Kinetics of copolyurethane network formation

Cure kinetics for the formation of copolyurethane networks of various compositions based on hydroxy-terminated polybutadiene(HTPB), poly(12-hydroxy stearic acid-co-TMP) ester polyol(PEP), and different isocyanates has been studied through viscosity build up during the cure reaction. The viscosity (N)-time (t) plots conform to the equation N = ae(bt), where a and b are empirical constants, dependent on the composition and the nature of the polyols and the isocyanates. The rate constants (b) for viscosity build up, evaluated from the slopes of dN/dt versus N plots at different temperatures, were found to vary significantly from 0.0073 to 0.25 min(-1); and the activation energies for gelation were found to be in the range 20 to 40 kJ mol(-1). The results have been interpreted in terms of the dependence of the rate constants on structural characteristics of the prepolymers. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Electrochemical tuning and mechanical resilience of single-wall carbon nanotubes

Single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are fascinating systems exhibiting many novel physical properties. In this paper, we give a brief review of the structural, electronic, vibrational, and mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes. In situ resonance Raman scattering of SWNTs investigated under electrochemical biasing demonstrates that the intensity of the radial breathing mode varies significantly in a nonmonotonic manner as a function of the cathodic bias voltage, but does not change appreciably under anodic bias. These results can be quantitatively understood in terms of the changes in the energy gaps between the 1 D van Hove singularities in the electron density of states, arising possibly due to the alterations in the overlap integral of pi bonds between the p-orbitals of the adjacent carbon atoms. In the second part of this paper, we review our high-pressure X-ray diffraction results, which show that the triangular lattice of the carbon nanotube bundles continues to persist up to similar to10 GPa. The lattice is seen to relax just before the phase transformation, which is observed at similar to10 GPa. Further, our results display the reversibility of the 2D lattice symmetry even after compression up to 13 GPa well beyond the 5 GPa value observed recently. These experimental results explicitly validate the predicted remarkable mechanical resilience of the nanotubes.

Pseudodynamic systems approach based on a quadratic approximation of update equations for diffuse optical tomography

We explore a pseudodynamic form of the quadratic parameter update equation for diffuse optical tomographic reconstruction from noisy data. A few explicit and implicit strategies for obtaining the parameter updates via a semianalytical integration of the pseudodynamic equations are proposed. Despite the ill-posedness of the inverse problem associated with diffuse optical tomography, adoption of the quadratic update scheme combined with the pseudotime integration appears not only to yield higher convergence, but also a muted sensitivity to the regularization parameters, which include the pseudotime step size for integration. These observations are validated through reconstructions with both numerically generated and experimentally acquired data. (C) 2011 Optical Society of America

