On the Cumulative Distribution of Outgoing Quality: A New Criterion for Sampling Plans

A procedure is developed for designing rectifying sampling plans by attributes with a predetermined upper bound on the outgoing quality of the lots. These plans are derived so that the upper bound is satisfied with specified minimum probability regardless of the value of the process average. In addition, the average outgoing quality limit (AOQL) criterion is evaluated with respect to the probability bound concept. Computational procedures are presented that allow the design of sampling plans with user specified upper bounds with designated minimum probability 1 – α. A table is presented for determining sampling plans for the use of 1 – α = .95.     

Optimization of the thermoelectric figure of merit in the conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)

Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) transform a heat flow into electricity. Thermoelectric materials are being investigated for electricity production from waste heat (co-generation) and natural heat sources. For temperatures below 200 °C, the best commercially available inorganic semiconductors are bismuth telluride (Bi(2)Te(3))-based alloys, which possess a figure of merit ZT close to one. Most of the recently discovered thermoelectric materials with ZT>2 exhibit one common property, namely their low lattice thermal conductivities. Nevertheless, a high ZT value is not enough to create a viable technology platform for energy harvesting. To generate electricity from large volumes of warm fluids, heat exchangers must be functionalized with TEGs. This requires thermoelectric materials that are readily synthesized, air stable, environmentally friendly and solution processable to create patterns on large areas. Here we show that conducting polymers might be capable of meeting these demands. The accurate control of the oxidation level in poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) combined with its low intrinsic thermal conductivity (λ=0.37 W m(-1) K(-1)) yields a ZT=0.25 at room temperature that approaches the values required for efficient devices.     

Preparation of guanidine group functionalized magnetic nanoparticles and the application in preconcentration and separation of acidic protein

Guanidine group (Gnd) functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (Fe3O4@SiO2@NH2-Gnd) were synthesized and characterized in this work for the first time. The characterization of Fe3O4@SiO2@ NH2-Gnd nanoparticles was demonstrated by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectra, vibration sample magnetometer, and zeta potential analyzer. The novel multifunctional nanoparticles were served as a solid-phase extraction sorbent for easy isolation and preconcentration of acidic protein from aqueous solution only using a magnet. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) was selected as a model protein and the main experimental parameters influencing the adsorption and desorption efficiency were investigated and optimized. Under the optimum conditions, the particles reached saturated adsorption within 20 min and exhibited significant specific recognition for the acidic proteins. Fifteen fold enrichment efficiency was achieved and the detection limits was 45 ng x mL(-1) for BSA by capillary electrophoresis (CE). The practical application of the novel nanoparticles as a sorbent for the isolation and preconcentration of acidic proteins from basic proteins was demonstrated by effective separation and enrichment of bovine serum albumin from lysozyme and cytochrome C mixture, which was assayed by CE.     

A noise constrained least mean fourth (NCLMF) adaptive algorithm

The learning speed of an adaptive algorithm can be improved by properly constraining the cost function of the adaptive algorithm. In this work, a noise-constrained least mean fourth (NCLMF) adaptive algorithm is proposed. The NCLMF algorithm is obtained by constraining the cost function of the standard LMF algorithm to the fourth-order moment of the additive noise. The NCLMF algorithm can be seen as a variable step-size LMF algorithm. The main aim of this work is to derive the NCLMF adaptive algorithm, analyze its convergence behavior, and assess its performance in different noise environments. Furthermore, the analysis of the proposed NCLMF algorithm is carried out using the concept of energy conservation. Finally, a number of simulation results are carried out to corroborate the theoretical findings, and as expected, improved performance is obtained through the use of this technique over the traditional LMF algorithm.     

