Non-isothermal curing kinetics and thermal properties of benzoxazine-phenolic copolymers

Using novolac phenolic resin, aniline and formaldehyde as raw materials, benzoxazine-phenolic copolymers with different percentages of benzoxazine rings were prepared. FT-IR was adopted to characterize the molecular structure of the novolac-type phenolic resin and the benzoxazine-phenolic copolymer BP31. In order to understand the curing process of the copolymers, the curing behavior and curing kinetic characteristics were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and the catalytical effect of phenolic hydroxyl on the curing behavior of copolymers was investigated. To investigate the thermal properties of this resin, the thermal degradation behaviors of the cured samples were studied by thermal gravimetric (TG) method, and glass-transition temperatures (Tg) of the cured copolymers were also evaluated by DSC. The dynamic Ozawa method was adopted to determine the kinetic parameters of the curing process as well. The activation energy is 78.8 kJ/mol and the reaction rate constant is in the range from 40.0 to 5.2 (K/min)n according to reaction temperatures. The Ozawa exponent decreases from 2.4 to 0.7 with the increase of reaction temperature, and curing mechanism is expounded briefly according to the results. TG result shows that the highest char yield of copolymers is 50.3%. The highest Tg of copolymers is 489 K, which is much higher than that of pure benzoxazine resin.

Exploring the effect of cooling rate on non-isothermal crystallization of copolymer polypropylene by fast scanning calorimetry

Polypropylene is commonly used as a binder for ceramic injection molding,and rapid cooling is often encountered during processing.However,the crystallization behavior of polypropylene shows a strong dependence on cooling rate due to its semi-crystalline characteristics.Therefore,the influence of cooling rate on the quality of final product cannot be ignored.In this study,the fast differential scanning calorimetry(FSC)test was performed to study the influence of cooling rate on the non-isothermal crystallization behavior and non-isothermal crystallization kinetics of a copolymer polypropylene(PP BC03B).The results show that the crystallization temperatures and crystallinity decrease as the cooling rate increases.In addition,two exothermic peaks occur when cooling rate ranges from 30 to 300 K·s^(-1),indicating the formation of another crystal phase.Avrami,Ozawa and Mo equations were used to explore the non-isothermal crystallization kinetics,and it can be concluded that the Mo method is suitable for this study.

Cure Kinetics of DGEBA with Hyperbranched Poly(3-hydroxyphenyl) Phosphate as Curing Agent Studied by Non-isothermal DSC

The cure kinetics of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A （DGEBA） with hyperbranched poly （3-hydroxyphenyl） phosphate（HHPP） as the curing agent was investigated by means of non-isothermal differential scanning calorimetry （DSC） at various heating rates. The results were compared with the corresponding results by using 1,3-dihydroxybenzene（DHB） as a model compound. The results show that HHPP can enhance the cure reaction of DGEBA, resulting in the decrease of the peak temperature of the curing curve as well as the decrease of the activation energy because of the flexible --P--O-- groups in the backbone of HHPP. However, both the activation energy of the cured polymer and the peak temperature of the curing curve are increased with DHB as a curing agent. The cure kinetics of the DGEBA/HHPP system was calculated by using the isoconversional method given by Malek. It was found that the two-parameter autocatalytic model（Sestak-Berggren equation） is the most adequate one to describe the cure kinetics of the studied System at various heating rates. The obtained non-isothermal DSC curves from the experimental data show the results being accordant with those theoretically calculated.

