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Mass Fraction (mass + fraction)
Selected AbstractsMorphology profiles generated by temperature gradient in PMMA modified epoxy systemPOLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 11 2001P. M. Stefani A diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) epoxy resin was modified with 15 wt% of poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) and cured with a stoichiometric amount of 4,4,-diamino diphenyl methane (DDM). The reactive mixture was cured in a heated mold with different gradients of temperature. Temperature profiles in the mold were imposed by generation of a heat flux from the base, supported on a hot plate, and the top, cooled with water; they were measured along the mold. Depending on the thermal history in each position of the mold, the competition between the phase-separation process and reaction kinetics produces opaque or transparent zones. Phase separation can also occur in the postcure process while the gelation does not take place before. Therefore, a thermoset plate with gradient of morphology and properties was obtained. Mass fractions of PMMA dissolved in the matrix were calculated with the Fox equation from glass transition temperatures measured along the mold. They were related to morphologies developed during curing. The superposition of the phase diagrams with the conversion-temperature trajectories during cure permitted an explanation of the morphology gradients generated. [source] Preparation and thermal properties of microencapsulated phase change material for enhancing fluid flow heat transferHEAT TRANSFER - ASIAN RESEARCH (FORMERLY HEAT TRANSFER-JAPANESE RESEARCH), Issue 1 2007Yu Rao Abstract Microencapsulated phase change material (MEPCM) is formed by packing PCM into a microcapsule with a solid but flexible shell. MEPCM can be used to enhance liquid cooling performance considerably. In this paper, experiments on the preparation of MEPCM with a double-layered shell have been conducted. An in-situ polymerization microencapsulation process was used to prepare the MEPCM with melamine resin as the shell material and n-Docosane (C22H46) as the core material. Interesting parameters like the size of the prepared MEPCM, the core mass fraction in the MEPCM, and the thermal storage capability of the prepared MEPCM have been measured and analyzed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 36(1): 28,37, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/htj.20138 [source] Combustion behavior of a falling sodium droplet: Burning rate-constant and drag coefficientHEAT TRANSFER - ASIAN RESEARCH (FORMERLY HEAT TRANSFER-JAPANESE RESEARCH), Issue 7 2005Atsushi Makino Abstract The combustion behavior of a single sodium droplet has been studied experimentally, by use of a falling droplet. It was found that D2 -law can hold for the sodium droplet combustion after the ignition, which can be observed to occur through an increase in the droplet temperature under a condition without a gaseous flame, suggesting that a surface reaction plays an important role in the ignition of sodium. It was also found that the burning rate-constant without forced convection has nearly the same value as those for conventional hydrocarbon droplets, although it is considered that the sodium combustion proceeds in an oxidizer-rich environment even in the air. This can be judged by comparing a temporal variation of the flame/droplet diameter ratio for the sodium droplet with that for the hydrocarbon droplet. A micro-explosion of the burning droplet is also observed when oxygen concentration in the ambience exceeds 0.33 in mass fraction. As for the falling velocity and/or distance of the burning droplet, it turned out that the use of the drag coefficient for solid sphere under isothermal condition is inappropriate in obtaining accurate values. It was also found in another experiment that when Re > 500, the drag coefficient of the falling droplet undergoing combustion is as high as 2 depending on combustion situation and/or droplet temperature, while that of the solid sphere under an isothermal condition is 0.44. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 34(7): 481,495, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/htj.20084 [source] Pool boiling heat transfer in binary mixtures of ammonia/water: Effect of heat of dilution and dissolution on heat transfer coefficientHEAT TRANSFER - ASIAN RESEARCH (FORMERLY HEAT TRANSFER-JAPANESE RESEARCH), Issue 4 2002Toshiaki Inoue Abstract Nucleate boiling heat transfer coefficients were measured on a horizontal heated wire during the pool boiling of non-azeotropic mixtures of ammonia/water. The experiment was carried out at pressures of 0.4 and 0.7 MPa, at heat fluxes below 2.0 × 106 W/m2, and over a range of mass fraction. The heat transfer coefficients in the mixtures were smaller than those in single-component substances. No existing correlation is found to predict boiling heat transfer coefficients over the range of mass fraction of interest. In the mixtures of the ammonia/water, the heats of dilution and dissolution were generated near a liquid surface while vapor with a rich concentration of ammonia was condensed and then was diffused into the bulk liquid; while in most other mixtures, little heat was generated during any dilution and dissolution. In relation to the heat generated, the effect of the heats of dilution and dissolution on pressure and temperature in a system (pressure vessel) is shown herein. