Preparation of nanocrystalline MgO by surfactant assisted precipitation method

Nanocrystalline magnesium oxide with high surface area was prepared by a simple precipitation method using pluronic P123 triblock copolymer (Poly (ethylene glycol)-block, Poly (propylene glycol)-block, Poly (ethylene glycol)) as surfactant and under refluxing conditions. The prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), N₂ adsorption (BET) and scanning and transmission electron microscopies (SEM and TEM). The obtained results revealed that the refluxing time and temperature and the molar ratio of surfactant to metal affect the structural properties of MgO, because of the changes in the rate and extent of P123 adsorption on the prepared samples. The results showed that the addition of surfactant is effective to prepare magnesium oxide with high surface area and affects the morphology of the prepared samples. With increasing the P123/MgO molar ratio to 0.05 the pore size distribution was shifted to larger size. The sample prepared with addition of surfactant showed a plate-like shape which was completely different with the morphology of the sample prepared without surfactant. The formation of nanoplate-like MgO was related to higher surface density of Mg ions on the (0 0 1) plane than that on the other planes of the Mg(OH)₂ crystal. The (0 0 1) plane would be blocked preferentially by the adsorbed P123 molecules during the growing process of Mg(OH)₂ nanoentities and the growth on the (0 0 1) plane would be markedly restricted, and the consequence is the generation of nanoplate-like MgO. In addition, increase in refluxing temperature and time increased the specific surface area of the prepared MgO samples.     

A low order,torsion deformable spatial beam element based on the absolute nodal coordinate formulation and Bishop frame

Multibody System Dynamics - Heretofore, the Serret–Frenet frame has been the ubiquitous choice for analyzing the elastic deformations of beam elements. It is well-known that this frame is...     

Lipoprotein(a) and inflammation in human coronary atheroma: association with the severity of clinical presentation

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was the investigation of the in vivo role of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] and inflammatory infiltrates in the human coronary atherosclerotic plaque and their correlation with the clinical syndrome of presentation. BACKGROUND: Lipoprotein(a) is an atherogenic and thrombogenic lipoprotein, and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of acute coronary syndromes. Lipoprotein(a) induces monocyte chemoattraction and smooth muscle cell activation in vitro. Macrophage infiltration is considered one of the mechanisms of plaque rupture. METHODS: This study of atherectomy specimens investigated the in vivo role of Lp(a) at different stages of the atherogenic process, and its relationship with macrophage infiltration. We examined coronary atheroma removed from 72 patients with stable or unstable angina. Specimens were stained with antibodies specific for Lp(a), macrophages (KP-1), and smooth muscle cells (alpha-actin). Morphometric analysis was used to quantify the plaque areas occupied by each of the three antigens, and their colocalization. RESULTS: All specimens had localized Lp(a) staining; the mean fractional area was 58.2%. Ninety percent of the macrophage areas colocalized with Lp(a) positive areas, whereas 31.3% of the smooth muscle cell areas colocalized with Lp(a) positive areas. Patients with unstable angina (n = 46) had specimens with larger mean plaque Lp(a) areas than specimens from stable angina patients (n = 26): 64.4% versus 47.7% (p = 0.004). Unstable angina patients with rest pain (n = 28) had greater mean plaque Lp(a) area than unstable angina patients with crescendo exertional pain (n = 18): 71.1% versus 52.4% (p < 0.001). Mean KP-1 area was 31.2% in unstable rest angina versus 18.3% in stable angina (p = 0.05); alpha-actin area was greater in stable (48.5%) and crescendo exertional angina (48.8%) than in rest angina (30.4%). The strongest correlation between plaque KP-1 and Lp(a) area was in unstable rest angina (r = 0.88, p < 0.001), and between alpha-actin and Lp(a) areas in the crescendo exertional angina (r = 0.62, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Lipoprotein(a) is ubiquitous in human coronary atheroma. It is detected in larger amounts in tissue from culprit lesions in patients with unstable compared to stable syndromes, and has significant colocalization with plaque macrophages. A correlation of plaque alpha-actin and Lp(a) area suggests a role of Lp(a) in plaque growth.     

