Water softening in a crossflow membrane reactor

This paper presents an investigation on the removal of hardness by using a crossflow membrane reactor. Lime soda (LS) and caustic soda (CS) were added to hard water as softening chemical agents. The effect of the LS-CS dosage, specific cake resistances (α) and transmembrane pressure drop (ΔP) on steady-state rejection and flux was investigated. Also, flux declines were evaluated with respect to various flux decline models. It was found that hardness rejections decrease for LS and increase for CS with increasing LS and CS dosage, respectively. As ΔP increases, it was observed that while steady-state fluxes rise for both additives, hardness rejections were decreased for CS and remained constant for LS. A maximum of 97.5% hardness removal was achieved for 100% stochiometric dosages of CS. Obtained steady-state flux values varied between 224 to 881 L/m² h, depending on added chemical dosages and applied ΔP. It was determined that the reason for the flux decline at the beginning of the filtration (i.e., in the rapid flux decline period, RPD) was due to an intermediate pore blocking mechanism. As filtration progressed to the slow flux decline period (SDP), it was concluded that cake filtration occurred for all experiments. If solid matter concentration in the feed solution and applied ΔP are relatively low, the experiments showed that flux decline is due to the intermediate pore blocking mechanism. However, it was determined that if solid matter concentration in the feed solution and applied ΔP are relatively high, the flux decline model fits well with the cake filtration model.     

Polydimethylsiloxane permeability-based method for the continuous and specific detection of hydrogen sulfide

Hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S) is known to play a physiological role in processes as diverse as vasodilation, maintenance of vascular tone, neurotransmission, and immune response. The multitude of physiological functions in which H(2)S is involved warrants the development of useful methods for its detection. Here, we introduce a simple and continuous H(2)S detection method that exploits the relatively high polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) permeability of H(2)S in comparison to other thiols typically encountered in the cellular milieu. In this method, 96-well inserts constructed of PDMS act as an H(2)S-permeable membrane, eliminating nonspecific thiol detection. This design also makes it possible to use virtually any available thiol-specific probe such as Ellman's reagent which was used here to detect H(2)S once it crossed the PDMS membrane. Utilizing this method, a detection limit of 9.2 ± 1.9 ppb(m) (parts per billion (by mole) or ~0.51 μM in 1.6 mL of buffer) free H(2)S (detected as solution sulfide) was achieved. In addition, the assay was used to determine K(M) and V(max) for natural substrates of cystathionine γ-lyase (CSE), the main enzyme responsible for H(2)S production in peripheral tissues. The K(M) and V(max) of CSE for cysteine were 3.79 ± 2.07 mM and 0.37 ± 0.02 nmol H(2)S/min, respectively. K(M) and V(max) for homocysteine were 6.90 ± 1.78 mM and 1.10 ± 0.19 nmol H(2)S/min, respectively. In addition, the assay was used to examine the potential for a direct interaction of H(2)S and NO. The levels of detected H(2)S decreased in the presence of NO under normoxia but not under anoxia indicating that H(2)S does not react with NO but with N(2)O(3) likely formed in the hydrophobic environment of PDMS.     

Hysteresis errors of commonly used sensor materials

In this study, the hysteresis errors of 17-4 PH precipitation hardened stainless steel, aged Cu–Be (copper beryllium) alloy and AISI 4340 steel, which are commonly used as spring materials for sensors, were determined. Various heat treatment processes were applied to the samples of sensor materials in order to decrease the hysteresis error. The effect of the microstructure on the hysteresis error was also investigated. According to the results, the hysteresis errors were increased 2–3 times for higher annealing temperatures or holding time after solutionized. The results showed that the hysteresis characteristics can be improved by the application of suitable thermo-mechanical treatment processes. Microstructural changes can effect the sensor behavior and increase or decrease measurement errors. The lowest hysteresis errors were obtained in short-term aged for Cu–Be material and fine martensite for AISI 4340 steel and short-term aged for 17-4 PH steel.     

Variations in cross-link density with deposition pressure in ultrathin plasma polymerized benzene and octafluorocyclobutane films

Neutron reflectometry (NR) measurements of ultrathin films from octafluorocyclobutane (OFCB) and benzene (B) precursors deposited using Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) at two pressures (0.6 and 0.05 torr) reveal that under both deposition conditions there are a 7 nm-thick surface layer and an approximately 1 nm-thick transition layer next to the substrate which have structures different than those in the middle of the film. NR measurements of films swollen with solvent reveal that the density of cross-linking next to the substrate is lower than that in the middle of the film or the region adjacent to the surface of the film for both precursors. Variations in the cross-link density with processing pressure are much stronger for PP-B films than for PP-OFCB films.     

Collaboration structure and knowledge diffusion in Turkish management academia

This article proposes a conceptual framework to study diffusion of knowledge via collaborative social interactions. The framework primes deliberation on (i) nature of knowledg, (ii) chain of knowledge process, and (iii) modes of knowledge transfer while examining mechanisms of knowledge diffusion and collaboration structure. Within such a differentiation scheme while information is considered as a form of filtered data within a context of relevancies, knowledge is considered as a systematically processed information that is bound to individual or collective actions and praxis. The framework is applied employing an empirical research method based on meta-network analysis. The examplary case traces how management sciences related knowledge is diffused and what collaboration structures are exhibited by Turkish management academia from 1920s until 2008. Results from knowledge diffusion models which have been devised and tested in this study hint that management knowledge within local publications follows patterns of information diffusion rather than patterns of knowledge transfer found elsewhere. On the other hand, it is seen that cognitive demand of publishing in citation indexed global journals have given way to cohesive collaborating teams as mean of collaborative knowledge production and transfer.     

