bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
URPE at Fifty: Reflections on a Half Century of Activism, Community, Debate (and a Few Crazy Moments)
Authors: Kim Marlene
Published: September 2018

Nearly a dozen Union for Radical Political Economics (URPE) members, including founders and activists (past and present), review URPE’s history and legacy, including its political activism, hilarious past, and moving moments. Born in the turbulent 1960s, URPE changed scholars’ lives by providing a platform and community to discuss Left economic work, meet lifelong collaborators and friends, and receive much-needed encouragement and support in a hostile profession. It has broadened, altered, and improved scholarship and the economics profession.
Reinforced magnetic polyurethane rigid (PUR) foam nanocomposites and investigation of thermal, mechanical, and sound absorption properties
Authors: Moghaddam Sahebeh Tamaddoni , Naimi-Jamal Mohammad Reza
Published: September 2018

In this study, magnetic polyurethane rigid foam nanocomposites were synthesized by in situ polymerization of polyol and diisocyanate in the presence of ferroso-ferric oxide (Fe3O4)@silicon dioxide (SiO2)@urea magnetic core-shell nanoparticles (NPs). The structure of the Fe3O4@SiO2@urea NPs were confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The effect of the Fe3O4@SiO2@urea NPs on sound absorption characteristics, thermal stability, and mechanical property of the polyurethane (PU) foams was studied. The sound absorption coefficient was determined using the sound impedance tube method, and it was concluded that the coefficient of the composites was increased in comparison to the pure foam and previously reported magnesium hydroxide-3% and aluminum oxide-3% PU foams, over the entire frequency range.
Thermal, Tensile and Dynamic Mechanical Properties of Short Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polypropylene Composites
Authors: Wang Chuanbao , Ying Sanjiu
Published: September 2018

Short carbon fibre (SCF) reinforced composites have made great progress in the last few decades due to their useful properties, and have been used in many areas. In this paper, carbon fibres were cut into short ones with the length from 40 μm to 100 μm and mixed with polypropylene (PP) fibres at the high speed of 105 rpm by High-Speed Dispersator in reference to the way of papermaking. Three concentrations of SCF, 5, 15 and 25 w%, were used. Composites with good uniform dispersion of SCF in PP matrix were prepared via melting compounding in a twin-screw extruder followed by injection moulding. The effect of SCF content on the thermal and dynamic mechanical properties was studies by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The SCF dispersed uniformly and aligned along a direction in PP matrix according to the SEM photographs and the incorporation of SCF enhanced the nucleation process, which was confirmed by DSC results. The heat of fusion and crystallinity of the composites also decreased with increasing CFs concentration. In addition, the stiffness of SCF/PP composites increased as the content of SCF increased. Finally, DMA results showed that an increment of SCF could improve the damping properties.
Non-Woven Flax Fibre Reinforced Polypropylene: Static and Low Velocity Impact Behaviour
Authors: Hoang Thuy Quynh Truong , Touchard Fabienne
Published: September 2018

Non-woven flax fibre reinforced new and recycled polypropylene were manufacturing by an industrial process of carding, batt, needle-punching and thermo-pressing. Polypropylene fibres were mixed with flax fibres in the carding process forming a thick multi-layered mat which was used for thermo-compression process. Effects of multi-layered non-woven manufacturing on mechanical properties were analyzed in different composites with three fibre areal weights. The results highlight the anisotropic behaviour of the obtained composites and a constant ratio of absorption energy to impact energy. In addition, cyclic tests and acoustic emission method coupled with image correlation measurement were specially employed in order to detect the damage development process in the composites and to qualify the deformation process in tensile test.
Study on Mechanical Properties and Water Absorption Behaviour of Wastepaper Fibre/Recycled Polypropylene Composites
Authors: Xiaolin Zhang , Xiangfeng Bo , Rumin Wang
Published: September 2018

There has been growing interest in the use of waste materials as an alternative source for the conventional wood-plastic composites (WPC) in the global market. This paper evaluates the feasibility of two different kinds of wastepaper fibre as reinforcing materials used for WPC. For this purpose, the fibre morphology of old newspaper fibre (ONPF) and old magazine paper fibre (OMGF) was investigated by fibre morphology analyzer, respectively. Wastepaper fibres, recycled polypropylene (rPP), and 2%MAPP were compounded by double-roller mixer and test specimens were prepared by hot press moulding. The tensile, flexural, and water absorption properties of ONPF and OMGF reinforced rPP composites as a function of fibre content were studied. The results showed that the highest mechanical properties of ONP and OMG fibre reinforced composites could be reached with 30 wt.% fibre contents. The mechanical properties of the composites made from ONP fibres were better than those made from OMG fibres. However the addition of wastepaper fibres resulted in a decrease in elongation at break. Both the fibre loading and the fibre morphological characteristics had an effect on the water uptake behaviour. But the effect of fibre size on the water uptake was minimal compared to that of the fibre content. The water uptake of wastepaper fibre/rPP composites may actually be slowed down rather than delayed. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the fracture surface of a tensile specimen with 30 wt.% wastepaper fibre loading showed good fibre dispersion in the matrix and a good compatibility between wastepaper fibre and rPP matrix. The results suggested that both the ONP fibres and the OMG fibres could be used as potential sources and reinforcing agent for composites, but the reinforcement effect of ONPF was better than that of OMGF.
Extrusion of CNT-modified Polymers with Low Viscosity - Influence of Crystallization and CNT Orientation on the Electrical Properties
Authors: Steinmann W. , Vad T. , Weise B. , Wulfhorst J. , Seide G. , Gries T. , Heidelmann M. , Weirich T.
Published: September 2018

