End product rejection rate and its correlation with melt treatment in direct-chill casted hot rolling slabs

In this study, different melt treatment operations were evaluated and compared to end product’s scrap rate using bifilm index (B_I) method. Results clearly show that degassing with finer gas bubbles increases cleaning performance for the removal of any type of bifilms in the melt. B_I method is a reliable and quick way to determine melt quality at any given time during casting process which is found to have a direct correlation with rejection rate.     

Detection of bacillus Calmette-Guerin in the blood by the polymerase chain reaction method of treated bladder cancer patients

PURPOSE: Following intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) instillation, we attempted to detect BCG in the blood using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method and correlate these findings with the occurrence of major complications due to this treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Intravesical BCG immunotherapy was given to 22 consecutive patients with superficial bladder tumors. In 2 patients the BCG instillation had to be discontinued due to serious side effects of therapy. Blood samples (252 aliquots) were obtained from 126 BCG courses in 22 cases, and 2 additional samples (4 aliquots) were obtained from 1 patient 1 and 3 months after cessation of therapy. All blood samples were analyzed by the PCR technique for detection of deoxyribonucleic acid tuberculosis Mycobacterium tuberculosis. RESULTS: Of the 126 blood samples 9 (7.1%) were PCR positive for M. tuberculosis. These 9 positive samples belonged to 3 patients, all of whom were among those 4 patients who had major clinical side effects. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that rapid and sensitive detection of mycobacteremia by PCR correlated with the clinical course of these patients. We also demonstrated that PCR can be used to monitor BCG in the blood after antituberculous therapy. The early, fast and accurate diagnosis of BCG in the blood by PCR may alter the serious clinical course of these patients by initiation of specific treatment early. However, further extensive studies are needed to validate these results.     

Natural frequency analysis of lattice boom crane theoretically and experimentally

International Journal of Steel Structures - Having knowledge of dynamic properties named as natural frequency and mode shapes during the design process is important to determine proper design...     

Benchmarking grey particle approximations against nongrey particle radiation in circulating fluidized bed combustors

Investigation of the effect of grey/nongrey particle property models on radiative heat fluxes and source terms is performed in the dilute zone of the lignite-fired 150?kW Middle East Technical University circulating fluidized bed combustor test rig. Predictive accuracy and computational economy of several grey particle models, geometric optics approximation (GOA) with average particle reflectivity (GOA2), GOA with Fresnel solution for particle reflectivity (GOA3), and Planck mean particle properties from spectral Mie solution are tested by benchmarking their predictions against spectrally banded solution of radiative transfer equation (RTE). Comparisons reveal that all grey models lead to accurate and CPU efficient radiative heat flux predictions. On the other hand, only GOA3 and Planck mean properties are in favorable agreement with the benchmark solution for both incident fluxes and source terms. These findings indicate that grey particle approximation with GOA3 is a more practical choice in solution of RTE as it eliminates the need for spectral calculations.     

FTIR determination of ligand-induced secondary and tertiary structural changes in bovine plasminogen

Human plasminogen undergoes a large tertiary structural change in the presence of lysine derivatives (e.g. epsilon-amino caproic acid, EACA). This change facilitates human plasminogen activation by human plasminogen activators, resulting in elevated blood plasmin levels. It is hypothesized that this structure-function relationship is similar for bovine plasminogen. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effect of the ligand EACA on the secondary structure of plasminogen (bovine, human, and rabbit) and the tertiary structure of bovine plasminogen using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Spectra of plasminogen, EACA, and a mixture of plasminogen and EACA in water and deuterium were collected using FTIR. Fourier-self deconvoluted spectra in the amide I region (1700-1600 cm(-1)) were used to detect changes in secondary structure of plasminogen after EACA addition. Change in bovine plasminogen tertiary structure was determined by comparing ratios of amide II (1600-1500 cm(-1)) to amide I bond intensities over time for samples in deuterium. No differences in secondary structure were observed for any plasminogen in the presence of EACA; however, addition of EACA significantly changed tertiary structure of bovine plasminogen. This tertiary structural change indicates a transition from a folded to an unfolded state, which could be more easily converted to plasmin. These results are consistent with reported human plasminogen studies using neutron scattering (tertiary structure) and circular dichroism (secondary structure) methods.     

Prevalence of juvenile chronic arthritis and familial Mediterranean fever in Turkey: a field study

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA), familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), and Beh?et's disease in Turkish children through a field survey. METHODS: The field survey was based on cluster centering with 2 level strata. A total of 46,813 children were screened. For the diagnosis of chronic arthritis and Beh?et's previously suggested criteria were used. We have developed criteria for the diagnosis of probable FMF. Children previously diagnosed to have these diseases were also defined and included. RESULTS: JCA was found in 6.4/10,000. 2.8/10,000 children were previously diagnosed as FMF (minimum phenotype frequency). Together with the probable diagnosis of FMF, the prevalence increased to 9.3/10,000. The findings were also compared with those of our center. None of the 46,813 children had Beh?et's disease. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of chronic arthritis is similar to the other childhood populations reported. However, FMF has a very high prevalence.     