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 31(4): 272,283, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/htj.10034 [source] Performance analysis of gas liquefaction cyclesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESEARCH, Issue 1 2008Mehmet Kanoglu Abstract Relations are developed for first- and second-law analyses of the simple Linde,Hampson cycle used in gas liquefaction systems. An expression for the minimum work requirement, which is applicable to any gas liquefaction system, is developed with the help of a Carnot refrigerator. It is shown that the minimum work depends only on the properties of the incoming and outgoing gas streams and the environment temperature. Numerical calculations are performed to obtain the performance parameters of different gases while parametric studies are done to investigate the effects of liquefaction and inlet gas temperatures on various first- and second-law performance parameters. As the liquefaction temperature increases and the inlet gas temperature decreases, the liquefied mass fraction, the coefficient of performance (COP) and the exergy efficiency increase while actual and reversible work consumptions decrease. The exergy efficiency values appear to be low, indicating significant potential exists for improving efficiency and thus decreasing the required work consumption for a specified amount of liquefaction. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Porous epoxies by reaction induced phase separation of removable alcohols: Control of spheroidal pore size by mass fraction, cure temperature, and reaction rate,JOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE, Issue 6 2010Robert J. Klein Abstract Porous organic and inorganic materials with both random and controlled microstructures have utility in a variety of fields including catalysis, sensors, separations, optical platforms, tissue engineering, hydrogen storage, micro-electronics, medical diagnostics, as well as other applications. This work highlights a simple and general technique for tuning the pore size in crosslinking polymeric systems by adding a solvent poragen that phase separates during the curing process (reaction induced phase separation). The pore size can be controlled over large length scales ranging from microns to well below 100 nanometers. In this system an amine cured epoxy resin was reacted in the presence of the sacrificial poragen octadecanol, which is removed by vacuum-assisted evaporation once the epoxy components have reacted to form a solid, porous matrix. The importance of the present approach is based on the simplicity of the chemical formulation, the ease by which other epoxide or amine chemistries may be substituted for the two reactive components, and the control of pore size down to the nanometer scale by the addition of a small amount of catalyst. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., J Appl Polym Sci, 2010 [source] Simulation of dry-spinning process of polyimide fibersJOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE, Issue 5 2009Gang Deng Abstract As one type of high-performance fibers, the polyimide fibers can be prepared from the precursor polyamic acid via dry-spinning technology. Unlike the dry-spinning process of cellulose acetate fiber or polyurethane fiber, thermal cyclization reaction of the precursor in spinline with high temperature results in the relative complex in the dry-spinning process. However, the spinning process is considered as a steady state due to a slight degree of the imidization reaction from polyamic acid to polyimide, and therefore a one-dimensional model based on White-Metzer viscoelastic constitutive equation is adopted to simulate the formation of the fibers. The changes of solvent mass fraction, temperature, axial velocity, tensile stress, imidization degree, and glass transition temperature of the filament along the spinline were predicted. The effects of spinning parameters on glass transition temperature and imidization degree were thus discussed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009 [source] Effect of particle size of an amorphous calcium phosphate filler on the mechanical strength and ion release of polymeric composites,JOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL MATERIALS RESEARCH, Issue 1 2007Soo-Young Lee Abstract The random clustering of amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) particles within resin matrices is thought to diminish the strength of their polymerized composites. The objective of this study was to elucidate the effect of ball-milling on the particle size distribution (PSD) of ACP fillers and assess if improved dispersion of milled ACP in methacrylate resin sufficiently enhanced filler/matrix interactions to result in improved biaxial flexure strength (BFS), without compromising the remineralizing potential of the composites. Unmilled and wet-milled zirconia-hybridized ACP (Zr-ACP) fillers were characterized by PSD analysis, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric and chemical analysis, infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Composite specimens made from a photoactivated, ternary methacrylate resin admixed with a mass fraction of 40% of un-milled or milled Zr-ACP were evaluated for the BFS (dry and wet) and for the release of calcium and phosphate ions into saline solutions. While having no apparent effect on the structure, composition, and morphology/topology of the fillers, milling significantly reduced the average size of Zr-ACP particulates (median diameter, dm = 0.9 ± 0.2 ,m) and the spread of their PSD. Better dispersion of milled Zr-ACP in the resins resulted in the improved BFS of the composites, even after aqueous soaking, and also gave a satisfactory ion release profile. The demonstrated improvement in the mechanical stability of anti-demineralizing/remineralizing ACP composites based on milled Zr-ACP filler may be beneficial in potentially extending their dental utility. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2007 [source] Differential selection of growth rate-related traits in wild barley, Hordeum spontaneum, in contrasting greenhouse nutrient environmentsJOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2004K. J. F. Verhoeven Abstract Across-species comparisons show that inherent variation in relative growth rate (RGR) and its underlying traits are correlated with habitat productivity. In this study, we test the hypothesis that growth rate-related traits confer differential selective effects in contrasting nutrient environments. We specifically test whether high RGR is targeted by selection in nutrient-rich environments whereas low values of traits that underlie RGR [specific leaf area (SLA), leaf mass fraction and leaf area ratio (LAR)] confer a direct fitness advantage in nutrient-poor environments, resulting in selection of low RGR as a correlated response. We measured RGR, its underlying component traits, and estimated fitness in a range of wild barley (Hordeum spontaneum) accessions grown under high and low nutrient conditions. Selection on component traits differed between the two environments, while total selection of RGR was not significant. Using multiple regression and path analysis to estimate direct fitness effects, a selective advantage of high LAR and SLA was demonstrated only under nutrient-rich conditions. While supporting the view that observed associations between habitat richness and some RGR-component traits reflect adaptation to differing nutrient regimes, our data suggest that direct selection targets component traits rather than RGR itself. [source] Immunization of rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), with a low molecular mass fraction isolated from Flavobacterium psychrophilumJOURNAL OF FISH DISEASES, Issue 12 2008E Högfors Abstract Flavobacterium psychrophilum, the causative agent of rainbow trout fry syndrome has become a widespread fish pathogen in freshwater aquaculture worldwide. In this study, a low molecular mass fraction (P25-33), with an approximate weight of 25,33 kDa, was identified among F. psychrophilum strains in an immunoblotting analysis with anti- F. psychrophilum sera. The immunogenic efficacy of the isolated and extracted P25-33 was investigated in two intraperitoneal immunization trials with rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum). The first trial included immunizations using P25-33 with Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA) and the second trial included immunizations using P25-33, formalin-inactivated whole and sonicated F. psychrophilum cell preparations without FCA. In both trials, antibody titres against F. psychrophilum were analysed with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and the efficacy of the immunizations was determined by a challenge with F. psychrophilum. The P25-33 was shown to give rise to a protective immune response in rainbow trout after immunization with FCA, but not without FCA when a low concentration of P25-33 was used. Instead formalin-inactivated whole and sonicated cells of F. psychrophilum were able to protect the immunized fish more effectively when immunized without FCA. The results suggest that whole or sonicated F. psychrophilum cells could be better candidates for a cost-effective water-based injection vaccine than the immunogenic fraction. [source] EFFECT OF INSOLUBLE PARTICLES UPON SOLID INCLUSION LEVELS IN ICE FORMED ON A SUBCOOLED STAINLESS STEEL SURFACEJOURNAL OF FOOD PROCESS ENGINEERING, Issue 2 2000PING CHEN ABSTRACT This study employed an insoluble solid particle, i.e. a potato starch used as an example, to investigate the impact of the concentration of such particles suspended in water (with solid loading of 5, 10, 20 and 30 wt%) upon the solid inclusion levels in ice layers formed on a sub-cooled smooth stainless steel plate surface. The effects of ice growth rate, bulk concentration and suspension velocity on insoluble solid inclusion, i.e. potato starch mass fraction, in ice layer were studied. The experiments, where potato starch is added into aqueous sucrose solutions or the reverse where sucrose is added into starch suspension, were also carried out to investigated effect of the starch particles on sucrose inclusion in ice and effect of solute (sucrose) on starch particle inclusion in ice. It has been found that solid inclusion in ice increases with increasing bulk concentration and average ice growth rate, at constant solution and coolant velocities, and increasing suspension velocity can help pure ice formation. The average distribution coefficient of sucrose in ice layer formed from sucrose solution does not appear to be affected by the addition of potato starch. However, the average distribution coefficient of potato starch in ice layer formed from suspension is influenced by sucrose concentration quite significantly. [source] Process control and monitoring of reactive crystallization of L -glutamic acidAICHE JOURNAL, Issue 8 2010Hannu Alatalo Abstract The aim of the present study was to investigate feedback control of a reactive crystallization process. The present study built up a control structure needed to control the driving force of reactive crystallization using the feed rate of added acid. The concentration of the crystallizing compound and pH was used to compute feedback in the closed-loop control of semi-batch precipitation. The concentration of L -glutamic acid was determined from measured MID-IR ATR-FTIR spectra based on a multivariate model. Dynamic change of set value was based on the mass of added sulfuric acid and pH. The studied properties of the product crystals were polymorphism and crystal size. The polymorphic composition was analyzed with a Raman spectrometer and was expressed by mass fraction of the ,-polymorph. The obtained results showed that the developed feedback process control system allows effective control of forming of polymorphs. