Electrochemical corrosion parameters for active and passive reinforcing steel in carbonated and sound concrete

The electrochemical corrosion parameters, such as corrosion potential, corrosion current density, and the Tafel constants are necessary inputs for the corrosion modeling in reinforced concrete. Literature shows large variability in their values, whereas the data are scarce for the carbonated concrete. This paper presents a range of corrosion parameters for the active steel in carbonated and the passive steel in noncarbonated concrete. Forty-eight singly reinforced concrete cylinders were cast, of which 24 were carbonated and the others were sound samples. Potentiodynamic polarization curves were obtained at three different scan rates and extrapolated to extract the corrosion parameters. To validate these parameters, a macrocell corrosion system was simulated using FEM-based Comsol multiphysics® software. The numerical results were compared to two experimental studies. A natural dispersion in the values of corrosion parameters for both active and passive steels was observed. The average Stern–Geary constant was 54 and 47 mV for active and passive steels, respectively. Numerical simulations with the obtained parameters predicted the macrocell corrosion in partially carbonated concrete with a high accuracy. The presented values of corrosion parameters in this study could help researchers and engineers to simulate the corrosion phenomena in concrete accurately.     

Structurally modified poly(vinyl alcohol) ionic composites as efficient humidity indicators

Synthesis of structurally modified poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) ionic composites is presented. Low‐molecular‐weight PVA (M_n = 18,000 g mol⁻¹) is prepared and blended together with either copper or borate ions under ambient conditions to yield PVA–Cu and PVA–B ionic composites, respectively. The borate ions coalesce together with different polymeric chains of PVA, forming a 3D network structure, which is identified by the weakening of  OH absorption in the infrared spectrum. On the other hand, copper ions yield a weakly crosslinked polyelectrolyte by forming a coordinated complex with the hydroxyl groups of PVA, which leads to an increase in the λ_max value in the ultraviolet–visible spectrum. The surface morphology of these PVA‐based ionic composites is studied via atomic force microscopy. Furthermore, the quantitative estimation of copper in PVA–Cu composites is performed by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Among these PVA ionic composites, the PVA–Cu exhibits excellent moisture absorption capability and dramatic changes in the color of thin composite film, when exposed to 75% humidity atmosphere. The absolute recovery, recyclability, and stability of the PVA–Cu ionic composites not only enable them to be good humidity indicators but the results show that these composites can be employed as efficient humidity‐sensitive material on suitable transducers for environmental and industrial applications. POLYM. COMPOS., 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopic characterization and optimization of Pb(II) biosorption by fish (Labeo rohita) scales

The present study reports the use of locally available fish (Labeo rohita) scales for Pb(II) removal from aqueous solutions under different experimental conditions. Maximum Pb(II) adsorption (196.8 mg g(-1)) occurred at pH 3.5. Pb(II) sorption was found to be pH, dose, initial metal concentration, contact time and shaking speed dependent while particle size and temperature independent. Experimental data of Pb(II) biosorption onto fish scales fitted well to Freundlich isotherm model in comparison to the model of Langmuir. The fast adsorption process in first 30 min followed by subsequent slow adsorption rate was suitably described by pseudo-second order model. In addition, this study was designed to evaluate the effect of physical and chemical pretreatments on surface properties of fish scales by the application of Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopic analysis. Physical pretreatments resulted in partial degradation of some functional groups. Alkaline pretreatments of fish scales did not have any significant influence on the nature of functional groups responsible for Pb(II) uptake, while acidic pretreatments resulted in degeneration of the most of functional groups on biosorbent cell wall. FTIR analysis confirmed the involvement of amino, carboxylic, phosphate and carbonyl groups in Pb(II) biosorption by fish scales.     

Chemical sprays as a method for improvement in microbiological quality and shelf-life of fresh sheep and goat meats during refrigeration storage (5-7°C)

The shelf-life of meats from freshly slaughtered sheep and goat carcasses at 5-7?°C was extended after spraying (pressure 3 kg/cm(2)) the carcasses with solution 'B' containing potassium sorbate, sodium acetate, sodium citrate, sodium lactate each at 2.5% and sodium chloride at 5% (prepared w/v in potable water), when compared with solution 'A' (without potassium sorbate). Solution B treatment inhibited Bacillus spp. to minimum and were not detected up to sixth day. It extended the lag phase of all organisms including psychrotrophes (pseudomonads) and reduction of differential counts in sheep and goat meat were noted throughout the refrigerated storage. On sixth day (control) and seventh day (solution "A treated") meat samples developed off odour and discoloration with total viable count (TVC)>10(7) cfu/g. Solution B treated meat samples showed no spoilage at seventh or eighth day, indicating an extended shelf-life of 3 and 2 days when compared with control and solution A treated meat, respectively.     

