Effect of operating conditions and design parameters in a continuous powder mixer

An experimental investigation was carried out to study the mixing performance and flow behavior in a continuous powder mixer for a typical pharmaceutical mixture. Blender performance, characterized by the relative standard deviation (RSD) of composition of blend samples taken at the blender discharge and by the variance reduction ratio (VRR) of the blender, was measured as a function of impeller rotation rate, flow rate and blade configuration. The flow behavior in the continuous mixer was characterized using the residence time distribution (RTD) and powder hold-up measurements. To quantify the strain applied to the powder in the blender, the number of blade passes experienced by the powder in the blender was calculated using the residence time measurements. The relationship between different experimental parameters and mean residence time and mean centered variance was examined. The mixing performance was largely dominated by the material properties of the mixture, which had a larger effect than the ingredient flow rate variability contributed by the feeders. Holdup was strongly dependent on impeller rotation rate; as impeller rotation rate increased, holdup (and therefore, residence time) decreased sharply. As a result, intermediate rotation rates showed the best mixing performance. Blade configuration affected performance as well; blade patterns where some of the blades push the powder backwards improved the mixing performance.     

Shape‐Memory Microfluidics

Materials with embedded vascular networks afford rapid and enhanced control over bulk material properties including thermoregulation and distribution of active compounds such as healing agents or stimuli. Vascularized materials have a wide range of potential applications in self‐healing systems and tissue engineering constructs. Here, the application of vascularized materials for accelerated phase transitions in stimuli‐responsive microfluidic networks is reported. Poly(ester amide) elastomers are hygroscopic and exhibit thermo‐mechanical properties (T_g ≈ 37 °C) that enable heating or hydration to be used as stimuli to induce glassy‐rubbery transitions. Hydration‐dependent elasticity serves as the basis for stimuli‐responsive shape‐memory microfluidic networks. Recovery kinetics in shape‐memory microfluidics are measured under several operating modes. Perfusion‐assisted delivery of stimulus to the bulk volume of shape‐memory microfluidics dramatically accelerates shape recovery kinetics compared to devices that are not perfused. The recovery times are 4.2 ± 0.1 h and 8.0 ± 0.3 h in the perfused and non‐perfused cases, respectively. The recovery kinetics of the shape‐memory microfluidic devices operating in various modes of stimuli delivery can be accurately predicted through finite element simulations. This work demonstrates the utility of vascularized materials as a strategy to reduce the characteristic length scale for diffusion, thereby accelerating the actuation of stimuli‐responsive bulk materials.     

Cross-Layer Design Using Superposition Coding Scheme for Multiuser OFDM Systems

In this paper, a cross-layer design is proposed for downlink of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing systems which uses superposition coding (SC) scheme. SC theorem allows two users to share the same subchannel. Firstly, the subchannel will be allocated to degraded user (who is far away from the base station) and then this subchannel will be allowed to be shared by potential user (who is near to the base station). We also employed a packet dependent scheduling at the medium access control layer which decides the transmission order of packets according to the delay, size and quality of service priority level of packets. The weight of each user can be calculated by summing up the weights of all packets in the queues of that user. We have considered that each user is having multiple heterogeneous traffic queues. Simulation results show that the algorithm proposed in this paper is better than the previously reported algorithm in terms of total throughput and packet delay with the same computational complexity.     

Cross-Layer Optimization of Multichannel Multiantenna WMNs

Use of multiple channels can significantly improve the throughput of wireless mesh networks (WMNs). Additionally, recent advances in radio technology have made it possible to realize software-defined radio (SDR), which is capable of switching from one channel to another dynamically. On the other hand, equipping wireless nodes with multiple antennas creates great potential for throughput improvement via interference suppression, spatial multiplexing, and spatial division multiple access techniques. In this paper, we investigate the joint optimization of routing and scheduling in multichannel WMNs, where nodes are equipped with a single SDR and multiple antenna elements. We analyze achievable throughput of these networks under four different multiantenna modes: single user single stream, single user multi stream, multi user single stream, and multi user multi stream, each mode integrates different combinations of multiantenna techniques. We mathematically model scheduling and interference constraints and formulate joint routing and scheduling optimization problem with the objective of maximizing the throughput by minimizing network schedule time such that traffic demands for a set of sessions are satisfied. A column generation-based decomposition approach is proposed to solve the problem. Simulation results are presented to evaluate the impact of number of antennas, number of channels, and number of sessions on the schedule time for the four proposed modes.     

Gold nanorods core/AgPt alloy nanodots shell: A novel potent antibacterial nanostructure

In the light of the current problems of silver nanoparticles （Ag NPs） in terms of antibacterial performance, we have designed a novel trimetallic corelshell nanostructure with AgPt alloy nanodots epitaxially grown on gold nanorods （Au@PtAg NRs） as a potential antibacterial agent. Both Escherichia coli （E. coli） and Staphylococcus aureus （S. aureus） were studied. The antibacterial activity exhibits an obvious composition-dependence. On increasing the Ag fraction in the alloy shell up to 80%, the antibacterial activity gradually increases, demonstrating a flexible way to tune this activity. At 80% Ag, tile antibacterial activity is better than that of a pure Ag shell. The improved antibacterial ability mainly results from the high exposure of silver on the shell surface due to the dot morphology. We thus demonstrate that forming alloys is an effective way to improve antibacterial activity while retaining high chemical stability for Ag-based nanomaterials. Furthermore, due to the tunable localized surface plasmonic response in the near-infrared （NIR） spectral region, additional control over antibacterial activity using light--such as photothermal killing and photo- triggered silver ion release--is expected. As a demonstration, highly enhanced antibacterial activity is shown by utilizing the NIR photothermal effect of the nanostructures. Our results indicate that such tailored nanostructures will find a role in the future fight against bacteria, including the challenge of the increasing severity of multidrug resistance.     