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2010 [source] A numerical study of mixing in a microchannel with circular mixing chambersAICHE JOURNAL, Issue 9 2009Mubashshir Ahmad Ansari Abstract The mixing of fluids in a microchannel is numerically investigated using three-dimensional Navier,Stokes equations. The microchannel has circular mixing chambers that are designed to create a self-circulating flow that operates at low Reynolds numbers. The investigations have been performed on a design that comprises of four circular mixing chambers that are joined together with constriction channels. The study has been carried out in two parts. Firstly, the mixing and the flow field are analyzed for a wide range (1,250) of the Reynolds number. Secondly, the effects of two design parameters, namely, the ratio, w/d, of the width of the constriction channel to the diameter of the circular chamber, and the angle, ,, between the outer walls of the chamber and the connection channel, on the mixing and the flow field have been evaluated. The mixing has been evaluated using a parameter, called mixing index, which is based on the variance of the mass fraction. The mixing index at the end of the device increases rapidly with the Reynolds number. The presence of a flow recirculation zone in the circular chamber is found to be effective in enhancing mixing, especially for larger Reynolds numbers. The mixing performance improves with an increase in ,, and with a decrease in w/d. The characteristics of the pressure drop have also been investigated as a function of the Reynolds number and geometric parameters. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2009 [source] Phase separation of liquid-liquid two-phase flow at a T-junctionAICHE JOURNAL, Issue 1 2006L. Yang Abstract The phase separation of liquid-liquid two-phase flow at a T-junction has been studied using kerosene and deionized water as working fluids and a T-junction with a horizontal main pipe and a vertically upward side arm. Separation data are evaluated by a new criterion: separation efficiency. The results show that the T-junction is highly efficient at separating two immiscible liquids when the flows approaching the T-junction are stratified and when the fractional mass take offs close to the inlet kerosene mass fraction. A new model has been proposed for the phase separation. Comparison between the model and the experimental data shows that the data is well represented by the model. © 2005 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2006 [source] Optimal carbon source switching strategy for the production of PHA copolymersAICHE JOURNAL, Issue 3 2001Nikolaos V. Mantzaris During polymerization in a nongrowing cell population of Ralstonia eutropha, alternating between two different carbon sources (fructose and fructose/valeric acid) could lead to the production of block copolymers consisting of blocks of homo-poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) and polyhydroxybutyrate-co-valerate (PHBV) copolymer. The problem of finding the optimal number of carbon source switches and corresponding switching times that maximize the final concentration of diblock copolymers (PHB-PHBV and PHBV-PHB) was addressed. It was mathematically formulated in the mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) framework, which allows the decomposition of the original problem into the primal and master problems. The primal problem corresponds to the original problem for a fixed number of carbon source switches, whereas the master problem consists of finding the number of carbon source switches that maximizes the optimum solutions of all possible primal problems. The global optimum was obtained for 39 carbon source switches. It corresponds to a mass fraction of 50.6% of final diblock copolymer concentration over the final total polymer concentration. [source] Synthesis and Magneto-mechanical Properties of Ce-TZP/La M-Type Hexaferrite CompositeJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY, Issue 9 2002Takashi Kojima An in situ composite composed of ceria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystals (Ce-TZP) and La{Co0.5Fe0.5(Fe0.9Al0.1)11}O19 was synthesized from a powder mixture of Ce-TZP, La(Fe0.9Al0.1)O3, Fe2O3, Al2O3, and CoO. The dense Ce-TZP dispersed with platelike La{Co0.5Fe0.5(Fe0.9Al0.1)11}O19 crystals as a second phase were formed after sintering from 1250° to 1350°C. The saturation magnetization of the insitu composite Ce-TZP/La{Co0.5Fe0.5(Fe0.9Al0.1)11}O19 was proportional to the mass fraction of the hexaferrite second phase in Ce-TZP. The coercivity of the composite with a 20 mass% of second phase decreased from 9.14 to 2.52 kOe (from 728 to 201 kA/m) after the pulverization of the composite. The susceptibility (,) increased by 15%,25% under uniaxial stress on the composite. The change of the susceptibility (,,/,) value