Assessment of corrosion damage acceptance criteria in API579-ASME/1 code

This study presents a comparative evaluation of the various acceptance criteria in API579-ASME/1 fitness-for-service (FFS) code for equipment suffering from metal loss, using a case of severe corrosion in a pipe subjected to internal pressure and supplemental loads. All three assessment levels were conducted to evaluate the remaining life of the pipe under various acceptance criteria assuming constant corrosion rate. In particular, Level-3 assessment was performed using three-dimensional parametric limit finite element analysis to evaluate the remaining life. The model accounts for the observed metal loss, with the aim of evaluating the plastic collapse pressure of the corroded pipe. The remaining life was estimated using both global and local failure criteria and the conservatism of various methods and criteria is assessed. Results showed a potential trade-off of continued operation at the original design pressure for shorter period against a pressure de-rating procedure for extended operation.     

Phenolic compounds in plants and agri-industrial by-products: Antioxidant activity,occurrence, and potential uses

Phenolic compounds, ubiquitous in plants are an essential part of the human diet, and are of considerable interest due to their antioxidant properties. These compounds posses an aromatic ring bearing one or more hydroxyl groups and their structures may range from that of a simple phenolic molecule to that of a complex high-molecular weight polymer. Flavonoids, which bear the C₆–C₃–C₆ structure, account for more than half of the over eight thousand different phenolic compounds. The antioxidant activity of phenolic compounds depends on the structure, in particular the number and positions of the hydroxyl groups and the nature of substitutions on the aromatic rings. Fruits, vegetables and beverages are the major sources of phenolic compounds in the human diet. The food and agricultural products processing industries generate substantial quantities of phenolics-rich by-products, which could be valuable natural sources of antioxidants. Some of these by-products have been the subject of investigations and have proven to be effective sources of phenolic antioxidants. When tested in edible oils, and in fish, meat and poultry products, phenolic-rich extracts have shown antioxidant activities comparable to that of synthetic antioxidants. Practical aspects of extraction and production of sufficient amounts of natural antioxidants from most of these sources remain to be elucidated.     

Influence of rare-earth ion doping on magnetotransport behavior of potassium doped manganites

The effect of A-site cationic radius <r_A> on structural, electronic and magnetic properties of the perovskite manganites Ln_0.67K_0.33MnO₃ (Ln = La, Pr & Nd) have been investigated. The X-ray diffraction studies show a structural transformation from rhombohedral to orthorhombic with decreasing <r_A>. The ferro to paramagnetic transition decreases from 280 to 110 K and the temperature dependent resistivity shows a metal to insulating transition at room temperature for La_0.67K_0.33MnO₃ while insulating behavior was observed in the case of Pr and Nd substituted samples. Further, La_0.67K_0.33MnO₃ sample exhibits room temperature magnetoresistance, and may be exploited for device applications. The sign of the thermopower is negative at 300 K and its magnitude increases with decreasing <r_A>. The lanthanum based sample shows an upturn in the resistivity data at 30 K and the observed behavior may be attributed to the combined effect of weak localization, electron–electron and electron–phonon scattering. The paramagnetic insulating part of resistivity and thermopower data was analyzed using small polaron hopping mechanism.     

Method to study the effect of blend flowability on the homogeneity of acetaminophen

The aim of this study was to develop an enteric-coated multiunit dosage form containing aceclofenac, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug. The pellets were prepared by using extrusion/spheronization method, and the core pellets were coated with a pH-sensitive poly(meth) acrylate copolymer (Eudragit L100-55) to achieve site-specific drug release. The formulated pellets were characterized for percentage yield, size distribution, surface morphology studies, drug content, and flow properties. In vitro dissolution test was used for comparison of drug release profiles of various coated pellets. The practical yield was found to be 90–95%. The particle size of enteric-coated pellets was found to be in the range of 0.59–0.71 mm. The pellets were spherical in shape and surfaces of pellets were found to be rough and showing micropores. Enteric-coated pellets showed good flow properties and in vitro dissolution profile. Dissolution tests were carried out in a USP type II dissolution apparatus in media-simulating pH conditions of the gastrointestinal tract. The release of the aceclofenac from formulated pellets was established to be minimum in the pH 1.2 (<5%) for a period of 2 h, and at pH 6.8, it shows the maximum release (85 ± 5% release within 1 h) which indicates gastric resistance of the formulated pellets. The 20% wt/wt enteric-coated pellets were compared to that of marketed product (tablets), it was observed that pellets showed better release profile. The study concluded that the formulated multiparticulate dosage forms can be used as an ideal drug delivery system for the aceclofenac.     

