Olive leaf extract as a crosslinking agent for the preparation of electrospun zein fibers

Incorporating active agents, reinforcing structure by crosslinking, thus changing release properties, can be listed as possible modifications in preparation methods of biopolymer fibers. This study introduces oleuropein, major component of olive leaf extract (OLE), as a natural functional crosslinker for electrospun zein fibers, owing to its antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Incorporation of OLE causes morphological and structural changes indicated by a decrease in fiber diameter up to 27%, an increase in intensity of NH bending region due to interaction with –OH groups and observation of characteristic oleuropein bands. Extract addition also enhances thermal stability. Zein fibers without OLE is fully degraded at 600°C, whereas 10% of OLE loaded zein fibers is left undegraded. Fifty percent of initial phenolic content loaded into fibers is released which indicate the effect of OLE incorporation as accumulation of oleuropein. OLE‐incorporated fibers immersed in PBS are less fused than pure zein fibers, due to the crosslinking effect. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41338.     

Thermal,morphological, and spectral changes after Er,Cr:YSGG laser irradiation at low fluences on primary teeth for caries prevention

The aim of this study was to determine the temperature increase in the pulp chamber and possible thermal effects on molecular structure of primary teeth during the irradiation with Er,Cr:YSGG laser. Primary central incisors were divided into three groups (n = 20). Labial surfaces in each group were irradiated by Er,Cr:YSGG laser within different power and frequencies as following groups: I: 0.25 W, 20 Hz, II: 0.50 W, 20 Hz, III: 0.75 W, 20 Hz. A thermocouple was placed inside the pulp chamber so that the temperature increments were recorded during the enamel irradiation. Morphological changes of enamel surfaces were experimentally evaluated by SEM. Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy and RAMAN analyses were carried out to determine the differentiations in the molecular structure. The experimental results obtained were analyzed statistically by means of one‐way analysis of variance. Statistically significant differences were detected between groups (p < .05). Group III exhibited the highest values for the temperature parameters. Besides, the conical craters, cracks, and formation of ablation areas were observed for all the groups. Also, it was obtained that the hydroxyapatite lost the hydroxyl ions due to the thermal effect of the laser. Temperature rise throughout the Er,Cr:YSGG laser irradiation for prevention of primary enamel demineralization presented a positive correlation with the laser output power level. The formations of adverse morphological and spectral changes were detected on the surface of teeth after the laser application. On this basis, the Er,Cr:YSGG laser applications should be treated with much more caution considering enamel surface and pulpal tissues in primary teeth.     

Distributed adaptive control and stability verification for linear multiagent systems with heterogeneous actuator dynamics and system uncertainties

The contribution of this paper is a control synthesis and stability verification framework for linear time-invariant multiagent systems with heterogeneous actuator dynamics and system uncertainties. In particular, we first propose a distributed adaptive control architecture in a leader-follower setting for this class of high-order multiagent systems. The proposed architecture uses a hedging method, which alters the ideal reference model dynamics of each agent in order to ensure correct adaptation in the presence of heterogeneous actuator dynamics of these agents. We then use Lyapunov stability theory and linear matrix inequalities to analyse the proposed architecture. This analysis reveals a stability condition, where evaluation of this condition with respect to a given graph topology allows stability verification of the controlled multiagent system. From a practical point of view, this condition also shows a fundamental tradeoff between heterogeneous agent actuation capabilities and unknown parameters in agent dynamics. Several illustrative numerical examples are also provided to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed architecture.     

Engine Performance and Exhaust Emission Tests of Sulfate Turpentine and No:2 Diesel Fuel Blend

Environmentally friendly, biobased fuel additives become more important when environmental concerns all around the world are considered. In this study, sulfate turpentine is investigated as a candidate diesel fuel additive. Engine performance tests were conducted on a 53 kW, 4000 rpm Peugeot XD 3P 157 type diesel engine for 3:97 turpentine and No:2 diesel fuel blend and similar results to No:2 diesel fuel were obtained. Significant reduction in exhaust emissions were observed as a result of using turpentine and No:2 diesel fuel blend.     

Shear bond strength to enamel and failure type of different periodontal splints: an in vivo and in vitro study

The goal of this study was to evaluate the shear bond strength (SBS) and failure mode of four different splint materials [Polyethylene FRC Ribbond Thm (RB), Polyethylene FRC Construct (Kerr), Multifilament Fishing Line (MFL), and Non Fiber Reinforced Composite (control)]. Thirty-seven subjects were randomly divided into four splint methods. After splinting procedures, the subjects were recalled 12 months later. One hundred and sixty human mandibular incisors (for extracoronal and intracoronal splinting) and 40 sheep mandibles (only extracoronal splinting) were used for the in vitro part. The specimens were subjected to SBS at their incisoproximal contact, and debonding forces were measured with a universal testing machine (1 mm/min crosshead speed). Failure sites were examined under a stereomicroscope (×40 magnification). The SBS data were assessed via analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey’s tests. The survival rate was significantly affected by the splint type (RB:95.3%, Kerr:91.6%, MFL:93.5%, Control:52.5%). No statistically significant differences were found between RB, Kerr, and MFL (p > 0.05) at all in vitro parts. Intracoronal splinting showed lower SBS values than extracoronal (p < 0.05). Lower SBS values were obtained in sheep teeth than human teeth (p < 0.05). Significantly different fracture patterns were noted between groups (p < 0.05). Only resin composite application seems to be inadequate for periodontal splinting. MFL splints are also economic and quite resistant, and they might be used as an alternative to fiber-reinforced composites.     

