Decolorization of textile basic dye in aqueous solution by ozone

In this study, the factors affecting the rate of chemical oxygen demand (COD) of a synthetic waste solution containing a water soluble basic dye [Methylene Blue] were investigated. Decolorization of the dye was achieved by ozonation. The research was conducted using a batch bubble column to take the advantage of the intensive back-mixing that prevails in bubble columns. As a result, the COD of basic dyestuff wastewater was reduced to 64.96% and decolorization was observed under basic conditions (pH 12), complete MB degradation occurring in 12 min. Ozone consumption continued for a further 16 min after which time most of the degradation reactions were complete. Kinetic studies showed that direct ozonation of the aqueous dyes represented a pseudo-first-order reaction with respect to the dye. The apparent rate constant, which increased with both the applied ozone dose and higher pH values, declined logarithmically with the initial dye concentration.     

Production and characterization of poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(vinylpyrrolidone) iodine/poly(ethylene glycol) electrospun fibers with (hydroxypropyl)methyl cellulose and aloe vera as promising material for wound dressing

Biocompatible poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly (vinylpyrrolidone) iodine/poly(ethylene glycol) fibers containing (hydroxypropyl)methyl cellulose (HPMC) and aloe vera were successfully prepared by electrospinning their aqueous solution. Aloe vera which is known to be effective in the treatment of various wounds was added to the polymer solution. HPMC was added to the system as the water retention agent. The hybrid fiber mats were subjected to detailed analysis using a differential scanning calorimeter, a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. Images obtained from the SEM showed that the polymer fibers were linear, homogenous, and contained no beading. The fiber diameters ranged between 100 and 900 nm. It was seen that the electrospun mats obtained could potentially be used as a material for dressing wounds. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Carotid disease in patients scheduled for coronary artery bypass: analysis of 678 patients

As the United States meets its obligation to provide social security benefits for a growing population of elderly people and as the U.S. economy increasingly is exposed to global competition, social policy for the elderly population cannot--and should not--be developed or assessed in isolation: It should be assessed in the context of changing society. This article discusses the growing imbalance in the economic conditions of elderly people and children. It argues that this growing imbalance should be considered a threat for the social and economic development of the United States. It encourages the leaders of the elderly population to get involved in the drive to channel more resources to children.     

Real time monitoring of latex film dissolution by UVV technique

UV–visible (UVV) technique is used for monitoring of polymer film dissolution. These films are formed from pyrene (P)‐labeled poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) latex particles, sterically stabilized by poly isobutylene (PIB, Annealing of films was performed above T_g at various temperatures for 30‐min time intervals. Diffusion of solvent molecules (chloroform) into the annealed latex film was followed by desorption of PMMA chains. Desorption of P‐labeled PMMA chains was monitored in real time by the absorbance change of P in the polymer–solvent mixture. A diffusion model with a moving boundary was used to quantify real time UVV data. Diffusion coefficients of desorbed PMMA chains were measured and found to be between 2 and 0.6 × 10⁻¹¹ cm² s⁻¹ in the 100 and 275°C temperature range. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 75: 1075–1082, 2000     

Photon transmission method for studying film formation from polstyrene latexes with different molecular weights

A photon‐transmission method was used to probe the evolution of transparency during film formation from polystyrene (PS) particles with different molecular weights. The latex films were formed at room temperature from the PS particles having two different average molecular weights and annealed at elevated temperatures in various time intervals above the glass transition (T_g). Onset temperatures (T_H) at given times (τ_H) for the optical clarity of films formed from low (LM) and high molecular (HM) weight PS particles were used to calculate the healing activation energies for the minor chains and found to be 22.0 ± 0.5 and 27.0 ± 0.6 kcal/mol, respectively. The increase in the transmitted photon intensity, I_tr, above the T_H was attributed to increase in the number of interfaces that disappeared. The Prager–Tirrell (PT) model was employed to interpret the increase in crossing density at the junction surface. The backbone activation energies (ΔE) were measured and found to be 127.8 ± 2.5 kcal/mol for a diffusing polymer chain across the junction surface for LM and HM latex films. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 77: 866–874, 2000     

