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Pond apple (Annona glabra L.) belongs to the family of Annonaceae. The seed of A. glabra contains bioactive substance that is toxic to some organisms, however the effectiveness to control wood degrading termites has not yet been scientifically reported. This research analyzes the efficacy of A. glabra seed extract to wood degrading termites. Seed extraction was conducted using n-hexane and ethyl acetate. The paper disc test showed that the extract of A. glabra is toxic to Cryptotermes cynocephalus (dry-wood termites) and Coptotermes curvignathus (subterranean termites). The higher extract concentration (up to 63%) resulted in a higher termite mortality (up to 100%) and lower weight loss of paper sample (less than 1%). Ethyl acetate extract of A. glabra seeds has a better toxicity effect than n-hexane extract against dry wood termites and subterranean termites.

The companies’ performance that internationalize incurs in alterations along the internationalization process. Besides, this process might happen incrementally with time, slowly, or it can occur quickly, like in companies born global. Face the internationalization influence on companies’ performance and how fast this process occurs, the aim of this paper is to examine the relation between internationalization speed and Brazilian public companies performance, which are part of this paper sample, except by the financial ones, listed on Brazilian multinational ranking by Dom Cabral Foundation (FDC), within the years 2007 to 2014. The data was collected from Economatica database and FDC reports, and analyzed through models of linear regression with panel data, considering two measures for internationalization speed. The results pointed no significant statically relation on the measure of internationalization speed and those companies’ performance. This paper contributes to the literature by providing evidence regarding the effect of speed of internationalization on performance of Brazilian firms, since it is still little explored when compared to studies about the degree of internationalization and performance. For further researches, the use of others internationalization speed and performance variables are suggested.

The present study sets out to devise a universal function model to explain the characteristic curve obtained in the frequency domain spectroscopy (FDS) test on oil-paper insulation, based on its microscopic conduction and relaxation processes, and thus to enhance the accuracy and applicability of the test. First, from the analysis of the relationship between the real and imaginary parts of the dielectric's complex permittivity, it is demonstrated that a relaxation peak co-exists with the conduction process in the low-frequency band of an FDS curve obtained for oil-impregnated paper sample. Second, values for polarization barrier heights, essential to the determination of the microscopic polarization mechanisms, are presented as results of FDS and thermally stimulated depolarization current experiments carried out on oil-impregnated paper samples. The polarization peaks obtained in the imaginary permittivity frequency spectrum are determined as, respectively, space charge polarization and interface polarization. Finally, a function model in good agreement with experiment data is proposed, which quantitatively describes the FDS curve in oil-impregnated sample, including two relaxation processes and one conduction process.

Korean hand papermaking is a renowned cultural tradition in the Korean peninsula. It is still practiced while scientific analysis of paper itself from a large data set is rare. In this study, a set of more than three hundred Korean handmade papers, collected in a reference collection book Hanji: Korean handmade paper, were chemically investigated, and their property data such as colour, pH, grammage, thickness, tensile strength, folding endurance were statistically analysed in order to determine general features for Korean papers. The influence of different paper sheet formation methods (Heullimtteugi vs Gadumtteugi) were revealed by multivariate data analysis and the chemical profiles of raw materials were studied by pyrolysis–gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). The Korean handmade paper samples display colour gamut in the colour space L* (69.9–95.9), a* [(−3)-3], b* (0–20), most have neutral/alkaline pH values. Paper density, fiber orientation and physical properties are influenced by the sheet formation techniques. For instance, Gadumtteugi tends to produce papers with strong fiber orientation while Heullimtteugi produces papers with more evenly distribution of fibers. In addition, Py-GC/MS analysis results show that paper mulberry fibers contain less intensity lignin monomers and more terpenic compounds in comparison with gampi and mitsumata fibers. This study provides paper analysis from large sample set, statistics reveal that the material preparing and making craft determined the paper structure which reflected in their physical properties. These properties influenced paper performance and applications in art creations as well as relics conservation and restoration. The characterized paper sample database could be used for handmade paper studies in East Asian region. Consequently, this study contributes to a better understanding of contemporary Hanji properties as well as improves knowledge on handmade papers from the Korean peninsula.