Cytotoxic activities of Mannich bases of chalcones and related compounds

Various Mannich bases of chalcones and related compounds displayed significant cytotoxicity toward murine P388 and L1210 leukemia cells as well as a number of human tumor cell lines. The most promising lead molecule was 21 that had the highest activity toward L1210 and human tumor cells. In addition, 21 exerted preferential toxicity to human tumor lines compared to transformed human T-lymphocytes. Other compounds of interest were 38, with a huge differential in cytotoxicity between P388 and L1210 cells, and 42, with a high therapeutic index when cytotoxicity to P388 cells and Molt 4/C8 T-lymphocytes were compared. In general, the Mannich bases were more cytotoxic than the corresponding chalcones toward L1210 but not P388 cells. A ClusCor analysis of the data obtained from the in vitro human tumor screen revealed that the mode of action of certain groups of compounds was similar. For some groups of compounds, cytotoxicity was correlated with the sigma, pi, or molar refractivity constants in the aryl ring attached to the olefinic group. In addition, the IC50 values in all three screens correlated with the redox potentials of a number of Mannich bases. X-ray crystallography and molecular modeling of representative compounds revealed various structural features which were considered to contribute to cytotoxicity. While a representative compound 15 was stable and unreactive toward glutathione (GSH) in buffer, the Mannich bases 15, 18, and 21 reacted with GSH in the presence of the pi isozyme of glutathione S-transferase, suggesting that thiol alkylation may be one mechanism by which cytotoxicity was exerted in vitro. Representative compounds were shown to be nonmutagenic in an intrachromosomal recombination assay in yeast, devoid of antimicrobial properties and possessing anticonvulsant and neurotoxic properties. Thus Mannich bases of chalcones represent a new group of cytotoxic agents of which 21 in particular serves as an useful prototypic molecule.     

Inelastic behaviors of steel shear tab connections

Inelastic behaviors of shear tab connections commonly used in modern steel buildings are investigated in this work. Full‐scale steel shear tab connections with and without concrete slab physically tested by other researchers are closely simulated by non‐linear finite element (FE) method. Different nonlinear FE features (inelastic materials, surface‐based contacts and large geometric options) are included, and different solution strategies (Newton method and Explicit Dynamic method) are employed to balance computational effort and solution accuracy. The simulations extend our understandings on shear tab connections at micro levels, including stress distribution in the connection zone, movement of the neutral axis along the beam sections and normal stress distributions along steel shear tabs and concrete slabs. It is found that the shear tabs contribute to flexural strength of the beam‐to‐column connection and the elastic–plastic theory explains the observed behavior well only when concrete slab is not present. The composite steel shear tab connections have unsymmetrical behavior under negative and positive bending moments. The compressive concrete slabs significantly increase the flexural stiffness and strength of composite shear tab connections. It is also verified that the shear studs near steel columns play a key role for the composite connections. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparative study of special and ordinary braced frames

The collapse probability of ductile and non‐ductile concentrically braced frames was investigated using nonlinear dynamic response analysis. Two buildings with three and nine stories located in Boston and Los Angeles, respectively, were designed and subjected to ground motions from the areas. In Boston area, three‐story and nine‐story buildings were designed as ordinary concentrically braced frame with response modification reduction factor R equal to 3 1/4 to be considered as non‐ductile structural systems; comparatively, in Los Angeles area, three‐story and nine‐story buildings were designed as special concentrically braced frame with response modification reduction factor R equal to 6 to be considered as ductile structural systems. In order to evaluate the performance of ductile and non‐ductile concentrically braced frames in moderate and severe seismic regions, ATC‐63 would be used as reference to assess the seismic behaviors. Evaluation approach recommended by ATC‐63 was adopted, and hundreds of nonlinear dynamic analyses were performed. Through alternating the scale factors of designated ground motions, median of structural collapse intensity was presented for each structure. By observing the results of statistical performance assessment, the seismic performance of the systems was evaluated, and some observations are made based on the study. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ni-625 Superalloy Foam Processed by Powder Space-Holder Technique

In this work, porous Ni-625 superalloys were produced by use of a water soluble pore forming agent prior to sintering. Carbamide particles were used as the space-holder materials. After mixing and compaction, the space-holder particles were extracted using warm water leaching over a range of temperatures. The porous green parts were subsequently thermally debinding to remove the paraffin wax under a pure Argon atmosphere, and subsequently sintered at high vacuum. The effects of volume fraction of space-holder particles on density, porosity, and elastic modulus were investigated. Microstructures were captured using optical and scanning electron microscopy. Pore size was quantified using image analysis software integral to the scanning electron microscopy. In addition, compression tests were conducted on the sintered samples.     

Effects of ultrasonication on glycerin separation during transesterification of soybean oil

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of high-intensity ultrasound irradiation and temperature on glycerin separation start time and separation rate during the transesterification of soybean oil. Response surfaces methodology was used to design the experiments. Reaction temperature, ultrasonication level and duration of ultrasonication at three levels were assigned as the control variables. The progressing transesterification reactions were monitored using a low-intensity ultrasound measurement system, which measures the ultrasound time of flight in glycerin as glycerin separates during the reaction. The effects of ultrasonication level, duration of ultrasonication and temperature on glycerin separation start time and separation rate were statistically significant at p < 0.01 level. The effect of the interaction between temperature and duration of ultrasonication on glycerin separation start time was also statistically significant at p < 0.05 level. The process conditions that provided the lowest starting times for glycerin separation were determined to be the reaction temperature of 50 °C, ultrasonication of 5 min and ultrasonication rate of 90%. Low-intensity ultrasound measurement techniques and response surfaces experimental design are useful tools in determining the effects of various variables on the transesterification of vegetable oils.