Extractive Separation of Oxalic and Nitric Acids Using Tributyl Phosphate

Theoretical Foundations of Chemical Engineering - The extraction of nitric and oxalic acids by neutral compounds TBP, DBBP, and TBPO have been studied. The optimal conditions of their separation...     

Tuning the Operating Band of an Artificial Magnetic Conductor

Journal of Communications Technology and Electronics - Approximate formulas for calculating the coefficient of reflection from an artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) based on a capacitive lattice...     

Identification of critical erosion prone areas in the small agricultural watershed using USLE,GIS and remote sensing

In the present study, Karso watershed of Hazaribagh, Jharkhand State, India was divided into 200 × 200 grid cells and average annual sediment yields were estimated for each grid cell of the watershed to identify the critical erosion prone areas of watershed for prioritization purpose. Average annual sediment yield data on grid basis was estimated using Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE). In general, a major limitation in the use of hydrological models has been their inability to handle the large amounts of input data that describe the heterogeneity of the natural system. Remote sensing (RS) technology provides the vital spatial and temporal information on some of these parameters. A recent and emerging technology represented by Geographic Information System (GIS) was used as the tool to generate, manipulate and spatially organize disparate data for sediment yield modeling. Thus, the Arc Info 7.2 GIS software and RS (ERDAS IMAGINE 8.4 image processing software) provided spatial input data to the erosion model, while the USLE was used to predict the spatial distribution of the sediment yield on grid basis. The deviation of estimated sediment yield from the observed values in the range of 1.37 to 13.85 percent indicates accurate estimation of sediment yield from the watershed.     

Thermal stability in bulk cryomilled ultrafine-grained 5083 Al alloy

Thermal stability in bulk ultrafine-grained (UFG) 5083 Al that was processed by gas atomization followed by cryomilling, consolidation, and extrusion, and that exhibited an average grain size of 305 nm, was investigated in the temperature range of 473 to 673 K (0.55 to 0.79 T _m , where T _m is the melting temperature of the material) for different annealing times. Appreciable grain growth was observed at temperatures > 573 K, whereas there was limited grain growth at temperatures < 573 K even after long annealing times. The values of the grain growth exponent, n, deduced from the grain growth data were higher than the value of 2 predicted from elementary grain growth theories. The discrepancy was attributed to the operation of strong pinning forces on boundaries during the annealing treatment. An examination of the microstructure of the alloy suggests that the origin of the pinning forces is most likely related to the presence of dispersion particles, which are mostly introduced during cryomilling. Two-grain growth regimes were identified: the low-temperature region (<573 K) and the high-temperature region (>573 K). For temperatures lower than 573 K, the activation energy of 25 ± 5 kJ/mol was determined. It is suggested that this low activation energy represents the energy for the reordering of grain boundaries in the UFG material. For temperatures higher than 573 K, an activation energy of 124 ± 5 kJ/mol was measured. This value of activation energy, 124 ± 5 kJ/mol, lies between that for grain boundary diffusion and lattice diffusion in analogous aluminum polycrystalline systems. The results show that the strength and ductility of bulk UFG 5083 Al, as obtained from tensile tests, correlate well with substructural changes introduced in the alloy by the annealing treatment.     

An EKV-based high voltage MOSFET model with improved mobility and drift model

An EKV-based high voltage MOSFET model is presented. The intrinsic channel model is derived based on the charge based EKV-formalism. An improved mobility model is used for the modeling of the intrinsic channel to improve the DC characteristics. The model uses second order dependence on the gate bias and an extra parameter for the smoothening of the saturation voltage of the intrinsic drain. An improved drift model [Chauhan YS, Anghel C, Krummenacher F, Ionescu AM, Declercq M, Gillon R, et al. A highly scalable high voltage MOSFET model. In: IEEE European solid-state device research conference (ESSDERC), September 2006. p. 270–3; Chauhan YS, Anghel C, Krummenacher F, Maier C, Gillon R, Bakeroot B, et al. Scalable general high voltage MOSFET model including quasi-saturation and self-heating effect. Solid State Electron 2006;50(11–12):1801–13] is used for the modeling of the drift region, which gives smoother transition on output characteristics and also models well the quasi-saturation region of high voltage MOSFETs. First, the model is validated on the numerical device simulation of the VDMOS transistor and then, on the measured characteristics of the SOI-LDMOS transistor. The accuracy of the model is better than our previous model [Chauhan YS, Anghel C, Krummenacher F, Maier C, Gillon R, Bakeroot B, et al. Scalable general high voltage MOSFET model including quasi-saturation and self-heating effect. Solid State Electron 2006;50(11–12):1801–13] especially in the quasi-saturation region of output characteristics.     

