Evaluating nonlinear variability of mental fatigue behavioral indices during long‐term attentive task

This study investigates the behavioral indices of attention. A simple repetitive attentive task that resulted in mental fatigue was used consecutively in four trials. In the first step, reaction time and error responses were recorded to evaluate differences among trials. During the task, subjects showed different responses to stimulations. In the second part, to recognize the strategies, multiple clustering methods such as k‐means and fuzzy c‐means were performed in which behavioral indices and nonlinear features were used. In the last section, mental behavior was identified as a result of the chaotic properties of variations in reaction time. Therefore, the Lyapunov exponent of reaction times was evaluated. Results revealed that behavioral indices could distinguish attention from the occurrence of mental fatigue in trials. In addition, the three strategies used by subjects during the test protocol were assessed. Finally, variation of indices extracted from nonlinear analysis, that is, decrease in degree of chaotic behavior determined the transition from attention to mental fatigue. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity, 2012     

Properties of two amide‐based hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography columns

Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography is a separation technique suitable for the separation of moderately and highly polar compounds. Various stationary phases (SPs) for hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography are commercially available. While the SPs based on the same type of ligand are available from different providers, they can display a distinct retention characteristics and separation selectivity. The current work is focused on characterization and comparison of the separation systems of two amide‐based HPLC columns from two producers, i.e. XBridge Amide column and TSK gel Amide‐80 column. Several characterization procedures (tests) were used to investigate the differences between these columns. The chromatographic behavior of selected analytes indicates that multimodal interactions are responsible for retention and separation on these columns. Multiple testing approaches were used in order to reveal subtle differences between the SPs. Both amide‐based columns showed certain differences in retention, selectivity, and plate counts. Based on the tests used in this study, we conclude that the investigated columns provide a different degree of H‐bonding interactions.     

Monitoring abiotic degradation of branched polyethylenes formulated with pro-oxidants through different mechanical tests

The mechanical properties of two linear low density and low density polyethylenes containing a pro-oxidant additive were monitored during accelerated aging (60 °C in a convection oven) and weather exposure. Tearing tests (trouser) were performed for the first time in polyethylenes subjected to oxo-degradation revealing a transition from an extensible to a non-extensible material, at exposure times when standard tensile tests were not able to detect any changes in the materials. The essential work of fracture (EWF) technique was also applied and the results were in agreement with those of trouser tests. The specific essential work of fracture first increased with exposure time until the sample experienced a transition to a less ductile state where EWF was no longer applicable. EWF and trouser tear tests were more sensitive detecting the onset of degradation probably because they employ notched specimens that impose more critical stress concentration conditions than conventional tensile tests.     

Effect of Process Variable on the Gelation Time of Sulfonated Polyacrylamide Nanocomposite Hydrogel

Among the methods available to reduce water production during oil recovery, injecting a gelling system composed of a polymer and a crosslinker has been widely used. In this study, a Plackett-Burman design was used for screening a large number of factors such as concentrations of polymer, crosslinker, pH, temperature, and presence or absence of NaCl, CaCl₂, MgCl₂, KCl, thiourea, sodium lactate, and nanoclay on the gelation time of sulfonated polyacrylamide nanocomposite hydrogels by rheological tests. Among these factors, temperature, pH, and CaCl₂ concentration were found to have the greatest effect on the gelation time. The effects of these three factors and their interactions on the gelation time were then determined by using central composite design of response surface method. As a result, the interactions of CaCl₂ concentration with temperature and pH were considerably more than the interactions of pH and temperature on the gelation time. At low pH (3 < pH < 7), the gelation time decreased by decrease of pH while at CaCl₂ concentration of 3750–11250 ppm and at 7 < pH < 11, the gelation time increased with the increase of pH. It was found that temperature was the most effective parameter to control the gelation time.     

