6,377 research outputs found
A review of current development in natural fiber composites for structural and infrastructure applications
Natural fiber composites (NFC) as the name implies is
made of natural resources thus possesses environmentally
beneficial properties such as biodegradability. With its natural characteristics, NFC is obtaining more attention in recent years in various application including automotive, merchandise, structural and infrastructure. Several studies have shown that NFC can be developed into a load-bearing structural member for applications in structural and infrastructure application. As an engineered material, similar with synthetic fiber composites, the properties of NFC can be tailored to meet certain requirements. The challenge in working with NFC is the large variation in properties and characteristics. The properties of NFC to a large extent influenced by the type of fibers, environmental condition where the plant fibers are sourced and the type of fiber treatments. However, with their unique and wide range of variability, natural fiber composites could emerge as a new alternative engineering material which can substitute the use of synthetic fiber composites
Kinetics of in situ epoxidation of hemp oil under heterogeneous reaction conditions: an overview with preliminary results
Epoxidised hemp oil (EHO) was synthesised in the laboratory by reacting hemp oil (HO) with peroxyacetic acid (PA) in a batch reactor. The peroxyacetic acid was formed in situ from acetic acid (AA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in the presence on an acidic ion exchange resin (Amberlite IR-120) as catalyst. The overall reaction can be thought of as having two components. The first being epoxidation, a homogenous reaction which occurs at the interface of the aqueous phase and the HO phase while the second is the formation of PA, a heterogeneous reaction at the interface of the aqueous phase and the solid catalyst phase. The overall reaction kinetics were modelled by applying the Langmuir-Hinshelwood-Hougen-Watson (LHHW) model to heterogeneous reactions. Of the steps in the reaction it is postulated that the formation of PA is rate limiting, while the epoxidation occurs comparatively fast negating the requirement for an additional homogenous model. The diffusion steps in the reaction are also ignored in the kinetic model as it is believed that their effects are negligible due to intensive mixing in the batch reactor. Experiments were used to determine the optimal molar ratios of reactants and it was found that at these conditions 88% conversion of double bonds to epoxy groups occurred. The kinetic model was found to be in good agreement with the experimental results
Feliciano MONTERO GARCÍA (Coord.), Juventud Estudiante Católica 1947-1997, Ed. Juventud Estudiante Católica, Madrid 1998, 325 pp. [RECENSIÓN]
Proceso sobre la ordenación de la iglesia valentina entre los Arzobispo de Toledo, Rodrigo Jiménez de Rada, y de Tarragona, Pedro de Albalat (1238-1246). Edición crítica y Estudio. [Reseña]
Reseña de: Vicente CASTELL MARQUÉS, Proceso sobre la
ordenación de la iglesia valentina entre los Arzobispo
de Toledo, Rodrigo Jiménez de Rada, y
de Tarragona, Pedro de Albalat (1238-1246).
Edición crítica y Estudio, Edición Corts valencianes,
Valencia, 1996, vol. I y II, 498 y 222 pp
Development of polymer network of phenolic and epoxies resins mixed with linseed oil: pilot study
Epoxy resin was mixed with phenolic resins in different percentages by weight. Composite 40/60 means the proportion by weight of epoxy resin is 40 percent. It was found that only composites 50/50 and 40/60 could be cured in ambient conditions. Dynamic mechanical analysis showed that only these two composites form interpenetrating polymer network. The addition of linseed oil to the two resins results also in the formation of interpenetrating network irrespective of proportion by weight of the resins; the mechanical properties will only be better when the percentage by weight of epoxy resin is higher; the aim of reducing cost and at the same time maintaining the mechanical properties cannot be fully achieved because epoxy resin is much more expensive than its counterpart
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Challenging the status quo: women's experiences of opting for a home birth in Andalucia, Spain
Objective
To explore the perceptions, beliefs and attitudes of women who opted for a home birth in Andalusia (Spain).
Background
Home birth is currently an unusual choice among Spanish women. It is not an option covered by the Spanish National Health Service and women who opt for a home birth have to pay for an independent midwife.
Design
A qualitative study with a phenomenological approach was adopted. All participants who took part in this study had chosen to have a home birth and given written consent to take part in the study.
Methods
Data collection was conducted in 2015–16. Face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were undertaken with women who chose a home birth in the last 5 years.
Findings
The sample consisted of thirteen women. Seven themes were created through analysis: 1. Getting informed about home birth; 2. Home birth as a choice, despite feeling unsupported; 3. The best way to have a personalized and a physiological birth; 4. Seeking a healing and empowering experience 5. The need for emotional safety, establishing a relationship and trusting the midwife; 6. Preparing for birth and working on fears; 7. Inequality of access (because of financial implications).
Conclusions
Women opted to plan birth at home because they wanted a personalised birth and control over their decision-making in labour, which they felt would not have been afforded to them in hospital settings. Andalusian maternity care leaders should strive to ensure that all pregnant women receive respectful and high-quality personalised care, by appropriately trained staff, both in the hospital and in the community
Anharmonic Self-Energy of Phonons: Ab Initio Calculations and Neutron Spin Echo Measurements
We have calculated (ab initio) and measured (by spin-echo techniques) the
anharmonic self-energy of phonons at the X-point of the Brillouin zone for
isotopically pure germanium. The real part agrees with former, less accurate,
high temperature data obtained by inelastic neutron scattering on natural
germanium. For the imaginary part our results provide evidence that transverse
acoustic phonons at the X-point are very long lived at low temperatures, i.e.
their probability of decay approaches zero, as a consequence of an unusual
decay mechanism allowed by energy conservation.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, pdf fil
Chirality distribution and transition energies of carbon nanotubes
From resonant Raman scattering on isolated nanotubes we obtained the optical
transition energies, the radial breathing mode frequency and Raman intensity of
both metallic and semiconducting tubes. We unambiguously assigned the chiral
index (n_1,n_2) of approximately 50 nanotubes based solely on a third-neighbor
tight-binding Kataura plot and find omega_RBM=214.4cm^-1nm/d+18.7cm^-1. In
contrast to luminescence experiments we observe all chiralities including
zig-zag tubes. The Raman intensities have a systematic chiral-angle dependence
confirming recent ab-initio calculations.Comment: 4 pages, to be published in Phys. Rev. Let
Vibrational and Thermal Properties of ZnX (X=Se, Te): Density Functional Theory (LDA and GGA) versus Experiment
We calculated the phonon dispersion relations of ZnX (X=Se, Te) employing ab
initio techniques. These relations have been used to evaluate the temperature
dependence of the respective specific heats of crystals with varied isotopic
compositions. These results have been compared with mea- surements performed on
crystals down to 2 K. The calculated and measured data are generally in
excellent agreement with each other. Trends in the phonon dispersion relations
and the correspond- ing densities of states for the zinc chalcogenide series of
zincblende-type materials are discussed.Comment: 10 pages, submitted to PR
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