Abstract: Intermetallic materials are among advanced
technology materials that have outstanding mechanical and physical
properties for high temperature applications. Especially creep
resistance, low density and high hardness properties stand out in such
intermetallics. The microstructure, mechanical properties of %88Ni-
%10Cr and %2Mn powders were investigated using specimens
produced by tube furnace sintering at 900-1300°C temperature. A
composite consisting of ternary additions, a metallic phase, Fe, Cr
and Mn have been prepared under Ar shroud and then tube furnace
sintered. XRD, SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope), were
investigated to characterize the properties of the specimens.
Experimental results carried out for composition %88Ni-%10Cr and
%2Mn at 1300°C suggest that the best properties as 138,80HV and
6,269/cm3 density were obtained at 1300°C.
Abstract: Through use of novel modern/rapid processing
techniques such as screen printing and Near-Infrared (NIR) radiative
curing, process time for the sintering of sintered nickel plaques,
applicable to alkaline nickel battery chemistries, has been drastically
reduced from in excess of 200 minutes with conventional convection
methods to below 2 minutes using NIR curing methods. Steps have
also been taken to remove the need for forming gas as a reducing
agent by implementing carbon as an in-situ reducing agent, within the
ink formulation.
Abstract: There are many perceived advantages of microwave
ablation have driven researchers to develop innovative antennas to
effectively treat deep-seated, non-resectable hepatic tumors. In this
paper a coaxial antenna with a miniaturized sleeve choke has been
discussed for microwave interstitial ablation therapy, in order to
reduce backward heating effects irrespective of the insertion depth
into the tissue. Two dimensional Finite Element Method (FEM) is
used to simulate and measure the results of miniaturized sleeve choke
antenna. This paper emphasizes the importance of factors that can
affect simulation accuracy, which include mesh resolution, surface
heating and reflection coefficient. Quarter wavelength choke
effectiveness has been discussed by comparing it with the unchoked
antenna with same dimensions.
Abstract: The article proposed intends to analyze the possibility
(and conditions) of a media regulation law in a democratic rule of law
in the twenty-first century. To do so, will be presented initially the
idea of the public sphere (by Jürgen Habermas), showing how it is
presented as an interface between the citizen and the state (or the
private and public) and how important is it in a deliberative
democracy. Based on this paradigm, the traditional perception of the
role of public information (such as system functional element) and on
the possibility of media regulation will be exposed, due to the public
nature of their activity. A critical argument will then be displayed
from two different perspectives: a) the formal function of the current
media information, considering that the digital age has fragmented
the information access; b) the concept of a constructive democracy,
which reduces the need for representation, changing the strategic
importance of the public sphere. The question to be addressed (based
on the comparative law) is if the regulation is justified in a
polycentric democracy, especially when it operates under the digital
age (with immediate and virtual communication). The proposal is to
be presented in the sense that even in a twenty-first century the media
in a democratic rule of law still has an extremely important role and
may be subject to regulation, but this should be on terms very
different (and narrower) from those usually defended.
Abstract: Super steel materials play a vital role in the
construction and fabrication of structural, piping and pipeline
components. In assuring the integrity of onshore and offshore
operating systems, they enable life cycle costs to be minimized. In
this context, Duplex stainless steel (DSS) material related welding on
constructions and fabrications plays a significant role in maintaining
and assuring integrity at an optimal expenditure over the life cycle of
production and process systems as well as associated structures. In
DSS welding, factors such as gap geometry, shielding gas supply
rate, welding current, and type of the welding process are vital to the
final joint performance. Hence, an experimental investigation has
been performed using an engineering robust design approach
(ERDA) to investigate the optimal settings that generate optimal
super DSS (i.e. UNS S32750) joint performance. This manuscript
illustrates the mathematical approach and experimental design,
optimal parameter settings and results of the verification experiment.
Abstract: Microstructural and electrical properties of
Cu-chromium alloy (Cu-Cr) dispersed with vapor-grown carbon fiber
(VGCF) prepared by powder metallurgy (P/M) process have been
investigated. Cu-0.7 mass% Cr pre-alloyed powder (Cu-Cr) made by
water atomization process was used as raw materials, which contained
solid solute Cr elements in Cu matrix. The alloy powder coated with
un-bundled VGCF by using oil coating process was consolidated at
1223 K in vacuum by spark plasma sintering, and then extruded at
1073 K. The extruded Cu-Cr alloy (monolithic alloy) had 209.3 MPa
YS and 80.4 IACS% conductivity. The extruded Cu-Cr with 0.1
mass% VGCF composites revealed a small decrease of YS compared
to the monolithic Cu-Cr alloy. On the other hand, the composite had a
higher electrical conductivity than that of the monolithic alloy. For
example, Cu-Cr with 0.1 mass% VGCF composite sintered for 5 h
showed 182.7 MPa YS and 89.7 IACS% conductivity. In the case of
Cu-Cr with VGCFs composites, the Cr concentration was observed
around VGCF by SEM-EDS analysis, where Cr23C6 compounds were
detected by TEM observation. The amount of Cr solid solution in the
matrix of the Cu-Cr composites alloy was about 50% compared to the
monolithic Cu-Cr sintered alloy, and resulted in the remarkable
increment of the electrical conductivity.
