Antibacterial oil‐based polyurethane films for wound dressing applications

As an alternative to petroleum‐based polyol, hydroxyl containing material was prepared from linseed oil for polyurethane synthesis. Hexamethylene di‐isocyanate (HMDI) and/or 4, 4′‐methylene diphenyl di‐isocyanate (MDI) were used as isocyanate source. The polymerization reaction was carried out without catalyst. Polymer films were prepared by casting‐evaporation technique. The MDI/HMDI‐based polyurethane and its films had higher T_g and better thermal property than that of the HMDI‐based one because of the existence of benzene ring in the polymer chain. Static water contact angle was determined to be 74° and 77.5° for HMDI and MDI/HMDI‐based films, respectively. Water adsorption was found to be around 2.6–3.6% for both films. In vitro degradation of polyurethanes in phosphate buffered saline at 37°C was investigated by gravimetric method. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used for confirmation of degradation on the polymer surface. The degradation rate of the HMDI‐based polyurethane film was found higher than that of the MDI/HMDI‐based film. Both the direct contact method and the MMT test were applied for determination of cytotoxicity of polymer films, and the polyurethane films investigated here was not cytotoxic. Silver‐containing films were prepared using Biocera A® as filler and were screened for their antibacterial performance against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and/or Bacillus subtilis. The films prepared with and without Biocera A® exhibited antibacterial activity. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Fabrication of chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol/amine modified carbon nanotube composite films for rapid chromate removal

Composite adsorbent films with amine and hydroxyl functionalities were synthesized from chitosan (CS), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and amine-modified carbon nanotubes (a-MWCNT) by solvent casting method. Weight proportions of CS to PVA and weight percent of a-MWCNT were optimized to achieve highest chromate removal capacity. Structural characteristics of the composites were investigated using scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and thermal gravimetric analysis. Accordingly, incorporation of a-MWCNT to CS/PVA structure resulted in the generation of nanochannels, which enhanced adsorption capacity. Moreover, the composite comprising 0.4% wt. a-MWCNT provided over 99% of Cr (VI) removal from 50 mg L⁻¹ Cr (VI) solution within five minutes of contact time. Redlich–Peterson and Radke–Prausnitz isotherm models provided the highest conformity to adsorption data. Maximum chromate sorption capacity of CS/PVA/a-MWCNT composite film was determined as 134.2 mg g⁻¹ being 172% higher than that of CS/PVA. Regeneration was best achieved in 1.0 M NaOH and the composite was shown to retain at least 70% of its original capacity after five consecutive adsorption–desorption cycles.     

Numerical investigation on the use of nanofluids in natural convection heat exchangers using a mixture‐phase approach

In the present research, the behavior of a Newtonian nanofluid (water–Al₂O₃) in a mixture phase model approach is numerically examined. The process of heating is done in two different ways. Deterioration was found in the mean Nusselt number of a nanofluid in the mixture‐phase model approach when compared to the mean Nusselt number of pure water. However, in the single‐phase model there was an increase in the Nusselt number when compared to the Nusselt number of pure water. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/htj ). DOI 10.1002/htj.20383     

MIXED CONVECTION IN CAVITIES WITH A LOCALLY HEATED LOWER WALL AND MOVING SIDEWALLS

An optimal control algorithm for cryopreservation of cells using ultrarapid freezing technique is applied successfully in the present study to determine the strength of optimal laser heating based on the desired limited temperature distribution of the cell. The validity of this optimal control analysis utilizing the conjugate gradient method of minimization is examined using numerical experiments. Three different heating times are given, and the corresponding optimal control heat fluxes are determined. Results show that the optimal boundary heat fluxes can be obtained with any arbitrary initial guesses within a very short CPU time on a Pentium III 600-MHz PC.     

Preparation of c-axis-oriented zinc-oxide thin films and the study of their microstructure and optical properties

c-axis-oriented zinc-oxide (ZnO) thin films were prepared on microscope glass substrates by sol–gel deposition. A homogeneous and stable solution was prepared by dissolving zinc-acetate 2-hydrate (ZnAc) in 2-propanol and diethanolamine. Crystalline ZnO thin films were obtained following an annealing process at temperatures between 450°C and 550°C for 1 h. Increasing annealing temperature increased the grain size and the c-axis orientation. The X-ray diffraction analysis revealed single-phase ZnO with hexagonal zincite structure. The absorption edge analysis revealed that the optical band-gap energy for the films were between 3.26 and 3.28 eV and electronic transition was direct transition type.     

Technical and Environmental Sustainability Assessment of Water Distribution Systems

An environmental and technical sustainability assessment methodology is developed for both centralized and dual water distribution systems (WDSs) with and without fire flow scenarios. Technical sustainability of potable and reclaimed water networks is measured by a sustainability index (SI) assessment using reliability, resiliency, and vulnerability performance criteria. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency EPANET software is used to simulate hydraulic (i.e. nodal pressure) and water quality (i.e. water age) analysis in a WDS. Total fresh water use and total energy intensity are considered as environmental sustainability criteria. The procedure considers two separate alternatives for meeting fire flows: (1) adding pumping to a system or (2) adding a non-potable WDS. The reclaimed system is designed using linear programming (LP) optimization. For each alternative, multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) is used to combine technical and environmental sustainability criteria for an urban WDS.     

Marble mosaic tiling automation with a four degrees of freedom Cartesian robot

The art of mosaic has arisen thousands of years ago. Despite all those years and all the attention it has received till today, mosaic tiling is still being carried out manually and mosaic tiling processes have never been changed except the tool and material developments.     

Reflective light modulator based on epsilon-GaSe crystal

We report the results of investigating a low-voltage, polarization-insensitive, reflective-type modulator based on an epsilon-GaSe crystal and operated at the 1.960-eV line of a He-Ne laser. We demonstrate that the modulation in an Al-epsilon-GaSe-Cu device results mainly from the Franz-Keldysh effect. Relatively high speed and low operating voltage could make these modulators with Schottky-barrier contacts attractive devices in the red range of the spectrum.     

Process control in CNC manufacturing for discrete components: A STEP-NC compliant framework

With today's highly competitive global manufacturing marketplace, the pressure for right-first-time manufacture has never been so high. New emerging data standards combined with machine data collection methods, such as in-process verification lead the way to a complete paradigm shift from the traditional manufacturing and inspection to intelligent networked process control. Low-level G and M codes offer very limited information on machine capabilities or work piece characteristics which consequently, results in no information being available on manufacturing processes, inspection plans and work piece attributes in terms of tolerances, etc. and design features to computer numerically controlled (CNC) machines. One solution to the aforementioned problems is using STEP-NC (ISO 14649) suite of standards, which aim to provide higher-level information for process control. In this paper, the authors provide a definition for process control in CNC manufacturing and identify the challenges in achieving process control in current CNC manufacturing scenario. The paper then introduces a STEP-compliant framework that makes use of self-learning algorithms that enable the manufacturing system to learn from previous data and results in eliminating the errors and consistently producing quality products. The framework relies on knowledge discovery methods such as data mining encapsulated in a process analyser to derive rules for corrective measures to control the manufacturing process. The design for the knowledge-based process analyser and the various process control mechanisms conclude the paper.