High Speed Sintering – Continuing Research into a New Rapid Manufacturing Process

High Speed Sintering (HSS) is an emerging layer manufacturing technique aiming to break into the lucrative field of Rapid Manufacturing (RM). The process is likened to Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), however, instead of a laser dictating the sintered cross sectional area of each layer, the desired area is first printed using a Radiation Absorbing Material (RAM) and then sintered using an inexpensive infrared lamp. This paper begins by describing the sintering process in more detail and then outlining the overall manufacturing cycle. It then continues by describing the experiments performed to investigate the current problem concerning the hardness of excess powder within the powder bed. This problem arose due to the continual exposure of the whole bed to infrared radiation from the lamp. The experiments showed that as the power of the IR lamp increased, the hardness of the bed also increased. Furthermore, at higher IR power levels it was found the excess powder produced a solid tile which could only be broken down by a glass bead blaster.Mechanical Engineerin

Effect of Foreclosure Status on Residential Selling Price: Comment

In this comment we examine the conclusion by Forgey, Rutherford, and VanBuskirk (1994) "that the foreclosed properties sold at a 23% discount," using a sample of nearly 2,000 residential property sales from the Las Vegas, Nevada area. We found that when not controlling for location with a set of dummy variables for ZIP codes, HUD foreclosed properties sold for between 12.18% and 13.96% below a random sample of properties not within one block of foreclosed properties. When controlling for location, using a set of thirty-one dummy variables for ZIP codes, the foreclosure discount fell to between 8.45% and 9.72%. When controlling for the common characteristics between foreclosed properties and their neighbors, we found foreclosure discounts are very small (between 0.17% and 2.48%) and no longer statistically significant. We conclude that foreclosure does not provide an opportunity for arbitrage profits, and this study does reinforce the findings of other studies that conclude real estate markets operate efficiently.

Effect of foreclosure status on residential selling price: Comment

In this comment we examine the conclusion by Forgey, Rutherford and VanBuskirk (1994) “that the foreclosed properties sold at a 23% discount,” using a sample of nearly 2,000 residential property sales from the Las Vagas, Nevada area. We found that when not controlling for location with a set of dummy variables for zip codes, HUD foreclosed properties sold for between 12.18% and 13.96% below a random sample of properties not within one block of foreclosed properties. When controlling for location, using a set of thirty-one dummy variables for zip codes, the foreclosure discount fell to between 8.45% and 9.72%. When controlling for the common characteristics between foreclosed properties and their neighbors, we found foreclosure discounts are very small (between .17% and 2.58%) and no longer statistically significant. We conclude that foreclosure does not provide an opportunity for arbitrage profits, and this study does reinforce the findings of other studies that conclude real estate markets operate efficiently

The structure and reactivity of graphene oxide

Graphene oxide (GO) can provide a cost-effective route to a graphene-like material on an industrial scale, but produces an imperfect product. In order to improve the quality of the resultant graphene, unanswered questions regarding the structure and chemical reactivity of GO need to be addressed. In this thesis, chapters 1 and 2 serve to introduce the field of graphene and graphene oxide research, as well as standard characterisation techniques. Chapter 3 is concerned with investigating the validity and general applicability of a recently proposed two-component model of GO – the formation of the two components was shown to be largely independent of the oxidation protocol used in the synthesis, and additional characterisation data was presented for both base-washed graphene oxide (bwGO) and oxidation debris (OD). The removal of the OD cleans the GO, revealing its true mono-layer nature and in the process increases the C:O ratio, i.e. a deoxygenation. By contrast, treating GO with hydrazine was found to both remove the debris and reduce (cleaning and deoxygenation) the graphene-like sheets. In chapter 4, different nucleophiles were used to explore bwGO functionalisation via epoxy ring-opening reactions. Treatment of bwGO with potassium thioacetate, followed by an aqueous work-up, was shown to yield a new thiol functionalised material (GO-SH). As far as is known, this was the first reported example of using a sulfur nucleophile to ring open epoxy groups on GO. The incorporation of malononitrile groups, and the direct grafting of polymer chains to the graphene-like sheets was also demonstrated. The thiol groups on GO-SH are amendable to further chemistry and in chapter 5 this reactivity is exploited with alkylation, thiol-ene click and sultone ring-opening reactions. Au(I) and Pd(II) metallo-organic complexes were also prepared, and gold deposition experiments were carried out, demonstrating that GO-SH has a strong affinity for AuNPs. These CMGs have varying solubility and improved thermal stability. Chapter 6 concludes the work covered in this thesis, and full experimental details can be found in chapter 7

Seasonal differences in soil CO2 efflux and carbon storage in Ntwetwe Pan, Makgadikgadi Basin, Botswana

The carbon cycle in salt pans is complex and poorly understood. Field-based data are needed to improve regional estimates of C storage and land-atmosphere CO2 fluxes from dryland environments where pans are prevalent. This paper provides a first estimate of C stores and CO2 efflux within the salt pan, grassland and woodland of Ntwetwe Pan in the Makgadikgadi Basin, Botswana. C fluxes and stores associated with cyanobacteria-salt crusts are also determined. Total C stores are approximately an order of magnitude greater than on neighbouring Kalahari Sands at 675±41, 760±94 and 274±15 tonsha-1 to 1m depth in the woodland, grassland and salt pan respectively. Most of the C is found as carbonate, with organic C comprising 4.6-10% of total C. CO2 efflux increased with temperature and also increased for a few hours after flooding of the pan surface. Crusts were a small net contributor to CO2 efflux in the dry season but could be a net CO2 sink in the wet season. The biogeochemistry of the sediment is likely to facilitate rapid conversion of organic C from aquatic organisms, biological crusts and algal mats into inorganic carbonates. Although further work is required to improve estimates of the spatial and temporal distribution of C, our data have demonstrated the substantial C store with the Makgadikgadi environment and the important role of biological crusts in the C cycle

Modified cell cycle status in a mouse model of altered neuronal vulnerability (slow Wallerian degeneration; Wlds)

Profiling of gene expression changes in mice harbouring the neurodegenerative Wlds mutation shows a strong correlation between changes in cell cycle pathways and altered vulnerability of terminally differentiated neurons

One-step grafting of polymers to graphene oxide

The direct grafting of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) to the basal plane of graphene oxide has been achieved in a single step: cleavage of the terminal thiocarbonylthio group on RAFT grown poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) reveals a reactive thiol that attacks the epoxides present across the surface of graphene oxide. The new composite material was characterised by a combination of SSNMR, FTIR, Raman, EDX, XPS, TGA and contact angle measurement; it shows enhanced thermal stability and solubility in water