生成式人工智能赋能本科生科研能力培养——ChatGPT支持的CUREs教学模式

为促进高等教育中高素质创新人才培养,构建以学生为中心的科研训练与课程教学整合模式是有效途径。当前基于课程的本科生科研体验(CUREs)教学模式虽在增强学生对科学本质的理解等方面具有一定优势,但在激发学生研究动机方面存在一些不足。将支持高效反馈的生成式人工智能ChatGPT引入人机协作研究过程中,有助于改善学生的科研体验,推动科研项目化学习。通过对ChatGPT支持的CUREs教学模式的设计与实施,发现该模式有助于培养学生的科研能力,提升他们的科研知识水平、科研技能水平和科研情感水平。尽管学生认同该教学模式的有效性和易用性,但其实际效果的发挥仍需人类智慧的参与。未来需要持续升级和优化生成式人工智能技术,确保技术应用高效且符合伦理标准;应用生成式人工智能技术重构教学模式,并通过长周期、跨场域实践检验其应用效果;强调人工智能与人类智慧的互补协作,真正实现生成式人工智能赋能学生科研能力提升。

Three dimensional phase-field simulation for non-isothermal binary alloy solidification: Comparison with LKT theory

Using the advanced algorithm combining parallel computing,adaptive mesh re-griding and multigrid methods,quantitative 3D phase-field simulations of non-isothermal solidification of binary alloy were carried out.The 3D phase-field simulation results were compared with the analytical LKT(Lipton,Kurz and Trivedi)theory.For comparison,the simulation and analytical results for 2D cases were also given.The 3D phase-field simulation results support the transport portion of the LKT theory.However,the tip radius and tip velocity predicted by the simulations are not in good agreement with the LKT theory over the whole range of undercooling.The stability parameter calculated from phase-field simulations varies significantly with the Peclet number,indicating that the stability criterion,which assumes that the stability parameter is constant,is invalid.

Reaction behavior and non-isothermal kinetics of suspension magnetization roasting of limonite and siderite

In order to develop limonite and decrease CO_(2) emissions,siderite is proposed as a clean reductant for suspension magnetization roasting(SMR) of limonite.An iron concentrate(iron grade:65.92wt%,iron recovery:98.54wt%) was obtained by magnetic separation under the optimum SMR conditions:siderite dosage 40wt%,roasting temperature 700℃,roasting time 10 min.According to the magnetic analysis,SMR achieved the conversion of weak magnetic minerals to strong magnetic minerals,thus enabling the recovery of iron via magnetic separation.Based on the phase transformation analysis,during the SMR process,limonite was first dehydrated and converted to hematite,and then siderite decomposed to generate magnetite and CO,where CO reduced the freshly formed hematite to magnetite.The microstructure evolution analysis indicated that the magnetite particles were loose and porous with a destroyed structure,making them easier to be ground.The non-isothermal kinetic results show that the main reaction between limonite and siderite conformed to the two-dimension diffusion mechanism,suggesting that the diffusion of CO controlled the reaction.These results encourage the application of siderite as a reductant in SMR.

Fabrication and Properties of a New Reactive Diluent for Cationic UV Curing

The reactive diluent prepared by siloxane modified Trimethylene oxide can improve the performance of the UV curing system.Therefore,1,7-bis[(3-ethyl-3-methoxyoxacylobutane)propyl]octadecylosiloxane(BEMOPOMTS)was synthesized from diethyl carbonate,trimethylopropanes,allyl bromide,and 1,1,3,3,5,5,7,7-octadecylosiloxane as the main raw materials.BEMOPOMTS can be used as reactive diluents in the field of cationic UV curing.It has good thermal stability,and the addition of BEMOPOMTS significantly improves the tensile strength and elongation at break of epoxy resin.Compared with the pure epoxy resin,adding 20%BEMOPOMTS increased the elastic modulus by 25%to 677 MPa.

Alkali Tolerance of Concrete Internal Curing Agent Based on Sodium Carboxymethyl Starch

Internal curing agents (ICA) based on super absorbent polymer have poor alkali tolerance and reduce the early strength of concrete.An alkali tolerate internal curing agent (CAA-ICA) was designed and prepared by using sodium carboxymethyl starch (CMS) with high hydrophilicity,acrylic acid (AA) containing anionic carboxylic group and acrylamide (AM) containing non-ionic amide group as the main raw materials.The results show that the ratio of CAA-ICA alkali absorption solution is higher than that existing ICA,which solves the low water absorption ratio of the ICA in alkali environment.The water absorption ratio of CAA-ICA in saturated Ca(OH)_(2) solution is 95.8 g·g^(-1),and the alkali tolerance coefficient is 3.4.The application of CAA-ICA in cement-based materials can increase the internal relative humidity and miniaturize the pore structure.The compressive strength of mortar increases up to 12.95%at 28 d,which provids a solution to overcome the reduction of the early strength.