increased with decreasing the mass fraction of the second phase in the composite. The ,, was found to increase linearly with applied stress and abruptly change on cracking, which is expected for the application in fracture sensing of the composite. [source] The substructure hierarchy in dark matter haloesMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 1 2010Carlo Giocoli ABSTRACT We present a new algorithm for identifying the substructure within simulated dark matter haloes. The method is an extension of that proposed by Tormen, Moscardini & Yoshida and Giocoli, Tormen & van den Bosch, which identifies a subhalo as a group of self-bound particles that prior to being accreted by the main progenitor of the host halo belonged to one and the same progenitor halo (hereafter ,satellite'). However, this definition does not account for the fact that these satellite haloes themselves may also have substructure, which thus gives rise to sub-subhaloes, etc. Our new algorithm identifies substructures at all levels of this hierarchy, and we use it to determine the mass function of all substructure (counting subhaloes, sub-subhaloes, etc.). On average, haloes which are formed more recently tend to have a larger mass fraction in substructure and to be less concentrated than average haloes of the same mass. We provide quantitative fits to these correlations. Even though our algorithm is very different from that of Gao et al., we also find that the subhalo mass function per unit mass at redshift z= 0 is universal. This universality extends to any redshift only if one accounts for the fact that host haloes of a given mass are less concentrated at higher redshifts, and concentration and substructure abundance are anticorrelated. This universality allows a simple parametrization of the subhalo mass function integrated over all host halo masses, at any given time. We provide analytic fits to this function which should be useful in halo model analyses which equate galaxies with halo substructure when interpreting clustering in large sky surveys. Finally, we discuss systematic differences in the subhalo mass function that arise from different definitions of (host) halo mass. [source] Major dry mergers in early-type brightest cluster galaxiesMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2009F. S. Liu ABSTRACT We search for ongoing major dry mergers in a well-selected sample of local brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) from the C4 cluster catalogue. 18 out of 515 early-type BCGs with redshift between 0.03 and 0.12 are found to be in major dry mergers, which are selected as pairs (or triples) with r -band magnitude difference ,mr < 1.5 and projected separation rp < 30 kpc, and showing signatures of interaction in the form of significant asymmetry in residual images. We find that the fraction of BCGs in major dry mergers increases with the richness of the clusters, consistent with the fact that richer clusters usually have more massive (or luminous) BCGs. We estimate that present-day early-type BCGs may have experienced on average ,0.6 (tmerge/0.3 Gyr),1 major dry mergers and through this process increases their luminosity (mass) by 15 per cent (tmerge/0.3 Gyr),1 (fmass/0.5) on average since z= 0.7, where tmerge is the merging time-scale and fmass is the mean mass fraction of companion galaxies added to the central ones. We also find that major dry mergers do not seem to elevate radio activities in BCGs. Our study shows that major dry mergers involving BCGs in clusters of galaxies are not rare in the local Universe, and they are an important channel for the formation and evolution of BCGs. [source] The Bullet Cluster 1E0657-558 evidence shows modified gravity in the absence of dark matterMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 1 2007J. R. Brownstein ABSTRACT A detailed analysis of the 2006 November 15 data release X-ray surface density ,-map and the strong and weak gravitational lensing convergence ,-map for the Bullet Cluster 1E0657-558 is performed and the results are compared with the predictions of a modified gravity (MOG) and dark matter. Our surface density ,-model is computed using a King ,-model density, and a mass profile of the main cluster and an isothermal temperature profile are determined by the MOG. We find that the main cluster thermal profile is nearly isothermal. The MOG prediction of the isothermal temperature of the main cluster is T= 15.5 ± 3.9 keV, in good agreement with the experimental value T= 14.8+2.0,1.7 keV. Excellent fits to the 2D convergence ,-map data are obtained without non-baryonic dark matter, accounting for the 8, spatial offset between the ,-map and the ,-map reported in Clowe et al. The MOG prediction for the ,-map results in two baryonic components distributed across the Bullet Cluster 1E0657-558 with averaged mass fraction of 83 per cent intracluster medium (ICM) gas and 17 per cent galaxies. Conversely, the Newtonian dark matter ,-model has on average 76 per cent dark matter (neglecting the indeterminant contribution due to the galaxies) and 24 per cent ICM gas for a baryon to dark matter mass fraction of 0.32, a statistically significant result when compared to the predicted ,-cold dark matter cosmological baryon mass fraction of 0.176+0.019,0.012. [source] A comprehensive set of simulations studying the influence of gas expulsion on star cluster evolutionMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2007H. Baumgardt ABSTRACT We have carried out a large set of N -body simulations studying the effect of residual-gas expulsion on the survival