Some properties of particleboards made from cotton stalks (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Gossypium hirsitum</Emphasis> L.)

The objective of this study was to produce particleboards for general purpose use by utilizing cotton stalks grown in Turkey. The shortage of raw materials in the wood industry resulted in the search for new resources. This is especially true for the particleboard industry in Turkey. It is necessary to find alternative sources of raw material in order to reduce deforestation. Cotton stalks as a cheap raw material compared to woody sources can be used to produce the particleboards that can meet with the required standards. In this study, water absorption, thickness swelling, bending strength, and internal bond properties of particleboards produced with cotton stalks at various resin addition levels and density ranges were studied. It was found that the particleboards produced at a 0.60–0.70 g/cm³ density range showed technological properties acceptable to the standards.

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Eigenschaften von Spanplatten aus Baumwollstengeln (Gossypium hirsitum L.)

Zusammenfassung Ziel der Arbeit war die Herstellung von Holzwerkstoffplatten aus Baumwollstengeln für die allgemeine Verwendung in der Türkei. Die Knappheit an Rohmaterialien in der Holzindustrie führte zur Suche nach neuen Rohstoffquellen. Insbesondere in der Türkei ist es notwendig nach Alternativen zu suchen, um den Rückgang an Waldfläche zu verringern. Baumwollstengel können als billige Rohstoffquelle zur Herstellung von Spanplatten mit Standardeigenschaften genutzt werden. In dieser Arbeit werden Wasseraufnahme, Dickenquellung, Biegefestigkeit und Querzugfestigkeit von Platten aus Baumwollstengeln untersucht. Die Platten wurden mit unterschiedlichen Harzmengen und Dichten produziert. Es zeigte sich, dass Platten mit Dichten zwischen 0,60 und 0,70 g/cm³ technologische Eigenschaften aufwiesen, die den Normen genügen.

     

Comparison of Fenitrothion and Trifluralin Adsorption on Organo-Zeolites and Activated Carbon. Part I: Pesticides Adsorption Isotherms on Adsorbents

In the past decades, natural zeolites have found a important role in adsorption applications due to their local availability and low cost preparation. In this study, surface of natural zeolite sample was modified by using cationic surfactants in order to investigate its adsorption capacity to remove pesticides from wastewater. Data obtained from adsorption studies on organo-zeolites were compared with data obtained from those on activated carbon. To determine the adsorption process and properties, the effects of various operating parameters, pH of the solution (3–11), initial concentration of pesticides (5–20 mg · L^?1), contact time (10–350 min), and temperature (25–55°C) were investigated in a batch adsorption technique. According to results, the adsorbed amount of fenitrothion on three different adsorbents decreased whereas those of trifluralin on the adsorbents increased with increasing temperature. Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models were applied to experimental equilibrium data of pesticide adsorption depending on temperature. The data obtained from adsorption isotherms for organo-zeolites and activated carbon were well fitted to the Freundlich model at all temperatures.     

Sensing and Field Data Capture for Construction and Facility Operations

Collection of accurate, complete, and reliable field data is not only essential for active management of construction projects involving various tasks, such as material tracking, progress monitoring, and quality assurance, but also for facility and infrastructure management during the service lives of facilities and infrastructure systems. Limitations of current manual data collection approaches in terms of speed, completeness, and accuracy render these approaches ineffective for decision support in highly dynamic environments, such as construction and facility operations. Hence, a need exists to leverage the advancements in automated field data capture technologies to support decisions during construction and facility operations. These technologies can be used not only for acquiring data about the various operations being carried out at construction and facility sites but also for gathering information about the context surrounding these operations and monitoring the workflow of activities during these operations. With this, it is possible for project and facility managers to better understand the effect of environmental conditions on construction and facility operations and also to identify inefficient processes in these operations. This paper presents an overview of the various applications of automated field data capture technologies in construction and facility fieldwork. These technologies include image capture technologies, such as laser scanners and video cameras; automated identification technologies, such as barcodes and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags; tracking technologies, such as Global Positioning System (GPS) and wireless local area network (LAN); and process monitoring technologies, such as on-board instruments (OBI). The authors observe that although applications exist for capturing construction and facility fieldwork data, these technologies have been underutilized for capturing the context at the fieldwork sites as well as for monitoring the workflow of construction and facility operations.