Measurement of LⅢ Subshell Absorption Jump Parameters of Hafnium

The L_Ⅲ subshell absorption jump ratio and jump factor of hafnium have been measured using two different ways which are X-ray attenuation method and Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence technique. The results obtained both ways have been compared with theoretical values. They are in good agreement with each other.     

Transmitter Diversity Gain Technique Aided Irregular Channel Coding for Mobile Video Transmission

The reliable transmission of multimedia information that is coded through highly compression efficient encoders is a challenging task. This article presents the iterative convergence performance of IrRegular Convolutional Codes (IRCCs) with the aid of the multidimensional Sphere Packing (SP) modulation assisted Differential Space Time Spreading Codes (IRCC-SP-DSTS) scheme for the transmission of H.264/Advanced Video Coding (AVC) compressed video coded stream. In this article, three different regular and irregular error protection schemes are presented. In the presented Regular Error Protection (REP) scheme, all of the partitions of the video sequence are regular error protected with a rate of 3/4 IRCC. In Irregular Error Protection scheme-1 (IREP-1) the H.264/AVC partitions are prioritized as A, B & C, respectively. Whereas, in Irregular Error Protection scheme-2 (IREP-2), the H.264/AVC partitions are prioritized as B, A, and C, respectively. The performance of the iterative paradigm of an inner IRCC and outer Rate-1 Precoder is analyzed by the EXtrinsic Information Transfer (EXIT) Chart and the Quality of Experience (QoE) performance of the proposed mechanism is evaluated using the Bit Error Rate (BER) metric and Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR)-based objective quality metric. More specifically, it is concluded that the proposed IREP-2 scheme exhibits a gain of 1 dB Eb/N0 with reference to the IREP-1 and Eb/N0 gain of 0.6 dB with reference to the REP scheme over the PSNR degradation of 1 dB.     

A rapid LC-MS/MS method for determination of urinary EtG and application to a cut-off limit study

Ethyl glucuronide (EtG) is a metabolite and a specific marker of alcohol consumption that can be detected days after the complete elimination of alcohol after drinking. A rapid, simple, and sensitive LC-ESI-MS/MS method for the determination of urinary ethyl glucuronide was developed and fully validated in accordance with analytical standards, using the C₁₈ column. The whole process including sample preparation and LC-MS/MS lasted 10 min. A comprehensive validation including HorRat, measurement uncertainty, system suitability and intermediate precision calculations among analysts, and a cut-off limit study was performed. The method was applied to real samples and a cutoff limit determination study. The LOD and LOQ (using the IUPAC and Eurachem methods) were determined as 104.21 ng mL^?1 and 165.00 ng mL^?1. A cut-off limit of ≈ 818 ng mg^?1 (normalised to creatinine) was found for urinary EtG. The results showed that the cut-off limits currently in use should be re-considered in further studies and standardised on a global scale. Normalisation to creatinine is important because of the risk of the dilution of urine intentionally or with a change of diet. The concentrations of real samples from subjects who had consumed alcohol were successfully predicted using this method, after zero HS-GC/MS results of urine alcohol concentration.     

Developing teachers' models for assessing students' competence in mathematical modelling through lesson study

Applications and modelling have gained a prominent role in mathematics education reform documents and curricula. Thus, there is a growing need for studies focusing on the effective use of mathematical modelling in classrooms. Assessment is an integral part of using modelling activities in classrooms, since it allows teachers to identify and manage problems that arise in various stages of the modelling process. However, teachers’ difficulties in assessing student modelling work are a challenge to be considered when implementing modelling in the classroom. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate how teachers’ knowledge on generating assessment criteria for assessing student competence in mathematical modelling evolved through a professional development programme, which is based on a lesson study approach and modelling perspective. The data was collected with four teachers from two public high schools over a five-month period. The professional development programme included a cyclical process, with each cycle consisting of an introductory meeting, the implementation of a model-eliciting activity with students, and a follow-up meeting. The results showed that the professional development programme contributed to teachers’ knowledge for generating assessment criteria on the products, and the observable actions that affect the modelling cycle.     

