Starch-Based Foams Nucleated and Reinforced by Polysaccharide-Based Crystals

Environmentally friendly starch-based foams nucleated and reinforced by two kinds of polysaccharide-based crystals were successfully developed through two-step extrusions. The effects of varying additions of crystals on the properties of the starch-based foams were studied. We found that the crystals added resulted in the foams having more homogeneous cell structures and significantly improved their mechanical performances. The foam containing 5 wt % cellulose crystals had the lowest water absorption, highest resilience, and best compressive strength. We attribute this synergy to the nucleation and reinforcement interactions in the extrusion foaming enabled by adding cellulose crystals and starch crystals. Cellulose crystals have higher thermal stability and crystallinity than starch crystals. Hence, the cellulose crystals provide better processability, viscoelastic properties, and higher glass transition temperature for starch-based foams, generally improving foam properties. The apparent density (ρa) of starch-based foams was within the range of 19.94 to 32.53 kg/m3, which is equivalent to that of the commercial expanded polystyrene (EPS) and significantly lower than that of most other extruded starch-based foams. This technique has been used in biodegradable packaging, such as loose-filler, insulation, and shockproof boxes

Customizable process design for collaborative geographic analysis

Collaborative geographic analysis can lead to better outcomes but requires complicated interactions among participants, support resources and analytic tools. A process expression with explicit structure and content can help coordinate and guide these interactions. For different geographic problems, the structure and content of collaborative geographic analysis are generally distinct. Since the process structure embodies the pathway of problem-solving and the process content contains the information flow and internal interactions, both the structure and the content of the process expression must be clarified during process customization. However, relevant studies concerning the collaborative geographic analysis process mainly focus on the process structure, which remains a “black box” in terms of the process content, especially the internal interactions. Therefore, this article designs a customizable process expression model that takes both process structure and content into account and proposes a corresponding process customization method for collaborative geographic analysis. Additionally, a support method for geographic analysis process implementation is also provided. To verify the feasibility and capability, these methods were implemented in a prototype system, and a case study on traffic noise assessment was conducted. The results suggest that the proposed strategy can effectively improve geographic analysis by customizing processes, guiding participants, performing interactions, and recording operations throughout the process.</p