Determination of optimum insulation thicknesses of the external walls and roof (ceiling) for Turkey's different degree-day regions

The external walls and roof of a building are the interface between its interior and the outdoor environment. Insulation of the external walls and roof is the most cost-effective way of controlling the outside elements to make homes more comfortable. Although insulation is generally accepted as a factor increasing the building costs, with the calculations we have shown that this is not the case. Fuel consumption and operational costs are reduced by increasing the thickness of the external walls and roof (ceiling), despite an increase in the investment costs. According to Turkish Standard Number 825 (TS 825), there are four different degree-day (DD) regions, and the required heat loads for the buildings in these regions exhibit large differences. Therefore, a method based on costs is needed for the determination of optimum insulation thicknesses of different DD regions. In this study, optimum insulation thicknesses for different DD regions of Turkey, namely, Izmir (DD: 1450), Bursa (DD: 2203), Eski?ehir (DD: 3215) and Erzurum (DD: 4856), have been determined for a lifetime of N years, maximizing the present worth value of annual energy savings for insulated external walls.     

Synthesis of polydimethylsiloxane‐block‐polystyrene‐block‐polydimethylsiloxane via polysiloxane‐based macroinitiator in supercritical CO2

Polydimethylsiloxane‐block‐polystyrene‐block‐polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS‐b‐PS‐b‐PDMS) was synthesized by the radical polymerization of styrene using a polydimethylsiloxane‐based macroazoinitiator (PDMS MAI) in supercritical CO₂. PDMS MAI was synthesized by reacting hydroxy‐terminated PDMS and 4,4′‐azobis(4‐cyanopentanoyl chloride) (ACPC) having a thermodegradable azo‐linkage at room temperature. The polymerization of styrene initiated by PDMS MAI was investigated in a batch system using supercritical CO₂ as the reaction medium. PDMS MAI was found to behave as a polyazoinitiator for radical block copolymerization of styrene, but not as a surfactant. The response surface methodology was used to design the experiments. The parameters used were pressure, temperature, PDMS MAI concentration and reaction time. These parameters were investigated at three levels (?1, 0 and 1). The dependent variable was taken as the polymerization yield of styrene. PDMS MAI and PDMS‐b‐PS‐b‐PDMS copolymers obtained were characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance and infrared spectroscopy. The number‐ and weight‐average molecular weights of block copolymers were determined by gel permeation chromatography. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Morphologic evidence of apoptosis in childhood acute myeloblastic leukemia treated with high-dose methylprednisolone

We have previously demonstrated that various subtypes of AML children respond to high-dose methylprednisolone (HDMP; 20-30 mg/kg/day) which could induce in vivo differentiation of myeloid leukemic cells to mature granulocytes. In this study we have evaluated whether apoptosis occurs in AML cells of patients treated by HDMP using morphological criteria. For light and electron microscopic examination bone marrow aspirates were obtained four days and two weeks after methylprednisolone (30 mg/kg/day) treatment from two children with newly diagnosed AML (AML-M3 and AML-M4). In both patients maturation of leukemic cells has previously been reported four days (in patient with AML-M3) and two weeks (in patient with AML-M4) after HDMP treatment. Electron microscopy revealed the characteristic ultrastructural changes of various stages of apoptosis four days after HDMP treatment in a case with AML-M3. Morphologic evidence of apoptosis induced by HDMP were also detected on Wright-stained and toluidine blue stained semithin sections of BM preparations in a patient with AML-M4 and AML-M3 respectively. These findings suggest that HDMP which could induce in vivo terminal differentiation in myeloid leukemic cells is also able to induce apoptosis in patients with AML. The possibility of HDMP-induced apoptosis should be evaluated in a larger series of patients with AML and other types of malignant tumors.     

Manufacture of High Performance Carbon Fibers from Precursors of Various Diameters

The effects of fiber diameter on the mechanical properties of PAN-based carbon fibers have been investigated in a series of processing experiments on fibers with different starting filament diameters. The fiber tows, with similar initial mechanical performance, were stretched at high temperatures to produce a large number of fiber types with a wide range of filament diameters. The three starting carbon fibers tows had nominal filament diameters of 5 μm, 6·5 μm, and 10 μm and contained 12000, 6000, and 3000 filaments respectively. These tows were stretched for 5 minutes at 2600^°C with a series of loads of up to 6 kg. For all fiber types and all stretching conditions, substantial increases in Young's moduli were induced, the increases being closely related to the induced extensions. However, it was found that tensile strengths generally decreased if fibers were subjected to high temperatures without significant stretching. On the other hand, the tensile strengths were restored to their original values when greater strains were induced by using higher stresses. Although fibers with a relatively large diameter of 8·3 μm were produced with a modulus of -470GPa and strength of -3·7 GPa, greater improvements in mechanical properties were achieved with smaller diameter fibers. The loads and temperatures involved in these hot stretching experiments were not excessive, and the investigations showed that serious consideration should be given to the feasibility of commercial production of high performance PAN-based carbon fibers by this processing route.     

