Exploiting second-order advantage using PARAFAC2 for fast HPLC-DAD quantification of mixture of aflatoxins in pistachio nuts

A new methodology using second-order calibration based on PARAllel FACtor analysis 2 (PARAFAC2) is developed for fast quantification of aflatoxins B₁, B₂, G₁ and G₂ in pistachio samples by liquid chromatography with diode array detection (LC-DAD). Solvent and solid phase extractions were used for sample preparation steps. In this work, a gradient elution programme was optimised to make co-elutions between analytes and also to shorten the analysis time. Prediction was made on synthetic and real validation samples with a mixture calibration design. Special circumstances such as overlapping of analytes, the lack of spectral selectivity and also the lack of trilinearity, have been compensated with “mathematic separation” through PARAFAC2 modelling. The results showed an acceptable performance of PARAFAC2 for resolution and quantification of all analytes in a single array exploiting the second-order advantage. With the proposed method, the chromatographic run time and also the time for data analysis were reduced significantly.     

A queueing system with inventory and mixed exponentially distributed lead times

We consider M/M/1/∞ systems with inventory in which completing each service in the queueing system requires an on-hand inventory. Continuous review (r, Q) policy is considered for the inventory system, and lead times are assumed to be mixed exponentially distributed. During stockout, arriving demands get rejected from the queue and become lost (lost sale situation). We derive stationary distribution of product form of joint queue length and on-hand inventory. The resulting distribution is employed to compute performance measures which can be used to derive the optimal policy. Optimal order size for predetermined reorder policy is initially determined and finally, optimal reorder point and corresponding optimal order size are simultaneously computed for several numerical examples.     

Practical application of failure criteria in determining safe mud weight windows in drilling operations

Wellbore instability is reported frequently as one of the most significant incidents during drilling operations.Analysis of wellbore instability includes estimation of formation mechanical properties and the state of in situ stresses.In this analysis,the only controllable parameter during drilling operation is the mud weight.If the mud weight is larger than anticipated,the mud will invade into the formation,causing tensile failure of the formation.On the other hand,a lower mud weight can result in shear failures of rock,which is known as borehole breakouts.To predict the potential for failures around the wellbore during drilling,one should use a failure criterion to compare the rock strength against induced tangential stresses around the wellbore at a given mud pressure.The Mohr–Coulomb failure criterion is one of the commonly accepted criteria for estimation of rock strength at a given state of stress.However,the use of other criteria has been debated in the literature.In this paper,Mohr–Coulomb,Hoek–Brown and Mogi–Coulomb failure criteria were used to estimate the potential rock failure around a wellbore located in an onshorefield of Iran.The log based analysis was used to estimate rock mechanical properties of formations and state of stresses.The results indicated that amongst different failure criteria,the Mohr–Coulomb criterion underestimates the highest mud pressure required to avoid breakouts around the wellbore.It also predicts a lower fracture gradient pressure.In addition,it was found that the results obtained from Mogi–Coulomb criterion yield a better comparison with breakouts observed from the caliper logs than that of Hoek–Brown criterion.It was concluded that the Mogi–Coulomb criterion is a better failure criterion as it considers the effect of the intermediate principal stress component in the failure analysis.     

Behaviour of End-Plate Connections in 3D Frames Under Fire Conditions: Experimental Study

Due to high vulnerability of steel structures to elevated temperatures and the need for taking adequate and effective measures to reduce human and financial losses in fires, a thorough understanding of such behaviour is of utmost importance. In this research, a half-scale 3D model, comprising moment-resisting frames, equipped with flush end-plate connections, in one direction, and braced frames in the other, was subjected to a scaled ISO 834 standard fire. The maximum attained temperature was 1055 °C. The results showed that the structure tolerates high temperatures for an appreciable amount of time before collapsing. Moreover, for thick flush end-plates, which were used in this study, the collapse was initiated by bolt failure, giving rise to the idea of using more/stronger bolts and weaker end-plates to delay the overall collapse of the structure.     

Surface properties of fluorinated polyimides exposed to VUV and atomic oxygen

The effect of atomic oxygen flux and VUV radiation alone and in combination on the surface of fluorinated polyimide films was studied using XPS spectroscopy. Exposure of fluorinated polyimides to VUV radiation alone caused no observable damage to the polymer surface, while an atomic oxygen flux resulted in substantial oxidation of the surface. On the other hand, exposure to VUV radiation and atomic oxygen in combination caused extensive oxidation of the polymer surface after only 2 min of exposure. The amount of oxidized carbon on the polymer surface indicated that there is aromatic ring-opening oxidation. The changes in the O1s/C1s, N1s/C1s, and F1s/C1s ratios suggested that an ablative degradation process is highly favorable. A synergistic effect of VUV radiation in the presence of atomic oxygen is clearly evidenced from the XPS study. The atomic oxygen could be considered as the main factor in the degradation process of fluorinated polyimide films exposed to a low earth orbit environment. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Transient liquid phase bonding of 304 stainless steel using a Co-based interlayer

Transient liquid phase bonding of AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel was carried out using a Co-based interlayer with 40?μm thickness. The effect of bonding time and solid-state homogenisation time on the microstructure and mechanical properties of samples was investigated. The results showed that isothermal solidification was completed within 30?min at a constant temperature of 1180°C. With increasing homogenisation time, at 1000°C, a more uniform distribution of alloying elements and hardness profile across the joint region was achieved. The average shear strength of homogenised samples was about 72% that of the base metal at the same heat treatment cycle.