Several polymers were modified with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNT) to study the influences of the crystallization in the polymeric matrix and of the CNT orientation during extrusion on the electrical conductivity. Experiments were carried out with common semi-crystalline polymers (polypropylene, polyethylene, polyamide 6) and compared to an amorphous polymer (ethylene vinyl acetate). All polymers were grades with low viscosity, so that the CNT could be oriented well during extrusion. For all materials, the percolation threshold was determined, and the lowest value of 3% was found in polypropylene. The percolation threshold was correlated to the degree of crystallinity of the matrix polymers, so that crystallites could be seen as an excluded volume for CNT. The crystallization itself was analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), whereby nucleation effects and changes in the crystallization temperature were found. The shear rate during extrusion had a large influence on the electrical conductivity. This effect was analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), with which the orientation of CNT in the direction of extrusion was visualized and differences between the polymer matrices were explained.
The Preparation of Palygorskite Clay Modified Woodceramics from Wheat Straw and the Absorption of Them to the Phenol Wastewater
Authors: Wu W.T. , Nie Z.F. , Tan F.I. , Xu F. , Xu L. , Gao K.I.
Published: September 2018

This paper used wheat straw and palygorskite clay as raw materials, and phenolic resin as adhesive. By the technologies of powdering, mixing, solidifying, molding and sintering, the palygorskite clay Modified woodceramics were obtained. And it made use of these porous composite materials to research the adsorption of the phenol wastewater, which explored the adsorption effect of the composite materials on phenol and found out the optimum conditions of adsorption by changing the ratio of raw materials, sintering temperature, dosage of composite materials, oscillating time and pH.

The result of the palygorskite clay Modified woodceramics prepared by different dosing ration of raw materials and sintering temperatures on phenol showed that the removal effect of the composite materials (wheat straw: palygorskite clay=5:1, sintering temperature = 900 °C) on phenol was best.

Using the palygorskite clay modified woodceramics to adsorb the phenol wastewater. It turned out that when the dosage of the composite materials was 0.5 g, the Oscillating time was 60 mins, and the solution temperature was 25 °C, the composite materials adsorption efficiency on phenol was the highest. In addition, the higher the phenol solution concentration and pH, the lower the adsorption efficiency was. What's more, the absorbability of the composite materials on phenol corresponded with Feundlich adsorption model, and the saturated adsorption was 45.66 mg/L, which indicated that the palygorskite clay Modified woodceramics had strong adsorption effect to phenol.
Effect of Cryogenic Cycles on Mechanical Behavior of Glass/Epoxy Composite
Authors: Feng Jiemin , Wang Hui , Guo Zhansheng , Hu Hongjiu , Zhang Junqian
Published: September 2018

Cryogenic cycling effects on the behavior of two layer-up glass/epoxy laminates were studied. One cycle of cryogenic cycling test was designated as the sequence from 65 °C to −196 °C and the tests were conducted up to 80 cycles. Dynamic mechanic analysis tests were carried out to investigate the relationship between storage modulus (E'), loss modulus (E”) or damping factor (tan δ) and cycling numbers. It was found that the storage modulus changed little and the damping factor increased with the number of cryogenic cycles increased. Creep-recovery tests were also preformed in single-cantilever mode by DMA to inspect the effect of cryogenic cycles on the creep behavior of glass/epoxy composites. The variation of the reduced creep compliance was observed considered with the number of cycles.
Effect of Functionalization of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes on the Electrical Conductivity and Mechanical Properties of Unsaturated Polyester Resin Composites
Authors: Jiang Jiuxing , Wang Zhenhua , Xu Fan , Xu Jianjun
Published: September 2018

As the unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) has multiple functional groups, it can be solidified at ambient temperatures and pressures. But the low mechanical properties limit its application. In this paper, the functional multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were modified by maleic anhydride to synthesize UPR composites by condensation reaction. Then we obtained the UPR composites with oriented MWCNTs by application of external electric field. The microstructure, electrical conductivity and mechanical properties of UPR composites were investigated by scanning electron microscope, infrared spectroscopy, impedance analyzer and universal testing machine. It was found that the composites are anisotropy and the tensile strength and bending strength of composites with 0.5 wt.% lengthways MWCNTs are improved by 70%, 43%, the compressive strength with 0.5 wt.% is improved by 90%, the electrical conductivity increased to 107 S/cm when the contents reach to 1%.
Properties of Polypropylene and Surface Modified Glass-Fibre Composites
Authors: Zhu L.H. , Sheng J.F. , Guo Z.F. , Ju X.S. , Li S. , Chen Y.F. , Luo J.
Published: September 2018