This study looked into the extent of community involvement in the beach tourism industry in the Province of Batangas, Philippines in the specific areas of peace and security, marketing and promotion and environmental protection. The descriptive method of research was utilized using a self-constructed questionnaire in order to gather the data needed for the study. The research settled on restricting the paper sample size to 400 respondents as based from a matrix which showed the actual number of the participants, resort owners, resort managers, domestic tourists and foreign visitors as well as the residents of the municipalities under focus. Except for the Provincial Tourism officials and staff, all other respondents were identified from the four selected municipalities of the Province of Batangas. The results of the study revealed that Batangas, Philippines is a beach tourism haven which gives high regard to a quiet and peaceful community, is beaming with pride of the existence of such beach tourist destinations in their respective localities and advocates the protection and preservation of the environment.

Here, we follow the stable propagation of a roughening crack using simultaneously Digital Image Correlation and Infra-Red imaging. In a quasi-two-dimensional paper sample, the crack tip and ahead of that the fracture process zone follow the slowly, diffusively moving “hot spot” ahead of the tip. This also holds when the crack starts to roughen during propagation. The well-established intermittency of the crack advancement and the roughening of the crack in paper are thus subject to the dissipation and decohesion in the hot spot zone. They are therefore not only a result of the depinning of the crack in a heterogeneous material.

8 pasg., 7 figs., 2 tabs., Alkannin is the main coloring matter of Alkanet, a natural red dye extracted from the root of Alkanna tinctoria L. Shikonin, the optical isomer of alkannin, is extracted from Lithospermum erythrorhizon. As both red dyes are only slightly soluble in water, the application of ordinary Raman spectroscopy is limited. Thus, Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) can be successfully applied to the study of the red dyes solutions. Solid alkannin and shikonin were characterized by ordinary Raman spectroscopy. Density Functional Theory (DFT) methods were used to calculate the Raman spectrum of the dyes and to assign the experimental Raman bands to their vibrational normal modes. Different pH conditions were tested in order to determine the optimal conditions for the SERS detection of alkannin and shikonin. Based on the previous results, a perpendicular orientation of the red dyes on the Ag substrate was deducted. Finally, shikonin was identify by SERS spectroscopy in a dyed paper sample from an 8th century handscroll from Japan., This research was supported by CSIC (Spanish National Research Council) through I-link + Internalization Program (project i-link1148) and Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitivi- dad de España (project FIS2017-84318-R

We present a method for measuring water content in a sample using CW terahertz reflectometry. A Vector Network Analyzer (VNA) is used to irradiate a 300 GHz band terahertz wave to a wet sample, and the complex reflection coefficient is measured. The temporal change of the water content is thus observed by analyzing the change of the complex reflection coefficient. By fitting the measurement result with a multi-reflection model, we experimentally confirmed the observation of the moisture change on a paper sample.

Analysis based on Degree of Polymerization (DP) value is assumed to provide reliable regarding insulation condition. However, due to the invasive nature of testing, DP value based-analysis is not feasible in practical cases as it requires a paper sample from the in-service unit. Here, an attempt is made to develop a methodology to predict DP value based on non-invasive testing of oil-paper insulation. In this paper, it is found that DP value maintains a well-known relation with interfacial charge (estimated using Polarization Depolarization Current data) as both these parameters are related to the cellulosic condition. The proposed method successfully applied on various laboratory prepared samples containing different moisture content.

