Natural and artificial ageing of an alkyd based wood finish

Wood protection in exterior use is generally achieved with a stain. This protective product is often obtained from an alkyd resin. A natural and artificial agening have been studied by measuring the glass transition temperature (T _g) of the finish variations in terms of time. In both ageings, theT _g variations are the same; there is an increase inT _g during the first steps of ageing and then a stabilization. A behaviour equation is proposed and is perfectly suitable to both ageings. Time constants are calculated. This equation shows that the artificial ageing machine chosen is a good means of artificial ageing. It allows the reproduction and the acceleration by 10 times of phenomena which are observed during the natural ageing.     

Improved Effort and Cost Estimation Model Using Artificial Neural Networks and Taguchi Method with Different Activation Functions

Software estimation involves meeting a huge number of different requirements, such as resource allocation, cost estimation, effort estimation, time estimation, and the changing demands of software product customers. Numerous estimation models try to solve these problems. In our experiment, a clustering method of input values to mitigate the heterogeneous nature of selected projects was used. Additionally, homogeneity of the data was achieved with the fuzzification method, and we proposed two different activation functions inside a hidden layer, during the construction of artificial neural networks (ANNs). In this research, we present an experiment that uses two different architectures of ANNs, based on Taguchi’s orthogonal vector plans, to satisfy the set conditions, with additional methods and criteria for validation of the proposed model, in this approach. The aim of this paper is the comparative analysis of the obtained results of mean magnitude relative error (MMRE) values. At the same time, our goal is also to find a relatively simple architecture that minimizes the error value while covering a wide range of different software projects. For this purpose, six different datasets are divided into four chosen clusters. The obtained results show that the estimation of diverse projects by dividing them into clusters can contribute to an efficient, reliable, and accurate software product assessment. The contribution of this paper is in the discovered solution that enables the execution of a small number of iterations, which reduces the execution time and achieves the minimum error.     

On coupling between the orientation and the shape of a vesicle under a shear flow

A simple 2D model of deformable vesicles tumbling in a shear under flow is introduced in order to account for the main qualitative features observed experimentally as shear rates are increased. The simplicity of the model allows for a full analytical tractability while retaining the essential physical ingredients. The model reveals that the main axes of the vesicle undergo oscillations which are coupled to the vesicle orientation in the flow. The model reproduces and sheds light on the main novel features reported in recent experiments [M. Mader et al., Eur. Phys. J. E. 19, 389 (2006)], namely that both coefficients A and B that enter the Keller-Skalak equation, dψ/dt = A+Bcos(2 ψ) (ψ is the vesicle orientation angle in the shear flow), undergo a collapse upon increasing shear rate.     

Light activation of a cysteine protease inhibitor: caging of a peptidomimetic nitrile with Ru(II)(bpy)2

A novel method for caging protease inhibitors is described. The complex [Ru(II)(bpy)(2)(1)(2)](PF(6))(2) (2) was prepared from the nitrile-based peptidomimetic inhibitor Ac-Phe-NHCH(2)CN (1). (1)H NMR, UV-vis, and IR spectroscopic and mass spectrometric data confirmed that 2 equiv of inhibitor 1 bind to Ru(II) through the nitrile functional group. Complex 2 shows excellent stability in aqueous solution in the dark and fast release of 1 upon irradiation with visible light. As a result of binding to the Ru(II) center, the nitriles of complex 2 are caged, and 2 does not act as a potent enzyme inhibitor. However, when 2 is irradiated, it releases 1, which inhibits the cysteine proteases papain and cathepsins B, K and L up to 2 times more potently than 1 alone. Ratios of the IC(50) values in the dark versus in the light ranged from 6:1 to 33:1 for inhibition by 2 against isolated enzymes and in human cell lysates, confirming that a high level of photoinduced enzyme inhibition can be obtained using this method.