Synthesis of biodegradable polyurethanes chain‐extended with (2S)‐bis(2‐hydroxypropyl) 2‐aminopentane dioate

Polyurethanes (PUs) are the most widely used polymers because of their biocompatibility, tunable mechanical properties, and chemical versatility. In this study, a two‐step condensation polymerization of polycaprolactone diol and hexamethylene diisocyanate was carried out, and a glutamic acid ester derivative, (2S)‐bis(2‐hydroxypropyl) 2‐aminopentane dioate (HPAP), was used as a new chain extender to accelerate the biodegradation properties of PU. HPAP was synthesized by the Fischer esterification of l ‐glutamic acid. The chemical structure of HPAP was confirmed by high‐resolution mass spectroscopy and m/z (EI) was found to be 264.1447 [calculated value = 264.1443 for C₁₁H₂₁NO₆ (M⁺)]. The Berry plot of static light‐scattering measurements showed that PU–HPAP had a weight‐average molecular weight and radius of gyration of 33,100 g/mol and 1420 nm, respectively. The presence of HPAP in the PU structure facilitated hydrogen bonding between the polymer chains and increased the glass‐transition temperature from ?56 °C (PU) to ?50 °C (PU–HPAP). PU–HPAP showed the highest hydrophilicity and surface free energy among all of samples, and this accelerated the in vitro biodegradation period via surface erosion. In addition, PU–HPAP did not show any cytotoxic effects on the L929 cells. A new biodegradable and biocompatible PU–HPAP was obtained as candidate for tissue engineering applications. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 45764.     

Sound absorption properties of acrylic carpets

Development of functional carpet structures is vital to improve sound quality of human life in transportation vehicles, residential and occupational environments. In this research, pile length and loop density parameters of acrylic carpets were studied to examine the effect on sound absorption properties. Carpet samples, with two different pile densities and four different pile lengths were produced for experimental purposes. Carpets with longer piles and dense loops result in the best sound absorption rates. Acrylic carpets produced with medium length piles and low density loops, yield better results at higher frequencies. Carpet samples with shorter piles and dense loops provide better sound absorption properties at low-to-mid frequencies. It has been observed that loop density and pile length parameters affect sound absorption properties at all frequency ranges. Anova analysis revealed that the combined effect of loop density and pile length parameters is evident in the mid and high frequency ranges.     

Relaxing the stability limit of adaptive control systems in the presence of unmodelled dynamics

It is known that a closed-loop dynamical system subject to an adaptive controller remains stable either if there does not exist significant unmodelled dynamics or the effect of system uncertainties is negligible. This implies that these controllers cannot tolerate large system uncertainties even when the unmodelled dynamics satisfy a set of conditions. In this paper, we present an adaptive control architecture such that the proposed adaptive controller is augmented with an adaptive robustifying term. Unlike standard adaptive controllers, the proposed architecture allows the closed-loop dynamical system to remain stable in the presence of large system uncertainties when the unmodelled system dynamics satisfy a set of conditions. A numerical example is provided to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed approach.     

A Practical Method for the Determination of Al,B, Co,Cr, Cu,Fe, Mg,Mn, Pb,and Zn in Different Types of Vinegars by Microwave Induced Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry

A practical method was described for determining Al, B, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Pb, and Zn in various vinegar samples using microwave induced plasma optical emission spectrometry (MIP OES). Prior to analysis, vinegar samples were diluted to appropriate volumes and then directly aspirated to the plasma. All determinations were performed using aqueous standards for calibration. The analytes added to the vinegar samples were recovered quantitatively (between 93 and 104 %). The LOD values for Al, B, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Pb, and Zn were 0.62, 7.67, 4.55, 0.52, 1.22, 5.72, 1.32, 0.35, 2.42, and 26.0 μg L^?1, respectively. Finally, the analyte concentrations in various types of vinegar samples produced in Turkey were determined and found below maximum allowable values stated by the Turkish Food Codex.     

A direct borohydride–peroxide fuel cell–LiPO battery hybrid motorcycle prototype – II

In this study, a direct borohydride–peroxide fuel cell (DBPFC)–LiPo battery hybrid motorcycle, called HYBROTO, was developed. The hybrid system was designed using a 10-cell DBPFC stack with 120 W of maximum power as the main power source, a 12 LiPo battery pack with 6300 mAh and 65 C for energy storage and as auxiliary power source, and a brushless DC (BLDC) motor. In addition, a voltage-monitoring integrated circuit for fuel cells, a battery management unit, and a motor control circuit were developed to command the DBPFC, LiPo battery, and BLDC motor, respectively. The hybrid system was managed and synchronized by a main control unit (MCU) containing a synchronous bidirectional buck–boost converter and a boost converter. For performance tests, the DBPFC–battery system and BLDC motor were installed in an electric motorcycle body. Performance tests were carried out in the hybrid system under a constant load of 60 W. The hybrid system showed a satisfactory performance under the constant load with an efficiency of 67%. However, the MCU requires further improvement to provide more stable power output. The motorcycle prototype was tested at the 2016 International Symposium on Sustainable Aviation organized by the Sustainable Aviation Research Society.