To improve the interfacial bonding between polypropylene (PP) and glass-fibre (GF), the surface modified glass-fibre (SMGF) was prepared with the self-designed sizing containing organofunctional silanes and a copolymer. Then the SMGF-PP composites were prepared and those properties were observed by mechanical testing, light microscopy, X-ray diffractometry (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Mechanical tests displayed that SMGF-PP composites had an increase in tensile strength, tensile modulus, bending strength, bending modulus and notched impact strength compared to the pure PP. Light micrographs showed that the average fibre length of the composite was 397 μm. XRD data indicated that the crystal size of SMGF-PP composites became smaller compared to pure PP, and β form crystals of PP disappeared with the addition of SMGF to PP matrix. DSC data showed that SMGF could promote the crystallization temperature of PP. TGA analyses showed that the thermal stability of SMGF-PP was better than that of pure PP.
Preparation of Nanocrystalline Cellulose from Corncob Acid-Hydrolysis Residue and Its Reinforcement Capabilities on Polyvinyl Alcohol Membranes
Authors: Yan Meiling , Li Shujun , Dong Feng , Han Shiyan , Li Jian , Xing Lei
Published: September 2018

The sodium chlorite process was utilized successfully to remove the lignin from corncob acid-hydrolysis residue (CAHR), and the intermediate was used to prepare nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) with a very mild ultrasonic treatment (600W). When the duration of the ultrasonic treatment increased, the absolute value of the zeta potential became stronger and the particle size smaller. When the duration reached 30 minutes, the zeta potential of the NCC reached −23mV, and the particle size was 28.7 nm. The FTIR, XRD, and TEM analysis results proved that the cellulose product was nanocrystalline in Type I structure with a high crystallinity index (79.74%), with a diameter less than 10 nm. The reinforcement of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) membranes using NCC was also investigated. When the dosage of the NCC was 1.0 wt.%, the tensile strength increased from 34 MPa to 37 MPa. This work provides a novel and cost-effective way to utilize corncob acid-hydrolysis residue.
Effect of Starch Fillers on the Dynamic Mechanical Properties of Rubber Biocomposite Materials
Authors: Datta J.
Published: September 2018

The results of the dynamic mechanical study of biocomposites filled with different amounts of potato starch and corn starch are discussed. The composites were obtained from rubber mixtures containing natural rubber (NR) as a main component. Plastification of NR and rubber mixture was achieved by using the rubber open mixing mill (friction ratio 1.08). The vulcanization process was realized with a hydraulic press under predetermined conditions (pressure ca. 5 MPa, temperature ca. 143 °C, and processing time of 7, 12, 17 min). Thermomechanical analysis (by DMTA) showed that the quantity of starch fillers had only a slight influence on the glass transition temperature of the produced vulcanizate materials.
Preparation and Characterisation of Polyethersulfone Filled with Silica Nanoparticles
Authors: Ou Cheng-Fang , Chium Shing-Jyun
Published: September 2018

This study was performed primarily to investigate the effects of chemical modification on silica surface and the silica content on the thermal and gas barrier properties of a polyethersulfone (PES) matrix. The PES/SiO2 composites composed of PES and three species of SiO2 nanoparticles (AEROSIL A200, R805 and R974) were prepared by solution blending. The thermal behaviour, thermal stability, and morphology of the composites were studied by DSC, TGA and SEM. The oxygen barrier efficiency of the composites was characterized by use of an oxygen transmission rate (OTR) analyzer. The composites' properties, such as glass transition temperature (Tg), decomposition temperature (Td), and oxygen barrier, were found to improve. The Tgs of the composites increased significantly with the silica content and the 10 wt.% R805 composite exhibited the highest Tg, which was 28.7 °C higher than that of pure PES (193.8°C). The Tds of these composites increased from 4.9 °C to 10.6 °C with silica content ranging from 0.5∼10 wt.%. The added SiO2 leads to an increase in Tg and Td. The oxygen barrier effectiveness of the composites showed significant improvement when compared to pure PES. The 1 wt.% R974 composite exhibited the lowest OTR, a decrease of 62% when compared to pure PES. These results indicate that the PES/SiO2 composites have high potential for flexible polymer substrate applications.
An Evaluation of the Compression Response of High-Performance Prepregs for Afp Applications
Authors: Rao S. , Umer R. , Cantwell W.J.
Published: September 2018

In this study, the compaction response of unidirectional out-of-an autoclave (OOA) prepreg tape has been evaluated experimentally at 25°, 45° and 65 °C. Instantaneous and incremental displacement compaction experiments have been carried out in a universal testing machine until a compressive strain of 0.42 ±0.02 was achieved. The fiber-bed stress was determined by transposing the results of displacement-controlled experiments onto data from corresponding load-controlled experiments. The material was then modelled as a viscoelastic material using a third order exponential decay function, based on a generalized Maxwell model. This procedure enabled the extraction of the relaxation time constants and the peak stress.