Hydrophobic properties belong to the most important factors which determine functional properties of paper products. A number of methods related to the measurement of the interaction between water and paper are already used but most of them give results after specific period of time whereas many unit operations in modern industrial processes (e.g. printing) last usually less than one second. As a result, most of the existing methods are not corresponding to today’s requirements. The aim of the presented research was to develop the method based on image analysis for measuring the dynamics of penetration and permeation of liquid through paper. Special device named eXtended Liquid Penetration Analyser (XLPA) was built for this purpose. Based on the obtained results, the method developed allows to observe and analyse the dynamics of liquid permeation through paper. The proposed method fully replaces the method implemented in the PLG Sizing Tester, which estimated the time of a 50% decrease in brightness of a tested paper sample permeated by ink. Presented method offers the possibility of quantitative measurement of changes in liquid absorption with time resolution of 1/60 s. At the same time, thanks to the use of a camera and image analysis, it is possible to detect local areas of non-homogeneity in paper structure that differ with regards to their capability to absorb liquid, as well as to determine quantitative measures that characterize the non-homogeneity of the permeation process with reference to paper surface.

Due to concrete's great potential for impact generation, many Life Cycle Assessment studies on that material stand out in specialized literature. Within the scope of a research project entitled “Advanced and Sustainable Sprayed Concrete”, this paper provides results of a systematic literature review performed to investigate sprayed concrete's and its constituents’ life cycle loads. A meta-analysis was conducted to jointly analyze the paper sample and allow for identification of most frequently adopted methodological choices within published LCAs. Systematic reviews consist of an exhaustive summary of high-quality literature on a particular topic, which, in this case, pointed to a clear research gap on sprayed concrete's LCAs. Regarding constituents, results showed uniformity between cement LCAs and great uncertainty associated to chemical admixtures’ life cycle results. This paper's findings are expected to shed light to common practice within building materials’ LCA and to generate much needed knowledge on sprayed concrete's environmental performance.

Traditionally, the acidity of paper-based relics was determined by an extraction method and using a pH meter. This method could not obtain the total acidity of the paper-based relics because it only detected the concentration of free protons in the aqueous soaking solution. To overcome this defect, a new method for determining the total acidity of paper-based relics has been established by using quaternary alloy quantum dots. The quantum dots, CdZnSeS, modified by p-Aminothiophenol (pATP) were prepared, and their composition and structure were characterized. The fluorescence behavior of prepared quantum dots with acidity was investigated. The following results were obtained. The fluorescence of CdZnSeS-pATP quantum dots could decrease with increases in acidity because pATP dissociated from the surfaces of the quantum dots due to protons or undissociated weak acids. Based on this feature, a method for determining the acidity of paper-based relics was constructed, and this method was used to evaluate the acidity of actual paper-based relics. Obviously, for a given paper sample, since both free protons and bound protons can be determined by this method, the acidity measured by this method is more reasonable than that by pH meter.

International audience; In this work, we explored the elaboration of new smart paper by coating fiber-based materials with CNC for possible use in packaging. Particularly, we investigated application of a 100% CNC layer onto a substrate. Mainly due to the cost and limited availability of CNC on a large scale, few studies have examined these opportunities. Several layers of CNC were deposited onto a paper material using the bar-coating process to improve relevant properties of the paper surface. Surface analyses (atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy) were performed to elucidate the CNC network at the paper surface. Structural and mechanical properties of the final materials were evaluated. Results of general interest were obtained about barrier properties. The air barrier and grease resistance improve only with the paper coated with CNC. To complete this research, a small amount of polyethylene glycol was added to reinforce the brittle CNC coating and clearly enhance barrier properties of the paper.

© 2018 Elsevier B.V. This study aims at exploring the way paper samples may impact the performance of Single-Metal Deposition (SMD II), a fingermark detection technique known for its versatility of application as well as its sensitivity regarding porous substrates. To get a broader view on how porous substrates may impact the SMD II performances, 74 North American and European papers types were collected, characterized (UV–visible and infrared spectroscopy, roughness, porosity, and surface pH), and processed as substrates bearing fingermarks. This part of the study represented a first valuable outcome by the number of samples considered. After processing with SMD II, the samples were characterized again with the techniques mentioned above, background staining and fingermark quality were assessed and associated with a quality score. Overall, no positive nor negative trend was observed between the paper characteristics and the SMD II performance. As a consequence, it is currently still not possible to predict if a paper sample will behave well or bad with SMD II. Of all the monitored parameters, the chemical composition of the surface coating (i.e., silica or calcium carbonate) may be worth exploring further, as it has been observed that some coatings undergo partial degradation during the SMD II process. As a result, secretion residue may be damaged by the chemical solubilization of the support layer if they failed to penetrate deeper into the substrate.