Gradient‐based intuitive search intelligence for the optimization of mechanical behaviors in hybrid bioparticle‐impregnated coir‐polyester composites

The present investigation is focused on the optimization of mechanical behaviors of hybrid bioparticle‐impregnated natural coir‐polyester composites using gradient‐based Intuitive Search Intelligence. The bioparticles, such as rice husk and red mud, were used as particle reinforcements along with natural green husk coir fibers–reinforced polyester matrix. The tensile, flexural, and impact tests were carried out on the prepared composite sheets as per ASTM standards. The statistical inference analysis was performed to study the effect of fiber length, fiber content, and particulate content on the mechanical behaviors of the composites. The correlation between fabrication parameters and mechanical behaviors was formed by using data‐based regression modeling in terms of polynomial expressions. The optimum values of mechanical behaviors were obtained by using a conventional optimization algorithm called the Reduced Gradient Method. After obtaining optimum results, the better value of mechanical behaviors was searched individually and simultaneously by means of Intuitive Search Intelligence. The effectiveness of the search was validated by using confirmation experiments on an obtained set of fabrication conditions. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 23:275–283, 2017. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Influence of particle size on electrical transport properties of La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 manganite system

A systematic investigation of lanthanum-based manganite, La0.67Sr0.33MnO3, has been undertaken with a view to understand the influence of varying particle sizes on electrical transport properties. With a view to obtain materials with varying particle size, they were prepared by sol-gel route, sintering at four different temperatures. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The XRD data has been analyzed by Rietveld refinement technique and it has been confirmed that the materials have rhombohedral crystal structure with R3c space group. Metal-insulator transition temperatures (Tp) were found to decrease continuously with decreasing particle size where as ferro to paramagnetic transition temperatures (Tc) are found to remain constant. The magnetoresistance (MR) values are found to increase with decreasing particle size. With a view to understand the conduction mechanism, the electrical resistivity data have been analyzed both in the ferromagnetic metallic (T < Tp) as well as high temperature paramagnetic insulating (T > Tp) regions.     

Synthesis and thermal stability of carbon-supported Ru-Ni core-and-shell nanoparticles

Binary nanoparticles of Ru-Ni supported on a carbon nanolayer and carbon-coated Ru-Ni core-and-shell nanoparticles were synthesized in a single step spray-pyrolysis process. A precursor containing ruthenium chloride and nickel chloride solution mixture was used to deposit Ru-Ni nanoparticles on a carbon nanolayer generated from hexane. Carbon-coated nanoparticles were produced by using ruthenium chloride and nickel chloride solution mixed with methanol and hexane as precursor in the spray-pyrolysis process. A carbon layer that was derived from the thermal decomposition of hexane and methanol forms a protective shell around the binary core-and-shell nanoparticles of Ru-Ni. TEM and EDS spectral graphs confirm the presence of carbon layers encapsulating the Ru-Ni nanoparticles. The encapsulating carbon layers are effective in reducing agglomeration of binary nanoparticles in the spray-pyrolysis process. The carbon-coated binary nanoparticles were subjected to heat treatment at temperatures up to 800 °C, the size and morphology of the nanoparticles before and after heat treatment were compared to examine the thermal stability of the nanoparticles. It was observed that the carbon-coated Ru-Ni nanoparticles exhibit unique thermal stability. EDS, SEM, and TEM data revealed that the morphology of the nanoparticles did not change during the heat treatment.     

Effect of dietary palm oil and its fractions on rat plasma and high density lipoprotein lipids

Male Sprague Dawley rats were fed semipurified diets containing 20% fat for 15 weeks. The dietary fats were corn oil, soybean oil, palm oil, palm olein and palm stearin. No differences in the body and organ weights of rats fed the various diets were evident. Plasma cholesterol levels of rats fed soybean oil were significantly lower than those of rats fed corn oil, palm oil, palm olein or palm stearin. Significant differences between the plasma cholesterol content of rats fed corn oil and rats fed the three palm oils were not evident. HDL cholesterol was raised in rats fed the three palm oil diets compared to the rats fed either corn oil or soybean oil. The cholesterol-phospholipid molar ratio of rat platelets was not influenced by the dietary fat type. The formation of 6-keto-PGF_1α was significantly enhanced in palm oil-fed rats compared to all other dietary treatments. Fatty acid compositional changes in the plasma cholesterol esters and plasma triglycerides were diet regulated with significant differences between rats fed the polyunsaturated corn and soybean oil compared to the three palm oils.     

EEG Based Strategies for Human Gustation Classification Using Spartan—6 FPGA

Wireless Personal Communications - As the surging demands of secure power supply and reliable power system, the power load approximation and forecasting are becoming more significant and more...     

Minimizing destruction of thermodynamic availability in hydrogen combustion

We consider a conceptual isobaric combustion process that utilizes carefully controlled preheating to promote near-equilibrium combustion of hydrogen in air. Based on first and second law analyses, we demonstrate that this type of combustion could theoretically have higher retained thermodynamic availability than conventional combustion. While this specific combustion approach may not be practical, it may lead to new approaches for making hydrogen combustion a more efficient motive power source.