The results highlight a linear relationship between the operating temperature and the load/stress relaxation response of the prepreg/tape, suggesting that if the fiber placement procedure is performed at 65 °C, the effect of roller stiffness on tape/fiber laying is negligible. The maximum contribution of fiber stress to the overall relaxation is approximately 6% at 45 °C and 65 °C, indicating the formability to be matrix dependent. A minimum spring-back is observed in specimens that were tested under incremental displacement conditions. The difference in thickness of the as-laid laminate and the cured laminate at 45 °C and 65 °C were similar. The linear stress relaxation model has been shown to be capable of predicting the maximum stress accurately using the viscosity values of the dashpots and the moduli of the springs.
Studies on Physical and Mechanical Properties of Silica Fume-Filled Nylon 66 Polymer Composites for Mechanical Components
Authors: Raja V.L. , Kumaravel A.
Published: September 2018

Enhancement of mechanical and wear-resistant properties of polymer composites is important because they are widely used in tribological environments. The properties can be enhanced by reinforcement with particulates in the polymer matrix. Nylon is used in many engineering applications, and silica fume is used as a filler material in civil-oriented applications. In this paper, the properties of Nylon 66 reinforced with silica fume particulates are investigated. The reinforcement by silica fume at 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% and 25% weight fraction is considered. Nylon 66 and silica fume were compounded in a twin screw extruder and the test samples were produced in 60 ton L&T injection moulding machine. Heat distortion temperature (HDT), tensile, flexural, compression and impact strength tests were carried out in accordance with ASTM standards. The test results confirmed the improved mechanical and HDT properties of the Nylon 66-silica fume composites. Observations made using scanning electron microscopy revealed good physical adhesion and uniform dispersion of silica fumes in the Nylon 66.
Synthesis of Sodium Alginate Graft Poly (Acrylic Acid-Co-Acrylamide)/ Kaolin Composite Hydrogel and the Study on Its Sorption of Rhodamine B
Authors: Tang Yaoji , Wang Qiang , Zhou Bin , Ma Dong , Ma Ze , Zhu Linhui
Published: September 2018

Sodium alginate graft poly(acrylic acid-co-acrylamide)/kaolin composite hydrogel was synthesized using ammonium persulfate (APS) as an initiator and N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as a crosslinker. The hydrogel was characterized by infrared spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. It was used to remove rhodamine B from aqueous solutions. Effects of the adsorbing conditions, including initial concentration of dyestuff, contact time, the dosage of hydrogel, pH value as well as the ionic strength of the solution, on the adsorption capacities were investigated. The adsorption thermodynamics and kinetics were also discussed. The results suggest that the composite hydrogel offers a good potential for rhodamine B removal from water.
Modeling of Bond of Sand-Coated Deformed Glass Fibre-Reinforced Polymer Rebars in Concrete
Authors: Xue Weichen , Yang Yu , Zheng Qiaowen , Fang Zhiqing
Published: September 2018

In this paper, 30 beam tests, 48 Losberg pullout tests and 6 standard pullout tests were conducted to investigate bond-slip response of sand-coated deformed glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) rebars in concrete. The specimen parameters varied were concrete strength, embedment length, bar diameter and test method. Two failure modes including pullout failure and splitting failure were observed. The experimental bond stress-slip (τ-s) curves of sand-coated deformed GFRP rebars in concrete in pullout failure included a micro-slippage branch, a slippage branch, a descending branch and a residual branch, while the τ-s curves in splitting failure included a micro-slippage branch and a slippage branch. Based on the tests, a new bond-slip constitutive model for sand-coated deformed GFRP rebars in concrete was presented. Compared with other available models, the model proposed in this paper can provide more reliable simulations of the test results.
Study on Dynamic Behavior of AFRP-Wrapped Circular Concrete Specimens under Repeated Impacts
Authors: Song Hengwen , Yang Hui , Zhang Shi
Published: September 2018

A series of damage tests and axially repeated compressive tests with high strain rates were conducted to investigate the behavior of aramid fiber reinforced polymer (AFRP) wrapped concrete under repeated impacts. The relation between damage condition and variables such as impact number and polymer thickness were examined. The tests were performed using a 100 mm diameter Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) apparatus and a nonmetal supersonic test meter. Various AFRP layers were applied to produce varied confinement ratios. The experimental results indicated that the AFRP-wrapped concrete exhibited excellent performance in resisting repeated impacts. Also, the specimens maintained their shapes and bearing capacity after multiple impacts with a mean strain rate of 50 s−1. No distinct decline was observed from the history of peak stress and impact toughness in AFRP-wrapped concrete. Moreover, additional AFRP layers significantly decreased the impact damage on the core concrete, as reflected by the different strain rate histories in damage progression.
Detection of Voids in Carbon/Epoxy Laminates and Their Influence on Mechanical Properties
Authors: Di Landro Luca , Montalto Aurelio , Bettini Paolo , Guerra Stefania , Montagnoli Fabrizio , Rigamonti Marco
Published: September 2018