The paper presents the state-of-the-art concerning the current achievements in the field of 3D printing of buildings and building components. The 3D printing technologies, comparing to traditional techniques of constructing the buildings, could be considered as environmental friendly derivative giving almost unlimited possibilities for geometric complexity realizations. Two kinds of technologies were described in this paper with pointing to Contour Crafting as a promising technique that may be able to revolutionize construction industry in near future. Numerous advantages of this technology, such as reduction of the costs and time, minimizing the pollution of environment and decrease of injuries and fatalities on construction sites could be cited. Despite many advantages and hopes, some concerns are summarized in the conclusions, as the technology still has many limitations. A brief description of few examples of pioneering usage of 3D printing in construction industry are presented (Canal House in Amsterdam, WinSun company and printing application for building carried out by Skanska company). Creating a model that will be appropriate for 3D printers is possible in many different modelling programs. One of the most popular formats for sharing such models is STL format. In the paper sample models crated in Autodesk Inventor are shown, but also other tools suitable for preparing models for 3D printing are briefly discussed.

This research relates the theme of corporate sustainability to organizational capabilities from business strategy. The literature brings initial indications on the contribution of strategic organizational capabilities to corporate sustainability. However, these attempts are still incipient and non-structured. Thus, in order to explore different organizational capabilities that companies can develop to obtain sustainability benefits, this paper aims to propose an integrative framework that relates strategic organizational capabilities for sustainability and expected corporate sustainability benefits. For this, a systematic literature review was conducted, based on a paper sample of 88 publications extracted from the ISI Web of Science database. The paper also develops a descriptive overview of the subject, presenting the main gaps and a research agenda. The results showed that corporate sustainability is strongly related to business strategy and the ability of companies to develop specific capabilities. Thus, the understanding from academics and managers on what strategic organizational capabilities (OCs) consists and how they can be developed or improved is fundamental to reaching corporate sustainability. The paper presents some contributions. First, the integrative framework developed from the literature review comprises seven categories of organizational capabilities for sustainability (OCSs) related to ten categories of corporate sustainability benefits (CSBs). Second, the framework can contribute as a support tool for managers, by providing an explicit guideline on which capabilities that can be developed and/or improved in the organization to achieve a certainly expected sustainability benefit. Third, it is possible to identify OCS and CSB categories that have already been related in the literature and those that need further research. Fourth, the overview of the literature of OCS by bibliometric and cluster analyses allowed a broad understanding of how academics have addressed these themes over the years. Finally, the research agenda developed from the literature review may broaden opportunities for further research on the subject.

Chitosan is natural polymer that has non-toxic properties, biodegradable and biocompatibility material. This study aimed to investigate the effect of chitosan as antitermite in papermaking. The effectiveness of chitosan as antitermite was determined by measuring weight loss of cellulose paper. The concentration of chitosan used in this study was varied from 1% to 5%. Chitosan was dissolved in 1% acetic acid and then applied it to paper sample with soaking treatment. They were exposed to subterranean termite for two weeks. The effectiveness of chitosan were evaluated by determining the weight loss of paper. The results showed that concentration of chitosan solution affected the weight loss of paper. As concentration of chitosan increased, the percentage of weight loss decreased. This study indicated 3% of chitosan as optimum concentration and chitosan was effective as biotermicide in papermaking. Chitosan has potential to be used as antitermite in paper making.