Antioxidant activity of ginger extract in sunflower oil

The antioxidant activity of dichloromethane extract from ginger was evaluated during 6 months of storage of refined sunflower oil at 25 and 45 °C. Free fatty acid (FFA) content, peroxide value (POV) and iodine value (IV) were used as criteria to assess ginger extract as an antioxidant. After 6 months of storage at 45 °C, sunflower oil containing 1600 and 2400 ppm ginger extract showed lower FFA contents (0.083 and 0.080%) and POVs (24.5 and 24.0 meq kg^?1) than the control sample (FFA contents 0.380%, POV 198.0 meq kg^?1). Sunflower oil containing 200 ppm butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) showed FFA contents of 0.089 and 0.072% and POVs of 26.5 and 24.7 meq kg^?1 respectively after 6 months of storage at 45 °C. Similarly, after 6 months of storage at 45 °C, IVs of sunflower oil containing 1600 and 2400 ppm ginger extract were 80 and 92 respectively, higher than that of the control sample (53). However, IVs of sunflower oil treated with 200 ppm BHA and BHT were 94 and 96 respectively after 6 months of storage at 45 °C. These results illustrate that ginger extract at various concentrations exhibited very strong antioxidant activity, almost equal to that of synthetic antioxidants (BHA and BHT). Ginger extract also showed good thermal stability and exhibited 85.2% inhibition of peroxidation of linoleic acid when heated at 185 °C for 120 min. Therefore the use of ginger extract in foods is recommended as a natural antioxidant to suppress lipid oxidation. © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

Pb(II) biosorption using DAP/EDTA-modified biopolymer (Chitosan)

Abstract

In this study, chitosan was chemically modified with only diammonium phosphate (DAP) and DAP/EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) mixture for the removal of Pb(II) ions from aqueous solution. Modified chitosan forms were analyzed using thermo-gravimetric analyzer (TGA), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to investigate the thermal degradation behavior, structural modifications, and the surface texture of the cross-linked chitosan adsorbents, respectively. The adsorption results were analyzed by well-known kinetic and isotherm models. The kinetics of metal adsorption followed the pseudo-second-order model. The maximum sorption capacities obtained from the Langmuir isotherm model were 126?mg/g for diammonium phosphate-modified Chitosan (DMC) and 137?mg/g for DAP/EDTA-modified chitosan (EDMC). The thermodynamic analysis showed that the metal removal process was endothermic in nature.     

Quantitative measurement of soot particle size distribution in premixed flames - The burner-stabilized stagnation flame approach

A burner-stabilized, stagnation flame technique is introduced. In this technique, a previously developed sampling probe is combined with a water-cooled circular plate such that the combination simultaneously acts as a flow stagnation surface and soot sample probe for mobility particle sizing. The technique allows for a rigorous definition of the boundary conditions of the flame with probe intrusion and enables less ambiguous comparison between experiment and model. Tests on a 16.3% ethylene-23.7% oxygen-argon flame at atmospheric pressure show that with the boundary temperatures of the burner and stagnation surfaces accurately determined, the entire temperature field may be reproduced by pseudo one-dimensional stagnation reacting flow simulation using these temperature values as the input boundary conditions. Soot particle size distribution functions were determined for the burner-stabilized, stagnation flame at several burner-to-stagnation surface separations. It was found that the tubular probe developed earlier perturbs the flow and flame temperature in a way which is better described by a one-dimensional stagnation reacting flow than by a burner-stabilized flame free of probe intrusion.     

A Single Injection of NTG-101 Reduces the Expression of Pain-Related Neurotrophins in a Canine Model of Degenerative Disc Disease

Background: Tissue sources of pain emanating from degenerative discs remains incompletely understood. Canine intervertebral discs (IVDs) were needle puncture injured, 4-weeks later injected with either phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) or NTG-101, harvested after an additional fourteen weeks and then histologically evaluated for the expression of NGFr, BDNF, TrkB and CALCRL proteins. Quantification was performed using the HALO automated cell-counting scoring platform. Immunohistochemical analysis was also performed on human IVD tissue samples obtained from spinal surgery. Immunohistochemical analysis and quantification of neurotrophins and neuropeptides was performed using an in vivo canine model of degenerative disc disease and human degenerative disc tissue sections. Discs injected with NTG-101 showed significantly lower levels of Nerve Growth Factor receptor (NGFr/TrkA, p = 0.0001), BDNF (p = 0.009), TrkB (p = 0.002) and CALCRL (p = 0.008) relative to PBS injections. Human IVD tissue obtained from spinal surgery due to painful DDD show robust expression of NGFr, BDNF, TrkB and CALCRL proteins. A single intradiscal injection of NTG-101 significantly inhibits the expression of NGFr, BDNF, TrkB and CALCRL proteins in degenerative canine IVDs. These results strongly suggest that NTG-101 inhibits the development of neurotrophins that are strongly associated with painful degenerative disc disease and may have profound effects upon the management of patients living with discogenic pain.