A non-linear rod theory for high-frequency vibrations of thermopiezoelectric materials

In relation to electroelastic media with thermopiezoelectric coupling, the system of one-dimensional equations is consistently derived so as to accommodate the high-frequency vibrations of a rod with temperature-dependent material. In the first part of the paper, a unified variational principle of differential type is presented which describes the fundamental equations of thermopiezoelectricity with second sound, including the physical and geometrical non-linearities. In the second part, the hierarchic system of rod equations is systematically deduced from the three-dimensional fundamental equations by use of Mindlin's method of reduction. The hierarchic system of equations which is derived in both differential and variational forms is capable of predicting the extensional, thickness-shear, flexural and torsional as well as coupled vibrations of the rod of uniform cross-section. All the higher-order effects are taken into account as deemed pertinent in any particular case. In the third part, attention is confined to certain cases involving special motions, materials and geometry. Besides, the uniqueness is investigated in solutions of the linearized system of rod equations and the sufficient conditions are enumerated for the uniqueness of solutions.     

Synthesis,characterization, and biological activity of N‐(4‐acetylphenyl)maleimide and its oxime,carbazone, thiosemicarbazone derivatives and their polymers

A new type of maleimide monomer, N‐(4‐acetylphenyl)maleimide (NAPMI), was synthesized. The oxime, carbazone, and thiosemicarbazone derivatives of NAPMI were prepared with hydroxylamine hydrochloride, semicarbazide hydrochloride, and thiosemicarbazide hydrochloride, respectively. Radical homopolymerization of NAPMI and its derivatives were prepared at 60 °C in dimethyl sulfoxide solution with azobisisobutyronitrile as an initiator. The monomers and theirs homopolymers were characterized with Fourier transform infrared and NMR techniques. The glass‐transition temperatures, thermal stability, and ultraviolet stability of the polymers are compared. The activation energies of the thermal degradation of polymers were calculated by the Kissinger method. The antibacterial and antifungal effects of the monomers and polymers were also investigated on various bacteria and fungi. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 1942–1951, 2003     

The consistent Mindlin’s thermopiezoelectric equations and the principle of virtual work

The thermal field vector, an overlooked concept of importance, is introduced for the consistency in Mindlin’s thermopiezoelectric equations. The gradient of the temperature increment is defined as the thermal field vector; an analogous to the electric and magnetic field vectors (i.e., the gradients of the electric and magnetic potentials). The thermal field vector is used to state the universal gradient equations, and then, the principle of virtual work.     

Electrodeposition of Al,Zn, and Pt on silver-coated textile fibres from ionic liquids

In the present paper, we report on the electrodeposition of aluminium, zinc and platinum on silver-coated textile fibres from ionic liquids. For electrodeposition of Al, the 60:40 mol% mixture of AlCl₃/1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([EMIm]Cl) and 1.7 M AlCl₃ in 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide ([Py_1,4]TFSA) were employed. It was observed that microcrystalline aluminium was electrodeposited on the textile fibres in 60:40 mol% AlCl₃/[EMIm]Cl. The deposited Al layers either on single fibres or on textile assemblies are well adherent and uniform. An adherent, homogeneous and nanocrystalline Al layer was obtained on the silver-coated textile samples from 1.7 M AlCl₃/[Py_1,4]TFSA at 75 °C. The obtained Al layers from 60:40 mol% AlCl₃/[EMIm]Cl on the textile fibres exhibit a good corrosion resistance in an aqueous iodide/iodine electrolyte. Furthermore, we obtain Al microtubes from the investigated ionic liquids after dissolving the textile fibres. In addition, zinc electrodeposition was carried out on the textile samples from 60:40 mol% ZnCl₂/[EMIm]Cl at 80 °C. The electrodeposition of platinum on the textiles was done from 50 mM PtCl₂ in 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium dicyanamide ([Py_1,4]DCA).