Evaluation of a multi-layer microbraided polylactic acid fiber-reinforced conduit for peripheral nerve regeneration

We evaluated peripheral nerve regeneration using a biodegradable multi-layer microbraided polylactic acid (PLA) fiber-reinforced conduit. Biodegradability of the PLA conduit and its effectiveness as a guidance channel were examined as it was used to repair a 10 mm gap in the rat sciatic nerve. As a result, tube fragmentation was not obvious and successful regeneration through the gap occurred in all the conduits at 8 weeks after operation. These results indicate the superiority of the PLA materials and suggest that the multi-layer microbraided PLA fiber-reinforced conduits provide a promising tool for neuro-regeneration. Ming-Chin Lu, Chun-Hsu Yao, and Yueh-Sheng Chen are contributed equally to this work.     

Chemical and physical properties of plasma slags containing various amorphous volume fractions

In this study, municipal solid waste incinerator fly ash was vitrified using a plasma torch. The fly ash contained rich Ca, causing a high basicity of 2.43. Pure quartz was used as an additive to adjust the basicity. BET surface area analysis, X-ray diffraction analysis, and a scanning electron microscope were used to examine the physical properties of slags. The chemical stability and the acid resistance of slags were evaluated using the toxicity characteristics leaching procedure and tests of acid bathing. The results indicate that the plasma torch effectively vitrified the fly ash. Anthropogenic metals with low boiling points, such as Cd, Pb, and Zn, were predominately vaporized into flue gas. Most of the metals with high boiling points, such as Cr, Cu, and Mn, remained in the slag. After the vitrification, hazardous metals were noticeably immobilized in all slags. However, the slags with higher amorphous volume fractions were more effective in metal immobilization and in resisting acid corrosion. This indicates that SiO(2) enhanced the formation of the glassy amorphous phase and improved the resistance of acid corrosion and the immobilization of hazardous metals.     

Effects of additives on the selectivity of byproducts and dry removal of fluorine for abating tetrafluoromethane in a discharge reactor

The removal efficiency of tetrafluoromethane (CF(4)) was significantly enhanced by adding additives (H(2), O(2), H(2)+O(2), H(2)O) in an atmospheric-pressure microwave plasma reactor. However, large amounts of fluorine (F(2)) were produced in this study. Moreover, the selectivity of F(2) was apparently greater than that of HF (in H(2)-based condition) or COF(2) (in O(2)-based abatement). Notably, in an O(2)-rich environment, more F(2) and a larger amount of CO(2) were produced. Subsequently, F(2) can be effectively removed by reacting with CaO to form CaF(2) at 200 degrees C via an in situ dry, chemical absorption process in the low-temperature afterglow discharge zone within the same plasma reactor.     

Application of surfactant enhanced permanganate oxidation and bidegradation of trichloroethylene in groundwater

The industrial solvent trichloroethylene (TCE) is among the most ubiquitous chlorinated solvents found in groundwater contamination. The main objectives of this study were to evaluate the feasibility of using non-ionic surfactant Simple Green™ (SG) to enhance the oxidative dechlorination of TCE by potassium permanganate (KMnO₄) employing a continuous stir batch reactor system (CSBR) and column experiments. The effect of using surfactant SG to enhance the biodegradation of TCE via aerobic cometabolism was also examined. Results from CSBR experiments revealed that combination of KMnO₄ with surfactant SG significantly enhanced contaminant removal, particularly when the surfactant SG concentrated at its CMC. TCE degradation rates ranged from 74.1% to 85.7% without addition of surfactant SG while TCE degradation rates increased to ranging from 83.8% to 96.3% with presence of 0.1 wt% SG. Furthermore, results from column experiments showed that TCE was degraded from 38.1 μM to 6.2 μM in equivalent to 83.7% of TCE oxidation during first 560 min reaction. This study has also demonstrated that the addition of surfactant SG is a feasible method to enhance bioremediation efficiency for TCE contaminated groundwater. The complete TCE degradation was detected after 75 days of incubation with both 0.01 and 0.1 wt% of surfactant SG addition. Results revealed that surfactant enhanced chemical oxidation and bioremediation technology is one of feasible approaches to clean up TCE contaminated groundwater.     

A Taguchi and experimental investigation into the optimal processing conditions for the abrasive jet polishing of SKD61 mold steel

This study introduces an abrasive jet polishing (AJP) technique in which the pneumatic air stream carries not only abrasive particles, but also an additive of either pure water or pure water with a specified quantity of machining oil. Taguchi design experiments are performed to identify the optimal AJP parameters when applied to the polishing of electrical discharge machined SKD61 mold steel specimens. A series of experimental trials are then conducted using the optimal AJP parameters to investigate the respective effects of the additive type and the abrasive particle material and diameter in achieving a mirror-like finish of the polished surface. The Taguchi trials indicate that when polishing is performed using pure water as an additive, the optimal processing parameters are as follows: an abrasive material to additive ratio of 1:2, an impact angle of 30°, a gas pressure of 4 kg/cm², a nozzle-to-workpiece height of 10 mm, a platform rotational velocity of 200 rpm, and a platform travel speed of 150 mm/s. Applying these processing parameters, it is found that the optimal polishing effect is attained using #8000SiC abrasive particles and a 1:1 mixture of water-solvent machining oil and pure water. The experimental results show that under these conditions, the average roughness of the electrical discharge machined SKD61 surface is reduced from an original value of R_a=1.03 μm (R_max: 7.74 μm) to a final value of R_a=0.13 μm (R_max: 0.90 μm), corresponding to a surface roughness improvement of approximately 87%.     