Numerical Modelling of the Observed Diurnal Cycle of Indian Monsoon Rainfall

We have analysed the diurnal cycle of rainfall over the Indian region (10S-35N, 60E-100E) using both satellite and in-situ data, and found many interesting features associated with this fundamental, yet under-explored, mode of variability. Since there is a distinct and strong diurnal mode of variability associated with the Indian summer monsoon rainfall, we evaluate the ability of the Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF) to simulate the observed diurnal rainfall characteristics. The model (at 54km grid-spacing) is integrated for the month of July, 2006, since this period was particularly favourable for the study of diurnal cycle. We first evaluate the sensitivity of the model to the prescribed sea surface temperature (SST), by using two different SST datasets, namely, Final Analyses (FNL) and Real-time Global (RTG). It was found that with RTG SST the rainfall simulation over central India (CI) was significantly better than that with FNL. On the other hand, over the Bay of Bengal (BoB), rainfall simulated with FNL was marginally better than with RTG. However, the overall performance of RTG SST was found to be better than FNL, and hence it was used for further model simulations. Next, we investigated the role of the convective parameterization scheme on the simulation of diurnal cycle of rainfall. We found that the Kain-Fritsch (KF) scheme performs significantly better than Betts-Miller-Janjić (BMJ) and Grell-Devenyi schemes. We also studied the impact of other physical parameterizations, namely, microphysics, boundary layer, land surface, and the radiation parameterization, on the simulation of diurnal cycle of rainfall, and identified the “best” model configuration. We used this configuration of the “best” model to perform a sensitivity study on the role of various convective components used in the KF scheme. In particular, we studied the role of convective downdrafts, convective timescale, and feedback fraction, on the simulated diurnal cycle of rainfall. The “best” model simulations, in general, show a good agreement with observations. Specifically, (i) Over CI, the simulated diurnal rainfall peak is at 1430 IST, in comparison to the observed 1430-1730 IST peak; (ii) Over Western Ghats and Burmese mountains, the model simulates a diurnal rainfall peak at 1430 IST, as opposed to the observed peak of 1430-1730 IST; (iii) Over Sumatra, both model and observations show a diurnal peak at 1730 IST; (iv) The observed southward propagating diurnal rainfall bands over BoB are weakly simulated by WRF. Besides the diurnal cycle of rainfall, the mean spatial pattern of total rainfall and its partitioning between the convective and stratiform components, are also well simulated. The “best” model configuration was used to conduct two nested simulations with one-way, three-level nesting (54-18-6km) over CI and BoB. While, the 54km and 18km simulations were conducted for the whole of July, 2006, the 6km simulation was carried out for the period 18 - 24 July, 2006. The results of our coarse- and fine-scale numerical simulations of the diurnal cycle of monsoon rainfall will be discussed.

Solubility and activity of oxygen in liquid nickel in equilibrium with -Al2O3 and NiO.(1+x)Al2O3

The limiting solubility of oxygen in liquid nickel in equilibrium withα-alumina and nickel aluminate has been measured by inert gas fusion analysis of suction samples in the temperature range 1730 to 1975 K. The corresponding oxygen potential has been monitored by a solid electrolyte cell consisting of calcia stabilized zirconia as the electrolyte and Mo + MoO2 as the reference electrode. The results can be summarized by the following equations: log(at. pct O) = \frac - 10,005T + 4.944 ( ±0.015)log(atpctO)=T−10005+4944(0015) % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafiart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn DmO2 /4.606RT = log P O2 1/2 = \frac - 13,550T + 4.411 ( ±0.009)O24606RT=logPO212=T−13550+4411(0009) From simultaneous measurements of the potential and concentration of oxygen in melts, not in thermodynamic equilibrium with alumina and aluminate phases, information on the composition dependence of the activity coefficient and the standard free energy of solution of oxygen is obtained. For the reaction, $\frac{1}{2} O_2 \to \underset{\raise0.3em\hbox{$Missing close brace ΔG o = -72,930 - 7.11T (±840) J gr.at.–1 = + 0.216 at. pct OlogfO=T−500+0216atpctO where the standard state for dissolved oxygen is that which makes the value of activity equal to the concentration (in at. pct) in the limit as concentration approaches zero. The oxygen solubility in liquid nickel in equilibrium with solid NiO, evaluated from thermodynamic data, is compared with information reported in the literature. Implications of the results to the deoxidation equilibria of aluminum in nickel are discussed.

Performance of Tuned Half-Wave-Length Power Transmission Lines

The basic concepts of tuned half-wave lines were covered by Hubert and Gent [1]. In this paper the problem of overvoltages during faults and the stability of the system incorporating such tuned lines are discussed. The type of tuning bank and the line arrangements that will be satisfactory from the point of view of stability are suggested. The behavior of a line tuned by distributed capacitor is analyzed, and its performance is compared with the other type of tuned line.