Defects, such as voids and delaminations, may significantly reduce the mechanical performance of components made of composite laminates. Distributed voids and porosity are generated during composite processing and are influenced by prepreg characteristics as well as by curing cycle parameters. On the basis of rheological and thermal analyses, as well as observations of laminates produced by different processing conditions, curing pressure appears the most influent factor affecting the void content. This work compares different methods for void analysis and quantitative evaluation (ultrasonic scan, micro-computed tomography, acid digestion, SEM image analysis) evidencing their applicative limitations. Carbon/epoxy laminates were produced in autoclave or oven by vacuum bag technique, using different processing conditions, so that void contents ranging from 0% to 7% volume were obtained. Effects of porosity over laminates mechanical performances are analysed. The results of tensile and compressive tests are discussed, considering the effect that different curing cycles have over void content as well as over fibre/resin fraction. Interlaminar strength, as measured by short beam shear tests, which is a matrix-dominated property, exhibits a reduction of failure strength up to 25% in laminates with the highest void content, compared to laminates with no porosity.
Low Velocity Impact Behaviour of Asymmetric Three-layer Sandwich Composite Structures with and without Foam Core
Authors: Kavianiboroujeni Azam , Cloutier Alain , Rodrigue Denis
Published: September 2018

This paper presents an experimental investigation of the impact behaviour of three layer sandwich structures made of high density polyethylene (HDPE) and hemp, with and without a foam core. Low-velocity falling weight and Charpy impact tests were performed to investigate the influence of hemp content, skin thickness and core density. The strength, load, absorbed energy, and deflection histories were recorded and analysed and the damaged specimens were inspected to determine the failure patterns. Based on the Charpy impact results, the structures with foam core had higher energy absorption capabilities compared to their counterparts without foam core. In addition, based on the falling weight impact results the energy dissipation properties of sandwich structures without foam core were superior to the structures with foam core. This property was also greatly influenced by skin fibre content, skin thickness and structure configuration.
“A clue in a labyrinth:” The medico-chemistry of the stone in the life of Edward Darrell Smith
Authors: Driggers Edward A
Published: September 2018

This article will argue that Edward Darrell Smith engaged in chemical analysis in order to broaden his understanding of the body, particularly stones, in a humoral framework. At the time, Antoine Lavoisier’s chemical innovations were exciting the medical world, and Lavoisier himself was pursuing medical questions in his chemical research. Medical students from Philadelphia to Charleston were writing dissertations on the different types of stones and concretions found in the body. Smith practiced medicine in a world in which the remedy for the stone was compelling and a long awaited discovery. By examining Edward Darrell Smith’s biography, we can get a vista into this world.
‘[Expletive], that was confusing, wasn’t it?’ Defence lawyers’ and intermediaries’ assessment of the language used to question a child witness
Authors: Hanna Kirsten , Henderson Emily
Published: September 2018

While language specialists and legal professionals have voiced concerns about the language used to question child witnesses in the Aotearoa/NZ courts, it is unclear whether both groups share a common understanding of what those language problems are. This study compares five Aotearoa/NZ defence lawyers’ and two England/Wales intermediaries’ perceptions of the developmental (in)appropriateness of the language used to question an 11-year-old witness, based on their assessment of the witness’ anonymised trial transcript. The comparison showed that both groups agreed on the categories of language features that might confuse children, however, intermediaries identified many more instances of problematic language within those categories than lawyers. Training on developmentally appropriate language and pre-trial preparation of questions would certainly help lawyers improve the comprehensibility of their questions. However, the implementation of a full intermediary scheme, such as that in England/Wales, probably offers the best prospects for a sustained sea change in questioning practices.
Comparison of Different Extrusion Processes for Cleaning the Recycled Polypropylene Removing Volatile and Non-Volatile Contaminants
Authors: Garcia Pamela Sierra , Cruz Sandra Andrea , Nerín Cristina
Published: September 2018

Many studies have been carried out in order to enable the use of recycled polymers in food packaging. The main problem is the presence of residual contaminants in recycled plastic, because it could pose a risk to public health when in contact with food. Our purpose is to evaluate different types of mechanical recycling in order to decontaminate the polypropylene. Firstly, pellets of polypropylene were contaminated, following the protocol recommended by the FDA. The pellets were subsequently recovered (washed and dried) and the samples were submitted to different extrusion processes. In order to evaluate the decontamination degree of the samples that went through each type of mechanical recycling, extractability tests were performed under different conditions of time, temperature and using different food simulants. The surrogates that migrated (suffered forced migration) were quantified using chromatographic techniques. The results showed that the decontamination degree of the samples changed with the different methods of extrusion applied. They also showed that conditions of time, temperature and different food simulants actually influenced the extraction of the surrogates.
A New Formulation for Polymeric Separator Gels for Potential use in Blood Serum Separator Tubes
Authors: Babakhani Bahareh , Movahed Saeed Ostad , Ghazy Saghar , Ahmadpour Ali
Published: September 2018