Study on Effects of Curing Process on Characteristics of Marinated Beef Products

[Objectives]This study was conducted to compare the effects of different curing processes on the characteristics of marinated beef.[Methods]Marinated beef was obtained by two curing processes:static curing and injection and vacuum tumbling curing.The effects of the two curing processes on the production rate,curing absorption rate,water content,soluble protein content,amino acid nitrogen content,texture characteristics and microstructure of the product were compared.[Results]Compared with static curing,the production rate of marinated beef increased by 10%,the curing absorption rate increased by 28%,the texture and microstructure were improved,and the water content increased,while the soluble protein content decreased.As a result,the sensory score was higher.There was no significant difference in the content of amino acid nitrogen,but it decreased compared with raw meat.To sum up,injection and vacuum tumbling curing is more conducive to the processing of marinated beef.[Conclusions]This study provides a theoretical basis for the industrial production of marinated beef,and lays a foundation for in-depth exploration of injection and vacuum tumbling curing technique of marinated beef.

Hepatitis B cure:Current situation and prospects

Achievement of a‘clinical cure’in chronic hepatitis B(CHB)implies sustained virological suppression and immunological control over the infection,which is the ideal treatment goal according to domestic and international CHB management guidelines.Clinical practice has shown encouraging results for specific patient cohorts using tailored treatment regimens.These regimens incorporate either nucleos(t)ide analogs,immunomodulatory agents such as pegylated interferonα,or a strategic combination of both,sequentially or concurrently administered.Despite these advancements in the clinical handling of hepatitis B,achieving a clinical cure remains elusive for a considerable subset of patients due to the number of challenges that preclude the realization of optimal treatment outcomes.These include,but are not limited to,the emergence of antiviral resistance,incomplete immune recovery,and the persistence of covalently closed circular DNA.Moreover,the variance in response to interferon therapy and the lack of definitive biomarkers for treatment cessation also contribute to the complexity of achieving a clinical cure.This article briefly overviews the current research progress and existing issues in pursuing a clinical cure for hepatitis B.

Modelling the Survival of Western Honey Bee Apis mellifera and the African Stingless Bee Meliponula ferruginea Using Semiparametric Marginal Proportional Hazards Mixture Cure Model

Classical survival analysis assumes all subjects will experience the event of interest, but in some cases, a portion of the population may never encounter the event. These survival methods further assume independent survival times, which is not valid for honey bees, which live in nests. The study introduces a semi-parametric marginal proportional hazards mixture cure (PHMC) model with exchangeable correlation structure, using generalized estimating equations for survival data analysis. The model was tested on clustered right-censored bees survival data with a cured fraction, where two bee species were subjected to different entomopathogens to test the effect of the entomopathogens on the survival of the bee species. The Expectation-Solution algorithm is used to estimate the parameters. The study notes a weak positive association between cure statuses (ρ1=0.0007) and survival times for uncured bees (ρ2=0.0890), emphasizing their importance. The odds of being uncured for A. mellifera is higher than the odds for species M. ferruginea. The bee species, A. mellifera are more susceptible to entomopathogens icipe 7, icipe 20, and icipe 69. The Cox-Snell residuals show that the proposed semiparametric PH model generally fits the data well as compared to model that assume independent correlation structure. Thus, the semi parametric marginal proportional hazards mixture cure is parsimonious model for correlated bees survival data.

Securing the Sea Lanes

Some people,mainly in the West,were taken by surprise when six Chinese warships were seen near the Red Sea in October 2023 amid the conflict in Gaza.Some Western media and politicians tried to frame China’s mission as an escalatory move in the Middle East.