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and del(22q11) syndrome: a non-random association

Del(22q11) is a common microdeletion syndrome with an extremely variable phenotype. Besides classical manifestations, such as velocardiofacial (Shprintzen) or DiGeorge syndromes, del(22q11) syndrome may be associated with unusual but probably causally related anomalies that expand its phenotype and complicate its recognition. We report here three children with the deletion and a chronic, erosive polyarthritis resembling idiopathic cases of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA). Patient 1, born in 1983, initially presented with developmental delay, facial dysmorphism, velopharyngeal insufficiency, and severe gastro-oesophageal reflux requiring G tube feeding. From the age of 3 years, he developed JRA, which resulted in severe restrictive joint disease, osteopenia, and platyspondyly. Patient 2, born in 1976, had tetralogy of Fallot and peripheral pulmonary artery stenosis. She developed slowly, had mild dysmorphic facial features, an abnormal voice, and borderline intelligence. JRA was diagnosed at the age of 5 years. The disorder followed a subacute course, with relatively mild inflammatory phenomena, but an extremely severe skeletal involvement with major osteopenia, restrictive joint disease (bilateral hip replacement), and almost complete osteolysis of the carpal and tarsal bones with phalangeal synostoses, leading to major motor impairment and confinement to a wheelchair. Patient 3, born in 1990, has VSD, right embryo-toxon, bifid uvula, and facial dysmorphism. She developed JRA at the age of 1 year. She is not mentally retarded but has major speech delay secondary to congenital deafness inherited from her mother. In the three patients, a del(22q11) was shown by FISH analysis. These observations, and five other recently published cases, indicate that a JRA-like syndrome is a component of the del(22q11) spectrum. The deletion may be overlooked in those children with severe, chronic inflammatory disorder.     

An Approach to Linear Scalable DH-PHEMT Model for Millimeterwave Application

This paper describes a scalable small-signal equivalent circuit for 0.25 μm gatelength Double Heterojunction delta-doped PHEMTs. The scaling rules for all elements except the pad capacitances and bondwire inductances have been determined. Good agreement is obtained between simulation results and measured results for 2 times 20 μm , 2 times 40 μm, 2 times 60 μm, 2 times 100 μm gate width (number of gate fingers times unit gate width) DH PHEMT.     

Material,Mechanical, and Tribological Characterization of Laser-Treated Surfaces

Laser treatment under nitrogen assisting gas environment of cobalt-nickel-chromium-tungsten-based superalloy and high-velocity oxygen-fuel thermal spray coating of nickel-chromium-based superalloy on carbon steel was carried out to improve mechanical and tribological properties. Superalloy surface was preprepared to include B₄C particles at the surface prior to the laser treatment process. Material and morphological changes in the laser-treated samples were examined using scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, and x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Residual stresses present at the surface region of the laser-treated layer were determined from the XRD data. The microhardness of the laser-treated surface was measured by indentation tests. Fracture toughness of the coating surfaces before and after laser treatment were also measured using overload indentation tests. Macrowear and macrofriction characterization were carried out using pin-on-disk tests.     

Additional confirmation of a generalized analytical model based on multistage scattering phenomena to evaluate the ionization rates of charge carriers in semiconductors

This paper contains additional validations of a comprehensive analytical model based on multistage scattering phenomena to evaluate the impact ionization rates of charge carriers in semiconductors which was proposed by the authors and reported earlier. The model has been used to evaluate the ionization rates of both electrons and holes in some potential wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors such as Wurtzite-GaN (Wz-GaN), type-IIb diamond and 6H-SiC. The numerical results obtained from the analytical model within the respective electric field ranges under consideration have been compared with the ionization rate values calculated by using the empirical relations fitted from the experimentally measured data. The calculated values of impact ionization rates of electrons and holes in all the WBG semiconductors under consideration are found to be in close agreement with the experimental results.     

Drying of a system of multiple solvents: Modeling by the reaction engineering approach

Drying is a very important industrial operation in society. In drying, solute may dissolve in an aqueous solvent, a nonaqueous solvent or a mixture of solvents. Many mathematical models have been published previously to model drying of solute in water. The reaction engineering approach (REA) is known to be an easy‐to‐use approach. It can describe well many drying cases of water removal. Currently, no simple lumped model has been attempted to describe drying of porous materials containing a mixture of solvents. In this study, for the first time, REA is constructively implemented to model drying in a mixture of one aqueous and one nonaqueous solvent. The REA is applied here to model the drying of polyvinyl alcohol/methanol/water under constant and time‐varying environmental conditions. Similar to the relative activation energy of water, that of methanol is generated through one accurate drying run. For modeling the time‐varying drying, the relative activation energies are the same as those for modeling convective drying under constant ambient conditions but combined with the equilibrium activation energies at the corresponding humidity, methanol concentration, and temperature for each drying period. The REA is accurate to model drying of a solute in nonaqueous solvent as well as in a mixture of noninteracting solvents. In the future, spatially distributed REA for nonaqueous or mixtures of both aqueous and nonaqueous solvent will be explored for fundamental understanding and for practical application. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 62: 2144–2153, 2016