Effect of Surface Treatment and Metallic Coating on Corrosion Behavior and Biocompatibility of Surgical 316L Stainless Steel Implant

Surface engineering technology is a suitable method for coatings on the metal surfaces or performing surface modification treatment,which can improve corrosion resistance and biocompatibility of metals.In this research,corrosion behavior of Nb coating on H 2 SO 4 and HNO 3 treated AISI stainless steel 316L (SS) was evaluated.Nb coating was carried out using physical vapor deposition process on the SS.Characterization techniques including scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) technique were used to investigate the microstructure and morphology of the coated and treated SS.Electrochemical potentiodynamic tests were performed in two types of physiological solutions and compared with the pristine SS specimens.Cyclic polarization tests were performed to evaluate resistivity against pitting.Experimental results indicate that Nb coating and surface treatment of the SS had a positive effect on improvement of corrosion behavior.The decrease in corrosion current densities was significant for coated and treated specimens.The corrosion current density was much lower than the values obtained for pristine specimens.     

Evaluation of hydrogen permeation through standalone thermally sprayed coatings of AISI 316L stainless steel

This research evaluates hydrogen permeation and its diffusion characteristics through standalone thermally sprayed coatings of AISI 316L stainless steel. The effects of various charging currents and other parameters on hydrogen diffusion coefficient were scrutinized using electrochemical hydrogen permeation tests. Hydrogen permeation through the thermally sprayed coatings displayed anomalous behavior such that a maximum pinnacle was observed in the permeation curves, attributed to heavily trapped hydrogen atoms in the delayed surface cracks. Therefore, new diffusion parameters were defined for modeling of the anomalous permeation curves. The fitted diffusion parameters were consistently identified, and hence, the model perfectly explained experimental data. The results showed that the increase in charging current caused fast activation and development of surface cracks. The measured diffusion coefficient of hydrogen in the stainless steel thermally sprayed coating was relatively high because the microstructure of the coating contained some ferritic phases and dense dendritic structure, which configure fast diffusion paths.     

Intensification of continues biodiesel production process using a simultaneous mixer- separator reactor

Nowadays, Biodiesel as an alternative, sustainable and less toxic fuel has been accepted by both researchers and industry. Developing process intensification reactors with the aim of reaching more efficient process has captured the attention of many researchers recently. In order to examine a novel reactor for biodiesel production using Waste Cooking Oil as a cost-effective feedstock, and KOH as an efficient homogeneous catalyst, the present study was developed to investigate three effective parameters (Oil flow rate, catalyst concentration and reaction temperature) focusing on transesterification reaction yield in the Simultaneous Mixer-Separator (SMS) reactor, designed and fabricated exclusively for biodiesel production at Tarbiat Modares University (TMU). As the findings indicated, rising the flow rate presented an increasing trend up to 15 mL/min and a decreasing trend was found after this level. Also, catalyst concentration up to 1% w/w showed an increasing trend which was significant. Analysis of reaction temperature showed that at 60^°C the maximum yield is obtained. Furthermore, 15 mL/min oil flow rate, 1% w/w KOH concentration and 60^?C were selected as the optimal reaction conditions for continuous biodiesel production. At this point, the produced biodiesel followed by the purification step reached the yield of 96%. The produced biodiesel physicochemical properties were found to meet ASTM D6751 standard. All in all, continuous production capability, higher productivity, simultaneous separation of products, and the successful handling of waste resources distinguish the SMS reactor as a potential and efficient process intensification reactor.     

Biodegradation of natural and synthetic estrogens in moving bed bioreactor

Estrogen hormones as a group of endocrine disruptive compounds(EDC) can interfere with endocrine system in humans and animals. The goal of this study was to investigate the elimination rate of Estrone(El), 17β-estradiol(E2) and 17α-ethinyl estradiol(EE2) in Moving Bed Bioreactor(MBBR). These analytes extracted by Dispersive Liquid-Liquid Microextraction(DLLME) technique, followed by derivatization, and detected by GC/MS. Estrogen removal efficiency in MBBR improved at high solid retention times(SRTs), which notion is owing to development of nitrification. Estrogen specific removal rate was between 0.22-1.45 μg·(g VSS)~(-1)·d~(-1) for natural and synthetic hormones. The adsorption rate was 0.9%-3.2%, 0-1.3%, and 0.7%-5.7% for El, E2, and EE2, respectively. In addition, the biodegradation rates were more than 95% for these compounds. These results illustrated that in MBBR,the biodegradation and the adsorption to biomass are considered as two significant routes for elimination of estrogenic compounds. As a whole, the deterioration rate of estrogens enhanced by MBBR compared to other biological wastewater treatment processes such as conventional activated sludge.     

Removal of enrofloxacin from aqueous solutions using illite and synthetic zeolite X

Enrofloxacin uptake and removal from aqueous solutions using illite and synthetic zeolite X prepared from illite, were studied in batch experiments under varying pH, contact time, and initial enrofloxacin concentrations. The X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy caracterization were used to analyse the enrofloxacin adsorption in order to elucidate the adsorption mechanisms. It was found that enrofloxacin could be efficiently removed at pH 7 and pH 8 for clay and zeolite X, respectively. In addition, the second order model of kinetics is more adopted for the two samples. The isotherms of adsorption of enrofloxacin by illite and zeolite X show that the latter has the twice higher adsorption capacity of the clay. Equilibrium data fit well with the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. Moreover, the cation exchange, the electrostatic interaction, the cation bridging and the formation of bidentate ligands were the possible mechanisms of the enrofloxacin retention.     

