Transient effects on microchannel electrokinetic filtering with an ion-permselective membrane

The electrokinetics and hydrodynamics in a hybrid microfluidic/nanofluidic pore network configuration and its effect on the concentration enrichment of charged analytes are described. A hydrogel microplug, photopolymerized in a microfluidic channel, with negative surface charge serves as a nanoporous membrane and dictates the electrokinetic behavior within the adjoining microchannel compartments. The nanoporous hydrogel with a mean pore size on the order of the electrical double layer thickness imparts ion-permselectivity (cation-selectivity) to the migration of ionic species which, under the influence of an applied electrical field, drives concentration polarization in bulk solution near the interfaces between the two microchannel compartments and the hydrogel-based nanopores. The concentration enrichment efficiency for charged analytes depends on this concentration polarization, which strongly affects the distribution of local electrical field strength. In addition, electroosmotic flow in the device plays a critical role in determining the location of the analyte enrichment zone. A theoretical model and simulations are presented to explain the interplay of concentration polarization and electroosmotic flow with respect to the observed concentration enrichment of negatively charged analytes at the cathodic hydrogel plug-microchannel solution interface.     

Efficient dye regeneration in solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells fabricated with melt processed hole conductors

A new method for melting hole transporting materials (HTM) into mesoporous TiO₂ electrodes to obtain solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) is reported. Internal coverage is determined from the efficiency of hole conductor oxidation by photo-oxidized dyes (dye regeneration), measured using transient absorption spectroscopy. High efficiency regeneration indicates complete coverage of the electrode internal surface. A high work function hole conductor (>5.2 eV) was found to give shorter regeneration lifetimes (<1 μs) and better regeneration efficiencies (>90%) than expected. Cell photocurrents were low, but improved after iodine vapor doping of the hole conductor. Counter intuitively, doping also reduced the recombination rate constant 7-fold. A solid state solar cell with power conversion efficiency of 0.075% at 1 sun is reported.     

Prediction of Clean-Bed Head Loss in Crumb Rubber Filters

Crumb rubber media have been beneficially invented for ballast water and tertiary wastewater treatment. There is a critical need for precise prediction of clean-bed head loss for engineering design purposes. Pilot crumb rubber filters were tested to study their clean-bed head loss under the influences of three design and operational parameters (media size, media depth, and filtration rate). Data from the filtration tests were used to evaluate the application of the Kozeny and Ergun equations in crumb rubber filters and to develop a statistical model for examination of the effects of each parameter and for clean-bed head loss prediction. Results showed that both the Kozeny and Ergun equations had limitations for crumb rubber filters, especially when the data of compressed media depth were unavailable from the filtration tests. The statistical model developed by the multiplicative power-law relationship was proved to be valid, and it could be used to predict clean-bed head loss in crumb rubber filters.     

A SEMI-EMPIRICAL APPROACH TO OPTIMISE THE QUANTITY OF DRYING AIDS REQUIRED TO SPRAY DRY SUGAR-RICH FOODS

ABSTRACT

A semi-empirical linear equation has been developed to optimise the amount of maltodextrin additive (DE 6) required to successfully spray dry a sugar-rich product on the basis of its composition. Based on spray drying experiments, drying index values for individual sugars (sucrose, glucose, fructose) and citric acid were determined, and using these index values an equation for model mixtures of these components was established. This equation has been tested with two sugar-rich natural products, pineapple juice and honey. The relationship was found to be valid for these products.     

Occurrence of α- and β-nortestosterone residues in the urine of injured male cattle

The administration of anabolic steroids, for the purposes of growth promotion, to food-producing animals is banned in the EU. Among the compounds covered by this prohibition is ß-nortestosterone (β-NT). This hormone is known to occur naturally in stallions and boars, and its main bovine metabolite, α-nortestosterone (α-NT), occurs naturally in pregnant cows and neonatal calves. However, neither compound is believed to occur naturally in male cattle. During 2006, the presence of α-NT and, on occasion, β-NT was confirmed in male cattle (bulls and steers) slaughtered in Northern Ireland on welfare grounds, as a result of acute injury. Subsequent investigations revealed no evidence of abuse at any of the farms involved and revealed that the phenomenon also occurred in three other regions of the EU, in similarly injured animals. A hypothetical link to release of the adrenal steroid, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), in response to the stress of the injury was tested. Following the intravenous administration of DHEA to two normal steers, β-NT (but not α-NT) was confirmed in the urine of one steer. Thus, it may be concluded that both β-NT and, by implication, α-NT can occur naturally in male cattle (or a specific cohort thereof) in contrast to previously accepted scientific knowledge.     

Preparation,characterisation and selected functional properties of hydrolysed sodium caseinate–maltodextrin conjugate

Sodium caseinate was hydrolysed to a limited, moderate or extensive degree. The hydrolysates were conjugated with maltodextrin by a Maillard‐type reaction by dry‐heat treatment at 60 °C and 79% relative humidity for 2 or 4 days. Conjugates were characterised by SDS–PAGE and gel permeation chromatography. In comparison with the hydrolysates themselves, the conjugated hydrolysates had improved solubility, particularly around the isoelectric pH of the protein. The emulsifying properties of these conjugates were assessed in oil‐in‐water (o/w) emulsions; on emulsion formation, each conjugate‐stabilised emulsion had lower mean fat globule size than the corresponding hydrolysate‐stabilised emulsion. After storage for 7 days under accelerated shelf life testing conditions, the limited and moderate hydrolysate conjugate–stabilised emulsions had improved storage stability compared with hydrolysate‐stabilised emulsions; however, further research is required to optimise the hydrolysate fraction prior to conjugation for the production of novel low molecular weight emulsifiers.     

SPP tomography: A simple wide‐field nanoscope

We explore the wide‐field optical nanoimaging capabilities of the surface plasmon polariton (SPP) tomography technique. We show that nanofeatures with lateral dimensions smaller than λ/20 can be observed in the surface emission (SE) images of plasmonic crystals with a period of 300 nm. Moreover, as a proof‐of‐concept, we demonstrate that SPP tomography permits to resolve two single objects with a center‐to‐center separation of 200 nm and edge‐to‐edge separation as small as λ/7. We present a comprehensive discussion about the nanoimaging capabilities of the SPP tomography technique. In contrast to other optical subwavelength resolution techniques, in our approach for imaging nanosize features, enhanced evanescent waves are coupled to the far‐field via leakage radiation associated with SPPs excited by near‐field fluorescence; therefore wide‐field images, which are not out‐of‐plane diffraction‐limited, are formed directly in the microscope's camera. We also discuss additional imaging processing capabilities associated with the fact that SPP tomography SE images are formed by the microscope lenses through an analog tomography process. SCANNING 35: 246‐252, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Multiple positive solutions of singular dirichlet second-order boundary-value problems with derivative dependence

The existence of multiple positive solutions for the singular Dirichlet boundary-value problem

Risky driving behavior: A consequence of motion adaptation for visually guided motor action.

The authors examined the effect of adaptation to expansion on overtaking maneuvers in a driving simulator. Following driving on a straight empty road for 5 min, drivers initiated overtaking substantially later (220–510 ms) than comparable maneuvers made following viewing a static scene or following 5 min of curve driving. Following adaptation to contraction (produced by driving backward), observers initiated overtaking significantly sooner. The removal of the road texture significantly reduced the size of the adaptation effect. The authors propose that these changes in overtaking behavior are due to misestimation of the time headway produced by local adaptation of looming detectors that signal motion-in-depth for objects near the focus of expansion. This adaptation effect may increase the risk of rear-end collisions during highway driving. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)