Analysis of integrated optofluidic lab-on-a-chip sensor based on refractive index and absorbance sensing

The analysis of a fully integrated optofluidic lab-on-a-chip sensor is presented in this paper. This device is comprised of collinear input and output waveguides that are separated by a microfluidic channel. When light is passed through the analyte contained in the fluidic gap, optical power loss occurs owing to absorption of light. Apart from absorption, a mode-mismatch between the input and output waveguides occurs when the light propagates through the fluidic gap. The degree of mode-mismatch and quantum of optical power loss due to absorption of light by the fluid form the basis of our analysis. This sensor can detect changes in refractive index and changes in concentration of species contained in the analyte. The sensitivity to detect minute changes depends on many parameters. The parameters that influence the sensitivity of the sensor are mode spot size, refractive index of the fluid, molar concentration of the species contained in the analyte, width of the fluidic gap, and waveguide geometry. By correlating various parameters, an optimal fluidic gap distance corresponding to a particular mode spot size that achieves the best sensitivity is determined both for refractive index and absorbance-based sensing.

Nest site characterization of sympatric hornbills in a tropical dry forest

Hornbills, among the largest and most threatened tropical frugivores, provide important seed dispersal services. Hornbill nest site characteristics are known primarily from wet tropical forests. Nests of the Indian grey hornbill Ocyceros birostris and Oriental pied hornbill Anthracoceros albirostris were characterized in a tropical dry forest. Despite A. albirostris being twice the size of O. birostris, few of the nest cavity attributes were different. A. albirostris nests were surrounded by higher proportion of mixed forest and lower sal forest compared to O. birostris. In this landscape, the larger A. albirostris may prefer to nest in sites with more food plants compared to the smaller O. birostris.

Universal Hashing for Information-Theoretic Security

The information-theoretic approach to security entails harnessing the correlated randomness available in nature to establish security. It uses tools from information theory and coding and yields provable security, even against an adversary with unbounded computational power. However, the feasibility of this approach in practice depends on the development of efficiently implementable schemes. In this paper, we review a special class of practical schemes for information-theoretic security that are based on 2-universal hash families. Specific cases of secret key agreement and wiretap coding are considered, and general themes are identified. The scheme presented for wiretap coding is modular and can be implemented easily by including an extra preprocessing layer over the existing transmission codes.

Evaluación de dieciseis variedades criollas de frijol común (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) colectadas en diversas zonas de Nicaragua

Se evaluaron 16 materiales criollos de frijol común (Phaseolus vulqaris L.) con el objetivo de determinar su comportamiento en cuanto a crecimiento, desarrollo y rendimiento; así como la precocidad y composición química del grano. El ensayo se estableció en época de postrera en la Estación Experimental "La Compañía" en el Departamento de Carazo. El diseño utilizado fue Látice balanceado 4x4 modificado, 4 réplicas. En la evaluación se obtuvieron los siguientes resultados: En el diámetro del tallo se obtuvieron variaciones entre 4.77 y 6.25 mm. Los primeros materiales florecieron a los 30 días después de la siembra. En cuanto a precocidad, Cuarenteño, Pepita, Rosado y Rojo Tico, maduraron primero, a los 60 días después de la siembra. El mayor número de vainas/planta (11.45) y granos/vaina (6.2) correspondió a Mono o Bayo. El peso de 1000 semillas fue superior para Rojo Seda con 227.5 g. Los mayores rendimientos correspondieron a Barreño (Acc.1730), Combinado (Acc.1287), Kaki (Acc.1234), Rojo Tico (Acc.1923) y Cuarenteño (Acc.2343), los que superaron los 1000 Kg/ha.

基于分段常滑翔角的长航时纵向远程滑翔飞行方程近似解

提出用包含地球旋转效应的n个常滑翔角飞行段近似实际滑翔飞行轨迹的方法。基于该方法推导了长航时纵向远程滑翔飞行轨迹近似解，并给出了各段常滑翔角、滑翔时间的求解方法及整个滑翔轨迹近似计算步骤。文中算例结果表明，该近似求解方法计算得到的滑翔航程和滑翔时间与实际值相差很小，航程误差率约为0．7％，时间误差率约为0．6％，因此该方法在近似小初始滑翔角的长航时远程纵向滑翔飞行时是有效的、可行的，尤其针对航程在地球半圈以上的滑翔飞行轨迹。