The present work reports on the development of a pressure-affected based headspace (HS) analytical technique for the determination of calcium carbonate content in paper samples. By the acidification, the carbonate in the sample was converted to CO 2 and released into the headspace of a closed vial and then measured by gas chromatography (GC). When the amount of carbonate in the sample is significant, the pressure created by the CO 2 affects the accuracy of the method. However, the pressure also causes a change in the O 2 signal in the HS-GC measurement, which is a change that can be used as an indirect measure of the carbonate in the sample. The results show that the present method has a good precision (the relative standard deviation

The migration model of contaminants from inks on paper packaging to food is developed based on the penetration of ink in paper and Fick's diffusion. The printed paper is divided as ink layer and paper layer. The mass transfer coefficient hm and partition coefficient KF,P in the interface between paper and food are considered in the model. The model equation is solved, and the migration expression is obtained by using the method of separation of variables. The fitting method is used between the model and the migration experimental data to obtain the diffusion coefficients and mass transfer coefficients for dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and acetyl tributyl citrate (ATBC). It is found that there exist linear relationships between ln(DP) and 1/T, and also between ln(hm) and 1/T for DBP and ATBC. The migrations of DBP in the paper sample 2402 at different temperatures and of ATBC in the paper sample 2401 at 50°C are predicted by using the model, and a good agreement is obtained between the model predictions and the migration experimental data. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This study reports on a rapid method for the determination of methanol in paper-based materials by alkaline extraction, coupled with headspace analysis. Methanol partition equilibria between solid–liquid phases and vapor–liquid phases were conducted in two separate containers, from which an equation for calculating the total methanol content in the original paper sample was derived. It was found that the extraction equilibrium of methanol from solid sample could be achieved within 5 min at room temperature using a high-speed disintegrator, and a subsequent neutralization step is an effective way to prevent methanol from being regenerated at high temperature during headspace equilibration. The results showed that the relative standard deviations for reproducibility tests were in the range of 1.86–6.03%, and the recoveries were in the range of 92.3–107%. The present method is simple and practical; it can be an efficient tool for quantifying the methanol content in paper-based materials and thus play an important role in the investigation of methanol migration behavior in food and beverage packaging.

This study investigates the strength properties of paper samples obtained from pulp blend of corn husk and kenaf bark. Soda pulping of kenaf bark and corn husk was carried out using 18% and 7% alkali respectively. Handmade paper sheets were produced from bleached pulp samples combined in ratios 50% - 50%, 75% - 25% and 25% - 75%. Using a universal testometric machine, strength properties of the papers such as modulus of elasticity, tensile index and tear index were assessed. Results showed that, paper sample from 100% kenaf bark has the highest tear index (20.72 mN.m 2 /g) and tensile index (7.79 Nm/g), while paper sample from mixture of Kenaf bark and Corn husk (75% - 25%) possess highest modulus of elasticity (42.05 N/mm

This paper examines the effect of accounting conservatism on investment efficiency by examining whether conservatism reduces overinvestment and underinvestment problems. Additionally, examining whether conservatism mitigates underinvestment problem by raising debt financing. The paper sample covers a period of five years from 2012 to 2016, including 57 Egyptian firms. The results show a negative relationship between conservatism and over (under)investment, implying that there is a positive association between conservatism and investment efficiency. Furthermore, there is a positive relationship between conservatism and debt financing in firms suffering from underinvestment problems. Hence, accounting conservatism is crucial for improving the quality of financial information.

In this article, organic solvents are applied to a range of toner- paper combinations to determine their ability to remove toner. Paper sample printed from HP Laserjet 2300dn is soaked in 300 mlof 17 alone solvent and 133 solvent mixtures for 30 minat room temperature.Visual effect of solvent on toner and paper can be classified into 6 groups A, B, C, D, E and F.The effect of varying the solvents proportions in the mixture is explored. Solvents give good dissolving results for paper sample printed from HP Laserjet 2300dn applied on paper samples printed from different brands and same brands of different models.The evaluation of removal efficiency and re-usability of paper and its application in document forgeryare performed by optical tests on paper surfaces. Also the effect of solvents on mechanical, physical and optical properties of paper is studied. Removal of toner from security paper and its using in creating forged documents is applied in this study. Optical tests and SEM examination indicate that it is possible to remove toner from paper without damaging and discolouring the substrate.

