Continuous separation,with microfluidics,of the components of a ternary mixture: from vacuum to purge gas pervaporation

The general objective of this paper is to investigate the separation, with microfluidics, of the components of a ternary mixture, when using vacuum or purge gas pervaporation. The ternary mixture considered is a mixture of methanol (MeOH), water (H₂O) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). In a previous work (Ziemecka in Lab Chip 15:504–511, 2015), we presented the proof of concept of a microfluidic device, which was able to partially separate MeOH from the other components of such a mixture, by using vacuum pervaporation. Here, our goal is to optimize the operation of this device, by considering vacuum pervaporation, but also purge gas pervaporation. First, we provide a mathematical model of the device. This model is used to discuss the influence of the operating parameters on the device operation. To apply this model to the considered mixture, we determined the MeOH and H₂O permeability coefficients of PDMS membranes prepared from different concentrations of the curing agent. The model is then successfully compared to experimental data. The model and the experiments show that high efficiencies can be reached for both vacuum and purge gas pervaporation, provided a fine-tuning of the operating parameters. For instance, a good efficiency of the vacuum pervaporation is reached at high temperature and low pressure. For purge gas pervaporation, it is reached for low temperature and high pressure.     

Static worksharing strategies for heterogeneous computers with unrecoverable interruptions

One has a large computational workload that is “divisible” (its constituent tasks’ granularity can be adjusted arbitrarily) and one has access to p remote computers that can assist in computing the workload. How can one best utilize the computers? Two features complicate this question. First, the remote computers may differ from one another in speed. Second, each remote computer is subject to interruptions of known likelihood that kill all work in progress on it. One wishes to orchestrate sharing the workload with the remote computers in a way that maximizes the expected amount of work completed. We deal with three versions of this problem. The simplest version ignores communication costs but allows computers to differ in speed (a heterogeneous set of computers). The other two versions account for communication costs, first with identical remote computers (a homogeneous set of computers), and then with computers that may differ in speed. We provide exact expressions for the optimal work expectation for all three versions of the problem - via explicit closed-form expressions for the first two versions, and via a recurrence that computes this optimal value for the last, most general version.     

A Class of Smoothers for Saddle Point Problems

In this paper smoothing properties are shown for a class of iterative methods for saddle point problems with smoothing rates of the order 1/m, where m is the number of smoothing steps. This generalizes recent results by Braess and Sarazin, who could prove this rates for methods where, in the context of the Stokes problem, the pressure correction equation is solved exactly, which is not needed here. Received December 4, 1998; revised April 14, 2000     

A multi-level, multi-theory perspective of information technology implementation

Abstract.  Much of information technology (IT) implementation research has focused on individuals' acceptance of IT by examining their behaviour when faced with new IT and the antecedents of these behaviours. As they are frequently undertaken within a project framework, IT implementations also entail the application of project management practices in order to be successful. Based on the premise that antecedents of lower level theories are frequently determined by the outcomes of a higher level theory, the present paper illustrates how organizational-level decisions, examined from the perspective of economics theories, can help explain the antecedents of project risk management at the project and individual levels. To do so, the paper describes an IT implementation effort which went through three phases; the first two of which were abandoned versions of the same project. An organizational-level analysis of the case from an economics perspective and its project-level analysis from a risk management perspective show how organizational-level decisions influenced the antecedents at the project and individual levels, providing a more complete understanding of the IT implementation in question, an understanding which neither a theory approach nor a level perspective could provide on its own.     

3D posture estimation using geodesic distance maps

This paper presents a novel technique for three-dimensional (3D) human motion capture using a set of two non-calibrated cameras. The user’s five extremities (head, hands and feet) are extracted, labeled and tracked after silhouette segmentation. As they are the minimal number of points that can be used in order to enable whole body gestural interaction, we will henceforth refer to these features as crucial points. Features are subsequently labelled using 3D triangulation and inter-image tracking. The crucial point candidates are defined as the local maxima of the geodesic distance with respect to the center of gravity of the actor region that lie on the silhouette boundary. Due to its low computational complexity, the system can run at real-time paces on standard personal computers, with an average error rate range between 4% and 9% in realistic situations, depending on the context and segmentation quality.

Impact of violence on children and adolescents: report from a community-based child psychiatry clinic

The Children's National Medical Center is located in the inner-city area of Washington, DC. As is nationally now well publicized, the drug-related violence in Washington has earned the area the dubious title of "murder capital of the world." Our outpatient child and adolescent psychiatry clinic at Children's Hospital provides walk-in services during daytime hours, Monday through Friday. Access to services is available at other times through the emergency room.     

Mikromethode zur quantitativen Bestimmung von Coffein

Zusammenfassung Zur quantitativen Bestimmung von Coffein in biologischem Material wird ein kombiniertes Verfahren aus Dünnschichtchromatographie und Densitometrie beschrieben. Das Verfahren läßt Bestimmungen im Nanogramm-Bereich zu. Das Probenvolumen liegt unter 100 l.Die Proben — Capillarblut — werden zunächst mit dem gleichen Volumen Chloroform extrahiert. Anschließend wird das Coffein mittels Dünnschichtchromatographie von Begleitstoffen und störenden Substanzen abgetrennt. Es werden Kieselgel-60-Fertigplatten und Chlorofom/Aceton (9 + 1; v/v) als Fließmittel verwendet, dabei beträgt die Laufzeit 30 min.Die quantitative densitometrische Auswertung erfolgt durch Remissionsmessung bei 273 nm. Im Bereich von 10–60 ng Coffein/Fleck verläuft die Eichkurve linear. 1 mg/I Coffein kann noch sicher quantitativ erfaßt werden. Die Nachweisgrenze liegt bei 0,1 mg/1.

