TMO revisited : an evaluation report : toward a multicultural organization : building blocks to meet 21st century challenges.

"FS-631"--P. [4] of cover.

The sugar cane biofactory - building blocks for the future

The sugarcane plant, with its enormous genetic capacity to accumulate carbon and manufacture and store sucrose, also has the potential to accumulate carbon and metabolically create a wide range of new molecules for industrial and other commercial uses. The extent to which this change can be developed and realised commercially is a function of the technical competence of the industry's R&D capacity, the reality of the commercial drivers which support this global agenda, and the determination of the industry to achieve such goals. The outcomes of existing R&D work already strongly support the technical challenges of this opportunity in sugarcane. The current challenge remains the commercialisation of the technology in a global market in which the current business structures and systems for the manufacture and distribution of existing (competitive) products makes the development of new product lines a higher risk than might otherwise be the case. This is despite all the claims that global markets are expecting and (in some cases) legislating the creation of more sustainable production systems. The options and issues for the development of a sugarcane biofactory system are discussed.

Selective functionalisation of Re6 cluster anionic units:from hexa-hydroxo [Re6Q8(OH)6]4− (Q = S, Se) to neutral trans-[Re6Q8L4L′2] hybrid building blocks

The reaction of [Re6Q8(OH)6]4- (Q = S, Se) with p-tertbutylpyridine (TBP) in water leads to neutral trans-[Re6Q8(TBP)4(OH)2] whose hydroxyl reactivity with carboxylic acid and TBP exchange reaction with functional pyridine have been investigated.

Conceptual designs of multi-degree of freedom compliant parallel manipulators composed of wire-beam based compliant mechanisms

This paper proposes conceptual designs of multi-degree(s) of freedom (DOF) compliant parallel manipulators (CPMs) including 3-DOF translational CPMs and 6-DOF CPMs using a building block based pseudo-rigid-body-model (PRBM) approach. The proposed multi-DOF CPMs are composed of wire-beam based compliant mechanisms (WBBCMs) as distributed-compliance compliant building blocks (CBBs). Firstly, a comprehensive literature review for the design approaches of compliant mechanisms is conducted, and a building block based PRBM is then presented, which replaces the traditional kinematic sub-chain with an appropriate multi-DOF CBB. In order to obtain the decoupled 3-DOF translational CPMs (XYZ CPMs), two classes of kinematically decoupled 3-PPPR (P: prismatic joint, R: revolute joint) translational parallel mechanisms (TPMs) and 3-PPPRR TPMs are identified based on the type synthesis of rigid-body parallel mechanisms, and WBBCMs as the associated CBBs are further designed. Via replacing the traditional actuated P joint and the traditional passive PPR/PPRR sub-chain in each leg of the 3-DOF TPM with the counterpart CBBs (i.e. WBBCMs), a number of decoupled XYZ CPMs are obtained by appropriate arrangements. In order to obtain the decoupled 6-DOF CPMs, an orthogonally-arranged decoupled 6-PSS (S: spherical joint) parallel mechanism is first identified, and then two example 6-DOF CPMs are proposed by the building block based PRBM method. It is shown that, among these designs, two types of monolithic XYZ CPM designs with extended life have been presented.

Synthesis and characterization of electron deficient heterocycles as building blocks for electronic materials

This thesis describes the synthesis of a new electropolymerizable viologen derivative. A reasonably high-yielding route is reported, and a preliminary investigation of its polymerisation is described. The viologen and its precursors were examined by 1H NMR, MS, IR and elemental analysis. The energies of the band gap for the materials have been calculated using UV-vis spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry was also used to estimate the oxidation and the reduction potentials and to calculate the HOMO and LUMO energies. Theoretical calculations were performed using DFT. The attempted synthesis of a new flavin-functionalised phenanthroline derivative is described. Unfortunately, the protocol used failed to provide the desired compounds.

A Kinetostatic Formulation for Load-Flow Visualization in Compliant Mechanisms

Load flow visualization, which is an important step in structural and machine assembly design may aid in the analysis and eventual synthesis of compliant mechanisms. In this paper, we present a kineto-static formulation to visualize load flow in compliant mechanisms. This formulation uses the concept of transferred forces to quantify load flow from input to the output of a compliant mechanism. The magnitude and direction of load flow in the constituent members enables functional decomposition of the compliant mechanism into (i) Constraints (C): members that are constrained to deform in a particular direction and (ii) Transmitters (T): members that transmit load to the output. Furthermore, it is shown that a constraint member and an adjacent transmitter member can be grouped together to constitute a fundamental building block known as an CT set whose load flow behavior is maximally decoupled from the rest of the mechanism. We can thereby explain the deformation behavior of a number of compliant mechanisms from literature by visualizing load flow, and identifying building blocks.

