in annealing temperature. The lowest resistivity of 2·79×10−3 Ω cm is obtained after 500°C hydrogen annealing, which decreases by about four orders of magnitude compared to the resistivity of as deposited film. The improvement of electrical properties is attributed to the formation of H related defects and desorption of weakly bonded oxygen species near grain boundaries in AZO films after H2 annealing treatment, and the corresponding physical mechanism was discussed. It is proved that hydrogen annealing is an effective method for the improvement of electrical properties in AZO thin films. The optical bandgap energy of the films obviously increases with the increase in annealing temperature due to Burstein-Moss effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shenmu-Fugu subbituminous coal liquefaction residue was exhaustively extracted with petroleum ether (PE) to afford PE-extractable fraction (PEEF), which was then eluted with petroleum ether through a silica gel-filled column. The PEEF and eluates were analyzed with a gas chromatographer/mass spectrometer and a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. As a result, a number of 4- to 7-ring condensed arenes (CAS) were detected in the PEEF series of 4- to 6-ring CAs along with long-chain alkanes were isolated from the PEEF by column chromatography. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Shengli lignite was subjected to thermal dissolution in a methanol/benzene mixed solvent at 240°C for 1 h. The soluble fraction was sequentially eluted with petroleum ether and 5, 10, and 15% carbon disulfide/petroleum ether mixed solvents through a silica gel-packed column to afford eluted fractions 1 to 4 (EF1to EF4). In total, 15 methyl alkanones from C15to C27, including 2 methyl side-chain alkanones and 13 methyl straight-chain alkanones were enriched in EF4and identified with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A high-temperature coal tar collected from Xuzhou Coking Plant, Saint-Gobain Pipelines (Xuzhou) Co., Ltd. was exhaustively extracted with petroleum ether (PE). The extract was sequentially eluted with PE and PE/carbon disulfide mixed solvent with PE volume contents of 90, 80, 60, 50, and 40% to afford eluates 1 to 6 (E1toE6), respectively. The eluates were analyzed with gas chromatography/mass spectrometer. In total, 12 condensed arenes with 3 to 6 rings and 14 heteroatomic condensed aromatics with 2 to 4 rings were detected inE4toE6. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geting bituminous coal was sequentially extracted with petroleum ether, carbon disulfide, methanol, acetone, and isometric carbon disulfide/acetone mixed solvent at room temperature, affording extracts 1 to 5 (E1to E5). In total, 77 organooxygen compounds (OOCs) were identified from E3by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis. The OOCs include 4 alkanols, 8 arenols, 5 ethers, 5 aldehydes, 14 non-nitrogen ketones, 19 nitrogen-containing ketones, 11 alkanoic acids, and 11 esters. This investigation provides an effective approach to the enrichment of OOCs in coals, favoring understanding of the diversity of the organooxygen compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a companion PATRAM 2013 paper, C. Bajwa et al. provide an overview of international level efforts that began in 2010 to develop a comprehensive and detailed Technical Basis Document (TecBasDoc) to support the current International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Transport Regulations (SSR-6, 2012) and future revisions thereto. The draft TecBasDoc that has so far resulted from efforts by a large number of IAEA staff and international experts exceeds 300 pages in length using, to the greatest extent possible, historical documents dating as far back as the 1950s as reference material. The intent is to capture, for those Member States new to transport and for future generations, the scientific and technical heritage of the several decades of development that has occurred in transport safety, preserving this knowledge for future reference. The latest effort, in December 2012, involved consultants to the IAEA adapting the draft to reflect guidance from the IAEA's Transport Safety Standards Committee and delving into the IAEA's archives searching out many long sought, older supporting documents. This paper elaborates on Chaps. 8-10 of the TecBasDoc, dealing with respectively Classification of Materials, Classification of Packages and Package Design and Testing. Chapter 8 elaborates on the many decisions resulting in an initial nine material classifications, which focused more on the physical and not the radioactive characteristics of the materials, to the current, significantly different classifications that focus more on the material's radioactive properties. Chapters 9 and 10 combine to provide extensive, detailed elaboration on why decisions were made concerning the various package classifications and the associated design, testing and acceptance requirements associated with each package type. Chapter 10 cites two extensive supporting appendices. These three chapters and two appendices currently cite and elaborate on >200 historical documents. Efforts are underway to make this extensive document base more complete and to make as many documents as possible available electronically. In this paper, each of these three drafted chapters and the two supportive appendices are overviewed, providing insight into key and typical findings that have been uncovered and incorporated into the draft document. The many experts who have contributed to the current draft are appropriately acknowledged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is responsible for developing safety requirements for the transport of radioactive material. These requirements were first published in 1961 as 'Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material', Safety Series No. 6 (the Regulations), and have been revised at regular intervals, in consultation with Member States, and with input from other relevant organisations, as appropriate. The current regular review and revision of the Regulations has been driven by problems, challenges and the demand for improvements, as well as the need to take into account experiences in transport, newly identified issues, new technologies, best practices, the demand for sustainable transport and harmonisation. After 50 years, 15 editions of the Regulations have been published. With the passage of time, the scientific and technical heritage of several decades of development in transport safety has begun to fade. The need to capture valuable knowledge, which needs to be preserved for future reference, has become clear. In general, every requirement in the regulations was developed on the basis of deliberations among international experts and an appropriate technical basis. The knowledge bases for these often exist in a decentralised manner in many Member States with mature nuclear programmes. Easier access to the existing technical bases for the Regulations could lead to a more comprehensive understanding of the Regulations. Knowledge capture and transfer can contribute to the development of and innovations in transport safety. This paper provides an overview of international level efforts that began in 2010 to develop a comprehensive and detailed technical basis document (TecBasDoc) to support the current and future revisions of the Regulations. The draft TecBasDoc has so far resulted from efforts by IAEA staff and a large number of international transport experts. It exceeds 150 pages in length using, to the greatest extent possible, historical documents dating as far back as the 1950s as reference material. The intent of this effort is to record, for those Member States new to transport and for future generations, the scientific and technical heritage of several decades of development that has occurred in transport safety and to capture valuable knowledge so it can be preserved for future reference. The latest effort has involved consultants to the IAEA adapting the draft to reflect guidance from the IAEA's Transport Safety Standards Committee (TRANSSC) and delving into the IAEA's archives and other sources of historical documents, searching out many long sought, older supporting documents. The draft is currently structured into 12 chapters, embodying multiple supporting appendixes. This paper elaborates on the first chapters of the document, which include General History, Fundamental Safety Principles, Safety Objectives and Principles for Transport, General Safety Requirements, Radiation Protection and Controls for Transport. Two companion papers at PATRAM 2013 address the status of the TecBasDoc in the topical areas of package testing and criticality control. In all cases, the chapters of the TecBasDoc address how early decisions were made citing well known historical experts and discussing how these initial decisions have been adapted to meet the emerging international safety guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Well dispersed micrometre sized carbon spheres were prepared by citric acid catalysed hydrothermal carbonisation (200-240°C) of cellulose. The obtained product was characterised using scanning electron microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results showed that the shape and size of the obtained carbons were highly dependent on the concentration of catalyst, hydrothermal temperature and reaction time. The optimal citric acid concentration, temperature and reaction time for the synthesis of carbon with smooth and regular sphere morphology were 2·5 wt-%, 240°C and 12 h respectively. The formation of the carbon spheres from cellulose followed the paths of hydrolysis, dehydration, polymerisation and aromatisation. The obtained carbon spheres consisted of aliphatic and aromatic structures and rich in oxygen containing functional groups on the surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanobioactive glass (NBG) particles were synthesised via sol-gel method and characterised by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The new composite biomaterial based on gelatin (Gel) conjugated with hyaluronic acid (HA) and NBG in the ternary SiO2-CaO-P2O5 system was prepared through freeze drying method. The composite scaffold was characterised by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermal analyses. Mechanical properties and swelling behaviour of this composite are compared with properties of Gel-HA/NBG composite of similar material without NBG. The TEM results indicated that the prepared NBG particle size was ∼100 nm. The SEM studies showed that the NBG were homogenously distributed within the Gel/HA matrix and the composite scaffolds showed interconnected pores with a size varied from 50 to 200 μm. The Gel-HA/NBG composite scaffold showed higher compressive strength and better stability than the Gel/HA scaffold. These results indicate that composite scaffolds developed using NBG disseminated Gel/HA matrix as potential scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geting bituminous coal was sequentially and exhaustively extracted with petroleum ester, carbon disulfide, methanol, acetone, and isometric carbon disulfide/acetone mixed solvent at room temperature to afford extracts 1–5 (E1-E5). All the extracts were analyzed with a gas chromatography/mass spectrometer. As main components, a series of condensed arenes with 4–6 rings were detected in E2, but only extremely small amounts of the condensed arenes were detected in other extracts. The authors' experiment provides an effective approach for enriching condensed arenes from coals, especially from bituminous coals, such as GBC. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Hydrogels, based on natural polymers, are gaining attention as possible cell scaffolding materials for the regeneration of a variety of tissues. In this work, gelatin (Gel) and hyaluronic acid (HA) were used to fabricate novel scaffold materials using 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide as a cross-linker. The degradation behaviours of Gel/HA scaffolds in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) and PBS solution containing lysozyme were investigated respectively. The biological properties including haemolytic activity and acute systemic toxicity were also studied. The results showed that the scaffold had an interconnected pore structure with an average pore size of about 100-500 μm. The degradation of Gel/HA scaffolds in PBS solution containing lysozyme was faster than that in PBS solution. The haemolytic ratio of 0·340-0·781% indicated that the Gel/HA scaffolds have a good blood compatibility. The acute systemic toxicity test showed that Gel/HA extracts have no acute systemic toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shengli lignite (SL) and Shenmu-Fugu subbituminous coal (SFSBC) were subjected to thermal dissolution in cyclohexane at 300°C for 1 h under hydrogen. The reaction mixtures were extracted with petroleum ether (PE) and the PE-extractable fractions (PEEFs) were analyzed with a gas chromatography/mass spectrometer. The results show that the PEEFs from thermally dissolved SL (TDSL) and thermally dissolved SFSBC (TDSFSBC) mainly consist of alkanes, alkenes, arenes, and oxygen-containing organic compounds (OCOCs); the yields of alkanes and alkenes in the PEEF from TDSFSBC are appreciably higher than those from TDSL, while the yields of arenes and oxygen-containing organic compounds in the petroleum ether-extractable fraction from thermally dissolved Shenmu-Fugu subbituminous coal are significantly lower than those from thermally dissolved Shengli lignite; arenols are dominant OCOCs in the PEEF from TDSL, while main OCOCs in the PEEFs from TDSFSBC are arenols and esters. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Thin film polymer solar cells have been fabricated using regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) within [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) bulk heterojunction active layer. The influence of the thermal annealing temperature and the time duration on the performance of P3HT/PCBM bulk heterojunction solar cells based on different thickness of active layers has been investigated. The results demonstrate that thermal annealing is a thermally activated kinetic process. The effect is almost the same for high temperature annealing for a short time and low temperature annealing for a long time at a temperature greater than the glass temperature of P3HT. The device with a thicker active layer requires a higher temperature or a longer time annealing treatment to achieve the optimised phase separation for efficient charge separation and transport and thereby leads to optimal performance. The device with a thinner active layer requires a lower temperature or a shorter time annealing treatment to achieve the optimal performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of native oxide films on the reaction of liquid Sn with stainless steels has been investigated by analysing the growth of intermetallic layers. The diversity of the oxide layers has been employed by exposure of various stainless steels [martensite stainless steel (MSS), austenite stainless steel (ASS) and duplex stainless steel (DSS)] in air for different times. Liquid tin was prone to metallurgically interact with MSS by formation of interfacial (Fe, Cr)Sn2 intermetallics. The native oxide film on MSS decreased (Fe, Cr)Sn2 layer thickness growth but cannot prevent the intermetallic formation. The reaction of Sn with ASS was hindered by the native oxide layer, and the thickness and coverage ratio of the (Fe, Cr)Sn2 intermetallics decreased with the increasing exposure time in air. The oxide film grown on DSS was stable enough to prevent the formation of (Fe, Cr)Sn2 and changed the tin from metallurgical interaction to physical attachment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to evaluate the effects of pre-harvest foliar sprays with β-aminobutyric acid (BABA) or salicylic acid (SA) on the incidence of post-harvest diseases caused by Monillinia fructicola (G. Winter) Honey or Alternana alternata (Fr.) Keissl in jujube (Zizyphus jujuba Mill. cv. Dongzao) fruit, 4.8 mM BABA or 2 mM SA was sprayed on trees four times, at approx. 30, 60, 90, and 110 d after full blossom (DAFB). The results showed that the development of both diseases in fruit inoculated with either pathogen at harvest were significantly inhibited (P ≤ 0.05) by pre-harvest BABA or SA sprays. The incidence of disease caused by M. fructicola was decreased by 29.5% or 41.7%, and that caused by A. alternata was lowered by 34.5% or 43%, by BABA or SA sprays, respectively. The inhibitory effect persisted in fruit stored at 0°C. In addition, BABA or SA sprays also significantly reduced (P ≤ 0.05) the incidence of natural post-harvest decay by 19.3% or 26.1%, and delayed the index in fruit skin colour change from green-to-red by 38.4% or 34.2%, respectively, after 60 d in cold storage. The activities of β-1,3-glucanase and peroxidase increased, and the concentrations of phenolic compounds were enhanced by BABA or SA sprays in fruit during storage. Superoxide dismutase activity increased, but catalase activity was strongly inhibited by BABA or SA sprays. These results suggest that the induction of disease resistance by pre-harvest BABA or SA sprays may persist in fruit after harvest and can protect fruit against post-harvest losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]