Hybrid 3D Printing of Soft Electronics

Hybrid 3D printing is a new method for producing soft electronics that combines direct ink writing of conductive and dielectric elastomeric materials with automated pick‐and‐place of surface mount electronic components within an integrated additive manufacturing platform. Using this approach, insulating matrix and conductive electrode inks are directly printed in specific layouts. Passive and active electrical components are then integrated to produce the desired electronic circuitry by using an empty nozzle (in vacuum‐on mode) to pick up individual components, place them onto the substrate, and then deposit them (in vacuum‐off mode) in the desired location. The components are then interconnected via printed conductive traces to yield soft electronic devices that may find potential application in wearable electronics, soft robotics, and biomedical devices.     

Calcia Stabilized Ceria Doped Zirconia Nanocrystalline Ceramic

Calcia-stabilized cerium doped cubic zirconia nanocrystalline ceramic was synthesized using poly (vinyl alcohol) as a polymeric precursor. Obtained ceramic was pressed into a cylindrical pellet and sintered at 850 °C. The calcined and sintered ceramics were characterized by XRF, XRD, BET and SEM. The XRD pattern of the calcined ceramic shows that the ceramic has a face centered cubic crystal structure. The SEM results show that the grain size of the ceramic was increased after sintering. The BET surface areas were determined as 13.236 and 4.397 m² g^?1 for the calcined and sintered ceramics, respectively.     

Clinical features of Beh?et's disease in children: an international collaborative study of 86 cases

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to characterize the clinical picture of Beh?et's disease (BD) in children. STUDY DESIGN: A questionnaire was completed by five BD specialists from Turkey, France, Iran, or Saudi Arabia. We first reviewed 86 cases retrospectively with a specially designed computerized database and then selected 65 who met the criteria of the International Study Group for BD, which include buccal aphthosis plus at least two among recurrent genital aphthosis, eye lesions, skin lesions, and positive pathergy test. The remaining 21 patients, who had features suggestive of BD but did not fulfill the international criteria, were analyzed separately and then compared with the other 65 patients. RESULTS: BD affected boys and girls equally. The clinical picture frequently included mucocutaneous lesions. Uveitis was less frequent than in adults but carried a poor prognosis, especially in male patients (p < 0.001). The mortality rate (3%) was related to large vessel involvement. Familial cases were particularly frequent (15%). Erythema nodosum and skin hypersensitivity were common in Turkish patients, whereas neuro-BD was more frequent in French and Saudi Arabian patients. Patients who did not fulfill the international criteria had significantly less genital aphthosis (p < 0.01), less skin lesions or hypersensitivity (p < 0.01), and less uveitis (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: BD in children is similar to BD in adults. The high frequency of familial cases calls for further investigation of the immunogenetic factors that may favor early expression of the disease.     

Configuring use case models in product families

In many domains such as automotive and avionics, the size and complexity of software systems is quickly increasing. At the same time, many stakeholders tend to be involved in the development of such systems, which typically must also be configured for multiple customers with varying needs. Product Line Engineering (PLE) is therefore an inevitable practice for such systems. Furthermore, because in many areas requirements must be explicit and traceability to them is required by standards, use cases and domain models are common practice for requirements elicitation and analysis. In this paper, based on the above observations, we aim at supporting PLE in the context of use case-centric development. Therefore, we propose, apply, and assess a use case-driven configuration approach which interactively receives configuration decisions from the analysts to generate product-specific (PS) use case and domain models. Our approach provides the following: (1) a use case-centric product line modeling method (PUM), (2) automated, interactive configuration support based on PUM, and (3) an automatic generation of PS use case and domain models from Product Line (PL) models and configuration decisions. The approach is supported by a tool relying on Natural Language Processing (NLP) and integrated with an industrial requirements management tool, i.e., IBM DOORS. We successfully applied and evaluated our approach to an industrial case study in the automotive domain, thus showing evidence that the approach is practical and beneficial to capture variability at the appropriate level of granularity and to configure PS use case and domain models in industrial settings.