Investigation on Sodium Benzoate Release from Poly(Butylene Adipate‐Co‐Terephthalate)/Organoclay/Sodium Benzoate Based Nanocomposite Film and Their Antimicrobial Activity

Polymeric nanocomposites embedded with nontoxic antimicrobial agents have recently gained potential industrial significance, mainly for their applicability to preserve food quality and ensure safety. In this study, a poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate) (PBAT)/organoclay (CMMT) based nanocomposite film doped with sodium benzoate (SB) as antimicrobial agent was prepared by a solution mixing process. A homogenous dispersion of organoclay (cetyltrimethylammonium‐modified montmorillonite [CMMT]) in PBAT matrix was observed by X‐ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. PBAT/CMMT nanocomposite film showed higher barrier properties against water and methanol vapor compared to the PBAT film. The release of SB from PBAT and its nanocomposite film was measured and the relevant data were fitted to the Weibull model. The higher values of Weibull's shape factor and scale parameter as corroborated by experimental findings indicated faster rate of SB release from PBAT/CMMT/SB nanocomposite film, when compared to the pristine PBAT film. Bacterial inhibition studies were accomplished against 2 food pathogenic bacteria, Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus, by determining the zone of inhibition and corresponding growth profiles. Both bacterial inhibition studies and growth profiles established that PBAT/CMMT/SB demonstrated better antimicrobial activity than PBAT/SB film. Therefore, PBAT/CMMT/SB nanocomposite film can be used for food packaging application as it showed good barrier properties and antimicrobial activity against food pathogenic bacteria.     

Kinetic analysis of microbial reduction of Fe(III) in nontronite

Microbial reduction of structural Fe(III) in nontronite (NAu-2) was studied in batch cultures under non-growth condition using Shewanella putrefaciens strain CN32. The rate and extent of structural Fe(III) reduction was examined as a function of electron acceptor [Fe(III)] and bacterial concentration. Fe(ll) sorption onto NAu-2 and CN32 surfaces was independently measured and described by the Langmuir expression with the affinity constant (log K) of 3.21 and 3.30 for NAu-2 and bacteria, respectively. The Fe(II) sorption capacity of NAu-2 decreased with increasing NAu-2 concentration, suggesting a particle aggregation effect. An empirical equation for maximum sorption capacity was derived from the sorption isotherms as a function of NAu-2 concentration. The total reactive surface concentration of Fe(III) was proposed as a proxy for the "effective" or bioaccessible Fe(III) concentration. The initial rate of microbial reduction was first-order with respect to the effective Fe-(III) concentration. A kinetic biogeochemical model was assembled that incorporated the first-order rate expression with respect to the effective Fe(III) concentration, Fe(II) sorption to cell and NAu-2 surfaces, and the empirical equation for maximum sorption capacity. The model successfully described the experimental results with variable NAu-2 concentration. The initial rate of microbial reduction of Fe(III) in NAu-2 increased with increasing cell concentration from 10(2) up to approximately 10(8) cells/mL, and then leveled off with further increase. A saturation-type kinetics with respect to cell concentration was required to describe microbial reduction of Fe(III) in NAu-2 as a function of cell concentration. Overall, our results indicated that the kinetics of microbial reduction of Fe(III) in NAu-2 can be modeled at variable concentration of key variables (clay and cell concentration) by considering the surface saturation, Fe(II) production, and its sorption to NAu-2 and cell surfaces.     

A design approach for myoelectric arm with hand and wrist motions using single actuator

This paper relates to the development of prosthetic myoelectric hand that performs many functions of real human hand like opening and closing of fingers and wrist rotation. This dual movement of prosthetic hand is controlled by a single DC motor. Below-elbow amputee persons with missing limbs can append this prosthetic hand with the available stump and can do some of the hand operations with multiple degrees of freedom by voluntary activation of muscles using electromyogram (EMG) electrodes. To rehabilitate such a person, facilities like opening, closing, grasping, and lifting objects of different weight with variable grip force are available like natural hand. The main design consideration includes degrees of freedom, number of actuators, power of actuators, reliability, electronic control, light weight, economic viability, wrist rotation, variable grip force pattern, and ease of attachment with limb. Use of electromagnetic clutches along with the coupling logic of DC motor and microcontroller based on grip force generation and wrist rotation based on EMG signals imparts a new function to the device. It will be useful for both robotic and prosthetic industry.     