A nano-material named opal blended with polymer, then were added into slurry, after a series of special paper-making process, the rice paper releasing anion was successfully prepared by us. By test of SEM, we observed nano-structure morphology in the image of opal particle and rice paper sample. A series of mechanical properties had been tested as GB18739 or QB/T3515 standard. After testing of anion concentration, maximum of rice paper reached -9510cm-3，meet the needs of human health. There is no doubt opal is a kind of environmental material for human health.

Since earthquake originating in the Nankai Trough is said to be inevitable in Japan, preparing for damages caused by a possible earthquake is an urgent issue. There were many cases in which the value of documents was impaired by biodegradation, such asadhesion of and stains on documents, as a result of the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011. Since water characteristics in documents are heavily involved in the development of microorganisms, it is extremely important to know how to change water characteristics of paper and degrees of salinity when documents damaged by tsunami are salvaged. Unheard-of massive disaster occurred in the Sumatra-Andaman Earthquake in December 2004 and the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011 and the tsunami that followed both. But it has been reported that there was little mold growth although cultural properties and documents were put under a condition of high temperature and high relative humidity such as 35℃ and 83%r.h. for almost three months after the Sumatra-Andaman Earthquake. In this study, it was considered that measuring water potential of paper immersed in water or artificial seawater could reveal the ease for microorganisms to absorb water. In actual tsunami damage,the smaller the absolute value of water potential,the less pressure for microorganisms to absorb water from a substrate. Therefore, microorganisms can grow easily under such a condition. Assuming cultural properties and administrative documents damaged by seawater such as tsunami, paper samples were moistened with water or artificial seawater and water potential was measured to compare and analyze the difference. Data related with the ease of growth for microorganisms, such as kinds of paper and types of artificial seawater, are reported.

Electric conduction of oil impregnated paper under different temperatures and different DC electric fields has significant influences on the insulation structure design of converter transformer. This paper focuses on the influence of temperature and DC Electric Field on the electric Conduction of oil impregnated paper insulation, as well as conduction mechanism of oil impregnated paper through the high-field conduction experiments. It is concluded that a raise in temperature and DC electric field leads to the higher conductivity of the oil impregnated paper sample. The activation energy representing conduction barrier height was obtained. Moreover, the mechanism of electric conduction in oil impregnated paper was analyzed, which confirms the hopping conduction model instead of space charge limited current theory. Based on the upper statement, the parameters like the electronic hopping distance δ and the parameter j0 were obtained and we explored the conductivity s changing along with the electric field under different temperatures.

Under the HVDC condition, the formation of the space charge in the oil paper system could affect the electric field distribution for converter transformers. Therefore, it is important to analyze the factors that determine the space charge behavior such as the temperature, moisture, electric field, oil paper thickness ratio and multilayers such as (Oil+Paper+Oil+Paper) structure. This paper focuses on the space charge distribution affected by the multilayers (O+P+O+P) oil paper structure and different oil paper thickness ratios. The pulsed electroacoustic method (PEA) was used to measure space charge distributions. It is found that increasing oil thickness could facilitate charge injection. However, the increase of pressboard thickness could prevent the charge injection. It is also found that the same oil paper thickness ratio could lead to similar space charge injection within the oil paper sample under the same 10 kV/mm electric field. Therefore, based on the same oil paper thickness ratio, space charge measured from the thinner thickness sample were further applied to the thicker thickness sample to estimate electric field distribution using COMSOL software, which cannot be measured by the PEA system directly.