Effect of P addition on the thermal stability and electrical characteristics of NiSi films

Immersion Ni-P deposition is undoubtedly one of the most important catalytic deposition process, due to its simplicity in operation and low equipment cost. In this study, immersion deposited Ni-P films were used to form Ni-silicide films. Ni-P films with a thickness of 100 nm were fabricated by immersing Si(100) substrates in an aqueous deposition solution. Ni-silicide films were then formed by annealing the samples in a furnace at temperatures ranging from 400 °C to 900 °C for 1 h in an argon ambient. Experimental results indicate that a phosphor addition in Ni films increased the transformation temperature of NiSi to NiSi₂ to 900 °C. Moreover, the feasibility of enhancing the thermal stability of NiSi by varying the interface energy at the NiSi₂/Si interface and the surface energy of a Ni-P-Si capping layer on the NiSi surface is discussed.     

Steam thermolysis of discarded tires: testing and analysis of the specific fuel consumption with tail gas burning,steam generation,and secondary waste slime processing

This paper presents the process of steam thermolysis of shredded used tires for obtaining from them liquid fuel and technical carbon carried out in a screw reactor with heating due to the partial burning of obtained fuel and burning of the tail combustible gas. The features and advantages of using steam for safety and stability of the process, including the problem of secondary waste slime processing, have been considered. The specific fuel consumption and the steam generation per 1 kg of processed tires and, separately, the gas consumption for power supply (heating) of the process without using fuel, as well as with additional burning of fuel for processing slime together with tires, have been considered. Translated from Inzhenerno-Fizicheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 82, No. 2, pp. 242–251, March–April, 2009.     

Determination of Temperature-Dependent Elasto-Plastic Properties of Thin-Film by MD Nanoindentation Simulations and an Inverse GA/FEM Computational Scheme

This study presents a novel numerical method for extracting the tempe -rature-dependent mechanical properties of the gold and aluminum thin-films. In the proposed approach, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are performed to establish the load-displacement response of the thin substrate nanoindented at temperatures ranging from 300-900 K. A simple but effective procedure involving genetic algorithm (GA) and finite element method (FEM) is implemented to extract the material constants of the gold and aluminum substrates. The material constants are then used to construct the corresponding stress-strain curve, from which the elastic modulus, yield stress and the tangent modulus of the thin film are subsequently derived. Results from high-temperature (900 K) nanoindentation MD simulation show that the value of elastic modulus of the gold and aluminum thin-films could decrease by 63.9% and 73.1%, respectively, as compared with the room temperature values. The resulting temperature-dependent stress-strain curves presented in this paper provide the crucial requirement for quantitative computer simulation of nanofabrication process.     

Cytotoxicity and Immunological Response of Gold and Silver Nanoparticles of Different Sizes

The immunological response of macrophages to physically produced pure Au and Ag nanoparticles (NPs) (in three different sizes) is investigated in vitro. The treatment of either type of NP at ≥10 ppm dramatically decreases the population and increases the size of the macrophages. Both NPs enter the cells but only AuNPs (especially those with smaller diamter) up‐regulate the expressions of proinflammatory genes interlukin‐1 (IL‐1), interlukin‐6 (IL‐6), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF‐α). Transmission electron microscopy images show that AuNPs and AgNPs are both trapped in vesicles in the cytoplasma, but only AuNPs are organized into a circular pattern. It is speculated that part of the negatively charged AuNPs might adsorb serum protein and enter cells via the more complicated endocytotic pathway, which results in higher cytotoxicity and immunological response of AuNPs as compared to AgNPS.     

Production of hydrogen and nano carbon powders from direct plasmalysis of methane

In this study, a single-stage, non-catalytic, dry methane plasmalysis process for producing mainly hydrogen and carbon powders using an atmospheric-pressure microwave plasma reactor is demonstrated. A high selectivity of H₂ and carbon powders (C₁), and a low required energy consumption of H₂ could be obtained simultaneously at a low-applied power and a high inlet concentration of CH₄ ([CH₄]_in), reaching 86.0% (selectivity of H₂), 50.7% (selectivity of C₁), and 6.7 eV/molecule–H₂, respectively, at 0.8 kW, [CH₄]_in = 20%, and 12 slpm when CH₄ gas was fed from the downstream of the cavity resonator. In addition, large amounts of nano carbon powders, which consisted of C atoms and had a graphite–rhombohedral structure with a particle size of about 50 nm, were produced. These particles had potential for using as a support for platinum catalysts in fuel cells.