Prevalence of serologic markers of HBV, HDV, HCV and HIV in non-injection drug users compared to injection drug users in Gran Canaria, Spain

Von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL) is an autosomal dominant tumour syndrome caused by germline mutations of the VHL tumour suppressor gene located on chromosome 3p25-26. In VHL tumours may occur in 14 different target organs, including the eye. Retinal angiomas are considered the first manifestation of VHL disease in 43% of cases, and the cumulative probability of developing a retinal angioma in one or both eyes rises during each decade of life, reaching 80% for patients over 80 years old. Since 1976 patients with VHL at the University Hospital of Utrecht and their at-risk relatives have been screened periodically by a multidisciplinary team. Long-term follow-up ophthalmological data were analysed with special attention to natural course and results of treatment. In addition, we looked for a genotype-phenotype correlation. Retinal angiomas were found in all families. In one large family with a missense mutation (V170D) of the VHL gene, in which the complete spectrum of visceral- and central nervous system (CNS) features of VHL is present, macular, parapapillary, optic disc and ora serrata angiomas were also found. In general, however, a clear-cut genotype-phenotype correlation could not be found. Only early detection and treatment of peripheral retinal angiomas can be expected to decrease the percentage of patients with decreased visual acuity. Therefore, early detection and treatment of these tumours is of paramount importance. Ophthalmological screening of patients and persons at risk should start as early as possible. In patients with apparently sporadic retinal angiomas it is advisable to perform germline DNA analysis, since the risk of developing VHL is high, especially if the angiomas are bilateral, or unilateral and multifocal, if the patient is young, or if there is a family history suggestive of VHL.     

Methacrylic acid and dodecyl methacrylate (MAc‐DMA) hydrogel for enhanced catalytic activity of lipase of Bacillus coagulans MTCC‐6375

An alkaline thermotolerant bacterial lipase of Bacillus coagulans MTCC‐6375 was purified and immobilized on a methacrylic acid and dodecyl methacrylate (MAc‐DMA) hydrogel. The lipase was optimally bound to the matrix after 20 min of incubation at 55°C and pH 9 under shaking conditions. The matrix‐bound lipase retained approximately 50% of its initial activity at 70–80°C after 3 h of incubation. The immobilized lipase was highly active on medium chain length p‐nitrophenyl acyl ester (C: 8, p‐nitrophenyl caprylate) than other p‐nitrophenyl acyl esters. The presence of Fe³⁺, NH₄⁺, K⁺, and Zn²⁺ ions at 1 mM concentration in the reaction mixture resulted in a profound increase in the activity of immobilized lipase. Most of the detergents partially reduced the activity of the immobilized lipase. The immobilized lipase performed ～62% conversion in 12 h at temperature 55°C. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 1420–1426, 2006     

Synthesis of ethyl propionate catalyzed by poly(N‐AEAAm‐co‐AAc)‐cl‐MBAm hydrogel‐immobilized lipase of Bacillus coagulans MTCC‐6375

A purified alkaline thermotolerant bacterial lipase of Bacillus coagulans MTCC‐6375 was efficiently immobilized onto poly(N‐AEAAm‐co‐AAc‐cl‐MBAm)‐hydrogel at pH 8.5 and at temperature 55°C in 16 h. The hydrogel‐bound matrix possessed 1.04 U/g (matrix) lipase activity with a specific activity of 1.8 U/mg of protein. The immobilized lipase resulted in formation of 52.5 mM of ethyl propionate (52% conversion) at 55°C in 9 h in n‐nonane. Ethanol and propionic acid when used in a ratio of 300 : 100 mM, respectively, in n‐nonane along with 10 mg of hydrogel‐bound lipase resulted in optimal synthesis of ethyl propionate (82.5 mM). Addition of molecular sieves (3 Å, 0.7 g/reaction volume) further enhanced the conversion rate to 82.4% resulting in 83.5 mM of ethyl propionate. Incubation temperature below or above 55°C had a marked effect on the synthesis of ethyl propionate. However, esterification performed in n‐heptane at 65°C resulted in 87.5 mM of ethyl propionate with a conversation rate of 89.3%. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007