Influence of Surface Stress on Frequency of Microcantilever-Based Biosensors (vol 10, pg 307, 2004)

Microcantilever-based biosensors have been found increasing applications in physical, chemical, and biological fields in recent years. When biosensors are used in those fields, surface stress and mass variations due to bio-molecular binding can cause the microcantilever deform or the shift of frequency. These simple biosensors allow biologists to study surface biochemistry on a micro or nano scale and offer new opportunities in developing microscopic biomedical analysis with unique characteristics. To compare and illustrate the influence of the surface stress on the frequency and avoid unnecessary and complicated numerical solution of the resonance frequency, some dimensionless numbers are derived in this paper by making governing equations dimensionless. Meanwhile, in order to analyze the influence of the general surface stress on the frequency, a new model is put forward, and the frequency of the microcantilever is calculated by using the subspace iteration method and the Rayleigh method. The sensitivity of microcantilever is also discussed. (19 refs.)

Efecto de tres tipos de ambientes sobre la viabilidad y potencial de almacenamiento en cuatro lotes de semillas de maiz (Zea mays L.) mediante la prueba de envejecimiento acelerado

En el Banco y Laboratorio de Semillas del Programa Recursos Genéticos Nicaragüenses (REGEN) se estableció un experimento en el periodo comprendido entre octubre de 1994 y marzo de 1995, con el objetivo de determinar el efecto de tres condiciones ambientales (cuarto frío, cuarto seco y ambiente) sobre cuatro lotes de semillas certificada de maíz, tomando como referencia la prueba de germinación estándar y de envejecimiento acelerado a los 10, 100 y 143 días después del almacenamiento. La germinación de la semilla sometida a prueba estándares y condiciones de estrés (germinación envejecida) se diferenciaron estadísticamente, así como los ambientes y cultivares evaluados en los tres períodos de almacenamiento. Los mayores porcentajes de germinación de los cultivares evaluados se obtuvieron en los ambientes fríos y secos. Asimismo, los mayores porcentajes de germinación iniciales lo presentaron los cultivares H-5 y NB-6, seguido de los cultivares NB-12. En lo que respecta a la germinación estándar, los menores porcentajes de germinación se obtuvieron en el segundo período de almacenamiento (68 % y 83 %) y entre 16 % y 78 % para la germinación con la prueba envejecida. A los 100 días de almacenar las semillas en la prueba de envejecimiento acelerado la variedad NB-6 presentó un 16 % de germinación (ambiente) y 47.5% a los 143 días de almacenamiento (cuarto frío). Al final del período la germinación (semillas envejecidas) aumentó positivamente quedando el siguiente orden: NB-12 B (78 %), H-5 (71 %), NB-12 A (64.5 %) y NB-6 (52.5 %).

Las bodas de Camacho y una relectura del mito de D. Quijote desde versiones operísticas del episodio cervantino

Resumen: El mundo de la ópera es un campo de permanentes ebulliciones aunque todavía se le endilguen acusaciones falsas de inmovilidad y anquilosamiento. No cesan de componerse obras con lenguajes innovadores sobre temáticas inéditas. Se experimenta —a veces, abusivamente— con puestas en escena heterodoxas, y las investigaciones hallan partituras perdidas o relegadas que hacen variar, permanentemente, el mapa del canon del género. En el presente trabajo, se analiza un caso-testigo de estas continuas mutaciones. Es la recuperación entre 2006 y 2011 de tres óperas compuestas entre 1760 y 1830 sobre el episodio del Quijote referido a las bodas de Camacho. Reviste particular relevancia, a mi juicio, porque no solo ha aumentado el caudal del repertorio operístico conocido sino que por sus relaciones con la literatura nos alerta a los estudiosos de ésta acerca de fenómenos que no podemos dejar de considerar. Ellos atañen a la recepción de la obra cervantina y al mito de D. Quijote, mito cuya expansión sobrepasa, ampliamente, al público lector de la obra. Nos conduce, por lo tanto, más allá de lo literario, a las complejidades de la construcción del imaginario cultural.