Studies on graft copolymerization of 4‐vinylpyridine onto guar gum

Graft copolymerization of 4‐vinylpyridine (4‐VP) onto guar gum (GOH) using potassium monopersulfate (PMS)/thioacetamide (TAA) as a redox pair was studied in an aqueous medium under inert atmosphere. The concentration of potassium monopersulfate and thioacetamide should be 1.0 × 10^?2 and 5.0 × 10^?3 mol dm^?3, respectively, for highest grafting ratio and efficiency. Efficient grafting was observed at 19.25 × 10^?2 and 4.87 × 10^?2 mol dm^?3 concentration of 4‐vinylpyridine and sulfuric acid, respectively. The optimum temperature for grafting is 30°C. As the time period of reaction is increased, the grafting ratio increases, whereas efficiency decreases. The plausible mechanism of grafting has been suggested. A sample of guar gum and guar‐ g‐4‐vinylpyridine were subjected to thermogravimetric analysis with the objective of studying the effect of grafting 4‐vinylpyridine on the thermal stability of guar gum. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 84: 2380–2385, 2002     

Usability principles and best practices for the user interface design of complex 3D architectural design and engineering tools

This study proposes usability principles for the user interfaces (UI) design of complex 3D parametric architectural design and engineering tools. Numerous usability principles have been developed for generic desktop or web applications. The authors tried to apply existing usability principles as guidelines for evaluating complex 3D design and engineering applications. However, the principles were too generic and high-level to be useful as design or evaluation guidelines. The authors, all with more than 10 or 30 years of experience with various CAD systems, selected and reviewed 10 state-of-the-art 3D parametric design and engineering applications and captured what they thought were best practices, as screenshots and videos. The collected best practices were reviewed through a series of discussion sessions. During the discussion sessions, UI design principles underlying the collected best practices were characterized in the line of existing UI principles. Based on the best practices and the derived common UI principles, a new set of refined and detailed UI principles were proposed for improving and evaluating 3D parametric engineering design tools in the future.     

A hybrid model of component sharing and platform modularity for optimal product family design

Today's industry faces new challenges such as diverse customer demands, shorter product development cycles and cost pressure, which compel manufacturing firms to change their production paradigm from one-size-fits-all mass production toward mass customisation. Over the past decades, modular design has received great attention as a key enabler for mass customisation, and component sharing and platform modularity have been quite popular strategies for modular design. While modular design approaches and their strategies offer a number of advantages such as late product differentiation and changeability, there are unfortunately negative aspects, for example, sales loss due to reduced performance compared to integral design approaches, which have received little attention. Therefore, we propose a hybrid model of the two strategies in order to develop the most profitable product family. A detailed numerical analysis provides empirical support for the feasibility and effectiveness of the hybrid model.     

Three-Dimensional Numerical Modeling of Initial Mixing of Thermal Discharges at Real-Life Configurations

A three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model is developed for simulating initial mixing in the near field of thermal discharges at real-life geometrical configurations. The domain decomposition method with multilevel embedded overset grids is employed to handle the complexity of real-life diffusers as well as to efficiently account for the large disparity in length scales arising from the relative size of the ambient river reach and the typical diffuser diameter. An algebraic mixing length model with a Richardson-number correction for buoyancy effects is used for the turbulence closure. The governing equations are solved with a second-order-accurate, finite-volume, artificial compressibility method. The model is validated by applying it to simulate thermally stratified shear flows and negatively buoyant wall jet flows and the computed results are shown to be in good overall agreement with the experimental measurements. To demonstrate the potential of the numerical model as a powerful engineering simulation tool we apply it to simulate turbulent initial mixing of thermal discharges loaded from both single-port and multiport diffusers in a prismatic channel and a natural river. Comparisons of the CFD model results with those obtained by applying two widely used empirical mixing zone models show that the results are very similar in terms of both the rate of dilution and overall shape of the plumes. The CFD model further resolves the complex three-dimensional features of such flows, including the complex interplay of the ambient flow and thermal discharges as well as the interaction between each of discharges loaded from multiple ports, which are obviously not accessible by the simpler empirical models.     