rate, and final properties of star clusters. We have varied the star formation efficiency (SFE), gas expulsion time-scale and strength of the external tidal field, obtaining a three-dimensional grid of models which can be used to predict the evolution of individual star clusters or whole star cluster systems by interpolating between our runs. The complete data of these simulations are made available on the internet. Our simulations show that cluster sizes, bound mass fraction and velocity profile are strongly influenced by the details of the gas expulsion. Although star clusters can survive SFEs as low as 10 per cent if the tidal field is weak and the gas is removed only slowly, our simulations indicate that most star clusters are destroyed or suffer dramatic loss of stars during the gas removal phase. Surviving clusters have typically expanded by a factor of 3 or 4 due to gas removal, implying that star clusters formed more concentrated than as we see them today. Maximum expansion factors seen in our runs are around 10. If gas is removed on time-scales smaller than the initial crossing time, star clusters acquire strongly radially anisotropic velocity dispersions outside their half-mass radii. Observed velocity profiles of star clusters can therefore be used as a constraint on the physics of cluster formation. [source] Extracting star formation histories from medium-resolution galaxy spectraMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 2 2006H. Mathis ABSTRACT We adapt an existing data compression algorithm, moped, to the extraction of median-likelihood star formation histories from medium-resolution galaxy spectra. By focusing on the high-pass components of galaxy spectra, we minimize potential uncertainties arising from the spectrophotometric calibration and intrinsic attenuation by dust. We validate our approach using model high-pass spectra of galaxies with different star formation histories covering the wavelength range 3650,8500 Å at a resolving power of ,2000. We show that the method can recover the full star formation histories of these models, without prior knowledge of the metallicity, to within an accuracy that depends sensitively on the signal-to-noise ratio. The investigation of the sensitivity of the flux at each wavelength to the mass fraction of stars of different ages allows us to identify new age-sensitive features in galaxy spectra. We also highlight a fundamental limitation in the recovery of the star formation histories of galaxies for which the optical signatures of intermediate-age stars are masked by those of younger and older stars. As an example of application, we use this method to derive average star formation histories from the highest-quality spectra of typical (in terms of their stellar mass), morphologically identified early- and late-type galaxies in the Early Data Release (EDR) of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We find that, in agreement with the common expectation, early-type galaxies must have formed most of their stars over 8 Gyr ago, although a small fraction of the total stellar mass of these galaxies may be accounted for by stars with ages down to 4 Gyr. In contrast, late-type galaxies appear to have formed stars at a roughly constant rate. We also investigate the constraints set by the high-pass signal in the stacked spectra of a magnitude-limited sample of 20 623 SDSS-EDR galaxies on the global star formation history of the Universe and its distribution among galaxies in different mass ranges. We confirm that the stellar populations in the most massive galaxies today appear to have formed on average earlier than those in the least massive galaxies. Our results do not support the recent suggestion of a statistically significant peak in the star formation activity of the Universe at redshifts below unity, although such a peak is not ruled out. [source] Thermal and transport properties of the polymer electrolyte based on poly(vinyl alcohol)-LiOH-H2OPHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (C) - CURRENT TOPICS IN SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 10 2005I. Delgado Abstract Solid polymer electrolytes consisting of poly(ethylene oxide) PEO and lithium trifluroacetate (CF3COOLi) with various salt mass fractions were prepared by the solvent casting method using acetonitrile. Temperature and concentration dependent impedance spectroscopy, as well as thermal analysis suggest the existence of a complex in the blends with an EO/Li ratio corresponding roughly to 4:1. The dc conductivity (,0) of the blends were very sensitive to the temperature (T) and their salt mass fraction (x), showing values in the range of 10-5 to 10-2 (S cm,1) at 330 K as the salt concentration was increased. The enhancement of conductivity with increasing temperature (5 orders of magnitude when the temperature changes from 300 to 353 K) was attributed to the high mobility of the Li+ ions as a consequence of the chain polymer flexibility and the increase of the free volume for ionic migration. