Exploring the Possibilities for Mobile Insurance Services

Due to the complex nature of insurance, customers often require the assistance of insurance officers when upgrading their insurance cover or managing other insurance related tasks. The current electronic services provided by the insurance companies are more or less product-oriented and therefore difficult to manage, or even understand by ordinary customers. As modern technology enables the development of graphical game-like approach on services and taking more benefit out of mobile device characteristics, it is more likely to persuade the customers to operate in the electronic environment in order to get themselves familiar with insurance related issues. In this article, we are the taking the future perspective on the topic by considering what kinds of electronic insurance services could be offered in mobile service environment. More precisely, we discuss how Web-based (already existing) insurance services could be applied in mobile service context, and what kinds of new features (e.g. location information and mobile identification) could be utilized in context of mobile services to enhance the overall service

Regenerative Electroless Etching (U.S. Patent)

A regenerative electroless etching process produces nanostructured semiconductors in which an oxidant (Ox 1 ) is used as a catalytic agent to facilitate reaction between a semiconductor and a second oxidant (Ox2) that would be unreactive (or slowly reactive compared to Ox 1 ) in the primary reaction. Ox2 is used to regenerate Ox1 , which can initiate etching by injecting holes into the semiconductor valence band. The extent of reaction is controlled by the amount of Ox2 added; the reaction rate, by the injection rate of Ox2 . This general strategy is demonstrated specifically to produce highly luminescent nanocrystalline porous, amorphous pillared, and hierarchical porous silicon from the reaction of V2O5 in HF(aq) as Ox1 and H2Oiaq) as Ox2 with a silicon-comprising substrate. The process can be performed on silicon-comprising substrates of arbitrary size and shape including powders, reclaimed shards, wafers, pillared silicon, porous silicon, and silicon nanowires. Luminescence is tuned by adjusting etching conditions

Thermally Carbonized Porous Silicon and Its Recent Applications

Recent progress in research on thermally carbonized porous silicon (TCPSi) and its applications is reported. Despite a slow start, thermal carbonization has now started to gain interest mainly due to new emerging areas for applications. These new areas, such as optical sensing, drug delivery, and energy storage, require stable surface chemistry and physical properties. TCPSi is known to have all of these desired properties. Herein, the above‐listed properties of TCPSi are summarized, and the carbonization processes, functionalization, and characterization of TCPSi are reviewed. Moreover, some of the emerging fields of TCPSi applications are discussed and recent advances in the fields are introduced. </p

Electroencapsulation of Mesoporous Silicon Particles for Controlled Oral Drug Delivery

Mesoporous silicon (PSi) has lately been the focus of interest as a potential new orally dosed drug carrier in a steeply increasing number of papers, where the strengths of PSi in such applications has been shown. Perhaps most importantly, drugs will remain in an amorphous form instead of crystallizing while loaded into the pores of PSi. The advantage of this is greatly increased solubility and dissolution rate of the drug. In the present work, we investigate the possibility of enhancing the drug carrier functionality of PSi micro- and nanoparticles by encapsulating the drug loaded PSi particles in a suitable polymer capsule structure by the method of collision of oppositely charged, electrosprayed droplets. Embed-ding the PSi particles in such polymer structure of micrometer scale will not only vastly im-prove the workability of PSi nanoparticles and the smallest of microparticles, but with suit-able material choices will also potentially enable targeted release of the drug loaded PSi par-ticles to a desired part of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This would help towards eliminating the intestinal first-pass effect of an orally dosed drug, which together with the already advan-tageous properties of PSi would result in an increased bioavailability of the drug. The gained advantage would be significant, since it has been estimated that more than 95% of new drug candidates suffer from poor pharmacokinetic properties, resulting in poor bioavailability.</p

Synaptic and fast switching memristance in porous silicon-based structures

Memristors are two terminal electronic components whose conductance depends on the amount of charge that has flown across them over time. This dependence can be gradual, such as in synaptic memristors, or abrupt, as in resistive switching memristors. Either of these memory effects are very promising for the development of a whole new generation of electronic devices. For the successful implementation of practical memristors, however, the development of low cost industry compatible memristive materials is required. Here the memristive properties of differently processed porous silicon structures are presented, which are suitable for different applications. Electrical characterization and SPICE simulations show that laser-carbonized porous silicon shows a strong synaptic memristive behavior influenced by defect diffusion, while wet-oxidized porous silicon has strong resistance switching properties, with switching ratios over 8000. Results show that practical memristors of either type can be achieved with porous silicon whose memristive properties can be adjusted by the proper material processing. Thus, porous silicon may play an important role for the successful realization of practical memristorics with cost-effective materials and processesThis work is part of ATTRACT that has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programm