Investigation of cutting parameters effect for minimization of sur face roughness in internal turning

Minimizing the surface roughness is one of the primary objectives in most of the machining operations in general and in internal turning in particular. Poor control on the cutting parameters due to long boring bar generates non conforming parts which results in increase in cost and loss of productivity due to rework or scrap. In this study, the Taguchi method is used to minimize the surface roughness by investigating the rake angle effect on surface roughness in boring performed on a CNC lathe. The control parameters included besides tool rake angle were insert nose radius, cutting speed, depth of cut, and feedrate. Slight tool wear was included as a noise factor. Based on Taguchi Orthogonal Array L18, a series of experiments were designed and performed on AISI 1018 steel. Analysis of variance, ANOVA, was employed to identify the significant factors affecting the surface roughness and S/N ratio was used to find the optimal cutting combination of the parameters. It was concluded that tool with a high positive rake angle and smaller insert nose radius produced lower surface roughness value in an internal turning operation. It was also concluded that high feedrate and low cutting speed has produced the lowest surface roughness.     

A pragmatic approach to area coverage in hybrid wireless sensor networks

Success of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) largely depends on whether the deployed network can provide desired area coverage with acceptable network lifetime. This paper seeks to address the problem of determining the current coverage achieved by the non‐deterministic deployment of static sensor nodes and subsequently enhancing the coverage using mobile sensors. We identify three key elements that are critical for ensuring effective area coverage in Hybrid WSN: (i) determining the boundary of the target region and evaluating the area coverage (ii) locating coverage holes and maneuvering mobile nodes to fill these voids, and (iii) maintaining the desired coverage over the entire operational lifetime of the network. We propose a comprehensive solution that addresses all of the aforementioned aspects of the area coverage, called MAPC (mobility assisted probabilistic coverage). MAPC is a distributed protocol that operates in three distinct phases. The first phase identifies the boundary nodes using the geometric right‐hand rule. Next, the static nodes calculate the area coverage and identify coverage holes using a novel probabilistic coverage algorithm (PCA). PCA incorporates realistic sensing coverage model for range‐based sensors. The second phase of MAPC is responsible for navigating the mobile nodes to plug the coverage holes. We propose a set of coverage and energy‐aware variants of the basic virtual force algorithm (VFA). Finally, the third phase addresses the problem of coverage loss due to faulty and energy depleted nodes. We formulate this problem as an Integer Linear Program (ILP) and propose practical heuristic solutions that achieve similar performance as that of the optimal ILP solution. A guiding principle in our design process has been to ensure that the MAPC can be readily implemented in real‐world applications. We implemented the boundary detection and PCA algorithm (i.e., Phase I) of the MAPC protocol on off‐the‐shelf sensor nodes and results show that the MAPC can successfully identify boundary nodes and accurately determine the area coverage in the presence of real radio irregularities observed during the experiments. Extensive simulations were carried out to evaluate the complete MAPC protocol and the results demonstrate that MAPC can enhance and maintain the area coverage, while reducing the total energy consumption by up to 70% as compared with the basic VFA. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lactobacillus acidophilus: Characterization of the Species and Application in Food Production

L. acidophilus is a homofermentative, microaerophilic, short chain gram positive microorganism with rod morphology having its bacteriocins belonging to class II a. Several bacteriocins of L. acidophilus have been isolated and characterized. These are structurally similar, but their molecular weight varies as well as their spectrum of antimicrobial activity. They exhibit important technical properties, i.e., thermostability and retaining of activity at a wide pH range along with strong inhibitory actions against food spoilage and pathogenic bacteria make them an important class of biopreservatives. L. acidophilus can be added as an adjunct in many food fermentation processes contributing to unique taste, flavor, and texture. It also preserves the products by producing lactic acid and bacteriocins. A lot of new information regarding the bacteriocins of L. acidophilus has emerged during the last few years. In this review, an attempt has been made to summarize and discuss all the available information regarding the sources of bacteriocins production, their characteristics, and their antimicrobial action along with their application.