The concentrations of naturally occurring radionuclides (226Ra, 228Ra, 228Th, and 40K) in ashes of papers such as magazines and newspapers were determined from the nuclide concentrations in the papers and the ash contents of the papers. The average 226Ra, 228Ra, 228Th, and 40K concentrations in the 34 ashes were respectively 27, 68, 75, and 75Bq kg−1. The radium equivalent activities of the ashes were calculated to evaluate the hazard of g-ray radiation from the ashes in the environment. A copying paper sample showed a high radium equivalent activity of 602Bq kg−1. However, the average radium equivalent activity was 140Bq kg−1 and was lower than the level that causes an environmental health problem.

The study presents an overview of the chromatographic (SEC), spectroscopic (FTIR, UV/VIS), viscometric (DP) and chemical methods (titration, pH) used for the evaluation of the degradation progress of various kinds of paper under various conditions. The methods were chosen to follow different routes of paper degradation. Model paper samples represented boundary paper types from pure cellulose cotton paper, through softwood to low quality acidic, sized groundwood paper The accelerated ageing conditions were adjusted to achieve maximum effect (climatic chamber RH 59%, 90oC) and also to mimic the environment inside books (closed vials). The results were settled on the literature data on the degradation mechanisms and compared in terms of the paper types and ageing conditions. The estimators of coupled de-polymerisation and oxidation have been proposed based on the correlation between SEC, UV/VIS and titrative coppper number determination. The overall oxidation index derived from FTIR results was shown to correlate with the summary –CHO and –COOH concentration determined by titrative methods.

A macroscopic finger friction device consisting of a piezoelectric force sensor was evaluated on 21 printing papers of different paper grades and grammage. Friction between a human finger and the 21 papers was measured and showed that measurements with the device can be used to discriminate a set of similar surfaces in terms of finger friction. When comparing the friction coefficients, the papers group according to paper grade and the emerging trend is that the rougher papers have a lower friction coefficient than smoother papers. This is interpreted in terms of a larger contact area in the latter case. Furthermore, a decrease in friction coefficient is noted for all papers on repeated stroking (15 cycles back and forth with the finger). Complementary experiments indicate that both mechanical and chemical modifications of the surface are responsible for this decrease: (1) X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements show that lipid material is transferred from the finger to the paper surface, (2) repeated finger friction measurements on the same paper sample reveal that only partial recovery of the frictional behaviour occurs and (3) profilometry measurements before and after stroking indicate small topographical changes associated with repeated frictional contacts.

In this paper sample of Ni, plain steel and Cr-steel are pack cemented by Al 2 O 3 powder. The specimens were then isostatic oxidation tested. Using SEM and EPMA, the aluminide layers of samples are characterized and the rates of corrosion in the different samples are evaluated. The effects of Al 2 O 3 powder morphology on the layers properties and corrosion resistance have been compared with each other in detail.

Cellulose undergoing accelerated hydrothermal ageing gives a pattern of carbonyl groups whose vibrational modes were observed in UV/VI/NIR, FTIR and Raman spectra. Indirectly their presence in degraded samples was observed traced by the changes in the degree of polymerization (DP) and acidity (pH). Conjugated ketonic groups found in FTIR and Raman spectra after accelerated ageing were correlated to the chromophores detected by UV/VIS. A simple model describing the formation of chromophores was put forward and verified by experiments.

Stiffness based sorting of mixed paper waste at high speed is desirable for sorting board, cardstock, and paper from each other for efficient recycling. We propose a quick, non-contact method for measuring the relative stiffness of paper samples moving on a conveyor at high speeds. The method consists of impinging an air jet on a moving paper sample while it is crossing a gap during transfer from one conveyor belt to another. The deflection caused by the impinging air jet can be measured and used to categorize different grades of paper. In this paper, we report results from a simulation of the proposed method using a finite element model. Influence of conveyor speed, sample orientation and nozzle pressure is studied using the model. Results indicate that the stiffness estimation has sufficient resolution to distinguish between board and paper grades at high conveyor speeds.