Blood serum separator tubes (SST) are used for collecting blood samples for performing clinical chemistry assays. Some SST's have separator gels inside the tube which enable them better separation of the blood serum from packed cells during centrifugation. The cost, weak performance and interaction with blood ingredients are the most concerns of the available commercial gels. A commercial and cheap silicone oil as a polymeric base of the gel was chosen and formulated without and with several fillers. Subsequently, the compounds were crosslinked through a free radical crosslinking mechanism using dicumyl peroxide (DCP). The crosslinking took place in both, an oven and as well as under microwave irradiation in normal and under pressure conditions. The FTIR spectrometer analysis showed that both chain ends of the used silicone oil were terminated with a vinyl group. It also revealed that blood serum separator gel can be produced from selected silicone oil type. Among of different curing apparatus, curing in an oven was preferred due to less curing time and electrical energy consumption. The curing in normal pressure showed better results when compared with curing under pressure. Increasing the filler and DCP with various amounts had positive effect on gel densities. Silica was the most efficient filler among of the studied fillers. The cured compound filled with 10 and 8 phr silica and DCP, respectively, was chosen as appropriate gel for SST due to suitable density and thixotropy. The selected gel was cured in oven under normal pressure for 30 minutes at 160°C.
MicroRNA-325 Is a Potential Biomarker and Tumor Regulator in Human Bladder Cancer
Authors: Lin Tao , Zhou Shiming , Gao Hui , Li Yuqiao , Sun Lijiang
Published: September 2018

Purpose:

We evaluated whether human microRNA-325 may be a potential biomarker and tumor regulator in bladder cancer.

Methods:

Human microRNA-325 expression was probed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in both in vitro bladder cancer cell lines and in vivo bladder carcinoma tissues retrieved from patients with cancer. The prognostic potential of human microRNA-325 in predicting postoperative overall survival of patients with bladder cancer was estimated. Endogenous human microRNA-325 was overexpressed by lentiviral transduction in bladder cancer cell lines, T24 and 5637 cells. The tumor regulatory effects of human microRNA-325 upregulation on T24 and 5637 cells were evaluated both in vitro and in vivo.

Results:

Human microRNA-325 was aberrantly downregulated in both bladder cell lines and human bladder carcinomas. Lowly expressed human microRNA-325 in bladder carcinoma was closely associated with poor postoperative overall survival of patients with cancer. In T24 and 5637 cells, virally transduced cells had markedly upregulated human microRNA-325 expressions. Biochemical assays demonstrated that human microRNA-325 upregulation in bladder cancer had tumor-suppressive functions by decreasing cancer proliferation, cisplatin chemoresistance, and cancer migration in vitro and hindering transplantation growth in vivo and cell cycle transition.

Conclusion:

Human microRNA-325 is lowly expressed and may serve as a potential prognostic biomarker in human bladder cancer. After further validation, human microRNA-325 may be a novel therapeutic target for suppressing carcinoma in patients with bladder cancer.
Polyurethane Foams from Cellulosic Waste and Natural Oil-based Polyols – a Modified Approach
Authors: Mishra D. , Sinha V.K.
Published: September 2018

A modified approach was used to prepare polyurethane (PU) foams employing natural oil-based polyols. Functionalized polyols with different hydroxyl values were synthesized from glycoside obtained from waste paper and reacted with natural oils viz. castor oil and soy oil. The obtained polyols were used to prepare the TDI-adduct based foams. Their physical and thermal properties were studied and compared using compression tests and thermogravimetric analysis; their cellular structures were also investigated using scanning electron microscopy. Processing parameters such as cream, rising and gel times were determined for the reactivity of the prepared polyols. Confirmation of PU linkage was performed by FTIR. The prepared PU foams demonstrated compressive properties ranging from 0.2 to 1.2 MPa and microscopic studies of the foam cell structure indicated its possible use for insulation purposes.
Characterization and Particle Size Control of Acrylic Polymer Latex Prepared with Green Surfactants
Authors: Chen Lijun , Bao Zhongbin , Fu Zhengrong , Li Wen
Published: September 2018

The application of green surfactants, which have low toxicity, excellent biodegradability in emulsion polymerization, has not been reported in the literature. In the present paper, alkyl polyglycosides (APG) and sodium alpha-olefin sulfonate (SAOS) were used as the nonionic emulsifier and anionic emulsifier, respectively to synthesize acrylic polymer latex. The acrylic polymer latex was prepared via semi-continuous seeded emulsion polymerization of butyl acrylate (BA) and methyl methacrylate (MMA) in water phase initiated with potassium persulfate (KPS) when nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEOs) and sodium dodecyl-benzenesulfonate (SDBS) and are replaced with APG and SAOS, respectively. Both APG and SAOS have low toxicity, excellent biodegradability and outstanding properties. The structure of the acrylic polymer latex was confirmed with FTIR spectrum. Differential scanning calorimetry confirmed that the resultant latex is a kind of random copolymer. The unimodal distribution of particle size also confirmed that the acrylic polymer latex was prepared successfully. Factors, which have an influence on particle size of the resultant latex, were studied in detail. The optimum recipe of preparing the acrylic polymer latex with small particle size was obtained.
Use of Essential Oils for the Prevention of Biofilm Formation on Silicone Rubber High Voltage Insulators
Authors: Atarijabarzadeh Sevil , Lacamprett Carla Salas , Karlsson Sigbritt , Strömberg Emma
Published: September 2018

