Effectiveness of phase I applications for identifying randomly scattered out‐of‐control observations and estimating control chart parameters

Estimation of unknown process parameters with fixed‐size samples are studied in the following. The standard textbook approach for phase I control chart implementation with a Shewhart control chart is evaluated for the case of normally distributed independent observations with random sampling. The charts are simultaneously implemented by generating observations that have a given percentage of randomly scattered out‐of‐control observations. Simulating the phase I steps, where out‐of‐control samples are detected iteratively by determining trial control limits, identifying samples exceeding these limits, and revising the control limits, the standard practice is evaluated in terms of both detection performance and quality of parameter estimates. It is shown that standard phase I control chart implementations with 3‐σ‐limits may perform very poorly in identifying true out‐of‐control observations and providing a reference set of in‐control observations for estimation in some practical settings. A chart design with 2‐σ‐limits is recommended for a successful phase I analysis.     

Proton Transport in Electrospun Hybrid Organic–Inorganic Membranes: An Illuminating Paradox

Chemistry and processing have to be judiciously combined to structure the membranes at various length scales to achieve efficient properties for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell to make it competitive for transport. Characterizing the proton transport at various length and space scales and understanding the interplays between the nanostructuration, the confinement effect, the interactions, and connectivity are consequently needed. The goal here is to study the proton transport in multiscale, electrospun hybrid membranes (EHMs) at length scales ranging from molecular to macroscopic by using complementary techniques, i.e., electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, pulsed field gradient‐NMR spectroscopy, and quasielastic neutron scattering. Highly conductive hybrid membranes (EHMs) are produced and their performances are rationalized taken into account the balances existing between local interaction driven mobility and large‐scale connectivity effects. It is found that the water diffusion coefficient can be locally decreased (2 × 10^?6 cm² s^?1) due to weak interactions with the silica network, but the macroscopic diffusion coefficient is still high (9.6 × 10^?6 cm² s^?1). These results highlight that EHMs have slow dynamics at the local scale without being detrimental for long‐range proton transport. This is possible through the nanostructuration of the membranes, controlled via processing and chemistry.     

Determination of polyphenolic constituents and biological activities of bark extracts from different Pinus species

BACKGROUND: The most common commercially available pine bark extract is Pycnogenol^®, a standardised extract of Pinus maritima, which has been reported to have cardiovascular benefits and enhance microcirculation. The present study was conducted to determine the chemical composition of four pine bark extracts, assess their biological activities and to compare the results with Pycnogenol^®. RESULTS: The Pinus species were analysed by LC and LC‐MS; extracts of P. brutia and P. nigra showed higher levels of phenolic constituents compared to P. sylvestris and P. pinea. In particular, P. brutia contained extremely high concentrations of taxifolin (18.5%). The highest radical scavenging activities were attained with P. pinea (88.6%), P. nigra (87.2%) and P. brutia (86.4%) bark extracts. Additionally, anticarcinogenic effects of the extracts and their kinetics were determined in four cell lines including human prostate (PC‐3, DU 145, LNCaP) and breast adenocarcinoma (MCF7) by the MTT assay. Cell viability was reduced to 40% by extracts of P. pinea, and P. sylvestris in PC‐3 cells showing a similar effect like the positive control, CPT‐11. CONCLUSION: Pinus species other than P. maritima definitively possess high biological activities, and therefore present a huge potential to be utilised in the food and the pharmaceutical industries. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Determination of optimal EDM machining parameters for machined pure titanium-porcelain adhesion

The objective of this experimental study is to determine electrical discharge machining (EDM) parameters that offer the best adhesion at the interface of a machined titanium–porcelain composite. First of all, with Taguchi method, machining parameters that will be effective in the bonding strength as well as their interactions on each other were determined in the test. Then, multiple level experiments were conducted to determine how the effective parameters varied over a wide area. Slopes of the curves obtained in these tests were studied, and then, final tests were conducted to obtain the best bonding strength possible. In this way, machining parameters that would offer the highest bonding strength of the titanium–porcelain matrix in a stepwise adjustable EDM machine were obtained. By taking into consideration the steps on the EDM machine where the tests were conducted, it is seen that, when a full factorial experiment is undertaken, 5 power?×?2 polarity?×?2 type of dielectric?×?2 sandblasting or non-sandblasting?×?2 kind of electrode?×?10 pulse-on time, it necessitates 800 different tests to be executed, but, with the applied method, 16?+?18?+?3 yields 37 different tests where the results that include all possible alternatives were obtained. As a result, EDM machining parameters that offer the highest adhesion and are relatively higher, 31.5 N/mm², than the acceptable minimum value of 25 N/mm² were specified.     