New potentially antihypertensive peptides liberated in milk during fermentation with selected lactic acid bacteria and kombucha cultures

Compounds with the ability to inhibit angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) are used medically to treat human hypertension. The presence of such compounds naturally in food is potentially useful for treating the disease state. The goal of this study was to screen lactic acid bacteria, including species commonly used as dairy starter cultures, for the ability to produce new potent ACE-inhibiting peptides during milk fermentation. Strains of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus, Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactococcus lactis, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, and Pediococcus acidilactici were tested in this study. Additionally, a symbiotic consortium of yeast and bacteria, used commercially to produce kombucha tea, was tested. Commercially sterile milk was inoculated with lactic acid bacteria strains and kombucha culture and incubated at 37°C for up to 72 h, and the liberation of ACE-inhibiting compounds during fermentation was monitored. Fermented milk was centrifuged and the supernatant (crude extract) was subjected to ultrafiltration using 3- and 10-kDa cut-off filters. Crude and ultrafiltered extracts were tested for ACE-inhibitory activity. The 10-kDa filtrate resulting from L. casei ATCC 7469 and kombucha culture fermentations (72 h) showed the highest ACE-inhibitory activity. Two-step purification of these filtrates was done using HPLC equipped with a reverse-phase column. Analysis of HPLC-purified fractions by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry identified several new peptides with potent ACE-inhibitory activities. Some of these peptides were synthesized, and their ACE-inhibitory activities were confirmed. Use of organisms producing these unique peptides in food fermentations could contribute positively to human health.     

Multi-objective optimal design of braced frames using hybrid genetic and ant colony optimization

In this article, multi-objective optimization of braced frames is investigated using a novel hybrid algorithm. Initially, the applied evolutionary algorithms, ant colony optimization (ACO) and genetic algorithm (GA) are reviewed, followed by developing the hybrid method. A dynamic hybridization of GA and ACO is proposed as a novel hybrid method which does not appear in the literature for optimal design of steel braced frames. Not only the cross section of the beams, columns and braces are considered to be the design variables, but also the topologies of the braces are taken into account as additional design variables. The hybrid algorithm explores the whole design space for optimum solutions. Weight and maximum displacement of the structure are employed as the objective functions for multi-objective optimal design. Subsequently, using the weighted sum method (WSM), the two objective problem are converted to a single objective optimization problem and the proposed hybrid genetic ant colony algorithm (HGAC) is developed for optimal design. Assuming different combination for weight coefficients, a trade-off between the two objectives are obtained in the numerical example section. To make the final decision easier for designers, related constraint is applied to obtain practical topologies. The achieved results show the capability of HGAC to find optimal topologies and sections for the elements.     

A robust direct current control of DFIG wind turbine with low current THD based predictive approach

This paper presents a simple and robust direct current control based predictive approach for rotor side converter (RSC) of the doubly fed induction generator (DFIG), which operates at a constant switching frequency and has a fast dynamic response. First, sector of required rotor voltage vector is predicted in this strategy, and according to this predicted sector, two active vectors and two zero vectors are elected in each switching period. Derivatives of rotor current in the synchronous frame are determined for each predicted voltage vector in every period. These derivatives are used to compute the duration of the vectors in such a way that the current error at the end of the switching period gets minimized. The accuracy of the proposed control strategy under variation of rotor speed is evaluated in Matlab/Simulink environment for a 2 MW DFIG. Moreover, the impact of parameter variations on the system is examined for this suggested technique. Furthermore, the dynamic response and stator current total harmonic distortion (THD) of proposed strategy is compared with traditional vector control (VC), direct power control (DPC) and predictive direct power control (PDPC) methods. Finally, the performance of the proposed method is evaluated under disturbance voltage. The results demonstrate that suggested control technique has the lowest stator current THD and operates perfectly near the synchronous speed and under grid voltage dip. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Combining Lees–Edwards boundary conditions with smoothed profile-lattice Boltzmann methods to introduce shear into particle suspensions

Using walls to introduce shear into a domain causes wall effects in the calculation of rheological properties of suspensions. Employing Lees–Edwards boundary conditions as an alternative method, removes these effects. Earlier methods of solid–fluid interactions in the framework of lattice Boltzmann method, such as Ladd and ALD methods, violate conservation law of the translational and rotational momentum (Galilean invariance). In the present study, Lees–Edwards boundary condition has been combined with smoothed profile method (SPM) intending to eliminate Galilean invariance errors. The combined method is validated by allowing a particle to cross a Lees–Edwards boundary. Moreover, third-order interpolation is used for particle distribution functions leaving the domain in the velocity gradient direction to eliminate bumps in the angular velocity of the particle when crossing the Lees–Edwards boundary. As another test case, two interacting circular cylinders placed in a sheared domain using Lees–Edwards boundary condition. Comparing results with the ones presented in the literature shows good agreement.