The manufacture of concrete blocks and their use in building construction /

Includes index.

Distributed ControlArchitecture of Power Electronics Building-Block-Based Frequency Converters

The increasing power demand and emerging applications drive the design of electrical power converters into modularization. Despite the wide use of modularized power stage structures, the control schemes that are used are often traditional, in other words, centralized. The flexibility and re-usability of these controllers are typically poor. With a dedicated distributed control scheme, the flexibility and re-usability of the system parts, building blocks, can be increased. Only a few distributed control schemes have been introduced for this purpose, but their breakthrough has not yet taken place. A demand for the further development offlexible control schemes for building-block-based applications clearly exists. The control topology, communication, synchronization, and functionality allocationaspects of building-block-based converters are studied in this doctoral thesis. A distributed control scheme that can be easily adapted to building-block-based power converter designs is developed. The example applications are a parallel and series connection of building blocks. The building block that is used in the implementations of both the applications is a commercial off-the-shelf two-level three-phase frequency converter with a custom-designed controller card. The major challenge with the parallel connection of power stages is the synchronization of the building blocks. The effect of synchronization accuracy on the system performance is studied. The functionality allocation and control scheme design are challenging in the seriesconnected multilevel converters, mainly because of the large number of modules. Various multilevel modulation schemes are analyzed with respect to the implementation, and this information is used to develop a flexible control scheme for modular multilevel inverters.

A Study On The Utilisation Of Plastic Wastes In Stabilised Masonry Blocks

At this era of energy crisis and resource depletion, availability of conventional materials throughout the year in quantity and quality, pose a hectic problem for the builders. Adding fuel to the fire, the demand of these materials increases day by day, since the housing and habitat requirements exponentially increase time to time. There is an international concern over this crisis and researchers are reorienting themselves, so as to evolve appropriate masonry units, using locally available cheap materials and technology. The concept of green material and construction has been well conceived in the research so that marginal materials and unskilled labour can be employed for the mass production of building blocks. In this context, considering earth as a sustainable material, there is a growing interest in the use of it, as a modern construction material. Solid waste management is one of the current major environmental concerns in our country. Our country is left with millions of cubic metre of waste plastics. One of the methods to satisfactorily address this solid waste management and the environmental issues is to suitably accommodate the waste in some form (as fibres). Their employability in block making in the form of fibres (plastic fibre- mud blocks) can be investigated through a fundamental research. Also, the review of the existing literature shows that most studies on natural fibres are focussed on cellulose based/ vegetable fibres obtained from renewable plant resources except in very few cases, where animal fibre, plastic fibre and polystyrene fabric were used. At this context, for the plastic fibre-mud blocks to be more widely applicable, a systematic quantification of the relevant physical and mechanical properties of the fibre masonry units is crucial, to enable an objective evaluation of the composite material’s response to actual field condition. This research highlights the salient observations from the detailed investigation of a systematic study on the effect of embedded fibres, made of plastic wastes on the performance of stabilised mud blocks.

A novel heteroditopic terpyridine-pincer ligand as building block for mono- and heterometallic Pd(II) and Ru(II) complexes