Controlled synthesis of transition metal/conducting polymer nanocomposites

A novel displacement reaction has been observed to occur between conducting polymers (CP) and metal salts which can be used to fabricate nanostructured CP-metal composites in a one-pot manner. Vanadium pentoxide (V (2)O(5)) nanofiber is used during the synthesis as the reactive seeds to induce the nanofibril CP-metal network formation. The CP-metal nanocomposites exhibit excellent sensory properties for hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) detection, where both high sensitivity and a low detection limit can be obtained. The sensory performance of the CP-metal composite can be further enhanced by a facile microwave treatment. It is believed that the CP-metal nanofibril network can be converted to a carbon-metal network by a microwave-induced carbonization process and result in the sensory enhancement.     

A complementary study on novel PdAuCo catalysts: Synthesis,characterization, direct formic acid fuel cell application,and exergy analysis

At present, Pd containing (10–40 wt%) multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) supported Pd monometallic, Pd:Au bimetallic, and PdAuCo trimetallic catalysts are prepared via NaBH₄ reduction method to examine their formic acid electrooxidation activities and direct formic acid fuel cell performances (DFAFCs) when used as anode catalysts. These catalysts are characterized by advanced analytical techniques as N₂ adsorption and desorption, XRD, SAXS, SEM-EDX, and TEM. Electronic state of Pd changes by the addition of Au and Co. Moreover, formic acid electrooxidation activities of these catalysts measured by CV indicates that particle size changes in wide range play a major role in the formic acid electrochemical oxidation activity, ascribed the strong structure sensitivity of formic acid electrooxidation reaction. PdAuCo (80:10:10)/MWCNT catalyst displays the most significant current density increase. On the other hand, lower CO stripping peak potential obtained for PdAuCo (80:10:10)/MWCNT catalyst, attributed to the awakening of the Pd-adsorbate bond strength down to its optimum value, which favors higher electrochemical activity. DFAFCs performance tests and exergy analysis reveal that fuel cell performances increase with the addition of Au and Co which can be attributed to synergetic effect. Furthermore, temperature strongly influences the performance of formic acid fuel cell.     

Subjective wear trials to evaluate thermal comfort of the foot clothing system including a sweat pad

Subjective wear trials were conducted to evaluate effects of disposable antibacterial sweat pads on foot thermal comfort. Sweat pads were produced with polypropylene and polylactic acid nonwoven topsheet layers which were treated with different herbal antibacterial materials. Trials were carried out with 10 male subjects under 10 °C and 50% relative humidity simulating sweating during a moderate activity in cold environments. Besides microclimate temperature and relative humidity measurements, subjective thermal (coolness, dampness, and comfort) and other sensations (stickiness, slippiness, etc.) were obtained by five point rating scales. Bending rigidity, friction coefficients, and moisture management properties of the topsheet fabrics and pads were tested. Results show that foot sweat pads enabled drier microclimate, warmer sensations, and higher comfort evaluations. Antibacterial treatments did not affect bending rigidity values of the nonwoven topsheet fabrics, but some applications decreased spreading speed, increased roughness of the pad surfaces, and wetting time values which are not preferable.     

CIRCUMFERENTIAL CRACK PROBLEM FOR AN FGM CYLINDER UNDER THERMAL STRESSES

The main objective of this study is to determine the stress intensity factors associated with a circumferential crack in a thin-walled cylinder subjected to quasi-static thermal loading. The cylinder is assumed to be a functionally graded material. In order to make the problem analytically tractable, the thin-walled cylinder is modeled as a layer on an elastic foundation whose thermal and mechanical properties are exponential functions of the thickness coordinate. Hence a plane strain crack problem is obtained. First temperature and thermal stress distributions for a crack-free layer are determined. Then using these solutions, the crack problem is reduced to a local perturbation problem where the only nonzero loads are the crack surface tractions. Both internal and edge cracks are considered. Stress intensity factors are computed as functions of crack geometry, material properties, and time.     

Transient protein-protein interactions

Transient complexes are crucial for diverse biological processes such as biochemical pathways and signaling cascades in the cell. Here, we give an overview of the transient interactions; the importance of transient interactions as drug targets; and the structural characterization of transient protein-protein complexes based on the geometrical and physicochemical features of the transient complexes' interfaces. To better understand and eventually design transient protein-protein interactions (TPPIs), a molecular perspective of the protein-protein interfaces is necessary. Obtaining high-quality structures of protein-protein interactions could be one way of achieving this goal. After introducing the association kinetics of TPPIs, we elaborate on the experimental techniques detecting TPPIs in combination with the computational methods which classify transient and/or non-obligate complexes. In this review, currently available databases and servers that can be used to identify and predict TPPIs are also compiled.