The prevention of biofilm formation on high voltage insulators is important to avoid changes in the surface properties of the material and the subsequent failure of the application. Antimicrobial silicone rubber samples were prepared by the addition of thymol and eugenol to Sylgard 184 to determine the possibility of using natural antimicrobial agents present in essential oils in materials used for high voltage insulators. The antimicrobial effects of thymol and eugenol were studied for different fungal strains and for green algae identified in the biofilms formed on insulators in Tanzania, Sri Lanka and Sweden. It was successfully demonstrated that samples containing high amount of eugenol and different concentrations of thymol could inhibit the fungal growth of strains from Sri Lanka and Tanzania and the growth of green algae. The growth of strains from Sweden was also suppressed. The addition of eugenol to the material resulted in a non-crosslinked system and therefore, the antimicrobial effect of the additive in the material could not be assessed. The addition of thymol did not significantly influence the thermal and mechanical properties of Sylgard184. Although thermal analysis revealed that a large amount of the antimicrobial agent was lost during sample preparation, the materials were effective against microbial growth, even at low thymol concentrations.
Modernist dreams and green sagas: The neoliberal politics of Iceland's renewable energy economy
Authors: Guðmundsdóttir Hrönn , Carton Wim , Busch Henner , Ramasar Vasna
Published: September 2018

Transitioning to renewable energy is an imperative to help mitigate climate change, but such transitions are inevitably embedded in broader socio-ecological and political dynamics. Recent scholarship has focused on these more-than-technological dimensions of energy transitions to help understand their promises and drawbacks. This article contributes to this research agenda by highlighting the importance of considering not only who benefits from renewable energy development, but also what renewable energy is for. We analyse two cases in Iceland, the Kárahnjúkar hydropower project and Hellisheiði geothermal energy plant, in which renewable energy was used to attract heavy industry investments in the form of aluminium smelters. Attractive regulatory conditions in the form of ‘minimal red tape’, low electricity prices and an industry-friendly tax regime led to significant profits for the aluminium industry but questionable benefits for the state and the people of Iceland. Renewable energy development in this way put Iceland's nature to use for private gain, while marginalizing alternative ideas of what that nature is for. Our analysis underlines the need to pursue perspectives that recognize the complex political and socio-ecological nature of energy systems, which includes attention to the political economy of industrial energy consumption.
X-ray diffraction Warren–Averbach mullite analysis in whiteware porcelains: influence of kaolin raw material
Authors: Sanz Angel , Bastida Joaquín , Caballero Angel , Kojdecki Marek
Published: September 2018

Compositional and microstructural analysis of mullites in porcelain whitewares obtained by the firing of two blends of identical triaxial composition using a kaolin B consisting of ‘higher-crystallinity’ kaolinite or a finer halloysitic kaolin M of lower crystal order was performed. No significant changes in the average Al2O3 contents (near the stoichiometric composition 3:2) of the mullites were observed. Fast and slow firing at the same temperature using B or M kaolin yielded different mullite contents. The Warren–Averbach method showed increase of the D110 mullite crystallite size and crystallite size distributions with small shifts to greater values with increasing firing temperature for the same type of firing (slow or fast) using the same kaolin, as well as significant differences between fast and slow firing of the same blend at different temperatures for each kaolin. The higher maximum frequency distribution of crystallite size observed at the same firing temperature using blends with M kaolin suggests a clearer crystallite growth of mullite in this blend. The agreement between thickening perpendicular to prism faces and mean crystallite sizes  of mullite were not always observed because the direction perpendicular to 110 planes is not preferred for growth.
Five-year follow-up of lenalidomide plus rituximab as initial treatment of mantle cell lymphoma
Authors: Ruan Jia , Martin Peter , Christos Paul , Cerchietti Leandro , Tam Wayne , Shah Bijal , Schuster Stephen J. , Rodriguez Amelyn , Hyman David , Calvo-Vidal Maria Nieves , Smith Sonali M. , Svoboda Jakub , Furman Richard R. , Coleman Morton , Leonard John P.
Published: September 2018

Key Points

Lenalidomide plus rituximab as induction and maintenance therapy for MCL can achieve durable MRD-negative complete remissions. Chronic therapy–associated adverse events are generally nonaccumulative and remain manageable.
A guide to stoma care for Sikh patients
Authors: Hall Lisa
Published: September 2018

Community stoma nurse, Salts Healthcare, looks at the UK's major religions to help gastrointestinal and stoma care nurses factor patients' culture, beliefs and values into their care
Pedobarographic and stabilometric analysis and exercises for children with recurrent ankle haemarthrosis
Authors: Elnaggar Ragab Kamal
Published: September 2018

Background/Aims:

To investigate the dynamic plantar loading characteristics, postural stability and the effectiveness of an exercise programme in children with recurrent ankle haemarthrosis.

Methods:

In an exploratory study, 56 children with haemophilia (Group A) and 23 typically developing children (Group B) were initially assessed. Group A received a progressive exercise programme twice a week for 6 weeks in succession. Midstance plantar loading and the dynamic limit of stability were measured using Tekscan HR MatTMpressure measurement system and Biodex Balance System respectively.

Findings:

Heel pressure in Group A was significantly lower than Group B (P<0.05), whereas mid-foot, forefoot, and hallux pressure were significantly higher (P<0.05). Also, Group A showed poorer postural stability (P<0.05). Furthermore, a significant correlation between postural stability and plantar loading measures was indicated in Group A. Following the completion of 6 weeks of exercises, the plantar pressure (except the medial mid-foot) and postural stability (except the mediolateral stability) for Group A were not significantly different in comparison to Group B (P>0.05).