A palladium-catalyzed Stille coupling reaction was employed as a versatile method for the synthesis of a novel terpyridine-pincer (3, TPBr) bridging ligand, 4'-{4-BrC6H2(CH2NMe2)(2)-3,5}-2,2':6',2 ''-terpyridine. Mononuclear species [PdX(TP)] (X = Br, Cl), [Ru(TPBr)(tpy)](PF6)(2), and [Ru(TPBr)(2)](PF6)(2), synthesized by selective metalation of the NCNBr-pincer moiety or complexation of the terpyridine of the bifunctional ligand TPBr, were used as building blocks for the preparation of heterodi- and trimetallic complexes [Ru(TPPdCl)(tpy)](PF6)(2) (7) and [Ru(TPPdCl)(2)]-(PF6)(2) (8). The molecular structures in the solid state of [PdBr(TP)] (4a) and [Ru(TPBr)(2)](PF6)(2) (6) have been determined by single-crystal X-ray analysis. Electrochemical behavior and photophysical properties of the mono-and heterometallic complexes are described. All the above di- and trimetallic Ru complexes exhibit absorption bands attributable to (MLCT)-M-1 (Ru -> tpy) transitions. For the heteroleptic complexes, the transitions involving the unsubstituted tpy ligand are at a lower energy than the tpy moiety of the TPBr ligand. The absorption bands observed in the electronic spectra for TPBr and [PdCl(TP)] have been assigned with the aid of TD-DFT calculations. All complexes display weak emission both at room temperature and in a butyronitrile glass at 77 K. The considerable red shift of the emission maxima relative to the signal of the reference compound [Ru(tpy)(2)](2+) indicates stabilization of the luminescent (MLCT)-M-3 state. For the mono- and heterometallic complexes, electrochemical and spectroscopic studies (electronic absorption and emission spectra and luminescence lifetimes recorded at room temperature and 77 K in nitrile solvents), together with the information gained from IR spectroelectrochemical studies of the dimetallic complex [Ru(TPPdSCN)(tpy)](PF6)(2), are indicative of charge redistribution through the bridging ligand TPBr. The results are in line with a weak coupling between the {Ru(tpy)(2)} chromophoric unit and the (non)metalated NCN-pincer moiety.

Na5(Ga4S)(GaS4)3·6H2O: a three-dimensional thiogallate containing a novel octahedral building block

The new thiogallate Na5(Ga4S)(GaS4)3·6H2O has been prepared solvothermally, using 3,5-dimethyl pyridine as a solvent, and characterised by powder and single crystal X-ray diffraction. This material, which exhibits a three-dimensional crystal structure, crystallises in the cubic space group View the MathML sourceF4¯3c (a = 17.557(4) Å). The crystal structure contains octahedral building blocks [Ga4S (GaS4)6]20−, linked into a three-dimensional network with a perovskite-type topology, and sodium hydrate clusters, [Na5(H2O)6]5+, filling the cavities in the [Ga4S(GaS4)6/2]5− framework. UV–Vis diffuse reflectance measurements indicate that this material is a wide band gap semiconductor, with a band gap of ca. 4.4 eV.

Silsesquioxane as a New Building Block Material for Modified Electrodes Fabrication and Application as Neurotransmitters Sensors

Nanostructured films comprising a 3-n-propylpyridiniunn silsesquioxane polymer (designated as SiPy(+)Cl(-)) and copper (II) tetrasulfophthalocyanine (CuTsPc) were produced using the Layer-by-Layer technique (LbL). To our knowledge this is the first report on the use of silsesquioxane derivative polymers as building blocks for nanostructured thin films fabrication. Deposition of the multilayers were monitored by UV-Vis spectroscopy revealing the linear increment in the absorbance of the Q-band from CuTsPc at 617 nm with the number of SiPy(+)Cl(-)/CuTsPc or CuTsPc/SiPy(+)Cl(-) bilayers. FTIR analyses showed that specific interactions between SiPy+Cl- and CuTsPc occurred between SO(3)(-) groups of tetrasulfophthalocyanine and the pyridinium groups of the polycation. Morphological studies were carried out using the AFM technique, which showed that the roughness and thickness of the films increase with the number of bilayers. The films displayed electroactivity and were employed to detection of dopamine (DA) and ascorbic acid (AA) using cyclic voltammetry, at concentrations ranging from 1.96 x 10(-4) to 1.31 x 10(-3) molL(-1). The number and the sequence of bilayers deposition influenced the electrochemical response in presence of DA and AA. Using differential pulse technique, films comprising SiPy(+)/CuTsPc were able to distinguish between DA and ascorbic acid (AA), with a potential difference of approximately with 500 mV, in the concentration range of 9.0 x 10(-5) to 2.0 x 10(-4) molL(-1), in pH 3.0.

Electron density building block approach for metal organic frameworks

A general introduction to the state of the art in modeling metal organic materials using transferable atomic multipoles is provided. The method is based on the building block partitioning of the electron density, which is illustrated with some examples of potential applications and with detailed discussions of the advantages and pitfalls. The interactions taking place between building blocks are summarized and are used to discuss the properties that can be calculated.