The effects of chitosan antimicrobial treatments on the physical and mechanical properties and wear performances of highly elastic fabrics used for burn scar management

As exerted pressures play a critical role on highly elastic fabrics on performances of pressure garments in burn scar management, they should also protect their physical and mechanical properties after chemical treatments. Samples were treated with chitosan to achieve antimicrobial property for further designs to help rehabilitation. In this study, the physical, mechanical properties and wear performances of chitosan treated highly elastic fabrics in comparison with untreated control samples were investigated. Results showed that a small significant decrease was observed for air permeability, bursting strength and drapeability while a small significant increase was observed for stiffness (CD, MD). The elasticity of the fabrics was protected during 90 days observation with time-dependent fabric growth analysis. The moisture regain of the fabric samples showed a small significant increase. Antimicrobial tests showed that all treated samples have a very good antimicrobial activity.     

Chemical composition and in vitro antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of Origanum minutiflorum O Schwarz & PH Davis

The essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation from the aerial parts of Origanum minutiflorum O Schwarz & PH Davis, an endemic species in Turkey, was analysed for its antimicrobial activity in vitro. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis of the essential oil resulted in the identification of 34 constituents accounting for 961.5 mL L^?1 of the oil, the major compounds present being carvacrol (793.4 mL L^?1), p‐cymene (32.6 mL L^?1) and γ‐terpinene (21.4 mL L^?1). The in vitro antimicrobial activity of the essential oil was investigated in order to evaluate its efficacy against 16 bacteria and two yeasts, using disc diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration methods. The essential oil showed strong antimicrobial activity against all test micro‐organisms except Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Its main components carvacrol and p‐cymene were also assayed for their antimicrobial activities. Carvacrol exhibited comparable activity to the crude oil, proving it to be the main component responsible for the biological activity observed. This study demonstrates the in vitro antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of this endemic remedy against a wide spectrum of clinically important micro‐organisms, including pathogenic yeasts, being the first report on the anticandidal properties of the essential oil of O. minutiflorum. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

Characterization of Ni–Ti Alloy Powders for Use in Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing (AM) offers a fully integrated fabrication solution within many engineering applications. Particularly, it provides attractive processing alternatives for nickel-titanium (Ni–Ti) alloys to overcome traditional manufacturing challenges through layer by layer approach. Among powder-based additive manufacturing processes, the laser beam melting (LBM) and the electron beam melting (EBM) are two promising manufacturing methods for Ni–Ti shape memory alloys. In these methods, the physical characteristics of the powder used as raw material in the process have a significant effect on the powder transformation, deposition, and powder-beam interaction. Thus, the final manufactured material properties are highly affected by the properties of the powder particles. In this study, the Ni?Ti powder characteristics are investigated in terms of particle size, density, distribution and chemical properties using EDS, OM, and SEM analyses in order to determine their compatibility in the EBM process. The solidification microstructure, and after built microstructure are also examined for the gas atomized Ni–Ti powders.     

Performance Evaluation of a Real-time Simulation Architecture using Probabilistic Model Checking

The goal of this paper is to show how to use probabilistic model checking techniques in order to achieve quantitative performance evaluation of a real-time distributed simulation. A simulation based on the High Level Architecture (HLA) is modelled as a stochastic process, a Continuous Time Markov Chain (CTMC), using the stochastic algebra PEPA. Next a property representing a performance constraint is evaluated applying Continuous Stochastic Logic CSL formula on the CTMC model using the probabilistic model checker PRISM. Finally a first experiment is made to compare the model with a real case.     

Comparative evaluation of granules made with different binders by a fluidized bed method

Granules were prepared using three different binders, pregelatinized starch (PGS), gelatin (GEL), and polyvinylpyrrolidone (K30) by a fluidized bed method. As a quantitative measurement of mechanical strength or abrasion resistance, granules were subjected to a friability test for certain periods of time, and friability indexes (FI) as a function of time were calculated. The data obtained were analyzed by applying standard mathematical models. According to the derived parameters of the logistic and Weibull models, which fit best to the data, mechanical strength of granules made with K30 was observed to be lower than that of the granules of PGS and GEL which have similar values of model parameters. Flow properties, consolidation, and compressibility behaviors of unfriabled (UFR) and friabled (FR) granules, which were selected based upon their Weibull time parameter, were investigated as comparative. The flow rate of granules decreased due to diminishing particle size depending on binder type and friability, but the values of angle of repose were within the acceptable limits. Regarding consolidation behavior, the change of relative density vs. the number of taps, i.e., packing rate for FR granules of GEL was slower than that of its UFR form, whereas FR granules of PGS and K30 showed faster change in relative density compared to their UFR forms. According to the parameters obtained from the Heckel equation, PGS and K30 were found to produce softer, more plastic and readily deformable granules than GEL, and the compressibility of their FR forms was not influenced negatively.