First order reversal curve analysis of nanocrystalline Pd80Co20 alloy films

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Thermomechanical characterization of PVDF and P(VDF-TrFE) blends containing corn starch and natural rubber

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

On the origin of exciton formation in dye doped Alq(3) OLEDs

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Experimental investigation of smouldering in biomass

The smouldering process of wood logs was studied experimentally in a laboratory facility and in prescribed forest bums. The main goal was to check the parameters that initiate and control the stability of the smouldering process. To do so, sample temperatures at five different locations and concentrations of CO, CO2 and O-2 were measured and discussed. By varying the temperature and air supply of the flow tunnel apparatus, different rates of smoulder propagation were identified. In prescribed bums, the main characteristics of the self-sustained smouldering combustion front in logs of different sizes and species are reported. The average smouldering speed in the field is about one order of magnitude lower than that reported for different materials in laboratory experiments. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of the Bilayer Composition on the Binding and Membrane Disrupting Effect of Polybia-MP1, an Antimicrobial Mastoparan Peptide with Leukemic T-Lymphocyte Cell Selectivity

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

PRODUCTION of THERMAL PHOTONS IN VISCOUS FLUID DYNAMICS WITH TEMPERATURE-DEPENDENT SHEAR VISCOSITY

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Strings in horizons, dissipation and a possible interpretation of the Hagedorn temperature

We consider the entanglement of closed bosonic strings intersecting the event horizon of a Rindler spacetime, and, by using some simplified (rather semiclassical) arguments and some elements of the string field theory, we show the existence of a critical temperature beyond which closed strings cannot be in thermal equilibrium. The order of magnitude of this critical value coincides with the Hagedorn temperature, which suggests an interpretation consistent with the fact of having a partition function that is ill defined for temperatures higher than it. Possible implications of the present approach for the microscopical structure of stretched horizons are also pointed out.

LIMITS on THE COUPLING CONSTANT of HIGHER-DERIVATIVE ELECTROMAGNETISM

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

The Perception of Smile Attractiveness Variations from Esthetic Norms, Photographic Framing and Order of Presentation

Objectives: To evaluate the attractiveness of a smile according to variations from esthetic norms, photographic framing, and the order of the presentation of photographs.Materials and Methods: A photograph of an individual was selected and digitally manipulated to create the following smiles: an ideal control smile (I), a smile with diastema (D1), a smile with midline deviation (LM3), a smile with deviation from the long axes of the lateral incisors (10D), and a smile with an inverted smile arc (LSRV). The manipulated photographs were developed in framings of the face and of the mouth and evaluated by 20 laypeople. For half the evaluators, the presentation started with facial photographs and, for the other half, the presentation began with the mouth shots. Evaluators were asked to rank the photographs from the least to the most attractive; then, each photograph was awarded a mark (scale of 0.0 to 10.0).Results: In both presentations, the smiles I, LM3, 10D, and LSRV received favorable ratings, whereas the D1 smile got poor ratings. The photographic framings used (face vs mouth) and the order of presentation of the photographs did not influence the rankings.Conclusion: The absence of variations from beauty norms of a smile has a positive impact on its esthetic perception, but variations from the norms do not necessarily result in reduced attractiveness. (Angle Orthod. 2009;79:634-639.)

Preparation and characterization of LiNi0.8Co0.2O2/PANI microcomposite electrode materials under assisted ultrasonic irradiation

A preparation method for a new electrode material based on the LiNi0.8Co0.2O2/polyaniline (PANI) composite is reported. This material is prepared by in situ polymerization of aniline in the presence of LiNi0.8Co0.2O2 assisted by ultrasonic irradiation. The materials are characterized by XRD, TG-DTA, FTIR, XPS, SEM-EDX, AFM, nitrogen adsorption (BET surface area) and electrical conductivity measurements. PANI in the emeraldine salt form interacts with metal-oxide particles to assure good connectivity. The dc electrical conductivity measurements at room temperature indicate that conductivity values are one order of magnitude higher in the composite than in the oxide alone. This behavior determines better reversibility for Li-insertion in charge-discharge cycles compared to the pristine mixed oxide when used as electrode of lithium batteries. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A study on X-ray irradiation of composite polyaniline LB films

Composite Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films from polyaniline and cadmium stearate have been irradiated with ionizing X-rays for various exposure times. In the initial stages of X-ray irradiation the absorption peak at 580 nm of an as-deposited film was seen to decrease with a concomitant increase in the absorption in the long wavelength region (700-1100 nm). Upon prolonging the irradiation, the absorption maximum shifted to 800 nm with the LB film color changing to green, characteristic of acid doped polyaniline. The changes in the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra upon irradiation are also similar to those observed upon acid doping of polyaniline. When compared with acid doping, two major differences were observed for the LB films exposed to X-rays. First, the packing order of the cadmium stearate domains in the composite LB films - as observed by X-ray diffraction - is not affected by the X-ray irradiation. In addition, no significant increase in the DC conductivity was noted after the X-ray exposure whereas similar LB films have their conductivity increased by an order of magnitude upon acid doping. These differences may be explained by considering that the inter-domain contribution to the conductivity is increased by the acid doping because the insulating cadmium stearate domains are destroyed, which does not occur with the X-ray irradiation. (C) 1998 Elsevier B.V. S.A. All rights reserved.