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Morphological variation of Aechmea distichantha (Bromeliaceae) in a Chaco forest: habitat and size-related effectsPLANT BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2009L. Cavallero Abstract Plants show different morphologies when growing in different habitats, but they also vary in their morphology with plant size. We examined differences in sun- and shade-grown plants of the bromeliad Aechmea distichantha with respect to relationships between plant size and variables related to plant architecture, biomass allocation and tank water dynamics. We selected vegetative plants from the understorey and from forest edges of a Chaco forest, encompassing the whole size range of this bromeliad. Plant biomass was positively correlated with most architectural variables and negatively correlated with most biomass allocation variables. Understorey plants were taller and had larger diameters, whereas sun plants had more leaves, larger sheath area, sheath biomass and sheath mass fraction. All tank water-related variables were positively correlated with plant biomass. Understorey plants had a greater projected leaf area, whereas sun plants had higher water content and evaporative area. Plasticity indices were higher for water-related than for allocation variables. In conclusion, there were architectural and biomass allocation differences between sun- and shade-grown plants along a size gradient, which, in turn, affected tank water-related variables. [source] Effect of resin compositions on microwave processing and thermophysical properties of benzoxazine-epoxy-phenolic ternary systems filled with silicon carbide (SiC) whiskerPOLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 5 2009Chanchira Jubsilp Microwave processing of silicon carbide (SiC) whisker filled ternary systems based on benzoxazine, epoxy, and phenolic resins has been investigated using an industrial microwave apparatus at a fixed frequency of 2.45 GHz. The low viscosity molding compound and void-free cured specimens can easily be obtained from the resin mixtures. Increasing of epoxy mass fraction in the ternary systems provided a better microwave coupling, therefore, a faster curing time and higher conversion under microwave irradiation. However, the greater amount of epoxy resin in the mixture was observed to retard the traditional thermal cure process as seen in the shifting of the exothermic curing peaks to higher temperature. The higher dielectric constant of epoxy resin comparing with the benzoxazine resin can be attributed to the observed phenomenon. Additionally, benzoxazine fraction was found to render a reduction in linear thermal expansion coefficient of the ternary systems. The development of ternary systems yields the polymer systems with high flexibility in resin-curing agent mixing ratios with relatively high Tg in the broader range of mixing ratios i.e., BEP451-BEP811. Synergism in glass transition temperature of the ternary systems is also observed with the maximum Tg up to 160°C in BEP721. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2009. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers [source] Thermal conductivity and mechanical properties of aluminum nitride filled linear low-density polyethylene compositesPOLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 5 2009Junwei Gu To acquire polymer composites with high thermal conductivity and mechanical properties, the aluminum nitride (AlN) microparticles modified with titanate coupling reagent of isopropyltrioleictitanate (NDZ-105) were employed to blend linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) via powder mixing method. Thermal conductive coefficient of the AlN/LLDPE composites was measured using hot disk thermal analyzer, and the thermal stability characteristics of AlN/LLDPE composites were mainly investigated via thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The results indicated that the use of AlN particles modified by NDZ-105 significantly enhanced thermal conductivity and mechanical properties of AlN/LLDPE composites. The thermal conductivity coefficient , was 1.0842 W/mk with 30% volume fraction of AlN, about three times higher than that of native LLDPE. The tensile strength of composites was maximum (17.42 MPa) with 20% mass fraction of AlN. DSC analyses results indicated that AlN had an influence on the melting temperature and the crystallinity of LLDPE. Additionally, TGA analyses showed that the thermal stability of LLDPE was significantly increased with addition of AlN. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2009. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers [source] The use of particle beam mass spectrometry for the measurement of impurities in a nabumetone drug substance, not easily amenable to atmospheric pressure ionisation techniquesRAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY, Issue 4 2001Jean-Claude Wolff Liquid chromatography/particle beam mass spectrometry (LC/PB-MS) was used for the structural elucidation of some impurities in nabumetone as this compound poorly ionises by atmospheric pressure ionisation (API) techniques. PB-MS was optimised for nabumetone and a sensitivity study was carried out. To obtain full scan electron ionisation spectra a minimum of 100,ng of compound on column was needed. By using 20,mg/mL solutions of nabumetone, impurities at levels of about 250,ppm mass fraction relative to nabumetone could be detected. Results were compared with LC/API-MS and previous GC/MS. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Distinct physiological responses of two rice cultivars subjected to iron toxicity under field conditionsANNALS OF APPLIED BIOLOGY, Issue 2 2009R.J. Stein Abstract Iron toxicity is recognised as the most widely distributed nutritional disorder in lowland and irrigated rice, derived from the excessive amounts of ferrous ions generated by the reduction of iron oxides in flooded soils. Rice cultivars with variable degrees of tolerance to iron toxicity have been developed, and cultural practices such as water management and fertilisation can be used to reduce its negative impact. However, because of the complex nature of iron toxicity, few physiological data concerning tolerance mechanisms to excess iron in field conditions are available. To analyse the physiological responses of rice to iron excess in field conditions, two rice cultivars with distinct tolerance to iron toxicity [BR-IRGA 409 (susceptible) and IRGA 420 (tolerant)] were grown in two areas, with a well-established history of iron toxicity (in Camaquã, RS, Brazil) and without iron toxicity (in Cachoeirinha, RS, Brazil). Plants from the susceptible cultivar grown in the iron-toxic site showed lower levels of chlorophylls and soluble proteins (together with higher carbonyl levels) indicating photooxidative and oxidative damage. The toxic effects observed were because of the accumulation of high levels of iron and not because of any indirectly induced shoot deficiency of other nutrients. Higher activities of antioxidative enzymes were also observed in leaves of plants from the susceptible cultivar only in the iron-toxic site, probably as a result of oxidative stress rather than because of specific involvement in a tolerance mechanism. There was no difference between cultivars in iron accumulation in the symplastic and apoplastic space of leaves, with both cultivars accumulating 85,90% of total leaf iron in the symplast. However, susceptible plants accumulated higher levels of iron in low-molecular-mass fractions than tolerant plants. The accumulation of iron in the low-molecular-mass fraction probably has a direct influence on iron toxicity, and the adaptive strategy of tolerant plants may rely on their capacity to buffer the iron amounts present in the low mass fraction, a new parameter to be considered when evaluating tolerance to iron excess in field-cultivated rice plants. [source] A review of the biophysical properties of salmonid faeces: implications for aquaculture waste dispersal models and integrated multi-trophic aquacultureAQUACULTURE RESEARCH, Issue 3 2009G K Reid Abstract Knowledge of the quantitative and qualitative properties of salmonid faeces is necessary for aquaculture waste dispersal models, and the design of integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) systems. The amount and proximate composition of salmonid faeces can be estimated using a mass-balance, nutritional approach. Indigestible components of salmonid diets have the potential to affect faecal ,cohesiveness' or ,stability'. Nutrient content and density of faeces can vary depending on diet and submersion time. Faecal density has a greater influence on settling velocity than faecal size. Published settling velocity data on salmonid faeces are highly variable due to differences in fish size, rearing systems, collection time, water density, methodology, the mass fraction tested and diet. Most faecal settling data used in published salmonid waste dispersal models are rudimentary and recent information suggests that such models are highly sensitive to this input. The design of open-water IMTA systems and estimation of nutrient capture and recovery from co-cultured filter feeders is difficult due to limited information on particle size, digestibility, settleable and non-settleable mass fractions of salmonid faeces at cage environments. Implications of faecal properties on the accountability for the effects of aquaculture nutrient loading are discussed. [source] Extended NRTL model for PEG + salt based aqueous two-phase systemASIA-PACIFIC JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 2 2010Muthiah Perumalsamy Abstract Liquid,liquid equilibrium (LLE) data of aqueous poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) 2000,sodium citrate systems were determined experimentally at 25°, 35° and 45 °C. Experimental techniques and analytical methods were described in the previous article (T. Murugesan, M. Perumalsamy. J. Chem. Eng. Data. 2005; 50, 1392,1395 [22]). The NRTL (nonrandom, two-liquid) model, expressed in mass fraction, was used to correlate the LLE of aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS). The interaction energy parameters of the NRTL model were adjusted using these experimental LLE data. The model described experimental equilibrium data with a good agreement. Copyright © 2009 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Production of Highly Loaded Nanocomposites by Dispersing Nanoparticles in Epoxy ResinCHEMICAL ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY (CET), Issue 9 2010H. Nolte Abstract The objective of this study was the investigation of techniques for dispersing alumina nanoparticles with different surface modifications in epoxy resin. In order to prepare the matrix suspension, high contents of fillers (up to 50,wt,%) were dispersed by conducting shear mixing techniques in a high performance laboratory kneader. The intention was to attain solutions that were stable against re-agglomeration, while the mass fraction and the product fineness were maintained as high as possible. Therefore, both the formulations and the dispersion parameters were varied systematically. An epoxy resin was used as a carrier fluid and a corresponding amine hardener system was chosen. Tests were performed using alumina particles and surface modified alumina particles at different particle concentrations. Furthermore, the effect of diluting the colloidal suspensions and the resulting long term stability were also examined. The matrix suspension was examined with respect to viscosity, stability and particle size distribution. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||