Evolution of microhardness and microstructure in a cast Al–7 % Si alloy during high-pressure torsion

Disks of a cast Al–7 % Si alloy were processed through high-pressure torsion (HPT) for 1/4, 1/2, 1, 5, and 10 revolutions under a pressure of 6.0 GPa and at temperatures of 298 and 445 K. The hardness of the samples after processing was significantly higher than in the cast sample, and the hardness profiles across the samples became more uniform with increasing numbers of turns. Processing at higher temperature gave lower hardness values. Experiments were conducted to examine the effects of HPT processing on various microstructural aspects of the cast Al–7 % Si alloy such as the grain size, the Taylor factor, and the fraction of high-angle grain boundaries. The results demonstrate that there is a correlation between trends in the microhardness values and the observed microstructures.     

An MTP inhibitor that normalizes atherogenic lipoprotein levels in WHHL rabbits

Patients with abetalipoproteinemia, a disease caused by defects in the microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP), do not produce apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins. It was hypothesized that small molecule inhibitors of MTP would prevent the assembly and secretion of these atherogenic lipoproteins. To test this hypothesis, two compounds identified in a high-throughput screen for MTP inhibitors were used to direct the synthesis of a highly potent MTP inhibitor. This molecule (compound 9) inhibited the production of lipoprotein particles in rodent models and normalized plasma lipoprotein levels in Watanabe-heritable hyperlipidemic (WHHL) rabbits, which are a model for human homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia. These results suggest that compound 9, or derivatives thereof, has potential applications for the therapeutic lowering of atherogenic lipoprotein levels in humans.     

Cu+2/mandelic acid redox pair initiated graft copolymerization acrylamide onto guar gum

The effect of reaction conditions on the grafting parameters during the grafting of acrylamide (ACM) onto guar gum (GOH) by using a Cu⁺²–mandelic acid (MA) redox couple was studied. On increasing the Cu⁺² ion concentration (0.5 × 10⁻² to 1.0 × 10⁻² mol dm⁻³), an increase in total conversion of monomer, grafting ratio, efficiency, and add on was observed. Grafting ratios increased with an increase in concentration of mandelic acid and reaches its maximum value at 0.8 × 10⁻² mol dm⁻³. It was observed that grafting onto guar gum takes place efficiently when monomer and hydrogen ion concentrations are 20.0 × 10⁻² and 2.2 × 10⁻² mol dm⁻³, respectively. Optimum temperature and time for obtaining a maximum grafting ratio and efficiency was found to be 35 ± 0.2°C and 2 h, respectively. The plausible mechanism of grafting was suggested. The graft copolymer was characterized by infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 71: 739–745, 1999     

Polymerization of acrylamide and methacrylamide initiated by a potassium peroxydiphosphate/Mn(II) system

The kinetics of aqueous polymerization of acrylamide (AM) and methacrylamide (MAM) have been studied using a potassium peroxydiphosphate (PDP/Mn(II) system in an inert atmosphere at 40°C and at constant pH (1·30). The polymerization rate R_p has been found to be proportional to the half power of PDP and Mn(II) concentrations. The overall energy of activation (ΔE) was found to be 40·2±0·1kJmol^-1 and 45·0±0.1kJmol^-1 for AM and MAM, respectively. Intrinsic viscosity [η], viscometric average molecular weight (M_v) and number average degree of polymerization (P_n) at different concentrations of PDP, Mn(II) and monomer are reported. © 1998 SCI.     

Dynamic response of stream temperatures to boundary and inflow perturbation due to reservoir operations

Dams and reservoir operations modify natural stream behaviour and affect the downstream characteristics such as mean temperatures and diurnal temperature amplitudes. Managing phase effects due to reservoir operation and the associated amplification of daily maximum temperatures in the downstream reaches remains a challenge. An analytical approach derived from a one‐dimensional heat advection and dispersion equation with surface heating in the form of equilibrium temperature was developed to examine the potential for restoration of natural stream temperatures. The analytical model was validated with observed temperature data collected in the Clackamas River, Oregon, and was used to highlight key downstream temperature behaviour characteristics. Mean stream temperatures below the dam are relatively stable and upon deviating from natural stream mean temperatures, return asymptotically to their natural state. In contrast, the amplitudes of daily temperature variation are highly sensitive to the phase differences induced by the dam and could nearly double in natural amplitude within the first 24 h. The analysis showed that restoring average stream temperatures to natural levels through structural and operational modifications at the dam may not be sufficient as phase‐induced temperatures maximums would continue to persist. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.