Securing Sustenance

National food security is the backbone of any economy,and achieving food security is essential for the prosperity of a nation.During my study in China at the Institute of South-South Cooperation and Development,Peking University,from September 2022 to July 2023,I leant how China has managed to achieve food security despite its large population of around 1.4 billion and numerous other challenges by means of strategic planning,e"ective policy execution,technological advancement and global collaboration.

Synthesis of Ionic and Non-Ionic Modified Waterborne Polyurethane Curing Agent

By using HDI and TMP as the main raw materials,polyethylene glycol 400(PEG400)is used as a non-ionic hydrophilic modifier,and sodium hydroxyethyl sulfonate is used as an ionic hydrophilic modifier to synthesize a dual hydrophilic modified polyurethane curing agent.Research revealed that introducing PEG400 for hydrophilic chain segments and sodium hydroxyethyl sulfonate for hydrophilic ionic groups in the polyurethane curing agent component leads to a uniform distribution of hydrophilic components,significantly enhancing compatibility with the aqueous polyol component,and results in excellent film performance.The synthesis process and film were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and high-resolution scanning electron microscopy in the study.

基于改进CURE聚类的运营商用户云数据挖掘方法

为了优化运营商用户云数据挖掘效果、提升数据挖掘质量,开展基于改进CURE聚类的运营商用户云数据挖掘方法研究。首先,确定运营商用户云数据来源,采集与预处理运营商用户云数据。其次,设计数据挖掘关联规则,得出不同用户云数据之间的关联性。最后,利用改进CURE聚类算法,设计运营商用户云数据挖掘流程,输出聚类结果作为数据挖掘结果,并建立数据仓库,集中存储和管理用户云数据挖掘结果。实验结果表明,运用提出的方法,数据挖掘轮廓系数更接近1,聚类合理,挖掘效果优势显著,应用效果较好。

Advancements and Applications of Polyurethane Curing Technology in Railway Track Bed Construction in China

This paper examines the application of polyurethane curing technology in the construction of railway track beds,with a specific focus on its implementation in China’s rapidly developing railway infrastructure.The study begins by identifying the limitations of traditional ballasted track beds,especially under the demands of high-speed and heavyload railways.It then methodically analyzes the advantages of polyurethane-cured track beds,highlighting their improved mechanical properties,including enhanced stability and durability.The paper further explores the benefits of transitioning to prefabricated polyurethane track beds,emphasizing significant cost reductions,better construction quality,and enhanced maintainability.Through a detailed review of experimental data and practical applications,the paper demonstrates the efficacy of polyurethane track beds in various railway settings.A critical part of the research involves optimizing the structural parameters of polyurethane track beds to achieve the best balance of mechanical and damping properties.The conclusion of the paper underscores the potential of polyurethane curing technology as a transformative approach to railway track bed construction,offering a solution to the challenges posed by traditional methods and aligning with the evolving needs of modern railways.

The Mechanism of Carotenoid Degradation in Flue-Cured Tobacco and Changes in the Related Enzyme Activities at the Leaf-Drying Stage During the Bulk Curing Process

The mechanism of carotenoid degradation and the changes in the activities of related enzymes in flue-cured tobacco at the leaf-drying stage during the bulk-curing process were studied in order to provide theoretical basis for optimization of curing technology. The effect of different rising speeds of temperature on the carotenoid degradation and the related enzymes activities at the color-fixing stage during the bulk curing process was studied by using the electric-heated fluecuring barn designed by Henan Agricultural University, China, based on curing technology with yellowing at low temperature and moderate humidity and leaf drying at moderate humidity. The results showed that the carotenoid degradation components （β-carotene, lutein, neoxanthin, and violaxthin） decreased gradually at the color-fixing stage during the bulk curing process. The carotenoid degradation components viz.,β-carotene, lutein, neoxanthin, and violaxthin at the slow heating curing （T1） were relatively higher than the rapid heating curing （T2） accounting for 10, 2, 32 and 32% respectively, but there were no differences among treatments （P〉 0.05）. The effect of different conditions of curing on the activities of enzymes related to carotenoids degradation were significant. The lipoxygenase, phenylalanine ammonialyase, peroxidase, and polyphenol oxidase enzymes had a bidirectional effect on the quality of tobacco leaves and it was beneficial to form more premise matter of aroma based on the higher enzyme activities at the early leaf-drying stage. The slow heating could regulate the change in various enzymes＇ activities reasonably, making cell redox reaction to reach the dynamic balance and make the degradation of carotenoids adequately. Meanwhile, it could avoid the occurrence of browning reaction and provide foundation for improving the quality of tobacco and optimization of technology for bulk curing and further enhancing aroma.

