Evaluation of some self-sustained capillary effects taking place in slag at the interface during desulphurization process

In the paper are presented and analyzed some specific problems of instability and of Marangoni convection in desulphurizing slags at 1873.15 K, due to the presence of sulphur, during liquid steel treatments. Starting from the quantity sulphide capacity, a limit of sulphur solubility in a homogeneous liquid slag is established. The thermodynamic effect of sulphur in the slag is evaluated using an enthalpy of interaction of sulphur containing the balance of the partial molar enthalpy of mixing for CaS and CaO. The sulphur effect in slag, on the enhancement of the mass transfer coefficient through the interface is evaluated based on the expression of the concentration coefficient of the surface tension related to the mole fraction, the solutal Marangoni number and of the sulphur mass transfer enhancement parameters. It is concluded that during desulphurization, self-sustained capillary effects are present in slags.     

Sensitivity analysis of grating parameter estimation

An optimization method for the sensitivity of diffraction efficiency measurements is presented. I define the sensitivity as the estimation precision of the grating parameters. The optimization method called sensitivity analysis for fitting scans all the possible measurement configurations and selects the configuration that yields the best sensitivity. The scan is made over the domain of the experimental parameters of the arrangement, such as the azimuth angle of the grating and the orientation angles of the analyzer and the polarizer. These parameters can be freely varied, and among the multitude of possible combinations there is one configuration that provides optimum sensitivity. Comparison with experimental results reveals a qualitative agreement between theory and practice.     

Investigation of carbon nanofibers as support for bioactive substances

In this paper we have studied the adsorption properties of various bio-active systems onto the surface of carbon nanofibers (CNF) synthesized by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Amino acids (alanine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid) and glucose oxidase (GOx) were adsorbed on CNF and the results were compared with those obtained when activated carbon (AC) was used as support. CNF and AC properties (hydrophilic or hydrophobic properties) were characterized by the pH value, the concentration of acidic/basic sites and by naphthalene adsorption. CNF with immobilized GOx was additionally investigated as a highly sensitive glucose biosensor. An amperometric method was used in an original manner to detect the changes in the specific activity of GOx, immobilized longer time on CNF. The method demonstrates that not the whole enzyme adsorbed onto CNF can catalyze the oxidation of glucose from the solution.     

HIGH-SPEED PCA ENCRYPTION ALGORITHM USING RECONFIGURABLE COMPUTING

In this work, an originally bio-inspired cryptosystem is developed. It is based on the use of cellular automata (CAs) as pseudorandom bit generators and programmable cellular automata (PCA) to construct the block ciphering functions of the proposed enciphering scheme. The cryptosystem is featured by resistance on different types of attacks and high speed due to the cellular automata's parallel information processing property. The proposed architecture could be efficiently implemented in reconfigurable hardware like field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and could be applied in high-speed data communication. The project was implemented in two experimental hardware platforms based on Spartan 3 XC3S400fg456-4 and XILINX Spartan 3E XC3S500E.     

A mobile detector for measurements of the atmospheric muon flux in underground sites

Muons comprise an important contribution of the natural radiation dose in air (approx. 30 nSv/h of a total dose rate of 65-130 nSv/h), as well as in underground sites even when the flux and relative contribution are significantly reduced. The flux of muons observed underground can be used as an estimator for the depth in mwe (meter water equivalent) of the underground site. The water equivalent depth is important information to devise physics experiments feasible for a specific site. A mobile detector for performing measurements of the muon flux was developed in IFIN-HH, Bucharest. Consisting of two scintillator plates (approx. 0.9 m²) which measure in coincidence, the detector is installed on a van which facilitates measurements at different locations at the surface or underground. The detector was used to determine muon fluxes at different sites in Romania. In particular, data were taken and the values of meter water equivalents were assessed for several locations at the salt mine in Slanic-Prahova, Romania. The measurements have been performed in two different galleries of the Slanic mine at different depths. In order to test the stability of the method, also measurements of the muon flux at the surface at different elevations were performed. The results were compared with predictions of Monte-Carlo simulations using the CORSIKA and MUSIC codes.     

Planar near-field to far-field transformation using an array ofdipole probes

A method is presented for computing far-field antenna patterns from measured near-field data measured by an array of planar dipole probes. The method utilizes the near-field data to determine some equivalent magnetic current sources over a fictitious planar surface which encompasses the antenna. These currents are then used to find the far fields. The near-field measurement is carried out by terminating each dipole with 50 Ω load impedances and measuring the complex voltages across the loads. An electric field integral equation (EFIE) is developed to relate the measured complex voltages to the equivalent magnetic currents. The mutual coupling between the array of probes and the test antenna modeled by magnetic dipoles is taken into account. The method of moments with Galerkin's type solution procedure is used to transform the integral equation into a matrix one. The matrix equation is solved with the conjugate gradient-fast Fourier transformation (CG-FFT) method exploiting the block Toeplitz structure of the matrix. Numerical results are presented for several antenna configurations to show the validity of the method     

A simple mass-action model for the eukaryotic heat shock response and its mathematical validation

The heat shock response is a primordial defense mechanism against cell stress and protein misfolding. It proceeds with the minimum number of mechanisms that any regulatory network must include, a stress-induced activation and a feedback regulation, and can thus be regarded as the archetype for a cellular regulatory process. We propose here a simple mechanistic model for the eukaryotic heat shock response, including its mathematical validation. Based on numerical predictions of the model and on its sensitivity analysis, we minimize the model by identifying the reactions with marginal contribution to the heat shock response. As the heat shock response is a very basic and conserved regulatory network, our analysis of the network provides a useful foundation for modeling strategies of more complex cellular processes.     

Electrospun PEO/rGO Scaffolds: The Influence of the Concentration of rGO on Overall Properties and Cytotoxicity

Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) is one of the graphene derivatives that can be employed to engineer bioactive and/or electroactive scaffolds. However, the influence of its low and especially high concentrations on scaffolds’ overall properties and cytotoxicity has yet to be explored. In this study, polyethylene oxide (PEO)-based scaffolds containing from 0.1 to 20 wt% rGO were obtained by electrospinning. Morphological, thermal and electrical properties of the scaffolds were characterized by SEM, Raman spectroscopy, XRD, DSC and electrical measurements. The diameter of the fibers decreased from 0.52 to 0.19 µm as the concentration of rGO increased from 0.1 wt% to 20 wt%. The presence of rGO above the percolation threshold (5.7 wt%) resulted in a significantly reduced electrical resistivity of the scaffolds. XRD and Raman analysis revealed delamination of the graphene layers (interlayer spacing increased from 0.36 nm to 0.40–0.41 nm), and exfoliation of rGO was detected for the samples with an rGO concentration lower than 1 wt%. In addition, an evident trend of increasing cell viability as a function of the rGO concentration was evidenced. The obtained results can serve as further guidance for the judicious selection of the rGO content incorporated into the PEO matrix for constructing electroactive scaffolds.