Abstract: The aim of this study is to investigate formability of
Al based closed cell metallic foams at high temperature. The foam
specimens with rectangular section were produced from
AlMg1Si0.6TiH20.8 alloy preform material. Bending and free
bending tests based on gravity effect were applied to foam specimens
at high temperatures. During the tests, the time-angular deformation
relationships with various temperatures were determined.
Deformation types formed in cell walls were investigated by means
of Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and optical microscopy.
Bending deformation about 90° was achieved without any defect at
high temperatures. The importance of a critical temperature and
deformation rate was emphasized in maintaining the deformation.
Significant slip lines on surface of cell walls at tensile zones of
bending specimen were observed. At high strain rates, the microcrack
formation in boundaries of elongated grains was determined.
Abstract: Sol-enhanced Zn-Ni-Al2O3 nanocomposite coatings
were electroplated on mild steel by our newly developed solenhanced
electroplating method. In this method, transparent Al2O3 sol
was added into the acidic Zn-Ni bath to produced Zn-Ni-Al2O3nanocomposite
coatings. The chemical composition, microstructure and
mechanical properties of the composite and alloy coatings deposited
at two different agitation speed were investigated. The structure of all
coatings was single γ-Ni5Zn21 phase. The composite coatings possess
refined crystals with higher microhardness compared to Zn-Ni alloy
coatings. The wear resistance of Zn-Ni coatings was improved
significantly by incorporation of alumina nano particles into the
coatings. Higher agitation speed provided more uniform coatings
with smaller grain sized and slightly higher microhardness.
Considering composite coatings, high agitation speeds may facilitate
co-deposition of alumina in the coatings.
Abstract: Extracting and determining chlorophyll pigments
(chlorophyll a and b) in green leaves are the procedures based on the
solvent extraction of pigments in samples using N,Ndimethylformamide
as the extractant. In this study, two species of
soluble inorganic selenium forms, selenite (SeIV) and selenate (SeVI)
at different concentrations were investigated on maize plants that
were growing in nutrient solutions during 2 weeks and at the end of
the experiment, amounts of chlorophyll a and b for first and second
leaves of maize were measured. In accordance with the results we
observed that our regarded Se concentrations in both forms of SeIV
and SeVI were not effective on maize plants’ chlorophyll a and b
significantly although high level of 3 mg.kg-1 SeIV had negative affect
on growth of the samples that had been treated by it but about SeVI
samples we did not observe this state and our different considered
SeVI concentrations were not toxic for maize plants.
Abstract: Transportation of long turbine blades from one place
to another is a difficult process. Hence a feasibility study of
modularization of wind turbine blade was taken from structural
standpoint through finite element analysis. Initially, a non-segmented
blade is modeled and its structural behavior is evaluated to serve as
reference. The resonant, static bending and fatigue tests are simulated
in accordance with IEC61400-23 standard for comparison purpose.
The non-segmented test blade is separated at suitable location based
on trade off studies and the segments are joined with an innovative
double strap bonded joint configuration. The adhesive joint is
modeled by adopting cohesive zone modeling approach in ANSYS.
The developed blade model is analyzed for its structural response
through simulation. Performances of both the blades are found to be
similar, which indicates that, efficient segmentation of the long blade
is possible which facilitates easy transportation of the blades and on
site reassembling. The location selected for segmentation and
adopted joint configuration has resulted in an efficient segmented
blade model which proves the methodology adopted for segmentation
was quite effective. The developed segmented blade appears to be the
viable alternative considering its structural response specifically in
fatigue within considered assumptions.
Abstract: The paper deals with the classical fiber bundle model
of equal load sharing, sometimes referred to as the Daniels’ bundle
or the democratic bundle. Daniels formulated a multidimensional
integral and also a recursive formula for evaluation of the
strength cumulative distribution function. This paper describes
three algorithms for evaluation of the recursive formula and also
their implementations with source codes in the Python high-level
programming language. A comparison of the algorithms are provided
with respect to execution time. Analysis of orders of magnitudes of
addends in the recursion is also provided.