Validation of the in vivo intravascular ultrasound measurement of in-stent neointimal hyperplasia volumes

OBJECTIVES: This study was undertaken to validate the in vivo intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) measurement of in-stent neointimal hyperplasia (IH) volumes. BACKGROUND: Because stents reduce restenosis compared to balloon angioplasty, stent use has increased significantly. As a result, in-stent restenosis is now an important clinical problem. Serial IVUS studies have shown that in-stent restenosis is secondary to intimal hyperplasia. To evaluate strategies to reduce in-stent restenosis, accurate measurement of in-stent neointimal tissue is important. METHODS: Using a porcine coronary artery model of in-stent restenosis, single Palmaz-Schatz stents were implanted into 16 animals with a stent:artery ratio of 1.3:1. Intravascular ultrasound imaging was performed at 1 month, immediately prior to animal sacrifice. In vivo IVUS and ex vivo histomorphometric measurements included stent, lumen and IH areas; IH volumes were calculated with Simpson's rule. RESULTS: Intravascular ultrasound measurements of IH (30.4+/-11.0 mm3) volumes correlated strongly with histomorphometric measurements (26.7+/-8.5 mm3, r=0.965, p < 0.0001). The difference between the IVUS and the histomorphometric measurements of IVUS volume was 4.1+/-2.7 mm3 or 15.8+/-11% (standard error of the estimate=0.7). Both histomorphometry and IVUS showed that IH was concentric and uniformly distributed over the length of the stent. Intravascular ultrasound detected neointimal thickening of < or =0.2 mm in 5 of 16 stents. Sample size calculations based on the IVUS measurement of IH volumes showed that 12 stented lesions/arm would be required to show a 50% reduction in IVUS-measured IH volume and 44 stented lesions/arm would be required to show a 25% reduction in IH volume. CONCLUSION: In vivo IVUS measurement of IH volumes correlated strongly with ex vivo histomorphometry. Using volumetric IVUS end points, small sample sizes should be necessary to demonstrate effectiveness of strategies to reduce in-stent restenosis.     

Fatty Acid Composition of Sheep Tail-Fats from Five Iranian Native Breeds

Fifteen fat samples provided from 5 sheep of 5 different Iranian native breeds were examined for their fatty acid composition by means of gaschromatography. Over 30 components could be detected in most samples. Fifteen fatty acids occurred in measurable amounts commonly higher than 0.1% up to 53.5% of the total. The saturated part consisted for the major of myristic (2.4–5.5%), pentadecanoic, (0.6–1.0%), palmitic (18.2–23.6%), heptadecanoic (0.9–2.3%), stearic (7.1–22.1%) and arachidic (0.1–0.3%) acids. Myristoleic (0.3–2.1%), palmitoleic (1.4–3.6%), oleic (39.6–53.5%), linoleic (2.1–3.7%) and linolenic (2.2–2.9%) acids were the main unsaturated fatty acids identified in this investigation. The differences in fatty acid composition of fats from sheep of various breeds were considerably high in stearic and oleic acids in some cases. The variation in fatty acid composition of fat samples obtained from different parts of a tail was insignificant in all 5 sheep examined. No conclusion could be made as to whether the above mentioned considerable differences in fatty acid composition of tail fats from various sheep are due to difference in their breed or due to other factors.     

Characterization of Particle Orientations in Ceramics by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance

It is shown that electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy provides an accurate method for measuring the preferential orientation of axial crystallites in ceramics. Since the physical properties of ceramic materials are correlated with the degree of this orientation, EPR can be a convenient and useful tool for the characterization of ceramics.     

Characteristics of date pit oil

Date pit oils of three Iranian varieties of dates were examined for their fatty acid composition and some of their characteristics. The properties and compositions of the pit oils did not differ significantly from each other or from previously published literature values.     

A High Voltage Line Driver for Subscriber Loop Interfaces in a Low Voltage Submicron BiCMOS Technology

This paper presents a 30 V line driver for short loop subscriber line interface circuit applications. The high voltage line drivers was implemented in a low-voltage 0.8 m BiCMOS process using 30 V extended-drain MOS transistors, fully compatible with the low voltage technology. Using a Quasi-Current Mirror architecture for the output stage, the line driver is capable of delivering more than 30 mA current into the lines with an idle current as low as 1 mA, satisfying the short loop requirements. With less than 0.24 mm² area, the circuit can be easily integrated with low-voltage circuitry on a single chip.     

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Chaotic simulation of the multi-phase reinforced thermo-elastic disk using GDQM

In this research, a mathematical derivation is made to develop a nonlinear dynamic model for the nonlinear frequency and chaotic responses of the multi-scale hybrid nano-composite reinforced disk in the thermal environment and subject to a harmonic external load. Using Hamilton’s principle and the von Karman nonlinear theory, the nonlinear governing equation is derived. For developing an accurate solution approach, generalized differential quadrature method (GDQM) and perturbation approach (PA) are finally employed. Various geometrically parameters are taken into account to investigate the chaotic motion of the viscoelastic disk subject to harmonic excitation. The fundamental and golden results of this paper could be that in the lower value of the external harmonic force, different FG patterns do not have any effects on the motion response of the structure. But, for the higher value of external harmonic force and all FG patterns, the chaos motion could be seen and for the FG-X pattern, the chaosity is more significant than other patterns of the FG. As a practical designing tip, it is recommended to choose plates with lower thickness relative to the outer radius to achieve better vibration performance.