Structural and electrical properties of ZnO varistors containing different spinel phases

Structural and electrical properties of ZnO varistors were investigated as a function of spinel composition. Six varistor mixtures differing only in chemical composition of spinel, were prepared by mixing separately synthesized constituent phases (DSCP method). Compositions of constituent phases in sintered samples were investigated by changes of lattice parameters of the phases, as well as by EDS analysis of the constituent phases. It was found that compositions of ZnO, intergranular and spinel phases were partially changed during sintering due to redistribution of additives, that was controlled by starting spinel composition and its stability. Electrical characterization showed significant difference in electrical properties of investigated varistors: nonlinearity coefficients ranging from 22 to 55 and leakage currents differing by the order of magnitude. Activation energies of conduction were obtained from ac impedance spectroscopy measurements. Calculated values of activation energies were in the range 0.61-1.0 eV confirming difference in defect structure of ZnO grain boundaries in varistors containing different spinel phases. (C) 2001 Elsevier B.V. Ltd and Techna S.r.l. All rights reserved.

Degradation of Acid Blue 40 dye solution and dye house wastewater from textile industry by photo-assisted electrochemical process

In this paper, electrochemical and photo-assisted electrochemical processes are used for color, total organic carbon (TOC) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) degradation of one of the most abundant and strongly colored industrial wastewaters, which results from the dyeing of fibers and fabrics in the textile industry. The experiments were carried out in an 18L pilot-scale tubular low reactor with 70% TiO2/30% RuO2 DSA. A synthetic acid blue 40 solution and real dye house wastewater, containing the same dye, were used for the experiments. By using current density of 80 mA cm(-2) electrochemical process has the capability to remove 80% of color, 46% of TOC and 69% of COD. When used the photochemical process with 4.6 mW cm(-2) of 254nm UV-C radiation to assist the electrolysis, has been obtained 90% of color, 64% of TOC and 60% of COD removal in 90 minutes of processing; furthermore, 70% of initial color was degraded within the first 15 minutes. Experimental runs using dye house wastewater resulted in 78% of color, 26% of TOC and 49% of COD in electrolysis at 80 mA cm(-2) and 90 min; additionally, when photo-assisted, electrolysis resulted in removals of 85% of color, 42% of TOC and 58% of COD. For the operational conditions used in this study, color, TOC and COD showed pseudo-first-order decaying profiles. Apparent rate constants for degradation of TOC and COD were improved by one order of magnitude when the photo-electrochemical process was used.

Nuclear magnetic relaxation of F-19 in fluoride glasses

Temperature and frequency dependence of the F-19 nuclear spin relaxation of the fluoroindate glass, 40InF(3)-20ZnF(2)- 20SrF(2)-2GaF(3)-2NaF-16BaF(2) and the fluorozirconate glass, 50ZrF(4)-20BaF(2)-21LiF-5LaF(3)-4AlF(3); are reported. Measurements were undertaken on pure and Gd3+ doped samples, in the temperature range of 185-1000 K, covering the region below and above the glass transition temperature, T-g. The temperature and frequency dependence of the spin-lattice relaxation rate, T-1(-1), measured in the glassy state at temperature <300 K, is less than the observed dependence at higher temperatures. At temperatures >T-g, the fluorine mobility increases, leading to a more efficient spins lattice relaxation process. Activation energies, for F- motion, are 0.8 eV for the fluoroindate glass and 1 eV for the fluorozirconate glass. The addition of Gd3+ paramagnetic impurities;at 0.1-wt%, does not alter the temperature and frequency dependence of T-1(-1), but increases its magnitude more than one order of magnitude. At temperatures <400 K, the spin-spin relaxation time, T-2(-1), measured for all samples, is determined by the rigid-lattice nuclear dipole-dipole coupling, and it is temperature independent within the accuracy of the measurements. Results obtained for the pure glass, at temperatures >400 K, show that T-2(-1) decreases monotonically as the temperature increases. This decrease is explained as a consequence of the motional narrowing effect caused by the onset of the diffusive motion of the F- ions, with an activation energy around 0.8 eV. For the doped samples, the hyperfine interaction with the paramagnetic impurities is most effective in the relaxation of the nuclear spin, causing an increase in the T(2)(-1)s observed at temperatures >600 K. (C) 1999 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of water and sucrose diffusion coefficients in potato tissue during osmotic concentration

The water and sucrose effective diffusion coefficients behavior were studied in potato tubers immersed in aqueous sucrose solution, 50% (w/,A), at 27 degreesC. Water and sucrose concentration profiles were measured as function of the position for 3, 6 and 12 h of immersion. These were adjusted to a mathematical model for three components that take into account the bulk flow in a shrinking tissue and the concentration dependence of the diffusion coefficients.The binary effective coefficients were an order of magnitude lower than those for pure solutions of sucrose. These coefficients show an unusual concentration dependence. Analysis of these coefficients as functions of the concentration and position demonstrates that, cellular tissue promotes high resistance to diffusion in the tuber and also the elastic contraction of material influences the species diffusion. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.