Abstract: Aim of this work is to determine the theoretical and
experimental properties of filament wound glass fiber/epoxy resin
composite pipes with different winding design subjected under
bending. For determination of bending strength of composite samples
three point bending tests were conducted. Good correlation between
theoretical and experimental results has been obtained, where sample
No4 has shown the highest value of bending strength. All samples
have demonstrated matrix cracking and fiber failure followed by
layers delamination during testing. Also, it was found that smaller
winding angles lead to an increase in bending stress. From presented
results good merger between glass fibers and epoxy resin was
confirmed by SEM analysis.
Abstract: In this study, firstly democratic thoughts which
directly or indirectly affect economic development and/or the
interaction between authoritarian regimes and the economic
development and the direction and channels of this interaction were
studied and then the study tried to determine how democracy affects
economic development. It was concluded that the positive
contributions of democracy to economic development were more
determinant than the effects that were either negative or restrictive in
terms of development. When compared to autocracy, since
democracy is more successful in managing social conflicts, ensuring
political stability and preventing social disasters such as famine, it
contributes more to economic development. Democracy also
facilitates delegation of authority, provides a stable investment
environment and accelerates mobilization of resources in accordance
with economic growth/development. Democracy leads to an increase
in human capital accumulation and increases the growth rate through
reducing income inequality. It can be said that democratic regimes
are the most appropriate ones in terms of increasing economic
performance and supporting economic development through their
strong institutional structures and the assurance they will ensure in
property rights.
Abstract: Non-crimp 3D orthogonal fabric composite is one of
the textile-based composite materials that are rapidly developing
light-weight engineering materials. The present paper focuses on
geometric and micromechanical modeling of non-crimp 3D
orthogonal carbon fabric and composites reinforced with it for
aerospace applications. In this research meso-finite element (FE)
modeling employs for stress analysis in different load conditions.
Since mechanical testing of expensive textile carbon composites with
specific application isn't affordable, simulation composite in a virtual
environment is a helpful way to investigate its mechanical properties
in different conditions.
Abstract: A new steganographic method via the use of numeric
data on public websites with a self-authentication capability is
proposed. The proposed technique transforms a secret message into
partial shares by Shamir’s (k, n)-threshold secret sharing scheme with
n = k + 1. The generated k+1 partial shares then are embedded into the
numeric items to be disguised as part of the website’s numeric content,
yielding the stego numeric content. Afterward, a receiver links to the
website and extracts every k shares among the k+1 ones from the stego
numeric content to compute k+1 copies of the secret, and the
phenomenon of value consistency of the computed k+1 copies is taken
as an evidence to determine whether the extracted message is authentic
or not, attaining the goal of self-authentication of the extracted secret
message. Experimental results and discussions are provided to show
the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method.
Abstract: Family is a basic unit of the society and the main
source of human development. The initial aim of the family is
psychological and social support of its members and has special
developmental stages. Researches show the families who have less
cohesion, have more conflicts and maladjustments and the members
of such families are not able to communicate effectively. Family is a
system in which any inter communication is related to child rearing
patterns and can affect it. Even the child rearing styles in childhood
can determine the family communications in adulthood. Therefore,
the aim of the present research was to examine the relationship
between child-rearing styles including authoritative, authoritarian and
permissive with dimensions of family communication patterns
including the conversation and conformity. The research design was a
correlational and the population consisted of the psychology students
of Roudehen Islamic Azad University who were studying in
academic year 2013-2014. A sample of 324 students was selected
randomly from the population. The research tools were the Baumrind
Child-rearing Questionnaires and Family Communication
Patterns Inventory, The Revised Scale of Koerner and Fitzpatrick.
The result was as below: (a) there was a positive and significant
relationship between conversation orientation and authoritative style.
(b) There was no significant relationship between conversation
orientation and other child-rearing styles. (c) There was a negative
significant relationship between conformity orientation and
authoritative style. (d) There was a positive significant relationship
between conformity orientation with authoritarian and permissive
styles. (e) There was a significant relationship between 3 dimensions
of child-rearing and communication patterns.
Abstract: The paper presents new results concerning selection of
optimal information fusion formula for ensembles of C-OTDR
channels. The goal of information fusion is to create an integral
classificator designed for effective classification of seismoacoustic
target events. The LPBoost (LP-β and LP-B variants), the Multiple
Kernel Learning, and Weighing of Inversely as Lipschitz Constants
(WILC) approaches were compared. The WILC is a brand new
approach to optimal fusion of Lipschitz Classifiers Ensembles.
Results of practical usage are presented.
Abstract: Plasmin plays an important role in the human
circulatory system owing to its catalytic ability of fibrinolysis. The
immediate injection of plasmin in patients of strokes has intrigued
many scientists to design vectors that can transport plasmin to the
desired location in human body. Here we predict the structure of
human plasmin and investigate the interaction of plasmin with the
gold-nanoparticle.