Document examination is an important forensic discipline and the legal system regularly needs the knowledge and skills of the scientific expert when questioned documents are involved in criminal or civil matters. Amongst the many aspects of the scientific examination of documents, elemental analysis can provide useful results. In this study, the evaluation of the analytical performance of a commercially available laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) instrument was conducted on office papers, writing inks, inkjet inks and laser printer toners. The paper sample set analysed consisted of 33 Australian paper specimens originating from the same production plant but representing different brands and/or batches. In addition, a total of 131 ink or toner samples were examined that included black and blue ballpoint inks, black inkjet inks, and black laser printer toners originating from several manufacturing sources, models and/or batches. Results from the LIBS method were compared against those obtained using more established elemental profiling method such as laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). LIBS demonstrated detectable and significant differences between different batches of the same brand as well as between different brands of paper, ink and toner samples. The LIBS method provided comparable discrimination powers for the selected sample sets when compared to those obtained using LA-ICP-MS (discrimination from 99.8 and 100% of the sample pairs, depending on the sample subset under examination). LIBS is a suitable technique for the determination of elemental composition as part of a protocol for the examination of questioned documents.

This study deals with the quantitative and qualitative interpretation of transmission FTIR spectra of aged model paper samples to prepare the basis for a kinetic model of cellulose degradation involving mixed hydrolytic and oxidative mechanism. The ageing experiments were performed in situ under various conditions (pure water vapour, dried air, 100, 150 °C) to discriminate between hydrolytic and oxidative paths. Our focus was on the spectra between 1500–1900 cm-1, where the products of paper ageing appear in the form of various carbonyl groups. A procedure of spectra standardization was used to interpret the bands area in terms of the conversion of carbon atoms in cellulose. From the time evolution of the bands the overall kinetic curves were generated. The positions of the carbonyl bands were verified by independent experiments and theoretical calculations (DFT method). A simple model involving a hydrolytic reaction route and first order kinetics was positively tested on the available experimental basis.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to measure the through-plane moisture distribution in paper samples. This information provides insight into the mechanism of moisture transport through the plane of paper sheets. The moisture distribution was measured as a function of time for a thick two-ply paper using two different experimental arrangements: (1) ≥95% relative humidity (RH) on one side and 0% RH on the other side and (2) ≥95% RH on both sides of the paper sample. The data clearly support a model in which moisture is transported in two stages: as vapor through the void spaces of the paper and subsequent sorption by the fibers on a longer time scale.

Digital volume images can be created by assembling a stack of 2D images. By using a microtome for slicing, a Scanning Electron Microscope for imaging and digital analysis tools, we were able to cre ...

Lateral light scattering simulations of printed dots are analyzed using general radiative transfer theory. We investigated the appearance of a printed paper in relation to the medium parameters like thickness of the paper sample, its optical properties, and the asymmetry factor. It was found that the appearance of a print greatly depends on these factors making it either brighter or darker. A thicker substrate with higher single scattering albedo backed with an absorbing surface makes the dots brighter due to increased number of scattering events. Additionally, it is shown that the optical effects of print also depend on illuminating and viewing angles along with the depth of ink penetration. A larger single scattering angle implies less intensity and the dots appear much blurred due to the shadowing effect prominent when viewed from sides. A fully penetrated dot of the same extinction coefficient as a partial penetrated one is darker due to increased absorption. These results can be used in applications dealing with lateral light scattering.

Understanding of wetting processes for papers of various qualities is important for the analysis and the adjustment of paper-production processes as well as for designing properties of paper for printing. In this investigation, papers of one kind with three different sizing-content values were examined by time-dependent attenuation of ultrasound transmission in mixtures of isopropanol and water. The attenuation depends on the stage of absorption of liquid into the paper sample, which furnishes the signature of the paper type and quality. Papers that have contact angles of 40° (without size), 70° (low size content) and 110° (high size content) were tested and a measurement procedure was developed. The measurement results showed that the development of attenuation with time differs at different frequencies, indicating the possibility of detecting various phases of wetting phenomena.