The electrical resistivity and relative permittivity of binary powder mixtures

Effective electrical resistivities and static relative permittivities of binary powder mixtures were measured and compared to theoretical equations given by Generalized Mixture Rule (GMR). The measured values for mixtures were influenced by the resistivity and permittivity of the pure component materials, the particle sizes and by the sticking between the different particles. According to the Random Model (RM), the effective resistivity and relative permittivity of any randomly packed mixture material can be calculated from the component resistivities and relative permittivities, respectively, and their concentrations. It was shown that RM gave good predictions for both quantities for powders if the particle sizes of the component materials were almost the same. However, this was not the case when large NaCl particles were mixed with fine sugar particles. When these mixtures were prepared, finer, more numerous sugar particles coated the larger NaCl particles, and the mixtures were not random but closer to the series configuration. Effect of particle size was studied briefly by mixing very fine NaCl particles with sugar of similar size. With these mixtures, results predicted by RM were obtained.</p

Uso de técnicas de geoprocessamento na determinação de áreas de risco de incêndio e determinação de locais para a instalação de torres de observação de incêndios. Estudo de caso: Floresta Nacional de São Francisco de Paula/RS

In this work, the tools of geoprocessing were used as a subject to elaborate a map of fires risk to the National Forest of São Francisco de Paula, State of Rio Grande do Sul, and also to determinate suitable spots for strategic location of two fire observation towers, that could help for the prevention and combats to fires in the forest. Mapping fire risk was achieved by following, basically, the methodology proposed by Vettorazzi & Ferraz (1998). In this way, using the image of the satellite Ikonos /I and topographical maps that corresponded to the study area, such as realizing practice works, it was possible to generate, at the software Idrisi for Windows (32 bits), 6 layers, which were integrated using GIS, giving place to a map of fires risk to the zone. This map, associated with otherinformation about the zone and of the local habits, allowed the determination of the spots to installate the towers. It was ended that the proposed methodology adapted to the study area, and that the zone needs a strategic plan of prevention and combats to fires because of its importance as a preservation area and due to its report of fires occurrence.In this work, the tools of geoprocessing were used as a subject to elaborate a map of fires risk to the National Forest of São Francisco de Paula, State of Rio Grande do Sul, and also to determinate suitable spots for strategic location of two fire observation towers, that could help for the prevention and combats to fires in the forest. Mapping fire risk was achieved by following, basically, the methodology proposed by Vettorazzi & Ferraz (1998). In this way, using the image of the satellite Ikonos /I and topographical maps that corresponded to the study area, such as realizing practice works, it was possible to generate, at the software Idrisi for Windows (32 bits), 6 layers, which were integrated using GIS, giving place to a map of fires risk to the zone. This map, associated with other information about the zone and of the local habits, allowed the determination of the spots to installate the towers. It was ended that the proposed methodology adapted to the study area, and that the zone needs a strategic plan of prevention and combats to fires because of its importance as a preservation area and due to its report of fires occurrence.Neste trabalho, as ferramentas do geoprocessamento foram utilizadas com o objetivo de elaborar um mapa de risco de incêndio para a Floresta Nacional de São Francisco de Paula/RS e determinar os locais mais adequados para a localização estratégicas de duas torres de observação de incêndios, que auxiliem na prevenção e combate de incêndios na floresta. O mapeamento de risco de incêndios foi realizado seguindo-se basicamente a metodologia proposta por Vettorazzi & Ferraz (1998). Assim, utilizando-se a imagem do satélite Ikonos II e cartas topográficas correspondentes à área de estudo, bem como com a realização de trabalhos de campo, foi possível gerar, por meio de interpretação visual, no software Idrisi for Windows (versão 32 bits), 6 Planos de Informação, os quais foram integrados através de SIG, dando lugar a um mapa de risco de incêndio da zona. Este mapa de risco, aliado às demais informações referentes ao terreno e aos costumes locais, permitiram determinar os melhores pontos para a instalação das torres. Concluiu-se que a metodologia proposta adequou-se a área em estudo, e que a zona necessita de um plano de prevenção e combate a incêndio visto a sua importância como área de preservação e devido a seu histórico de ocorrência de incêndios

A coaxial probe with a vertically split outer sensor for charge and dimensional measurement of a passing object

A coaxial induction probe with a vertically split outer sensor for simultaneously measuring the charge, distance, and size of a passing object is presented. When a charged sphere passed the probe, current signals of different shape induced to all the sensors. The signals were integrated, and Gaussian curves were fitted. The amplitudes and widths of the fitted curves were used to calibrate the set-up. The experimental calibration was done by using frictionally charged spheres of different sizes. Spheres with unknown size, distance, and charge were measured using the calibrated sensor. However, the speed of the object needed to be known. The results from computer simulations, calibrations, and use in measurements are presented.</p

Regenerative Electroless Etching of Silicon

Regenerative electroless etching (ReEtching), described herein for the first time, is a method of producing nanostructured semiconductors in which an oxidant (Ox1) is used as a catalytic agent to facilitate the reaction between a semiconductor and a second oxidant (Ox2) that would be unreactive in the primary reaction. Ox2 is used to regenerate Ox1, which is capable of initiating etching by injecting holes into the semiconductor valence band. Therefore, the extent of reaction is controlled by the amount of Ox2 added, and the rate of reaction is controlled by the injection rate of Ox2. This general strategy is demonstrated specifically for the production of highly luminescent, nanocrystalline porous Si from the reaction of V2O5 in HF(aq) as Ox1 and H2O2(aq) as Ox2 with Si powder and wafers