Conclusion:

Dynamic plantar loading provides a potentially valuable directory for the clinicians to understand variations of postural stability in children with ankle haemarthrosis. Further, adherence to a 6-week exercise rehabilitation programme might be helpful.
Near-infrared fluorescence lymphatic imaging in vascular endothelial growth factor-C overexpressing murine melanoma
Authors: Kwon Sunkuk , Velasquez Fred Christian , Sevick-Muraca Eva M.
Published: September 2018

In this study we employ a near-infrared fluorescence lymphatic imaging (NIRFLI) technique to longitudinally image spatial and temporal changes in the lymphatics in mice bearing vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-C overexpressing B16F10 (VEGF-C-B16F10) or mock-transduced B16F10 (mock-B16F10) melanoma tumors. Our NIRFLI data show that ICG-laden lymph accumulates into a VEGF-C-B16F10 tumor compared to mock-B16F10 at 3 days post implantation, presumably due to increased lymphatic vessel permeability. Quantification shows a significantly greater percentage of ICG-perfused area in VEGF-C-B16F10 (7.6 ± 2) as compared to MOCK-B16F10 (1 ± 0.5; p = 0.02), which is also confirmed by quantification of the lymphatic leakage of evans blue dye (optical density at 610nm; VEGF-C-B16F10, 10.5 ± 2; mock-B16F10, 5.1 ± 0.5; p = 0.009); thereafter, lymphatic leakage is visualized only in the peritumoral region. Our imaging data also show that anti-VEGF-C treatment in VEGF-C-B16F10 restores normal lymphatic vessel integrity and reduces dye extravasation. Because NIRFLI technology can be used to non-invasively detect lymphatic changes associated with cancer, it may provide a new diagnostic to assess the lack of lymphatic vessel integrity that promotes lymphovascular invasion and to assess therapies that could arrest invasion through normalization of the lymphatic vasculature.
Unsupervised Source Selection for Domain Adaptation
Authors: Vogt Karsten , Paul Andreas , Ostermann Jörn , Rottensteiner Franz , Heipke Christian
Published: September 2018

The creation of training sets for supervised machine learning often incurs unsustainable manual costs. Transfer learning (TL) techniques have been proposed as a way to solve this issue by adapting training data from different, but related (source) datasets
to the test (target) dataset. A problem in TL is how to quantify the relatedness of a source quickly and robustly. In this work, we present a fast domain similarity measure that captures the relatedness between datasets purely based on unlabeled data. Our method
transfers knowledge from multiple sources by generating a weighted combination of domains. We show for multiple datasets that learning on such sources achieves an average overall accuracy closer than 2.5 percent to the results of the target classifier for semantic segmentation tasks. We further
apply our method to the task of choosing informative patches from unlabeled datasets. Only labeling these patches enables a reduction in manual work of up to 85 percent.
Gray Method for Multiple Attribute Decision Making with Incomplete Weight Information under the Pythagorean Fuzzy Setting
Authors: Khan Muhammad Sajjad Ali , Abdullah Saleem , Lui Peide
Published: September 2018

In this study, we developed an approach to investigate multiple attribute group decision-making (MAGDM) problems, in which the attribute values take the form of Pythagorean fuzzy numbers whose information about attribute weights is incompletely known. First, the Pythagorean fuzzy Choquet integral geometric operator is utilized to aggregate the given decision information to obtain the overall preference value of each alternative by experts. In order to obtain the weight vector of the criteria, an optimization model based on the basic ideal of the traditional gray relational analysis method is established, and the calculation steps for solving Pythagorean fuzzy MAGDM problems with incompletely known weight information are given. The degree of gray relation between every alternative and positive-ideal solution and negative-ideal solution is calculated. Then, a relative relational degree is defined to determine the ranking order of all alternatives by calculating the degree of gray relation to both the positive-ideal solution and negative-ideal solution simultaneously. Finally, an illustrative example is given to verify the developed approach and to demonstrate its practicality and effectiveness.
Fields of Sense and Formal Things: The Ontologies of Tristan Garcia and Markus Gabriel
Authors: Kleinherenbrink Arjen
Published: September 2018

A striking feature of the relatively new philosophical genre of speculative realism is that it includes theories that explicitly seek to bridge or overcome the divide between analytic and continental philosophy. Two such theories are Markus Gabriel’s ontology of fields of sense and Tristan Garcia’s ontology of formal things. Both theories hold that all entities - be they physical, mental, fictional, technical, or otherwise - are equally and irreducibly real. This article first describes the core features of these ontologies. This provides insight into these theories themselves and also gives us a glimpse of what philosophy ‘beyond the divide’ might look like. In addition, both theories are shown to be examples of what I will call ‘relational’ philosophy, or philosophy that exhaustively defines entities in terms of how they appear to or feature in other entities. I argue that all such philosophies are haunted by the ‘infinite deferral of specification,’ a specific problem that I argue renders them inconsistent. Finally, I oppose such ‘relationist’ philosophies to ‘substantialist’ ones, and suggest that this distinction might one day succeed the division between analytic and continental philosophy.