Optimum shapes of tire‐treads for avoiding lateral slippage between tires and roads

Optimum design of tire‐tread sections is an important practical issue. However, useful study of the problem that can suggest a reliable guideline for determining the optimum tread sections had hardly been made in the past. The present paper describes a new analysis of the state of stresses in tire‐tread sections in contact with the road surface, taking special care of the boundary conditions. Based on the analysis, a method is proposed to determine the optimum tread shapes for avoiding lateral slippage between tires and roads. The displacement potential function formulation, an ideal mathematical model for the practical stress problems, has been used in conjunction with finite‐difference method of solution. For the present analysis, lateral slipping in absence of frictional resistance as well as the no‐slip conditions of the tire‐tread contact surface have been considered along with a large number of tread aspect ratios. The present computational approach proves to be a powerful tool for determining the optimum tread shapes for avoiding the lateral slippage of tire‐treads. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Degradation profiles of polyester–urethane (hydroxylated polyester/diphenylmethane diisocyanate) and polyester–melamine (hydroxylated polyester/hexamethoxymethylmelamine) coatings: An accelerated weathering study

The successful material performance of coatings depends on the environmental conditions to which they are exposed. The effects of the diol structure and acetoacetylation on the weathering degradation of hydroxylated polyester (HP)/hexamethoxymethylmelamine and HP/diphenylmethane diisocyanate clear coatings were studied. The acetoacetylation of HPs led to better performance for higher application solids than the acetoacetylation of their base counterparts. Weathering degradation profiles were investigated with dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The structural variations of the building blocks and acetoacetylation were found to be important for enhancing the stability of coatings at higher application solids. Polyester–urethane coatings were more stable toward weathering than polyester–melamine coatings. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 97: 1069–1081, 2005     

Interesting aspects of the analysis of resistivity in Li irradiated Bi-2212

Differently heat treated and 55 MeV Li³⁺ beam irradiated Bi₂Sr₂Ca₁Cu₂O_8+δ (Bi-2212) high temperature superconductors have been studied from the analysis of resistivity in the normal state as well as near the superconducting transition. For all the unirradiated and irradiated samples the so-called linear temperature dependence of the normal state resistivity, in a wide temperature range, can well be understood within the variable range hopping (VRH) conduction scenario. Near and above the bulk superconducting transition, the fluctuation enhanced conductivity (paraconductivity) analysis shows a noteworthy modification of the conduction process due to radiation induced defects.     

Diffraction of shear waves by a rigid strip in a medium of monoclinic type

Summary The paper discusses the two dimensional problem of diffraction of shear waves by a rigid strip in an infinite medium of monoclinic type. This problem is reduced to a system of dual integral equations of which the solution provides the diffracted field. The method of steepest descent has been used in the determination of the diffracted fields at a large distance from the strip. Diffraction pattern for displacement and stress field have been computed and the effect of anisotropy is distinctly marked.With 6 Figures     

Performance of neural networks for predicting yarn properties using principal component analysis

In recent years, neural networks have been used as a tool for modeling an industrial process. An improvement in their performance may be expected either by divining more efficient training algorithms or by intelligently manipulating the data set. The second method is examined. The problem chosen is one of predicting the properties of cotton yarn from the fiber properties. When the input data are known to correlate with each other, principal component analysis can be used to improve the performance of neural networks. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 1746–1751, 2004     

Simulation and experimental study of interharmonic performance of a Cycloconverter-FedSynchronous motor drive

High-power synchronous motor drives are usually fed from naturally commutated cycloconverters. The output voltage of the cycloconverter contains interharmonics/subharmonics which affect the power quality and restrict the allowable frequency range. Further, a practical circulating current-free cycloconverter usually gives rise to stator current discontinuities. The present paper deals with a simulation method to study the performance of a cycloconverter-fed synchronous motor drive in the presence of interharmonics/subharmonics taking into account the discontinuities in the output current as well as the effect of ripple in the output current on the input current of the cycloconverter. Interharmonics in output phase voltage, output phase current, input supply current, and the field current are estimated and verified with experimental results on a laboratory prototype. The significant oscillating torque components due to these interharmonics are identified in a typical case. The simulation results are useful in power quality studies for such drives and in devising methods for suppression of these interharmonics/subharmonics.