---

A quantitative micromethod for the caffeine determination

Summary A combined procedure with thin-layer-chromatography and densitometry is described for the quantitative estimation of caffeine in biological material. This method ist applicable in the nanogram range. Test samples of less than 100 l may be used. The samples (capillary-blood) are extracted with the same volume of chloroform. Caffeine is separated from interfering compounds by thin-layer-chromatography. Commercial silica-60-plates with chloroform/acetone (9 + 1; v/v) as solvent are used. The running time is about 30 min. The quantitative densitometric determinations are performed in the remission mode at 273 nm. In the range from 10 to 60 ng/spot the calibration curve is linear. Accurate quantitative data will be obtained even at concentrations of 1 mg/1 caffeine. The detection limit is at about 0.1 mg/1.

     

Development of an interlocked nail for segmental defects in the rabbit tibia

Previous animal models have been developed to study intramedullary nailing for challenging segmental defects in the tibia. In large animals, interlocked nail fixation created a stable environment suitable to study new bone growth technologies placed in the defect. To our knowledge, there are no comparable interlocked tibial defect models for the rabbit in which new technologies could be evaluated. Such a model would be helpful since the rabbit is a popular initial model for orthopedic research studies owing to its wide availability and low cost. While numerous studies have nailed the rabbit tibia, all were non-locked implants that allowed some degree of instability between the fracture fragments. In addition, the non-locked nails were constructed of stainless steel, whereas human nails are increasingly made from titanium alloy. In the current study, an interlocked titanium nail was developed for the rabbit tibia. It was implanted in cadaver tibiae and subjected to fatigue cycling in combined compression and bending at physiologic levels to 21,061 cycles. This duration is estimated to represent 12 weeks of gait by the animal. Before and after fatigue cycling, monotonic testing was performed in compression and bending at physiologic levels. The intact contralateral limbs served as controls. All limbs completed the cycling; the instrumented limbs exhibited interfragmentary cyclic strain amplitudes during fatigue (616 +/- 139 micro-strain), which was significantly greater than the control limbs (136 +/- 35 microstrain). Monotonic strain amplitudes for the test limbs in bending and compression were 4839 +/- 1028 and 542 +/- 122 microstrain, respectively; corresponding values for the control bones were 407 +/- 118 and 95 +/- 38 microstrain, respectively. These data are similar to those presented in prior studies in larger bone models. The current study presents one method for interlocked nail fixation for this complex tibial shaft fracture in a small animal.     

Estimating postprandial glucose fluxes using hierarchical Bayes modelling

A new stochastic computational method was developed to estimate the endogenous glucose production, the meal-related glucose appearance rate (R(a meal)), and the glucose disposal (R(d)) during the meal tolerance test. A prior probability distribution was adopted which assumes smooth glucose fluxes with individualized smoothness level within the context of a Bayes hierarchical model. The new method was contrasted with the maximum likelihood method using data collected in 18 subjects with type 2 diabetes who ingested a mixed meal containing [U-(13)C]glucose. Primed [6,6-(2)H(2)]glucose was infused in a manner that mimicked the expected endogenous glucose production. The mean endogenous glucose production, R(a meal), and R(d) calculated by the new method and maximum likelihood method were nearly identical. However, the maximum likelihood gave constant, nonphysiological postprandial endogenous glucose production in two subjects whilst the new method gave plausible estimates of endogenous glucose production in all subjects. Additionally, the two methods were compared using a simulated triple-tracer experiment in 12 virtual subjects. The accuracy of the estimates of the endogenous glucose production and R(a meal) profiles was similar [root mean square error (RMSE) 1.0±0.3 vs. 1.4±0.7μmol/kg/min for EGP and 2.6±1.0 vs. 2.9±0.9μmol/kg/min for R(a meal); new method vs. maximum likelihood method; P=NS, paired t-test]. The accuracy of R(d) estimates was significantly increased by the new method (RMSE 5.3±1.9 vs. 4.2±1.3; new method vs. ML method; P<0.01, paired t-test). We conclude that the new method increases plausibility of the endogenous glucose production and improves accuracy of glucose disposal compared to the maximum likelihood method.     

Correlation between machining direction,cutter geometry and step-over distance in 3-axis milling: Application to milling by zones

Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) occupies an increasingly important role in engineering with all it has to offer in terms of new possibilities and improving designer/manufacturer productivity. The present study addresses machining of free-form surfaces on a 3-axis NC machine tool. There have recently been a large number of studies devoted to planning tool paths on free-form surfaces with various strategies being adopted. These strategies are intended to increase efficiency by reducing the overall length of machining. Often, the choice of the cutter is arbitrary and the work focuses on planning. In order to boost productivity, the present work offers assistance in choosing the cutting tool, the machining direction and cutting by surface zones, adopting a milling strategy by parallel planes. To do so, a comparison is made between milling using a spherical end milling cutter and a torus end milling cutter with the same outer radius. This comparison relates to the radius of curvature of the trace left by the cutter at the point of contact between the tool and the workpiece in relation to the direction of feed motion.