Non-isothermal kinetics of styrene-butadiene-styrene asphalt combustion

The combustion characteristics of styrene-butadiene-styrene （SBS） asphalt are studied by thermogravimetric analysis （TG/DTG） at four different heating rates. According to the saturates/aromatics/resins/asphaltenes （SARA） fractionation method, the combustion process of SBS asphalt can be divided by Gaussian peak fitting into three main stages： oil content release, resin pyrolysis, and asphaltene and char combustion. When the heating rate increases, the mass losses of the oil content and resin pyrolysis increase, and less asphaltenes are formed at a higher temperature. The activation energy values are calculated by the Coats-Redfern method to be in the range 61.6 kJ/mol-142.9 kJ/mol. The Popescu method is used for the kinetic analysis, and the result shows that the three stages of asphalt combustion can be explained by the sphere phase boundary reaction model, the second order chemical reaction model, nucleation, and its subsequent growth model, respectively.

Restraining effect of nitrogen on coal oxidation in different stages:Non-isothermal TG-DSC and EPR research

Nitrogen is widely used to prevent the spontaneous combustion of coal in underground coal mines. A spontaneous combustion-prone coal seam was studied to investigate the restraining effect of nitrogen on coal oxidation in different oxidation stages, based on non-isothermal thermogravimetry-differential scanning calorimetry(TG-DSC) and electron paramagnetic resonance(EPR) experiments. We found that the key feature temperatures grow steadily with increasing nitrogen in the oxidation environment,resulting in longer oxidation stages. The most significant finding is that there is a stagnation of the inhibitory effect of nitrogen on coal oxidation in the range of 85.0–95.0% nitrogen in the slow and the rapid oxidation stages, owing to the competitive adsorption of coal by nitrogen and oxygen. However, the restraining effect cannot be reflected by the kinetic parameters of the coal before it reaches the thermal decomposition and combustion stage. Nitrogen can also affect free radical types and free radical concentrations during coal oxidation: the higher the concentration of nitrogen in the oxidation environment, the greater the number of free radical types and the lower the free radical concentration. This experimental study improves the understanding of the restraining effect of nitrogen on coal oxidation in different oxidation stages and provides an important reference for coal fire prevention in spontaneous combustionprone coal seams.

Estimation of Critical Temperature of Thermal Explosion for Energetic Materials Based on Non-isothermal Kinetic Equation dα/dt =A_0 exp(bT)[1+(T–T_0 )b]f(α)

Critical temperature（Tb） of thermal explosion for energetic materials is estimated from Semenov＇s thermal explosion theory and the non-isothermal kinetic equation da/dt=Aoexp（bT）[1＋（T-T0）b][（a） deduced via reasonable hypotheses, where To is the initial point of the deviation from the baseline of DSC curve. The final formula is （Tb-Te0）{ 1＋1/[1＋（ Tb-T00）b]}=1. We can easily obtain the initial temperature（T0/） and onset temperature（Tci） from the non-isothermal DSC curves, the values of Too and Tc0 from the equation TOi or ei=T00 or c0＋α1βi＋a2βi^2＋…＋aL-2L-2βiL-2, i=1,2,…L, the value of b from the equation： In[β/（Tei-T0i）]=ln[A0/G（a）]＋bTei, so as to calculate the value of Tb. The result obtained with this method coincides completely with the value of Tb obtained by Hu-Yang-Liang-Wu method.