Because the crystal structure of plasminogen has been solved, we
deleted N-terminal domain (Pan-apple domain) of plasminogen and
generate a mimic of the active form of this enzyme (plasmin). We
conducted a simulated annealing process on plasmin and discovered a
very large conformation occurs. Kringle domains 1, 4 and 5 had been
observed to leave its original location relative to the main body of the
enzyme and the original doughnut shape of this enzyme has been
transformed to a V-shaped by opening its two arms. This observation
of conformational change is consistent with the experimental results of
neutron scattering and centrifugation.
We subsequently docked the plasmin on the simulated gold surface
to predict their interaction. The V-shaped plasmin could utilize its
Kringle domain and catalytic domain to contact the gold surface.
Our findings not only reveal the flexibility of plasmin structure but
also provide a guide for the design of a plasmin-gold nanoparticle.
Abstract: Quantitative analyses of whisker movements provide a
means to study functional recovery and regeneration of mouse facial
nerve after an injury. However, accurate tracking of the mouse whisker
movement is challenging. Most methods for whisker tracking require
manual intervention, e.g. fixing the head of the mouse during a study.
Here we describe a semi-automated image processing method, which
is applied to high-speed video recordings of free-moving mice to track
the whisker movements. We first track the head movement of a mouse
by delineating the lower head contour frame-by-frame that allows for
detection of the location and orientation of the head. Then, a region of
interest is identified for each frame; the subsequent application of a
mask and the Hough transform detects the selected whiskers on each
side of the head. Our approach is used to examine the functional
recovery of damaged facial nerves in mice over a course of 21 days.
Abstract: Purpose: The study aimed to assess the depressant or
antidepressant effects of several Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory
Drugs (NSAIDs) in mice: the selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)
inhibitor meloxicam, and the non-selective COX-1 and COX-2
inhibitors lornoxicam, sodium metamizole, and ketorolac. The
current literature data regarding such effects of these agents are
scarce.
Materials and methods: The study was carried out on NMRI mice
weighing 20-35 g, kept in a standard laboratory environment. The
study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of
Medicine and Pharmacy „Carol Davila”, Bucharest. The study agents
were injected intraperitoneally, 10 mL/kg body weight (bw) 1 hour
before the assessment of the locomotor activity by cage testing (n=10
mice/ group) and 2 hours before the forced swimming tests (n=15).
The study agents were dissolved in normal saline (meloxicam,
sodium metamizole), ethanol 11.8% v/v in normal saline (ketorolac),
or water (lornoxicam), respectively. Negative and positive control
agents were also given (amitryptilline in the forced swimming test).
The cage floor used in the locomotor activity assessment was divided
into 20 equal 10 cm squares. The forced swimming test involved
partial immersion of the mice in cylinders (15/9cm height/diameter)
filled with water (10 cm depth at 28C), where they were left for 6
minutes. The cage endpoint used in the locomotor activity assessment
was the number of treaded squares. Four endpoints were used in the
forced swimming test (immobility latency for the entire 6 minutes,
and immobility, swimming, and climbing scores for the final 4
minutes of the swimming session), recorded by an observer that was
„blinded” to the experimental design. The statistical analysis used the
Levene test for variance homogeneity, ANOVA and post-hoc
analysis as appropriate, Tukey or Tamhane tests.
Results: No statistically significant increase or decrease in the
number of treaded squares was seen in the locomotor activity
assessment of any mice group. In the forced swimming test,
amitryptilline showed an antidepressant effect in each experiment, at
the 10 mg/kg bw dosage. Sodium metamizole was depressant at 100
mg/kg bw (increased the immobility score, p=0.049, Tamhane test),
but not in lower dosages as well (25 and 50 mg/kg bw). Ketorolac
showed an antidepressant effect at the intermediate dosage of 5
mg/kg bw, but not so in the dosages of 2.5 and 10 mg/kg bw,
respectively (increased the swimming score, p=0.012, Tamhane test).
Meloxicam and lornoxicam did not alter the forced swimming
endpoints at any dosage level.
Discussion: 1) Certain NSAIDs caused changes in the forced
swimming patterns without interfering with locomotion. 2) Sodium
metamizole showed a depressant effect, whereas ketorolac proved
antidepressant. Conclusion: NSAID-induced mood changes are not
class effects of these agents and apparently are independent of the
type of inhibited cyclooxygenase (COX-1 or COX-2).
Disclosure: This paper was co-financed from the European Social
Fund, through the Sectorial Operational Programme Human Resources Development 2007-2013, project number POSDRU /159
/1.5 /S /138907 "Excellence in scientific interdisciplinary research,
doctoral and postdoctoral, in the economic, social and medical fields
-EXCELIS", coordinator The Bucharest University of Economic
Studies.