Cathode catalysts degradation mechanism from liquid electrolyte to membrane electrode assembly

Single-cell and half-cell degradation test procedures were evaluated for carbon-supported Pt/C, PtCo/C and PtNi/C catalysts. Half-cell analyses were employed to understand the effect of the number of cycles and of the scan rate over the cathode catalysts degradation under potential cycling from 0.6 to 1.2 V. The data suggested a time-dependent degradation for all three catalytic systems. Single-cell measurements were used to evaluate the impact of catalyst degradation on fuel cell performance. The measurements in both setups showed similar ECSA and ORR mass activity losses. Specific degradation mechanisms related to Pt dissolution, Pt agglomeration, and transitional metal leaching were quantified and correlated with performance losses.     

类椭球氧化锌纳米结构的制备与表征

"用普通氧化锌晶须作为原材料, 采用高压釜腐蚀法和高温(600 ℃)裂解结合的方法合成纳米棒构成的氧化锌类椭球结构．XRD、SEM和TEM结果表明这种类椭球结构是单晶的,纳米棒取向一致,自组装生长而成．"     

多值测试诊断策略优化设计

针对电子系统中多值测试条件下的测试排序问题,提出了一种诊断策略优化方法。首先,以相关性矩阵模型为基础,将已有的二值测试的优化算法同多值测试问题相结合,提出了适用于多值测试的基于霍夫曼编码的启发式函数;其次,将平均测试代价最小和平均测试步骤最少作为优化目标,采用与或树启发式搜索算法生成诊断树,得到多值测试的诊断策略,并给出了诊断策略优化方法的具体实现步骤;最后,将其应用到航空设备的实例中。结果表明提出的基于霍夫曼编码的与或树启发式搜索算法是可行的,其生成的诊断树是最优的,比基于信息熵的与或树启发式搜索算法具有更小的平均测试代价和更少的平均测试步骤。     

XPS study of Cr segregation in a martensitic stainless steel

Cr martensitic steels are promising materials for structural applications in future nuclear fusion reactors. Because the embrittlement after tempering treatments can be a serious problem, the fracture mode of a steel with 10.5 wt% of Cr treated at 700°C for 18 h has been investigated through Charpy tests in the temperature range from −100°C to +150°C. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses carried out on the fracture surfaces evidenced the segregation of Cr in both ductile and brittle (quasicleavage) fields. The unexpected result indicates that Cr segregation weakens the atomic bonds; thus, the fracture path in both the cases corresponds to the zones with higher Cr content.     

Study of the nanostructure of γ‐irradiated high‐density polyethylene/carbon black composite and its durability as geomembrane

The degradation of the nearby generation of high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) loaded with 2.5% of carbon black (CB) content (ie, HDPE/CB composites) is studied experimentally with the end goal of radiation safety applications. The impact of various γ‐irradiation doses in the air on the nanostructure of free volume and durability has been researched. The free volume was evaluated utilizing the positron annihilation lifetime (PAL) technique while the durability was contemplated by measuring the mechanical properties such as strain, elongation at break, and tear resistance. The electrical conductivity was explored to demonstrate the impact of the irradiation dose on the conductivity of the samples. Surface morphology studies using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed the surface fracture of HDPE/CB composites for unirradiated and irradiated samples. The surface roughness of the HDPE/CB GMs increases with increasing the irradiation dose. Among various uses of HDPE/CB composites, sheets are liners of dumps used to dispose of interim storage for Low and Medium Level Waste of NORMs and TENORMs. HDPE Geomembrane liners proved its utilization from the results of present research of electrical, mechanical tests, and SEM morphology to have the required resistance to weather conditions.     

Neural spike renormalization. Part I — Universal number 1

For a class of circuit models for neurons, it has been shown that the transmembrane electrical potentials in spike bursts have an inverse correlation with the intra-cellular energy conversion: the fewer spikes per burst the more energetic each spike is. Here we demonstrate that as the per-spike energy goes down to zero, a universal constant to the bifurcation of spike-bursts emerges in a similar way as Feigenbaum's constant does to the period-doubling bifurcation to chaos generation, and the new universal constant is the first natural number 1.